Jane at Nine Months.

Her shirt says it all.

Jane is nine months old today. She is so sweet. She is so pleasant. She is so fun. We are so in love.

Jane has been crawling on all fours since she turned eight months old, and for the past couple of weeks, she has been “cruising” (walking while holding on to furniture). Her tooth count is up to eight (Megan had 4 teeth at 13 months!). She still isn’t such a fan of solid food (or of sleeping through the night).

We had her 9 month check-up today and she is weighing in at 17 pounds 14 ounces (24th %tile) and 29 inches long (94th %tile). I definitely feel as though she is thinning out with how mobile she is. My chunky baby is becoming a little toddler!

Speaking of nine months . . . it’s crazy that Jane has now been officially in our lives the same amount of time she was in my tummy (the time definitely has moved faster during the second 9 months!!) Anyway, I am so happy to share that as of just this morning, I have officially lost SIXTY POUNDS since the day Jane arrived!
Sixty pounds . . . in nine months (which is 13 more than I gained with her!) Yahoo!

Jane is such a precious gift to us; each and every day. How I wish you could all spend some time with her. . . I guess these posts will just have to do!

Sunday’s Sundae: What Do You Need To Hear?

This upcoming Saturday and Sunday (October 1st and 2nd) is the 181st semi-annual general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

I have been looking forward to this conference in particular for weeks now. I’ll tell you why.

In this month’s Ensign, the first presidency message is entitled “General Conference – No Ordinary Blessing” by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf. The message has some wonderful suggestions for getting the most out of the upcoming conference sessions, and it really hit home with me. The very first suggestion was my favorite. It states: As you prepare for general conference, I invite you to ponder questions you need to have answered. For example, you might yearn for direction and guidance by the Lord regarding challenges you are facing.

I remember so clearly the conference right after Jack died. Never before, and never since, have I listened to conference with such yearning for something to be said personally to me. So many messages were about losing children and overcoming the grief by accepting God’s Plan and finding hope in temple covenants. Since then, I haven’t had too many specific questions I’ve needed answered, and I have just listened to conference and sought for ways to strengthen my faith and testimony as well as received reminders of ways I can be more holy and Christlike in my own life.

This time, however, I need to listen for something specific for me, again. It’s not all that personal, but to me, it’s a big deal. For months now, I have been in so much physical pain. I am seeking treatment and trying to do my part to overcome this obstacle, but the pain persists. It is debilitating, and it keeps me from being the wife, mother, and person that I need to be. It is depressing and frustrating, and I need strength.

I accept that people live for months, years, even the entirety of their life with pain. I would love the pain to just disappear, but I am not expecting that. What I seek from this next general conference is a message to me of strength, patience and comprehension, so that I might understand why I have to experience this particular trial at this particular time (currently, Adam’s work, school, and church responsibilities have him away from the home more than ever before in our marriage).

I’ll have my heart and ears tuned to the speakers this weekend, and I know that something will be said to help lift this burden. I invite you all to do the same. Just like President Uchtdorf, I promise that something will be said that you need to hear. If you’d like to comment and share what you will be listening for, then feel free. Next “Sundae”, I will share what messages humbled, uplifted, and inspired me most.

Many Colored Days

Well, Megan’s first two weeks of Kindergarten have come and gone. She is absolutely loving it.

Megan’s class has been focusing on colors for the past couple of weeks. Megan has LOVED coordinating her clothing with the respective color for the day.

My sweet girl is already picking up on lots of new things at school. She is always in a hurry for me to leave her classroom in the mornings and is always bright-eyed and happy when I pick her up. It makes me happy that she is so happy. I am hopeful that this will be a wonderful year for her.

On brown day and black day she wore a brown skirt and a black skirt respectively. I guess you can’t tell that from the pictures…