Los Torrientes

Granpa Foote's "Funeral"

2009-10-18T20:43:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed yet another weekend in Duncan, this time, for Grandpa Foote's funeral*. We stayed with my mom and dad and brought Zorro along, so he could meet his cousins (Seth and Ryan's puppies) and frolic in the countryside. We arrived late Friday and left Sunday early in the morning, but it sure was nice to see so many cousins, aunts and uncles. I took pictures for the family in the park in Duncan Saturday morning right before the funeral. As usual, they were a bit chaotic, only the photographer (me) and mom and dad were on time. Alas, I think we got some cute shots of each family individually and it was far less stressful than last year. Perhaps that is lent to the fact that I am not a 2-month post partum biotch? (I wasn't that bad, was I?) Maybe it's because although late, everyone arrived in a reasonable time frame and we were able to make use of better light. If you want to see more pics, go to my facebook. Blogger takes 10 years to upload more than 3 pictures. Ugh.

Grandpa Foote decided that people do things backwards. They die first, then have all of the family gather to celebrate their life and say all of the nicest things about them. Never one to let an idea on how to improve the status quo pass him by, he requested to have his funeral for his 80th birthday (heck, isn't that old enough?) in lieu of a funeral when he dies. This is a dear picture to me. It's my Grandpa Foote leaving me my inheritance. Right after he spoke at his funeral. I went up and asked, "Since we're having your funeral and all already, why not fork over my inheritance?" To which he promptly replied, "I've got it right here in my wallet." And pulled out a $1 bill. I sometimes joke when I hear of friends/acquaintances who have rich family that leave them $ or give them a head start in life, "Where's my rich grandpa?!"

He leaves me and his blessed posterity so much more than money. The only time that I got emotional at his "services" was when he stood up and spoke and asked us to simplify our lives and enjoy our time with our loved ones. It really hit me what a wonderful legacy he has blessed me with and how much he's taught my mom and my siblings over the years of his example.

Part of the reason he doesn't have a lot of money is because he is the least materialistic person that I know. Relationships, love, work and doing what is right are the only things that matter to him. He could live in a tent (some places he's lived would only count as glorified tents, anyway), wear the same clothes and shoes forever, and never own a thing of worth, and he is still the most rich person I think I've ever met. He loves his wife (crazy as she has become in her old age) and he is good to his kids. He has a sarcastic sense of humor and likes to tease, but is nothing but a giant softy, gentle and kind. My mom said he never raised his voice, and only spank her once that she recalls, and that because she talked back to his wife. He is truly a mathematical genius, but as simple as can be. I remember him spending an entire week of my Christmas break tutoring me in math so I could pass Algebra and move on the next semester. He lived in a double wide trailer for as long as I knew him, but his warmth and enjoyment with his family made it a castle. I love him so much and value his lesson of simplicity and humility, being focused on what matters more than I could ever appreciate my "rich grandpa". And that's saying a lot.

Marry Jordan Photography

2009-09-15T11:30:00.000-07:00

So my cute friend, Marry Jordan just revamped her photography blog and updated her phot gallery. I am so proud of her and her creativity. Check it out marryjordan.com/blog!

The Great Frozen Yogurt Heist

2009-08-30T21:30:00.000-07:00

Embarrassing as this story is to tell, it must be told. Last week, I was walking into Cosmoprof (a beauty supply) just as a good friend of mine... let's call her Brittney J. to protect her identity. No, no that's too obvious, I'll call her B. Jones. Anyway, bumping into each other, we chatted and found out that we were both planning on going to Mesa Frozen Yogurt next door. She was meeting friends, I was just planning on getting a fix. So we went together. Met her friends (they were lovely) and saw that the table behind them had- get this, not one, but two perfect little cups of frozen yogurt, melting onto the table (toppings and all). B. Jones jokingly asks, "Hey- did you get these for us?" to which the friends reply, "No." "Sweet," I say, "It must have been the Three Nephites doing a good deed for us."

Never one to let perfectly delicious frozen yogurt go to waste, nor an opportunity to save a few dollars, I looked at B. Jones, she looked back at me, and we knew it was probably fate, coming together in our best interest. Before indulging, we asked the only girl working that afternoon, if she happened to know who these yogurts belonged to. "Nope, they must have forgotten them, because I haven't seen them". Sweet. Literally. So taking a big bite and licking the melted sides of the yogurt, another, more informed employee appears. "What are you doing?" She asks. "They just went to the bathroom a few minutes ago-" before she could even finish, B. Jones and I freeze, mortified at what we have just done, even more mortified that we were caught, and I say, "Quick, make the exact same ones, quick, right now-" producing the necessary money to pay and trying to speed the girl up. (where was she when we were asking, anyway?!) But before I could finish my sentence, "They" appeared. A lovely mom and her approximately 4 year old son, leaving the bathroom at the back of the store, looking for their dessert. "Oh, my" was all that the mom said, obviously baffled about what she walked out to find (2 grown women, stealing her and her son's yogurt). The boy, looked confused, hurt. I quickly lied, (a practice I abhor and rarely, if ever, engage in. But it seemed the only fitting solution) "Oh, well, we, um, just came here, to, um, meet friends and we, um, thought that they had, bought this for us, so we started eating it and before we knew it the lady said it was yours and we didn't realize til I took a big bite and we're so sorry, and, um, here, we bought you the exact same kind and um, here."

At that, we finished our yogurts (mint with oreos and chocolate with peanut butter cups) and tried not to die of embarrassment/laughter/who-the-heck-do-we-think-we-are?!

All we both really wanted was butterbrickle. Serves us right.

Tricked.

2009-08-24T12:34:00.000-07:00

Let's all be honest here, I suffer from an acute case of "overscheduleitis". A side affect of which is "usuallyrunsatadbitlateitis". I've been trying since Kindergarten to overcome this terrible disease with it's accompanying undesirable symptoms. I am unwilling to cut things out of my schedule unless I absolutely have to, and I need approx. 8 hours of sleep at night. So 24-8= an insufficient 16 waking hours with which to exercises, do hair, clean house, love on Mooster, mow the yard, cook delicious food and eat it sitting down after having chewed each bite 20 times, play with friends, grocery shop, read scriptures, pray, shower, do hair (yeah, right) and makeup, etc... It doesn't sound like much, really, but there always seems to be extra activities crammed in there. Anyway, I keep thinking, "if only I only needed 6 hours of sleep at night, then I'd be that person who is always early (Butch Haught)"

And who hasn't set their clock for a few minutes faster than the actual time? Please tell me I'm not the only pathetic one. I recently set up an alarm clock in my attempt to get everything done and not be too rushed. It's helping. and I've had lots of good friends tell me, with love, some suggestions on how to become more prompt. This morning, Merrick woke up what seemed to be really early. After letting him cry long enough to really wake me up, I glanced at my alarm clock to see that it was 7:15, which is pretty average with him. Rubbing my eyes, I went and brought him to bed with me to nurse him. After which, we got dressed for a morning jog (it's hot, but not too hot anymore) and got breakfast. I went up stairs about 8 to see Eddy with the blanket over his head, obviously not wanting to get up yet. He usually leaves by 7:30, so I woke him up again and told him he was being a bum and that it was 8:00 already. To which he replies, "We've been tricked." Producing his cel phone with the correct time of 6:55 am, he and I realized that Merrick, who loves buttons on electronics, must have done his part to get me up and at 'em and on time. Thanks to him, I am feeling very accomplished, albeit a little more tired than usual today.

Water+Laptop=No Blog Posts

2009-06-04T08:51:00.001-07:00

Lest any of you think I have lost my zest for documenting our lives of wonder, allow me to explain where my laptop has been. Tiffani was over at my house and wanted to use it for some reason. Brinton (ever helpful and sweet) brought her a drink of water while she was using it. He must have thought that the laptop was thirsty, too, because he spilled water all over the keyboard. The "enter" key and several others no longer work, and there's been some other problems now. So Tif is backing up all of our files and sending it to the manufacturer to get checked out. Looks like I just may have a new computer soon.

Other events of noteworthiness: Merrick has begun to crawl. He's been pretending to for almost 2 months now. You know, the little "rock, rock, one step, catapult myself forward"? Well that's what he'd been doing for quite some time. Then, on his 8 month anniversary of being out of my womb, he really sealed the deal. We were at the swimming pool with the cousins and Tif brought some sugar cookies that the kids had made. Merrick reaches for anything and shoves it into his mouth. We're at that phase. Anyway, I moved the cookies a good 5-6 feet away on the ground-far enough away to be out of his "rock, rock, catapult myself forward" reach. Then, without warning, he took off like a mad man.

Tell me something. What is it about sugar that is so enticing?Just when I'm beginning to feel guilt for hardly denying myself of my sugary pleasures, I realize that there is something programmed into us as my son (who's never had cookies before) made a b-line for the goods. It's innate. We know that the bad stuff simply tastes better. I am willing to bet that if I had placed a plate of carrot sticks (brightly colored, attractive shape) and a plate of sugar cookies (frosted plain white) that Merrick and just about any other infant would go in the direction of the cookies. Has research been done on this most interesting pshycological phenomena? It's like we're born with this insatiable desire for that which is not the best for us. Somone who's smarter than me, please enlighten me.

Merrick also has yet to sleep through the night. I mean really sleep through the night. The best he's given me is from 8pm-6am and that miracle has only occured maybe 5 times in his whole 8 months. I must admit I'm getting a little sleep deprived. I'm hoping the next baby is a good sleeper. If not, I'm hiring someone to be my night nanny once a week. I'm absolutely serious.

Drinking Milk Like a Real Man

2009-05-11T21:57:00.001-07:00

Merrick is a great eater. From the get go, we were a fabulous breast feeding team. He had to take a bottle right away because he was a little early and had low blood sugar. I worried that it would affect our goal to breastfeed predominately, but it was no problemo. He switches from one to the other very well, takes formula whenever Auntie Tiffani watches him, and overall is an eating machine. Recently, I was in a hurry and needed him to take a bottle while I finished something up to hold him over til I could feed him. I realized he didn't know how to hold his own bottle yet (something a kid his age should probably know how to do). So I put it in his hands and tried to show him how to hold it up. Every time I gave it to him, he almost held it up high enough. So I'd help him lift it up a little bit. Every time I did that, he'd let go all together and let me do it. Sigh. I was trying to save time here. Alas, I needed him to figure it out. So I lifted it up for him, put his hands on it, and turned to finish the task at hand. I turned around and found that he had his own way of doing things... a much more efficient, simple and hands-free way of doing things. Very innovative.

Thankyouverymuch!

Sprinkler Surprise!

2009-05-11T21:40:00.001-07:00

I love to garden and be outside. Most mornings, I take Merrick with me to pull weeds, talk to my gorgeous grapes on the grapevine, check on Charlotte (our beloved Tortoise) to say "hello", look at the hibiscus opening from the night before, and enjoy nature. A few weeks ago, I went to make sure everything was being watered evenly and found some places looking too dry. So I left Merrick to entertain himself on the grass (a baby who can sit up is my kind of baby!) while I went around the corner to check the drip system's timer box. There are 2 settings for our drip system. One is for the lawn, the other for the plants around the perimeter. I have them labeled "grass" and "plants", respectively. I switched the dial over to "plants", set it for manual timer and turned it on for 10 minutes to give me time to tinker with the valves and make sure water was coming from each spigot. I thought I heard something strange as I came back around the "yard" side of the house. What I saw was this: A very good natured baby boy, smiling in all his soaking-wet glory. I was so surprised by the sight, and even more so that he wasn't crying or upset. I think it's shocking to be assaulted by cold water without warning, even as a grown up who understands that it's not harmful. I think I'm safe to say most babies would have been scared or shocked or something?

Nope, not Mild-Natured Merrick. He just splashed around in it while I ran upstairs to grab my camera, laughing all the while. He loves the water. And apparently he loves surprises, too.

I guess I am pretty funny after all...

2009-05-07T22:08:00.000-07:00

I've been told that I'm pretty funny before. I like to catch people off guard, make them feel a little uncomfortable, compel them to think. And if they happen to laugh while I'm at it, even better. Well, tonight I had Merrick in stitches. We've made him giggle before, laugh a little with encouragement. But this was full blown. It's the darnedest thing when your offspring develop their little personalities. In any age-specific material about Merricks development, I'm reading that around this age is when children develop their unique sense of humor and more personality. Well, tonight, it happened. I usually flirt with him (and anything/anyone in my general vicinity) and have fun while we do our day to day things. As I fed him his yams I took a bite to see what it tasted like (I just made bunches of baby food for him and wanted to know if I was as good at making baby food as I am at big people food. Dang I'm good). And true to my fashion, I made a scene out of it. I pretend like I was gobbling it up and making funny noises as I did so. Unexpectedly, something magical happened. Merrick went crazy! He thinks I'm hysterical! I have to admit, I am quite a riot, but his response was way over the top. He's officially the perfect child. He cuddles, he's happy, he smiles all of the time, he looks just like his gorgeous father, he loves me, and he thinks I'm hilarious. We had so much fun just gobbling up our food and making noises (He's well on his way to mastering my social graces, Emily Post help him) that he almost couldn't even swallow his food. I was afraid he was going to aspirate yams. And like it. Alas, he did swallow some of it before shooting it out of his nostrils. Video to come if I can figure it out.

Merrilee Bear, Mooster the Rooster, Moo Moo, Mer...

2009-04-30T03:43:00.000-07:00

What is not to love? This outfit was thoughtfully purchased by my stylish friend, Christie Turley to fit him in the winter of '09. He appears to be quite tall, so we're so glad he got some good use of it in the random cool weeks of spring. I'm hoping we can still fit him into the overalls in the fall.

This picture reminds me of a campaign photo for Mayor or something. I can just see it now, "Mer bear for Mayor". Or a realtor headshot. Hehe.

One of my favorite things is that Merrick already has crow's feet from smiling so much.

A little shot into his private life and his cute little cloth diaper.

In addition to some quick picture updates, here's a little sneak peak into Merrick's life. He's got a tooth. And I officially have a nipple piercing. No ring yet, still on the hunt. And as we speak (at 3:45 am) he's busy talking to himself in his bedroom. He talks a lot. Usually in a high pitched shriek. And I'm not refering to a cry. He really has this air-being-let-out-of-a-baloon voice he really likes to do. And he especially does that when he's tired. I'll be driving along listening to the shriek and chatter, then BAM. Asleep. And he makes a cute face when he's trying to immitate big people talking that resembles a frown. Just trying to figure out how the facial muscles work. He likes "p" and "b" and "d" sounds. And sticking his tongue out and blowing to make noises. He also likes to eat his feet and stick them in his mouth, which is very common, but he takes it a step further by latching on to his big toe and actually sucking his "thumb" toe. Cute? Something like that. He sits up so well by himself (I realized a few weeks ago that kids his age should be doing that, so I tried and within a few times, he did. I guess I should keep up on stuff like that?) One of my not so favorite things is the way he soothes when nursing or when I'm holding him and he's tired. He CLAWS my arm skin, right by my bicep. And PINCHES tight. No matter how short I cut his nails, I'm getting pinched. Over and over. It looks like I am a cutter. Nope, just Mooster.

Sneak Peek of Lily Mae

2009-04-27T22:25:00.000-07:00

I borrowed my adorable cousin, Lily, to take a few fun pictures of to get to know my camera better. She is a total character, lots of spunk, and very fun! I haven't seen Bryndee (her wonderful mother and most handy photo assistant on the planet) since, so I'm posting a few unretouched just so she (and the family who cares) can sneek a peek. Thanks Bryn!

SOLD

2009-04-15T20:25:00.001-07:00

This item is no longer available for sale. She decided to go back to UT with her dad. She is missed by Merrick, Eddy and I.

Teenager for Sale-$1 OBO

2009-04-04T21:02:00.000-07:00

As mentioned earlier, we blessed Merrick Thanksgiving weekend so that all of our family could be in town. While they (all 17!) were here, my niece, Kayla and I hit it off and we offered her a place to stay to get away from UT and to have a fresh start in a sunny new place. Lots more goes into that, of course, but that's it in a nutshell.

Let me tell you a little bit about her. She is very smart. Gorgeous, a talented singer, and an excellent writer of poetry and lyrics. She's funny, fun, great with her hair and makeup, takes fabulous pictures, makes friends very quickly, and has more common sense in certain areas than people twice her age. She is also very helpful around the house, and good at communicating. Oh, and Merrick LOVES her. But there is one critical detail in this whole story. She's also 17. Which, loosely translated, means that all of these qualities that I adore and love about her are here and then gone in a flash. Then back again. Sigh.

For those of you who are considering adopting a teenager any time soon, allow me to warn you-it's not for the faint of heart. Especially when you've just given birth to your first angelic child. Even more of a risk when you're married to the kindest, most loving and gentle man on the planet who happens to be very confrontation averse. I only recommend taking one on if you are mentally, financially and maritally stable. And you are as tough as nails and okay with establishing and enforcing tough boundaries. And you are okay with sleepless nights and lots of standing your ground. And encouraging your husband to do the same. And encouraging him again and again until you could scream, cry and/or run away. It is also advisable that you be certified in parent/child relationships and communication and trained to pick up on subtle cues and hints when something might be amiss. Perhaps someone who is a tracker or who has a background in private investigation is best. Some other things to consider beforehand is how much you enjoy, hmmm, shall we say "spontaneity" in certain, ummm, areas, if you catch my drift. Or how seriously you take having the ability to go where ever you want when ever you want without worrying that you'll come home to a wild party. In addition a phone plan with unlimited texting is required. Before you decide to commit, please, borrow my teenager and I'll waive the $1 fee.

How Could I Resists?!

2009-04-02T15:41:00.001-07:00

Kylynn and Brinton are some of the best big cousins Merrick could ask for. They help babysit him on Fridays while I'm at Tantrum working. No sooner have I brought him inside in his stroller and they're climbing into it, tickling him, playing peek a boo and laughing. He loves to see them and his face lights up. I decided to take them out to play at the park one day and get a few pictures of them with thier snot noses, messed up nap hair and food/marker/who knows what on thier faces.

Here Ky is staring at her crazy brother. They are so good together and have so much fun. Mrs. Kylynn. She is such a gorgeous girl. She's mostly sweet and she loves her little cousin, Merrick. She is quite the little ham and is lots of fun to be around.

Brinton has a great new abiltiy- He can WINK! One day he got really excited because Merrick accidentally winked. He ran up to us and said, "Look, Merrick can wink, like me!"

I love this guy!

Oh, Brinton and his cars. He loves cars. He'll turn anything he finds into a car. He makes up stories about cars.

Tritonman

2009-04-02T10:28:00.000-07:00

Running Club International, 4 members and counting, took place in our "team's" very first triathlon. We started running just before Christmas and Rachelle and Kira completed their very first triathlon ever. It was the UCSD Tritonman on February 21. I was so proud. A beaming president, if you will. (I am the pres. and founder :) Tiffani couldn't make it out, but we were joined by Rachelle's friend, Jamie. We stayed at the Lindbloms beach condo in La Jolla. We had so much fun doing the race, even though I almost backed out because of a wicked cold. Oh, not to mention the FREEZING water. The race was at Fiesta Island, right by Sea World.Team R.C.I.

Mooster's first trip to the beach. He loves the water and the outdoors. Good kid, isn't he. He is so easy to travel with, so happy, so easy going and so much fun. We're a little bit in love.

Merbear and Eddy at the beach. Eddy was so excited and proud to introduce our little "Ruler of the sea" to the ocean for the first time. I think it went well. He should be paddling waves sooner than later. Here are the participants, or shall we say, triathletes, with their children. Merrick turned 5 months old that day. I was glad that my body let me do a little race so quickly after he was born. Half Iron Man? Maybe next month. I am so glad that we got this little group of buddies together. I love the girls that I run and work out with. I think that we are good for eachother and it's so much more fun to set goals and accomplish them with great friends!

Para Mis Padres

2009-04-02T08:18:00.000-07:00

I've always thought it was cool that my parent's birthdays were 2 years and 1 day apart. My dad's April 1 (55) and my mom is April 2 (53). Don't they look great?

My dad, the genius. He can take anything, horrific as it may be, and turn it into a beautiful house. My mom, the saint. She can take anyone, horrific as they may be, and love them and turn them into a beautiful person. I love them both more than I can express, I am grateful to them for loving me and giving me a fighting chance at surviving this life and it's experiences, and I am so glad that they were born and that they decided to get married and stay that way. The genius (for marrying my mom) and the saint (for staying married to my dad ;) They're both my heroes and I hope to be a little bit like them when I'm older (except for with more hair than my dad, and better eyesight than my mom).

Grateful.

2009-03-23T22:09:00.001-07:00

Sometimes there are moments, or days or weeks, even months when I feel really grateful. Usually these times come after struggle, hardship, tragedy and triumphs happen in my life and in the lives of friends and family. Ever since I heard about my brother's best friend, Blue Haught, and his wife, Kelly, loosing their precious little baby Porter Jackson right before his birth, just 2 weeks before I had Merrick, I have been feeling that way. Then on October 26, 2008, when I found out that my old buddy from Heritage Academy (waaaay back when it was at the Synagogue), Police Officer Shane Figueroa, was killed by a drunk driver while responding to a shots fired call. He and I were stand buddies from 6th-8th grade. We played pranks on each other and had fun with our little Jr. High friends. He went on a mission to Venezuela, and we reconnected at CGCC right before He met his wife. He married a sweet girl, named Melisha Pew, nearly 2 years before. They welcomed their first baby, a little girl named Kenzlie, 3 months earlier. Then his earthly experiences were cut short. Then I really felt reflective, sorrowed, and grateful. I have since made a great new friend, my new assistant, Ashley Husten, at Tantrum. She had an angel, Miles, born to her after miraculously keeping him well inside of her for 7 whole weeks after her water broke early at 19 weeks. He had too many odds against him and blessed them for only 2 short days before going back into the loving arms of his Heavenly Father again. She's been brave and upbeat since I met her almost 2 months ago, in facing this tragic challenge in her life. Just a month ago, I found out that my friend's brother, who I knew from when his twin brother and my friend Shelley were dating and engaged, lost his little boy while he was sleeping. He is just 2 months younger than Merrick. His name is Gunner Goodman. Now he gets to be with his loving Heavenly Father again. And even still, there are so many others who's pain and struggles are silent and covert, who deal with all sorts of pain each day. For all of these courageous, faithful, inspiring people, I mourn. My heart aches and I am nearly preoccupied with thoughts of concern, care, and love for them. Eddy and I pray every day for them by name that miracles and healing will fill there lives and help them find peace. Then we pray that we can become better parents, spouses, children, and friends. That we can be better servants of God and help bring peace and comfort to his children who suffer in any way. We pray for help in living in such a way that if we are called to face any similar trials, we will be strengthened enough to endure them so well as those we have learned from. That we can live each blessed moment to the fullest and suck the marrow of out the life that we are gifted with. We realize that health is a gift. Breath is a gift, as are family and friends. And the biggest gift of all is knowing that God lives and that he has a miraculous plan, that he is mindful and merciful, and that his perfect Son descended below all of these things to bring us closer to our Father, who understands what it is like to loose someone that is loved, to watch him suffer and most importantly to watch him raise triumphant from the grave, having conquered sin and pain. And that is why we are here, to learn to be like him, to trust him, and to follow his perfect path.

Four Months Old and Some Firsts

2009-03-18T22:39:00.000-07:00

Oh, this was one of the best days of our lives. I needed to run to Tiffani's, but we had sold our BMW and had lent a friend our Corolla, so we were down to just the Pilot and I needed a set of wheels. So I guessed that if I strapped him in tight enough, he should be safe for the short ride to Tif's house. I found out she was at the park with Moms Club, so I tracked her down there. He loved it. Not only was he fine for this, his inaugural bike ride, but he was thrilled. Tiffani flipped out as soon as she saw him in his bike seat. She squeals in pitches only known to dolphins and whales when she sees him, anyway. But this time she had a real fit. She couldn't believe how cute and big and grown up he looks in his bike seat. Now we go on rides with the kids all of the time. Some days Merrick and I are out on our bike several times a day. After all, walking is so pase.

I don't even know who this handsome guy is. He looks like such a grown up eating his rice cereal for the very first time. He took one look at the green baby spoon as it was being placed in his mouth, tried to latch on to it, sucked some cereal off, tongue not sure how to swallow it and spit most of it out and looked up at the spoon with this look on his face saying, "That is the strangest nipple I have ever seen or tasted. Strangest." Fast forward a month now, and he's having cereal 3 times a day at breakfast, lunch and dinner and he's even started to try some squash and yams. He's a good eater.

Merrick and Jeremiah sharing blocks. Merrick thought Jeremiah was so cool and such a big boy. He could reach for things and grab them. Advanced, I know.

Our very first trip to library story time. He was really facinated by the big parachute. He also loved spending time with Jeremiah Thatcher.

His first time in his bumbo. And his first time wearing the infamous "K Swiss". Eddy was wearing K Swiss the first time I met him. I told him later that this fact really threw me off. I never knew a guy who wore K Swiss shoes. I'm pretty sure I'd only seen 14 year old girls from the Jr. High step team wear them. But they were his fave. I asked him to tell me who else besides him and 14 year old black girls wear K Swiss. In defense, he pointed to someone who happened to be passing at just that moment-before he even looked to see that she fit my exact discription. So I always give him a hard time about that. When I first found out we were going to have Peanut, I bought these before I had to leave town for a confrence for work and left them on our bed with a note. He thought it was cool.

His gorgeous, contagious smile. He melts my heart all of the time.

He almost smiles too much to even suck his thumb. Everywhere I go people ask me, "Does he always smile this much???" or, "Is he always this happy?!" Yes. And I love him for it.

I realize that this picture is out of focus, but I just love the face he's making here. The drool, those eyes, everything.

This is not a scowl. It's more an advanced emotion comming from a 4 month old. I imagine, "Mom, um, do you realize I'm only in my diaper on the front lawn, by chance? Take the picture, already!"

Merrick-ristmas! 2008

2009-03-17T09:46:00.000-07:00

My mom and dad with Santas little helper. They promised that Santa would come and visit me if I stayed Christmas night at thier house. And he DID! He brought me a Melissa and Doug musical set. I love Melissa and Doug's toys. They're wooden, old fashioned, and awesome. I asked if it was from Santa to Merrick. My mom smiled and reassured me that, although it says for ages 3+, 25 is still under that umbrella. I love my parents so much and was so glad that, even if we couldn't have Eddy around for Christmas, we had them! It even snowed on our last morning there before we headed back to the valley.

Every year, my aunt and uncle, Mariann and Kevin Pike host a Christmas get together. Everyone brings goodies to share, we play games, and gather around the piano to sing Christmas songs and party. I was excited to bring Merrick along as my hot date, and to have the chance to see Michayle and Ginny there, too. We decided to bring a delicious veggie tray to offset the Christmas junk food usually found (and usually too tempting to resist). I went with Tiffani and Chad and they helped me bring Merrick in. Tiffani followed behind with my veggie tray. All I heard was screaming and rushed in to see who dropped my kid. To my joy, he had be set down safely. It was the veggie tray that didn't have such a soft landing. It looked like an explosion of veggies and dip, and Merrick was the innocent bystander who was caught in the blast. He smiled all the while and enjoyed watching us clean up the aftermath.

I love this picture of Mooster. He looks like a little elf all dressed in green. He's getting ready for one of our morning walks that he loves so much.

Here we are right before Eddy was leaving for his vacation without us. He really wanted to buy me a ticket to go with them, and I was tempted. But for the same price of 1 ticket, we both could go in the spring... plus it would be fun for them to have the guys only trip. I reassured him that Merrick would never know that he abandoned us for his first Christmas. Except he will now that I've preserved that information for posterity on the family blog. But we have the token shot in front of the Christmas tree before Eddy found himself here:

Being the generous wife that I am, here is how my lovely husband spent Christmas this year, on the beach, in Puerto Rico. His brother, Sean and his wife, Heather (yes, the other Heather Torriente) moved there earlier this year. Sean works as a federal prosecutor. They live right by the beach and Eddy misses him so much. Not to mention the fact that he is increidibly jealous of the fact that his brother surfs nearly every day of the week. After finding out that my father in law was going for Christmas by himself (it was his only time off of work to be able to go), I decided to surprise Eddy with a trip, too. They had so much fun, were shown great hospitality by the Torrientes and he loved every second of it. We missed him so much at home, but I was busy keeping company with family and friends for the week he was gone.

Family Pictures from Hell

2009-03-15T10:14:00.000-07:00

With all of the family here on Thanksgiving weekend, my mom decided it would be the perfect time for our annual family picture. Is there ever really a perfect time for a family picture? Let's be honest, NO. If your family is anything like mine, pictures usually turn out to be a true test in marital strength, family committment, and the realiability of waterproof mascara. Yikes. My earliest memory of family pictures looks something like this: Mom yelling at everyone to hurry and get ready, Mom yelling at dad for getting home late, being stinky, unshaved and not having time to shower and shave before we leave, Dad swearing at all of us because we're not ready and mom's stressed out at him, so he's got to kick the dog, so to speak. Then there's the frantic drive to Updike or Olan Mills studios, getting pulled over on the way for speeding, (more swearing, more yelling, crying ensues) dad takes a breathilizer and walks in a straight line to verify that he's indeed sober, getting out of a ticket. Then driving even more frantically (this time with mom swearing under her breath and nagging my dad about being a bad driver the whole time). Once we get to the studio (sigh) I'm in the car on the floor of the passenger side getting my bangs teased up to high heavens and hairsprayed once again, and final touches of lip gloss and blush (a la Jon Benet Ramsey) because I didn't put enough on (I was only 4 or 5)... Once inside the studio, Tiffani starts crying because she thinks dad and Ryan are going to hell for swearing and the commotion is proving to be just too much. The picture people look at us and realize that we are not going to be worth thier money and are stressed out because we're late. Rush into the studio, mom takes off her glasses and fakes a great smile, dad's face looks more like a grimace and all of us kids are trying to smile through tears. Or yells. Or whatever. And this barely scratches the surface. Not to mention the RIDICULOUS matching outfits. One year mom borrowed the boys choir outfits (tuxedo shirts, red bow ties and cummerbunds all it tow) and made my dad wear one and we were in dresses to match.

Then there was the year Seth got back from his mission and he complained that he never got to choose outfits, so we wore camo and green and had our shot guns in the picture (Eddy couldn't believe my mom went for that one)

There was the infamous year of all jean (circa 1995) and the bad hairdos,
dad's beard and actually having hair, mom when she had the q-tip hairdo,

and Seth's horrific glasses.

And why stop there? Lest we forget going from Contempo Portraits to Kiddie Kandids at the mall, because they were having a special (I can't blame you mom, it was worth a shot) and having the 15-year-old "photographer" take our pictures. Mom kept reiterating that she wanted it taken from the bust up, to fit the years previous. She said it so many times, in fact, that we all were telling her to please stop already, the kid heard you! Only to come back and review the pictures an hour later to find that they were mostly full body shots. Maybe Jose didn't speak English very well after all. Mom was so upset! So he went and got his "manager", Paco, who was maybe 16 1/2. He came and offered to redo all of the pictures for free, and by this time we were all beyond tired of the family picture day and the kids were in melt down mode. Not to mention the grand kids ;) Aye de mi!
Take a gander at the old gallery and enjoy. Most of these details are accurate, but all probably happened at different times throughout the years. Not all at once. Fast forward to now and mom's calling the individual married families and telling Seth and Claudia that pictures are at 5pm, the rest of us that they're at 5:30 and making the actual appointment for 6pm to ensure that we'll all be there. She's gotten smart in her old age. Additionally, she usually makes me take the whole day off of work to make her look beautiful and to prevent me from being stuck late at work, as usual. Mom and dad have also decided to have a promising reward at the end of the torture, family dinner at a nice restaurant, which is a nice sacrifice from them to all of us. A peace offering, if you will. Truly, family pictures are fun to look at, and even when mom and dad were broke (oh wait- they always have been), mom makes it a priority to have family pictures taken around Christmas of each year. It's actually a great tradition and so fun to look back at all of the changes we've made and additions to our family. This year, I told mom, NO MORE CHEESY STUDIO PICS! I really wanted to pay a great pro to come out and do them for a Christmas present for her. But too much $$$. So I decided, crap, I have a great camera, a decent eye and more artistic ability in my little pinkie than Paco and Jose. We planned on doing them just before sunset on Friday after Thanksgiving at Discovery Park by our house. I made sure to tell everyone to be there an hour before sunset so we could be there on time, arranged and taking pictures by the beautiful sun was descending. I got a call from Seth that he was still in Phx replacing the carpet in his condo, Tiffani and Chad were no where to be found, Jenyce was frazzled because she was watching their kids and hers and Ryan was still at work, too and no one was ready. And this was all at the time we were supposed to be at the park. UGH! Needless to say I was annoyed because we only had the next morning to try again, and the sun would be too bright, so we couldn't use the waterfall that I had scouted out earlier. We met the next morning and I was trying to scout a place with open shade so we wouldn't all be squinting in the direct sunlight. My patience was gone before we even started. No where was there a patch of shade big enough for all of us to be found, and mom and dad were annoyed that I was being so particular and thought I was just being ridiculous. "Take the pictures, already!" They said. I was pretty annoyed at everyone by now (and I'm sure they all were ready to chuck me into the lake) and so I said, "FINE. Here, here, I'm taking pictures. Look!" (I made my dad look into the view finder. Half of the family in shade, him and the other half all squinting in the sunlight. Horrible. Absolutely atrocious.) They realized why lighting does matter, after all. So we did the best we could in bright day light and they turned out better than I thought they would, given the intense back lighting. Here are the best ones of everyone, no photoshopping done or anything. I don't do that yet. Enjoy! Ryan and his adorable girls. They were being so cute that day.

My dad had just got done goosing my mom (a good old fashioned "honka honka") because they were having a hard time smiling after all of the yelling I had just done. So here is my dad's real smile and my mom, too. She just got done hitting him for doing that to her. This was our favorite picture of them, but they hated it because they looked like they had just goosed eachother (wait, they did!). They have real smiles, though, which is why we all loved it.

Nothing like family pictures when you've just had a sweet baby. Here's where photoshop would help...Finally, Lorenzo's real smile. Benji was a champ the whole time, and little Issi, aka "trouble looking for a place to happen" was all over the place. So cute, but so restless.

Oh, and Lorenzo, handsome, Lorenzo. His "smile" was a nightmare. I thought someone had taught him to look like he was in pain taking a dump for pictures to be funny. I guess he actually doesn't know how to smile for pictures. So I started just taking pics of the bad faces he was making, ruining the picture for his family. He's so funny. He got the hang of it, though.

These two were so photogenic the whole time!

My gorgeous sister, her gorgeous husband and the kids I love. They cropped this one in and printed it for their wall. So cute.

Merrick William Torriente's Blessing

2009-03-05T09:10:00.001-08:00

We were so glad to have the opportunity to bless Merrick Thanksgiving weekend, when so many of our friends and family could be here. Sunday, November 30, 2008, Eddy gave him a name and a blessing. It really was a beautiful experience. He blessed him to know how much Heavenly Father and we love him and to accomplish everything God wants for him. Short and sweet. We joked that he would try to make it the longest blessing ever recorded. I told him that I'd have a stop watch and if he came in under 15 minutes, I'd give him a signal to keep going. Instead, it may have been the most to the point ever recorded. And that's just fine by me and Merrick.

Merrick with the Mommas and the Pappas.

All of our wonderful friends and family. Grandma Marta would hardly let go of him the whole day. So sweet. It was amazing to have so much support. We were actually surprised that so many of them could join us. Merrick is never going to wonder if he was loved!

Come, Ye Thankful People, Come.

2009-03-05T07:49:00.000-08:00

And they did... in droves. Following is the story of a large and loving family spending the weekend in Gilbert, AZ for Merrick's baby blessing and Thanksgiving. Ed and Gil Torriente brought company along for the ride. To the tune of 17 people total. All of whom made residence at my 1700 sq. ft. house. Add 2 obnoxious dogs (yip yap and worthless as I renamed them) and Eddy, Merrick and I, and you've got a total of 77.27 sq. ft. per person. That's not a whole lot. And it's certainly not for the faint at heart. And hardly reccomended for a first time mother of a 7 week old baby. Hardly. Good thing we love each other. Here is an accurate view of my living room. I had to get up and take this before everyone was awake, or no one would believe the carnage and blood shed that was strewn about my house for the weekend.

Here is the lovely (and as we found out moments before they left) and newly pregnant! Tina Torriente-Robey, helping me cook birthday breakfast for Lissette.

My usually spotless countertops spent the 4 days looking like this, at best.

And what would the weekend have been without hours of musical entertainment by the Torrientes?

We had the entire Harris family and most of the Torrientes for Thanksgiving dinner. And the church was really the only place large enough to hold us all. Not as elegant nor formal, but delicious food, nonetheless.

Here were the fancy seating arrangements. Really, how else could you accomodate the 18 Harrises and the 17 extra Torrientes?!

Good thing we can all get along well. And good thing the church building was available. We really did have a great time and were so glad that it worked out to have everyone all together. Chaotic as it was.

Here's the breastfeeding crazy lady who housed the madness with her dear husband in chief.

All of the Harris cousins. I'm so glad that I have one to add to the group now! And how wonderful for Merrick that he has so many fun little rascals to look up to.

Pick a patriarch, any patriarch.

What is not to love about seeing my sweet husband with Merrick in our favorite, the Moby Wrap. As you can see, it is one of Merrick's favorite places to hang out. We went hiking up to Usery Pass with the fam so we could get out of the house for the afternoon.

Here's the handsome Torrientes. It had been a rainy weekend, but the sun came out for the day and it was GORGEOUS.

Here we are at the top with Ed and Gil. It was so nice to get out and show them a little of our beautiful state. We were so grateful that everyone was able to make it. We know it was a big sacrifice for them to drive the 12 crowded hours down, missing out on a relaxing weekend. But we hope it was worth it!

Halloween

2009-02-16T23:30:00.000-08:00

Chewbaca and Leia with the Egyptian gypsy (I look more pregnant in this picture than I really did that night, promise) My cousin Michayle and I have shared a love for Halloween for years. I remember one year while I was attending Chandler Gilbert Community College, I dressed up as the Devil for halloween. I had sexy black pants, a tight red shirt and a red glitter pitchfork and some horns. I have to admit, I was a hot little devil. To my shock, dismay, and slight discomfort, I was the only person with a costume on in sight. Surely someone, a special someone out there shares my love for this sacred occasion of costumes. Nope. Not a soul. I do have to give honorable mention to the girl wearing an orange sweater and spider socks. Nice try, but not good enough to take home a prize. Well, as class let out and streams of "mature", costumeless students were streaming into the hallways and courtyard, I behold a vision. Wearing a short, dark navy blue dress with a star on the front, a gold crown and belt, and red heels, it was none other than wonder woman. There was another person on the planet who was cool enough to dress up. And I mean dress up. This hot girl really knew how to do a costume. I had to go introduce myself. As I got closer, I realized that she was not only cool and hot and dressed up, but she was my COUSIN MICHAYLE! We ran toward eachother, Wonderwoman and Lucy-fer, arms outstreached and swung eachother in circles. Our dramatics were only enhanced and livened up by our mutual love for costumes. After lots of stares and attention (isn't that what we're out for, anyway?), we held hands and skipped into the sunset and lived happily ever after. Mimi has had the privelege, and I the honor of being together nearly each year after that for Halloween, and this year was no exception. She was able to make it for my annual fiesta.
Oh- and Halloween is the first night that Michayle, Brooke, James, Drew, Tiffani and I all hung out together when I had barely turned 14, starting what I'd like to think of as the best friendships teens could ask for. We were at the park on Southern and Pueblo hanging out and later trick or treating (my last real year. I guess I had to move on some time). So Happy Anniversary to my old time besties from Jr. High and High School.

Anyone who knows me knows that Halloween is a sacred holiday to me. I have twice as many Halloween decorations than Christmas, if that tells you anything. It's pretty sick. I own 2 fog machines and more skeletal parts than is normal and healthy. I love costumes, and I love the idea that everyone can dress up and be something creative and different even when they're big kids. Every year, I host the annual Halloween Spooktacular, extravaganza, whatever. We have a little shin dig. It's nothing much, just great friends, some decent food and a nice alternative to ritual animal sacrifice. This year, I was hesitant to plan the party, because of Merrick's due date being early October. I decided that the show would go on, even if I was in labor. He was 3 weeks early, just 4 weeks old when we had the party. Good thing he came early, I had a party to throw. It was pretty low key because I was a little tired. So only 4 boxes of decorations came out this year. Amy Stewart as a classy catwoman, Drew as WHAM. And please, never wear those cutoff jeans again.

I felt like tapping into my cultural heritage this Halloween. I'm wearing a Galevea that we bought while in Egypt (I decided to wear it mainly because it camoflauged my loose baby belly) , Eddy's in his Yassir Afrafat garb. Merrick's got his "Mummy loves me" onsie on. We're really not sure what we were... Joseph and Mary? Islamic Extremists? Obama Supporters? You decide.

We were so glad that the Seth Harris family could join us. He was in the valley from Duncan for nursing rotations. Claudia was dressed up as Seth, he was the nurse from Hell and the adorable boys were cowboys.

Kate Winsor, my good buddy and her Mauri outfit. She totally wishes she was polynesian. This was just before her adorable baby, Wyatt was born.

Katie and Lanny Hogle as America's famous team, Hot dog and Baseball. Cute. Katie wouldn't let go of Merrick all night. And Lanny walked around making comments like, "Hey, quit looking at my Weenie" and "Wanna touch my Wiener?" We love him for that.

My lovely parents, Sarah Palin and Joe the Plumber. They came down to party it up with us and won best couple while they were at it.

Tiffani and Chad flew home from California early to make it to the fiesta. Audrey Hepburn and Joe the other Plumber. His bald head affords a special touch.

My lovely Aunt Liz. She is so much fun and always supportive and helpful for any party or gathering. My mom jokes that I'm more her kid than my mom's.

Doctors, doctors, doctors...

Kim and Scott Lineweaver and the cutest little chicken ever.

Nate and Lauren Cooley. Adorable friends of ours. The Spartans? We guessed that was it.

James Deeave-e-e-er! and whom else, but the "Statue of Libert-e-eah!" (Carlee) Get it? Haha. This great guy is one of my favorite best friends since we were all 14. He made the phrase "Statue of Libert-e-eah!" famous on a trip our high school took when were were Jr.s to NYC. While we were on Ellis Island, looking at none other than the Statue of Liberty, James walks up behind us, smacks Tiffani's leg, slides his hand up to her butt (which defies gravity) and grabs it, while exclaiming in a tone that sounded like he enjoyed it a little too much, "STATUE OF LIBERTY!" People all around looked on in amazement while Tif dropped to the ground in shock and the rest of us dropped to the ground laughing so hard. There you have it for the record. Thank you, my Dear James Douglas Dever.

Ryan really wanted to be David Beckham. I recieved no less than 4 phone calls and emails with pictures to help him nail down the hair and outfit just right. Jenyce, a little worried that she couldn't become anorexic and uber tan in just a week, decided to go as Aunt Jemimah (Ms. Syrup bottle herself) instead of Victoria. I personally think she looked uber tan anyway, she may have gone for the scandalous outfit, but oh well.

November trip to Duncan (that's right, I said Duncan)

2009-02-16T23:02:00.000-08:00

We decided it was time for Merrick's first roadtrip. We loaded up our new Honda Pilot (Eddy kept asking if I didn't think that I needed a safer car... cute) and headed over for the boy's annual deer hunt. Or as I refer to it as, "Camping with Guns". Usually for something to qualify for a deer "hunt" deer would actually need to be hunted. Shot? Maybe. At least seen. Anyway, better luck next year, boys! Here's how Eddy ended the hunt early. The entire night on my mom and dad's bathroom floor. I opened the door occasionally and threw in a popsicle or some water. Everyone had the flu bug. I used positive mental thoughts and drew a purple bubble of health around Merrick and I (why purple? Not sure, I just figured it would keep us safe. And I had to do the positive thinking for Merrick, since he was mostly an innocent bystander) And p.s., everyone in town (well, all of my family, which comprises 1/2 the town) was driving the porcelain bus. But not Merrick and I. Not us in our purple bubble of health! We took a trip upstairs from Aunt Sunny's to visit Grandma and Grandpa foote.

Merrick loved Grandma and Grandpa. They are so tender and so loving to all of thier grandkids. He's so lucky he had the chance to meet them. Wonderful people that we come from.

Merrick wasn't so sure, however, about the big smooches from them.

But they sure loved kissing all over him.

I just love this picture of my blind Grandma Foote looking up lovingly at her husband of 60+ years with adoration. Maybe it's because she's senile, maybe it's because he's the greatest. The world will never know...

Speaking of senile, imagine my joy when I wandered down the lane to Fairlene's Fitness, the best (and only) gym in a hundred miles, to work out. Who, you might ask, to my utter glee, did I find, but Mrs. Ada Mae Foote herself!

She may be blind and sweet as can be, but she's fit as a fiddle. She'll probably outlive her mind.

This was exactly as I found her when I walked in the door to work out. Smiling from ear to ear, sweating to the oldies, no one but Fairlene around to supervise her. Now if that's not inspirational, I'm not sure what it will take to get your butt to the gym.

Here's Eddy in happier times, pre puking his guts out. He's all decked out in his brand spanking new camoflauge. Never you mind that he's as white collared as they come. He's not going to let that stop him from donning his gear and trying his best to fit in with the menfolk. My secret thought is that he's going to be the one who finally kills the biggest deer of all. That'll show them to make fun of his aim again. (I just hope my brothers and dad are safe when he and a gun are tring to sort things out.)

And here's the adorable Grandma Francie giving him his much loved bath in their sink. Notice her ever appropriate manner, covering his manliness.

Welcome home Merrick!

2009-02-16T20:50:00.000-08:00

My mom was here for a week, which is the only way to go and makes me so grateful that I have such a wonderful mother around to lend me a hand. I felt so great and my recovery was awesome, I even got up the morning we came home and cooked breakfast for my mom and I. (again, I was starving) My mom told me she was here to do anything for me, but (newsflash) she doesn't cook. Good thing I had great friends to bring me dinner and treats. And of course,what would I do without Eddy and Tiffani? It was so nice to have Eddy handy to take a few late night feedings and Tif to call a few mornings when I hadn't slept and couldn't hold my own head up so she could let me nap.

Our first few weeks with Merrick were great. I was more tired than I've ever been, more in love than I've ever been and we just had so much fun. Some great pictures of his first bath and his teeny tiny cuteness.

Sometimes I bring Merrick to bed in the mornings so I can nurse him lying down. I realized he was all done eating and when I got up to get ready for the day, this is what I captured. Melts your heart, huh?

We went to visit Brooke at her parent's house when Merrick was only a few weeks old and did a fun photo shoot there.

Those tiny buns. I know it's wrong to exploit a child. Seriously, how could I not?!

This is probably my sweetest little picture that captures my angel the best. Amazing little guy.

I'm obsessed with the crazy faces babies make, this picture is no exception. My 90 year old man.

Getting naked for our photo shoot.

This is who I had sleeping next to me in his bassinette every morning. Pictures don't do justice.

Eddy is toweling off Merrick after his very first bath. He loves his bath time with daddy!

I can't believe how tiny he was in that BIG baby bath. A mere 4 months later, he fills it up.

Peanut becomes a Person

2009-02-05T09:51:00.000-08:00

Merrick with Dr. Christine Brass-Jones at our 6 week check up.

FYI I have been trying to post and upload pictures of this, the most blessed and incredible event of my life so far, to no avail. Anyone know how to shrink images or expand my brain? Any help is appreciated. Here goes another try...

Peanut was a happy baby boy inside of his mommy. He kicked a little, squirmed a lot, and looked forward to being born. So much, in fact, that he decided to make his grand entrance in a beautiful fashion nearly a month early. September 20, 2008 was a pretty day. A little warm, but my garage was a mess. Cleaning it was urgent, even though I was too pregnant to think about doing all of it. That morning, with the garage door open, my neighbor, Bill, walked past and insisted that I stop. "You're going to put yourself into labor!", he said. "You must be nesting". "I've been nesting since I was born. And my husband isn't cleaning it any time soon, so I'm going to do it. Can't have Peanut comming home to a garage like this.", I reasoned.

The day turned into night and I got all dressed up to go to dinner with Eddy's lovely client, Linda Coll, at her clubhouse restaraunt. Prime rib was the special that night, with a side of fries or a salad. Anyone who has ever eaten with me knows that I'm more prone to ordering grilled chicken with steamed veggies than that fattening option. Seriously. After Eddy and Linda both ordered what I was wanting so bad but trying to resist, I caved. I mean, I wasn't getting any skinnier at this point, was I? So I took the prime rib. And fries. Why the heck not? We were force-fed the chocolate lava cake afterword and finished off the night visiting with Linda at her lovely home.

Any of you who have been pregnant know that sleep in the 8th month doesn't come so easy. This night was no exception. As I finally drifted off to sleep without Eddy (there were some fights he had tivo'd and wanted to watch before joining me), I was rudely awaken by my "pot-smoking hippy" neighbors. Now I say that because they were holding a seance or poetry reading by light of a bonfire accompanied by some random drum and stand up bass in thier back yard. And because they work at Trader Joe's. Not necesarily because they smoke pot. Or are hippies. I actually like them a lot and have more in common with them. But this is beside the point. I was being woken around 2 am by the "ba-du, ba-du-ba... dadada-ba-ta!" over and over. Eddy finally crawled into bed with me and we fell asleep inspite of the arts festival going on behind our house.

Then, without warning, I felt like Peanut was massaging me. From the inside out. Really hard. And it sort of hurt. Like deep abdominal cramping. No water broken, no sudden realization that Peanut was to be joining our family later that morning. Just a deep tissue massage. What a nice baby. I called my mom and dad (in Duncan, AZ of all places) to alert them of my status, then tried to go back to sleep. After another 30 minutes of deeper and deeper massaging, I realized that sleep was a luxury I would be replacing soon enough for late-night feedings and diaper changes. I called my mom and dad back and encouraged them to join me at thier soonest convenience that following morning at the hospital, if they intended to be there for their newest grandson to be born. I also called Tiffani and Chad, who were visiting them for the county fair that weekend (and who had tried to convince us to join them, reasoning I was far enough from my due date to travel 4 hours by car to a remote and medically unadvanced town of 700.) to invite them to join us, too.

Around this time I also called Jessica Wild, my doula and birthing educator. She taught us several wonderful classes and had consulted with me about my idea of the birth I wanted to have. Then she encouraged me with all sorts of ideas on achieving that ideal birth, complete with meditation and affirmations (everything short of pot smoking- I am the same hippy as my neighbors :). We had several meetings to discuss our plans before Peanut's birthday. I intended to have a natural childbirth experience, laboring mainly at home. "I want to walk into the doors of the hospital pushing", I told her. I knew that it would be uncomfortable to say the least, but for some reason I really wasn't afraid or nervous for the experience. (my mom's best efforts to scare me about every single pain and trauma I would encounter aside)

Jessica arrived around 3 am. She filled my bathtub with hot water, cracked open some young coconut and poured the juice into a few water bottles for me (excellent source of rehydration- nearly identical to our plasma). She lay behind me in my bed, Eddy in front, and they massaged, encouraged and comforted me for the 5+ remaining hours that we were at home. I was in the tub, she poured hot water over my huge tummy and Eddy gathered the things we were going to need for the hospital (my bag, of course, along with Peanut's, was already packed. I was so anxious and excited for him to come home with us!) The experience was intense, other-worldly, and beautiful. It was a huge excersize for me in mind over matter, and I was very blessed that so many things fell into place to allow me to have the amazing experience that I did. So much worked together in our benefit, and I know it was just an incredible blessing, all of it. We decided that it was time for the bumpy and seemingly endless car ride to the hospital, and mom, dad, Tif, and Chad all arrived at our house right about then. Francie took the still shots, Tiffani manned the video, Dad and Chad were the drivers and Eddy carried our things to the car and drove as quickly and safely as possible.

The Banner Gateway hospital is only 5 miles north of our house on Higley, but I was in a time warp. It could've been 5 minutes, it could have been 5 hours. I didn't know. All I had energy for was to breathe in, then breath out. After being quickly admitted and checked, I found out I was at a 9 1/2 cm. It was time for Dr. Christine Brass Jones to come and catch him. I had about 1/2 hour in the hot shower before I was helped back to the bed to push. 45 minutes later, the biggest conehead known to man dive-bombed out. He was healthy, alert, and well. I was so relieved and grateful and overwhealmed and tired and happy and shakey... welcome to motherhood. I had him placed on me so I could hold my new baby and nurse him. He wasn't really hungry, but it's amazing how their instinct kicks in and they just know what to do. From day 1 he's been a great little nurser. He's so easy to take care of. After that, they took him to measure and weigh him, clean him off, and bug him. 6lbs 12 oz and 19.75 inches long. Daddy went with the nurses and Jessica helped me back into the shower. I just sat there on the chair and cried with relief and gratitude. I am so humbled to be blessed with a sweet little angel boy and I realized what a miraculous gift that was.

After all the hoopla settled down, my mom and dad went to Crackers and Co. to pick up our huge breakfast order. I ordered eggs benedict and pancakes with fruit. Mmm... Lay off, I'm starving. When it was time to be moved into our room, the nurses came to get me and my sweet boy and my sweet bigger boy to go. I got up and gathered all of my things and COULD NOT WAKE EDDY UP for the life of me :). He just kept sleeping on the couch. Finally I told the nurse to just give me the wheelchair, I made Eddy get in and pushed him and the baby. It was pretty funny to see. Picture to prove it is included. We loved having so many of our friends and family to come and visit and welcome Merrick into the world. We needed all of their help naming him, after all.

Ryan had all sorts of great ideas. Ryan, Ryaniha, Ryanicus, Ry Ry, etc... Any way, after borrowing the hospital's book of names and narrowing it down to Luke, Bryson, and Merrick, and asking every nurse's opinion, drumrolllll please... MERRICK WILLIAM TORRIENTE!

We didn't decide until we were leaving the hospital, all packed up and checked out. Eddy made the big call and we were glad to be on our way home to start life as a very happy little family.

NO BLOG?!

2009-02-05T09:19:00.001-08:00

"Why don't you have a blog?!" "Why don't you have a blog yet?!" "Why aren't you updating your blog?!"... Well, let me tell you why. Everytime I sit down to create a new post at the request of my loving and distant cousin, Mimi, or cave to harassment by Shelley or Kristi from the salon, or to keep my wonderful in laws abreast of the latest happenings in our family, KAPUT. Yes, even on my new laptop."Internet Explorer is not responding... do you want to a) close this window b) restart computer or c) throw the laptop at the wall and never attempt a blog posting again? C! I choose C!!!
Another problem I keep running into is the fact that I have a life. Crazy, I know. After looking at all of the fun posts and cute layouts of my friends (that I actually love to read) I have come to the conclusion that none of you have lives. That must be it. Anyone else out there trying to figure out when to work out, make dinner, do laundry, grocery shop and breastfeed an adorable yet demanding infant? How about work a few hours a week? Shower and brush teeth and possibly put on makeup and a bra? And don't even get me started on parenting a 17 year old to be. I like to think that your nannies and housekeepers are keeping your lives together for you while you spend your hours making your blogs cuter and more informative and all decked out than the next guy. Or girl. Well, I have news for you... listen here and listen good. I have a blog. My blog is not the cutest (but my kid (s) and husband are-hehehe) nor is it the most creative or frequently updated. But here it is. Take it or leave it. And you can kiss my blog's butt while you're at it.

Isreal

2009-01-21T09:35:00.001-08:00

Our trip was really the best I've ever been on, and I'm no stranger to our gorgeous, diverse world. We decided to take a great one in 2008 since we weren't pregnant yet. Instead of spending all of that money on fertility, we'd take a vacation and worry about it in 2009. After deciding on Egpt and Israel, making a deposit and several payments, we found out I was having a peanut. Very good news. "Should we cancel the trip and save money and be responsible now that we're going to be parents?" I asked. Eddy yawned in response and said, "We can do that later. This will be much harder to arrange once peanut is a person." And so we went. And we are so glad that we did. It was incredible to see all the history of religions and civilizations that the middle east holds. I was especially excited to see the "mother land", Lebanon, while we were in northern Israel. I kept telling Eddy that all of the people there looked like a cousin of mine or family. I wanted to hug them all and become Jewish. A Mormon Jew... is that allowed? I used to want to be a Mormon Nun, so why not? The people on our tour were great. We learned a lot from them and realized how glad we were to go on this, the greatest trip of our lives, at such a young age. All of the others were retired or nearly retired and said of all the places they'd been, this was the most impressive and amazing. And we got to do it at 24 and 32. Pretty neat to have the perspective, testimony and insight to take with us for the rest of our lives. Here's a few pics of Egypt and Isreal.

2008-12-23T12:41:00.000-08:00

I'm in the Coke refidgerator here because of the scorching 120+ degrees f that day. I kept thinking that the pregnancy must have been making me into a wimp (which it did), but when our tour that day was comming to a resting point I realized that it was actually really hot, it wasn't just hormonal hot flashes taking over my vacation. So I crawled into the fridge to keep from passing out. Then we drank about 5 liters of water. And panted alot. The cool looking Arab is Refat, our tour guide while in Luxor. He can read hieroglyphics, and he taught us some.

Eypt 2008

2008-12-23T12:28:00.001-08:00

Some incredible architecture and sculpting done by the ancient Egyptians. Eddy and I in front of the Sphinx in Giza. And here I am learning how to make a silk rug. It is so complex. No wonder they charge an arm and a leg for them!

Egypt, April 2008

2008-12-23T12:15:00.000-08:00

I'm going to breeze through some of the highlights of 2008 here. I am starting with our incredible trip to Egypt and Israel. This the first pyramid, the Step Pyramid. It was one of our first stops in the unusually hot April in Egypt.

Still working on it...

2008-12-18T11:37:00.001-08:00

We just got a new computer, so I should be able to upload pictures without crashing my hard drive for once. So I'll eventually be telling people that I have a blog and making real posts about what matters- MERRICK! Please stay tuned and I promise this will be less lame than the last few months.

Half Iron Woman

2008-10-30T15:15:00.000-07:00

Hi, I am so awesome. I'm learning how to make a blog. Here's the race I did last July-- a Half Ironman Triathlon. I think I'm a stud.
This is my support crew, Eddy Torriente.

Francie helping slather on the sunscreen.

Crossing the finish line. Eight hours and fourteen minutes of excersize later. Whew!

Remember those abs? Yup, they're no longer.