Yuck! Yuck! That is so disgusting!

I have a confession to make. I don't like animals. (Yesterday I told Courtlin that I hate animals, but I take it back. I was just a lot a bit upset about what had happened earlier.) In my interpretation, Adam having dominion over the beasts means he gets to build houses and keep them out. I don't like animals, and of all of the animals there are, fluffy, small ones are my very least favorite. It all started when I was 4 years old at the Jensen's farm. I was holding an adorable little chick when it pooped in my hand. Add to that several pooping, peeing, biting experiences with the Strege gerbils and you get a lifetime guarantee of me not liking small, fluffy animals.

I learned from my science methods teacher at BYU that if I didn't like snakes or spiders I either had to get over it, or learn to be a very good actor. Otherwise my students would use it against me. I think I like both snakes and spiders better than small, fluffy animals. But when Ian got out the pet rat when I was babysitting I knew I had a problem.

Well, it appears I have gotten worse, not better at tolerating animals. Yesterday when Kevin was putting the baby in the car on our way to the Syntheses concert I opened the silverware drawer to get out a hotpad when what to my wondering eyes should appear but the most disgustingly terrifying thing I have ever seen. A mouse jumped out of the drawer and ran under the dishwasher. Of all of the times I have used the phrase "screaming bloody murder" this is the time when it was most true. I was so convincing that Kevin left the baby half buckled and sprang from the car to see what was the matter.

Well, we set the mousetraps again in hopes of catching the vile beast while we were out. (I had had them set before because I had seen the mouse on the floor earlier this week, but they hadn't worked yet.) We went to the concert and I started out having a lovely time. Courtlin had the baby and so it was just Kevin and I, and I was feeling excited about being just with him. The music was amazing, but it was hard for me to surrender to the wonderful jazz because my mind was busy. I was occupied with various murderous plans for the mouse. I daydreamed about the things I would scream at the mouse the next time I saw it, about carving knives and tails, about inviting the neighbor's cat for a visit. The music really was wonderful. My plans were highly unlikely.

When we got home, the first thing Kevin said upon entering the house was, "Oh, there it is. Don't look." Success! The foul creature was dead in the trap. My knight in shining armor took care of it while I went to another room. If my feminist readers are scolding me for acting as if a man could do something I couldn't I say to them, "Honey, I'm a strong, intelligent woman, and as such I'm letting my man take care of me." We spent a while putting everything in the silverware into the dishwasher on an extra hot cycle and set the traps again. Kevin found another sweet, little, fuzzy animal this morning and kindly disposed of it before I was up.

In this house there will be at least two less mice stirring the night before Christmas.

Note: There are a very few exceptions to my dislike of animals. I don't have anything against toads and I actually like birds and fish as long as there is glass between us and no prospect of contact.

Note: I looked for pictures of a mouse to spruce up this entry, but they were way too disgusting to put on here. I would have to look at them again if I did. So if you're insane and think mice are cute, imagine your own.

I have to admit, it's getting better

Disclaimer: This entry is more of a journal entry to remember what's happening with Alena these days. I've got a bunch of stuff in it, since I haven't written in a while. It's more for me than for you. I understand if you don't think it's interesting. Someday it will be interesting to me and to my baby. But you don't have to feel bad. Sometimes she even puts her own Daddy to sleep. ;)

Once upon a time Alena ate an average of 11 times per day, for an average of 45 minutes each time. That comes to 8 hours and 15 minutes a day of nursing for me.

Now Alena eats about 7 times a day and takes about 30 minutes to do it. That comes to 3 hours and 30 minutes per day of nursing for me. At this point I heave a sigh of relief. (Unfortunately, because I've been nursing less, I've also stopped losing weight. Darn it! I'm the best at losing weight when I'm not trying to.) Look, we even had time to take this picture of her, because she wasn't nursing. :)

Once upon a time Alena smiled at us occasionally. (The books that say a baby can't smile for a few weeks are baloney. They certainly get better at it, and do it more often, and more often at you, but a mother knows when her baby is smiling.)

Now Alena smiles all the time, and she laughs. The first time she laughed was on October 28. We had just finished her bath and we were putting lotion on. Kevin came and just looked at Ally, and she just busted up laughing. I suppose he was dressed as a cow pie. Maybe she had just gotten the joke. It's still kind of that way. He has to do very little to get her to laugh. I probably get her to laugh more often, but it's because I work at it. Either Kevin's a natural comedian, or he looks funny. :)

Once upon a time Alena sat in the bouncer doing what looked to us like nothing.

Now she rolls over occasionally (the first time being October 24). She has only done it in front of me. I guess she's too busy laughing to do it for Dad. She also reaches very carefully and deliberately up to the toys in the bouncer, and has discovered how to put her pacifier into her mouth by herself.

Once upon a time Alena screamed and cried in the tub.

Now Alena loves baths. She splashes, and sucks on washcloths and plays with My hand or Dad's watch.

Once upon a time Alena always wanted to be held.

Now Alena sometimes fusses because she wants to be left alone. She's very good at entertaining herself, and much of her happiest times are when she doesn't realize we're watching.

At this rate of improvement it won't be long before we have some Alena videos that are interesting to those of you who aren't this baby's parents. Just stay with us. Soon she'll be calling people "Cheap" just like Reuben.

Born for the water

We took Alena swimming for the first time when we visited Zion National Park in Southern Utah. She loved it! See for yourself:



It seems that Alena won't be as scared of the water as I was...

Waking up with Alena

I know what you're all thinking (or at least most of you). You're missing out on Alena's everyday life - spitting up, pooping on her clothes, smiling and laughing, and so on. But now your morning can be a little brighter because...you can wake up with Alena!

Reason #317 I love being married to Kevin:

When I wake up on the middle of the night because I had a bad dream, I can get him to cuddle me and he doesn't even wake up. So I don't feel bad that I woke him up, and I get a good cuddle.

We're winners!

I can not tell you how very excited I was when Kevin, Alena, and I won a prize at the costume party we went to on Saturday. I always considered myself a noncompetitive person, but recent experiences with Skip-bo have worked to convince me otherwise. On the other hand we went to the party on Saturday and they announced what the prizes would be, I was honestly hoping I didn't get first or second place. I thought to myself, "Who on Earth would want first or second when the prize when third is a Symphony bar with almonds and toffee?!" In fact, I wasn't even considering that perhaps I had a chance at that candybar. In the end, it turned out our midnight brainstorm session the night before and twenty minutes of costume preparation using wax paper, safety pins, and a Sharpie was a success. We got third, meaning I got the candybar I had my eye on. Yipee!! Here's a picture of our little cow, and her two giant cow pies.