growing like a weed!

Ammon had his 2 month appointment last Monday.

Weight: 13 lb 4 oz--90%

Length: 24 in--90%

Ammon, you:

*are starting to coo and smile more and more.

*enjoy laying on the floor and watching everyone play.

* eat about every 2-3 hours (and I'm apparently feeding you cream).

*sleep until 4ish every night... once you let us sleep until 5!

*are starting to fall asleep on your own and I love when you wake up and just look around.

*although we don't have a hard-core schedule yet, you usually wake up, eat, stay awake for a while (30-60 min), take a nap, and repeat this throughout the day.

*you and Grant usually nap at the same time after lunch, which makes mom very, very happy.

As a mom:

I am savoring every moment with you. I don't know if you will always be the baby, but for right now I am trying to soak it all in, just in case. That said, I have forgotten how demanding it is to have a newborn--even though you are a very, very good baby! You only really cry when you are hungry, but I look at the clock and can't believe it's already been 2-3 hours... it seems like I am constantly feeding you. You like to be held and to interact with us...if you can say that a 2 month-old baby can interact. You seem pretty serious, and make us really work to get you to smile! I think because of our experience with Logan, we are constantly worried about making sure you learn how to go to sleep by yourself and that you are content to be by yourself instead of wanting to be constantly held. I think our awareness is paying off! At night we put you in this Halo sleep wrap thingy that is AMAZING! I wish we had had it for the other kids. I've been very happy with how well the other kids have adjusted to your arrival. Madison is especially helpful while I try to get supper ready/homework done/kids ready for bed. She will hold you, sing to you, and give you the pacifier.

Basically, we all love you!

Oh what do YOU do in the summer time?

Only TWO weeks until summer vaca, and I'm trying to remember what we used to do when kids weren't in school all day. I have to be honest here... I really enjoy the kids going to school. There is no fighting, the house stays decently clean, I still get a nap time, and I LOVE them when they get home! It's too hot to play outside, which is what we used to do in the summer. I will probably sign the kiddos up for 1 round of swimming lessons, but at $50 for 2 weeks for 3 kids... well, I hope they learn how to swim in those 2 weeks. Last summer we spent a lot of time at the dollar theater, participating in reading programs, going to the splash park, and attending the special programs at the city community center. This summer... I'm afraid of catching lice at the dollar theater and with gas at $4 a gallon I don't know how much driving around we'll do. We were pretty good at doing some home-school every day (until I got pregnant), and I already bought some workbooks for the kids.

Here's what I'm thinking: Daily Schedule.

• chores
• piano lessons/practice
• reading time (during nap time)
• scripture study/learn a new primary song a week
• computer time (20 min/kid?)
• school workbooks
• some sort of exercise.... any ideas here?? Again, it's too hot to play outside. We do have a small trampoline we can bring in and jump on, and I'm thinking about looking for a children's workout DVD
• science/art projects? except I'm horrible at coming up with these things

Seriously... what do YOU do? Please share your ideas!!

And the pics? Well, couldn't resist the one with Grant, and of course I had to put one of Ammon up. Madi is the one who takes care of him while I get supper ready (she likes it). I guess next time I'll have to post one with Logan.

30 minutes of after-school social skills

Logan (7): plays tag, Star Wars/Transformers, jumps off of the swing

Madison (5): walks around holding hands with her friend, hugs every friend and teacher who leaves the school

Grant (3): swings, goes down the slide, runs 10 feet behind Logan and his friends

Ammon (7 weeks): sits in the stroller, looks around, breathes deeply every time a gust of wind blows in his face, looks pretty darn cute

*note: Logan, who is reading this over my shoulder, says, "Looks pretty dam(n) cute." Had to show him that it's daRn, and that the other word is actually a bad word.

Logan's Game

Last night Logan made a game for our family to play. I was the Holy Ghost and Joe was Satan. Those who followed the Holy Ghost made it to the table for brownies and ice cream. Those who followed Satan went to the dark depths of our bedroom. This means that last night I threw away all of the good strips of paper that were sitting around in the living and dining rooms. I found the rest of the papers today and decided to document what was left of Logan's game. Spelling and wording are as they were originally written by Logan.

*You have hit your brother. Go bake two spaces.
*You drink wine. go back 8 spaces.
*You don't want to go to church insted you wacht tv all day long. Go back five spaces.
*You are making the sabuth day unholly. Go bake five spaces.
*You miss a test in school and get very angry. Move bake two spaces.
*You kick a chare. Move bake Three spaces.
*You lisen to saten. Go back two spaces.
*You are not listing. Go bake one space.
*You are evle. Go back twenty spases.
*You have found saten. No disert.

I did, however, manage to save this one:
*You found jeses!

I'm happy to report that we all got dessert last night.

Welcome to the 4th Decade, Jennifer

Today is Jennifer's birthday. That's big stuff 'round these parts. Most families celebrate Christmas, Thanksgiving, or Canada Day, etc. At the McGregor household, the pinnacle of our year is the day on which Jenny officially gets older. And this year she's 30.

Thirty is quite a lot of years (I should know, I've been there). It's about that age where you use candles to represent decades, because if you used the appropriate amount of candles it would be a fire hazard. Over the past 3 decades, Jenny has accomplished some remarkable feats. Here are a few:

1. On May 11, 1981, Jenny came into this world screaming . . . literally. Her parents report that Jenny was so gassy that from sundown to sun up she vocalized her displeasure with severity. Her parents became so desperate that they would lay her in her crib and leave the apartment on short walks just to get away from the fury. It wasn't until the doctor clued them in on those magical gas drops that Jenny finally quieted down (at one end, at least).

2. Interestingly, Jenny was also born with only one hip due to her mother's ingestion of a pregnancy drug that is now outlawed--for obvious reasons. The other hip eventually grew in.

3. Jenny was born in Utah, moved to Idaho, and then to Arizona by the time she was 5. From ages 5 to 10, she attended a new elementary school each year. It wasn't until she moved to Pennsylvania that her parents found a principal willing to reign in Jenny's bullying of other students (mainly wedgies).

4. In Idaho Jennifer had a foster brother (literally, since Jenny's maiden name is in fact Foster). His life was miserable in the house because Jennifer relentlessly ordered him around, and told on him when he wouldn't listen. He was 16; she was 4. Jennifer's father warned me about this before I married her.

5. Speaking of marriage, before I proposed to Jennifer I called her father to ask for permission. He used the opportunity to warn me about her. I'm not kidding. In fact, the story above was first related to me during that conversation as a point to support his thesis.

6. Jenny once ran away from home (seriously). But once she realized her parents weren't coming to look for her, she went back home.

7. Jenny spent her 19th birthday teaching English in China. So accustomed to people not speaking English, she and her compatriots began admiring a young man riding across the aisle from them on the train. After they finished commenting about his attractiveness, he walked up to Jennifer to get her contact information. In perfect English.

8. By her 20th birthday, she met the man of her dreams. Then she married me instead.

As most of you reading this blog already know, Jenny is a fantastic woman. I'm so very lucky to have met her, drugged her, and then married her. She is an excellent mother, a patient wife, and a faithful friend.

Waxing philosophical for a bit, I'm one of those who doubts the existence of "the one"--that singular person God created as a match for us. Rather, marital decisions are ones of free agency and sound judgment (with the Spirit certainly playing its proper role). So I'm daily so astonished that I ended up with Jenny. I'm congenitally a very poor decision-maker, but at the time in my life I met and dated Jennifer, my stupidity knew few bounds. How I was ever able to see clearly enough that Jennifer would someday be a perfect wife befuddles me, and pure luck was surely the primary guide. Equally, how Jennifer, the paragon of wisdom, failed so utterly in choosing her eternal mate during this period also confuses me. Needless to say, I'm happy for her lapse in judgment, and I'm daily thrilled that I made the most logical decision in my entire life: to marry Jennifer Lynn Foster McGregor.

Happy Birthday, my dear. You've earned another.

While Jenn Sleeps

Right now Jennifer is taking a well-deserved nap, so I thought I would use this opportunity to catalogue a few of her most embarrassing moments.

Not really.

I came into the bedroom to look up a recipe on the computer and I saw Jenny in deep slumber, with her right thumb wedged inside the book she fell asleep reading, and her left arm cradling Ammon. The scene tugged this dude's heartstrings, as it reminded me once again that I am one extremely lucky husband who married far, far outside his league.

So I thought I would document a few things about Jennifer you probably already know, but am reminded about on a constant basis:

1. She has a superb memory. Seriously, sometimes it's scary. She remembers every conversation you hoped she would forget, every price you paid too much for, and every good deed ever paid to her. She can remember dishes she ordered while we were dating. She remembers when someone 7 years ago brought her a plate of cookies. It's amazing, and just a tad bit creepy.

2. She can't sit still. The only thing she can't remember is the definition of "relax." She is always cleaning, researching, doing some project. Every Friday night she maps out exactly what is going to happen on Saturday. She creates extra work for the kids ostensibly so she will have something to help them with. Her energy amazes me.

3. She's loyal. I'm not a very good friend, and I think I've always had a hard time making or keeping friends. Not Jennifer. She's accepting of everyone, and she remains loyal forever. Sometimes I'll ask her, "Remember that one family in Idaho who . . . . ," and she will detail exactly what's happening in their lives because she keeps up with them on Facebook, or reads their blog, etc. She genuinely cares about other people, and that's a quality harder and harder to find these days.

So as this family prepares for Mother's Day, and then Jenny's birthday right after, we have our work cut out for us if we are to celebrate this woman commensurate to the value she brings into our lives.

Four Weeks??!!

Seriously, where does the time go?

A few things about Ammon at 4 weeks:

• He's a baby. He cries sometimes.
• But, luckily, we've always been able to soothe him by holding him and
• He loves his pacifier. What a blessing!
• He's a pretty good napper.
• He just started sleeping pretty well in his crib.
• He will sleep about 5-6 hours at night, eat, and go back to sleep.
• If I need him to nap, I buckle him in the car seat, set him on top of the dryer, and turn it on. Wah-lah. It's magic.
• Instead of blow-outs, Ammon leaves little poops for me pretty much every diaper change. I'll take it. :)
• He can sleep through anything. In fact, I'm pretty sure that kids playing, vacuums running, and loud noises in general are his thing.
• He's the first of my babies that hasn't had a major pimple break-out. Knock on wood.
• He likes tummy-time more than my other kids did. Maybe because when he gets tired of it he just sets his big head to the side and the rest of his body rolls over. Or he's just the smartest baby ever, right? ;)
• He's got some big brothers and a big sister who adore him.
• Ammon was blessed 2 Sundays ago. Both Joe's parents and my parents were able to come, which was so wonderful! What stuck out: He is going to be a peacemaker in our family, a good example to his brothers and sisters, and he will live his life as a missionary. This last part really stuck out to me, because he has already become a missionary! We have found, and my parents have also commented, that people have never heard of the name "Ammon." We've had many ask us where it came from, and I know that Ammon is going to be explaining his name for the rest of his life. I hope he doesn't mind. :)

And the other kids?

• I just finalized this: Logan and Madison will be attending the Watson Science and Technology Center next year. We received a letter in the mail last fall telling us that Logan's grades and test scores qualified him for the Tech. and Classical schools in Dallas. I went to a meeting to see what it was all about and decided that if Madison could get in then we would send them both to the S&T Center. She went through 2 rounds of testing and was also accepted. What does this mean? Well, besides riding a bus, wearing uniforms, and doing extra homework, they will be in a pretty awesome school program. I'm a little nervous because I've enjoyed having them so close to home, but I think in the long run this will be a great thing for them.
• Logan just finished the 3rd Harry Potter. He's 7. I don't know how I feel about this. He understands it and really likes the series. As an English teacher (well, I have the degree), I never thought I would be for book censoring, but I just don't know that he is old enough to read Harry Potter. We told him he could watch the movies after he read the books, but he will have to wait with movie #4 because it is pg-13. Any thoughts on this topic?
• Madison is such a cute girl. She is just getting into the social scene. She and her little friends have been sending each other cute pictures with notes that go something like this, "Der Vivi, You are my best frend. Lov, Madi."
• Grant failed his last hearing test (he can hear fine, but this one sent tiny air-waves or something, that got stuck in his ear canal and didn't bounce back??? Something like that--it has to do with pressure in his ear). The last test he had he also had pressure in his ears, so now he's on an anti-biotic and allergy medicine to see if that clears it up, but if it doesn't clear up by his next visit then we will talk about what to do next. I am hopeful that this will help to improve his speech even more.

Ammon Douglas McGregor

A friend in our ward is a professional photographer. She offered to take some pictures of him modeling some "clothes" that she needed to take pictures of for one of her clients (a hat and a diaper cover). Of course I said "YES!" Unfortunately, he cried pretty much any time I set him down--we spent over an hour trying. These are the pictures she managed to get in the 5 minutes he didn't cry. :) I like the pictures, but wish that we had gotten some that showed his hair.

Anyway, go to: http://blossomportraitureart.com/viewing

Click on "Portrait Work," Choose Baby McGregor, and the password is mbb01.

Part II: Life Lessons

*Sorry, I'm going to write in a different point of view than Part 1.

I had a pretty easy pregnancy. Experience led me to believe that recovery would not be too bad. And babies are babies... I figured that I knew what I was doing and things would go pretty smoothly with baby #4.

And it would have. Until I found the bugs. Yep. In Madison's hair. On Sunday, during General Conference, two days after we got home from the hospital. I won't go into details, but through all of the trials I have had, this is the one I have had the hardest time with. When Joe lost his job, when my brother died, when things have gotten tough... I've never asked "why," felt like I couldn't do it, or asked for Heavenly Father to just step in and change things/take it away. Until this happened. I felt so upset that I couldn't sit down and rest and enjoy my new baby. I felt like this "thing" couldn't have come at a worse time. I was emotional/hormonal, exhausted and probably somewhat neglectful of my family while I tried to figure out what to do.

I tried to handle it on my own for a few days.... but I was so exhausted from not sleeping (we'd put everyone to bed and then stay up until after midnight trying to get things under control, and of course I was up every other hour feeding the baby, and then I'd have to get up at 6:00 to help get everyone off to school), having a baby, taking care of everyone, and trying to figure out how to get rid of the horrible, horrible practically invisible pests that had invaded our home, that after 2 days I called my mom in the middle of the night and cried to her that I needed help. She had a flight planned for a week later, but she changed all of her plans and flew out the next day to rescue me (and my family from me). Maybe I will have a chance later to go into more detail, but for now I just want to remember the things I have learned from this experience.

1. Heavenly Father has a sense of humor. Remember my (answered) prayers to get Grant to poop on the toilet? To have the baby early, go into labor on my own, and at a convenient time? Yeah...

2. We just finished the book of Mosiah in our family scripture reading. I need to be more like the Nephites and pray to have help getting through my trials instead of complaining that I can't handle it or to just take away my trials.

3. I need to make sure that I am aware/spiritually in-tune with the needs of others around me. I was too afraid to ask anyone in our ward for help--even if it was meals, which would have really helped out those first few days.

4. It's ok to ask for help. As soon as my Beehive advisor found out what was going on a few days later (she called Joe to see if she could pick up Grant, and he told her a little about what was going on), she called the compassionate service lady to arrange meals, and then she and a few other sisters in the ward came over to help clean my house, which was a disaster from trying to wash 30 loads of clothes/sheets/blankets, bag up toys, vacuum furniture daily, etc.

5. It's not necessarily the service (which was wonderful), but knowing that there are people who care about you and are happy to help. I was at the point where I felt like I had to hide from the world--I didn't want to open the curtains or answer the phone. These wonderful women helped to make me feel human again.

6. Parents are awesome. It was so, so wonderful to have my mom here to help me, to support me, and to know that she loves us and was willing to change her plans (and so many people needed her that week, too) to take care of me/my family.

7. I need to be less selfish and more selfless. My mother flew out about a week later to meet my father in AZ, where they picked up my grandmother and drove back the next day to see us. My grandmother has Alzheimer's and some other health issues and needs a lot of help right now. My mother was very sweet and tender with her, and I could just see/feel the love they had for each other. I have recommitted to being more tender with my children and husband and really trying each day to show through my actions how much I care for and love them.

8. A little mess is o.k. If you know me, I HATE clutter and mess. Well, my house is a mess right now. And while I don't love the mess, I've been ok with it. I hope to slowly, over the next few weeks, get things back to normal. In the meantime, there are much more important things to take care of... like reading with Grant, and helping the kids with their homework, and taking a nap so that I am emotionally o.k.

9. Lice... there I said it... is not the end of the world. Or any other trial that we have. We get through it, because we have to and there is no other option. Everyone I've told has shared with me their own experiences with lice, and they all say it's not a big deal. Well, I am glad to hear that it's not uncommon, or that we aren't going to be labeled as "that family," but it is sure a lot of work and a PAIN!! But we did it, we survived, and I have learned a lot through this experience. Oh... and it sure helps to have a sense of humor while you are getting through those trials.

Well, until next time....

p.s. pictures and blessing details to come...

A Story. Part I.

Once upon a time there was a woman who was pregnant with her fourth child, a boy.

One day she woke her husband, told him her water had broken, and together they prepared lunches and made plans for their three other children. The oldest two would go to school, and the youngest, a 3-year old, would spend the day with his nursery teacher. The father's mother, Lola, would come the next day.

The baby was born at 12:39 p.m. (The mother decided, for the first time, to try an epidural.... but that is a story for a different day.) He was a hefty 8 lb 13 oz. and 20 inches long, and had plenty of hair. After counting fingers and toes, the mother nursed the baby, and then sent him off with the nurses to get his first bath and needle pokes. When it took longer for him to return (they said an hour), the mother got worried and frustrated. After several inquiries, she discovered that he was taking longer than expected to warm up. When they finally brought the baby back to the mother, he would not wake up to eat. The nurses became concerned with his fast breathing, and the sounds he made while breathing. So they took him away and wouldn't let the mother nurse him. After many hours, countless inquiries, and some tears, the mother learned that her child had had some X-rays and blood tests that raised some concerns; the dr.'s believed that the baby boy could have Strep B (the mother had only received antibiotics for 3 1/2 hours instead of 4). They whisked the baby to the NICU, and let the mother and father visit every few hours. 3 days of antibiotics later, the baby passed all his tests and was able to come home to his family.

The baby's name is Ammon. It was not originally on the list his father and mother made (those names were Ezra Benjamin or Chase Benjamin). But on day 3, in the middle of the night (the hospital was very, very loud at night, so the mother could not sleep), the mother knew that her baby looked like Ammon. When she suggested the name to the father (who had previously turned down the name "Ammon"), he said that seconds before she shared the name, he knew what she would say, and that it was the right name. The mother and father decided that Douglas would be a wonderful way to honor the mother's father and deceased brother; so that baby's name became Ammon Douglas.

To Our Dental Friends (Pt. II)

Because so many of our Cleveland friends are graduating or have recently graduated, from dental school, I'd like to make a brief recommendation: Call Nate Williams.

Nate Williams is an accountant/financial adviser specializing in the dental profession. His firm serves only dentists by providing a full array of financial needs, from full-service practice and personal accounting, strategic comprehensive financial planning, practice acquisitions or transitions, to investment management. His company, Symmetric Wealth Management, is based out of Oregon, but represents clients throughout the country.

Nate is a graduate of BYU's illustrious accounting program, he worked for one of the "Big 4" accounting firms, and then he became intimately familiar with the dental profession while working for Cain Watters & Associates, the nation's largest (and most expensive) dental-oriented accounting firm.

I met Nate accidentally almost two years ago (my real estate agent was in his ward at the time). Since then I've had the pleasure to refer friends to Nate, and work directly with him on several transactions (as many may know, I'm trying to develop a dental-oriented law practice myself). I don't know that I've worked with a more intelligent, honest, and professional person. I couldn't recommend him more highly.

I'd encourage those graduating or contemplating transitioning from their current situation to give Nate a call. Here's his website: http://symmetricwealth.com/Symmetric_Wealth/Welcome.html

(And just to be clear: I get no referral fee from Nate, nor has he "approved" this message. I simply think everyone should give him a call.)

Introducing:

Ammon Douglas McGregor



Tuesday, March 29, 2011
12:39 p.m.
8 lb 13 oz.
20 inches

Pictures and details coming soon.