New nickname: 大头 (dà tóu)

At a recent doctor's appointment, we learned that Ellie is still in the 2nd percentile of body weight for her age. We were amazed that her head is surprisingly in the 52 percentile, so we gave her the endearing new nickname 大头 (dà tóu) which means Big Head.

Waterfall in the Bathroom

11pm last Thursday night... we had an adventure in the bathroom with a frozen pipe that burst. From the other side of the house we thought we heard the Amazon! Steaming water poured out while we frantically gathered the water in various plastic containers and desperately dumped it down the shower drain. Somehow we were able to contain the water long enough to call the landlord and find out where the water shut-off valve was located. Only a little water got into the hallway, the entry way, and in Mish's room.
Awesome Landlord Bob to the rescue!
Tiff mopping up the water in the entry way.
Hardcore Kyle
After Tiff turned off the water, the pipe only dripped as the ice melted. It's amazing how much damage can be created from such a small hole.

Bob's Magic

Tiffany's brother Bob has become quite the card magician. With a flip from the wrist, he will blow your mind! Watch carefully.

Our new hair

The latest addition to our family is Ellie's hair. At the crown of her head, she has a couple hairs that are nearly 4 inches long, and it only took 15 months! Unfortunately the hairs in the back of her head still haven't recovered from her "side-to-side" episodes when she learned to rub her hair off with her acute understanding of the laws of physics and friction.

See for yourself!

Well, when we had to cancel my first ultrasound appointment a couple weeks ago, I decided I just wouldn't be able to wait for our rescheduled appointment. So we went to the "fetal studio" at the mall (I love Utah!) and little baby BOY revealed himself without hesitation! The ultrasound machine was very new so the picture was much clearer than at my doctor's office--we even counted all ten fingers and toes, just to make sure they're all there. Ellie started getting upset immediately, fussing through the whole process. She sensed that she will shortly be dethroned... Today I had my doctor's appointment and he confirmed the baby's gender and also stated that the baby is quite small, so pushed my due date back from May 5th to June 1st. I begged him not to make my pregnancy a month longer! Well, I guess I'll have to do that bidding with Erik himself. Oh yeah, we've been calling him Erik (a good Scandinavian name), which sure beats just calling him "Boy Fetus" or something like that. Anyway, we're excited, and even Ellie pointed and grunted enthusiastically at the ultrasound screen today. I guess she's coming to terms with the impending reality. When I point to my tummy and say "baby," she gives my tummy kisses and pats. And while Kyle dreams of camping and baseball games, I happily shop for blue and green onesies.

Ellie's Hammer Dance

When Kyle got a singing and dancing MC Hammer frog for Christmas, Ellie was so entranced by its moves that she immediately learned the Hammer Dance from it.

Happy Birthday Mish and Bob!

Amidst post-holiday and apartment-moving exhaustion, Bob and Mish "celebrated" another overlooked birthday on Dec. 29th, the highlight of which (at least for Mish) was their first Baskin Robbins ice cream cake!

Cathi's wedding

My old roommate was wed in SLC on Dec. 28th and we all enjoyed a festive, though frigid day. Our other old roommate, Michelle, and I took the liberty of declaring our daughters the flower girls and dressed them respectively. During dinner while Kyle devoured mounds of elegant entrees, Ellie entertained herself by untying the massive bows on the back of chairs. Oh, and her white dress survived completely stain-free all day until an encounter with chocolate sauce ten minutes before we left...

Vietnamese karaoke

Ellie was so mesmerized by Kyle's Vietnamese karaoke video that she lost her pants in the process, and couldn't have cared less! These are the 5th pair of jeans I've bought her that are too big--why don't they make baby belts!?