The Houghtalings

Do not read this or look closely at the pictures if you have a weak stomach.



Taggart was peering over the changing table watching me change Lillian's diaper when all of a sudden he got blasted in the face by explosive newborn poop! You know, the kind that would've shot out the top of her diaper and up her back if I hadn't peeled hers down the nanosecond before.



My mom and I burst out laughing hysterically as we looked at Taggart's puzzled face that was dripping with poo. I really wanted to get a picture of his face but lucky for Tagg, my conscience wouldn't let me. We quickly wiped it off as it was dripping into his eyes and mouth. In the picture you can see a drop on his ear and smudged in his eyebrows and yes, his hair is wet from us trying to get it out of there too. It was EVERYWHERE. We even found some that had blasted about 5 feet behind where Taggart was standing. Both Taggart and our carpet got a thorough cleaning that night.

The next day, Taggart spotted Lillian getting her diaper changed again and stopped dead in his tracks and would not get closer even though he wanted to get by. And what he said after that, Lillian will sure to hear for the rest of her life, "Uh-Oh! [raspberry]!" as he pointed at her! He was obviously traumatized because my mom discovered that when she asked Taggart "What does Lillian say?" that he'd respond with a loud raspberry! We've trained him to cover his face with his hands when he sees her getting her diaper changed.

I have to say that although I'd be embarrassed by the jokes made (and nervous to let my brother make a toast at my wedding), I'm a little jealous of Lillian. What little girl wouldn't love the opportunity to do that to her big brother AND legitimately claim it was an accident?!

Lillian Jean arrived on December 2nd at 3:10am. She weighed 7lbs. 11oz. and was 21 inches long. She surprised us with blond hair and eyes that look like they'll be anything but brown.

We have been so excited to tell everyone her name! She is named after my aunt, Lillian, and grandmother, Jean (both on my paternal side). I am limited by words in conveying how special her name is to me. The best way I can do it is to say that I could think of no greater gift than to give my daughter the names of two women whose Christ-like qualities I wish for her to acquire.

She is a calm, sweet, soft skinned, little girl. She sounds like a seagull when she cries. We often catch her open mouthed smiles as she sleeps. My mom claims she saw and heard her laugh a few days after we came home from the hospital.

Talk about good timing! This girl's got it! My water broke an hour before my mom arrived here to be with us (about the time she was boarding her connecting flight)! Also, my contractions started really picking up in frequency and intensity a few hours after Taggart went to bed that night. So, I was able to labor at home for a while with one of my greatest comforters, my mom, without scaring Taggart. It also worked out that my sister-in-law, Lindsey, who we'd asked to be our doula, was also able to come over after putting her kids in bed. What more could a girl ask for?

An excruciatingly painful and emotionally draining last 36 weeks of pregnancy and the sleepless night I had the night before were enough to convince me to conquer my fear of having my spine messed with and my dislike of unnecessary medical intervention and get an epidural. Although the picture is a bit blurry, I think my feelings about my epidural are visible.



It was exactly the way that I'd hoped it'd be. The pain was relieved but I was still able to move around and feel when it was time to push. Instead of being exhausted in every form of the word, I was excited to embrace my little girl.



We couldn't help but stare at this familiar stranger. Blond hair?! Are those eyes going to be blue?! She looked nothing like what I had pictured a child of mine would look like. Yet, her gentle movements were very familiar to me. We were so relieved to see for ourselves that the single umbilical artery they had detected early in the pregnancy was of no consequence. (About half to one third of babies born with it have some pretty serious abnormalities if they even make it to birth.)



I didn't know how our energetic little Taggart would react to her. When my mom brought him into the hospital room, his face lit up, he smiled, and came closer to check things out. He was excited to hold her and was surprisingly gentle. This picture is from those first moments. She is absolutely adored by her brother. He kisses her often. He loves to point out her nose and look at her feet and hands. He also prompts us when he thinks her diaper needs to be changed.


So, needless to say, our dreams have come true. Just when we thought things couldn't get any better, we were blessed with a daughter and sister.

Austin's sister, Lindsey, called earlier tonight to bring to our attention that in 96 hours or less we'll be holding our little girl! Yikes that is soon! Can't wait to finally have her here. What an emotional journey it has been!

For Taggart's second birthday we had a very small party- mostly family. We're so lucky that Austin's sister and cousin live nearby because their children are very close to Tagg's age and are built in friends.
The party was airplane themed. His invitations were paper airplanes that had a streamer trailing behind with the details of the party. For the party decorations we tied strings onto little airplanes and attached them to the ceiling fan and ran it on low so they flew around the living room. I made airplane wings out of silver spray painted cardboard for the kids to strap on to their arms and run down our cloud (balloon) filled runway (hallway). We had cheesy plane/airport themed signs including but not limited to a "lavatory" sign on the bathroom door, "beverage cart" on a tray of cups, "ticketing and check-in" by the coat and shoe rack, and "baggage claim" over the table where we had the party favors (which were put in white paper "barf bags") for the guests. We didn't have the energy or skill to make a fancy cake but of course it did go along with the theme.


You MUST try Taggart's recipe for an inexpensive homemade facial: you take one handful of cake and another of ice cream, mash them together until they create a grainy mush, then spread it all over your face. Taggart has done it for the past two years and look at his complexion! He even spreads it on his hands too keep them soft and chubby and to make sure those knuckle dimples stay in place. I guess he thought it'd have the same age-defying affect on his clothes, the carpet, walls, and booster seat but it didn't- no youthful glow there. We also recommend NOT applying the cake and ice cream mask to the face of unsuspecting guests as irritation WILL occur.




We have been really bad about taking pictures of the growing belly during this pregnancy but here are a few from after the party. We were a few days shy of 37 weeks.

I know, I know. I'm terrible at keeping this up to date. I'd ask for forgiveness but I don't think that I can promise that I'll do better.
Well, we weren't able to get great full body shots of Little Mister but you can get an idea of what he looked like. Cristina's mom made him the costume. Thanks, Mamacita! We added the little pom-pom balls but they didn't last as long as we had hoped.
We went to the Fall Festival and Trunk-or-Treat at our church. The Church's youth went around the week before to all the houses in the the neighborhood to invite people to come. I thought that was a great idea that resulted in a pretty good turnout.
We had a great time. I think he enjoyed playing with his cousins and friends the most. He got a kick out of a robotic rattlesnake that a lady had at her trunk. Every time someone approached it, it's eyes would light up and it would "attack." He squatted down next to it and tried it out quite a bit. He seemed 50% scared and 50% intrigued. He kept asking to go back to it so it couldn't have scared him too much. Eventually he got the hang of the "Trick or Treating" and consumed a large amount of sugar. We were glad that we had overlooked bringing a bag for him to put his goodies in- he could only get as much as our pockets could hold. That was plenty!

We took Taggart to the fair for the third straight year. The first year he was in my belly helping me polish off my half of the fried Snickers that Austin and I had to try because it was so ridiculous sounding. I think I can link his abnormal birth size to that event. Last year we got charged by a bull. Yeah, picture me running, pushing Taggart out of the way in the umbrella stroller and some heroic cowboy jumping out of nowhere with his arms up and "steering" (no pun intended) the mad cow (couldn't help myself there either) around the corner. This year was the most enjoyable and least traumatic. Taggart LOVED the animals and acted like he'd grown up around them. What does that say about Austin and I? :\ I think we'll just give credit to the fact that he was wearing the overalls. In the picture below, he is kissing the duckling. It fell asleep in his hands- weird, huh? And no, he wasn't choking it either.

In case anyone was wondering how Austin did on QUALS, he passed with no revisions! It is common for the students to have to re-write one of the sections but he passed them all the first time. We are very excited for him.

Taggart got a 4-wheeler from his Grandma Houghtaling. I think we were supposed to wait to give it to him until his birthday in a month. Oops! It's max speed is 2 mph- good thing she also sent this really cool looking helmet! He hasn't learned to steer it yet so he drives it into everything. He also has trouble keeping his eyes on the road. If he hears a plane overhead, he'll take his hands off the handlebars to look up in the sky and wave. He also likes to watch the back wheels as he drives. Thank your lucky stars that he's got 14 more years before he's driving!

After our short time in California, we headed off to Oregon to be with Austin's family. Taggart was in toddler heaven! He'd spent the previous weeks bored, stuck in our apartment as I was busy packing, cleaning, and moving while Austin was at school/work. I have to say that he was a trooper with all of this but still, the little guy deserved to get spoiled. Grandma and Grandpa's is the perfect place for that.

Within minutes of arriving, he dressed himself in one of Kelsie's green and yellow swirl clogs (on the wrong foot, of course), a toy stethoscope, protective earphones, and armed himself with a pull-cart and a toy giraffe. After that, he was set to play in the POURING, cold rain. With the earphones on, he couldn't hear us telling him to look at the camera nor telling him to not follow Grandma's new puppy up the muddy slope. Remember, it was pouring cold rain and none of us wanted to chase after him. Convenient, huh? Well, up he went and down he fell (he still had his hands full with the cart and giraffe), covering himself and his "equipment" with mud.
Even though Grandma and Grandpa's house is full of things to discover, everyday that we were there we visited a park, beach, or lake. He absolutely loved them all and we got a kick out of watching him. He'd run straight toward the water and kept going even though the water was up to his chest and so cold that it was numbing.
While we were there he developed a love/hate relationship with the aforementioned puppy, Oliver. They followed each other everywhere. We love this video of them. (This was going on for about 5 minutes before we got the camera out.)

On day 13 or so, Austin was finished with QUALS and joined us for almost another week there. It was a wonderful trip for all of us. It was great to be with family and see a few of Kelsie's volleyball games while we were there.

As I said in the previous post, Taggart and I did some traveling while Austin was stuck back at home doing school stuff. The first part was a quick trip to Laguna Beach, California. My parents and brother met us there for my cousin, Toby's, wedding on the 23rd (the day after our anniversary). The wedding and festivities surrounding it were absolutely beautiful. The best part for me was having my dad's side of my family all together. I've always wished we got to see each other more often.

We had our fifth anniversary a few weeks ago. However, I can't say we exactly "celebrated" it. Then again, when have we? It's not that we haven't enjoyed being married, it's just that each year something else (something big) is scheduled on that day. Take our first anniversary for example. We'd just moved to Auburn and the students were all checked into our dorm and the new school year was just beginning. The big opening social that all housing staff was required to attend was, you guessed it, on our anniversary. Each year has been pretty similar. This year, Austin picked up the biggest test of his educational career, put Taggart and I on a plane, and settled down to write a 25 page paper (in addition to his 40 hours of work). We didn't see him for over two weeks after that. It's so romantic, it brings a tear to my eye! What else are we to do but laugh?! I have a feeling we're going to have to get more creative if we want to celebrate the best day of our lives.

I got "tagged" for the first time since I’ve been in Blogland by Katie S. I have other updates to add but those'll have to wait. This "tagging" stuff is important business! :)

Ten years ago: I was so excited to be 16- dating and driving. Shayna, Heather, Brianna, and Lance were some of my best friends- boy, I miss them! I went on vacation with Shayna’s family that summer and had a blast. I’d experienced the loss of a childhood friend. I’d gone to my first prom. I’d just had my first kiss. In my CD player you could find Jewel, the Beatles, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Beastie Boys, and a mixed CD with Ben Folds Five and Third Eye Blind. Around this time of year, I went to my first concert- Dave Matthews Band at what was then Deer Creek Music Center.

Things I'd do if I was a Billionaire: I’d save and invest a lot but I would definitely set aside money to take some cool trips. I’d go the Holy Land (and no, I don’t mean Rodeo Drive), get a more thorough taste of all 50 states (especially the Northern Lights in Alaska- DYING to see them!), go to the places my ancestors are from like the Isle of Wight, and I’d make sure that Austin got to go on his dream trip to the hearts of Ireland and Scotland. I’d probably build a simple house with a great yard with all the little adjustments for Austin’s height (higher showerheads, countertops, doorways, toilets, etc.). Which makes me think of another thing I’d do. I’d have shoes and clothes custom made for him so that he wouldn’t have to wear the ugly stuff they make in his size. OH! I would also buy a plane and get my pilot's license.

Three Bad Habits: (in no particular order) 1. I stay up too late. I LOVE starting my day early but it’s hard to do when I stay up late. 2. I’m a guilty spender. ANYTIME I spend money, I feel guilty about it even if it’s basic groceries or the best deal on the planet (like the $1 pants I bought our baby girl last week). 3. I think as a result of bad habit #2, I always leave tags on things- even silly things that I know I can’t or don’t want to return like our doormat we’ve had for almost 2 years.

Five places I've lived: Franklin, Indiana; Orem, Utah; Auburn, Alabama (the mailing address was actually Auburn University, AL); Provo, UT; Lubbock, TX

Five jobs I've had: Spanish Translator; Paralegal secretary; Waitress; Retail store manager; Nurse’s Aide.

To follow tradition, I have to tagg 5 people: Heather M, Alli P, Becca L, Amy H, and Chelsea J.

. . . and most of the guesses were right. We're expecting. . . A GIRL!!!

A cousin of ours suggested that we put up a poll for y'all to guess what we're having. What a great idea?! (Thanks, Ashlee!) We should've done this a lot sooner. So, take a guess and we'll let you know after the poll closes. Sorry, no prizes for correct guesses and no, we will not track down those that guessed incorrectly to publicly ridicule them.

We finally have an appointment for an official ultrasound on Tuesday! I'm calling it now- Monday night is going to be sleepless!

We've been back from our trip to San Francisco for almost a week now. It's about time we put some pictures up. We had a FABULOUS time. Austin's new job required him to go for a conference. To make a long story short, Austin surprised me by buying me a ticket to come with him. I was shocked and excited- that's so NOT our style to just go and splurge on something as expensive as a plane ticket especially without cautiously weighing our options or waiting for a great deal. I think the thing that pushed him to do it was that the only thing we had to pay for was my ticket and a teeny bit for food- the cheapest trip to San Francisco we'll ever get the chance to take but most of all, he knew that it's a place that I've been DYING to go see.



Austin is afraid of me getting fat during this pregnancy so he made me walk a few miles up the biggest hills in San Francisco back to our hotel from the Fisherman's Wharf while pushing Taggart in the stroller. JUST KIDDING! It was HIS idea to not take the bus or trolley but it was actually pretty fun to go off the beaten path and take on those challenging hills. We got to see things we'd never have seen otherwise including (but not limited to) a cute little Italian restaurant that we went back to on our last night- one of the top 5 best meals I've ever had! That walk was one of our favorite things we did. It was also good for our health. We had just eaten at In-N-Out Burger (my first time) and stopped at Ghirardelli Square for our second mint and hot fudge sundae of the trip. For the record, HE pushed the stroller.



We taught Taggart to put his arms in the air as we went down the hills a-la-roller-coaster style. I died laughing picturing what it would look like if I accidently let go: Taggart, hands in the air, flying down the hills in the stroller. Now before you go and label me as a terrible mother, you try to imagine it and not laugh. Hill-arious, huh?



This is Austin's doing. Their new thing is to say, "Hmmm" and pensively tap their lips.



Playing as we waited in the long line for the trolley.



Us ON the trolley. Notice that Taggart's shoe is in my lap? He wanted nothing to do with closed toes shoes or socks in spite of the chillier weather. I can't tell you how many times we had to retrace our steps to find one or the other after it was cast off for not being his flip-flops.



Petting sharks at the aquarium.



TREES! Redwood trees! We crossed the Golden Gate Bridge and went up to the Muir Forrest and got to breathe the cool fresh air and admire these incredible trees. It was beautiful.





What a great trip! I'm ready to move there. Not right downtown but within an hour of there. Great shopping, great restaurants, the bay, the beaches, the hills, the museums and art galleries, AND Austin's uncle (who we got to see our first night) lives in the area so we could be close to family. I think it sounds perfect. Now I just need to get a graduate degree so that we can actually afford to live there.

On June 30th we had an appointment with the OBGYN that we were really looking forward to. We had called ahead to see if we could get an ultrasound so that Austin's mom and sister, who were visiting from Oregon, could be there if we found out the gender. They said that if we came in early for our appointment that they'd be happy to do one. At first I kept telling myself not to get too excited about finding out the gender because the baby might not cooperate or it might still be just a little to early to be POSITIVE. However, as the day got closer the excitement moved from being happy that we'd get a bonus ultrasound while Aunt Kelsie and Grandma were in town to WE GET TO FIND OUT WHAT WE'RE HAVING! I think we even had a hard time falling asleep the night before. Well, as it turns out, it ended up just being a bonus ultrasound. They didn't have the better machine available and only the nurses who occasionally do ultrasounds were there to look for "anatomy." Even though Thammy cooperated and gave us the shot that we'd been asking for, they weren't confident enough to call it. What a bummer.

On Saturday Taggart rediscovered a pair of light-up cowboy boots that his older cousin passed on to us. He is crazy about them! He happily walked around our home all morning totally naked with just his boots on and a water gun in his hand. He cried when we had to take them off to get him dressed. We quickly put them back on and his content smile reappeared. He looked quite dapper wearing cowboy boots with shorts and a T-shirt in the 100+ degree West Texas weather. It's so fun to see a flexible, submissive baby turn into a toddler who is sure of what he wants.

We had an ultrasound today! The doctor's first comment was "This is a big baby." Although I'm grateful that "Thammy's" thriving, I'm REALLY hoping for a smaller baby this time around (Taggart was 9 pounds 11 ounces and 23.5 inches long). She had a hard time getting the whole baby in the shot so she could get the crown to rump measurement. Yikes! She commented on how long it's legs, arms, and fingers are and how "uncommonly active" it is- sounds like it's Big Brother. We've decided that we're going to find out the sex of our baby this time so we won't keep referring to it as "it" so until then, it's "Thammy." We tried to see if it was looking more like a boy or a girl but it's still too early to really tell.

Taggart has started to imitate the way that Austin talks to the baby. He puts his mouth right against my tummy and says, "Hi, Baby!" and other gibberish. He has also started to randomly come up to me and pat my tummy and say, "Baby." If you ask him where the baby is he's usually right. I know that he doesn't really "get it" but I am impressed with this first little step toward comprehending. It'll be interesting to see how this might change between now and December.

I was sitting in the Houston Airport last week eating lunch and watching people pass as I waited for our connecting flight home. A girl with super skinny thighs walked by and I thought to myself, "HOW IN THE WORLD is it possible to have thighs that skinny!?" Then, I went back to eating my McDonald's french fries.