Rosalind Danielle Herrick
Saturday March 22, 2014
8:48 am
7 lbs 11 oz
20 inches long
Lots of beautiful dark hair
Completely unmedicated birth
Everyone is doing great!
Friday, March 28, 2014
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Maternity pics for baby #2
I don't think it's usual to take maternity pics for your second (or more) baby, but I've finally assembled Georgie's baby book and I don't want Rosie's to be half the size because she's baby #2. I mean, how is that fair? So my awesome sister once again agreed to take some photos for us, which double nicely as current family photos. No outfit changes this time (except for Georgie's "Big Sister" shirt) and all pictures were taken in my mom's backyard. For the record, I'm 37 weeks in these pictures, and I think they turned out pretty well! Thanks again, Rachel!!
Sunday, January 19, 2014
This is where we are
I made only one real "resolution" for the new year (I use the term loosely) and that was to write more, so catching up on the blog seems like a good place to start. I feel like my life has been all chaos for weeks now (and while it may all have been internal chaos, it's hard not to let that spill out sometimes) so let's get our bearings, shall we? Hint: Skim to the bolded parts and down to the photos, which are mostly of Georgie, if you're in a hurry.
In case you missed it, we moved from my parents' house in Draper to a lovely little apartment in south Provo at the beginning of November. While moving was a pain and the process of finding/applying/planning to move was a hassle, we had a ton of help and we love our little place. It's just right for us - 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and just five minutes from Novell so Tim doesn't have a long commute (booyah!). (Oh yeah, and Tim is still working for Novell's eLearning training department.) We really like our ward and we just starting teaching one of the classes of 5-year-olds in Primary. There's a lot of grass and a little playground at our complex so once winter's gone, we will be outside a lot. I keep waiting for the whole apartment to be clean enough to post pictures, but that may never happen. So pictures to come. Promise.
I didn't do a good job of announcing this but we are having another girl, due March 14th, which is in 8 weeks if anyone's counting (!!!). We are not really ready for another baby emotionally or mentally, but my nesting instinct kicked in high gear last weekend so I at least have a list of what needs to be done around the house to get ready. I feel like this little girl's got a strong personality already and we're 99.9% sure her name is going to be Rosalind - we already call her Rosie, so hopefully that sticks once she's here! Still thinking about middle names if you have any suggestions. We're really hoping she comes a little early so that the midwife who delivered Georgie can be there before going out of town for 3 weeks, and so that it will coincide with UVU's spring break and Tim can miss a minimal number of classes this semester.
Speaking of school, Tim's still plugging along at UVU with one or two classes per semester. He totally rocked his advanced writing class and computer-something class last semester with two A's! And all on his own - I proofread his papers and offered moral support but he made it through that English class like a pro. We dream of the day when he will be done but that's still quite a ways off.
I'm still working for Northridge Publishing but I'm down to just 15 hours per week, mostly so we can qualify for Medicaid and partially because I just can't find more time in the week with Georgie being so, you know, energetic and active. Work is work; some days I love it, other days I wonder if I'm crazy to keep at it. I've been trying to get caught up and ahead so I can actually take a little time off once I have this baby. I'm planning on continuing to work after baby girl #2 comes along, so let's all start hoping now that I find a way to make that happen!
Speaking of Georgie, she could be her own post, so just the highlights: she's 15 months old, 30 inches tall, and almost up to 20 lbs. The last two months have brought tons of language development and it's SO FUN to actually communicate with her! She has about a dozen words she says and her own version of five signs. She's silly and crazy and loves to climb on and into everything. Her favorite toys are her books, bubbles, and anything she can dump out. She won't let me put anything on her head or in her hair (unless she doesn't notice when I clip a bow in) but she will wear all of her headbands as necklaces at the same time. She has super erratic eating preferences so some days, all she does is ask for food and on others, I am lucky to sneak in a few bites here and there. All her good sleeping habits went away when we moved and with the holidays and bouts of illnesses in the last few weeks, haven't returned, but she sometimes sleeps through the night and she generally takes at least one nap a day. I really really really miss that second nap. She basically adorable and hilarious and absolutely maddening about once a week.
Other than that, we're...well, we're okay. Some days are fine, some days are rough. It's been two months since my dad passed away and while "normal" has gotten more normal, we still have a lot of grieving and processing to do. Having a 15-month-old who needs to be fed, put to sleep, played with, and generally paid attention to all the time makes it hard to find time or space for mourning; getting ready for another baby makes it even harder. We'll get through it eventually but it's just going to take a lot of time.
And that's where we are right now.
In case you missed it, we moved from my parents' house in Draper to a lovely little apartment in south Provo at the beginning of November. While moving was a pain and the process of finding/applying/planning to move was a hassle, we had a ton of help and we love our little place. It's just right for us - 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and just five minutes from Novell so Tim doesn't have a long commute (booyah!). (Oh yeah, and Tim is still working for Novell's eLearning training department.) We really like our ward and we just starting teaching one of the classes of 5-year-olds in Primary. There's a lot of grass and a little playground at our complex so once winter's gone, we will be outside a lot. I keep waiting for the whole apartment to be clean enough to post pictures, but that may never happen. So pictures to come. Promise.
I didn't do a good job of announcing this but we are having another girl, due March 14th, which is in 8 weeks if anyone's counting (!!!). We are not really ready for another baby emotionally or mentally, but my nesting instinct kicked in high gear last weekend so I at least have a list of what needs to be done around the house to get ready. I feel like this little girl's got a strong personality already and we're 99.9% sure her name is going to be Rosalind - we already call her Rosie, so hopefully that sticks once she's here! Still thinking about middle names if you have any suggestions. We're really hoping she comes a little early so that the midwife who delivered Georgie can be there before going out of town for 3 weeks, and so that it will coincide with UVU's spring break and Tim can miss a minimal number of classes this semester.
Speaking of school, Tim's still plugging along at UVU with one or two classes per semester. He totally rocked his advanced writing class and computer-something class last semester with two A's! And all on his own - I proofread his papers and offered moral support but he made it through that English class like a pro. We dream of the day when he will be done but that's still quite a ways off.
I'm still working for Northridge Publishing but I'm down to just 15 hours per week, mostly so we can qualify for Medicaid and partially because I just can't find more time in the week with Georgie being so, you know, energetic and active. Work is work; some days I love it, other days I wonder if I'm crazy to keep at it. I've been trying to get caught up and ahead so I can actually take a little time off once I have this baby. I'm planning on continuing to work after baby girl #2 comes along, so let's all start hoping now that I find a way to make that happen!
Speaking of Georgie, she could be her own post, so just the highlights: she's 15 months old, 30 inches tall, and almost up to 20 lbs. The last two months have brought tons of language development and it's SO FUN to actually communicate with her! She has about a dozen words she says and her own version of five signs. She's silly and crazy and loves to climb on and into everything. Her favorite toys are her books, bubbles, and anything she can dump out. She won't let me put anything on her head or in her hair (unless she doesn't notice when I clip a bow in) but she will wear all of her headbands as necklaces at the same time. She has super erratic eating preferences so some days, all she does is ask for food and on others, I am lucky to sneak in a few bites here and there. All her good sleeping habits went away when we moved and with the holidays and bouts of illnesses in the last few weeks, haven't returned, but she sometimes sleeps through the night and she generally takes at least one nap a day. I really really really miss that second nap. She basically adorable and hilarious and absolutely maddening about once a week.
Other than that, we're...well, we're okay. Some days are fine, some days are rough. It's been two months since my dad passed away and while "normal" has gotten more normal, we still have a lot of grieving and processing to do. Having a 15-month-old who needs to be fed, put to sleep, played with, and generally paid attention to all the time makes it hard to find time or space for mourning; getting ready for another baby makes it even harder. We'll get through it eventually but it's just going to take a lot of time.
And that's where we are right now.
Monday, December 30, 2013
The sparkly part of Christmas
All the hard things, emotional breakdowns, and exhaustion aside, we had some good times this Christmas. In photos:
A tad unconventional, but decorating a houseplant sure beat going out to get a Christmas tree in a blizzard! Plus my dad would have really liked this - he disliked spending money on Christmas trees.
As per tradition, we took Georgie to see Santa Claus. (We went to the Riverwoods again - waiting in line was totally worth not paying anyone to take our own pictures!) She was a little unsure of what to think about it this year and stared him down good.
Presenting the 2013 cast of the Maryon family Nativity play! Georgie actually sat still for most of it, go figure. (Not pictured - Tim got to help out as a narrator and I played the piano for the songs between narrations.)
Almost the whole Herrick group at once!
Family photo time - Georgie was not interested in smiling at. all.
And that about sums it up - lots of family, celebrating, traditions, and fun watching Georgie experience Christmas a little more than last year. Can't wait for her to be 2 and really get it next year!
A tad unconventional, but decorating a houseplant sure beat going out to get a Christmas tree in a blizzard! Plus my dad would have really liked this - he disliked spending money on Christmas trees.
We didn't get a tree until almost the middle of December and it took us about another week to decorate it at all (no lights on the tree this year), but we did have a tree!
As per tradition, we took Georgie to see Santa Claus. (We went to the Riverwoods again - waiting in line was totally worth not paying anyone to take our own pictures!) She was a little unsure of what to think about it this year and stared him down good.
Christmas morning was very laid back and we all enjoyed watching Georgie still not quite grasp what was going on but love the attention anyway. She mostly wanted to be held by Nana and/or Aunt Rachel (no shocker there).
And finally, post-Christmas Herrick Christmas. Crazy as always, but especially now that the littles are all walking and climbing stairs (which is all Georgie did when left to her own devices, as pictured with her cousin Lillian), it was hard to get anything coordinated with us all. But fun as always, too!
Almost the whole Herrick group at once!
Family photo time - Georgie was not interested in smiling at. all.
And that about sums it up - lots of family, celebrating, traditions, and fun watching Georgie experience Christmas a little more than last year. Can't wait for her to be 2 and really get it next year!
Monday, December 23, 2013
"Yet in the dark streets shineth the everlasting light"
Christmas has been a bit subdued for us this year, as you can imagine. I started out strong, wanting to celebrate fully in spite of everything, but it got to be too much - too much work, too much emotional energy, too much brain power (I am seriously limited lately). We did finally get a tree and we did finally put up a few decorations and I've about worn out Pandora's Christmas station, but overall, very subdued. I will post some happy pictures and stuff later, but right now I need to write out some things.
I've been thinking a lot about the meaning behind Christmas; not in a "the true meaning of Christmas" cliched way, but in the sometimes hard meaning behind Christmas.
It's very hard to think about celebrating Christmas without my dad. He and my mom were partners in everything that Christmas morning is/was. Traditionally, once we were all awake, the kids would gather at the bottom of the stairs and sing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" at the top of our lungs until Mom came to bring us upstairs. Then we'd be forced to wait while Dad stalled. Sometimes he'd take a shower but usually he made us drink a cup of juice each; one year he used the juicer to make fresh orange juice while we impatiently howled from my parents' room. He was the one with the camera, the one to turn on the Christmas tree lights and the Peggy Lee Christmas CD so that when we marched out to the front room (youngest to oldest), the magical moment was there. It really really hurts to picture all of that without him.
But Christmas is about Christ's birth, and because of his birth, he was able to fulfill his mission, conquer death, and promise hope and life forever. Because he was born, I will see my dad again. Because he came to earth, my family can be together forever, and that is worth celebrating - that is the hope that we hold dear, at this time especially. When I was in England on my Study Abroad, I remember Karla (our program director's wife) describing it as a "terrible hope" as she told us about losing a child. At the time, I turned that phrase over and over to try to understand it. Now I do. Now I see how it is at times a desperate hope; a hope that on bad days, you cling to reflexively; a hope that only becomes so strong and powerful when you have a terrible reason to need it.
The phrase from Luke 2:10 has rung in my head over and over as I've thought about the hope that Christmas represents: "good tidings of great joy." But oddly, I've also thought a lot about and taken comfort from the not so joyful aspects of Christ's life.
We don't focus on it much, but within two years of that miraculous birth in a stable in Bethlehem, other babies were killed senselessly at the hands of Herod's soldiers. Maybe it was only a dozen or two; maybe it was a hundred or more. No matter how many or few, because of that birth, Bethlehem's mothers lost their baby and toddler boys and had their hearts broken suddenly and without mercy. In a way, they were the first to suffer because of their association with Christ during his lifetime. But even still, "good tidings of great joy" - because of Christ's birth in that tiny town, those mothers could have their hearts healed and be with their sons again.
Though Christ taught and exemplified peace and love and forgiveness, his life was anything but. Once he began his ministry especially, he was often the subject of contention. He was misunderstood, condemned, reviled, hunted, and in the end, killed in violence. And yet, "good tidings of great joy," for that end brought an end to all ends.
My scripture reading coincidentally has placed me at the beginning of 3 Nephi in the last week, so as we've built up to Christmas, I've been getting closer to the coming of Christ to the Nephites. I've been very aware of the timeline during this reading - each year brings the people a little closer to the destruction, the darkness. Even the righteous who do not lose their lives will know the terror of destruction, will lose friends and family, and will not be able to create any light for three days. They will suffer, too, but "good tidings of great joy" await them. Their Savior will visit them personally, will heal every kind of affliction, will pray for them and bless them.
In her talk at my dad's funeral, my mom shared that my dad's view of suffering was that we are mortal, so we suffer. We live in a fallen world, so we suffer. We are friends of Christ, so we suffer. This phrase stayed with me and strangely, perhaps, brings me comfort. Sometimes it feels like it should be the opposite, that as friends of Christ we should be blessed with an easy path, but no. Even Christ's disciples will have to know pain and walk in darkness. And yet - "Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people."
Being pregnant this year, I expected to feel a connection to Mary but it is Christ to whom I have turned again and again. We are friends of Christ, so we suffer, but because of Christ, we hope. That is the meaning of Christmas to me this year. That is what I am celebrating.
Yet in the dark streets shineth the everlasting light.
The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.
I've been thinking a lot about the meaning behind Christmas; not in a "the true meaning of Christmas" cliched way, but in the sometimes hard meaning behind Christmas.
It's very hard to think about celebrating Christmas without my dad. He and my mom were partners in everything that Christmas morning is/was. Traditionally, once we were all awake, the kids would gather at the bottom of the stairs and sing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" at the top of our lungs until Mom came to bring us upstairs. Then we'd be forced to wait while Dad stalled. Sometimes he'd take a shower but usually he made us drink a cup of juice each; one year he used the juicer to make fresh orange juice while we impatiently howled from my parents' room. He was the one with the camera, the one to turn on the Christmas tree lights and the Peggy Lee Christmas CD so that when we marched out to the front room (youngest to oldest), the magical moment was there. It really really hurts to picture all of that without him.
But Christmas is about Christ's birth, and because of his birth, he was able to fulfill his mission, conquer death, and promise hope and life forever. Because he was born, I will see my dad again. Because he came to earth, my family can be together forever, and that is worth celebrating - that is the hope that we hold dear, at this time especially. When I was in England on my Study Abroad, I remember Karla (our program director's wife) describing it as a "terrible hope" as she told us about losing a child. At the time, I turned that phrase over and over to try to understand it. Now I do. Now I see how it is at times a desperate hope; a hope that on bad days, you cling to reflexively; a hope that only becomes so strong and powerful when you have a terrible reason to need it.
The phrase from Luke 2:10 has rung in my head over and over as I've thought about the hope that Christmas represents: "good tidings of great joy." But oddly, I've also thought a lot about and taken comfort from the not so joyful aspects of Christ's life.
We don't focus on it much, but within two years of that miraculous birth in a stable in Bethlehem, other babies were killed senselessly at the hands of Herod's soldiers. Maybe it was only a dozen or two; maybe it was a hundred or more. No matter how many or few, because of that birth, Bethlehem's mothers lost their baby and toddler boys and had their hearts broken suddenly and without mercy. In a way, they were the first to suffer because of their association with Christ during his lifetime. But even still, "good tidings of great joy" - because of Christ's birth in that tiny town, those mothers could have their hearts healed and be with their sons again.
Though Christ taught and exemplified peace and love and forgiveness, his life was anything but. Once he began his ministry especially, he was often the subject of contention. He was misunderstood, condemned, reviled, hunted, and in the end, killed in violence. And yet, "good tidings of great joy," for that end brought an end to all ends.
My scripture reading coincidentally has placed me at the beginning of 3 Nephi in the last week, so as we've built up to Christmas, I've been getting closer to the coming of Christ to the Nephites. I've been very aware of the timeline during this reading - each year brings the people a little closer to the destruction, the darkness. Even the righteous who do not lose their lives will know the terror of destruction, will lose friends and family, and will not be able to create any light for three days. They will suffer, too, but "good tidings of great joy" await them. Their Savior will visit them personally, will heal every kind of affliction, will pray for them and bless them.
In her talk at my dad's funeral, my mom shared that my dad's view of suffering was that we are mortal, so we suffer. We live in a fallen world, so we suffer. We are friends of Christ, so we suffer. This phrase stayed with me and strangely, perhaps, brings me comfort. Sometimes it feels like it should be the opposite, that as friends of Christ we should be blessed with an easy path, but no. Even Christ's disciples will have to know pain and walk in darkness. And yet - "Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people."
Being pregnant this year, I expected to feel a connection to Mary but it is Christ to whom I have turned again and again. We are friends of Christ, so we suffer, but because of Christ, we hope. That is the meaning of Christmas to me this year. That is what I am celebrating.
Yet in the dark streets shineth the everlasting light.
The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.
Monday, November 25, 2013
Life, death, grief, gratitude, thanks
I had two written blog posts waiting to be finalized - one about how we're having another girl (!!!) and the other about how crazy life has been and all the ups and downs and how we finally moved back down to Provo and how nice it is to have life settled again.
Then life - and death - really happened.
A week ago Friday, we found out my dad's cancer had spread to his liver and lungs. On Saturday we made plans for his care for the next few weeks/months and talked about Christmas. On Sunday morning, my mom called to say we needed to come say goodbye. Tim and I waited for Georgie to wake up and gathered what we'd need to stay the night. We made it to the house by 9:30 am; my dad was gone before 1:30 pm that same day.
I am still reeling from the shock of it all, still discovering what I am feeling. The sadness comes in waves, and the sting of reality hits me at odd times. Still processing. And will be for a while, I'd guess.
For most of last week, while we planned and wrote and cried, I felt so much gratitude. Gratitude for my family, for all the support and love we were receiving, for my dad, for almost seven years beyond his diagnosis, for the gospel, for temples. Gratitude that my dad didn't suffer for long, that he didn't struggle at the end, that we got to be with him, that Tim was prompted to come into the room at just the right moment to be there with me and the rest of the family for those final moments, that my dad is free of pain and impediment and frustration and disease. I was given so much peace, and still am, but the grief is finding a stronger place with me now, too. I expect this week will be harder than the last one, in some ways.
So thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers and kind words. Thank you for your love, for me and my family. Thank you for your support. I can feel it, and I have felt it over the last week. It means so much to me.
Then life - and death - really happened.
A week ago Friday, we found out my dad's cancer had spread to his liver and lungs. On Saturday we made plans for his care for the next few weeks/months and talked about Christmas. On Sunday morning, my mom called to say we needed to come say goodbye. Tim and I waited for Georgie to wake up and gathered what we'd need to stay the night. We made it to the house by 9:30 am; my dad was gone before 1:30 pm that same day.
I am still reeling from the shock of it all, still discovering what I am feeling. The sadness comes in waves, and the sting of reality hits me at odd times. Still processing. And will be for a while, I'd guess.
For most of last week, while we planned and wrote and cried, I felt so much gratitude. Gratitude for my family, for all the support and love we were receiving, for my dad, for almost seven years beyond his diagnosis, for the gospel, for temples. Gratitude that my dad didn't suffer for long, that he didn't struggle at the end, that we got to be with him, that Tim was prompted to come into the room at just the right moment to be there with me and the rest of the family for those final moments, that my dad is free of pain and impediment and frustration and disease. I was given so much peace, and still am, but the grief is finding a stronger place with me now, too. I expect this week will be harder than the last one, in some ways.
So thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers and kind words. Thank you for your love, for me and my family. Thank you for your support. I can feel it, and I have felt it over the last week. It means so much to me.
Monday, November 4, 2013
Home Makeover: Landscaping Edition
Earlier, I mentioned a massive landscaping project at my parents' house this summer and now I am finally putting it into the blog log. (There are a ton of pictures so be ye warned.) Here's what happened:
My mom has a friend, Celeste, who works for Tuck Landscape (which is owned by her son-in-law Robbie). My mom mentioned to her that she'd like some trees to create a property line in the backyard and could Celeste help with that? She took the ideas of trees to Robbie and he said essentially, "Nope, we're not just doing trees. We're a landscaping company - we're going to landscape. Here's your budget." Celeste is an amazing person with incredible energy so it took her no time at all to start running with all the possibilities. Our down-the-street neighbor Ben also works for Tuck Landscape and between him and Celeste, they starting planning. And contacting. And soon they had crews donating their time and companies donating their equipment and a huge renovation planned for a single Saturday.
Here are some before pictures:
From the street, including the gravel and boulders dropped off to us the day before the
Backyard, including the sad little trees along our property line that did not survive
Backyard looking up the hill
Along the side of the house
The front
Here are some before pictures:
From the street, including the gravel and boulders dropped off to us the day before the
Then on a Saturday in July, the workers showed up bright and early and the work began! It was the most incredible thing to watch everything get pulled up and replaced so quickly. The crews were amazing!
Some (just some!) of the full-grown trees they brought.
Everyone came to watch and help!
And the finished product? Absolutely gorgeous! The front:
Along the side
Brand new privacy fence and pavers
The front corner from the street
Another angle of the front corner
Another angle along the side
And the backyard from three different angles
In that last pic you can see the pavers they put down to extend the back patio. So, pavers, a privacy fence, flowers, a new sprinkler system to replace the broken one, less grass (so less water needed), and TONS of trees and bushes including two huge pine trees, two small pine trees, a flowering plum (the tall one in the last picture), three oak trees, and three maple trees. Plus they scattered 5 lbs of wildflower seeds over the hill next to our house. Can we please just agree that this is beyond incredible? The yard went from being nice to gorgeous in a single day and all because the people at Tuck Landscape are awesome. We were and are so grateful to everyone who came and created such a beautiful yard for my parents. Thank you thank you thank you!
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