Mama Called the Doctor and the Doctor Said...

"I think you better bring your child in." It all started innocently, just a runny nose, and a slight cough. I say to myself, "he's getting better, tomorrow he will be even better." A couple of days go by, he's almost himself and then...then...it all went downhill. Now he's running a fever, runny nose all the time, lethargic, irritable, pale, clammy, diarrhea, inconsistently consistent cough, sleeping for no more than 2-3 hours at a time. Finally, I called. Bring him in. After further examination the verdict came:"Congratulations, I am 90% sure your child has H1N1, he has a double ear infection and Rotovirus. If you would've brought him in when he initially got sick we could've done Tamiflu and it probably wouldn't have turned into such a severe case. Now we get to hospitalize him." My gut wrenches, my heart is suddenly heavy, I'm now nauseated. I shout, "No! We're to poor to hospitalize our son. It's either we celebrate Christmas or hospitalize him." The doctor concedes. 10 days of antibiotics and other prescriptions, follow up in 3 days. The next day was my birthday, guess what...didn't celebrate it. Instead took care of my little guy who had a temperature max of 105.8 degrees and would sweat and cough and look up at me like "help me mama, why do I feel this way!?!" After 3-4 days of antibiotics and alternating Tylenol, Ibruprofen, Benadryl, Chestal, Zarbee's, Vicks, Florastor, etc...we got him better. It's now been 6 days since any fevers. We're done with antibiotics. We survived.

Then we finally went out to celebrate my birthday. Benihana's (because I had a gift card from work).

Now we're back to being normal Brody Joseph Hall. Eatin' the chicken and tater tots, and doing his piano practice.

One Good Thing About 2010

Just FYI to all 2 of you who read this blog. Do NOT even THINK about bothering me on January 4th, and every night of The Bachelor there after. I will not be checking email, faxes, mail, my phone, the blog, bird pigeon messages, telegrams, or if you come to my door etc. All I have to say is: Yes Jake, I will accept this rose.

Why You Shouldn't...

Wake up at 3:45 a.m. to go to work on a Sunday morning. Work an 8 hour shift. Go straight to church. Wrestle children for 2 hours in primary. Head to choir practice where you can hardly keep your eyes open while your trying to play the piano and then you say, not thinking before you say it,

"When we sing the Gloria's in 'Angels We Have Heard on High' like that it sounds like an STD. You know the GLooooooooooooooo-RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR-EEEEEEEEEEEE-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA, It's just like gonorrhea

If You Give A Little Boy Prunes

Really, no explaination is needed. Just that I let him go crazy with the leftover baby food in the cupboard.

The New Game We Play

Brody loves to be in the middle of everything. I think it's first child syndrome where they spend so much time with adults, rather than other children that they constantly need the attention and notice of adults. I came up with this new solution to help Brody stay involved while I am making dinner. I get out the step stool and he crawls up, most of the time NOT safely, to the top.

He stands up and helps me stir and bang the utensils around while I cook. The other night I was making Taco Soup and he slopped the soup all over the place and had so much fun while doing it, I didn't even care that it took 13 Chlorox wipes to sanitize and clean the backsplash and floor.

What a good little helper boy!

Yes, It Would Be Easier To Go To A Lot

Not wanting to ever brake Hall tradition we loaded up the 4-wheelers, the saw, and a case of hand-warmers and set out Christmas tree hunting. Every year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving Blake drags me on a death march, on most occasions across canyons and up 30% grades looking for the perfect Christmas tree. This year though, we went to a different area up the canyon and found 2 of the most beautiful Christmas trees. Only once did I complain about the cold to which Blake replied, "It's all part of the experience Rus."
In years past we have scraped the crud out of one of the sides of the Christmas trees by dragging them back down the mountain, so this year, we wised up and straped it to the front of the 4-wheeler and stratigically positioned the other tree on a sled. Worked much better, I won't have to hide one side of the tree this year.

Blake always cuts down one tree, and I cut down the other. Thanks to Yoga and lifting my child I was able to cut down the tree quickly. Blake even commented on my "Yoga Master" muscles. (And the fact that the tree was really only like 4 inches around made it pretty easy.)

All that is missing is the beam of light from the heavens and the clouds parting signifying that the tree was meant to be cut down.

Abercrombie...Calvin Klein...Gap...

These beautiful pictures were again taken by the one, the only, the fabulous, can't say enough amazing things about her...McKenzie Hansen of McKenzie Hansen Photography. Check out her website at mckenziehansenphotography.com. I look at these images of Brody and they are truly priceless. Does life get any better?

My Roots Are Brown

Telephone Conversation:
Jessica: On a scale from 0-10 how big of a deal is it if I put regular gas in your diesel truck?

Blake: A 12.

Jessica: Ok, then how mad would you be on a scale from 0-10.

Blake: A 10.

Jessica: Well it drove just fine from the gas station to the garage.

Blake: (tone getting more high pitched) Well of course it did, it's running on diesel.

Jessica: Well maybe it's not that bad.

Blake: You seriously didn't, you know how big of a deal this is? Serry Bill* (name changed) once did it at Hoagies and it cost him $800. This is a big deal. What were you thinking?

Jessica: Well it's a good thing then I didn't...he he he...(chuckling)...I almost did. I caught myself right as I was going to put the regular fuel in and had to cancel it out and start all over.

Blake: How about we make a rule that you don't EVER put fuel in my truck again.

The Most Beautiful Boy at the Ball

The last picture pretty much describes it. Brody was a candy monkey for Halloween. The kid is an addict and will probably have to start going to CA (candy anonymous) meetings shortly. He is drawn to anything chocolate and will bring candy to you to open and give to him. He will even find the candy that you have hidden and will bring it to you. He enjoyed his first year of real trick o' treating. He would reach into an unassuming neighbor's bowl and pull out a piece, ok, really a handful of candy, and put in his glow-in-the-dark pumpkin container. He got sick and threw up a little on Monday morning but so would I if my dad encouraged me to eat a whole twix bar, a package of starburst and a gummy tinkerbell.

Is It Weird That...

Confessions of a twenty-something mom.

• I like to shower with my son, I know it's creepy, and pedophile-ish but Brodster loves the water splashing him in the face, I love that we can kill two birds with one stone (that's the RN multi-tasker in me coming out).


• When Blake is gone I like it when Brody sleeps in the bed with me. He loves his mama and he is a cuddler, and who doesn't want to wake up with a handsome, young, practically perfect in every way man looking at them. (Brody will probably be sitting on Oprah or Dr. Phil's couch telling them about these last two things in 20 years.)


• There are times where I have longed to go behind my house and pull out a cigarette and just light up when Brody has stressed me to the max.


• If Blake's dog died...I wouldn't care.


• I love smutty shows, my favorite used to be Grey's Anatomy but now that it's all Lezbo I don't so much care for that kind of smut. Love love The Notebook smut scene in the rain, the smut shower scene in How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days, love the first kiss smut scene in Pretty Woman, love the kiss at the end of Princess Bride, loved the first kiss between Jim and Pam on The Office.


• One of my favorite blogs to stock is vixen-goodinbed.blogspot.com. They are not updating it right now but there are links to old posts on the left side. Enough said, check it out. It doesn't dissapoint.


• I am a movie/TV show line a-holic. One of my favorite things to play with my sister is just naming lines back and forth and bantering with each other. She's almost as good as me.


• Secretly I sign up to work the holidays that we are supposed to be with Blake's family...shhhh don't tell any of the Halls.


• I love old people, there I said it. My love grew when I worked at a nursing home and I think that old people are extraordinary. I love their stories, I love thier ceniality, I love the way they lived so simply. I was going through some of my great-grandmas things and she literally picked off the snaps from clothing and saved them in Mason canning jars thinking of reusing them. I wish I could've met her.


• Speaking of great-grandma...secret confession that probably no one knows...I was born on her birthday, and my Great Aunt is still offended to this day that I was not named after her...Her name was Gladys. Gladys Bean Hall. Hmmmmm....


• Somedays I feel like Suzy Homemaker, Perfect LDS wife/mother, ready for my gold star reward/trophy/ribbon/medal, dressed, tanned, hair and makeup, making my homemade rolls, cleaning my house so you can eat off the floor, toilets so clean you could lick the seat, yard so bright you could publish a picture in Better Homes and Gardens. Then...other days I feel like a complete failure. I sit on the floor or couch all day long, barely play with Brody, have him go and get me things from around the house because I'm to lazy to move, order out dinner, stare at the weeds in my garden, and dream about a new home. Alas.


• Bottom line...my life's not perfect, but it's pretty close. I am happy with the choices that I have made and the choices that I live with every day. The best choice, to have Brody. He is one thing I don't regret in my life. As an "old person" once said to me, who was a patient of mine, "Did you ever think you could love something so much?" to which I promptly wept in front of her and her family and replied, "No, I never did." (It was one of my first days back off of maternity leave, cut me some slack for being emotional.)

WWF Smackdown-Hall Style

After Brodster's bath this is a pretty typical routine for us. I get the diaper on, barely, he thinks it's a game, grabs Ricky Racoon and heads to the WAY far side of the bed where I can barely reach him.

Now it's back to Mama after coaxing him over with chocolate Goldfish graham crackers...Was able to get about 2 swipes of lotion down his legs, and he's chillin like a homie on the pillow, yet again clutching that danged raccoon.Now for the hi-yaw and a wah-cha-ba-kaw karate chop kick when mom tries to attack him with another round of lotion.I signed kisses and he came over to give his mama bear kisses..................muh! In other non-wrestling news I took Brody in for his year check-up. He got four shots...wah wuh....but I would rather deal with that than Polio, or Mumps or Hepatitis so we sucked it up like Hall men do. He weighed 20 lbs 15 ozs (25%), 31 inches tall (90%), and head circumference (90%). Dr. Church said it's pretty typical breastfed baby statistics with skinny, tall, big head. He met all the development for the 12 month old and every one of the 15 month developmental milestones except for verbalization. Dr. Church was impressed with his signing but thinks that is maybe why he is slow to verbalize. He has been doing much better lately after I did some research and have been working with him. He is saying Dada, Mama, Baba, Yaya, something that resembles Ahhhhhhhhh, which he was what he calls my sister Alyson and he is just babbling a lot more.

A Day In The Life Of a 1 Year Old

7:00 a.m.: What I found awaiting me when I walked into his bedroom. Just chillin' awaiting mama to get him some milk.
7:05 a.m.: In bed with mama now, Today Show on the TV. Mama dozing off and trying to hold a bottle at the same time.
8:00 a.m.: Mama changes positions in the bed, Brody wakes up.
8:15 a.m.: Diaper change, stinky (who knows how long he has been sitting in it but...not a blow out).
8:20 a.m.: Breakfast, Banana and a bowl of instant oatmeal. This morning he chose the Apple and Cinnamon.


8:30-9:30 a.m.: Playing with Birthday toys. Mama and Papa bought him the little 4 wheeler. Totally worth every penny. He knew exactly how to ride and mount it. Working on the pushing of the button. I normally have to get him started for a few seconds and then he does it by himself. He likes to do trick riding with one leg kneeling on the seat and the other dangling off the back of the 4 wheeler. He takes after his dad, I guess.
10:30 a.m.: I am sitting in the other room going through my coupons and I hear a crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, and I yell, "if you are making a mess mama is going to eat your face off." Little did I know that when I rounded the corner I would find this little number. I'm guessing the Breakfast just wasn't filling enough for him. Then of course he freaks out when I turn the vacuum on. Happy Birthday son.11:30 a.m.: Lunch, corndog and peaches. Apple juice. Love it. He ate it in his walker today because I was still attempting to clean up the chip mess and the kitchen at the same time. I needed him distracted.
12:00 p.m.-2:00p.m.: Nappy wappy. Mama watched two episodes of M*A*S*H, did a load of laundry, checked her email, scrubbed the high chair (after the birthday smash cake extravaganza), loaded and unloaded the dishwasher, listened the rain, ate a bowl of pulled pork, and thought about the countless other tasks awaiting her around the house that would not get done because it was my little boys' birthday and today it was all about him.

2:00 p.m.-5:30 p.m.: Reading books, doing puzzles, playing with his Discovery animals, mama pretending to be a horsey, Brody making bear noises, singing songs and piano practice, hailing, raining outside and running around the house a couple of times together (for fun).

5:30 p.m.-6:35 p.m.: Hanging out with Aunt Vurlia, eating pasta salad and peaches. Gave Aunt Vurlia 2 kisses.

6:35 p.m.-7:05 p.m.: Drive to Grandmas in carseat. Yes, I flipped him around. He loves it. Forget waiting for a doctors ok.

7:05 p.m.-7:15 p.m.: Dinner, consisting of two cupcakes, two chicken nuggets, and a small bowl of tomato and macaroni with butter and salt and pepper.

7:15 p.m.-7:45 p.m.: Love the bath time, probably would've spent another 25 minutes in the tub if I would've left him. But mama had to go to Yoga, so out of the tubsy at 7:45 to make it to Yoga on time.

9:15 p.m.: Get home from Yoga, play with Brodster playing with the flashlight for 10+ minutes. Give him bottle of whole milk, rock him to sleep. Sing him is favorite bedtime songs, I Love To See The Temple, My Heavenly Father Loves Me, and Armies of Helamen. And he's out. Kisses. Hugs. To bed.

Brody, you are my little boyfriend. I can't imagine my life without you. I am so blessed to be able to be your mama. I hope I can teach you, instruct you and instill in you a testimony of the gospel. I know that if you gain a testimony of the Lord and the restoration of the Gospel that you will be happy. Heavenly Father wants you to be happy and so do your parents. At times this last year we have had a rocky relationship. I have resented giving up so much of my time...little did I know how much I was gaining. I would do anything for you. You bring me so much happiness. I love you, forever.

Tears, Cheers, Mom Wants a Beer

The Brodster, Little Buddy, Stinky, Stink-bug, Monkey, aka Brody Joseph Hall had his birthday party yesterday. We had to have the party the day before his actual birthday due to Blake going out of town for work. We had planned to have it at the local park, may I add a NICE local park, but alas, the weather did not look pleasing for a little boys' 1 year old party. We relocated venues to the Ye Ole Plain City Lions Club. Aunt Aly and Grandma made his birthday cake, designed by moi. In other news I sliced my hand open when I was attempting to cut the rolls in half for the pulled pork sandwiches so I held a paper towel in my hand for a good portion of the night until it became so saturated with blood I finally caved in and went home and dermabonded my wound shut. Then I remembered that I didn't remember ice cream, thank heavens for Aunt Vurlia and Grandma Great who came to the rescue so I didn't appear to be a lame spacey headed mom.
Birthday present opening started innocently enough and Brody was enjoying receiving his many many gifts from very generous family members and friends. Lots of trucks, tractors, play power equipment, clothes, diapers, wipes etc...

Then it turned really really quickly into tears, screaming, whailing, crying ahhhhhhhhhhhh! Present, but mainly, kids overload. He had lots of good helpers with present opening. Sideways view picture of him enjoying his first real sugar. Chocolate cupcake with chocolate frosting. Yumsy.The proud Mama and Papa. We are truly so blessed to have Brody. He is a delight in our lives. We don't deserve him, he is such a sweet spirit to have in our home. We are so greatful for him and the opportunity we have to raise him. I never knew I could love someone so much.

And It's Okay...

It came to me this morning...

I am not going to win the mother-of-the year award, I don't spend as much one-on-one time with him as I should...and that's okay.

It sucks that I am working part-time now for our health insurance. I despise having to leave Brody with my sister or mother...but it's okay.

I let him play/eat in dirt, pet dirty mangy neighborhood kitties, fall down stairs, grab knives out the dishwasher before I get to them, play with scissors on occassion, let him draw on himself with markers and paint...and that's okay.

I am not the best OB/GYN nurse on earth, I forget things, I am not as attentive as I should be sometimes to my patients, I get frustrated with physicians...and that's okay.

I am not going to be put in the General Primary Board any time soon, I can hardly keep my head above water when it comes to my calling right now in the Primary...and that's okay.

I only "Ma Ingels" style bottled beets and did freezer corn this year...and that's okay.

There are days when I don't do my hair and make-up and I look like I'm receiving chemotherapy...and that's okay.

I am not in the place right now in my life where I am financially and/or emotionally ready to tackle graduate school...and that's okay.

I have a kitchen sink full of dirty dishes to wash, 3+ loads of laundry to fold, a yard that looks

like my house is in foreclosure, and I'm sitting here blogging...and that's okay.

My project table has about 14 projects going right now and I probably won't get Brody's scrapbook all the way updated by his birthday...but that's okay.

My car hasn't been serviced for 6+ months because I keep forgetting to look out for a coupon...and I HOPE that's okay.

I almost burned my house down yesterday trying to melt my mexistache wax on the stove, there were flames, thankfully my CERT training came in handy...and that's okay.

My big toenails are so messed up, one is halfway ripped off, the other looks like someone took a dremmel tool to it...and that's okay, because I have Angela Ballard's House of Nails.

I am dreaming of Hawaii for our 5th anniversary next year, and the likelihood of us going is unsure...but that's okay.

I haven't done my visiting teaching yet this month...that's sort of okay (I have 3 days to go).

I don't have the money to decorate my house the way I want too...but that's okay.

Blake's dirty freakin gross smelly construction boots are sitting behind the door because I don't want to look at them...and that's okay.

I think, no I know, that there is a large snake living in my front flower bed, and that's not okay, but I'll have to live with it.

I haven't won the powerball...yet...and that's okay.

The shift key and my right side arrow are missing from my laptop because Brody ripped them off one day...and that's okay.

Hunting season has started...(guh...not okay)

A very wise man that I took care of once told me that "Frustrations Result From Unfulfilled Expectations." I have decided that the reason why I have been so upset with myself is that my

expectations are too high. I have a beautiful son who does know about 10 sign language signs, who poops his pants at least twice a day, who loves to give me full on open mouth kisses, eats as much food as I can shovel in him, and walks to me to give me hugs. My husband, without much complaint, is tirelessly working to provide for our family, he is the love of my life...and that's ALL okay.

What Happens When...

What happens when...your child goes swimming in a public toilet, I mean swimming pool? He gets pink eye. Kidscare visit and $25 later, antibiotic eye drops. It cleared up 3 days later. I swear this was the best picture out of about 15 I tried getting. I ended up turning off the flash worried that I was going to further aggrevate said pink eye.

What happens when...Mom leaves the house for Sunday morning meeting? Mom comes home and finds this on the couch. I know, it's precious, and I have the two most handsome boys in Plain City.
What happens when...you go on a family vacation to Fish Lake and your sister says your not "outdoorsey"? You freakin show her how "outdoorsey" you are and catch the first freakin' fish when your 2.5 minutes out onto the lake. Suck it! (And no, I do not touch nor eat fish.) What happens when...five minutes later your sister catches a bigger fish than you? You shut up.

What happens when...your trolling along and your dad says, "I just got a nibble, no it was a hard hit," but refuses to bring in his line because the "hard hit" keeps coming and going? You find out after you pull in the copper line that he has "caught" a large piece of petrified fish poo that has been at the bottom of Fish Lake since the dinosaurs. What happens when...you think your child is developing cabin fever? You drag him down to Fish Lake and take off his socks and make him splash his itsy bitsy feetsies in freezing water. But he loved it. He loved the walk, which may I say we were having a grand time until I came across a sign that said, "Fish Lake is Black Bear Country," to which we promptly turned around and returned to the cabin.

What happens when...you go to Smith & Edwards and see that life jackets are on sale? You buy one and make your 11 month old wear it and go for a ride in the boat. Brody loved it, but Blake REALLY loved it. On a personal note, Blake said to me how special it was that he got to take Brody out in the boat because he never got to go boating with his dad. What happens when...your husband puts you in a half-nelson and you try to escape by kicking him in the knee-caps and stepping on his insoles? You get punished by breaking your toe. I could hardly walk on it yesterday but today it feels much better. Thanks for asking.

No, I Wasn't Committed

I guess I took a small sebatical from the blog-o-sphere, no I was not receiving psychiatric counseling, nor was I committed, or abducted, I just didn't blog. Here's what you missed.

Camping trip at the Silver Dollar Ranch in Idaho. Brody's first camping trip and he freakin' loved it. Loved staring at the fire, loved playing in the dirt, loved 4 wheeler rides with Papa, loved playing in the creek, loved playing with cousins, just loved it.Papa loved the 2+ hour nap he got. Note the Grandma Hall handquilted eagle quilt under Blake. Doesn't get any better than that.

Swimming with the Mama Bear at Surf-n-Swim. We have almost gone through an entire package of Little Swimmers. This kiddo loves the water. He especially loved the waves crashing into his face. He has probably contracted Crypto with all the water he drink out of this public toilet.

Oh, and I taught him how to play the piano.

Oquirrah Mountain Temple Open House. Note to self: if ever again participating in a temple open house, do not bring stroller. Guh, I got so sick of going up and down the stupid elevators, I was turned around, I didn't get to be by Blake the whole time. So that sucked, but of course being the temple with your whole family, can't really complain.