THE List

The day has come for rank lists to be submitted. What a roller coaster this decision has been. It changed at least 10 times! Each time more stressful than the last because it's always after I have come to terms with it and then we switch it. Without further ado, here are the ER programs we would like to attend in order of preference:

1) UT Southwestern (Dallas)

2) Carolinas Medical Center (Charlotte, NC)

3) Vanderbilt (Nashville, TN)

4) U of Utah (Salt Lake)

5) U of New Mexico (Albuquerque)

6) U of North Carolina (Raleigh, NC)

7) John Peter Smith (Fort Worth)

8) U of Texas (Houston)

9) Baylor (Houston)

Before Lane had any interviews, we said we would for sure put Dallas as #1 and  JPS #2. After he had interviews, Carolinas was #1, Vanderbilt #2 & Dallas #3. In fact we kept it that way for about 3 weeks. Then all the changing around happened. We switched Dallas back to #1 for a minute & decided to change our minds and put Carolinas back on top. We thought that decision was final until we both couldn't sleep that night because we had so much anxiety. That's when Dallas went back to #1 and we haven't looked back. 

Honestly, we would be happy at any of the programs. They all had great things to offer. I am about 90% sure Lane will get into Dallas and 100% sure he would get into Carolinas. I feel I can say that because I'm not talking about me. He has gotten nice letters from both schools, but the Carolinas were more up front about him being able to go there. So we'll find out for sure on March 17th. Stay tuned.

Sweet Feedom...Kind Of

Today was Elliot's 1st time in nursery all by herself. 18 months is the magic age & believe me when I say that we've been counting down. Between 1 yr & 18 months, church just isn't as enjoyable because we're trying to keep her contained & happy for 3 hours straight. Ya, it's no easy task. Everything started off great. She walked right in & started playing with toys. So Lane & I left & went to our class.  After that hour was over, I went & peeked in the window, only to see her being held while she cried. I hate seeing this. In addition to me feeling bad, I am feeling sorry for her nursery teacher because no one wants to have to hold a crying kid the whole time. Well her crying started to escalate, so I decided to go in & sit with her for a little bit. She was fine while I was there, but then I had to get back to my class, so I excused myself & she returned to tears. I figured that she would calm down eventually. After church, I went to pick her up & she was still being held & her face was all red. So sad! Apparently she had started crying about 10 minutes after we dropped her off & it was sort of off & on until the first hour had passed. Then I saw what happened from that point on. Hopefully she'll adjust & will learn to love nursery because there's no going back for her parents.

Day 30 - A picture

This picture cracks me up because the rain boots cover her entire legs!

Day 29 - 3 wishes

1) I wish that women didn't have to bear children. I wish we could just get one when we're ready. And I'm not talking about adopting or baby snatching.

2) I wish that the next 3 years will fly by so that we can finally have some money!

3) I wish that we didn't have to shave. You spend so much money on razors & it's so time consuming!

18 Months

 Elliot is 18 months old! We had her check up yesterday & everything looks great. Here are her stats:

Weight: 22 lbs 13 oz--28%

Height: 32.5"--77%

Head: 18"--27%

Around 16 months I definitely noticed her learning so much. So I started a list that I've been keeping track of for the past 2 months. 

• New words: nana (banana), bye bye, poo poo (Lane taught her this one), peas (please), tanku (thank you), Papa, ball, baby, no, hot, uh oh, car, up, choo choo, go, all gone, teeth, bath, nose, eye, faffle (waffle), cheese
• She can identify her body parts. Tongue, cheek, knees & shoulders are new additions.
• She identifies animals by pointing when asked. Can also identify most of their sounds.
• When asked her name, she responds "E". I never call her this, so I'm not sure why.
• She can follow simple directions. Example-Throw __ away. Go get your shoes. etc.
• She makes this surprised look when she hears a noise or just for the heck of it.
• After taking a drink, she will let out a big "Ahh!"
• She will shake her head yes only half way. So basically she raises her chin. I don't know why she won't finish it out.
• Oddity- Randomly she will touch her chin to her right shoulder while she's walking. Very weird.
• Her favorite (annoying) thing to do right now is turn off the tv. It's a pain because we have to wait about 10 seconds before you can turn it back on. She'll also turn off the cable box which is also a pain because when you turn it back on it automatically turns onto the Spanish channel & I then have to switch it back to what we were watching.

All in all, she is doing great & is so much fun!

Day 28 - Something that stresses you out

The day of a party that I'm hosting. I LOVE planning & throwing parties. I enjoy all the details & work that go into it. I'm very organized so I usually have most things done way before the date. However, there's always certain things that you can not do until the day of & that's when the stress hits me. It usually involves food since you have to have all dishes warm at the same time. It pretty much sends me over the edge. Lane hates those days.

Day 27 - Pets

I have 0 pets. I used to have a dachshund when I was 21, but she stayed with my parents when I got married. I would have loved to take her with me, but they had another dog & it would have been sad to separate them. Plus we live in an apartment, so it's not ideal for a pet. With that being said, I would like to get a dog when we have a house. I think they're great for kids. The only downside is shedding & the smell. I'm just not sure if I'm ready for all of that yet. But I do see it in our future.

Day 26 - Picture of your family

This is the only decent recent family picture that I have. I need to do a better job at taking them.



Day 25 - Put your iPod on shuffle, first 10 songs

Let me just preface this list with the fact that I haven't updated any songs on my ipod since I first put them on there. So they're going to be really old..

Mustang Island- Pat Green

Is this the end- Puff Daddy & the Family

Outrageous-Britney Spears

Ghost Train- Marc Cohn

Don’t Happen Twice- Kenny Chesney

Take it Easy- Travis Tritt

Love Song for No One- John Mayer

Confessions-Usher

Gone- Kelly Clarkson

Lost without you- Robin Thicke

Valentine's Day

Today Lane got up early to make me breakfast & a snack for later in the day. I heard him shuffling around in the kitchen as I lay in bed. Unfortunately for him, Elliot woke up earlier than usual & definitely wasn't leaving him alone. After a while, I finally emerged & asked if it was ok to enter the kitchen. Come to find out, he didn't even get to breakfast & my "snack" didn't turn out :( I did see what he was trying to do though. He had melted chocolate & tried to freeze it & then was trying to cut out a heart & decorate it with candy. I think he underestimated the amount of time it takes to actually freeze chocolate (more than 10 minutes). Oh well. Our day went normal like any other day. We did go eat at our favorite Indian place, Masala Wok. We were home by 5:15. Yes, we ate super early! That's just how things go when you have a kid. Plus we were really hungry. I was going to make these delicious looking black bottom cupcakes, but was too full to even think about dessert. Crazy, I know!

Here's E opening her little treat. I was for sure she liked it, but she didn't really care. It was a sucker that you put in your mouth like a pacifier & on the other side it was a pair of lips. I thought that would make for a funny picture, but no dice.

This is my gift to Lane. There were 5 total. They are homemade scratch off cards. Whatever match he made, was what he won.  He got me 2 Salsa lessons. Hopefully we'll be able to use them.

Day 24 - Something you've learned

I used to think the term "pastime" meant something you used to do. But recently I learned that it means something you do to pass the time. LOL!

Day 23 - Favorite vacation

A few years ago, Lane & I went to Ft Lauderdale, Florida. It was probably one of the best vacations for us. We packed in so many fun things, like a boat tour of expensive houses, swamp tour, Polyneasan dinner & dance, lounging on the beach & eating delicious crepes! I would love to go there again!

Thank You Grammy & Papa!

This picture slideshow generated with Smilebox

Elliot got a package in the mail from my parents today. A little early Valentine's present. Thanks for the apron. It's adorable. And the measuring spoons were great too because I'm in need of a new pair. You'll have to tilt your head in the middle of the clip because I didn't realize I had switched positions with my camera. Thanks!

Day 22 - Favorite city

I don't really know. I mean, I obviously like Arlington because that's where I grew up, my family is there & it has the Rangers & Cowboys which is awesome. I also like the feel of Fort Worth. I think Sundance Square is adorable. And if Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girls really existed I would pick that as my favorite city. It's so quaint & they're always having town activities. And I like the idea of going to a diner.

Day 21 - Picture of yourself

Here I am with chocolate covered bacon in Austin.

Day 20 - Nicknames

When I was little, my parents would call me Peanut & my relatives would call me Leilei.When I was in high school my friends would sometimes call me J & coaches would call me Jester. Now that I'm an aunt, I'm referred to as Aunt Leilei (pronounced lee lee).

Day 19 - Something you miss

I miss my mom's cooking. It is so good! And I never seem to duplicate  her dishes. Every Sunday she makes a big dinner after church & my sister and her family all go over there to eat. Even though I'm not apart of that anymore, I still call my mom every Sunday & ask her what she's cooking. Not that it matters for me, but I like to at least visualize it.

Day 18 - Something you regret

Not getting newborn pictures taken of Elliot. At the time I was like, I can just take some myself. She'll look just as cute. That was so STUPID of me. Now I kick myself evertime I see newborn pictures of other kids. They look so adorable! Poor E will be jealous of her sibling when she sees that they have them & she doesn't.

Day 17 - Something you're looking forward to

Finding out where we'll be moving!! This could be a historic event for me if it's out of state. March 17th is the big day. Mark your calendars!

Day 16 - Dream House

I really have no idea. The problem is that I like so many things. But one thing I do know is that I want a front porch with rocking chairs or a swing. Is that too much to ask?

Day 15 - Bible verse

Matthew 11:28-30

28¶aCome unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Day 14 - A picture you love

This is when E was 8 months old. The reason why I love this picture is because it's so random. I didn't tell her to do this or pose her or anything. This is just something she did all of a sudden & I was lucky enough to have my camera.

Day 13 - Goals

Oh gosh, this is kind of tough. I don't consider New Year's Resolutions as real goals & it's a good thing because those are already out the window. Right now I have zero goals set. I guess I need to come up with some.

Day 12 - What you believe

Well I could go on about this forever. The most imortant thing is that Christ is my Savior. To learn what else I believe, visit this website.

Day 11 - Favorite TV shows

So here's my weekly tv schedule:

Monday

You already know how I feel about this one.

Lane & I love to watch this show. Lane especially likes to try to solve the case before they do.

Hilarious!

Tuesday

I was so excited when I heard they were making a show about show choir. The vocals are awesome!

Wednesday

This is such a great family show. The kids are so awkward! I think it is really well done & hope that other people are watching it too.

Um, I think all of America is watching this one. 

Cougar Town. I wasn't so sure about this one at first, but now I'm hooked.

Thursday

I'm still watching.

Such a good drama series!

So it's official. I probably watch more tv than any of you. But that's how I wind down.