Geeez.

What with Facebook, blogs, twitter, text messages... it's so hard to keep up with them all!

This week Gabe started to roll over from back to front, which is harder for them I guess. It's so exciting to watch him grow and do new things. We had to spend a night in the hospital a few weeks ago because he had the flu and got pretty dehydrated. Guess how much less than 24 hours in the hospital cost? $5500. No joke. Thank goodness for my insurance that will help us cover most of that! That kid goes to the doctor more times than he sees his grandma! I should as them for one of those frequent customer cards, maybe we can get a 10th visit free.

Some baby terminology for those who don't have children yet:

1. Blowout, n. - When a poppy diaper extends up the back/legs of the onezie. "Your son has poop leaking all over, I think he had a blowout." (true story- the daycare lady at the gym said this exact sentence to me)

2. SuperNova, n. - When the baby burps and farts at the same time. "Hahaha, Baboon just had a super nova, I could feel it from both ends!"

3. 2 second warning, n. - The face Gabe makes when vomiting is believed to be imminent. "OH CRAP EFRAIN BRING A TOW- UUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH."

4. To Have a "BF", v. - Having a "Boy Fit". Uncosolable crying, may be paired with any of the above. "Sorry, can I call you back? Gabezilla is having a BF."

5. 239874326834709234348, number - Times Gabriel would like to be extended into the air with a wooshing sound, or number of silly faces Gabriel would like you to make for him.

Hope you are all doing well!

6 Months!

He's just about as happy as I am. Today is our 6 month anniversary! I could not ask for a more selfless giving, patient person than Efrain. I am so excited every time I look at him to know that the rest of my life I'll have his companionship. He always gets up at around 5 am to get the baby ready for me to take to daycare when I leave for work, then goes to his own job for around 12 hours, we go to the gym together and then home to either a tv dinner or some strange looking food that I attempt to cook. He makes time during all this to water and cut the lawn or do some other helpful things around the house and to play with the baby. Hee can always make me laugh and never forgets to tell me I'm beautiful. Yesterday he spent the last of his paycheck to buy me flowers and a card. People always say being a mom is an unending and thankless job but I think Efrain does twice as much as I do. He is my absolute HERO!!
This past year has been so exciting for us and things keep getting better. We have our interview with immigration this week and he also has a job interview with the church. Baboon gets more and more aware everyday and has taken our hearts with his smiles. Hope everyone is doing as well as we are!

My 5 Favorite Boys

This Sunday my wonderful husband gave our little Baboon a name and a blessing, it was so special. This pic is afterwards in our backyard. That's my dad, my grandpa, Efrain and Baboon, and my father in law, Ramon. He had his first smile that day. Efrain can usually get him to do it but with me he just looks at me all confused. But it's so fun to lay him on the bed in the mornings and watch Efrain make him smile before he heads off to work. I think Baboon is coming down with something though, poor little guy.

In other news Efrain is going to start looking for a new job. He'd still like to join the air force, but until then he wants to look for something that has benefits so I can maybe stay home. uuuuuuugh. I don't want to go back to work. I just want to stay home and take care of my little precious one and be there for my hubby when he gets home. Someday.




I'm going to see the temple with some friends today. This will be the third time. I can't get enough of it, it might be the closest I get to being sealed to Baboon, but we'll see. It sure is nice just to sit in there with him.

Baboon!

My little guy is over a month old now! Every time I turn around he gets bigger. I know people always say they grow up so fast, but geeeez! He already doesn't do some of the things he did before...balling up the fists by his head all the time, smacking his lips when he is finish eating... I just want to document this all for him and for me before it is lost forever!



this is pretty much the only way he'll stay asleep during the day. I don't mind too much :D



This one is evidence of his goalkeeper/preacher move- when he's asleep he'll all of the sudden raise his hands up for a second like he is catching a goal in a soccer game or a preacher saying "hallelujah!" He also makes the most adorable lamb noise in his sleep that cracks us up.





aaaand 5 minutes later. Crying, but still cute.



His head is getting bigger, when we brought him home his little head kept flopping all over in uncomfortable looking positions, now it usually does ok.




We're going to bless him the first sunday in July!
We also nicknamed him "baboon" because of a rather large birthmark called a mongolian spot (they're purple). I'll let you guess where it is. This is going to be a GREAT story to tell his girlfriends later.

And if feedings take 4 hours?

Doctor: This child is underweight. Make sure you feed him every two hours,

2:00am. Baby Awake in precry mode. Kicking and little frustrated dinosaur noises. Have no idea when last time I/husband/grandma has fed him.

2:02 Diaper Change (wet)

2:02 Baby pees on himself/new diaper/mommy/changing table/blanket/wall. Cloth used to catch in-between diaper changing pee is left completly dry. Diaper Change (wet)

2:10 Change clothes on baby (and mom). Cannot get flailing left arm through arm hole. Baby now in full cry mode.

2:20 Take one-armed wailing baby to chair. Begin to feed.

2:22 Baby asleep.

2:45 No headway on waking limp one armed baby, stand to take back to crib.

2:46 Baby wakes. In precry mode. Resume feeding

2:56 Stop to burp.

2:57 Projectile vomiting. Everything within a 2 foot radius of baby covered in spit up. Cat within 2 foot radius now unknown distance from baby.

2:57 One armed exorsist baby instantly asleep and limp

3:00 am. new burp rag, blanket. Wipe down furniture. Wipe down cat.

3:20 Change clothes. Decide to dress in sleeveless onzie. Baby precry mode

3:30 Begin Feeding.

4:00am Cessation of nursing due to biting. Have heard suspicious rumblings in southern parts.

4:05 Burping limp baby. More rumblings.

4:10 Diaper change (wet)

4:15 Diaper change (messy)

4:20 Diaper change (wet). Change clothes (see 2:02am)

4:25 Diaper change (messy)

4:30 Clean, fed baby yawns and stretches. Heart melts.

my litte angel

This is: Gabriel James!



The Reward for 20 hours of labor and a c section:



The most precious kid on the face of the earth that smells soooooooooooo good!

We're still in the hospital, so this will have to be quick but everyone is doing great and we are loving life!

Baby News

Yay for being full term!

The Doc says I'm 2cm dialated, progressing nicely. My blood pressure has been creeping up the past 2 months though, so we are going to have a planned induction someime around the 18th or so. Next week is lots of doctors visits to try to determine what exactly is best, but that's the verdict for now. I'm slightly relieved that I won't be overdue, sitting around with a huge planet of a belly and swollen beyond recognition. And I'm also excited to hold my little guy in my arms insead of my abdomen. I had an ultrasound today and he is HUGE compared to the 1/2 way mark ultrasound we did. He's all crammed up in there, poor thing.

In other news, I have the best husband ever. He really makes my life a joy. This past week I have been under the weather and he has done everything humanly possible to make me feel better. It was more comfortable to sleep upright in a chair in our living room for a night or two and he slept on the floor next to me just to be close to me. awwww. He even missed ward ball to be with me, and is so understanding of my short commings in general, but especially when I don't feel my best.

I had a ward baby shower yesterday and saw lots of friends, they are sooo nice. I got a cool baby carying thingie that I have been wanting, as well as lots of diapers and clothes. This kid is going to be really spoiled, he's the first grandbaby on both sides and having a mom like this, he can't help but be adorable! haha

This is one of my recently found favorite songs- Bryan Adams songs just make you feel all gooey inside.

My husband has a cooooooool job

What can I say, he pampers me. He came home today and wanted to go out to dinner and said "You drive". What I didn't know was that I was going to drive the car that I think about in the bathtub, a new mustang....ahhhhhh! I managed to stall it 3 times in our circle, but after that my grandma would have been proud of the way I handled it. On the way back, however, Efrain showed me what she was really capable of.

HOTEL DISCOUNT SITE

Attn Friends and Family,

We no longer do the "friends and family discount" over the phone or at the hotels- you can only book it online through this site:

http://www.ihgfriendsandfamily.com/d56jms

(I'll put it in the list of links for future reference)

Anyone that remotely knows me can use it, but there are a few restrictions:
1) These are all PREPAID NONREFUNDABLE RATES. This means if you book something YOU PAY FOR IT WHEN IT IS BOOKED and if fifi gets sick, your car breaks down, you want to stay at another hotel, etc. YOU DON'T GET THAT MONEY BACK. This is all in the site, but just wanted you all to know beforehand. You give a little, you get a little.
2) You need to book these a little in advance, each hotel is different, they usually range from 1 to 7 days.
3) You need to print out the voucher and have someone contact me so I can give you all the info you need before you arrive. Then bring the voucher at check in.

Pretty much any hotel in our family does this- but you are up against every other person who knows someone who works for our chain. So if you want something downtown Pamplona durring the running of the bulls, you might not get it because of availability. (But I would check every day or so to see if it becomes so!)

happy travels!

Sorry about that, Florida

Heyo!

We finnaly have internet at our house so I can catch up on some of the fun things we have been up to!

Fun thing #1: Honeymoon!
We went to Orlando for a week and saw some of the parks and the ocean (AWESOME). Hint for sandcastle making: Temples make the coolest sandcastles, and also are a missionary opp. We also got invited to a timeshare breakfast, which we ultimately didn't show up for. AND we got a ticket for being on the toll road with no cash. A 75 cent ticket and about 1000 pictures of shamu later....

Fun thing #2: Kitty!

The day we got back, we unpacked and went over to petsmart just to look at the animals there. The Humane Society was there and had a sweet sweet cat for us that we just had to take home. We named her duchess, but Efrain has taken to calling her "vieja". He's so good to her, he always feeds her, gives her medicine, cleans her litterbox, makes sure she is entertained, he's gonna make an amazing dad. She enjoys laser pens, string, and an empty bathtub.

Fun thing #3: Gabriel!

IT'S A BOY! Most people are already aware, but I haven't posted really anything about it. My due date is May 24, so I'm just entering month 8. Efrain really likes the name, and he is my little angel, so we picked Gabriel. Still debating between a few middle names though. I've already had an outpouring of help from everyone, and a HUGE thanks for that. Birdy pretty much set us up with everything from her cute little guy so we nearly have everything we need. And I'm super excited for my shower on Saturday!!! The Lamaze classes are also going very well, although dark room + massage + newlyweds = hoping the class ends a little early. :P

And now for pictures of him! These are from the begining of January.



this is his face...



and this is his hand!

Enjoy

Wedding pics!

Hey yall!

I don't have internet at home yet, so this will be quick! Wedding pictures from my awesome cousin are up- they have a new website:

www.kb-photos.com

click on client proofing, then my name

the password is my married name!

:D

From Me to Three

Sooooooooooo as probably most of you know by now, I'm pregnant! I'm 5 months along, and we find out the gender of the baby in about a week and a half. We are SO excited. Although this has been kind of an emotional roller coaster I wouldn't trade any of it for anything. (this is, of course, with a few months of hindsight, my apologies to everyone who has talked to me up to now and found me more cranky than a piranha that just quit smoking.) And I want to take a moment in this season to thank all of the people who have helped me out.

My Parents- For coming up to see me when I found out, for making absolutely every possible thing they have available to me. The use of their incredibly gorgeous house, their huge tv (efrain especially enjoys that), helping me out with doctors, finding stuff for the wedding, and putting up with me when I was scared and nauseous and nervous, and sad, and...etc. Really I couldn't ask for more sweet and understanding people who love me no matter what and would do anything to help me. I hope I can continue to make you guys proud by being as good of a parent to my own kids as you are to me.

My Roomies- Helping me out and being friends I can confide in. Thanks for being so supportive in helping me to adjust to the idea of being a mommy. If it weren't for your constant efforts in the little day to day things I would be an absolute mess.

My Londolls- Roberta, for answering every little question I had, coming to visit me the day I found out before my family could get to me. Melissa, Bree, and Whitney for offering to help and just being interested and excited for me. I really thank all of you for being so openly accepting and I know you all are in my life for a reason. And I'm SO SUPER EXCITED for our juno themed hen party!!

My extended family- especially Kay and Katie and their families for helping me with the wedding, seriously, you guys are angels!! It is so nice to have someone I trust in charge of this important event. I'm glad I'm in such a generous and loving family. My Aunts and Uncles in St. George, thanks for sending your love and support, your letters, offers of so so so generous assistance, and good vibes this way. I'm really blessed to have all of you on my side. I really admire all of you and the awesome example you have shown me.

My new in-laws- If getting married is the only family I actually get to pick, I really couldn't have had better luck if I had won the lottery. Toni and Adriana for taking me to Mexico in a few weeks, wow, that is really a blessing to meet the rest of the clan! Ramon for being sooo nice to me in spite of my less than perfect Spanish and lame jokes. Diana for always always making me laugh and feel so welcome with her beautiful smile. My heart goes out to every one of you in gratitude of how not just welcoming but helpful and accepting you all are. As if it weren't enough that you gave me the most beautiful, intelligent, capable, charitable, christlike person in the entire world for a spouse, you have accepted and even loved the idea of this baby under less than ideal circumstances. I am SO thrilled to be a part of your family.

God- There is really no words to convey how grateful I am from the bottom of my heart for putting all these loving people in my path. For never EVER EVER leaving me. For sending love all the nights and days and afternoons and little moments of crazy sadness and loneliness and questions that have no answer. For the gift of this precious life that is healthy and growing. Thank you for my bishop, possibly a lost 13th disciple. He is truly a saint. I really feel that I am "the luckiest person in the world" as he said. I encourage you all, as has become my custom of being my own walking public service announcement, to talk to the people you need to talk to if there is something amiss in life. I promise there were no brow beatings or whips or signing over souls or anything. Many thanks as well to the people at LDS family services for all their legal and emotional advice for me. Also thanks to God for the preponderance of random people at grocery stores, restaurants, on the street, etc. that have come and said a kind word. I don't know if I just look really haggard or what but at least 4 random people have said exactly what I needed to hear at the moment just out of their own generosity towards a complete stranger. Thanks to the guy with the kind words and his little girl who gave me a hug that didn't even know me. And the lady in front of me at walmart who bought me a candy bar and her sweet spirit. And to Gretchen, who doesn't even know me but shows such generosity and charity with her notes and calls and visits. I can't think of anything that I need that at least 30 people wouldn't jump to help me with.

Efrain- I have never met anyone even remotely like you. Usually using so many superlatives in one discourse detracts from the meaning of the message but I could not have picked anyone better than you. I feel so lucky that you even talk to me. Thank you for dealing with all my hormones, helping me with everything I do without me asking you. For being the archetype of a perfect gentleman. Always opening doors, shoveling my walk everytime it snows, taking me to sappy movies, getting a radio for my car, letting me eat as much spicy food as I want, making me laugh all the time, bringing me a christmas tree, bringing me tylenol, kissing me and my belly, haha :D making sure I stay on the straight and narrow, taking me to the lake, introducing me to your friends, helping with wedding plans, making fires at the park, texting me random little sweet nothings, and generally making my life a heaven on earth. I really could not do this without your constant work and love and support. I am so glad to have you on my team, you are the love of my life, my helpmeet and my HERO!

Thanks to everyone and all the people I didn't mention, I just don't have enough time and this is hard enough for someone who now cries at every country song and SPCA commercial. (that puppy...*sob*... is all alone for *voice crack* christmas!)

Merry Christmas

Engagement pics!

This will be pretty quick, lots of stuff to do today!

We're getting married FEB 7!!!

Our engagement photos are up online now... you can take a look at the wonderful work my cousin and her large-headed friend did with us (they also own their own business that takes family, wedding, portraits, etc. if you need anything for christmas!) In seriously every picture F looks like he's a pro model hahah so fun. :D

www.kbphotography.org/proofing

click on "click here to view pictures", then "galleries" then our names

*the password is my last name*

Hope you all are doing as fantastic as me!

ENGAGED!!! (A story in pictures)

YEP! He popped the question!

It happened last monday, but I haven't been able to post anything because he still wants to be old school and ask my parents, so we kinda have to be hush hush for a few days.

But they're in a house with no internet now, so we're all good. Kills me not to shout it though.

THE SCOOP:

After going to dinner, we were driving around and ended up at temple square. We walked around and sat down in front of the reflection pool to look at the temple.



We talked about lots of things, made each other promises, then he pulled out the ring, got down on one knee and asked me. I felt like this:




And of course, the eye candy second only to my fianceé:



YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!

I'M THE LUCKIEST GIRL ALIVE!!!!!!!!!!!

We're so happy. I'll let yall know more details as we get going.

In the meantime be prepared to be nauseated by the cuteness and adoration we exude to anyone within a 10 mile radius.

Bring out your dead!

I am, in fact, still alive. Recently I've had lots of things going on with my jobs that have kept me really busy. I haven't posted since....wow. I graduated.

Things are going ok. I LOVE my teaching job still but I dread my phone job with every single cell in my body. It's really a nice set up, ok paywise for entry level, I work a pretty good (but super early) schedule, benefits, 401k, blah blah blah, But I feel stuck. When I get up to go to the job, I just want to contract a very serious disease that will incapacitate me for the day. So if anyone knows of a good job and/or someone with a very contageous but not too painfull disease, let me know. I think when I graduated I expected a great job to fall into my lap because I had worked so hard in school. There isn't really a need for linguists like there is for other things.

I really want to be an interpreter. But my spanish is WAAAAAAAAAAY not that good. But it's a good goal job. I've made some friends at work that gave me some advice, but for right now I just need to work on my language skills. I plan to sign up to be an interpreter with the school district, hopefully that will help.

Although I'm a little frustrated with the job, everything else is going great. I've decided I'm done with my little hiatus from church so I've been pretty diligent with that lately. I didn't know how much I missed it.'

In other news, I've decided that Efratos is just too funny. I need to keep some sort of log of all the things he says that makes me laugh
1. him: ok so....
me: ¿Queso?
him: no, gracias.

2. "You're so shiny!" -said when picking me up for a date

3. me: You know, I think you can do pretty much anything
him: (all hopefull, without missing a beat) You mean like Macgyver?

4. my mom and I: (laughing about something)
him: (starts laughing)
All three of us: (have a 15 minute laugh fest, after which nobody can breathe and our stomachs hurt, because we are laughing at the way the other two laugh.)

5. The sentence that made no sense - I don't remember exactly what it was, but it sounded like word salad, and was hilarious.

6. When he immitates Arnold Schwarzenegger's/Julio Iglesias/Chewbacca, or pretty much anyone else

7. The way he laughs when he *really* laughs. Sooooo cute.

That's all for now, I'm going to get to bed.

The Board of Trustees at the University of Utah is Proud to Present:

Elizabeth Jensen

With a Bachelors of Arts in
English and
Linguistics TESOL with a minor in
Spanish

Convocation will be at the Jon M. Huntsman Center
May Second, Two Thousand and Eight at Eleven fifteen a.m.

There will also be an open house at Liz's parents' house the same evening
from five to eight p.m.

You're all invited!!!!

Send me an e-mail with your address to get an announcement and my parents' address

liz.jensen@live.com
(or any other e-mail address you have for me, I have a few)

fur cuuuuuute

This man is seriously the best. The other day he put in a new cd player in my car because mine got stolen. Then he washed my car, engine and all, and even filled up the tire cuz it was looking a little low (dang you 33rd South...I swear, that street is like an off-road adventure!).
I'm pretty definately positive I've found the best fish in the ocean.

-Life Through Rose-Colored Glasses-

I haven't posted in awhile, work eats up alot of time. But better than that, I have had the pleasure of spending time with someone! This is "Efratos" (his nickname on my blog), the most crazy, cute, sweet, genteleman you will ever meet! Seriously, I don't usually go for the mushy stuff in public, but this guy is outta this world :D
Just look at this:
He likes to fix things, he's very handy around the house
He lives with a sweeeeet little old lady and helps her out
He has an accent to die for
He always opens doors and is very corteous
He has an UNBELIEVEABLE sense of humor
His family and friends are some of the most amable people ever
His eyes are, in a word, exquisite

I met him through my roommate's boyfriend, and we've been officially an item for about 2 fantastic weeks!

This picture is from last sunday, when we went to my parent's house to watch conference and play wii sports. We were playing cards and our rule is that whoever wins that hand has to wear the funny glasses for the next hand. He liked to wear them even if he didn't have to... so silly!!! <3

Anyway, I'm gushing. It's such a blessing to have him, and of course all of you, in my life! My cheeks literally hurt sometimes because I smile so much now. Maybe I'll get buff cheeks. One can only hope.

:D <----- my cheeks getting buff

Take care everyone!

Chewbaca

Just for that comment on my last post.... here is a drunken blurry picture of you, Mrs. Birdy, with Chewbaca. Now learn to love random blurry pictures!

New Hair!

Just red on the bottom now. Nothing too crazy!