Catching up with life

Last Friday, Troy threw a birthday party for me. He wanted to do a surprise party but I figured it out. It worked well since I was able to help
out because let's face it, making food for bunch of people isn't easy.

I had a good birthday. I enjoyed a pedicure before my party. It's amazing how pretty toes can make you feel better. My friends spoiled me with giftcards to a running store, Chipotle, Macys and a Visa card. I love gift cards because I cant save the money, I can do guilt free shopping. I already cashed in at Macy's for a new pair of shoes and a new bra from Victoria's secret.

Troy surprised me with an iPad. I know what you are thinking, " is that a present for Troy or Eevi". He is obviously excited to have the new toy around, but he genuinely thought that it would a good fit for me since i like blogging and watching TV shows online. I am still getting used to it and i am little undecided about its user friendliness for other things than just reading and watching. Saku likes cuddling with me and watching Baby Einstein on YouTube.

On the night of the party one of our friends made a comment about how our day must have been "like a rat race" referring to how busy that day had been.

Lately I have really felt like our life is a rat race. We have been on the go for weeks. I feel like I am 80 percent stay home mom and working full time. There are days when I get about 4-6 hours of sleep in 30+ hours as I work the night shift and then come home and take care of Saku. It reminds of having a newborn and no sleep. However, it is important to me that Saku doensn't have to be at other people's houses more than absolutely necessary.















I have six nights off and I am going to enjoy this little boy and all his drool, stinkiness and even the feisty temper tantrums to the fullest. Plus simply sleeping next to my husband seems luxurious as well.

What are you looking forward to this weekend?

Wrapped Around His Finger

For the first few months of Saku's life, I kept saying to Troy "isn't Saku so adorable" and he would obviously agree, but his excitement level wasn't quite equal to mine. Now that Saku is walking and playing games, Troy keeps telling me "isn't he just so awesome". If there ever was a man who was in love with his little boy, Troy is one.

Today Saku figured out how to take his diaper off. I put him down for a nap just in his diaper (rookie mistake) and fortunately, he kept crying so I went to check on him and as I picked him up, my hands found a cute naked butt. The other day, he somehow opened a bottle of nail polish and dumped on our carpet. Fortunately, he didnt eat any of it, but he does have one pink finger nail.

Saku showing off his bottom two teeth. He also has two on the top, which makes his smile even more adorable.

We took some pictures of Saku's first Easter. I didnt get him a special outfit, but he did get a little bucket that had few books and some plastic eggs filled with cheerios.

Saku's new way of smiling when he is really happy.

I didnt get an easter basket, so I bought a new dress for myself :)

This picture makes me feel like Saku and I are just best friends.

The timer light made Saku little suspicious, so he kept the poker face no matter how many pictures we took.

On Thursday morning, Saku and I were enjoying the beautiful sunshine on our backyard.

"It's so much better to have the hat in my mouth than on my head. "

"Check out how fast I can push my walker"

"Big boxes make great toys"

"But dirt is even better"

"Especially when mom is taking pictures of me, instead of telling me to stop eating it"

"I'm so glad mom seems to always have the broom out so I can play with it. It really is one of my favorite toys. I wonder why she keeps sweeping underneath my chair ALL the time."

"How did I get so lucky to have two beautiful ladies with me? Especially when they are interested in basketball!"

I loved watching the three babies play together. They are all two months apart and have such different personalities. Camille and Camry have been huge help for me in the last few months and I was grateful that I was able to offer some service back to them as they enjoyed a date night with their hubbies.

Ex-Boyfriends and the Hubby

I have always loved boys. I do not remember a time when I thought that boys were yucky. Now that I am happily married, I sometimes think back to the days of high school crushes, breakups and the drama that comes with love or what you think of as love and I am glad that those dating days are over. There are few lessons I have realized about boys and I hope to pass them along to my own daughters one day.

Boy #1. I had my first kiss when I was 15. I had gone back to Finland by myself for Christmas and New Years. I met the boy a Youth New Year's Dance and hung out for few days. He was few years older and little bit of a wild boy, but he was cute. He cried when we said goodbye. My mom wasn't happy about this boy and told me that I shouldn't hang out with him ever again. And I never did see him again.

Lesson learned: moms usually know which boys are good for their daughters and which aren't.

Boy #2. During my Freshman and Sophomore year of high school in California, I was completely infatuated with one of the football players who was in my english and history class. Yes, I was a typical high school girl and liked the good looking football player. I think he was aware of this for a quite long time. In the end of my sophomore year, I asked him to go to a dance with me. He said yes and I was in heaven. I wore a skirt that was little too short. We had a good time at the dance, hung out few times and went on one official date. We never were an official couple and things just kind of died down.

Lesson learned: A girl shouldn't feel like she is so lucky to be with a boy and if you feel like you need to wear a short skirt to be attractive to the boy, you are selling your self short.

Boy#3-I met my first official boyfriend in a math class. He offered to help me to study for a test. At this point, I was completely oblivious to his interest in me and I was just glad to be getting some help. We studied a little bit and talked most of the time. He went out of his way to do cute things such as give my sister Cherry tomatoes because they were her favorite. He wrote a poem for me and made a mix tape. I was his first kiss. We dated for a month, he gave me a golden rose for our one month anniversary and I got him a teddy bear. Few days later, he broke up with me and wouldn't talk to me for months. I was so upset, I lost weight and obsessed over what happened. Eventually, he apologized and I moved on.

Lesson learned: Sometimes you just need to let it go. I wasted so many hours obsessing over what happened. Sometimes feelings are unpredictable and can't be explained.

Boy#4-End of Junior year, i met the bf#2 at a dance. We had our first date at Starbucks, which was ironic since I don't drink coffee. He went off to college and I moved to Finland after we had been dating for few months. We did the long distance relationship for 6 months and then I broke up with him. I ended up moving back to California and we saw each other again during his spring break and got back together. We ended up having a long distance relationship during my freshman year at BYU and we were "serious". We talked about possibly getting married, but he was catholic and I obviously wanted to get married in the temple. We struggled, but I always felt that we had been together so long(2.5 years) that I had too much invested in the relationship.

Lesson learned: There are things in life that cannot be compromised and life is so much easier when you share same beliefs and values.

The Boy- I met this boy and we clicked right away. I was with my current boyfriend at a time and broke up with him because I realized that I really wanted a man who shared my values. As cheesy as it sounds, it felt like I had always known him. There was never awkwardness. We were great friends and I couldn't get enough of him. I told him that I was too young (19 years old) to get married and since he was old (24), he better be ok with this. Yet, we started talking about getting married in a month or so and got engaged after 4 months dating. We got married in a year and life has been busy, full of adventure and love ever since.

Lesson learned:when you find a boy who is your friend, who you love to kiss, who makes you happy and supports you, you better make sure he stays around. And most importantly, make sure to find a boy who can take you to the temple so you can be together as a family forever, because one day you will have adorable children and you could never forgive yourself if you wouldn't be able to be with them forever.

I know there are some fabulous people who read my blog, so I am challenging every one of YOU to share your story about your husband/wife, the crazy ex boyfriend /girlfriend, the hopeless crush you had or whatever you have learned about love.

Even more exciting than walking

Dear Saku,

This morning was very special. I woke up at 6:50 am and something was different. You had not woken up once last night. Yes, my little boy, you finally slept through the night from 7sh pm to almost 7 am. I have joked about your sleeping issues, I have laughed about them, cried over them, blogged about it, had many serious conversations about them and hoped and prayed that you would finally sleep through the night. While most of my friends (and their babies) were sleeping soundly through the night, I would get up twice or even three times with you. When you only woke up once, I considered it a fabulous night. Trust me, I am not getting all excited about this being a normal night for you, but this morning, I was well rested and I am grateful for it. If you do decide that you enjoyed sleeping through the night as much as I did, you could make a regular thing:)

Love, äiti

One Step at a Time

In the last few days, Troy and I have been one of those annoying, excited first time parents about Saku's new trick. No, we do not think that he is a super baby or a genius, BUT we are excited about his increased mobility. And I am not ashamed of it:) You only get to experience your first baby's first steps once, so let me cherish them. The best part is the huge smile Saku has on his face as he walks. He is so proud of himself. He also was playing with a little girl during Sunday School today. He would crawl and she would chase him. Then he would stop and she would walk away and he would chase her. Let's be honest, I was much more engaged in my son's adorable play than the lesson. I will try to pay more attention next Sunday. Of course, the fact that I worked a 12 hour shift the night before doesn't help my ability to concentrate , but that will be a norm for me so I better just get used to it.

Saku's walking at 9 months. Don't you wish you could have him walking towards you and give him a big kiss?

Nine Months-New Tricks Every Day

Dear Saku

I cannot believe that you are nine months old. The last month has flown by as äiti and isi have tried to adjust to the new schedule and routine. You have adjusted remarkably well. Most of the days when äiti picks you up from your friends' houses, you are such a happy camper. I think you enjoy playing with the other kids.

We celebrated your ever so important 9-month mark by wearing green for St.Patrick's day and eating chocolate cheerios.

You were enjoying the cheerios so much that you wouldn't give me a smile no matter what I did.

You love eating. Cheese is one of your favorites and anything that we are eating:) You are an easy baby when it comes to eating; you don't care if I'm nursing you or you get the milk from a bottle.

Makayla and grandma came to visit for a week. You finally let grandma hold you and you enjoyed sitting on her lap. I think this made grandma very happy. It also reduced my stress levels to know that grandma was taking care of you while I was at work.

Makayla is always so excited to hang out with you. She loved picking you up and carrying you from place to place. The house seemed little quiet after she left when there wasn't as much giggling going on.

You love being outside. Anytime we open the door, you are ready to crawl to the patio.

You have enjoyed few trips to restaurants lately. You make quite the mess when you eat, but you are happy so I don't really mind.

You have spent few days with Lila. Sometimes she bullies you, but you might just have to get used to the fact that girls can be a tough thing to figure out and handle.

You have slept really well lately, which has been a great blessing. You are scared of loud noises such as the vacuum and ice maker. Also many of isi's friends seem to scare you while my friends are your friends. It must be because they are a lot prettier. You are quite the charmer. We get comments left and right for your sweet smile, silly grin and good looks. They dont even seem to care that you always have food, snot or something on your clothes.

You have learned to be silly and seem to realize when we are being silly. You are very mobile. You can stand on your own for a long periods of time and have taken multiple steps on your own. We bought you a walker and you love pushing it and cruising around. You are brave and don't get too upset when you get few bumps and bruises.

I love you, little boy. Thanks for cheering up my days. While we have never been busier, I have never been happier than to watch you grow and learn.

Äiti

And then I smelled the burned hair

I am a hard worker and I hate to be late to things, yet I always leave at the last minute. During college, there were so many mornings/afternoons when I was almost sprinting across the campus to make it to class on time. It was qu.

If I happen to get to work early as in 5-10 minutes before I have to be there, the next morning I leave about 5 minutes later and end up praying for green lights as I make my way to work.

The fact that I have to get myself and Saku ready when we go to places has not helped my habit of barely making it on time. I try to be organized and get the diaper bag ready, figure out his clothing and food the night before and wake up little earlier to get myself ready. Yet I can never do this more than few days in a row.

On Thursday morning, I was getting ready for work and I had about 10 minutes before I had to leave. My hair was still wet and Saku's essentials weren't packed. Yet I wanted to make my hair look little better so I was working with a blow dryer and a round brush. While I was getting my hair done, I was trying to feed Saku some oatmeal. He started to whine, so I wrapped bunch of my hair around the brush and made it stick to my head when I held the blow dryer close to it and picked up Saku. Saku was happy and we made few silly faces to each other while the blow dryer was working its magic on my hair. And then the smell of burned something appeared. I had put the blow dryer too close to my hair and it seriously burned my hair. About three inches of my hair fell off and it was charred.

Since I was late, I quickly dried of the rest of my hair without any fancy brushing. I unplugged the blow dryer and left the burned hair in the sink.

By some miracle, I was able to drop Saku off to Camry's house safely and make it work on time.

How are you about getting to places on time?