Little Man

I love my little Finn. He's so much fun. He's been smiling and cooing and just being plain adorable.

Here's proof:

Bat Baby to the Rescue!

Hanging out with Mom

The Poop Face

All Bundled Up for the Cold

Hanging out with Grandpa Rick

Looking Savannah Snazzy for his Blessing

Twins with Grandpa Cory

 

Bath Time

Finnegan Begin Again

He was born fat and then grew thin again.

It's finally time I got around to announcing the arrival of Mr. Finn.

He was born October 16th at 10:49 pm. He was 8 pounds 10 ounces and 21" tall.

He lost a lot of weight at first, but he's back up to speed and doing great!

We love him so much and we're so happy he's finally here.

He's smiling and rolling and sleeping and eating. He eats A LOT.

That's what we've been up to this month.

Things I've Learned About/From Being Pregnant

1. Stretch pants do indeed have a limit. They are NOT one size fits all.

2. Carpal tunnel makes you feel like a clumsy weirdo. Even more so if "clumsy weirdo" is your normal state.

3. Charlie Horses have no business creeping up on someone while they're asleep.

4. The flood gates really do open and all hell breaks loose on your emotions. Here come the waterworks.

5. I have changed one poopy diaper in my whole life and I'm terrified for the next million and five. It was just as horrid as I expected it to be.

6. People shouldn't ask why you're so out of breath. I peeled an orange and it was exhausting, ok?

7. The phrase, "anyday now" should be taken out of the English language.

8. People are incredibly generous and loving. I knew this, but it really becomes obvious during times such as these.

9. My family throws killer parties.

10. A crunchy/chewy food diet doesn't slim down your face from all the jaw exercise, it just helps it to grow bigger by the day.

Talking Animals Get Me Everytime

Lovelace BBQ and Cookout

Earlier this week Evan and I took a tour of Lovelace Women's Hospital. (It's a lovely hospital and we're so excited that D-Day is getting closer). While on this tour we were grouped with about 4 other couples and a tour guide. You can imagine that with 5 couples, there's bound to be a weird one. And this time, it wasn't us. Score one for the Ottesens! For reference in this post, we'll call our group's weird couple, "Team Weirdo".

The tour guide explained that if the husbands/partners and families were there for lunch, they usually have a grill going outside and you can come down and get some BBQ. To this, Team Weirdo's male component said, "can we bring our own food and use the grill?". While the rest of us looked at him with a look of exhaustion and ever so slight amusement (we've watched A LOT of The Big Bang Theory lately...love it), the tour guide very politely said that there were legal issues that wouldn't allow for that sort of thing.

Later on, we got to view the Family Birthing Area. [Side note -- I totally support others' decision to do it the natural way: with no drugs, and in a pool of your own filth birthing tub, but my inner back-woods-Conservative has to really struggle to refrain from the eye rolls and "tree hugging hippy" thoughts when it comes to considering it for myself. I'm just not as tough as you gals who can do it the natural way. I need the pain diffusion. Or I'm going to lose my crap.] Anyway, back to the story. While in the Family Birthing Area, the tour guide told us that we can bring whatever music, pictures, iPod, etc. that will help us, but candles aren't allowed as they present a fire hazard. The tour guide also let us know that we couldn't bring in other heating elements for the same reason. Team Weirdo male component chimed in again saying, "so we can't bring a Crock Pot then?".

I'm not sure what this fellow thought he was coming to do here at the hospital, but it sounded like he was ready for a family vacation. When I texted Lara (my BFF) about this, she brought up the excellent point that if we go to the hospital at the same time as Team Weirdo, we might be able to score some pot roast or a hot dog.

We can only hope.

Miss O. Phonia

Recently, I discovered that they've come up with a name for my disorder. Thank goodness, if there's one thing I hate, it's for my disorders to go unlabeled. The name is "misophonia" and it's defined as follows:

Misophonia – literally the hatred of sound -can be defined as a hypersensitivity to background sounds or visual stimuli that are generally ignored by other people. More importantly than the individuals inability to block out the offending stimuli or “trigger” is the acute negative emotional response experienced as a direct result of being in contact with a trigger.


There you have it. I hate the sound of chewing. It inspires anger in my soul. Combine that with the smell of Corn Nuts (oh the horror!) and it puts me in a rage.

I was sitting in a training class for work yesterday when I figured out why I hate trainings so much. After lunch, which we were graciously provided 45 minutes to complete the chewing and swallowing of our food, one guy decided that he was too busy for lunch at lunch time and proceeded to eat his meal after lunch, in training. His lunch included a noisy wrapped bag of almonds. Oh the almonds. And when he was done crunching the almonds, he started in on his (huge) apple. I kept glaring at his plate, trying to figure out how much longer this was going to go on. Still MORE almonds! To top it all off, my hands hurt from the pregnancy induced carpal tunnel, so plugging my ears was agony. By the end of the training, as with all trainings I attend, I was about to have a meltdown and vowed to never attend another training again. Only online trainings for me.

This only bugs me when I'm not chewing too. If I'm sitting down at the dinner table having dinner myself, I don't notice the noise. I guess taste trumps hearing in the battle of the senses.

I do know that I'm not alone with this disorder. My mother and my sister have it too. I remember sitting in the kitchen when I was in elementary school. I was eating my cereal and my mom was glaring at me from across the table. "Please stop chewing so loudly," she said. And from that moment on, I knew that to eat breakfast around my mom, I would have to suck on my cereal until it became soggy in my mouth and then I can chew it up. I can only hope my children show me the same courtesy.

To sum up, save your masticating for dinner time, or just stay out of hearing distance. And if you're in a training with several other people, eat  your lunch at lunch time. Have a little class.

Things Taken for Granted

While in Italy I discovered that I take many things for granted.

1. Showers large enough to shave your legs in. (No wonder Europeans are such hair balls!)
2. Free tap water at restaurants.
3. Free sitting at restaurants.
4. Dr. Pepper
5. Full iPhone functionality at my disposal.
6. Queen size (soft) beds. Two twin beds smashed together does not equal a king.
7. Not being on an airplane.
8. Text messaging.
9. Fluffy pillows.
10. My feet.
11. Non-smokers.
12. Cereal.
13. Brownies.
14. Washing machines and dryers.
15. Acceptance of credit/debit cards pretty much everywhere.
16. Mexican food.
17. Really good desserts.
18. Non-restaurant food.
19. Roads big enough to (comfortably) fit 2 cars.
20. Flat irons and blow dryers.

Why the Sucky Packaging NARS?

Source: http://www.product-girl.com/archives/nars-holiday-2010-collection/

I LOVE NARS makeup. Love it. Everything I've ever purchased from NARS has been amazing. The color goes on exactly as it looks in the package, which is hard to find. The blush/bronzer is fantastic, and the eyeshadows are ridiculously awesome.

BUT....the packaging ALWAYS goes to crap within a month or two. Every single NARS product I've owned, or seen someone else own has been broken. Either the lid breaks off, or the eyeshadow leaks all over my makeup bag (and with dark brown eyeshadow, things can get really messy -- especially on my face), or the color tin falls out all together.

So I have to ask...What's with the sucky packaging NARS? Why would you do that to us?

Wehadababyitsaboy

Remember those commercials for a phone service, or something, where the guy calls his parents collect and the person says to the parents, "Your Son, Wehadababyitsaboy is calling, accept?". Anyway, I keep thinking of that commercial when I tell people what we're having.

We're having a boy, if you haven't heard or put that together already.

I'm a little terrified, I don't know what to do with a boy. Dresses, makeup, hair, girl talk, Barbies, tea parties, crafts, I know all of that. But sports, getting dirty, digging holes, throwing rocks, laughing at poop jokes (ok, well maybe I get that one), Legos, cars, camping, dinosaurs? Dagh! Looks like I have A LOT of learning to do.

Lucky for me, newborns don't know what they like yet, and I can definitely handle that for a while. Although I gave my niece a bath last night (she's 16 months old) and I was so scared I was going to drop her head in the water, or get soap in her eyes, or have her slippery self drop out of my arms, I think I just might have a heart attack bathing a newborn. Let's hope I can learn quickly.

I'm totally terrified that I have to give birth to a child and then have the responsibility of making them into a decent human being. I didn't' have to get a permit for this or anything! But, I'm so excited to see my little guy's face and hold him in my arms. Half me, half Evan. Can't wait to meet you little guy. 

Top 20 (on the bottom) Bottom 10 (on the top)

I think it's time to play dodge ball. Wait, that's a Billy Madison quote. Scratch that. I think it's time to do another Top 20 Bottom 10! I love lists, and that's what I feel like doing today, making a list.  So here it goes.


Bottom 10:


1. Being far away from family and friends.
2. Sleeping on my side to wake up every hour and find that my arms are numb and in pain.
3. Weeds (even if they are pretty pink flowers like this:)

Source: http://grumpygardener.southernliving.com/grumpy_gardener/2009/05/when-is-a-weed-not-a-weed.html

4. Windy, cold days, after a few weeks of sunny, beautiful weather.
5. The disappointment of how hot and humid and miserable Florida is in the spring. And how truly huge my hair gets when I'm in Florida in the spring.

6. Being so tired that a hard wooden desk looks like a nice place to lay my head.
7. Moths. They're like dirty butterflies. They're EVERYWHERE in Albuquerque right now.

Source: http://hahasforhoohas.com/tag/moths-albuquerque/

8.  Insulting people or hurting their feelings. Then having to apologize. Swallowed pride is so bitter going down.

9. Those moods where you're just waiting to be offended and later apologized to. Maybe needing someone else to swallow some bitter pride?

10. Bad dreams that seems so real. Or even worse, amazing dreams that seems so real and turn out to be just a dream.

Top 20:

1. This guy:

 

2.  We're going to Italy really really soon!

3. I got to see Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond at a book signing. I went with a bunch of fun ladies from church and we had so much fun!

 

4.  The fact that the Bottom 10 took some thinking to get all 10 on there. 

5. We get to find out what we're having when we get home from Italy. Will it be a Phoebe or a Phoebo?

6. We get to talk to Evan's brother Casey on Sunday. He's serving a mission in Norway.

7. I got a hair cut. For the first time ever, I love it! The color is great, the cut is new and different from anything I've ever had and I just love Diana for it. 

8. My adorable dog Morty. I love that little guy.

9. Butterbeer at Hogsmeade in Harry Potter World at Universal Studios. Delicious!

Source: http://winealittleeveryday.com/tag/butter-beer/

10. My niece, E dancing. So adorable.

 

11. Finding out the rock chip in our window was actually just crusty moth guts. Score!

12. Inside jokes

13. We're starting our family, I'm so excited!

14. This summer will be another busy one, full of travel. Italy, Utah, California, and Colorado.

15. I get to see the Blue Grotto, which I'm so excited for!

Source: http://youonlygotonelife.wordpress.com/swim-through-the-blue-grotto/

16. My manager, Leanna. I love that lady.

17. Nothing Bundt Cakes. I really don't get the cupcake craze, I can make better cupcakes at home, but these little bundtlets are super good. My visiting teacher from church brought me one and it was delicious! Thanks Jeanine! You're too good to me. 

Source: http://bayareafoodieblog.com/2009/03/12/nothing-bundt-cakes/

18. This picture going around. It makes me laugh. I love the girl just sitting on her lawn.

Source: http://weknowmemes.com/2012/05/make-milkshakes-they-said/

19. Packing light.
20. Tylenol and/or Dr. Pepper after a long headache day.

What's Your Affinity for My Vicinity?

I was in Orlando, FL last week and as home to beaches, Universal Studios and Disney World, it was crawling with foreigners.

Foreigners just don't utilize the space we have here in the good ol' U.S of A. There's plenty of room here friends, back up off my space!

I felt like I was about to get mugged the entire week because people were standing so close to my person and my purse.

And a special message to some of the foreigners in Florida this week -- it's just good etiquette to use deodorant.

Un Bebe

Well, I guess it's official. We have photographic evidence and everything.

Baby Ottesen is on it's way.

Due to arrive the third week in October.

And don't ask what's what in those pictures...I just know it's a fetus, coming soon to greet us. And we will buy them some Adidas.

Life is Good Today

It seems like it's been so long since I've felt this way, but I finally feel truly happy.

It might be because I have everything I've ever wanted. I have a husband who treats me like I'm the Grand Duchess. I have amazing family members, near and far who love and support me. My husband and I live in my dream house, with an adorable, cuddly, loving dog. I'm Mormon and that brings me more happiness than I could have imagined. I have hobbies and interests that I'm able to do whenever I choose. I have a job where I get to work with fun, intelligent, kind and caring women everyday. I'm healthy and able to go where I want when I choose. I have amazing opportunities ahead of me and I'm so grateful for those.

Though, I think even if you have everything you could ever dream of having, you can still be unsatisfied and wish for something different. Actually, I don't just think so, I know this. I've had so much to be grateful for throughout my entire life and still felt like something was missing. I often felt like if I only had this one thing, or if this one thing was different or not happening, I'd be happy. I know people say that happiness is a choice, and it is, but I think some of us need a bit of help making that choice.

I'm glad I was able to receive help to make the choice to be happy. It feels so great. I have everything that I've ever wanted. I'm hopeful for the future, whatever it may bring. I'm satisfied with the choices that I've made. I love my life and I'm so grateful for this change of heart.

Thank you for all that support me and make my life so much better. I love you so much.

Mangiare!

I seriously can't wait to eat my way through Italy.  I keep dreaming about it and making myself wake up with hunger pangs.

Pizza from Naples

Aranciata of every sort

Gelato every day.

Pasta of any sort.

Deep Fried Deliciousness from Naples

Just to name a few.

 

Oh, and I'm pretty excited to see the sights too.

Top 20 Bottom 10 - January

I've decided to take a page from my lovely sister Stacey's blog, which you can go to here. She does a list of the Top 20 and Bottom 10 every week and I really like it. Although, I think I'll start with the Bottom 10 and end on Top 20 because thinking about the Bottom 10 last makes the next hour or so a real downer. So the bottom is at the top and the top is at the bottom. Makes sense right?

So here they are for January:

Bottom 10


1. Coworkers who are not dependable, yet still get 100% support from management.


2. Morty provided me with the worst walk EVER yesterday. He pulled the whole time, chased bunnies, lizards, birds, plants, etc., then he just decided to stop and hang out for a while. When he was done sitting, he started pulling again. After the walk, he was still a crazy man, as though no energy had been expended.


3. Not having any friends in Albuquerque.


4. My sisters and closest friends live so far away.


5. Missing my niece's and my sister's birthdays. (See number 4)


6. Conflict.


7. Teaching 5 minutes worth of lesson to 3 year olds for 45 minutes.


8. Feeling left out.


9. Seeing old friends that I was so close with and not even knowing them anymore.


10. United Blood Service calling me and guilting me at least twice a week.

Top 20

1. Resolution. (Not resolutions, though this might be the time to make some)


2. Feeling happy and comfortable with life. 


3. I love the house I live in, it's everything I could've hoped for. 


4. We bought our plane tickets to Italy! We're really going!


5. Sunbeams (3 year olds from the class I teach at church, for those of you who aren't Mormon) who still think adults are pretty awesome and ask if they can sit by you every week.


6. Evan and I have been able to communicate and become a lot closer this month and it's been really great. 

7. Hanging out with old friends and seeing their cute little puppy.


8. Calling Italian companies and hearing that adorable accent. 


9. Feeling hopeful for the future. 


10. Realistic goals. 


11. Family prayer with Evan.


12. Fridays off. 


13. People who are genuinely grateful for the work that you do. 


14. Getting recommended by my boss for a job in the office of Sandia's president.


15. Fuzzy's Tacos.


16. Date nights.


17. I have the most adorable dog in the world.


18. Evan has been building fires in our fireplace and it's so nice to sit and be warm.


19. Inside jokes. (that's a tautology)


20. Real TV and a DVR.

George Clooney

Here's my synopsis of every film George Clooney has been in for the past few years:

Up in the Air: George Clooney does something boring.

Burn After Reading: George Clooney does something boring.

Men Who Stare at Goats: George Clooney does something weird. And boring.

The Decedents: George Clooney does something boring.

The American: George Clooney does something boring in Italy.

Michael Clayton: George Clooney does something boring.

Fantastic Mr. Fox: George Clooney does the voice for a fox that does something boring.

Syria: George Clooney does something vaguely interesting.

George Clooney, you are a silver fox, do something with it!

And don't even get me started on Ryan Gosling.

Drunk Uncle SNL

This clip from The Weekend Update is one of the few parts of Saturday Night Live that I find laugh out loud funny.

Immigrants.