Baugh Homeblog

How to talk to little girls

2012-01-24T14:32:00.000-08:00

I came across this article recently. How to Talk to Girls

Here is a couple of quotes I especially liked.

Teaching girls that their appearance is the first thing you notice tells them that looks are more important than anything. It sets them up for dieting at age 5 and foundation at age 11 and boob jobs at 17 and Botox at 23. As our cultural imperative for girls to be hot 24/7 has become the new normal, American women have become increasingly unhappy. What's missing? A life of meaning, a life of ideas and reading books and being valued for our thoughts and accomplishments.

Try this the next time you meet a little girl. She may be surprised and unsure at first, because few ask her about her mind, but be patient and stick with it. Ask her what she's reading. What does she like and dislike, and why? There are no wrong answers. You're just generating an intelligent conversation that respects her brain. For older girls, ask her about current events issues: pollution, wars, school budgets slashed. What bothers her out there in the world? How would she fix it if she had a magic wand? You may get some intriguing answers. Tell her about your ideas and accomplishments and your favorite books. Model for her what a thinking woman says and does.

I agree with Lisa Bloom. I know it seems strange that I work in the fitness industry and like to be coiffed up myself. Somewhat of a contradiction, right? Wrong. I don't think it is one or the other. As we walked out the door the other day, Kara realized something and shouted "Wait! We have to do my hair!" I had to smile and feel a little bit of happy. While presentation is not everything, it does influence how you feel, act and carry yourself. If you think you look like a schlepp, then you may act like one too. (btw, I had to look up schlepp. It means ineffectual person) We get dressed up for church for many reasons, but I believe one of them is to remind us to act with reverence. We don't have to wear our "Sunday best" all of the time, but in my mind getting dressed and putting myself together is one of my "Dailies."

I want my little girl to have opinions on books, talents and hobbies that she's worked hard to develop and to be willing to talk about them. I've been re-training my brain to think this way as I talk to her and other kids (boys too). It's slow going. So far, my brain is wired to ask favorite color for a shy one. Probably a good ice breaker but I know there is more to their personality than just the color question.

Bottom line, appearance matters but brains are what really count. Pun intended.

Quick update and Surprise! I've blogged.

2012-01-23T13:23:00.000-08:00

Kara and Matthew have asthma and both have lingering colds. So, we are spending A LOT of time at home . Two sick kids will make me get very creative in how I pass the time. We've all got a little cabin fever down here being stuck at home so much. Then I had the brilliant idea to post to our blog!

Btw, I realized one of the reasons I don't blog is that I'm a little weirded out putting our life experiences out there for the world to read. I know, I know, who in their right mind would want to read about our boring life. I would feel more comfortable putting my thoughts out there privately. So, as soon as I can convince Andrew that our friends would still go to our ancient blog that we never update, we will be going private. I may have to actually blog a few posts to get people back into reading it before that happens. We'll see.

Update:

Andrew is half-way through fellowship and looking for jobs. We have had some serious discussions with different groups but none of them have panned out.

I am finally taking my national certification test this April and attempting to buckle down and study. (Which is what I should be doing right now)

Kara is putting letters together to make words and it makes my heart just melt. I actually cried when she read He Has...

Matthew is into Cars 2 and all the other cars, trucks, trains, etc.

I am trying to avoid all the old ladies in the grocery store who give me the "Carpe Diem" speech. If you haven't read "Don't Carpe Diem me" then you should. Very validating for how hard mothering is. Though I wish she put more in about on the good times. Her Kairos vs. Chronos has come to mind numerous times as I'm wiping noses for the 52nd time today then again when Kara asks for just one more story.

First Book!

(I have a hunch it was a fluke. She's good but not that good.)

No, this is not an annoucement. I've just been making a lot of these lately.

Occasionally, they do share.

Watching Cars 2 in 3D.

Yea! Daddy is home!

Watch for more updates. Y'all come back now.

We're alive and we survived.

2011-05-27T14:59:00.000-07:00

We've been very absent from the blog recently, as I've been studying excessively for my board examinations. We got the results today that I passed. We're so excited and relieved after so much training. Perhaps now I can be better about blogging.

Gonna ride this one out

2010-11-12T21:51:00.000-08:00

I've removed my shoes, stepped off the platform, strapped myself in, pulled down the bar and hanging on tight for this rollercoaster ride. I don't know how long it will last or how many loop the loops I will do. But it's going to happen no matter what.

Quick update:
Kara and Matthew are finally playing together maybe once a week.
Kara still will not sit next to Matthew and gets quite upset when he touches her.
Matthew smiles and giggles so much.
Matthew is ALMOST crawling. He's trying so hard to get to the things/places that he wants. Eventually he turns enough circles that he gets to where he wants.

Andrew working many, many hours.
I am running around, literally and figuratively.
I'm learning how to write. Again.
I am organizing. (Sigh) I really like organizing. I keep thinking if I organize enough, my life will be simpler.
I am earning an award. Soon, I hope.

We are hanging on tight for this ride. Keep checking back, someday we will post about our craziness.

Triple Layer Chocolate Mousse Cake

2010-05-19T19:20:00.000-07:00

A friend watched Kara (Thanks Annie!) and I made this cake. It was for a chocoholic party. It was really good. Just looking at it makes me want to make it again (almost). It took me all day. Next time, I'll be faster.

If there is a next time.
p.s. It had 6 cups of cream and 3 lbs of chocolate :)

Baths

2010-05-19T19:16:00.000-07:00

I gave Kara a bath tonight, and put her in pjs. Then I gave Matthew a bath and Kara got in. This was the result:

Two is better than one

2010-05-19T18:53:00.000-07:00

Night float

2010-05-19T18:38:00.000-07:00

For those out there confused by this phrase, here is a definition

Night Float:[nahyt][floht]

A residency rotation in which residents see their kids for 3 hours a week (literally). Often results in extreme stress and mental breakdown of resident's spouse. Especially if resident has children, and most definitely will happen if spouse is dealing with newborn with nighttime colic.

In a nutshell, Andrew has switched to nights, leaves at 4:30 pm one day, gets home at noon the next day and crashes until dinner. One hour later is bedtime. I see him till 10 pm, then go to bed. He stays up until 7 am the next day and sleeps like the dead (seriously, he can sleep through two kids screaming in the same room) until 4 pm to go back to work.

This is not my favorite rotation. Thank heaven for all the people bringing me dinner and helping me out. You deserve extra blessings and a spot in heaven for your service. I am so grateful.

Yes, we are still alive.

2010-05-09T19:08:00.000-07:00

For all of you out there wondering about the Baughs, WE ARE STILL KICKING!!! Some days just barely. Andrew has been on Night Float so I'm essentially running solo. I keep telling myself that billions of people have made the transition to two kids and survived. I was incredibly spoiled with Kara. She slept through the night from Day 1. Matthew, has not. His little body is working out the kinks. He has been a wee bit colicky (translation: screaming from 12 am to five am, among other times throughout the day). After 2-4 hours of inconsolable crying, he will make a tremendous amount of "wind" and settle right down. Looking like the adorable angel that he is. I know I'm biased but hey, I'm his mother. I'm supposed to think he is perfect.

You can't tell from the picture but his body is stiff as a board, this happens when there is a lot of pressure in his tummy. Usually his legs are sticking straight out but, I got lucky when I took the picture.

I (sometimes) get a few minutes to read when nursing. I just finished Fire of the Covenant by Gerald Lund. It is about the Martin and Willey handcart companies. I can't possibly imagine doing this transition in the middle of nowhere with no home and no washing machine. Let alone on rationed food. I'm still wondering how the pioneer women maintained some semblance of modesty while nursing their babies.

Outtakes:

Playing peek-a-boo to try and get a smile.

Matthew's Birth

2010-04-05T16:53:00.000-07:00

Many of you already know as I sent out emails, texts, and facebook announcements, but we're excited to welcome Matthew David Baugh into our home this last Monday. He was 7 lbs. 15 oz., and 21 inches long.

Kara came to visit the day afterward, can you tell how thrilled she is to be sharing Mommy's lap?

...and with some hiccups...

Kara managed to find something to play in in our room.

To sleep or not to sleep...

2010-03-31T03:34:00.000-07:00

Sleep eludes me. This so pregnant body is a sleepless bomb waiting to explode. Two nights now I wake hourly, only to turn over and try the other side. Last night or tonight, however you want to look at it, I tossed and turned until the blessed hour of 5 am when I can let myself get out of bed. I finally got up and made raspberry tea. Which is supposed to help put me in labor. Alas, no labor.

So I spent a few minutes researching sarcastic sleep quotes on the "Interweb." I hope you enjoy them.

People who say they sleep like a baby usually don't have one. ~Leo J. Burke

There is no snooze button on a cat who wants breakfast. ~Author Unknown

A ruffled mind makes a restless pillow. ~Charlotte Brontë And if tonight my soul may find her peace
in sleep, and sink in good oblivion,
and in the morning wake like a new-opened flower
then I have been dipped again in God, and new-created.
~D.H. Lawrence

If people were meant to pop out of bed, we'd all sleep in toasters. ~Author unknown, attributed to Jim Davis
Sleep is the most moronic fraternity in the world, with the heaviest dues and the crudest rituals. ~Vladimir Nabokov

The amount of sleep required by the average person is five minutes more. ~Wilson Mizener

There are twelve hours in the day, and above fifty in the night. ~Marie de Rabutin-Chantal

The feeling of sleepiness when you are not in bed, and can't get there, is the meanest feeling in the world. ~Edgar Watson Howe

I think Wordsworth might have been pregnant when he wrote this one:

Even thus last night, and two nights more I lay,
And could not win thee, Sleep, by any stealth:
So do not let me wear to-night away.
Without thee what is all the morning's wealth?
Come, blessed barrier between day and day,
Dear mother of fresh thoughts and joyous health!
~William Wordsworth, "To Sleep"

And so I end with this one:

No day is so bad it can't be fixed with a nap. ~Carrie Snow

I hope.

Video rebuttal regarding Kara and Cookies

2010-03-21T20:52:00.000-07:00

A few posts back, Elena noted that Kara had 'mysteriously' learned the word cookie. I don't explicitly remember teaching that word to her, but here is a video of Kara in action. She uses her key words, "peeeeaaassse?", followed with a "tank you" and giggles, and then some "mmmmmmmmmmmsssss".

You're wanting to try to feed some cookies to your computer monitor now, since she's so cute, right? Am I justified?

Andrew's response to Elena's last post "Kara"

2010-03-21T15:57:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pictures of Kara from today.

Kara

2010-03-19T03:52:00.000-07:00

Our sweet Kara is gaining a brother. I've been wanting her near me as much as possible because I admit, I am selfish. I know that my time will be stretched between two kids and I want to give her as much attention now while I can. Within reason.

So here's my baby girl. She's getting so big. Her language comprehension and vocabulary is EXPLODING! She says a new word every day. Her words are in quotes. Yesterday, it was chocolate. Seems pretty normal, except I don't really give her chocolate. I just give it to myself ;) Her Dad, now he's another story. All she has to say is "Peasssss" and she gets what she wants. Including any "cookie" that she wants. She learned that word when I was gone on a girls weekend. It's not so bad since even Frosted Mini Wheats and graham crackers are cookies.

She loves her Beast, and chases him around. If she chances to catch him (with a little help from me) this is what she does...

Imagine her saying "Ahhh, soft" while wrapping her arms around his middle. He's extremely gentle with her but doesn't let her "snuggle" him very often. A while back, we thought we were going to have to put him to sleep. He was pretty sick but he's doing much better now. We're glad to have our Beastie.

Kara loves to snuggle with any"banket" (translation blanket) she can find. She doesn't want to get out of bed without one. She was recently at a friends house while I went to the Dr. The friend was curled up on the couch with a blanket. Kara walked up to her and gave her those I want something eyes. My friend asked Kara if she wanted up and of course Kara replied "yessss." That's another new word. So they snuggled on the couch.

We read story after story. She goes through multiple favorites sometimes it changes daily. Other times, we read the same story 10 times in a row.

She looks like a picture of her Dad here.

Our sweet Kara.

Baby is coming!

2010-02-11T09:23:00.000-08:00

I've been a little stressed lately. This baby is due to arrive in 50 days. Yikes! I HAVE SO MUCH TO DO!!!

Life doesn't stop so I can prepare for the next major life changing event. So, last night as I read Kara a story we've read so many times I can read it forwards and backwards I realized something.

This baby doesn't have to have a perfect room BEFORE he is born. I am going to have plenty of time to do that. He won't know if his walls have purple flowers or green/white polka dots. I don't have to have green polka dot fabric to make crib sheets. I need diapers and sleepers and a place to put him (Thanks Evan and Angie for letting me borrow the bassinet). Everything else will just come into place.

So, instead of stressing, I will read yet another story with Kara relaxed with my head back and eyes closed because most of our stories are memorized. Rather than thinking of the ten other things I think I need to do.

Blog background

2010-02-11T09:20:00.000-08:00

Will someone PLEASE enlighten me on how to make my blog cute? I've been to the sites and looked at the code and wondered "Where on earth would I put that?" Then I get stuck looking at different backgrounds forever and end up having to go rescue a child and never get around to changing the boring Baugh blog.

So, those of you out there who understand this process, would you share your understanding?

Baby names

2010-01-23T22:40:00.000-08:00

This post is a request for submissions. This baby is due in 68 days and we have absolutely no boy names. We can't even come up with boy names that we like. Andrew keeps recommending Adam (with a smile). His name would be Adam Baugh (for those of you not familiar with Andrew's sense of humor, replace the "gh" with an "m"). Tonight he suggested Chuck Let Baugh. Followed closely by Base, Basket or Foot Baugh.

See why I am putting the request out?

A day on the Couch or at least a movie

2010-01-11T08:18:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday, my AH(I think I will rename my spouse to amazing husband) did the unthinkable and accomplished not ONE but TWO very hard things on my Honey-Do list. He rodent proofed my attic (see previous post on all the critters in the South) and moved lots of furniture. A project that he detests. We had some great help from the missionaries and me acting as support staff. But since then, I have been having some irregular contractions. So, despite my torn apart house, (the big furniture was moved but I have lots of small stuff to take care of) I am going to sit and watch a movie. I will suspend my no TV for Kara and do something nesty like crochet while we watch.

Stick Family

2009-12-13T19:34:00.001-08:00

My Stick Family

Pregnancy tickers

2009-12-13T19:19:00.001-08:00

Found a fun website! www.widdlytinks.com

Pregnancy Tickers from WiddlyTinks.com

Pregnancy Tickers

Pregnancy Tickers

Pregnancy Tickers from WiddlyTinks.com

Sooo fun! Enjoy.

Thanksgiving Weekend Camping

2009-11-29T17:32:00.000-08:00

After Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and shootin' guns, we went camping this last weekend. Here are many, many pictures (follow the link for even more) as well as some videos.

From 2009-11 Thanksgiving Camping

I thought this one above was particularly cute. Notice how Claire walks so that she can pose for the picture.

Christmas Music

2009-11-24T21:08:00.000-08:00

Announcement

2009-11-15T19:27:00.000-08:00

Halloween

2009-11-14T06:55:00.000-08:00

We went as Peter Pan, Wendy and Tinkerbell. I didn't get the family picture. Will have to add it later.
Kara after Trick or Treating.

Candy overload. All of us. She has only had a couple pieces, Andrew and I have eaten most of it.

No time for much narrative, still in pajamas and have to walk out the door in 22 minutes. Oops make that 21 minutes. Oh and in answer to all the questions, Yes we are expecting. Now the real question is who actually reads our blog?

Crazy week

2009-11-14T06:50:00.000-08:00

This is what I've been doing all week. About a hundred of them. Life has been CRAZY! A thousand thanks to Andrew and Kara for putting up with me this week and picking up my slack.

Happy Birthday Eli

2009-11-01T19:43:00.000-08:00

Here's a favorite video of one of our nephew. This was years ago in our little university apartment. He turned 9 today.

Mud Pie Brownies

2009-09-28T05:11:00.000-07:00

WOW!
The batter is almost better than the brownies. This is from my favorite cookbook Essential Mormon Celebrations by Julie Badger Jensen.

Mud Pie Brownies
4 eggs
2 c. sugar
1 c. butter (softened)
1/2 c. cocoa
1 1/2 c. flour
1 T. vanilla
2 c pecans or walnuts
1 c. flaked coconut
1 (7 oz.) jar Marshmallow Creme
1 recipe Chocolate Frosting

Beat together eggs, sugar, butter. Beat in cocoa and flour. Stir in nuts and coconut. Pour batter into a greased 9x13. Bake at 350 for 25-30 min. While brownies are baking, make Chocolate Frosting. Remove brownies from oven. While hot, spread with Marshmallow Creme, then swirl in Chocolate Frosting

Chocolate Frosting
1/2 c butter
1/4 c. milk
3 T. cocoa
1 t. vanillla
2 c. powdered sugar

Notes: I only made half a batch, and used an 8x8 pan. As you can see, I have no art for making lovely swirls. I think the marshmallow creme was too hot. Should've let it cool a little before putting frosting on top. Mouthwateringly rich.

This is Kara eating the batter. She kept asking for "mo, peas." She has learned that if she says please, I always comply (well almost always). I wanted some too.

San Antonio trip - Day 2 at the Alamo, River Walk, and San Marcos

2009-07-26T16:43:00.000-07:00

Our second day in San Antonio, we had to visit the Alamo, of course. We were reading through all the names, and I found a Baugh had died at the Alamo. I'll have to figure out later if I'm related.

I'm trying to locate any information on John Baugh of the Alamo. I've done an extensive Baugh Family Geneology back to 1500's in England and 1600' - 1700's we were vary strong in the Virginia area. I've seen it listed that JJ Baugh was from VA - that he sounded the alarm before the final attack - and have seen a few letters he wrote. I was wondering if you had anything more on him personally?

Schelle Taylor
Houston

According to the New Handbook of Texas, John J. Baugh was born in Virginia in 1803. He served as the adjutant of the Alamo garrison,. He traveled to Texas in 1835 as a first lieutenant of Thomas H. Breece's company of New Orleans Greys and took part in the siege of Bexar. After the battle he was promoted to captain and served as Lt. Col. James C. Neill's adjutant with the Texan force left to garrison the town. Baugh entered the Alamo with the garrison under Lt. Col. William Barret Travis on February 23, 1836, when the Mexican army arrived. He died in the battle of the Alamo on March 6, 1836.

http://www.tamu.edu/ccbn/dewitt/adp/central/forum/forum49.html

Elena inside the walls, it's very pretty inside the grounds, I wish I'd gotten more pictures.

And downtown they were having a street fair. We had some great Chicken ka-bobs.

Later on we ate in a restaraunt by the riverwalk, and again, I forgot to get pictures. Then, of all the things that Elena wanted to do, the thing she most wanted was to see the outlet shops at San Marcos. So we drove out and only got a glimpse of all the things there.

San Antonio trip - Day 1 at Six Flags Fiesta Texas

2009-07-26T16:17:00.000-07:00

We went on a quick little weekend vacation at the end of the year because I had saved one vacation day that needed to be used up. We decided to go to San Antonio. I really wanted to go to Six Flags and ride the roller coasters. We had wonderful hosts, thanks for letting us stay with you.

We started by going on the Bugs Bunny log flume, because it was really hot. You can see Elena got a little wet as we were waiting to get on Superman. We also rode the rest of the big roller coasters, except for The Rattler, which was closed for the day.

We also went on the Bumper cars

At the end of the day it was hot, and we were a little queasy, so we went to the water park for a little bit. I didn't know they closed earlier, so we didn't get as much time as we would've liked.

At sunset, isn't she beautiful?

We even tried some of the carnival games. We did it for the fun of it, not because we thought we would win. (I really wanted to win the ring toss grand prize though, Rock Band 2 special edition).

These roses were our consolation prizes for not being able to scale the ladder.

We were pretty tired by the end of the day, but had a lot of fun.

Happy Birthday, Kara

2009-06-16T06:34:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe it's been one year. I can hardly believe how cute she is. Kara has a great smile, and even better, she uses it often. Here's some video of her on her birthday morning, with Elena and I entering to sing happy birthday, and then her eating her french toast with buttermilk syrup.

The world premier of Kara and the piano.

2009-06-14T14:52:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I haven't done this sooner. But here is the world premier of Kara's first time with the piano...

Can I get some applause?

2009-06-14T14:50:00.000-07:00

When you teach yourself to clap, what do you do? Well, give yourself some applause, of course!

Day at the pool (one of many to come)

2009-06-11T07:54:00.000-07:00

We had our first day at the pool, not ours, but Mike and Mindy's, who have now left us for Utah. They were so kind as to take some pictures while we were there. The water was a little cool, and there was a breeze, so we mostly did some wading, but it was a fun first experience.

Blueberries

2009-06-06T12:12:00.000-07:00

We went to pick blueberries Memorial day weekend. We had quite a good time, and found out that Kara REALLY likes blueberries. She'd dive in for Elena's bucket, and then dive in again. Then she learned to pick them for herself.

Here's some video of her dipping into the bucket...

Here's Kara picking them for herself

Guess what... Kara likes chocolate. Imagine that!

Goodbyes

2009-05-31T12:59:00.000-07:00

We've had a lot of goodbye's in our ward lately. It's interesting, because a few months ago, all the talk was of how fast the ward was growing and how long till we thought it would split (with subsequent sad thoughts of who we might lose).

That has given way instead to many people moving out of the ward, and moreso than the people that we expected to (finishing residency, school, etc.). We've had people move because of lost jobs or new jobs. This week we had two goodbye parties. I only have pictures of one, I will work on getting the others (hint, hint, you know who you are).

Here are a few pictures. The rest from the event are up on the picasa web album.

From Silverlake Goodbye May 30 2009

Bluebell Fun Run

2009-05-24T20:38:00.000-07:00

Each year there is a Bluebell Fun Run. There are many people from our ward who are runners, so we had quite the turnout. It's a bit of a drive, up in Brenham, TX. It's put on by Bluebell Ice Cream (free ice cream sandwiches there) and it's for the local high school.

We got up and got going, but it was really rainy (you'll see in the video)

On our way back, we stopped to take some pictures of the bluebonnet fields.

From Bluebell Fun Run

Trip to DC this summer

2009-05-18T06:41:00.000-07:00

Any old friends out there living in or near Washington DC? We would love to see you. This summer we are spending a month in DC. Any favorite places we absolutely have to go to?

New Computer

2009-05-15T20:56:00.000-07:00

Anybody who checks this blog ever may have noticed that we have been MIA. (Really, was Elena ever here enough to count as being MIA though?) Our old laptop (bought in 2004) was great and has served us well over the years, but is painfully slow for doing anything of any large scale.

Well, I've been eying parts for a new computer for quite a while, so I picked them out from Newegg and put it together myself. It should be able to handle some video editing.

I was going to put the specs up, but Elena doesn't want too much information out there on the web. I told her that we don't update our blog enough for anybody to be stalking us using it.

Easter

2009-04-11T11:55:00.000-07:00

Here are some Easter pictures. We got together at a local park with some friends from church and their kids. We had an Easter egg hunt, which was not very fast-paced, given the oldest kid was only about one and a half. But we had a nice time with some of our friends.

First bike ride of the season that never ends

2009-02-23T18:52:00.000-08:00

I don't want to rub it in anyone's face, but I went biking today in 70 degree weather. It was lovely. Surrounded by leaves and beautiful scenery. It was like being home in the Wasatch Mountains. Except for the terrain being completely flat. Kara even came along for the ride. Kara is the one on the left, covered by a hat. She enjoyed herself so much she took a little snooze. The little girl on the right is Esther, the daughter of a friend of mine. This was our first ride together and we hope to be doing this more often.

The only interesting thing about the ride was in passing major power lines we gathered an electric current. We kept shocking ourselves as we rode. The kids didn't seem to mind. Needless to say, we will avoid that portion of the trail.

I am still figuring out how to move pictures within a post so the other picture above is of Kara in new clothes from Grandma Baugh. Thanks Grandma! We love the packages you send.

Elena's first post of Cute stick figures and Kara

2009-02-15T19:21:00.000-08:00

Okay, I am posting for the first time! Yea!
I am curious who actually reads this.
These are my little stick figures that I made. I have been playing around with different programs. This was easy and fun. I've been making these and others into decals for cars.

Update on Kara...
She is rocking on her hands and legs and reaching as far as her long arms can go. But, no crawling yet. I gave her a piece of banana today and she devoured it. Based on how fast she went, some might think I never feed her. This girl can eat! As long as there is food in front of her, she will keep on going. If I don't stop her, she eats too much and it ends up on my shirt. It will probably end up on my shirt anyway, but I can't help trying to save myself some laundry.

I love our healthy baby and her chunky monkey thighs.

I'll have to post pictures later. I'm having technical difficulty adding another picture.

PS3

2009-02-15T16:13:00.000-08:00

I finally got my PS3 (well, in December). I used birthday money (thank you everyone), as well as a special that they were having.

I'm very excited and I enjoy it for the games, and it works well for watching home videos (my computer is too slow to run them), and streaming MP3's off of our computer as well. We also use it to watch Hulu on our TV.

We've also had fun playing games online, as well as video conferencing with Chris and Lanea.

Anybody else that has one, feel free to add me to your online list, my name is ABaMD.

And thanks again, everyone. I'm having a blast with it, and Elena has fun occasionally too.

Step III

2009-02-12T12:20:00.000-08:00

Step III is the final examination you have to take to become a "real" doctor.

What constitutes a real doctor? Once I graduated from medical school, I was given the title of doctor. But people still asked if I was a "real" doctor. I never said 'no, I'm not a real doctor', but I would end up explaining that I'm a resident. Well, I'm still a resident, but now I'm considering myself a "real" doctor.

There are ways that people could construe "real" doctor. When people ask that question, it is loaded with what may be prejudices or concerns. PhDs and other doctorate degrees are doctors, and they aren't imaginary. However, some people when asking this question would not think that they are real doctors. An example, if someone has collapsed in a movie theater, and someone cried out "Is there a doctor in the house?", they mean a doctor with medical training. I think I would take an emergency physician, critical care doctor, or a nurse who works in one of those locations. I would hope any paramedics or EMT would step up, even if they aren't "real" doctors, because they would be more useful than I would be likely.

That also brings up other doctors, such as dentists, DO's, podiatrists and chiropractors. Where do they fall in the discussion of "real" doctors. Too much for me to get into, and my answer would be a definite, 'well, it depends'.

Online Version of Our Christmas Card

2008-12-27T10:00:00.000-08:00

For those of you that we could not find your address, and who actually read the blog despite my poor ability keeping up lately. (I'll catch up soon, I promise).

The greatest thing about 2008 was… drum roll please
Kara, Kara and more Kara.

Andrew decided that Interventional Radiology (IR) is pretty cool.
Elena decided that IR takes more time than she likes.

Elena continues to push her clients at 24 Hour Fitness.

Laurel, Kevin and Claire came to stay for 5 months. It was so much fun.

Andrew and Elena took a stay-cation to Houston.
We couldn’t go far just in case Kara decided to come early.

Elena started a new hobby, vinyl lettering.
A website should be up by January. TexasLetters.com

Hurricane Ike. We lost our fence. Elena put it up without
Andrew’s help. Ike occurred during IR rotation.

Lots of visitors from Utah. Many more are welcome to come!

That was written by Elena, and I'll just defend myself regarding the fence, because they're bulding a new house behind us, and hadn't built their fence yet. I was waiting for them to build and fix it, which happened soon after. Also, Ike happened in September, and IR (interventional radiology) was October and November, but she did fix the fence in November, which I was on IR.

Always be careful what you put in your blogs, it may come back to haunt you.

2008-11-23T19:11:00.000-08:00

Our friends in our ward have this post, and yes, that is my daughter in the second picture being forced against her will to wear a byu shirt.

http://mikeandmindywilliamsfamily.blogspot.com/2008/11/sad-day-to-be-couger.html

My cousin, Justin, is in Afghanistan serving our country. He's a great guy and I enjoy reading his blog regularly. His mother taught him well, and I even thought that she had raised him to be humble, but I had to raise my eyebrows back when I read this post.

http://452days.blogspot.com/2008/09/day-126-priceless.html

Well, we all know how that ended.
Max Hall isn't a senior, is he?...

Good, I'm glad he's not.
(who knows, that may haunt me next year)

Beast videos

2008-11-23T15:53:00.001-08:00

As requested (it won the lates poll), here are some videos of beast. I will be holding another poll shortly, but I've been in need of catching up first. It's been a busy month.

Beast likes to play with bags. I know he shouldn't, but he doesn't. He got into the bag himself, the surprise is what I provided.

Beast cleaning himself

And here is Beast playing with the waist ties from my scrubs. The sound in the back is just a TV show.

Neuschwanstein

2008-10-25T13:40:00.000-07:00

Neuschwanstein castle

We saw this castle on a trip to Europe before my mission. This is often the castle that is credited for inspiring the various castles in Disney resorts.

Favorite Vacations/ Most Beautiful Places I've Been.

2008-10-25T12:35:00.000-07:00

In an effort to be more entertaining, more read, and cater to those who read the site, I've put up polls for people to vote on topics you'd like me to write on, as well polls that are just fun in themselves.

Last week, there was a tie for most desired topics, between Kara and Favorite places I've been. I've posted some on Kara, and now I'm fulfilling the other request. Don't forget to visit the blog personally (not through a feed reader like Google reader) to be able to vote.

Kara's 4 month appointment

2008-10-19T18:46:00.000-07:00

Kara went in a little early for her 4 month birthday and here are her stats.

Date 10-7-08
Age 3 1/2 months
Weight 12# 14oz (50%)
Height 25 1/8 (95%)
Head size 15 3/4 (50%)

She goes back at 6 months.

And the Winner is...

2008-10-19T18:36:00.000-07:00

As requested, and according to vote, here is more Kara. I'll post some more this week, and include the other winner, favorite places I've been. If you follow the link, you can watch it in HD, depending on your computer and internet speed.

This is Kara in her high chair with one of, if not her, favorite toys. She just gets cuter and cuter as she makes more noises and smiles more.

Watch it in HD here (click on the HD option).

Latest Changes

2008-10-19T17:05:00.000-07:00

The polls are about to close, and I've anticipated that Kara would win, so a post is just about ready with better video quality than I've had on the other clips. Since it looks like it will be a tie, I'll work this week on fulfilling both of the winning choices.

I've added links on the side of things to do in Houston. It'll stay on (but get moved down later), and I'll take suggestions for additions as well.

Vote on the new poll also.

Can Wii be friends?

2008-10-18T19:56:00.000-07:00

I enjoy my video games. I currently have a Wii, and I know a few other people who have Wii's. Did you know you can share messages, Mii characters, and game online (over built-in wireless) with your Wii.

Only problem is that you have to exchange Wii numbers or game specific codes.

This post is specifically for exchanging Wii friend codes. Mine are posted below, and if you put your Wii numbers in, I will put your numbers in mine. (Both numbers have to be put in for it to work).

Also, let me know if you need help finding your numbers, some of them are surprisingly hard to find.

Wii console number
4578-2409-3806-9761

Mario Kart Wii
3351-5397-7930

Dr. Mario Online Rx
3784-4718-2593

Bomberman Blast
4081-8375-3098

Tagged

2008-10-13T19:34:00.000-07:00

Ok, I'll play along, I was tagged before the hurricane.
Tagged by: Mindy

THE FIVE

10 years ago I:
1. Was in Brazil
2. Was speaking Portuguese
3. Had just been transferred to my last area.
4. Had only my second Brazilian companion.
5. Was about to turn 21

5 things on today's "to do" list:
1. Pick up
2. Pick up Lanea and Dad from the airport
3. Laundry
4. Dishes
5. Take care of Kara

5 snacks I enjoy:
1. Ice cream
2. Skinny cows
3. Minute Maid plain and cherry frozen limeade, and plain and strawberry frozen lemonade.
4. Marshmallow cream (just spoon it right out of the jar)
5. Raspberries and strawberries

5 things I would do if I were a millionaire:
1. Live off the interest
2. Pay off debt
3. Continue working
4. Actually go on vacation
5. And be tempted to buy many different electronics (computer, TV, PS3, GPS ) and eventually maybe even cars.

5 places I have lived:
Murray, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Brazil
Tucson, Arizona
Houston, Texas

Five jobs I have had:
Toy store at ZCMI
Groundsworker at Murray Parkway Golf course
Host and busser at Olive Garden
Research assistant in Biology at the University of Utah
Radiology resident

I tag....
Elena
Mike
Jeff
Nate
Kasey

New Poll on my Sister-in-law

2008-10-12T19:09:00.000-07:00

This is my sister in law, Alicia. She just went down to BYU. The poll is, how long do you think it will take for her to get engaged.

Lanea and Chris's Wedding

2008-10-12T14:33:00.000-07:00

We got to travel back to Utah for my sister's wedding. They got married in the Salt Lake temple on September 25th. We had a nice trip back, and the day was very nice. It was different from a "normal" Utah wedding, because there was no reception. They had a nice wedding breakfast/lunch with family and friends.

I missed the 'reunion' atmosphere of being able to see a wide variety of old friends and extended family, but the decreased stress, preparation, and having a shorter day for the bride and groom are definite advantages.

Here is the video of them coming out to the temple grounds. (forgive the lack of editing, but my computer can't handle editing).

L and C exiting the temple from Andrew Baugh on Vimeo.

And here's my dad getting choked up during pictures.

L and my Dad outside the temple from Andrew Baugh on Vimeo.

Coming soon

2008-10-11T12:51:00.001-07:00

I have a few posts to finish, I'll have those up shortly. I also have a few changes and ideas. I'll have a poll for requests soon. I'll have one of the options be "more pictures of Kara", but others will be random things about me and growing up. If you have any requests or such for the poll, leave a comment.

Clean-up

2008-10-05T10:44:00.000-07:00

The Sunday immediately following hurricane Ike we went around the ward and their neighbors to clean up fallen trees. I did the same the following weekend.

Useful items for tree cleanup
Gas powered chainsaw, with supplies (gas, oil, chain, fuel line)
Machete
Hatchet
Tow rope (for directing trees)
Good gloves
Good boots
Mosquito repellant
Sunscreen

One of my coworkers fiancee has a house down in Galveston, and one of the work crews was down there cleaning and helped them out, this is what he had to say in an email.

"God bless the Mormon people who have been coming down to Galveston to help people move out their sewage soaked belongings, and help with the demolition work. (As well as the red cross and salvation army, but they didn't bring any sledge hammers). I love your people Andrew!"

You can have wealth and fame, all I want is POWER!

2008-09-16T09:07:00.001-07:00

Really, we had it very good. Our home held up through the storm (unlike the included picture). We had ample food and water. We had transportation. Our cell phones worked reasonably well. Compared to the pioneers, we had it great.

But it was really uncomfortable being without power. No AC, no lights at night, no electronic gadgets... as well as the uncertainty of when we might get power back with the possibility of being without power for 2-4 weeks.

As it turned out, we were extremely fortunate and were only out of power from Friday evening of the storm until about Monday afternoon.

Our Experience with Hurricane Ike

2008-09-16T09:04:00.000-07:00

Thanks everyone for your prayers.

We fared quite well from the storm. We are physically well, and our house has no damage that I've found yet. Our fences did take a beating and we lost a section of the back fence.

I'm grateful for the camping and emergency preparedness items that we have. We have two hand crank radios, and it was nice to have some contact, albeit one-way, with the outside world. Headlamps are great for keeping your hands available. I'm also grateful for the storm shutters that came with our house. Having ample bottled water and a backup filter that we didn't need to use. A spray bottle and battery powered fan were also great in the heat.

Things that would have been helpful.

A more powerful power inverter to keep the fridge running (use your car as a generator).

A generator

Grill with lots of charcoal (we had gas still, but it heats up the house unnecessarily)

Adapter to charge our cell phone from our hand crank items, and to have the car charger available (I found it the day after we got power).

And a special thanks to the Cox's in our ward, who opened their lovely home (with power) to us for a couple of days.

Prepping for Hurricane Ike

2008-09-12T14:04:00.000-07:00

Well, we've got our first real hurricane headed towards us. Gustav just didn't get us worked up all that much. But Ike had a chance to be the real deal. It did have the possibility to get to Category 4. That's about where we would have decided to evacuate. As it is it should be getting here in the middle of the night. We've boarded up and stocked up so that we could hunker down.

Here's my current favorite website for checking out hurricanes (thanks, Elena).

I feel like I've had some bad luck with hurricanes. Last time they cancelled work in August on a day I was getting off anyways. This time, most people got today off, but I had to work until about 11:30 because I was post-call. Yesterday, I did get to go home for the afternoon to start boarding up the house though.

I'm not looking forward to the power going out and losing water and internet... but I'll keep bravely posting as long as I'm able. ;)

(I stole this idea from Afton, to try to encourage come commentary and feedback...)
What do you like to do on a rainy day?
What's the worst catastrophe/natural disaster you've been through?

Physics Exam

2008-09-12T13:58:00.000-07:00

Today was the 1st of my three board examinations in Radiology. The subject was physics. I've had people ask me why I have to know any physics as a radiologist. I've sometimes asked the same question while studying.

It's important to know how each of the different 'imaging modalities' (x-rays, ultrasound, CT scans, MRI, fluoroscopy, PET scans, and other nuclear imaging studies) work. That way you know what the limitations of the exams are, what 'artifacts' (messed up images) are present, and how to fix things when they go wrong. We also learn about the harmful effects of radiation, and what the most likely risk is (very small).

The test went fine. I was glad there were no random numbers I should have memorized or bizarre equations to use. It'll take a while to get my results back though. If I pass, then I'll be 1/3rd a radiologist.

Are you the kind of person who's curious about how things work?
Do you feel like knowing the basics behind things at your job make you better at it?
Are you excited about the new large hadron collider?

New Calling

2008-09-08T21:19:00.000-07:00

During the week, we got a request for Elena and I to meet with the Bishop before church. One of my favorite things to do is to ponder what might happen with our callings, Elena says that's bad of me to do. I don't make predictions on what I want to happen, or what I think should happen, but on what could happen. I figure as long as I'm not judgmental about it, I'm alright.

Anyways....I'm staying in my calling in the nursery. I'm glad of it. I'm enjoying it. Nobody else appreciates their teachers in church as much as nursery kids...usually. Elena's new calling is as a counselor in the young womens. She's excited and overwhelmed.

What's the favorite calling you've ever had?
Do you ever covet a calling?
Do you like to guess about callings also?

Speed Settlers

2008-08-29T07:37:00.000-07:00

About 3 years ago, I had an idea. A group of friends in the village would often get together to play games. One of those games that I enjoy very much is Settlers of Catan. We have the game along with all of the major expansions. If you haven't played it, I recommend it. However, you have to keep the game moving, or it can take a long time.

My idea.... speed settlers. We finally tried it out with Mike and Mindy. We started with 30 second time limit and went two or three rounds. While 30 seconds worked, we decided 45 seconds would work better. The game was fun, Elena won (she's on a streak of winning games), and she enjoyed it. She said she wasn't looking forward to playing, but that she enjoyed it. The game only lasted about 30 minutes.

For those people interested in playing yourselves. I used my watch as a timer, it resets automatically. We decided that a left over time from the person before you could be used. The decreased time is particularly difficult if a 7 is rolled and you're over the limit, and it really cuts into your time for trading. We may increase it a little next time we play.

An option that Mike came up with would be individual timers, and your given a limit for the game. For example, if you wanted the game to last just an hour and four people were playing, you give 15 minutes a piece on their individual timers that count down. If you run out of time, then you lose automatically.

Other favorite house rules... match play in Uno, $500 bonus when you land on go in Monopoly.

What games do you enjoy playing?
What are some of your favorite 'house rules'?

Welcome to Elena

2008-08-24T14:25:00.001-07:00

Elena finally said, "I want to be able to post!" She's been invited the whole time, but had not yet shown interest, and so now she's signed up. I anxiously await her first post.

And here is an adorable picture of Kara before going to church today.

Updated Links, and Etiquette

2008-08-23T13:20:00.000-07:00

So I want some input. I've just updated the links.

Is there anyone missing? I tried looking through everyone's links, but I'm sure I've missed someone. Please leave a comment and let me know who I might have missed. (I'm sure I've missed some of Elena's High school friends.

If you want to be listed differently (don't worry Brady and Shawnee, by default I go without last names) let me know. I like that you've spelled out your wishes on your blog (Shawnee). Some of you I put down your blog title as well...

Is there an appropriate way to ask to be linked back to somebody else's blog? What's the etiquette on blog links. Is it... if I link you, you link me? Do you give a link in a comment to let someone's blog you're reading that you have a blog as well? Or is this all handled better by email?

So to summarize (answer any you wish)
1. Who's missing from my links?
2. Do you want your link changed (or removed)?
3. What is proper blog etiquette regarding links?

Happy Birthday, Elena

2008-08-20T04:48:00.000-07:00

Today is Elena's birthday. I won't say how old she is, but I'll give you a math hint. It's the result of a number raised (exponent) to itself.

Give her a call and wish her a Happy Birthday. I unfortunately will be working (on call all night).

New Pictures

2008-08-17T19:35:00.001-07:00

I'm putting this post on just for some of the newest pictures of Kara, as requested by many people. I'm also in the process of getting caught up from our Utah trip, and you can see some posts below...

We've got TV!

2008-08-17T19:28:00.000-07:00

Well, actually, we just bought rabbit ear antennae. We've been without broadcast TV for a year, because we're too cheap to pay for cable, but we wanted to watch the olympics (and we have enjoyed them).

And for those of you who were thinking maybe we had gotten a NEW tv, no, that dream is still not yet a reality.

Adam's Canyon

2008-08-16T09:18:00.001-07:00

We took a hike up Adam's canyon on one of our last days in Utah. It's one of our favorites. It's very close to Elena's parents. The first time we hiked it we were dating, so it has some sentimental value as well.

Hogle Zoo

2008-08-16T09:17:00.002-07:00

We made a family trip to the Zoo. Roll call included Nola (Elena's mom) Esther, Kennedy and Katelyn (two of my nieces) Elena and I with Kara, Melanie with her kids (see the link to Melaniemom) and her mom, Nola's sister Elizabeth, and Laurel with Claire. All in all we had quite the large group. The bird show was probably the highlight, it may be my first attempt at some video editing.

Week at the Child's in Utah

2008-08-16T09:17:00.001-07:00

We had our second week at Elena's family. We had lots of fun with our nieces who were also staying there as Darren and Katie are off in Peru.

We had fun doing various things. Too bad I don't have any pictures (or video) of us all (well, except Dad or Mom) playing Rock Band.

Kara's Blessing

2008-08-16T09:16:00.002-07:00

Kara's blessing was the principle reason for us to come to Utah. We wanted to be able to share it with as much family as possible. We appreciate everyone who made it, and understand for those who couldn't. It was a very nice day, and I don't feel like sharing particulars about the blessing online.

Grandpa (or Great-Grandpa for Kara) C's 80th Birthday

2008-08-16T09:16:00.001-07:00

While in Utah, Elena's extended family celebrated their grandfathers 80th birthday. It was good to see nearly everyone.

Utah Baby Shower

2008-08-16T09:15:00.002-07:00

Laurel was so nice to throw us a baby shower while we were in Utah. It was great to see family and friends, and people have been so generous. I've been particularly grateful for the bouncer that was given to us, because Kara does so well in it and it's nice to be able to set her down (though even more so for Elena who does much more of the caring for than I do).

No pictures of this, but I did get some video, and I'll upload it in a bit...

Week at my family's in Utah

2008-08-16T09:15:00.001-07:00

We made it to Utah in time to go to a family reunion with my Mom's family.

We stayed at my family's for our first week in Utah. I enjoyed being with family, playing basketball with Shawn, and PS3 with Chris and Shawn.

We went out to eat, (we enjoyed Roma Ristorante ) with my Dad, and Elena also went shopping.

Beast settled down quite well in my parents house, but was shy for a while. He enjoyed finding high places to scope things out. He stayed there the following week while we were at Elena's parents as well.

And Dad, thanks for the sacrifice, we appreciate it.

In Memoriam: RIP

2008-07-15T18:59:00.001-07:00

The Grand Am won't pass inspection, and so it is time to bid farewell to a car that has always been in my family. My family wondered if it would make it through medical school (it's a 1993 car, and I graduated in 2006). Well, it made it through the first two years of residency, including drives from SLC to Tucson, and the following year to Houston (even if each of the drives the car died).

On the way to Tucson I was headed out of Flagstaff and broke down about 50 miles away. I had to call a tow company that took 5-6 hours as I recall to come, because there was a large crash involving a semi that used up the town's towing capacity, and had disrupted traffic. I was not happy after sitting in the Arizona desert for a few hours in June, without a significant amount of water. (Turns out a radiator hose blew, and then sprayed all over the alternator and killed it.)

On the Houston drive, I found that if I tried to sustain a speed more than 60 or 65 mph that my car would give up and I'd have to pull off. (Not a fun way to travel through west Texas).

Congratulations to Lanea and Chris

2008-07-13T19:39:00.001-07:00

My sister, Lanea, is now officially engaged. His name is Chris, and I've never met him. I've never spoken to him either. So Lanea must really like him to agree to marry him without me having given my approval.

This is the only picture that I've got...

Upcoming Utah Visit

2008-07-13T19:20:00.000-07:00

We're excited to be leaving to be in Utah for two weeks, and to bless Kara there. I'm excited for everyone to be able to meet Kara. I'm looking forward to seeing family and friends, but also a few Utah specific activities.

I'm also looking forward to some Utah activities and places
Mountains (mountain biking if I can get my hands on a bike)
Red Butte Gardens

A few Utah restaurant's I'd like to go to
The Pie
Joe Morely's BBQ
Hires

Some things we would like to buy in Utah
Onera spice
Stephen's Hot Chocolate
And Elena says Salt City Candles

Anything I've missed? Any thoughts on which way we should take? Any great road trip advice?

Birth Announcement

2008-07-13T19:11:00.000-07:00

Grandma C's Visit

2008-07-13T19:09:00.001-07:00

And the week after my mother and sister came, we were graced with the presence of Elena's mom. Esther also came down, but she decided she wanted to stay with Evan and Angie. We had a nice time, and Mom (Grandma Child) got to spend a few days with Evan and Angie's kids also.

Surprise Visit

2008-06-20T06:52:00.000-07:00

The night of Kara's birth, Evan and his family were going to come down and visit. Unfortunately, some of the kids were sick, so they couldn't all come. Marissa was particularly disappointed, and even cried that she couldn't come. So Evan and Eli came down. As a added surprise, I got a call from Darren, Elena's brother who lives in Logan (actually Menden, near Logan). Turns out he was in Austin with his wife Katie at a conference. They decided to rent a car and drive down, and we all decided to make it a surprise for Elena... and I got it on tape.

A video

2008-06-19T08:56:00.000-07:00

Kara and her Dad

Kara's Birth

2008-06-17T15:56:00.000-07:00

We came in Sunday night for Elena to be induced. We got here at about 9:30 pm. Just as they were about to give her the first medicine at 11:00, her water broke. They can't give the first medicine if your water has broken. So Elena happened to go into labor on the day she was scheduled to be induced. Elena was a real trooper, and wanted to go as long as possible without an epidural. She ended up with the epidural at about 4 o'clock in the morning when she was dilated to a 7. We then took a nap and woke up in the morning when her doctor came. He checked her and said, "Wow, she's at +2, and your fully dilated. Are you ready to start pushing?" We got ourselves gathered together (this is when I almost started to cry (TOJ, tears of joy) realizing that this was all about to happen. Elena was a GREAT pusher, probably from all of her working out. She says it's 'cause of her abs. 6 pushes and we had our little sweetheart. Here are more pictures, I'll try to put some videos up soon as well.

Happy Birthday, Kara Lily Baugh

2008-06-16T07:22:00.000-07:00

Story to follow
825 AM
7lb. 8oz.
20 inches

At the hospital

2008-06-15T20:44:00.000-07:00

We're at the hospital!

It's a planned induction, since Elena is past her due date. Our nurse is LDS her name is Martha (aka Sister Hall), but she's not in our ward.

You'll notice a whole bunch of posts being put in over today and the last few days. I've been trying to get caught up.

Our Last Weekend Together

2008-06-15T14:04:00.001-07:00

There should be a name for married couples who have no children. It would be akin to "bachelor", but for a couple. We had our last weekend that we will have no children.

Elena's Dad was in town this weekend, but only for Friday and Saturday. We made it up Saturday and spent time with him at Evan and Angie's. We went to Eli's piano recital and went back to Evan's house and Wendell gave Elena a blessing with Evan and I. She was glad to have a Father's blessing.

Dad had to leave then, so Evan took him and we played our new games (Family Fluxx and Citadels). We then went swimming with the kids, got back home and hurried to the Temple. I brought the Wii up so Evan and the kids could play. I am a wonderful uncle, yes, I know.

We went to the temple and made it to the last session. We started a new tradition, since I found an ice cream place nearby. They have big servings :)

iPod Headphone Jack

2008-06-15T13:13:00.000-07:00

Be careful about how you store your iPod headphones. If you're like me (and probably most people) when you're done listening you wrap the headphone cord around your preferred MP3 player. Well, you do that enough and you can ruin the connection. My iPod is beyond warranty coverage, and Apple doesn't repair them (my options are pay a lot of money for a refurbished one, pay a lot of money for a new one [a small discount off a new one]) or... go with a separate company that repairs it for you. I'll probably go with the latter. I had found a website before that seemed like it would be a good choice, but it'll cost me about $40.

Cankles

2008-06-12T12:59:00.000-07:00

Elena has been pretty active during her pregnancy, and had gained less weight than average... then came the water retention with ... cankles. A few of the pictures you can see our fingerprints.

The Camcorder (May 13th)

2008-06-11T21:22:00.005-07:00

Elena and I were planning on getting a big screen (not as big as I want, but bigger than she wants) HDTV since our old TV is going out. So we were saving up with money from my Birthday and Christmas. With the baby coming, I decided that a camcorder would be a better purchase. So I shopped around (more than I had already). HDTV camcorders are much more prevalent than when I had last shopped. Elena and I had almost bought a camcorder about 3 years ago. We had been planning on getting a 3ccd camcorder from Panasonic, because the color reproduction is supposed to be better.

Anyways... I chose the Canon Vixia HF100. It's 1080 with 30p and 24p modes. It has no onboard memory and uses SD cards (and the new higher capacity SDHC cards). I picked up a 16GB card which will record 2 hours worth of HD video. The battery only works for 1 hour, and we'll pick up a 2 hour battery sometime. Canon's have won a lot of best camcorders as a brand (and I've got a digital camera and multifunction which I like from Canon). I didn't choose the one with built in flash because I can get a card for that 16gb card cheaper, and prices on the cards will go down. A hard drive would be nice but would have driven up price, size, and weight while decreasing the battery life. It has a CMOS sensor (I had been looking for a 3CCD because I thought they were always better) but in my reading I've heard that CMOS can be equivalent or superior to 3CCDs, depending on setup.

UPS came and tried to drop it off, but nobody was home, so I drove to the UPS place and picked it up, (even though it was down by Galveston).

I've already got my first video to submit to America's funniest home videos.

Lakeside Picnic Double Date (April 6th)

2008-06-11T21:22:00.001-07:00

We went down for a picnic with Kevin and Laurel by one of our lakes. It was very pretty out, and we took some pictures.

Birthing Class/ Lamaze

2008-05-24T12:58:00.001-07:00

Elena really wanted to do a birthing class prior to baby arriving, but when we found out the only available time was a class after an all night call. To make matters worse, we had a wedding to go to that night after the class as well.

So, I was on call all night, and then showed up late to the class, and the teacher kept on giving me a hard time. (I thought I was doing quite well for having had essentially no sleep). We had a good time and toured the hospital.

Galveston Wedding

2008-05-24T12:58:00.000-07:00

Elena's friend Lisa from work got married, so we went to her wedding in Galveston. It was a nice ceremony on the roof. I was really tired. Since we had Lamaze class and I was on call all night before, we ended up going to a 24 hour fitness on our way from the class to Galveston, I showered and shaved there, got dressed, and Elena decided we had enough time for me to get a quick haircut at a place nearby as well. Elena and her trophy husband :)

Ward Baby Shower

2008-05-14T21:22:00.000-07:00

Our ward threw Elena a baby shower (they do it for first time mothers, because otherwise there would be WAY too many showers :) )

We are very grateful for the gifts, and Elena feels good to fill outfitted for our adventure.

Valentine's Day

2008-05-05T19:36:00.000-07:00

Elena and Laurel planned a special Valentine's Day dinner for us all. We had a nicely set table with the china. Elena and Laurel we had a wonderful meal... and three desserts! On the Saturday our stake had a Valentine's dinner dance (live band and then DJ) so we used some of the mad ballroom skillz we picked up dating and in ballroom classes when we were engaged (even if Elena is pregnant).

Upcoming posts

2008-03-31T17:26:00.000-07:00

I'm working on finishing a bunch of unfinished posts. It's basically old news by now, but it might still be fun to read and see some pictures, so I'll put them up... as a teaser

Lanea's visit
Valentine's day
The Child Clans Married Female Weekend Away (at least a portion of the everyone's invited so Grandma can see the grandkids)
Houston Zoo (caution, picture of Bald Eagle is enclosed)
Elena pregnancy pictures
Grandpa Baugh's visit (Wii bowling pictures...and results)

We'll see if some more make it in, but I'll publish them shortly.

Grandpa 's Visit (End of March)

2008-03-28T09:21:00.000-07:00

Grandpa Baugh (we get to call him that now) came down to visit us and to check out the "Star of the South" dental convention. He stayed with us and I took vacation days because I haven't been using them, and they expire at the end of the year. Dad had to go to the conference, but he made some time for some catnaps :) We had a good time, and I even got him to play Wii Bowling. It's always great to have family come and visit.

The one thing he wanted to do was to go to a grocery store, so I took him to Central Market, which is a huge, very nice grocery store in the nice shopping area of Houston. We also took him to our local HEB, which is the same company.

We went out to eat at a BBQ place (Thelma's BBQ) near the convention center that has a "hole-in-the-wall" charm and has been voted best BBQ. We also went to dinner at Saltgrass (local steakhouse chain), and Papadeaux's (local seafood chain).

Preggy pictures

2008-03-23T09:19:00.000-07:00

People have requested pregancy pictures, and these are the one's I emailed out a while ago (when they were taken). Enjoy, I'll have some more recent ones soon.

Houston Staycation (Night and day 2)

2008-03-22T17:16:00.000-07:00

For our night, we saved money and rather than go to a hotel, Laurel was great and finished the decorations that Elena and her had planned for our room. They left to see a movie or something and Elena and I chilled with our sparkling cider, and I ate some peeps. MMmmmmm.... peeps.

The next day, we tried to go the temple, but Elena's recommend had expired. So we walked on the grounds and saw 2 families from our ward there, the Johnstons and the Baums. Yeah, the Baughs and the Baums in one ward, some people have gotten it confused. In fact, they put Kevin and Laurel as living at the Baum's house.

Anyways, we had a good time, Elena got some shopping done at the distribution center and the LDS store there nearby, and we had a nice time.

Our Houston Staycation

2008-03-21T16:37:00.000-07:00

With Elena being pregnant (and some poor planning on my part, but regarding vacationing) we did not get off on our vacation to Disneyworld we had hoped to take. We needed some time away, so we're having a staycation.

Our first day we went to the Houston Arboretum... we saw millions of tadopoles, a few turtles, and pretty scenery. All of this surrounded by 5 million people or so.

The Houston Zoo

2008-03-01T19:40:00.000-08:00

The Baugh, Child, and Sommerfeldt families descend upon the Houston Zoo. Evan and Angie have a family pass, so we thought it would be fun to go (Elena and I; Kevin, Laurel and Clarissa; and Angie, Eli, Brigham, Marissa, and Derek). When I got there they were looking for the bald eagle, Eli was very excited to see it. We went around a bit and saw some animals on our way.

By the time we got to the eagle, we were kind-of tired and we were right in a kids play area. The kids played in the various areas (some pictures included), and we tried to keep track of them. We then went to dinner together (separate post to follow...