Book Review: Station Eleven by: Emily St. John Mandel

I'll be the first to admit, I am a sucker for post apocalyptic/dystopia stories such as The Road, 1984, A  Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451 (you get the idea); so when I read the premise of this book I knew it would be right up my alley. However, this book is a little different than those other books in that once I completed it, I didn't feel a sense of heaviness or depression; I didn't feel like I needed to read something "light and fluffy" in order to feel better. There was something very optimistic and hopeful in this story.

On goodreads, I gave this book 4 stars and if you follow me on good reads you will notice I do not give 4's and 5's freely. I would even say it is probably more like 4.5 stars. I liked it that much. The story starts just before a flu pandemic hits and basically wipes out 90% of the worlds population.

I really appreciated how she built the story through a specific character and how the other characters in the book (seemingly unconnected to each other) are all connected by this one person in one way or another.

Throughout the book she goes back and forth to before the pandemic, to 10, 15 and 20 years after the flu. All with different parts of the story. It was so interesting to think about the fall of civilization as we know it. No social media, no air travel, no electricity and how we would survive. I also liked seeing it from the perspective of someone who didn't really remember life before the flu hit.

It really made me think about what I would or wouldn't do if something like this happened. Would I barricade myself in my house and wait it out? Would I try to walk to somewhere? Would I avoid everyone? Would I be able to kill someone else to survive? I hope I never have to find out. 

10 months old!

9 months old!

8 months old!

7 months old!

6 months Old!

5 months old!!

Update

Sorry. I didn't update on Mother's day or my birthday or going back to work. So here it is.

I got everything I wanted for Mother's day/my birthday. Maybe it was because I publicly posted it for all to see or maybe it's because my family loves me. I would like to think it is more the latter and it probably is.

I love my Salt water sandals, I have a massage on my way and I  ate all of the hazelnut ben and jerry's in a 24 hour period. Nathaniel sure is sweet. He also took me to the melting pot on my birthday which was delicious and fun. My mother in law bought me the necklace and I love it. The N is for Nathaniel (in case you were wondering).

Sebastian and I went to Seattle in the beginning of June. It was such a nice trip and Sebastian was an Angel baby the whole time. He flew so well and he even did well walking around Seattle for 6 hours one day. Unfortunately his sleep got all screwed up and we have struggled for the last month trying to get it back on track. He loved seeing Nanny and granddad though.

Sebastian has had to more months added to him since my last post and here are his update pictures.

 He started rolling over back to front and he gets mad that he can't crawl or roll back over. It's pretty adorable. He has been going to grandpa and grandma's two days a week since I went back to work and has so much fun. My parent;s house looks like a toy store. They have bought him so much to play with!!

Work is good. I enjoy it. Since I am only there two days a week I stay pretty busy. I have to go to a training in Montana later this month and I am bringing my mom and Sebastian!! We will see how that goes.

My dear friend Sarah and her husband Joel and son Kai were in town this past weekend. Her and I were able to have a girls night on Friday night and see a movie. The Fault in Our Stars. I had read the book and really liked it and the movie was just as good. We both cried our eyes out and ate so much popcorn and soda. It was kind of awesome. Nathaniel got to stay with the little guy. Sarah took some family pictures of us at a BBQ we had sunday afternoon. I am so excited to see how they turned out! I have no pictures of the three of us.

Sorry this is so jumbled. I will try to write a more entertaining post in the near future. I love being a mom so much. My life is crazy busy, but it's good. I know it will only keep getting more exciting. 

Family Vacation!!

Sebastian went on his first family trip and had his first nights sleeping away from home and he was great! We drove down to Moab for a quick two day trip. Here's a little known secret- the KOA in Moab has cabins. They are very small (sleep 4 adults) and they have no bathroom (you use the very nice community bathrooms) but it was so pleasant. There is electricity, a heater, swamp cooler, a full size bed and one bunk bed. They even had a table that comes out of the wall that was perfect for a changing table! I loved it. We all did. Sebastian cooed and smiled the whole time we were there.

The first morning we put Batman in daycare and went into Arches National Park. We hiked to delicate arch. I was a little nervous about Sebastian, but we put him in the Ergo baby and he slept the whole time. You can't put sunscreen on a newborn before 6 months, covered him pretty good with a hat, long sleeve shirt and pants and sunglasses. ADORABLE.

We took him out long enough to eat and snap a picture of him with the arch in the background- he was not super happy to be out of the carrier. It had gotten a little sweaty (mostly Nathaniel sweat) and I think he was cold. But here is the classic picture.

We also got a family one where Sebastian is still in the carrier.

It was truly gorgeous. And the hike was pretty easy, just a mile and a half each way. The weather was nice, not too hot and we tried to go in the morning so it was cooler. We stopped at a few more places, like balancing rock and double arches, but one hike was probably all Sebastian could handle. 

We then walked around Moab, got matching Tshirts from this cute Tshirt shop and went to lunch before picking up the dog and returning to the cabin. We had hot dogs and s'mores that night and turned in early. On Saturday, Nathaniel and Batman went for a nice long hike that was dog friendly, while Sebastian and I lounged around the cabin.

 On our way back to Salt Lake we took a detour to Dead Horse Point. I had never heard of it before. It was beautiful. Kind of a smaller grand canyon. We also attempted to take a family picture with our matching T shirts. Nathaniel was a little embarrassed, but I insisted. You can't really tell that Sebastian is wearing the shirt, but he is!!

Here are some more of the view:

Like I said, it was so beautiful. Sebastian was great in the car, he slept there and back. What a great little traveler!! I hope we go again sometime. Maybe in the fall when it is cool again. I can't believe I have lived in Utah so long and have never been to Moab.

Mother's Day/Birthday . . . I LOVE MAY!

So I have debated whether or not to write this blog. It's my mother's day/birthday wish list. Now, it doesn't mean that I expect to get ANY of these things, but I just wanted to document some of the things I was eyeing as of late. In case you didn't know, having a baby is expensive- so this is really more of a wish list.

SALTWATER SANDALS

I realize these are pretty trendy. But I think they are so cute!! And I haven't had a pair of good sandals in a really long time. And red? CUTE! or yellow or whatever color. I don't really care. 

KATE MIDDLETON STYLE NECKLACE

Now I am not one for charm bracelets or necklaces or anything. there is an ongoing joke in our household about pandora bracelets (I think they are awful). But this necklace is something else. Maybe because it's Kate Middleton, but I love it. I want one with Sebastian's name and Nathaniel's initial. I could do without the little boy charm. But even that could be cute. I am a total mommy.

SPA TREATMENTS

-Facial

-Massage

-Pedicure 

-Manicure

Need I explain this one?

HAZED AND CONFUSED

Need I explain THIS one?

I think that is about it. Pretty short list actually, but just sone things that have caught my eye. Like I said. I don't expect any of this, but if someone got them for me I wouldn't complain. 

Easter!!

First off, I went to the dentist today and my gums look great and I have NO CAVITIES!! I was worried since I skipped my dentist appointment during my pregnancy due to the bloody gums and everything made me gag. So that was good.

This was Sebastian's first Easter and boy was it fun. On Saturday, Nathaniel and I took the little man down to Trolley Square to meet the Easter Bunny. Sebastian insisted on wearing his tuxedo- he wanted to make a good impression after all.

It worked!! Nathaniel and Sebastian both received fancy baskets from the Bunny. I didn't get one, but next year the Easter Bunny is totally getting me one (I decided).

Sebastian lasted all three hours of church, for the first time. He wore his tux for Easter Sunday as well. He is quite handsome and fancy. He slept through Relief Society and Sacrament meeting and we spent Sunday school in the nursing lounge. But all in all it went well. I loved sitting in sacrament meeting with my sweet little family on the day we celebrate the most glorious of events. I am grateful for my savior and his sacrifice so that I could have my little family and live with them again some day. 

90th Percentile . . .

Guess who weighs 13 lbs 10 oz?

This guy!!

Blessing Day!

Sebastian was blessed on Sunday. In the LDS church infants are blessed not long after they are born. It is a chance to give the baby a name and a blessing. My dad was able to perform the blessing and it was beautiful. Nathaniel carried Sebastian up to the front of the chapel and our dear friends assisted my father in the blessing.

My dad blessed Sebastian to be strong physically and emotionally. He blessed him to love, respect and receive support from his parents. He blessed him to make wise choices in his life. He blessed him to serve a mission and marry a wonderful women in the temple. He blessed him to be kind.

I know that there was so much more to the blessing and my dad is going to give me his notes from his preparation, I just can't remember it all. I was filled with so many emotions and cried the whole time. I felt such peace and love as those I love and who love Sebastian, held him in their arms and used their priesthood to bless him with such wonderful things. My little family was surrounded by all the friends and family that we love. I felt so loved and supported and appreciate all those that were in attendance.

Sebastian was an angel baby. He was asleep up until the blessing, I took him out of his carrier and he was peaceful and quiet the whole blessing. I was a little worried due to the fact that Sebastian can scream with the best of them, but he was wonderful. My friend Erin let us borrow the blessing outfit she used for her son. Sebastian is a little chubbier and by the time the blessing was over the outfit was  cutting into his legs, but he looked super cute.

The day of was a bit chaotic so I didn't get many pictures. So the pictures are from a mini photo shoot we had this morning AND my mom brought this adorable cake.

Milestones!!

I said that I would post a video of him rolling over. He is getting better and better. He gets so mad when I put him on his tummy though. Hilarious.

I also jumped the gun on Saturday thinking that it was Sebastian's 2 month birthday, but it was his eight week birthday. TOMORROW is his two month birthday. Here is a list of what he is up to lately. 

Sebastian was blessed yesterday and I will write all about it soon!!

Things I can't live without as a new mom

I obviously stole the above picture from my husbands instagram. I tried to crop it, but it just wouldn't let me! My husband is a much better picture taker than me. Isn't my little man adorable?? (So is his daddy, so it makes sense)

I wanted to write a blog about the things that have been life savers in this first couple months of motherhood. Figuring it all out is HARD. Stuff like, how to leave the house and how to get them to sleep and how to get your own sleep. I am still trying to figure it out, but there are a few things that have really helped and I want to share them with all of you.

Rock n' play: The first month was really hard for sleep. I think that is pretty normal. Sebastian wouldn't sleep unless he was on my chest. This was exhausting and a bit stressful. He also had his day and night confused. He WOULD NOT sleep in his bassinet. He could sleep for three hours on my chest, but five minutes after I put him in his bassinet he was crying for me. I didn't know what to do. I swaddled and rocked and rolled blankets up next to him to make him feel secure, but nothing worked. One night at 3 am I was so frustrated that I googled solutions and I kept reading about a rock and play bassinet by fisher price. I went on Amazon and purchased it right then and there. BEST. PURCHASE. EVER. 

Exercise Ball: Sebastian also needs to be constantly moving. CONSTANTLY. We are going to be in trouble once he starts crawling and walking. He likes to bounce. That can be exhausting to do all the time, so a friend suggested an exercise ball. She lent me hers and it has been one of my favorite things. Bouncing helps him calm down when he is upset and helps him fall asleep especially when he is overly tired. Also, I am pretty sure it works my core, right?

Boppy Pillow:  This is probably a given. But being a nursing mom, this pillow has been great. You can nurse hands free if you want and if you are cradling your baby your arms have a place to rest. Also, now that he is a little older, I can prop Sebastian in the pillow and he loves to sit and look around. So cute. 

Lansinoh EVERYTHING: Lanolin, breast pads and milk freezer bags. I love all their products. 

 Ergo Baby: I have tried the moby wrap, but I didn't love it. Too much material and too hard to the baby in. Maybe I need to practice more, but it isn't my favorite. We got the Ergo baby and I love it. I can actually do some house work with him in it. We are going to Moab the first week in May and we want to hike a little, I think this carrier will work great. I will let you know.

So far, these have been the best items we have purchased. Honorable mention: Our glider and our 4 moms mamaroo.

 

He doesn't love the mamaroo all the time, but he will sleep in it fairly often. When breast feeding the glider is a must. I love it.

Yesterday, Sebastian rolled over!! We were doing tummy time and he rolled onto his back and then he did it again. I ran and got Nathaniel and he did it a third time!! He is only 7 weeks, so this is early! We tried it today, but he was just not having it. I will try to get a video of it. 

It's a boy!! Again!! A human one this time . . .

I am sitting on an exercise ball as I type this. Why? You might ask. No, it is not to exercise (although I need it) it's to keep my little man from screaming. He needs to be CONSTANTLY moving. Heaven help us once he goes mobile.

Who is this little man of mine? It's Sebastian James Johnson. He was born on February 15 at 3 pm. He was a whopping 7 lbs and 11 oz (thank goodness, Nathaniel was 9 lbs 6oz!!) and was 21 inches long. The labor was induced at 41 weeks because he just wasn't coming. After 24 hours and a wonderful epidural, he came after three pushes.

15 minute old

It has been 6 weeks and I am in love with this person. He has been kinda cranky as of late and I have probably been heard saying "What do you WANT, Sebastian???" But being a mother is magical.

1 Week old

He smiled at me a few days ago, but he is pretty stubborn and refuses to do it on command. When he did it the first time, I immediately began to cry and that scared him and he stopped. Hopefully he doesn't connect smiling with making mommy sad.

I know that my last post was Chicago. Well, as it turns out, I probably got pregnant that weekend (TMI?). We went on a baby moon to Puerto Rico in September that was wonderful. My pregnancy was pretty great actually. Towards the end was rough. I was huge, and got a crazy bad cold with a cough, which led to me breaking a rib. 9 months pregnant and a broken rib is NOT fun. I ended up going on maternity leave at 39 weeks thinking he would be showing up any day and I needed the rest. Well, needless to say, Sebastian wasn't planning on leaving the womb without help and they wouldn't induce me until 41 weeks. I have 3 weeks of maternity leave left.  I have made the decision of going back to work part-time. My mom will be watching sebastian when I do work, but I will spend most of my time with him. That was a really hard decision, but I feel the best one for me.

I guess that is as good of a summary as I have the energy to give. I am going to try and blog a little more frequently, but babies sure keep you busy. Who knew?