Random Moments of Joy

Hubs and I have had a rough couple of days. And it's only the beginning. But I thought it would be a good idea to share some joy and focus on the positive things in life. Right now the most positive thing in our lives is our precious LO. Here are some random moments with her that have brought us joy.

She was supposed to be eating her breakfast, but was distracted by something on the TV. I know this picture isn't great, but she was literally frozen in place for several moments with her arms up in tiny fists. Her concentration was hilarious:


Earlier this week we rode to work with daddy so he could pick up some things he needed. LO and I waited for him in the car, where she found the way-too-oversized sunglasses I had bought for her a few weeks ago. Here she is being her darling little self:



Thursday night, we decided LO needed a "time out for fun" and we headed to a local indoor fun park. It started with dinner at Johnny Rockets (YUM! Smoke House Single for mommy: Cheddar cheese, thick bacon, crispy onion rings & "Smoke House" barbecue-ranch sauce. Delish!), then it was time to play! LO enjoyed the little carousel most of all. She's been talking about the horses all day!



At the end of the fun park experience, LO got to choose some cheesy toys with her whopping 89 tickets. We ended up with a star flapper thingy, a red plastic maraca, a stuffed "Cars" toy and a bracelet. Here she is showing off her "loot" before we left:

We are so very blessed to have LO in our lives. God is so good!

 

Update

Hello, friends. I know it's been several days since I've posted, and I'm sorry for that. Unfortunately, hubs and I received some devastating news earlier this week and are reeling with the reality of it all. So much information to process, so overwhelming, feelings of helplessness and fear.

I will share our news with you dear readers once I am able to. In the meantime, I cannot help but ask for your prayers as hubs and I face an uncertain future.

Eyelid Laceration

My poor child. We spent Sunday afternoon at the Emergency Room after LO had a bit of an accident that morning. Hubs and I were "volunteering" in the Toddler Nursery at our church during the morning worship service. There was one particular child that was all up in LO's business the entire morning--wanting every toy she was playing with, all but sitting on her lap during snack time, wandering into the way while LO was on the swings, etc. She eventually "gently urged" (read: pushed) LO into a table because she wanted the mat LO was standing on. LO hit the table -- head first -- and ricocheted onto the floor, bumping her head a second time. I picked up the offender and moved her out of the way while hubs rushed to LO's rescue. Immediately he noticed the bleeding gash over her right eye. We put a cold wet paper towel on it, grabbed a baggy of ice and headed out.

I called my mom, who happens to be a NICU nurse at a nearby hospital. She said to keep the ice on it to help prevent swelling and that it probably wouldn't need stitches. We stopped by the hospital where she works so she could see it for herself, and because LO was asking to see her Mona.

My mom looked at it and decided it might actually need a stitch or two, and recommended we take LO downtown to another hospital that is equipped with a pediatric emergency unit. We loaded LO up and were on our way. I kept trying to apply the ice for a minute or two at a time even though LO had a fit each time. I hated doing it but I knew it was in her best interest.

We arrived at the ER, checked in, and waited about 10 minutes before we were moved to the Pediatric ER waiting area. We were the only ones in there. Whew! I figured it couldn't be that busy on Sunday morning! A few minutes later, we were taken back to a small room with a crib, were given a tiny little gown for LO, and were seen by a nurse. It was a good 30 minutes before the doctor made his appearance.

He looked it over, we discussed the options, and we decided to let them put some numbing stuff on her eye for 20 minutes so the doctor could get a better look at the laceration, and possibly, if needed, put a few stitches in. After 20 minutes, hubs went looking for the nurse. She said the stuff needed to stay on 30 minutes.

Okay. Fine.

We waited another 30 minutes (keep in mind LO had 2 band-aids over her eye holding this numbing stuff in place, and had to do our best to keep it from oozing into her eye, causing who-knows-what kind of damage if it were to get into her eye) before the doctor and his team of 3 or 4 nurses came in to help hold my precious baby girl down while the doctor took a look at her injury. I was there to hold her hand and whisper in her ear (over her ear-piercing cries) that everything was gonna be okay.

The doctor ultimately decided the laceration was relatively superficial and wouldn't require any stitches. His diagnosis required us to simply put some Neosporin on the gash twice a day for the next 3-4 days.

Sweet.

We will end up paying in the neighborhood of $1,000 for a 3-hour trip to the Emergency Room so a doctor could prescribe Neosporin for our daughter's laceration.

Ultimately, our peace of mind is well worth it. I would've hated myself if we had just taken her home only to find out 2 days later that the wound was infected, needed stitches, and she'd need a round of antibiotics to clear it up.

Here's a pic of our precious girl at the hospital:

20 Weeks!

We're half-way there! It's still so hard to believe how quickly this pregnancy has progressed! Although, I'm pretty sure these last 20 weeks -- especially the last 8 or so -- will most definitely drag out like crazy! Ack!

Week and day: 20 weeks

Belly Button in or out: Still in.

Wedding rings on or off: SO still on.

Food cravings: Chicken and cheeseburgers! So much for my old vegetarian lifestyle!

Food aversions: None. I still don't have a big sweet tooth, which is so totally strange for me.

Nausea: None! Woot!!!

Energy level: It's about the same as usual. Always wish I had more of it!

Weight gain: I'm guessing about 1o pounds, but I'll find out for sure tomorrow.

Mood: Really, really excited!

Maternity clothes: I'm in 'em. Pants, capris, shorts, bathing suits, etc. Still wearing some regular tops since I don't have any reason not to!

Size of baby: He weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now and is around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana!

Baby's changes: He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He can suck a thumb, yawn, stretch and make faces.

Next appointment: June 15th - tomorrow! Looking forward to seeing some new pics of our little guy!

Here it is... my 20 week pic. Sorry for the lounge clothes... I was too lazy to dress up for the photo! Ha!

Jackpot!

Last weekend, hubs, LO and I headed over to the baby furniture store to see about getting the baby's furniture. Since our original order could not be officially placed (unfortunately the awesome store is going out of business), we were able to select a set from the floor displays. It worked out in our benefit because we were able to get several items we need for the baby's room at about a 30% discount!

We ended up with the Munire Urban lifetime crib and 5-drawer dresser, a mattress and a new glider/rocker combo with ottoman. While the sales associate was writing up our order, I happened to notice -- SO at the almost last minute! -- they DID have the Jungle Tales crib bedding on display as well! I was SO surprised! I was able to get the 6-piece set, lamp AND mobile! I was totally stoked! So the only items we still want as far as room decor goes is the 3-piece wall hanging and the night light! What a deal!

I'm sort of at a standstill right now because I can't put the baby's room together yet. Hubs and I have been in discussions to have the carpet replaced throughout the house. It's gonna run us about $1,500 (did I mention hubs is in the process of building a deck, too!?) and ultimately, I'm just not sure it'll be worth it. I'm gonna look into the idea of having all of the carpets super-cleaned, removing all the furniture from all the rooms, etc., having them spot treated, etc. so that they're basically like-new. I'm guessing this will run us about $500. I think this is a decent compromise that requires slightly less effort (and money)! Once the carpets are either cleaned or replaced, I can start setting up the room. The walls are already painted a lovely cream color, I already purchased the window treatments, and we've just about got the room emptied out of miscellaneous junk.

It's hard to believe we'll be 20 weeks next Sunday! This pregnancy is flying by -- perhaps more so than the first one because this time I have LO around to keep me busy and entertained!

Bummed Out!

I just found out that the retail store where we purchased the baby's bedroom furniture is going out of business. I hate this because it's a really great store, with awesome, well-priced merchandise and is owned by a wonderful Christian family. I'm further bummed because the bedroom furniture we ordered a mere two weeks ago apparently cannot and will not be "officially" ordered. So unless we find another store that sells this line of furniture, I may need to choose new stuff instead of the lovely Bonavita Metro collection in Licorice (a black finish) we ordered. Here it is again, just to look at and sigh...

On the bright side, I may have found another option. It's the Urban collection by Munire. Check it:


It's very similar to the Metro line, but it unfortunately doesn't come in the dark black finish. This pic is Espresso, which still looks a lot like Cherry to me.

Oh, well. We should know more by this weekend about what our options are and what we decide to do.

Surprise!

Wow! You guys really surprised me! I set you guys up and almost all of you agreed you liked the SAME bedding set I already fell in love with! It's the Jungle Tales set:

I will admit that this photo makes the nursery out to be VERY busy, which ours will not at all be. We'll have the crib bedding stuff, a valence, a lamp, a night-light, a mobile and the three little wall hangings. But we ain't goin' crazy with all those dots everywhere! No diaper stacker (in my experience those things are useless!) nor a hamper (again, useless) nor the wall border. No monkey rug, either, since the baby's room is carpeted -- although I do think it is a cute rug!

Probably because I think the monkey rug is so cute, I've decided on which Angel Dear blankie I'll have for the baby. LO is hooked on the brown teddy bears, and this little guy is gonna get monkeys!


Is it wrong that I'm already working on a baby registry at only 18 weeks? I'm such a planner, and I can't help that I'm so stinkin' excited about adding a baby boy to our family mix. Plus, I love shopping for stuff that I (hopefully) won't end up paying for! I already told hubs our baby registry will be lean and mean this time around. A couple of towels, a blue blanket and some diapers is about all we're in need of! Should be fun!

Jungle Fever

Out of sheer joy and excitement, I have already started looking for the perfect nursery ensemble for our son's room. For some reason, I'm not in a "slap-a-crap-load-of-blue-up-all-over-the-place" kind of mood. For LO's room, we went with the Clothes Line bedding by Kidsline. It was simple, not too "pink-y" and was just perfect for our precious girl. So for this boy, I'm not planning to go overboard with a butt-load of BLUE everywhere. For some reason, I think I've got jungle fever! I like the idea of animals as a theme for our little boy's room.

So, I've found three options that I'm considering. Now, I haven't spent a TON of time researching the available options out there, so I'm sure I'll probably come across other ideas I like as we get closer to my due date. But for now, I thought I'd present these three options and allow my blog reader(s?) to voice their thoughts/opinions. Of course I do have my favorite of these three, but I'll wait until after you weigh in to share!

Option 1: Jungle 123 by Kidsline


Option 2: Jungle Tales by Nojo


Option 3: Jackson by Cocalo


Thoughts? Comments? This inquiring mind wants to know!

18 Weeks!

Okay, honestly, it just doesn't seem like there are big enough changes from week to week to justify posting a weekly pregnancy update. So, I think I'm gonna just stick to the even weeks and provide these updates every other week instead!

Week and day: 18 weeks and 1 day

Belly Button in or out: Totally still IN. I don't expect it to pop out--ever.

Wedding rings on or off: SO on. Starting to get a little bit tight first thing in the morning but then not so bad the rest of the day. I have noticed a little rash on my finger under the rings so I'm guessing they're rubbing a lot more during the day. I really don't look forward to having to take them off because LO was close to 4 months old before I was able to put them back on!!

Food cravings: Still craving chicken--especially BBQ and Buffalo-style--but now I've added a bit of a sweet tooth. Hubs, LO and I went out for dinner with some great friends and their little 2-1/2 year old son Saturday night, and we stopped at Marble Slab Creamery afterward. Hubs, LO and I split a Swiss Chocolate ice cream with mini chocolate chips mixed in. It was DIVINE! We're planning to run by there again tonight for more, and will probably end up with a quart or two to bring home! Yum!

Food aversions: None, really. I haven't had big issues with foods, smells or anything specific with this pregnancy, which has been really nice!

Nausea: Pretty much over it completely (knock on wood!). I did have a nasty stomach bug or food poisoning last Thursday and was MISERABLE the entire day. I was puking and stuff and it was awful! So glad it was temporary!

Energy level: Haven't been able to find it since I was 14 years old!

Weight gain: At last check, I've gained a total of 6 pounds so far. I'm sure this will start increasing all too soon!

Mood: Really excited!

Maternity clothes: I'm desperate. I've been wearing some of the maternity clothes I bought when I was pregnant with LO, but now I'm either sick of some of them or they don't fit. I'm planning to hit up Gap and Old Navy tomorrow when I can save an extra 10% with my Gap Silver card! Thank goodness for the 1st Tuesday of every month! :)

Size of baby: Right now, he's about 5 1/2 inches long and weighs almost 7 ounces.

Baby's changes: He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that I've already begun feeling! I can't wait for hubs and LO to be able to feel this little guy moving around!

Next appointment: June 15th - the big 20 week ultrasound appointment! Should have some more pics of our little guy to share after this appointment!

Other: We DID purchase the Bonavita Metro crib and tall dresser in the Licorice (black) finish last weekend. The baby's room is painting and ALMOST all of the junk in his room has found a new place to stay or has been donated. Hubs is pushing along on the deck -- he plans to be done by the end of the month. Also, we're really looking forward to a beach trip next week with some of our dear friends! Life is good and we are so thankful to be so blessed!

Okay, so here's the 18 week photo... Sorry to be so lame by taking the pic with my cell phone instead of my awesome Nikon D60.

17 Weeks!

Better late than never, right? Not too much has changed, which is why I haven't been in too big a hurry to post this... :)

Week and day: 17 weeks and 3 days

Belly Button in or out: Totally still IN. I don't expect it to pop out--ever.

Wedding rings on or off: SO on. Starting to get a little bit tight first thing in the morning but then not so bad the rest of the day.

Food cravings: Buffalo chicken tenders! I NEVER ate buffalo-style or spicy anything before this pregnancy. You should have seen hubs' face when I said I was craving buffalo chicken--it's one of his favorites! I think his heart leaped in his chest! Buffalo chicken tenders are totally delish!

Food aversions: Nothing really. I don't have a huge sweet tooth and I've had little to no desire to bake goodies over the past 2+ months. For those of you who know me, this is SO not normal.

Nausea: Pretty much non-existent at this point, and I am VERY grateful for that!

Energy level: Eh. It's not too bad. Could always use MORE energy, though. Maybe one day I'll figure out how to bottle up LO's energy and use it myself!

Weight gain: As of last week, I was up to 6 pounds! Not too shabby!

Mood: Waaaay excited that we're having a BOY! I can't wait to start buying tiny blue clothes! And LO is looking forward to having a baby brother, although she still wants to name him "Sticker." LOL!

Maternity clothes: I'm all about them. Pants are almost a must right now. Tops are negotiable -- I'm wearing some maternity tops and some regular ones.

Size of baby: Right now, he/she is about the size of a Beanie Baby! About 5 inches long and close to 5 ounces!

Baby's changes: His delicate skeleton is continuing to harden from cartilage to bone. This week he starts developing body fat, which keeps him comfy and warm after he's born.

Next appointment: June 15th - the big 20 week ultrasound appointment! Should have some more pics of our little guy to share after this appointment!

Other: We DID purchase the baby's furniture last Saturday. It'll take 10-12 weeks, so I'm glad we ordered it when we did. I absolutely LOVE it! We've also started painting his room (ugly white walls are going to be a nice cream-y shade). Hubs is making SERIOUS progress on the deck he's building, which will be nice to have it done by mid-June. Oh, and although it's not necessarily related to the baby, I am SO PROUD of LO for sleeping in her "big girl bed" since Friday night. She has done awesome and has totally surprised me! She's taking better naps now than she was before in her crib. I am SO blessed!

Okay, I'm totally lame, but I'm not including a 17 week picture. I figure not much has changed and I'm planning to post an 18 week pic on Sunday, so you'll just have to wait on that one!

Big Day!!!

Today has been a very big day in our household. For starters, LO slept in her "big girl bed" for the very first time last night! She was absolutely amazing. She played with a little toy piano for about 5 minutes, then quiet. We checked in on her before we went to bed and she was out cold in her crib, snuggled nicely under her blanket. We were SHOCKED! She did wake up around 3AM crying, and hubs went in to check on her. She was standing by the door (closed, of course) like she wasn't sure what to do next. Hubs helped her back into her bed, handed her teddy and a paci, and she was out in no time.

The pic above was taken as she watched daddy carry the front rail of her bed away. She said, "Oh, cooool!"

This is her "fake sleeping" in her new big girl bed! She was SOOOO excited!!!

Here she is striking a pose for mommy!

We celebrated her major milestone accomplishment with breakfast at Cracker Barrel -- usually one of mommy's favorites but very disappointing this morning. I've been feeling nauseous since we ate and haven't been able to eat anything other than a few crackers this afternoon. ((sigh)) I guess I need to remember that I am pregnant, with a BOY, who happens to be my husband's offspring. If you knew what I know about my husband's childhood, you'd know we've got our work cut out for us once TO arrives.

So speaking of TO... I think we've found "the one." You know, the perfect furniture to outfit our son's bedroom (still SO weird to type that!). We had narrowed it down to two options: Munire Majestic or Bonavita Metro.

This is the Munire Majestic convertible lifetime crib (we'd also get the 5-drawer dresser, not pictured here):


And the Bonavita Metro collection:

While I haven't seen the Metro collection in person yet (we're going this afternoon to check out the floor model), I'm leaning heavily towards that option. It's just such a clean and contemporary design and I really am in love with it! Doesn't it look just gorgeous converted into a full-size bed? I think any teenage boy would be grateful to have such a luxury!


There's a pretty good chance we'll be ordering TO's furniture this afternoon, which is a GOOD THING because they say it takes anywhere from 10 to 12 weeks to arrive!

Woot!

It's Official...

Guess we're gonna need one of these:

Hubs, LO and I are SO incredibly excited to find out we're expecting a baby boy!

We Know! We Know!

So we had our 16-week check-up appointment this morning. It was pretty much just supposed to be blood pressure, weight (hurray for only 6 lbs. so far!) and a quick listen to the baby's heartbeat with the fetal doppler.

However...

The nurse practitioner (NP) had a hard time finding the baby's heartbeat with the fetal doppler. I wasn't too worried about it, since we use a fetal doppler at home and had just listened to the baby the other day. In fact, I thought it was humorous how the NP went about her process of finding the heartbeat with the doppler. I was going to offer a few suggestions (silly me!) when she mentioned that if we can't find the heartbeat with the doppler, she'll want to send me back for a quick ultrasound just to be sure everything is okay. Naturally, I chose to keep quiet.

So, although we weren't scheduled for another ultrasound until 20 weeks, we were able to have one today.

The most awesome news??? Our baby is just fine! Great heartbeat, perfect growth, everything looks fine, etc. There are no problems.

((whew!!!))

The second most awesome news??? We were able to find out if we're having a boy or a girl! Woot!

Oh, unfortunately I can't share the news here on the blog until after we've told our family and a few close friends. Guess you'll have to stop back by tomorrow to find out! :)

Our New Deck

As I mentioned yesterday, hubs is in the midst of building a 500 sq. ft. deck in our tiny, measly little backyard. We decided because the yard is so small, has an obnoxious hill and leads right into a retention pond, it just isn't "livable" space where we can spend time with LO outdoors. Right now we're stuck hanging out in our front yard while all the neighbors drive by and see me in my lounge clothes sunning on a blanket in the grass. Something I'd definitely prefer doing in the privacy of our backyard.

So, we decided it made sense to put in a deck in the backyard we could use as our own semi-private getaway spot, PLUS it'll add some serious resale value to the house when we decide to sell. And of course, my super-handy husband has been working on this monstrosity all by his lonesome. Did I mention how amazing he is!?

Anywho, I thought I'd show you guys what it looked like before he got started:

He's made some serious progress, and has just about completed the framing. Laying the actual decking boards is next on his list - he ordered over $1,000 in wood yesterday and it should be here today for him to get started. Do you realize how large 500 sq. ft. is? I didn't, at least not until I went outside and saw the framing work he's completed:

I'm SO very proud of all he's accomplished and I know he's planning to have this whole thing knocked out by the end of June. It's absolutely shocking how capable this man is. I love him to pieces and can't wait for our (growing) family to spend quality time together outside on this beautiful deck.

I'll post more pictures as this project progresses.

A Day of Bullet Points

Today I'm happy because:

• LO woke up in a good mood
• We're having lunch with my mom and sisters at Olive Garden - one of my favs
• LO's Jibbetz should be here Monday - I'm trying to be patient
• My good friend found out yesterday she's having a baby GIRL (already has a 2-1/2 year old boy and is due with her baby girl just 4 weeks before me)
• LO will now watch Sesame Street while I take a shower and typically doesn't get into anything she shouldn't (knock on wood)
• Hubs is making some serious progress on our 500 sq. ft. deck. (Note to self: I should post some progress pictures...)
• I listened to my baby's heartbeat the other day with our rented fetal doppler. Such peace of mind and utter joy to hear!
• We have our 16 week appointment tomorrow.
• Our ultrasound appointment is a mere 27 days away. We should be able to find out if we're expecting a boy or girl!
• If it's warm enough after LO's nap, we're planning to head to the pool for the first time this summer! Woot!
• I've progressed from an unexpected love of BBQ chicken to an even more unexpected craving for Buffalo chicken! NEVER been a fan but am craving it like a crazy person!
• I've finally gotten over my incessant need for comments on my blog posts and am happy and content to just share my thoughts/life with the blogging community with no expectations from my readers. I really just enjoy it now!
• Our beach trip with 2 of my favorite couples and their kids is only about 3 weeks away. Woot!

What makes YOU happy today?

16 Weeks!

Week and day: 16 weeks and 1 day

Belly Button in or out: Totally still IN. I don't expect it to pop out--ever.

Wedding rings on or off: SO on. Starting to get a little bit tight first thing in the morning but then not so bad the rest of the day.

Food cravings: BBQ chicken! Any kind of chicken! I should be clucking by now based on how much chicken I've eaten over the past 3-4 weeks. Seriously.

Food aversions: Nothing really. I don't have a huge sweet tooth and I've had little to no desire to bake goodies over the past 2+ months. For those of you who know me, this is SO not normal.

Nausea: Almost gone completely! Very rarely hits me. I think all that chicken is keeping my tummy happy!

Energy level: Energy schmenergy. I didn't have much before this pregnancy, and certainly don't have too much now. ((sigh)) Wish it would pick up a bit and I'm still slightly hopeful it will.

Weight gain: Not sure. I'm guessing about 5 pounds but I'll find out for sure at my next appointment on Wednesday.

Mood: Stoked! We've made progress cleaning out our spare bedroom to turn into the baby's room. I've got a ton of miscellaneous "stuff" I need to go through and/or find a new home for, but it'll happen over time. Oh, and I'm also WAY excited that I was able to successfully install the ceiling fan with lighting kit all by myself in the baby's room! Hubs was quite impressed and surprised! Woot!

Maternity clothes: I'm so wearing some now. I still have jeans that fit okay, but when I sit down, they dig into my tummy and that does not make for a happy pregnant lady. I'm in my maternity pants most of the time, and still have a few maternity tops I'm in to.

Size of baby: Right now, he/she is about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces.

Baby's changes: His (or her!?) legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as the baby continues to develop.

Next appointment: May 20th - check-up only.

Other: I'm counting down the days until our next appointment on June 15th. We SHOULD be able to find out if we're expecting a boy or girl! Woot!

Okay, as promised... here's a belly shot of my big ol' pregnant self (please pardon how dark it came out -- not enough time to fix it!). I'm SO depressed at how huge I look this early, but I've heard you "pop" sooner with subsequent pregnancies. I know I'll end up looking like a heifer before this child arrives, but I'm okay with that, because nothing is as important as welcoming this healthy baby boy/girl into our world!

4-1/2 Weeks

Have I mentioned that in less than 4-1/2 weeks I will have reached the HALFWAY point of my pregnancy?? I am astonished at the mere thought of it! Seems like just yesterday we were anxiously awaiting the results of the HPT. Now we have just over 4 weeks before we'll know if our tiny one is a boy or girl! I cannot wait to find out.

My number one priority is a HEALTHY baby. And I'm happy to say that either way -- boy or girl -- I'll be ecstatic, for different reasons. I think it would be awesome to have a boy. We'd have a perfectly balanced family, and hubs would have a son to do all that fun "father-son" stuff. On the other hand, I know LO would most likely have a lot more fun growing up with a little sister. They could share stuff, play dress-up together, etc. It's a win-win situation.

But before then, I do have a regular ol' non-ultrasound appointment next Wednesday. We get to hear the baby's heartbeat, although that's not an overly unusual occurrence since we've rented a fetal doppler for at-home use throughout this pregnancy (as we did with LO). So we have the convenience and peace of mind of listening to TO any ol' time we want!

Oh, and just for the record, I'm planning to start posting belly pics (totally and completely clothed, of course!) on Sundays when I do my weekly pregnancy update posts. I'm so ashamed of how HUGE I already think I look, and I can't even imagine the fact that I haven't even started to pack on the 2nd and 3rd trimester baby weight yet! ACK!

Party On, Dude!

There is just over 2 months until LO's 2nd birthday. How much planning have I done?

Zero.

For those of you who know me well, this is SO not like me. I'm sure most of you are thinking, "What's wrong with this woman? She has like 11 weeks to plan a 2-year-old's birthday party! What's the big deal??"

Well, let's just say LO's 1st birthday invitations went out 6 weeks before the party. I started working on the party plans in January -- a good 6 months prior to her birthday! Crazy, right?

This time around, I was almost 100% set on an Elmo-themed birthday party. She loves the little red guy, right? Well, I was talking with my friend Joelle about her twin girls' 1st birthday party after seeing some of the pictures she shared on Facebook. It was so adorable and just had a pretty color scheme and used some monograms here and there. No "theme" per se, which I thought was just adorable. She made a GREAT point that she knew the girls were going to want to choose Barbie or Dora or some other character-type parties when they were older, so for now (read: they're too little to demand a specific party theme), she's doing what she wants to do, resulting in cute and classic party themes.

I might take a page from Joelle's playbook and do something more "generic" for LO's 2nd birthday party. Whatever I decide to do, I need to get on it SOON! There's no telling what other stuff will take up my time in the next few months (pool season, preparing for baby #2, etc.) so I've GOT to get on the ball!

Easy and Delicious

I can't help but share this awesome recipe. It is THE EASIEST crock-pot chicken recipe I know of, and it is sooooooooooooooo good! I hope my friend CM doesn't mind me sharing this recipe with you, but I just KNOW you'll love this as much as I do!

Creamy Crock-Pot Chicken

Ingredients:
2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
1 can cream of mushroom soup
8-16 oz. sour cream

Directions:

1. Rinse chicken with cold water; pat dry.

2. Place onion soup mix, cream of mushroom soup and sour cream in a lightly greased slow cooker.

3. Mix ingredients well, adding a dash or two of salt and pepper. Add chicken to slow cooker, covering it with the soup mixture.

4. Cook for approximately 4 hours on High or 6 hours on Low.

5. Serve over mashed potatoes (or rice) and enjoy!


[NOTE: Sorry for the horrible cell phone pic AND for the fact that I forgot to take a picture of dinner plated and looking all pretty. Yes, this picture is of the leftovers! I also served with applesauce (not pictured). :)]

Bon appétit!

Mine!!!

I'm a stay at home mom. Life is good. However, my daughter gets very little interaction with other kiddos her age. The only time she gets to socialize is when we take her to church. Every Sunday morning, for approximately 2-1/2 hours, she gets to hang out with anywhere from 1 to 4 other one- and two-year-olds. It's really great!

Or at least I thought it was.

Just recently, our daughter has miraculously learned the word "mine." Mind you, she did NOT learn that at home, or at a daycare or anywhere else. She learned it from another little person in her class. The proof is that when we mention said child's name to LO, she responds by saying, "mine!" Yet when we mention names of other kids in the class, she simply repeats their names with a smile.

This is VERY frustrating. And quite frankly, it's getting out of control! Every single thing in our house has now been deemed, in LO's opinion, to be "mine!" It's driving hubs and I C-R-A-Z-Y!!! This is not something we approve of, and it's killing me to have to keep reprimanding her (including time-outs) for repeatedly saying this horrible, useless word over and over again.

I hate to admit it, but I know this is just the first of what will be MANY poor habits she picks up from other kids at the church nursery or at her preschool once she starts this fall.

((sigh))

Get Active!

Okay, so I know it's probably not in my best interest to sit around on the couch all day, snacking and eating whatever sounds good and not making any effort to move my body whatsoever (besides the occasional trip to the cupboard or refrigerator, of course!). I have NO desire to pack on 30+ pounds with this pregnancy, but I also have NO desire to turn into a gym rat in order to avoid said weight gain.

Enter EA Sports Active.
I happened to see a brief segment on Ellen today where she and Alison Sweeney had a bit of an Active "dual" against each other and the game piqued my interest. Now, I already have a Wii and the Wii Fit, but do I use the Wii Fit? Nooooooooooooooo! Of course not! But when I saw this segment, I thought that this definitely looks like something I can get in to!

I did some preliminary research and wasn't able to find any strict warning that this fitness program is not advised for pregnant women. Plus, it's customizable so I'm guessing I can do more of the "low impact" type workouts and stay away from anything that seems like too much (especialy considering I've been a couch potato for the past 20+ months).

Anywho, I'm 99% sure I'm gonna give this bad boy a try and see if it can't help keep me from gaining a zillion pounds with this pregnancy. I'll keep you all posted on how it goes! Maybe one day I'll even consider a video blog post (vlog?) -- if I decide to get all fancy on ya'll!

15 Weeks!

I'm taking a page from my friend Joelle's blog and am going to (try to remember to) post weekly updates as my pregnancy progresses. I hope you all enjoy this little insight into how TO ("Tiny One") is impacting our lives, how I'm feeling, and what we're up to as we ready our household for baby #2!

Week and day: 15 weeks

Belly Button in or out: Totally IN. My belly button never popped out when I was pregnant with LO, and I don't expect it to this time, either.

Wedding rings on or off: SO on. But I know it's only a matter of time before they'll end up around my neck as my fingers continue to expand.

Food cravings: BBQ chicken! Crazy since until about 3 weeks ago I was a total vegetarian. I'm not eating any other kind of meat -- just chicken. And it's yuuuuummmmm.

Food aversions: Peanuts. Sweet stuff like brownies, cookies, cake, etc. -- which is CRAZY coming from me!

Nausea: Finally starting to ease up. Still hits occasionally, but not near as bad as it was during the first trimester. Whew!

Energy level: As if I had any energy before getting pregnant, right? Ha! I'm doing okay I guess. Always wish there was MORE energy for me to do more fun stuff with LO.

Weight gain: Only 3-4 lbs. That will start to increase (dramatically) in no time!

Mood: Excited! Looking forward to getting the house ready for our new arrival!

Maternity clothes: Hate to admit it, but I have been throwing a pair of maternity jeans and capris into the mix as needed. Also washed some maternity shirts over the weekend because I'm NOT a fan of tight tops that accentuate my growing belly -- I prefer loose, comfy clothing!

Size of baby: About 4 inches long (crown to rump) and weighing in at about 2 1/2 ounces. Basically, about the size of an apple.

Baby's changes: He/She is busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract. His/Her legs are growing longer than his/her arms now, and he/she can move all of his/her joints and limbs. Although his/her eyelids are still fused shut, he/she can sense light.

Next appointment: May 20th - check-up only.

Other: I am so very grateful and blessed to have this baby in our lives! I'm busy cleaning out our back bedroom/junk room so I can continue with my "To Do" list to get that room ready for this baby. I'm also looking forward to June 15th when we go for our 20 week ultrasound and (hopefully) find out if we're having a boy or girl! Woot!

Freebies!

Okay, I am absolutely miserable! Why, you ask? Because I have been eating out at restaurants for lunch and dinner for an entire week!

I like to go out to eat, and never really thought I'd tire of it. But guess what?! I DID!

The reason for all of this dining out is simple: freebies! I've signed up for a variety of "birthday clubs" at several restaurants and I've been cashing in like a fiend these past few days.

Some examples? Let me tell you...

• One FREE scoop of ice cream from Baskin-Robbins
• $5 off any order at McAlisters Deli
• FREE gourmet burger from Red Robin
• FREE dessert from Logan's Roadhouse
• FREE dessert from LongHorn Steakhouse
• FREE buffet from Ryan's

If any of these restaurants are in your neighborhood, you should consider signing up for their Birthday Clubs or eClubs. You'll get an occasional email from them about specials n' stuff, but you'll also get some awesome freebies for your birthday!

YUM!

Return to Sender

I'm so totally bummed to report that the crocs I ordered the other day were a no-go. I actually bought two pairs (pair?) -- the ones I posted about yesterday and a pair of the regular ol' crocs you see everywhere. Both of them were about a half size too big, and since they don't come in half-sizes, they both had to go back.

I'm totally hating it! Anyone have any suggestions on some super-comfy alternatives to the flip flop that a pregnant woman wouldn't mind wearing? I'm desperate for some new summer shoe wear!

Thanks, all!

Party Time!

Happy Birthday to me! I can no longer say I'm "just 30." Now it's "I'm in my 30s." Sounds SO much older, doesn't it?

Oh, well.

I'm waiting on the UPS man to deliver one of my presents to myself. I know I'll be LIVING in flip-flops this summer (as I do every summer), but I decided I wanted to try something a little different so I wouldn't get too terribly bored. Enter the crocs Malindi Flat Slingback:
Hopefully they're as comfy as they are cute! My other gift to myself is some more McBlooms Extremely Rich Cream. If you haven't tried this stuff, you have NO idea what you're missing. It smells divine (also comes in fragrance-free, but really, you don't want to miss out on it's light and beautiful scent), and it makes your skin SO stinkin' soft you wouldn't believe it!!
Have a great day!

Progress!

So we've been talking to LO about her future little brother or sister (whom she still refers to as "sticker"), but every time we mention the word "baby" she goes and finds her little baby doll:
I decided it was time to clarify things so I named her baby doll "Lucy." I referred to the doll as Lucy several times and now she knows when I ask to find Lucy, that means to go get her baby doll.

The great thing about this is that now when we mention her baby brother or sister, she knows we're not referring to her baby doll.

On to step 2: I explained to her that her baby brother or sister is in mommy's tummy. This concept seemed to elude her for a few days. Finally, last night, I asked her, "Where's your baby brother or sister?" And what did she do?? She pointed to mommy's tummy and even gave my belly a kiss!

SUCCESS!!!

She'll be just 22 months old in a few weeks, but she's already starting to understand that there's another baby in the equation and that she'll be a big sister one day soon. I know she has no concept of time, but I'm sure that it'll all start to make more sense as she sees mommy's tummy continue to grow bigger and bigger ((sigh)). This is such an exciting journey!!!

A Bit Behind On My Posting...

Hi, blogland! Sorry I've been so scarce in my posting lately. I'm working a (legitimate) part-time job from home but have been averaging a bit over my 20 hours. Plus, keeping up with LO while carrying TO ("Tiny One" - in case you forgot!) has kept me occupied more than you would believe!

Hubs, LO and I are QUITE excited about the additional family member we're expecting Nov. 1st (or much sooner if he/she cooperates with mommy!). Although I'm currently at 14 weeks, I neglected to post some pictures from our 12-week ultrasound. I am absolutely FLOORED at the 4D images we received. We were able to watch in real-time in 4D as our tiny one moved around, flailed his/her arms and legs, and fought the hiccups! It was amazing!

I'm happy to report that the nausea is easing up and my energy level is starting to pick up again (whew!). The 2nd trimester with LO was the BEST and I'm hopeful for the same with TO. Guess we'll have to wait n' see!

I'll try to keep my posting a bit more regular and often than it's been in the past few months. I won't lie, though -- your comments are what keep me going!

Nausea, Nausea and More Nausea...

Why so nauseous you ask?

I'm pregnant!

Yeppers! Hubs and I are ecstatic to announce that we are expecting a baby in November! I'm 13 weeks pregnant and have been so very nauseous for so many weeks! I'm almost convinced we're having a boy, based on the nausea and my cravings for salty foods. Would you believe I have had NO desire to eat ANYTHING sweet?! I think I lived on cake while I was pregnant with LO!

What's terribly disappointing is that my mother-in-law apparently was nauseous the ENTIRE TIME she was pregnant with hubs (no surprise there). So I'm not expecting this to improve any time soon. But I'm okay with it, because our family is going to be blessed with a beautiful little miracle in just 6 short months!

Woot!

BTW... We're calling this one "TO" (no, not for Terrell Owens, but for "Tiny One"). We figure this baby is smaller than LO, so tiny seemed like a good fit.

Although if LO had her way, she'd refer to him/her as her baby "sticker" (translation: "baby sister"). She says she wouldn't mind a baby brother, either.

Life is good! God is good!

Apple Bottom Jeans

I saw this today and couldn't help but share with you! Here's a little somethin' for those of you needing a good laugh today!

Enjoy!

Only 13 Hours, 15 Minutes To Go!

I'm sitting next to hubs on our couch in our living room. We're both sporting our respective laptops on our laps while watching mindless TV -- in this case, "This is Howie Do It." So what makes this Friday any different than any other Friday night?

LO is not here.

That's right!

Hubs and I have never spent a night away from her in all of her 19 months, 2 weeks and 2 days of life! But we (I) decided it would be healthy for LO to spend a night away from her loving mommy and daddy, you know, to help her grow and develop her individuality, etc. I read somewhere that she needs to know that she can count on other people to meet her basic needs (other people such as her loving Mona!). In reality, this whole thing is mostly for my benefit. Not that I want or need any separation from my lovely daughter, but I want to have a healthy relationship with her and somehow or another I think this will help. When she's older, I want her to be able to have sleepovers at her friends houses, go to summer camp and do other activities on her own without needing her mommy to hold her hand (again, see how this is really all about ME?!).

Anywho, guess I'll get back to TV viewing and finishing up some laundry. I sure hope I can make it 'til tomorrow morning at 10 AM!

How's This Go Again?

Our living room. Last night. I'm lounging on the couch watching TV. LO is asleep. Hubs headed to the bathroom (not for the reason you're thinking, though).

He comes out to the living room a few minutes later, holding a plug-in night light. It's the automatic kind that turns on when it's dark, and off when there's enough light in the room. It's not rocket science.

So he walks into the living room looking dumbfounded, staring intently at the night light and then asks me, "How's this go again?"

I said, rather sarcastically, "Well, first you plug it in, then--"

"Oh, ya," he says. "Plug it in."



Um, seriously!?



Yep! That's my hubs! He's been a bit overworked and mentally exhausted lately, so I cut him some slack. But certainly not until after I made fun of him several times!

The Good & The Bad

It was Tuesday evening. Approximately 7:28 PM. I had just finished a lovely dinner with hubs, LO and Mona (LO's grandma/my mom). I sat down at the desk to look something up online, but my precious MacBook wasn't responding.

Slight panic.

I couldn't force quit any of the programs that weren't responding. I listened closely and heard a not-ever-good sound of the hard drive clicking.

Serious panic.

That's disastrous. Coming from the PC world, I immediately recognized that sound as it seemed to happen to PCs quite often. I had never experienced such a sound on my nearly 21-month-old MacBook.

I had to do the ol' hold-down-the-power-button-til-it-gives-up-and-turns-off approach.

I gave it a second to chill out.

I pressed the power button again to turn it on.

It seemed lost. It wasn't sure what to do. The hard drive kept clicking and all I got was a gray screen.

Then a little file folder appeared in the center of the screen with a question mark in it.

This can't be good.

I call dear ol' AppleCare support, am quickly transferred to a Apple technician, who, after walking me through a few different steps, was able to confirm my worst fear: the hard drive was in fact DEAD.

I could have panicked like a crazy fool at this point, but I smiled at my lovely 1 Terabyte external hard drive, running Time Machine (Apple's wondrous back-up software), and knew full well that none of my precious data would be lost.

But of course, before I could restore my data, I needed to have my hard drive replaced. Luckily, there is an Apple-certified repair place located a short 20-minute drive away. It also just so happens that the assistant manager there is a very good friend of mine. We'll leave it at that.

SO... I call the store, which we'll refer to as the Apple Store, even though this store is--from my understanding (only because I've never been to a genuine Apple Store)--not even close to being an official, genuine, state-of-the-art Apple Store. I happened to speak with my good friend, shared my bad news, and decided I would bring my MacBook in the very next morning.

So the next morning arrives. LO and I find a wonderful parking spot just outside the Apple Store. I get her loaded up in her stroller and head inside.

I can't find the store.

Seriously.

I look around, check the posted directory thingy, but no Apple Store.

I see a big poster with a Mac on it, so I know I'm in the right place. Just gotta find it.

I managed to recall my friend telling me the store was located on the 2nd floor, so we hopped in the elevator and managed to stumble upon said Apple Store.

I drop off my lifeline to the outside world (you know, my MacBook) and am shocked to hear it might be Monday before it's ready. Keep in mind it's currently Wednesday morning. Apparently Monday was a "worst case scenario." Alrighty then.

Wednesday afternoon, around 5:30 PM, I get a call from the Apple Store. They confirmed the hard drive failed, said they would order a new one, which will be sent priority overnight (arriving Thursday morning), and my MacBook should be ready for pick-up late Thursday afternoon.

Whew!!!

By this time, I've gone almost a full 24 hours with no Internet access. Seriously people. I started twitching by about hour 6. It sucked. But the end was in sight!

So I called the Apple Store on Thursday to verify the hard drive came in and we were still on schedule. They couldn't tell me. Apparently the sales folks didn't have any updates from the repair folks. Lovely.

I called back several hours later. Still no update. They give me the number to the repair folks.

Nope. No hard drive. Guess it'll come in tomorrow (Friday) morning they tell me.

Fabulous.

I wait until around 10AM Friday morning--after priority overnight shipments should have been delivered--and call the store. There's still no update in their system.

Seriously??

The manager gave me the number to the repair folks. I call.

Nope. The hard drive did NOT arrive as expected. So where was it? The repair guy couldn't tell me. Said he didn't have access to the tracking information for the package.

Ummmm, okay...? Is there any way you can get the tracking information?

He says he guesses he can call Apple.

Super.

Great idea.

He calls me back 20 minutes later and says it's supposedly out on the truck for delivery. Argh. Apparently once it's delivered to the store, a courier person takes the packages over to the repair site, which is about a 10 minute drive from the store.

I'm getting fed up.

Friday afternoon I have hubs call the store. I can't deal with it much more before I'll go crazy. He calls the store and they tell him the hard drive was delivered around 2:30 PM on Friday afternoon. The kicker was that the courier guy left around 4:00 PM to run packages over the repair guys, and left my hard drive at the store.

Are you kidding me?!

Does it really have to be this hard?!

The store didn't make any effort or attempt to rectify the issues. Granted, it may have been the delivery company's fault for taking 2-1/2 days to deliver a priority overnight package. I dunno. But the Apple Store made no effort to follow up on the delivery or do anything to accept fault for not sending the hard drive to the repair folks when it arrived. I'm telling you, hubs was telling them HE would go to the store, pick up my hard drive, and TAKE IT over to the repair guys.

He ended up talking with a repair guy who said he'd stop by the store Saturday morning to pick up the hard drive on his way to the repair place so the laptop could be ready to be picked up Saturday afternoon.

Day 4.

Four days without my MacBook.

Four days to replace a single hard drive.

This is NOT rocket science, people.

Apparently someone was supposed to pick up the repaired equipment from the repair guys Saturday afternoon, take them to the Apple Store, and then I would receive a phone call informing me my laptop was ready to be picked up.

Hubs wasn't going to wait for a call.

On Saturday, he got in the car at 2:30 PM and headed downtown. He was ready and willing to pace impatiently at the Apple Store until my laptop arrived.

After he left, I decided to call the store just to get an update and to see exactly how long my patient husband would be patiently waiting.

Surprise!!!

Ya, my laptop was already at the store and ready to be picked up.

I'm sorry, where was my phone call informing me of this?!!?

OMG.

I was at my wits' end with these folks. This entire process was an absolute NIGHTMARE. I mean, I could have expected better from PC repair folks. THAT'S how bad this experience was.

Painful.

The icing on the cake was that when I opened up my MacBook, it was Absolutely. Filthy.

We're talking dust everywhere, smears on the screen, and a little dab of what (I hope) was chocolate smooshed outside the keyboard and onto the border surrounding the screen.

Gag.

(Side note: Before I took it in for repair, I cleaned the crap (not literally) out of my machine, as I would've been SO embarrassed to submit a filthy machine for repair. I'm of the old-school mindset that says "return it in better condition than you found it.")

Now, you're wondering where the "Good" is in all of this, right?

Well, after hubs brought my beloved MacBook home, I hooked it up to my lovely 1TB external hard drive, selected my Time Machine backup, and in less than 45 minutes, my MacBook was restored to its previous glory. As in, exactly where I left off on Tuesday evening when it crashed. And all it took was 2 or 3 clicks of the mouse.

Apple MacBook? LOVE IT!

My experience with the Apple Store? Wouldn't recommend them to my worst enemy.

My apologies to my dear friend who works as an assistant manager at said store. Luckily, he wasn't one of the people I had to deal with in the aforementioned ordeal.

Gawsh!

I'm totally disappointed to announce that my Macbook hard drive called it quits Tuesday evening. I'm writing this post on my husband's Lonovo ThinkPad laptop. I hate it. But that's not the point of this post. I just wanted to share my sadness with my one reader out there. Yes, you. My one reader.

Anywho, it'll be late Friday evening at the very earliest that I'll be able to pick up my laptop. The whole "dropping it off at the repair place" story is going to be quite a post. I'll write that one when I have a few minutes of time to really give it the attention it deserves! I'm hopeful the pick-up process will be much less painful.

I'll keep ya posted.

((sigh))

Sew Cool!

I'm quite excited to share with you all that I am picking up a knack for sewing! My church is making quilts to send to children in Swaziland, and I've been able to work on two of them this week! It's such a great cause, and I figure it's about time I learn to be more domestic and rip out my mom's sewing machine!

Here are some pics of my handiwork. Keep in mind - I didn't get to choose the fabric. The church provided me with the fabric squares and I just had to sew them together. In other words, they aren't the cutest things (I would've picked something quite different than these), but ultimately they will serve their purpose once they make it to Swaziland.

V-Day Bling!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day! We had a very special day, consisting of a big 'ol breakfast I made from scratch:


lots of gift-opening for LO:


a dessert that ended up taking all stinkin' day to create (even though I had a GREAT helper!):


some lasagna for dinner (forgot a pic -- sorry!)

and of course I can't forget the beautiful flowers hubs gave me, and now the latest trinket of his affection...

Isn't it gorgeous? It's a Heart-Tag Bracelet in Sterling Silver from my favorite jewelry shop, Blue Nile. It has LO's initials engraved on it and I absolutely LOVE IT! LOVE IT!! LOVE IT!!!

We had a most wonderful day and I'm so very blessed to have hubs and LO in my life!!!

Seriously?

Okay, once upon a time, I sewed a pillowcase (is sewed a word?). Anyway, it was awesome. I got all excited about the idea of sewing and subscribed to email newsletters from Simplicity (they make sewing patterns). Anywho, I got an email from them today and I had to laugh. See for yourself:

(Click on the image to see a close-up of these shirts in all of their glory.)

Father/Son Casual Shirts. What better way to say, "I love you" to the man in your life than by forcing him to wear the most hideous shirt known to man? And then to top it off by scarring your young son by throwing one on him, too?!

I'm sorry, but this is just cruel and unusual punishment.

Romance Isn't Dead!

Okay, so yesterday I had taken LO on a walk around the neighborhood -- it was such a gorgeous 70 degrees out! It was about 4:30 PM and, of course, I hadn't even showered for the day so I was total grunge. Not surprisingly, by the time we returned to the house, hubs was already home from work. We sat outside with LO for a spell, then I came inside to make a work-related phone call in peace and quiet.

Fast-forward about 20 minutes later. I was about to start making some jambalaya for dinner, when hubs said, "Stop!" I looked at him rather inquisitively, said I was planning to start dinner before jumping in the shower. He said to go ahead and take a shower and I said okay!

I heard him closing a door over in the "west wing" of our humble home, so I proceeded to head toward the bathroom for a much-needed shower.

Next thing I know, there's a knock at our front door.

"Hubs? Can you get that?," I hollered across the house. No response.

"Hubs?"

Slightly irritated that my mission to take a shower was stalled, I yelled again, "HUBS?! Can you get that??"

Since I still received no response, I went to the door (side note: I was in fact still fully dressed at this point), checked through the 'peep hole' and what--or better yet--whom did I see??

IT WAS HUBS!!!

He was standing at our front door, a dozen roses in hand, patiently waiting for me to answer the door and ask me out for dinner!

Can you believe it!?

I sure couldn't.

It was the sweetest thing! Check out the beautiful flowers he gave me:


If you look closely, you can see a beautiful little heart with "We Luv U" written in crayon attached to the vase. Hubs and LO decorated it themselves!


These flowers are just gorgeous!!!


So, hubs had arranged my wonderful mom to come over to keep LO while we went out for a nice, romantic dinner. Guess where we went!? Outback Steakhouse! One of my favorite places that we hardly ever go to.

Can you say, "Bloomin Onion'?" That's what I'm talkin' about!!


And don't get me started on the bread, the delicious salad and the fabulous veggies & baked potato I had for dinner! DE-LISH!!!

Needless to say, I'm SO incredibly smitten with my amazing husband! Romance is alive!!!

Gimme a sec...

...I've got something so sweet to blog about but I must wait until I motivate myself to take a few pictures first. You know, for supporting documentation and all. Will try to post very soon!

Coloriffic

People. I bought this the other day:

That's right! Ten assorted colors of kids' paint. According to Crayola, "Washable Kid’s Paint is ideal for arts and crafts, posters, and school projects. The paints are easy to apply with brushes, sponges, stamps, stencils, and other tools, and they can be used on almost any surface." Sounds like fun, right?

Actually... I'm not sure. I haven't even opened the box yet. I was thinking LO and I could do a fun little art project, but I just can't get myself over the idea of how big of a mess it will make! I'm debating waiting until the Spring when we can take her table outside for an art project--or at least take HER outside to hose her off once we're finished.

I also totally just noticed -- these are little bottles of paint. Like, regular paint. NOT finger paint, like I thought I was buying. It says on the box that the paints are designed to easily wash from skin and most children's clothing... At this point, I think it's a lot to ask of an 18-month-old to use brushes, sponges, stamps, stencils, etc. Let's face it: she'll use her fingers.

Maybe my closer scrutiny of the packaging warrants a trip back to Target to buy some FINGER paint.

((sigh))

Sick n' Tired

My precious little one was sick yesterday. Keep in mind, she's 18 months old, right? Well, this was the FIRST TIME in her life that she's had a fever. The FIRST TIME in her life that she's been sick enough to require two doses of Tylenol in the same day. Luckily, we can still say our 18-month record of never making a sick visit to the pediatrician's office is still in tact. Sweet.

So since my baby girl was a bit clingy and whiny (more so than usual), I decided to forgo our TV viewing schedule (i.e. one 30-minute Elmo DVD per day), and got out my old VHS tape of The Little Mermaid. I laid down on the couch, had LO snuggle up next to me, grabbed a blanket and her precious Teddy, and pressed Play.

About 20 minutes into the movie, I glanced down and LO and--sure enough!--her little eyes were closed and she was out cold! My baby girl took a good 45 minute nap right there next to me on the couch while watching our Disney movie. This had to be one of the most precious "Mommy Moments" I've experienced during this adventure known as motherhood. I grabbed the cellphone to snap a picture of this unforgettable moment. If you know LO, you know that she's never been much of a "cuddle-er" and usually is movin' and shakin' during the daytime, so such a moment as this was far too wonderful to keep to myself!