Unholy

It's a pretty low moment when you're dragging one kid up the stairs by his arm for a nap while singing a hymn to the other one screaming in your arms. I'm pretty sure that would not be considered "a song of the righteous" at that point.

Bittersweet

Saturday was the Stake Run for Mercy 5K. We spent a lot of time putting it together this year. For a little while, it looked like we may have gotten in over our heads.

In the end, we had over 200 registrants and many more pledges than we expected. The day was a little hectic and crazy, but in a really good way.


I was really happy to be a part of it again this year, but also a little sad that I won't get to do it next year.

First Day

The Boy had his first day back to preschool last week. I can't believe how big he has gotten. He'll always be my baby, but ain't he just a little man now?

Lil Diva

When she's mad, she's really mad. But give her even a little bit of attention and she'll flash you one of these.

Swim Class

Guess who learned to swim this summer?



I am so thrilled and so proud of him. Thanks Miss Libby!

Bret Michaels

I have a crazy older sister who loves Bret Michaels and a crazy middle sister who is willing to dress up like him at a girl's weekend. She has also done Paula Dean, Britney Spears, and made hand puppets all in the name of entertainment. She is absolutely hilarious!

Anniversary Present

It's not our anniversary yet, but we went ahead and bought tickets as a gift to ourselves. We are going to see this guy in September.



Come with us!!! Get your tickets here.

Has It Been a Month?

Here she is at one month old.

Some facts about the girl:

She can poop with the best of them.

She goes to sleep well at night, but it's a struggle in the day.

She has gained 2 and a half pounds in her one month, now weighing in at 7 pounds, 10 ounces.

Her little head still looks a bit ridiculous in the giant headbands I bought.

I think we'll keep her.

She's a Yankee Doodle Dandy

She's a Yankee Doodle Dandy

A Yankee Doodle, do or die

A real live niece of her Uncle Sam

Due on the Fourth of July (but showed up early)

Now I've got a Yankee Doodle sweetheart

She's my Yankee Doodle joy...

The Birth...in Short

Here's the story. I went into labor around 12:30 am on Saturday morning. I woke up The Man around 1:00 am to inform him I might be in labor. I spent the next hour in denial until the pain was a bit too much. So we called the Holmes' at 2:00 am to come stay with the Boy.

I spent two plus hours in triage because the woman next to me decided to have her baby then and there. When I got to the hospital I was dialated to about a two and by the time I got my epidural an eternity later, I was already a seven. Holy pain. I was not made for labor. The Girl's heart rate dropped shortly after the epidural. My room went from having three people to about ten people in a matter of seconds. A few shots of this and that along with some fast acting staff and things went back to normal quickly, though. She was born at 6:12 am - delivered by Dr. Duguid, Nurse Tracy, and friend and medical student Stephanie (who had her baby the next day!).

Big brother is happy with his little sister, and so are we.

She's Here

The Girl

June 19, 2010
5 lbs. 3 oz.

19 inches

It's Okay Mom...

While driving to a friend's house today, I had a little Braxton-Hicks moment, which has occurred through this entire pregnancy with regularity. So I put a hand on my stomach and bobbled the steering wheel. I then said outloud something like, "Whoa Anna, nice driving." To which the Boy replied, "It's okay, you're having a contraction."

A few minutes later the lady driving in front of me was having a difficult time staying in her lane. I like to talk outloud to people who have driving issues. So I said something like, "Pick a lane, woman". The Boy gave her the benefit of the doubt informing me that, "She's having a contraction" as well.

Thanks, buddy.

The Obilgatory Pregnant Picture

I have just one of these with the Boy. So I took just one of these with the Girl. Here we are at 8 months.

Car seat: Check
Bottles: Check
Food in the freezer: Check
Diapers: Check

Just need a baby.

Free Time

It's 7:30 pm. My house is (pretty much) clean. I am ready for church tomorrow, and my husband and child are both asleep. How often does this happen?

Mastering the Art of Blaming It On the Dog

I was sitting on the couch with the Boy sharing a milkshake today when I smelled...ya know. So this very brief exchange followed:

Me: Boy, did you just toot?
Boy: No, it was Roxy.
Me: (laughing) I don't think so.

He hasn't quite figured out that you can't blame it on the dog if she is outside.

One of THOSE Days

Ever had one of those days where you seem to have the same problem over and over?

Today I was putting grocery sacks in the car when the handle on one of the bags snapped and everything went spilling out.

When I got that all cleaned up and everything loaded, I reached for my purse and managed to dump the entire contents of it out onto the parking lot.

As I was putting the Boy's bowl of Man 'n' Cheese on the table at dinner, somehow it flipped completely upside down. Luckily I had reached the table and avoided the carpet.

April, I'm sorry I picked up your young child today. Looking back, that was a mistake - I'm glad nothing happened to her.

Getting Ready

I pulled out all of the Boy's old onesies, but some of them were a little stained; April suggested laying them out in the sun. I liked how it looked all strung across my front yard's fence, so I took a picture.

One more month.

Soccer Class

Dear Boy,

If you would quit getting up at 6:00 a.m. you wouldn't be exhausted at the end of soccer class, pitch a holy fit when it was time to go, and then fall asleep in the car on the way home. Consequently, I wouldn't have done any of those things either. Alright I didn't fall asleep in the car on the way home, but I felt like it.

Having said that, here are some pictures of your first soccer class. Please let your mom get some sleep now, okay?

Puddle

See that? A seemingly harmless bit of water on the small outside step leading to our back porch. It's no coincidence that it is directly below the doggie door.

The Boy and I were on our way out the door yesterday when I asked if he needed to use the bathroom first. To which he responded,

"I already did."

I didn't hear the toilet flush so I asked, "Where?"

"Outside."

There you have it. Now let's be honest, if you were three years old and you had the ability to pee through a doggie door, wouldn't you try it once?

This Was an Interesting Day

Almost two weeks ago, I took this picture.

Mhm. That's snow on the mat, and no, it was most certainly not welcome. That day started out rainy, turned to snow, got sunny, and then rainy/snowy again. One thing I've learned not to say after living here 8 years, "That was probably the last time it will snow." Incidentally, there is rain/snow in the forecast this week.

Nesting Much?

Last week I had a hard time going back to sleep after waking up in the middle of the night. I had baby stuff on my mind. I decided that instead of letting another night go by like that, I would just do something about it.

First I decided my kitchen and bathroom floors needed major help. I wanted to get one of those hand held, pressurized steam cleaners to help out but that didn't work out. So I took a tea kettle of boiling water and a toothbrush and went to work. For my friends who think I'm so clean, brace yourselves. Here was one of the little crannies in my kitchen before:

Really, really gross. I know. Please still be my friend. It looks worse close up like that. Really. And it's better now, see?

I set up as much of the little attic room as possible to get ready for those seemingly endless late night nursings and changings. (Send burp cloths to the "My First Baby Spit Up So Friggin' Much Foundation".) I'm so happy with this room right now. I don't have to walk across the hall to nurse at night, and the Boy and The Man won't have their sleep disturbed either.

We have also made the Boy give up the last of his bumpers, which was like his security blanket, by bribing him with new Dr. Seuss alphabet sheets. He loved them at first, but the novelty is starting to wear off and he is asking for his "night-night" back. Hopefully that will go away before the little one arrives.


It's exhausting to think of everything I have left to do and that I will likely have to do it all over again at least one more time down the road with #3.

Evil or Entertaining?

Remember the opening scene from the movie Tommy Boy where he runs smack into a glass door? It cracks me up every time I see it. Having said that:

I took the Boy to the children's museum recently and we were walking out of the food court, which happens to have clear glass doors. I was walking just behind the Boy and I noticed that he was only sort of paying attention to where he was going. I knew what was coming. And yes, I allowed him to walk right into that door. I couldn't help myself. (He wasn't hurt.)

So on a scale of 1-5, one being Mother Theresa and five being spawn of Satan, how evil was that?

This is Kind of Wrong

I bought this Elmo shirt in Chinatown last year for four dollars. Is it me or does Elmo look a little strung out now?

A Matter of Perception

Roxy walked by the couch just now and the Boy felt the need to stick his foot out and kick her - not hard, but still. So I said, "Boy, don't kick the dog."

I can't believe what I heard in reply,

"I didn't. Roxy walked into my leg."

Wow.

Arkansas and Easter

With hubby away for forever and a day, the Boy and I headed down to Arkansas for a week. What did the Boy get out of it?

- new clothes
- a new piggy bank filled with money any time he blinked
- a day with "Guncle" at Chucky Cheese, riding the big boy train, playing at grandpa's, and picking out new toys
- all the older cousin wrestling time he could handle
- no naps (I now know without a doubt that he still needs one every day)
- an Easter egg hunt in warm sun
- lots of attention from everyone
- a break from me

And what did I get?

- a week filled with all the best fast food on the earth like Sonic, Chick-Fil-A, Geno's Pizza, and Long John Silvers...and as a result...
- four pounds (that's right, four pounds in one week)
- a girl's night
- a much needed pedicure courtesy of the sis
- a $28 dollar hair cut that would have cost me $55 here
- a break from being "mommy"
- new clothes and a blessing dress for little girl
- time with my family that would have otherwise been spent in my home....alone

It will be nice when we live a little closer.

Quick Thinking

Sometimes when the Boy is eating at a snail's pace, I'll finish my meal and head into another room to do something else. That is often when the giggling begins, and I know that means he is feeding the dog. He knows better than to feed Roxy from the table.

Tonight, I heard the tell-tale giggling and yelled from the other room,

"Are you feeding Roxy????", to which the Boy responded,

"Not anymore!"

Little punk.

Field Trip

Yesterday the Boy's preschool took a field trip to the Home Depot. They got their own little aprons and built a rain gauge (shaped like a bird feeder). He was so excited that he got to use a screwdriver and a hammer. He has a few dark smudges on his smock. This is not from a hard days work in the grease, but rather the chocolate chip cookie he had at lunch. Fun day.

What to Expect...

Last week I watched the four-month-old of a friend for half a day. I wondered how the Boy would do with this in hopes for some sign as to how he'll take to his new baby sister.

He was very sweet to him and so soft. He told him all sorts of things about growing up. I was very encouraged until the end of the day came and the Boy resolutely stated: "I want baby to go home now." Oh dear.

Well I Feel Old...

I turned thirty-one this week. To celebrate The Man took the day off of work. He took us to breakfast first, where I told him that I have never felt so old in my life. After that we went shopping! With my birthday fund, he got me a badly needed down coat, about ten new shirts, and these skirts:

This will be great for nursing once little girl arrives this summer. He also did all of the dishes AND laundry. Seriously. He did that. Ain't he great?

In the evening, he took us to dessert at Phillips where I indulged in a Chocolate Tiramisu Mousse torte *drool*. He then put the Boy to bed and watched a chick flick with me. Thanks for a great birthday, honey. And thanks to my friends for the beautiful flowers that look great on my fireplace and the delicious coffee cake!

Sugar & Spice...

It's a girl.