Back to the real world

I'm back at work today after a lovely weekend with my family and Abigail is back at daycare. Nothing like a little cough and runny nose to welcome the week in (Abigail, not me). She doesn't seem bad but was coughing her head off on the way to daycare today. Her temp was 98.2 so I went ahead and took her. I called at lunch and she just seems to have an occasional cough (maybe breakfast helped). Let's pray it stays a minor illness!

I ran some errands at lunch today. Dewey needs a new setup at our house and so I got him a "dog house" (plastic igloo thingy) a stake and a tie out leash. I hope it works for him because I spent plenty of money on it!

I also stopped by the a used children's store. I found a neutral colored boppy bouncy chair for $20 and I'm thrilled with that. I also talked to our daycare provider right before going in there and found out that Abigail had another "poop incident" today. I apologize to my daughter in advance, who will someday read this, but taking your poop out of your diaper is just gross and wrong. We're not sure how to break Abigail of this habit, so I bought some used Capri's and pants and she'll just have to wear onesies and pants until she can get over this "complusion". She already wears those to bed but usually isn't as bad during the day.

I also had some insomnia last night. I woke up at 3 am to go to the bathroom and I laid there awake until at least 4:30 am when I finally fell asleep again. I have no idea why. Weird.

That's all for now. I'm ready for a very quiet and uneventful week.

Parting . . .

Just said goodbye to my family.

Time for the sadness and "homesickness" to set in. I sure don't like living so far away but I guess not much can be done except lots of visits and lots of phone calls . . . oh and the occasional persuading of Andrew to become a farmer (but seriously doubt that will happen).

We really enjoyed their visit!

Abigail was tired and giving some snuggles to Grandma "Ro Ro" at Ikea. She can get so snugly sometimes! Seeing my mom with my daughter is so precious!

Wanting to hold both Grandpa Kurt and Grandma Ro Ro's hands at IKEA. She let Uncle Brett push her in the stroller. Besides be fascinated by him and by saying his name (which alternated between "Bet" "But" and "Bot", she wasn't so sure about him!

Worshipping the One True God

This is an excellent blog post.

Many times, I cannot find the words to express what I mean, so I read things from others and discern for myself if it rings true to my heart and the post above certainly does. Please read/skim it!

This is a subject that is on my mind often as we are raising one daughter and in the process of bringing daughter #2 in the world.

Obviously, I like cute things but my heart's true desire is to teach my daughters not to worship the god of materialism but to worship the God of truth.

I don't want to be un-fun (is that word?), dumpy, frumpy or any of the other terms used for someone who is not "kept" well but I do not want my emphasis to be there.

Andrew and I had a lovely (not being sarcastic) conversation about it at the Red's game we went to the other night and it was enlightening. I am thrilled to learn that my husband is not particularly more attracted to me (or anyone for that matter) when my hair is done, make-up on, nails painted, etc. In fact, usually the opposite is true, and I'm so glad he likes the natural me. :)

Please, Lord, let us pass along the beauty of looking at people's "insides" instead of their "outsides" to our little girls!

Since no one liked my pictures . . .

Obviously no one liked my pictures in the last post since I didn't get any comments. I guess I'll go eat worms! :) (Do you all know that song?)

Kidding.

Here, read this instead. Yes, it political and about health care. Feel free to comment, if you'd like! :)

Happy Wednesday.

Meanwhile . . . .

Files are copying back to my computer as I type this. I should be able to post more tomorrow, although by then I will be busy enjoying watching my parents and brother enjoy Abigail! :)

So, until I can get the wonderful and lovely pictures and video posted I will leave you with a blast from the past. A photo taken my freshman year of college, right after Andrew and I started dating.

Can you believe this was 9 years ago?! Obviously, it was also ummm. . . several pounds ago for me! (Don't you LOVE Andrew's gotee? He only had it for about a month but I loved it!).

And also this precious picture. . .

This is the strapping young lad that I fell in love with (again . . . 9 years ago). I'm so blessed that he is now my strapping husband and wonderful father of my children! :)

Almost up and running . . .

My computer at home is almost back up and running. My wonderful, talented, genius-of-a husband was actually able to extract most (all?) of the data off of the hard drive last night so . . . yeah for not loosing everything.

I wasn't upset about that at first (when we thought we'd lost everything after June 1) and then I thought of all my Quicken entries and my budget spreadsheets that I have done since then. It would have taken some extensive time and brain power to do those all again, so I'm very glad he got them.

I took some video and pictures of our girl last night. I'll try to post those when my computer is functioning again.

I may not have time tonight, however because:

My parents and brother are coming for a visit. Yeah!

We are also still cleaning out our "old" office (aka. Abigail's new room) where my brother will sleep when they all arrive. And . . . I suppose I ought to do a bit of cleaning and spend time with my daughter.

Boy . . . it's a rainy day!

Yes, I'm blogging about this again . . .

I have been a very good girl lately. I have been very conservative when it comes to buying things for Abigail. She definitely has plenty of clothes to last through the summer but there are so many cute things. However, I resisted buying them because she already had "enough" (which actually translates to more than enough in our culture).

However . . . I might have to break down because

AREN'T THESE CUTE???

Abigail only has one size left to go before she can no longer wear Pedipeds (she can still squeeze into her 12-18 month size but the 18-24 month size is a little too big still). She has almost worn through the two pair she has in her current size. Seems like these would be great for the winter.

I looked for them on ebay, however, to no avail and they are $40 new! Yikes. That is more than I spend on my own shoes. I guess I'll just wait and see what extra money I can come up with in the budget. I guess I can justify it a little bit by saying that I will have two girls that will wear these! :)

P.S. I spent Sunday sorting through old baby clothes and I have to take a picture and show it. It is quite astonishing how many clothes we have for a girl under 1 year old. Astonishing!

18 months!

I did not miss that my baby girl turned 18 months yesterday. It was on my mind all day long. I wish I could say that I slaved over a long and beautiful blog post but sadly, I did not. It was quite impossible with the passing of my poor computer's hard drive. Seriously, the first time in my life I have ever had my own computer and it quit on me very quickly! :)

So, sorry, no access to pictures at the moment and I haven't downloaded any new funny video (although I havetaken some) but I do want to wish my beautiful, smart, funny, silly, dramatic, talkative, sensitive, and amazing daughter a happy 1 1/2 years.

I feel like I say this, or at least think this, at every milestone in her life, but I think this may be my favorite stage. I never know what she is going to do next. It is such a fun adventure!

Happy 1/2 birthday, Abigail!

Words of the Morning

While Andrew fed Abigail breakfast this morning, she turned into a kid. She said,

"More Boberries" (Blueberries)

And our baby is officially a toddler.

Oh, did I forget to mention that I was still asleep in bed? Then about 15 minutes later I had a lovely surprise of French Toast and Bananas in bed. Isn't he wonderful?!

Baby Gear . . . and other such thoughts.

I am so thankful that we are having a girl! I am especially grateful because we have only 3 1/2 months left (yikes) and not a single thing has been done in preparation.

As I wrote yesterday, I don't think that Abigail is ready yet to be moved out of her crib. Time will tell, I guess. So, having said that, her room will probably stay exactly the same right up until her little sister takes it over! Yeah for not having to change a thing!

I am also grateful that we really don't need to buy anything. At least yet. The seasons will be slightly off so we may need to buy a few warmer clothes in 6 month size depending on if this new baby grows like Abigail did (she always wore the size/age she was at the time). I'm beginning to feel the itch to pull the old things out of storage and start sorting, organizing, and washing things.

However, there is one (or two) baby gear items that I would like to have. Now, I just have to save up the money and decide which one I want!

First item . . . double stroller:

We already have a stroller and I cannot count the amount of time that Abigail used this. I have a feeling that I will want to get out of the house with both kids, and with both being so young, this seems like a very convenient item to have.
I love that the car seat can snap into the front or the back seat. With this the library, mall, park, etc seems do-able. But, I have always thought I would enjoy a jogging stroller. While, I will admit, I don't jog, I do like to walk and hope to do much more of that in the next year.

The major drawback is that these are expensive!! Yikes!

Ok, if you've read this far, I am amazed. I'm sure it is not in the least bit interesting but hey, it's what's on my mind!

The last but certainly not least item that I would like to get is a deluxe bouncy seat. This seat literally saved my sanity and probably my life after Abigail was born. When she wouldn't sleep anywhere else, she'd sleep in her bouncy seat.

We already have one but I'd like to have another one that we could use for sleeping for the first few weeks/month so this child doesn't end up sleeping with me in a very uncomfortable easy chair like Abigail did. It is also a big hassle to move the bouncy seat up and down the stairs.

The one we have is great for letting Mama take a shower, cook dinner, etc, but I'd really like a model like this:

Looks sleep-able, right? I am a big fan of letting babies sleep by themselves, and a bouncy seat, in my opinion, allows your baby to be more comfortable in that transition from sleeping inside of mom to sleeping alone in a crib (all. night. long.). First I am going to try several local used places to see if I can get a great deal on these.

Wish me luck!

Mine Mine! And other charming new words . . .

Abigail's newest favorite phrase is: mine, mine, mine, mine, mine, mine, mine! Said in a very loud and whiny voice. I don't know how many toys we took away from her in the nursery on Sunday because she kept taking them from other kids and proclaiming them "mine"! I know it is a "stage" but it isn't a stage that I want to continue for very long!

Abigail is talking like crazy these days. Most of it is gibberish but when she wants to tell you something, she certainly can. On the way to the sitter's house this morning, my brilliant daughter looked out the window, pointed, and said "moo, cow". Sure enough, there were cows along the side of the road. She amazes me!

She is also starting to put two words together. When we were pulling away from the house this morning, she spent 5 or 10 minutes saying "Bye-Bye, Dada" and "Bye-Bye, Dewey." It was quite cute. I am going to try to get a video of her tonight "reading" to someone because it is pure gibberish and so very cute.

She is also a tender-hearted little sweetheart. We were in Lowe's yesterday, buying paint for Andrew's new office, when she heard another little kid crying (throwing a tantrum was more like it, but it sounded like crying to Abigail). Her little face got all scrunched up and her bottom lip flopped out and she kept saying "baby", "baby", over and over again.

That's all for now. Sorry, no new photos or video. I know, we're bad.

We've been in the midst of finishing Andrew's new office in our basement. It will open up the current office to use as a bedroom for Abigail when she's ready to move out of her crib.

The complete honest truth is: I'm scared to death of this. I'm not ready for my daughter to be the only person on the main level of the house, while the rest of us are upstairs. She is such a TERRIFIC sleeper in her crib that I don't want to disrupt this by putting her in a toddler bed or on a mattress. I'm trying to make Andrew promise that he'll wait to move her until I agree but so far he won't budge. :(

Time flies . . .

What a busy and wonderful weekend we had. Mine started on Friday (of course) with a lovely family breakfast made by Aunt Linda. After that Abigail and I drove down to pick up a diaper trial that she is participating in. It is a lot of work but will get us free diapers for 2 weeks and a $50 gift card to our grocery store, so I can't complain.

After that, I headed off to have tea with my lovely friend, Lisa. Of course, the The Parlor was excellent and wonderful as always and we had a very nice time visiting together. If you live in the Cincinnati area, you should definitely visit. Here is our picture:



Later that afternoon, I had a cream tea with Andrew's family to celebrate his grandma's birthday. That was enjoyable as well. I have always loved the cream scones but I found the lavender lemon and chocolate chip ones particularly enjoyable as well! :) Hungry yet?

On Saturday, we decided to have a family game night at our house and I decided to make Super Nachos, which we hadn't had in some time. So yummy! We enjoyed playing games together.

Andrew and I worked in the nursery at church on Sunday. Besides Abigail saying "mine, mine, mine, mine" and taking toys from other little babies, she did great, even though both her parents were holding babies at one point. I hope this trend of not being concerned when we hold babies continues! We are working hard to helping her understand the concept of sharing! I can't believe she is starting so young.

Abigail and I went home for a nap while Andrew took his parents and aunt to the Creation Museum. They had a good time and Abigail had a 2+ hour nap, which was nice. I napped a little and read while she was asleep. I enjoyed my day of rest!

In other news: I officially told my boss last week that I will not be returning after this baby is born. I am definitely having a very wide range of emotions with this decision. I, obviously, feel very called to be a full-time mommy to my kids, even though I know it won't be easy. I am also leaving a job environment that I love and co-workers that I love as well. However, I don't imagine that I will regret this decision any! Anyway, that's all I will say for now but will probably write more later.

Happy Monday!

Baby #2 Update

I have been horrible at keeping things up-to-date with Baby #2. I know that I will want to look back at this and remember what it was like so I'm trying to write a few things down.

• Time is FLYING by. I can't believe that the end of summer is in sight. The midwife commented at my appointment on Tuesday how fast things go with #2. She's right!
• I have my glucose text next week (already). Bring on the protein.
• My next appointment will contain my hemoglobulin shot (I think that's what it is called) because Andrew's blood type is not compatible with mine. I guess it keeps my blood from attacking the baby's blood, if she got his blood type.
• Despite having an easier first trimester, the other pregnancy issues seem to be much more pronounced this time. Constant painful backaches, heartburn, hip issues, carpal tunnel problems, and some preliminary cramping are already starting to plague me! (by the way, my midwives say the cramping is nothing to worry about).
• I'm starting to get very nervous about the birth. With Abigail we were good natural birthing parents and spent lots of time doing the exercises and practicing relaxation to aid in the birth. I've decided I have to start doing it for at least 10 minutes a day, even if Andrew doesn't have the time to help me!

Sorry if this isn't clear. I woke up with a sinus headache today (allergies and pregnancy don't mix well) and it's still lingering. Makes me want to close my eyes!

Michigan Part 2

On Friday, Andrew and others decided to climb some dunes. Here is a photo for you to enjoy! Yes, he was able to do it with his back issues and also had a backpack on. I guess that could be called progress but also makes for a nervous wife! I DO NOT want him to injure his back like that again. Horrible!

Here is a photo of the sunset looking across Lake Michigan. It was beautiful. Unfortunately, we (at least Andrew and I) were unable to make it out there on a day that was completely clear. This was still beautiful anyway!

If anyone who went on the trip wants to tell me what this lighthouse was called, that would be great. I was too busy chasing an (over) active toddler that I didn't read up on it. Anyway, it was beautiful and we visited it twice!

And last but certainly not least, we stopped by Grand Rapids on our way home (overnight) and had a very lovely visit with my Grandma Helen. She is always such a wonderful and gracious hostess. I had not been to her new place so it was fun to stop there.

Abigail also loved the visit. She was particularly fond of my Grandma's chicken and rice soup with carrots, running down the long hallways in her building, taking a walk around the grounds, and swimming in the pool facility.

Andrew and I spent time playing word games with Grandma, visiting, and watching a movie, all while Abigail was asleep.

It was particularly nice to go to church on Sunday morning because my Grandma was joining the church as a new member. It was very special to see her be able to do that. She went to this same church as a young girl so it was neat to see her "come home".

Here is a picture taken of the girls before we left for home.

We got home at 6:00 pm on Sunday, and didn't even stop at home before heading to Andrew's Grandma's birthday party. I think I still feel tired from all the travel! It was very worth it though. . . . such a fun trip!

Food for Thought

Wow, this is thought provoking! Amazing. I think he explains it so clearly. Everyone should watch this. Pass it on!!



The Michael Jackson part is a tad bit cheesy but this is great anyway.

Michigan Part 1

What a wonderful time we had in Michigan. We couldn't have asked for better weather or a nicer place to be. We had a lovely room with closet space to put Abigail's bed in. It worked like magic for good room sharing for us! The family meals were delicious (of course) and we played many games of Upwords as well as seeing the local sights.

Andrew getting ready to climb the dunes. We were close to Sleeping Bear Dunes. Our house was on Long Lake.

Abigail hated the sand but enjoyed boating and playing in the water.

Trying to get Abigail to walk on the sand.

Isn't she cute?!

Group photo. I'm taking the picture and Abigail is napping (so we're missing). This was on Friday.

Lake Michigan. It is amazing how much it looks like the ocean!

The only problem with the trip was that it was too short. I could have used a few more days to relax and explore up there. I'm sure we'll be returning some day!

Happy Mama!

This will be short and sweet. I just want to praise and thank my wonderful husband for a moment, who has really stepped up his "helping" game lately! While on vacation, he was wonderful! He fed Abigail breakfast each morning and let me "sleep in" (although I don't think I ever slept any more - oh well), gave her baths, put her to bed and down for naps when he saw it was needed, and did all the feeding while we were at my Grandma's! :)

When we got home last night and he took charge and fed her dinner. Then we started unpacking the van. I took Abigail up to bed and he UNLOADED the WHOLE car by himself!

I'm not hard person to please. It it just the littlest things that help me out and give me some sanity!

Thanks, Love!

We're Home!

We made it back from Michigan and had a fabulous time. This isn't going to be long because I am headed out for a long day of work and am already tired! :) It is always so nice to get away and to get to spend some quality time together. I'll leave you with a photo or two of our trip but I'll post a more detailed report later. . . perhaps tonight . . . if it works out.

Lake Michigan

Our house. Abigail is napping and I'm taking this photo.

More later!

Final Day!

It's my final day at work before our short vacation. I'm already dreading coming back next Monday (not that I don't like my job, I do. I just don't like being away from my girl). She screamed and cried when I left her this morning. She's been shuttled around so much this past week and is out of her routine. Poor girl.

In other news, my frustration level is about to hit the roof. I wish people would listen. Seriously, let me finish a sentence. Really. Grr!! Ok, I'm done ranting now. If you want more information, ask me privately! Ha ha!

I still have much packing to do. It's mainly food. I have things to not only bring for the journey but for when we get up there as well. I've been being extra cautious with Abigail's food intake because of some allergic reactions she has been having lately. So, I'm bringing most of her food. Hopefully this will help! Abigail is packed and I'm almost packed.

Wild Weekend

Sorry, no pictures so I will try to make this short and sweet. I tried to download some videos from our "new" camera but the card reader wouldn't work. Hmm.

Anyway . . .

• Friday: Abigail and I had a lovely playdate with some friends from our birth class. I guess you could say they are friends since fetuses! We realized we live so close together so we had a play date and it was fun!

• Friday Afternoon: We had AC repair guys at our house from 11 am until 4 pm so we didn't go anywhere. Andrew's aunt came over (who is visiting) came over and played for a while.

• Friday Evening: Andrew's cousin and sister babysat (thanks guys) so we could go to a young marries gathering. It was a blast. We watched a movie outside after the rain cleared up, although none of the ladies lasted through the movie. We were all sitting inside and talking!

• Saturday: I went to a Pampered Chef party at lunch. It was so much fun. Yummy food (of course, it was at Lisa's house) and good friends.

• Then I went to return our non-working video camera. I didn't have the receipt so I wasn't sure what to expect. They only had one left in the store and it was a returned item that checked out fine, so I said that I would take it. We got a $34 refund and a camera that works. Yeh!

• I made supper for all of us and Andrew's dad on Saturday night (my MIL is out-of-town) and we had a good time.

• Quiet evening . . . thankfully!

• Sunday: We did the usual church thing. The only thing new was that Abigail moved up to the next Sunday school class. :( So sad. My baby is growing up. They get a snack in there so I had to go in and read the labels to make sure she wasn't getting anything with peanuts or made on machinery with peanuts. We figured out she could have Goldfish Crackers (not something I would EVER give my child at home but I figured an occasional snack would be ok). She cried like usual but was fine overall.

• Sunday lunch: We ate out at Olive Garden (yum) with Andrew's dad. Abigail was good until the very end when she was bored of sitting and ready to get down. Oh, the biggest news was that she ate an Olive Garden breadstick and almost instantly got some hives around her mouth area. I felt so bad for her. I took the rest away (secretly!) and the hives went away in about 20 minutes. One on her lip was pretty bad though. Looked like a blister. I guess it could have been in contact with peanuts. I certainly hope she's not extremely allergic to more things!

• The rest of the day was pretty relaxed. I mowed and picked some things from my garden (4 cucumbers, 8 hot peppers, and a carrot that wasn't ready to be picked yet!). If you live in the area and need some peppers, please let me know. I have WAY too many!

We are leaving for a little vacation on Wednesday and will be returning Sunday. We are making the 8 hour drive to Michigan (where the rest of Andrew's family is). It seems like such a long drive for such a short time but I know we'll have fun. Andrew's dad is riding up with us so we'll have more help with Abigail. Yeah! Wayne doesn't know how lucky he is to ride in the car with all the good snacks. I have all sorts of things planned! :)

My Sweet Grandma: Knee Update!

This is a picture from our recent trip to Kansas of my sweet Grandma. She recently (on Monday) had a knee transplant and it really doing quite well (for being 80). I think the plan is to move her to a more local hospital on Saturday for more therapy and the attempt a move home.

She is an amazing worker, gardener, Grandmother, Christian woman, and cook! My life has been blessed beyond measure to know and to be grand-mothered by this sweet and giving person.

Would you please pray for a very quick recovery for her?

Here she is feeding Abigail in May on our trip!

I wish I could be out there to do what I can to help out, but I'm not. So, I'll do what I can, and for right now, that is pray!

Works for Me

I suppose I ought to participate in Works For Me Wednesday or another fun blog Theme day like that but to be honest, I don't have a lot of tips and I don't have a lot that works for me, until now. I think I have finally found a cleaning schedule that is do-able with my current life that keeps my home in a mild state of cleanliness. Here it is:


Daily Chores: Unload Dishwasher, Reload Dishwasher, Wipe Counters, Feed the Dog, Pick Up Toys, Water Plants, Run 1 load Laundry, Fold 1 load Laundry.

Each person has their own designated chores. Ok, so they are all mine (right now) except the Dog Feeding (Andrew) and toy pick up (Abigail - who does a remarkably good job). Andrew did do the dishwasher loading and unloading and it was a huge help! Thanks, honey!!

When Abigail gets a bit older I will start by adding folding clothes and towels to her chore list as well as helping to unload the dishwasher when she can be trusted not to drop and break things! She is currently a very joyful helper when we ask so I really smother on the praise and will hope that this continues! She also is our thrower-awayer. She will throw away anything you want her too! :)

Ok. Weekly Chores:

Monday: Kitchen Clean (Floors, Sink, Declutter - paper trash and bills, Clean out Dish drain).

Tuesday: Dust, Declutter, and Sweep Laundry and Mud Room. Dust and Declutter Living room.

Wednesday: Clean both bathrooms (mirror, sink, counter, floors toilet), take out all trash (our trash night is Wednesday).

Thursday: Mow and Clean out car. (Andrew already mowed some Wednesday, so my Thursday night duties will be quite light. Yeah yeah yeah!).

Friday: Bedroom Clean (Dust, Declutter). Vacuum all carpeted areas.

Saturday: Weed Eat (Andrew only).

There are still some modifications that need to be made. I then go on to have monthly chores, which I won't list all here, unless specifically requested. For example I have clean oven and microwave, clean out fridge (like sanitize and wipe shelves. I throw away food more often), vacuum out cars, etc.

I have some yearly chores too but they are just now taking shape. A few things that need done more often are moping the hardwood floors but that is so time consuming and I'm trying to be very realistic. I'm not going to have time to do that every single week, even though it needs it.

I realize that things probably need cleaned more often than this but I am the kind of person who has a hard time being motivated to do something if I can't get it all done. This is working very well for me since I seem to be able to do most everything in about an hour to and hour 1/2 each evening. That's usually all the free time I have! I also am not including gardening time, although my garden is in a very sorry weedy state right now. Oh well, at least things are growing!

That's all for now. Does anyone else have a cleaning system that is working?

P.S. I used to do Flylady - prebaby - but with baby, work, etc, it was just too much to clean my sink every night, and wipe down cabinets every week - even though they probably need it!

P.P.S. Baby #2 has been very active today and tonight. . . . like all day!

Warning: Whining Ahead

I realize that the majority of you reading this blog already know what I'm about to post. Kids, babies, children (your own anyway) are the most amazing blessing you will ever receive but at the same time can be the biggest challenge you will ever face as well.

Exhibit A:





Abigail simply cannot stand it if I'm in the kitchen. I have my own psychological theory about this (although I'm not a psychologist). I think that she is just starved for some mommy time and I usually make dinner right when I get home from work. It doesn't take me long and it isn't anything fancy but if she won't let me cook, what will we eat?! She's hungry too (believe me!).

I intentionally sit with her and feed her supper, and have lots of quality reading and play time after supper. I also give her a bath, read lots of books, rocking, and prayer time before bed but it's still not enough. Oh how I miss being with my baby girl (most of the time).

Our 4th Weekend

We had a wonderful weekend. Andrew and I were able to slip away on Friday and see a movie together (thanks Anne!) and then on Saturday we had a wonderful day filled with a parade, picnic, and party at Andrew's sister's apartment. I headed home early from that due to Abigail's extreme tiredness! :) I got to see a few fireworks in my own neighborhood, so that was fine with me.

Here is a picture of our little fire cracker on the 4th.


I took this picture of her at the parade. She liked it for the most part, except for the loud sirens. The parade started out with a bang by having the fire trucks and ambulance have to leave and make an actual call. I think it was those initial sirens that scared her.

Happy 3rd!

Andrew has the day off today. Yeah! He is currently at the chiropractor's office getting worked on. I got the WHOLE yard mowed last night, dishes done, laundry started, bathrooms cleaned, so I'm ready to do a little R&R.

Here are a few sweet pictures from Sunday.

Beautiful dress from Aunt Jenny.

Absence

I did not really intend to be absent for so long. I guess I needed a break. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?!

Abigail and I are definitely on the mend. We just have slight coughs. I hope we're 100% by the 4th. I now wonder if perhaps my husband has picked up this little cold. However, when I asked him this morning after he sneezed if he was getting the cold he said, "we'll see". Argh! He's so weird and only saying that to annoy me. Enough said!

Tonight will be filled with much of the same. On my to-do list is weeding the garden, cleaning bathrooms, dusting, kitchen clean up. However, the thing I may really need to do is mow the grass. Andrew did it last time but I think it set him back in his back recovery so I'm going to try to do it this week.

And, I'll leave you with a few sweet pictures - cause I'm nice like that! :)

She looked so old sleeping like this. She loves sleeping with the pillow that Aunt Cindy got her (way before she was born). She's been using it like a body pillow and it is so cute!

Picture from Monday. She kept those sun glasses on for such a long time. Please ignore my car mess. It is on the long never-ending list of things that I need to clean.

Another Monday

It's Monday and . . . I miss my girl (and husband, of course).

I did, somehow, manage to pass my cold along to her. She woke up with dried snot (sorry!) all over her sweet face. Thankfully, my cold seems to have been pretty mild and I'm already feeling much better. I could have been all that stinkin vitamin C that I took, though. She slept through the night, so we'll see what this week holds. Andrew seems to be fine, except his back, of course, which is still painful. He did manage to mow this weekend, since I was out of commission!

Dewey has recovered, thankfully. If it's not one of us, it's another. Seriously! He was gobbling up his food last night, racing around the house, and managed to jump on our bed. I guess his pain went away or his passed whatever was ailing him. I'm glad I don't have to worry about more vet visits with him!

And to set your Monday off on a good foot, here is an adorable (in my opinion) video of my Question and Answer session with Abigail last Thursday on the way to the babysitters on what she did that morning with her Grandma and Grandpa. I have played the video several times for her and she always repeats the answers along with her video self and they are always the same. So cute!

Caught up with me!

I've been saying I'm tired on here for weeks - months now. It finally caught up with me. I have a small summer cold now. Yuck! Sore throat for a few days and now I have lots of congestion. I'm trying my hardest not to spread it around to the other family members, so we'll see. I guess I should learn my lesson and slow down a little when I get so tired.

I took Dewey to the vet yesterday and they couldn't find anything wrong with him. He still can't/won't jump onto things and couldn't even make it into the car to go to the vet. I got some pain pills but so far, he won't take those. He is still not very interested in eating. They want to do x-rays and blood work at the vet, so we'll see what the future holds.

Images of June

At the butterfly show. She wouldn't stand still!

A butterfly!

My pepper plant with little peppers. I picked 7 (yes 7) hot peppers last night. Anybody want any?! The garden is much bigger now! We'll have tomatoes and cucumbers soon!

Airplane with daddy (before the back injury, of course). She loves it!


We are going to the vet today. Dewey did eat some (not all of his food) but he still acts bad. The appointment is at 1:45 pm. I'm off to get ready for my day now!

My first baby! *Updated*

Dewey about 12 weeks old.

There is something terribly wrong with my first baby. I'm not talking about Abigail, I'm talking about our doggy, Dewey.

Last night, after letting him stay inside in the cool while we ate supper with family, we brought him inside. Andrew was upstairs in our bedroom on the computer (new monitor!) and Dewey was just laying on the bottom step of the stairs looking pitiful.

I said, "You can go upstairs, Dewey" and continued to proceed up the steps with him. He had a hard time making it up, however. Then he just curled up at Andrew's feet and laid there. So sad! We thought a night of rest might help.

Well, this morning when I was packing up the car to leave, he was sitting outside shivering! It is hot outside, folks! I gave him a bone from a steak that I cut up last night and went over to pet him (big mistake). Either he is rabid (don't think so - ha!), he was being protective of his bone (most likely), or his is in real distress but he lunged at me an snarled. He clipped my hand a little with his teeth but didn't break the skin. I'm glad Abigail was already in the car.

Usually my doggy is the sweetest and most energetic boy ever, that is why I'm so concerned. I guess if he is not better by tomorrow I'll be heading to the vet (with a sick dog and a toddler - oh my!). I have forgotten to mention that he hasn't eaten in a few days. If he doesn't eat his dog food tonight, I may tempt him with a little steak (in his bowl) from our beef stroganoff dinner. (Oh- that makes me hungry).

Poor boy!

*He ate a little bit of his food tonight, ate a little beef stroganoff and spent most of the evening laying at our feet. There's definitely something off but I don't think he's dying today! He did yelp in pain when Andrew touched his haunches so we think there is something wrong with his backside. He couldn't jump on the couch, chair, or bed. Does this warrant a vet visit?**

Sadness for this Mama!

Abigail is only nursing 2x a day now (morning and night). That means I have no legitimate reason to see her at lunch on Tuesday and Wednesday. I am going today just to see if she wants to nurse but it will be doubtful.

I'm not sure that I can go all day without seeing my precious girl.

Work and Pregnancy emotions are getting the best of me this morning!

I'm not joking. I can hardly stop myself from crying! Who knew that watching your kid grow up would be this hard!

Allergies!

Well, I got a report from the doctor yesterday and Abigail does have some fairly significant food allergies. I actually talked to the receptionist so I am going to try to talk to the doctor today about some questions I have.

Basically, Abigail has a high allergy to peanuts (which I already knew), and a moderate allergy to egg whites, soy, wheat, and milk. Yikes! Thankfully she doesn't consume much milk or soy but if the doctor thinks that I need to eliminate all of these from her diet, it will be a challenge.

Breakfast seems to be the hardest meal to do. The other meals just need to focus on fruits, veggies, and meat (which are great things to focus on anyway), but besides oatmeal and fruit, we're a little at a loss for what to feed the girl for breakfast. We'll get it figured out, though.

I'll leave you with a beautiful picture of my sun-bathing beauty!

Wild Weekend

Wow, we had such a busy and crazy weekend. I know that for my current state and condition, I packed way too much in. I have to learn to slow down a bit. Here is what we did.

On Friday, I spent the morning at home because we had an AC repair guy out . . . again. I think he found the problem this time and refilled our coolant so our house was nice and cold all weekend.

I had to go into work on Friday afternoon and brought Abigail with me. It was a little crazy with a toddler getting into everything but we got it done. She had a blast running around the big church.

On Friday evening we went out to dinner with a group of our friends and had a blast. Yummy food, great company, and lovely babies to look at (2 weeks old). It can't get much better.

On Friday night, Abigail woke twice during the night. I think she was hungry. So on Saturday morning, we both took a long nap. When we woke we headed down to the Butterfly Show in Cincinnati. The show was very neat but the greenhouse was HOT HOT HOT and it was so crowded we could hardly move in there. By the time we left to go home, Abigail was so hot & tired that she just sat down in the middle of the room and wouldn't get up. Poor girl! Andrew got some great photos though. They are already up on our wall.

We raced home and Abigail and I got on our swimming suits. We joined Andrew's aunt and uncle at their swimming pool for a while. It was fun! Abigail really enjoyed swimming and I wish we could have stayed longer but a nap was calling us.

When we got home, I plopped Abigail down for a nap (she went to sleep instantly!) and I headed over, with my father-in-law, to get a desk for my new "office" in our bedroom. The desk was huge and heavy but it was a great deal. I am so thankful that my father-in-law went with me. I'm not sure we could have figured out how to take it apart without him. I definitely couldn't have moved it without his help!

We raced home, unloaded the desk, and drove over to my in-laws for a bon-fire. I was wiped out by this point. Wow! We had lots of good food and fun but I decided to head home a little early (8:30 pm!) with Abigail to give her a bath and then bedtime.

Sunday was a bit slower. I made biscuits and gravy for Andrew for Father's Day, we went to church, Abigail had a nap, we went to lunch at Grandma's. After that we went swimming again. Abigail still enjoyed it but not quite as much as she did the day before. The reason may be that her daddy was there and he insisted that he dunk her under the water to "teach" her to swim. She didn't scream or act scared but she certainly wasn't as interested in swimming after that.

We had a nice dinner together before heading home for bed.

Needless to say, the story is the same. My house is a wreck, the garden needs weeded, and the yard needs mowed but we had some fun times this weekend. Perhaps staying home next weekend to catch up and rest a bit would be a good choice!

Just for the record . . .

Sorry for the lack of pictures lately. In a few months, I do believe I will be getting my own computer at home and will have access to videos and pictures and such that I can post. In the mean time, you'll just have my ramblings.

Just for the record:

1) I LOVE my midwives office. I love them for many reasons that are probably too numerous to write out here but my #1 reason is that they have yet to mention the words "weight", "gain", "vegetables", "fruit", or "salad". And, yes, I do eat those things so why I am I still gaining? I don't think I'll hit the same number that I did with Abigail. That's the goal anyway.

2) I do believe we are headed towards the finish line with nursing. Abigail is just losing interest. If I don't offer, she doesn't ask very often. If she does ask, she doesn't nurse for more than 30 seconds to a minute before she is interested in doing something else. Who knew that this big change would be harder on me than on her (I have got to quit crying!)? We could probably be done this week if I pushed just a little (never offered it) but is it really time yet?

3) I love my husband! Having him laid up for a week with pain was no walk in the park but it had a few bright spots. 1) I got to see him (he works a lot and even though he makes time for us, it's just not the same as having him to myself for days). 2) I got to really listen to him and figure out a few more ways that I can show my love and help him out!

4) There were some cute things in the ultrasound that I didn't mention yesterday. Our girl was breech (which isn't a problem at this point) and was really sitting up in my tummy (bottom down, not feet). She was reclined back with her hands behind her head and her ankles crossed. What a proper little lady! I also hope that this is an indication of a very relaxed and easy going personality! :)

Sisters!

I still cannot believe that we're having a girl. I just seriously thought that with all the differences in the pregnancy, that this would be a boy. The "telling shot" of her was very clear because she was head-up and the technician got a picture of her "sitting" on the little wand they use. I could see the girly parts before the lady said anything (of course, I wasn't sure).

I am also very thankful that she said everything else looked wonderful! She couldn't get a full-profile shot because of how the baby was laying, or technically, sitting in my tummy but she did get a full-face shot, foot, and the girly parts picture.

I went through about 5 minutes of shock over how Abigail wasn't going to be my little baby girl anymore (I could have still pretended if we were having a boy) but then I just felt very happy. I love having a sister and I loved being relatively close to her in age, so I am happy for my girls!

I did have the wild and crazy thought that we need to keep working hard on our finances because we're going to have at least two weddings to pay for now (of course, that is if they choose to get married. They don't have to).

I guess that's all the thoughts I want to record on that today.

Andrew continues to make very small improvements each day. It is amazing to see how big a difference the chair he is in makes. We waited about 1 hr and 15 min for the ultrasound and those chairs were rock hard. I could tell he was in some pain by the end of that wait and he was pretty slow moving going back to the ultrasound room. Once we got back there, he has a much nicer chair and during my midwife appointment, he had a recliner! :)

He is able to do more things for himself around the house now (wash his hair, get in and out of the shower by himself, tie his shoes, etc) and he even took the dog out this morning so I feel a bit more caught up on things. Last night I actually completed my to-do list for the day. Here is what I did:

Kitchen Clean (I set the timer for 10 minutes, after Abigail is in bed, and I usually can unload and reload the dishwasher, wipe the counters, clean the highchair and table, and occasionally sweep the floor in that time).

Laundry

Bathroom Clean (Again, a 10 minute timer. I got the toilet, sink, countertop, and mirror cleaned in the downstairs bathroom).

Trash (I took the trash to the curb by myself. I had to drag the wagon down there 3x but I got it done).

Mowing (I didn't finish the yard but got to where I can finish in about 30 minutes tonight).

I was so tired after supper but I just made myself get up and do one thing and by the time I finished the kitchen, I had a second wind.

We are having a . . .

GIRL!

Wednesday Edition

Quick Updates:

1) Andrew is doing better. He can still get pretty sore but he was moving better this morning. He said the hardest part of yesterday was sitting on a hard chair or standing while teaching his class from 6 pm to 10 pm last night. He gets to go with me today. Yeah!

2) I am getting to the stage where it is no longer comfortable to squeeze into non-maternity pants. I only have 3 pair of summer maternity capri's and they're all dirty so I had to wear pants today. I only have two maternity pregnancy summer shirts so it looks like more money will be spent on that soon. I'm also wondering when I won't feel so tired all the time! (years away probably)

3) Abigail is doing great. She is such a little talker. Last night, for the first time, she verbally told me "no" when I asked her if she wanted to eat something. Yeah for communication!!!

For my own memory, I'm going to try to record all the words she says, although I'll probably forget a few:

No, Baby, Mama, Dada, Nana, Papa, Shoes, More, Go, Dewey, Doggy, Dolly, Up, Two, Banana (Molly witnessed this one with me, she said it clear as day when I was holding a banana), Hot, Brr (cold ourside), Cheese. (I may be forgetting some).

She signs: All Done, More (now she says this when signs it), drink, tired.

Nonsense words that she repeats over and over again:

"Bickle, Bickle, Bickle, Bickle Ba, Da Da" (Seriously - hundreds of times a day)
"Dyshee" or "Dysee"

I think she attempts to say many other words but they just aren't clear yet. It sounded like she was saying "bird" yesterday and occasionally she'll try to say food names, such as "milk" and "Cheerios".

Who knew that watching a kid learn to talk would be this much fun?! It is just amazing to see her grow and change every single day. She seems to learn a new word every day. The amazing thing is, she usually doesn't speak a word until it is very very clear. You know exactly what she is saying.

And, oh my, is she ever growing. I have an 18 month outfit that I bought a month ago for her. She wore it yesterday and it was so short! I think we'll definitely be supplementing her summer wardrobe with 24 month stuff by the end of the summer.

Ok, that's all. Most of that was for my own memories sake. I know I'll be forgetting all of this soon and I want it recorded! I'll post after we get back today!

Uncreative *Edited*

I can't think of a title today.

Andrew is back at work, although he said it's quite painful to sit so he may not last long. Poor guy.

He is also going to try to go to Dayton to teach his class today. Long day!

I was able to get some things done at home yesterday. Dishes, laundry, tilled the garden (more on this later), and mowed a little bit.

Thank you to my mother-in-law who kept Abigail, unloaded our dishwasher, and started supper while we were at the Chiropractor. Thank you to my father-in-law who brought me the little tiller, helped me start it, and got two rows done for me. The tiller was slightly hard to handle but I got the garden done. I need to wear gloves next time because I have some pretty neat blisters today.

Also, when I was mowing, I was trying to keep from getting the same horrible allergic reaction that I usually get so I had a towel held up to my nose to breathe through. My neighbor from across the street saw me and brought me a mask. He said he was concerned that I (as a pregnant lady) wasn't supposed to be breathing fumes. I said that it was just allergies! :) It was a very sweet gesture and I'll use the masks again!

We're in the process of looking for a mini van and selling our car. I was wanting to have the windshield replaced and car all cleaned out last weekend, but obviously that didn't happen with the back injury. Hopefully this weekend!

. . . And, yes, I'm tired. Must go to bed earlier!

*Talked to Andrew at lunch and he was still at work. He said he felt pretty good if he just didn't move around too much. This is a good thing! Now, I just hope he can remain relatively comfortable during his class tonight.

Also, can you believe we find out the gender tomorrow? I can hardly believe it!! Of course, there will be a post!*

It wasn't like this before . . .

I wrote this post right before Andrew messed up his back. Oh my goodness, this is so much more true now, so I thought I'd post it and then I'll give an update. Enjoy my ramblings:

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I have been SO emotional during this pregnancy. It feels so foreign to me not to be able to hold my tears in until I get to a private place and to feel like crying over the silliest things. So if you're around me and I'm crying, just ignore me. Please. Touching or talking can only make it worse!

Could it be a boy that is making his mama all emotional? We are going to find out next Wednesday.

I decided to find out the gender. I don't think I can wait!

-----------------------

Ok, I'm back. It's so true. I am so much more emotional this time around. I was even crying at High School Musical 3, which we watched yesterday afternoon. I mean . . . give me a break! Since last Wednesday, I have also been feeling so sad for my husband and his pain. Add to that the fact that Andrew really doesn't enjoy being taken care of. Seriously, he likes to do for himself.

Andrew is still pretty bad and was unable to go to work today. I hope he gets enough to eat without me around today! I managed to, sort of, hold things together throughout the weekend. I still have laundry today (although I got the sheets changed), need to mow the front yard, have a stack of dishes that can't go much higher, and my bathrooms need serious attention! I hate when my house is like this.

I'm working on logistics for Wednesday. I have to leave work around lunch. What do I do with my daughter? Take her? Leave her in daycare? Find someone else to watch her? What do I do with my husband? Take him? Leave him? He can stay by himself, I think. Can he go? Does he need to work? Can he work by then?

I feel frazzled and overwhelmed. I'm being helped out a bit today by the soothing sounds of John Rutter (Te Deum - for those of you who know). I feel so much better than I did 30 minutes ago.

Back Update

Well, Andrew has made a very slight improvement. He was able to sit yesterday for some time instead of just laying down. Abigail and I went to church this morning and got home just in time to eat lunch, get Andrew lunch, and head for a nap (Abigail) and now Andrew is sleeping. This means that I haven't had much time to see how Andrew is today. He made it from bed to the couch so I guess that's good. Please keep praying for him as this is an extremely painful condition and he has had it since Wednesday. I know he hopes to go to work tomorrow but we'll have to see.

This has definitely made me appreciate those people who are single parents or who are constant care-givers to someone in need. It is an amazingly time consuming and difficult task. So my hat is off to all of you. We are just getting a taste of what some people live like everyday!

Andrew is going to attempt to make it to his aunt and uncle's house for supper tonight so we'll see how that goes. Well, I need to do laundry and dishes now.

Oh, thank you to Andrew's cousin, Michael, who weed-eated (is that how you say it?) our ditch last night. It looks so much better! Thank you!

We're inching towards being out! *Updated

Well, my poor husband is certainly not improving. The day he messed his back up he went to Lowe's and the chiropractor by himself. Yesterday he had to call his Grandma to drive him to the chiropractor and this morning it takes almost an act of God to turn himself over in bed.

My heart is hurting so much seeing him in so much pain! He was so upbeat and laughing about this the first day but he is getting pretty down at this point. He wouldn't succumb to me feeding him breakfast, so he hasn't eaten yet.

Seeing Abigail seems to cheer him up so we've been doing a lot of gentle visiting! She's used to roughhousing with her daddy so we're being very careful!

I think I have a system worked out that I can do some outside work today. I'll have my phone and Andrew will have his. He will also have the baby monitor so during the naps today, I can be outside and Andrew can let me know when/if I need to come in. I think it will work!

Ok, I'd better go check on the poor guy!

*Updated: Well, the day certainly wasn't easy but it is about over. After the painful trip to the chiropractor, Andrew spent most of the day in the easy chair or couch. The chiropractor has put him on 3 days of bedrest so he is exactly where he should be.

Thanks to some wonderful help from family members, I was able to mow the back yard. Andrew's aunt and cousin watched Abigail for me for a while this afternoon/evening and it was so helpful!

Thanks for your concern and prayers for him. This is not much fun but hopefully some good will come of it.

Down but not out!

If you have read my blog for a while, or know me in real life, you may remember (or not) that last summer we had a little extra adventure while we were in Hawaii. Two days before we were set to leave Maui and go to Oahu for a few days, Andrew threw his back out. Well, he has done it again.

Yesterday he threw it out by sneezing! Yes, he does sneeze violently, but still, that is very weird.

This husband of mine has only missed 1/2 day of work due to illness since I've known him yet he had to stay home from work today because of his back. So it's bad!

Also, Abigail mysteriously was running a slight fever (again) at daycare yesterday. I am beyond frustrated with her health. She just got over a cold. I cannot imagine what I am doing wrong that she is sick all the time. She's still breastfeeding, she eats only organic and/or whole foods (nothing processed much really), I give her Vitamin C, Vitamin D and other supplements every day, she gets plenty of rest (most days), she eats and drinks her weight in probiotics every week (yogurt and kefir). I have no idea what else to do to keep her healthy! Glass bubble? Crack down on people (her daddy!) who do things to constantly share germs? Okay, so that rant is over.

So our family is not in the best shape right now. Fortunately, I'm still up and running. Unfortunately, the yard needs mowed, the garden needs weeded, the car needs several repairs so we can sell it (to buy a van), the house is a dump, the laundry is piled high, and I'm way behind on birthday cards/gifts/etc! Oh well, tomorrow is my day off so hopefully I can tackle some of this then!

It's raining, it's pouring . . .

I love this weather! I wouldn't love it everyday but for a nice midweek rain for my garden, it's perfect!

Andrew taught his first class last night. He said it "went well" and that the class was "fun". He did tell me that all but one or two of his students are older than he is but he seemed to enjoy himself. I KNOW for a fact that he is a very good teacher but I thought being in-front of people for 4 hours in one night might wear him out. The man is an introvert . . . likes to be alone (very much unlike his wife). . . but he seemed fine.

He is working from home again today. It's nice. :)

OH, I switched Abigail to overnight diapers (during the night, of course) in one size up and they seem to be doing the trick! She hasn't wet out of them yet. They are VERY full in the mornings, though. She slept until 7 am this morning when I had to wake her up to leave. I think this just proves that the reason she wakes up on other mornings so early is because she hears her dad stomping around, taking a shower, and blowing his nose! I do those things too, I just do them more quietly!

More than I can stand!

I'm not sure that my foggy brain can stand to spew anything today that isn't related to sinuses, allergies, or headaches!

Oh my goodness! I have been talking about allergies on here for two months now and I still haven't gotten a reprieve.

I mowed last night and went to bed fine but woke up to a very bad pounding headache. Not a good way to start the day. It is simply my sinuses that are pounding. I have no idea how to treat them or where to go from here.

This is a list of what I have tried/ am trying:

Claritin - recommended by my midwife
Sinus Block - recommended by a friend
homeopathic nasal spray
Sinus cleanses (all the time!)
Tylenol - this is the only thing that helps somewhat
Washing my hair before bed
Changing my sheets/pillow cases often
Staying indoors

I know it is worse when I mow but what am I to do? I have to mow. Andrew's jobs don't allow him much time for that at the present.

I know pregnancy makes the sinus pressure and swelling worse, so I'm just trying to tough it out. The only thing that has really worked in the past is an inhaled steroid spray (like Nasanex) but I don't think I can take that during pregnancy.

Yuck!

Weekend Post and Baby Update

We had a great weekend. On Sunday, Abigail took her first dip outside in the little baby pool. She liked it but the water was a little cold. I need to let it warm up before I put her in it! I think she'll like swimming this summer.

We had some friends over in the evening hours for a photo session! :) One of my friends is a fabulous photographer (her link is to the right: eternal legacy photos) and another couple just had a baby a week ago, so they came over to use Andrew's photo studio for pictures. We had a blast! Precious little Peyton was so good for the camera and she has some fabulous photos. It is amazing how funny baby poop and pee can be. Anyway, we had a blast, so thanks, everyone, for coming over!

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I haven't written much about baby #2 on here, so I thought I'd give an update.

I am feeling pretty good. Still occasionally queasy when I think about certain foods but the feeling is gradually going away. I did end up vomiting once but that is WAY WAY better than my pregnancy with Abigail, so I will take it.

I am feeling very very tired. Most of this problem has been because we moved a TV into our bedroom. Big mistake! We don't have cable TV and it isn't hooked up to an antennae but we have been watching bits and pieces of movies and staying up too late. Afternoon naps mess me up. I took a 45 minute nap yesterday afternoon because I could not stay awake and I didn't fall asleep until midnight last night! That is very late for me, since I get up around 6:15 am.

I moved my ultrasound, again, and hopefully it will stick this time! We find out the gender, I think, next Wednesday, the 17th. I am toying with the idea of not finding out this time. I guess I have over a week to decide! :) Makes me feel like I'm living on the edge.

I am going to keep this sensitive issue vague for my own sake but I have been spending lots of time praying that I can avoid some or all of the emotional issues and adjustment issues that I had after Abigail was born. I love my daughter (obviously) and would do it all again for her but I'm hoping this experience will be a little easier on me.

If we end up finding out the gender, I will obviously announce it on here. I can't keep that a secret! :) We will be keeping a tight lid on the name this time around. I don't even want to hint at it. So far we're calling it "Baby X" and that is probably what it will be known as for a while!

Have a great Monday!!

Wet Dilemma

This past week Abigail has been majorly wetting out of her diapers each night. I finally figured out this morning that her wetness is what is causing her to wake up a bit earlier than usual each day. It was 6:30 am this morning and we even put her to bed later last night (she didn't fall asleep until after 9 pm). She wears Pampers Cruisers. Has anyone ever used an overnight diaper? Is there another brand that holds more? I think I did hear once of a lady to duct taped a maxi pad into the front of her kids diaper to keep it from leaking. That seems extreme but I want Abigail to be comfortable and I want a bit more sleep.

Any ideas?

She is soaked clear through her PJ top when she wakes up. Yuck!

The Impossible

Well folks. I have done it! I have accomplished a seemingly impossible task.

I purchased:

a maternity bathing suit,

that fits me wonderfully,

without trying it on,

found and ordered in about 2 minutes online (without hours of searching),

for $20!!!!!!

I seriously could not do this again, in my life, if I tried. It usually takes me hours and days to find an "acceptable" swiming suit that is usually way too expensive. I was thinking that I might not be able to go swimming with Abigail this summer because I didn't want to spend tons of money on a swimming suit to only (probably) wear for one summer. I am so glad I found this one!

Of course, I still don't look good (at all!) in a bathing suit, but that's not the suits fault! :)

Riding with Abigail *Updated*

Here is a little video of what it is like to ride home with Abigail in the car from the sitters house. She was talking to herself the whole way. And yes, I am driving. However, I turned on my camera phone while we were at a stop sign and just aimed it in the back seat. I was watching the road, I promise. I love hearing her talk!

Enjoy!

We're having a great day today. Abigail let me sleep in until 7 am (she's been getting up around 6:15 or earlier most mornings), and we had a lovely time playing, breakfast, playing and cleaning out the toy box, and then we vacuumed and cleaned her room. I couldn't believe how full her toy box was of toys that are way too babyish for her now. She has also never showed an interest in stuffed animals (except the babydoll and monkey) so I put all the others away for another time or another child to play with.

There is a new 3 1/2 month old at Abigail's sitters house this week. Abigail has been so obsessed with him. Patting him and trying to share her toys. Today she has been constantly playing with her babydoll and even wanted the dolly to sit with her at breakfast. I hope this is all a good sign for the future!

After Abigail's nap we will go to Children's hospital to have her tested for food allergies. I have had mixed feelings about this. I'm pretty sure she is allergic to peanuts but I don't want to be testing her unnecessarily, since they have to draw blood (poor girl, I'm already feeling teary about this). However, after talking to Andrew last night, we feel that it's probably better to find out about the allergies, even if she has to have her blood drawn. She is young and resilient and hopefully won't even remember that this has happened after a few minutes. I hope I'm strong enough to do this alone. I don't do well with medical or blood related things anyway! Oh well. I'm sure we'll make it through.

********updated***********

The blood draw wasn't bad. Yes, they took it out of her arm. She cried a little bit but mainly because it was a male nurse drawing the blood and he was touching her. I think the arm band hurt her a little bit because she quit crying when he took it off. She was smiling and waving by the time we had even left the lab area. I am glad that it's over. Now we wait for results.

Working, Working, Working!

That seems like all we do these days! I keep waiting for summer to arrive and then I realized . . . it is here! It sure feels different now than it did when I was a kid. We don't really have a "school year" in our household to mark the change. I still have to work the same hours, etc. Of course, I do enjoy all things summer related: swimming, watermelon, popsicles, just being outside, travel, etc.

Andrew's business is going quite well. In addition to working for his former company (which I guess is not really his former company), he also works for two others doing computer/web type stuff. Also, as of next Tuesday, he will officially be a college "instructor" although I find it more amusing to go around and call him "professor". He is quick to correct me, however. Anyway, I am helping him with several business related items, as well as trying to keep the house, garden, and child in line so none of that responsibility has to fall on his busy shoulders.

I have been making a cleaning "to-do" list that only schedules for me to work an hour each evening on cleaning the house and gardening. So far, I have been able to keep up with that. An hour seems manageable.

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I was in bed reading last night and suddenly felt overwhelmed but all of the things that I want to teach my daughter. Lately I have felt so sick of our consumerism, mine and just our nation in general! I want to teach her to be happy with what she has, to be grateful, not to constantly have to clamor after meaningless and pointless "stuff" in life. I want to teach her and guide her to know that following God's will for her life, even though it may not be the most comfortable or enjoyable thing is the BEST and most JOYFUL place to be.

I want to teach her that taking care of herself is a good thing, yet being obsessed with it to the point of it consuming her life is not what this life is supposed to be about. I want to teach her that happiness is good, that she probably won't always feel happy, that choosing to be joyful is the best way. I know that parenting is just a daily, hourly, moment-by-moment process but I still feel the weight of the uphill battle in-front of us. Leading by example is the hardest part!

16 months

Today is Abigail's 16-month birthday.

She is such a sweet, ornery, independent, whining, precious, lovable little girl. And, yes, I guess now I know that you can be all those things at the same time.

Her personality definitely blossomed on our trip to Kansas. Andrew and I both realized that Abigail may be a bit more like me that either one of us want to admit! :) She can be so sweet and cuddly at times but can be quite determined at times.

Yesterday, I was again in awe of the joy and wonder that I find in being her momma. Let me try to explain. There are so many people who love Abigail, who clamor and are determined to be near her, who desire to babysit and think she is the sweetest thing ever. I do mean lots of people. Yet, in the midst of it all . . . I am her mom. It is just an overwhelming feeling of blessing that I have that I get to be the momma to this sweet girl of whom most everyone desires her presence so strongly. Amazing!

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A few things for the record, so I don't forget. Abigail has another cold. It's not bad. No fever (as of yet) and she is sleeping well. My blog has come in so handy in remembering Abigail's ailments over the last few months, so I need to continue keeping track.

I think I'm going to take her for allergy testing this Friday, as long as something else doesn't come up.

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Today is Andrew's first day to work from home at his own business. He is quite excited. He is only working from home one day a week and the other days he is back at his regular job. He is planning to be home on Wednesdays but this week is difference since he has a "business" golf outing this afternoon.

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My garden is not turning out too shabby! Things are actually growing and I'm excited. I have spent time each evening hoeing the rows and pulling weeds. Once I get caught up from being gone for over a week, it should be a little easier to manage. I also can't help myself but I water more frequently than I probably need to. It is the Kansan in me. Of course I won't water if it rains but if I'm just not quite sure if it is going to rain, I water anyway. I am really enjoying myself. The only visible produce so far are little tiny peppers. They are so cute. I think I'll take a picture. I still need a few cages for tomatoes and something for my sugar snap peas to grow up on.

I think we may actually grow some food this year. Of course, now the trick is knowing the right time to pick stuff. I have plenty of experts in the family to ask.

Abigail enjoys being with me in the garden. This weekend I think I'm going to try to find her a plastic gardening set for kids and some good shoes to wear. I don't want her walking in the garden in her nice white (expensive!) shoes.