Cutie Stinkin' Patootie

These days, my child cracks me up more and more. Sure, she's throwing more tantrums and obeying less, but the cute things she is doing are trying desperately to outweigh that. 

We've been trying to get it on video for a while, but she and her daddy play a game with their pianos where they both play at the same time and then she puts her hands up in the air.....and they have to stop. Then start. Then stop. And on and on. It's pretty cute and it's so funny to watch her make up games. 

The other day I heard a noise out of the corner of my ear (don't you hear that way?) and knew it was my child getting on her daddy's laptop when she shouldn't be. I immediately go over and use my serious mom voice to tell her in no uncertain terms that she should not be doing what she was doing. Andy walks into the room and she turns to him and flashes a huge silly grin, as if to say, "Yo Dad, I'm totally in trouble." Unfortunately, I completely lost it. It was too darn cute and I had to walk away doubled over laughing. Discipline fail. 

Today she spent at least 10 minutes moving the cat's food from one dish to another. Quietly picking up dropped pieces and putting them back into the bowl. The cat just sat and stared, not sure how to intervene without losing fur. Fortunately, she has become a very patient kitty. 

Some days I feel as though I will

 never get her to eat anything but cereal and then she goes and surprises me by happily eating a meal with us of salmon, rice and peas. I content myself with knowing that if few veggies get in, she will always drink a smoothie with all kinds of fruit and hidden vegetables. Nutrition by trickery, that's my motto. 

And those faces. I love the raised eyebrows and the grouchy face and the eyes squinched tight. Oh, but the best new game that we play is sleepy time. Yesterday after her nap we were playing in her room with various toys when she pulls a pillow off the rocker and lays it on the floor. Then she pushes me down, brings me a blankie and some stuffed friends, has me turn on the fan, kisses me (with the best kissy noises), says "nigh, nigh" and proceeds to walk out of the room, closing the door behind her. She was a little bothered that she couldn't turn off the light, but it all worked out ok. Gee, if my own kid makes me take a nap, I'm doing great. 

 

On Lots of Stuff and Also a Few Things...

I keep thinking that life is going to slow down. Until I realize that it really isn't. That I need to take the quiet times and hold on to them, to savor them while they last. 

This summer has been a whirlwind of travel and home improvements and gardening (at which I was sadly very unsuccessful this year) and canning (at which I was surprising adept) and work. Somehow I always assume that work will be a little quieter and a little easier in the summer but it never really is. There is always chaos and planning and extra work that wasn't originally planned. 

I will admit to being rather proud of my canning this year. It is something my mother always did a lot of and I never learned how to do, something I will always regret. Instead, I bought the bible of canning: Ball's. 

I've been able to use this guide for every recipe I have needed and it hasn't failed me yet. There were a few terms I had to look up, but other than that, I'm a huge fan of this handy dandy guidebook. 

This year I put away strawberry & strawberry rubharb jam, peach jam, peaches, pickles, tomato sauce & tomato soup, diced tomatoes and today I am working on grape juice and grape jelly. I would like to do pears, pear jam and also applesauce. Now that I feel as though I have the hang of it, I'm on a roll!

However, at the same time, I'm completely exhausted. I'm 11 weeks preggo (most of you were aware of this little tidbit via Facebook, that purveyor of all things) and this little critter is sucking all of my energy. Some days I feel as though getting up off of the couch is asking too much of me and other days I can accomplish a few things. It seems as though I can get the most done in the evenings, but I also feel the most nauseated them. Frankly, I just can't win. My house is generally a mess and there is always a pile of laundry somewhere that needs to be put away. The worst part is that there is no good tv on right now to keep my lazy self occupied!

Home improvements haven't been at all helped my my lack of motivation. I was able to prime the basement (with low-odor paint) but that was probably three weeks ago now. Theoretically, I will be energized enough to do that tonight, but I can't promise anything. We really want to have the studio finished and everything moved down there this month so that I can paint and curtain the new playroom and get these blasted toys out of my dining room. That is going to be a fun and creative project that I am really looking forward to as well. 

On top of all that, I originally wanted to be able to move into our attic master suite by snowfall but now I'm just hoping for it to be insulated and dry-walled by them. Since there is virtually no insulation up there, that is pretty much a requirement here in good ol' Michigan. The rest won't be as difficult. (again, theoretically)

Regardless, by April (or maybe late March?) this house needs to be ship shape. Because by then, I'm going to be running after a two year old and keeping an infant alive at the same time. Yikes. (ok, I know many of you have way more than two children, but it still seems like quite a challenge to me)

I am tired (of being tired and also) of feeling so very disorganized and cluttered. Of feeling like it isn't just my stuff that is everywhere, but it's also my brain and my life. Did I mention how horribly my garden grew this year? That crazy jungle needs to be cleaned out and mulched over. Next year is there is going to be a very minimal amount of growing done. We'll call it a year to let the ground rest, how about that?I need to sell a ton of things and de-clutter. There are multitudinous sewing and/or crafting projects that need to be done.  Basically, there is an endless list that I feel is hovering over me. 

I'm just so blasted TIRED.  

An Interlude

What I Don't Teach

You don't have to teach a toddler how to throw a fit. You don't have to teach her how to scream at you.

I never taught my daughter that she should throw her food or her dishes on the floor. Nor have I taught her to ignore my requests.

However, I apparently don't have to teach her how to clean up after herself either. A couple days ago she spilled some milk out of her sippy. When she noticed the dribble on the floor, she ran to the kitchen, pulled a towel out of the towel drawer and came back to wipe it up.

I'm not sure if this is really my kid after all.

Stay Tuned

I like things. No, really, I do. Stuff is good. Granted, I am trying to weed out unnecessary junk and sell it all on craigslist, but I tend to find myself spending a lot of time screen shopping. Quite often, I will even pick things out, have a full shopping cart and then just close the window. Please tell me I'm not the only one that does this?

Anyway, I was approached by csn mattress to check out their products and get something in return. Geez, who's eyes wouldn't be perked by that? (I would have said ears, but since it was an email, eyes made more sense...)

At any rate, I got to screen shop for a bit and then even pick something out for free! I am going to try out some of their linens so I'll keep you posted on how the products turn out.

Pretend Money

I discovered tonight that I think cash is pretend. 

It's only the money that I put on my debit card that is real. The money in my checking account is what I have to budget from, subtract from and monitor. The green stuff in my wallet is more like a coupon. 

At least that was the realization I came to this evening. 

It all began as an innocent shopping excursion to CVS. My coupons were stacked on top of great sales and deals and more coupons. I saved at least twenty-three dollars with coupons. 

Then I handed over my cash. When I saw the final total I thought, "Sweet! All this for only twelve bucks!"

Apparently, the twenty was just another coupon. 

Mom Advice

Hey there Moms. I need some advice. I am thinking that it is time to actively start potty-training my little munchkin and wondered what your best resources, tips and tricks were/are. 

She seems to always tell me when she has just gone in her diaper and asks for a clean one and she's often dry after a nap or long stretches of time. She has a little pink potty and likes sitting on it, but doesn't seem to understand how to go. I don't expect to be able to do it in a day and am fully ready to spend some time and effort on it. I am also fully ready to be done with diapers! 

Ok. Hit me with your best shot. 

Kashi, How I Love Thee

Kashi, if you'd like to send my child some samples of your fabulous products, we would be more than happy to help her eat them. 

She has recently discovered the joy of a bowl of milk and cereal. She's her Daddy's girl. 

I Love Vinegar

As I have said before, it is berry season. Blackberries grow abundantly in my little backyard and they are sweeter than anything I have ever bought from a store. Just a couple more weeks and we will be able to go blueberry picking. 

Baby girl could eat her weight in berries, but the big problem is the juice. And the subsequent stains on all of baby girl's shirts. Or pants. Or socks. Yeah, this kid is a little messy. Takes right after her mama. 

While many of her outfits are play clothes that she can get dirty in, I still want to be able to get the stains out, but the berry stains were baffling me. You all have probably already figured this out, but I just solved the berry situation. 

Put a pile (not too huge, just enough to cover the stain) of baking soda on the berry mark then douse it thoroughly with vinegar. I generally try to make it bubble up at least twice. Leave it for about 15 minutes, then rinse with cold water and wash in a cold load. If it doesn't come out, try another dose. I find once usually does the trick, but twice will definitely fix it. 

Plus, if it is on white cloth, you can also leave it in the sun to bleach out. Another benefit of line drying. 

This Thursday, I love vinegar & baking soda solutions! What do you love today? 

Strawberry Summer

There's nothing better in the summer than fresh strawberry shortcake. It tastes even sweeter when your baby girl helps you make the biscuits. She poured the flour, baking powder and salt then helped me roll out the dough and cut it into little heart shapes. 

It was so tasty. 

So tasty, in fact, that I might have to eat more tomorrow and the day after and the day after that. 

My kid drives me crazy sometimes. We all know the unnecessary whining, the spontaneous tantrum on the floor, the kicking and twisting while trying to change an excessively messy diaper, or the refusal to eat anything but a stick of cheese and a pickle. 

Then there are the sweet times. She runs over to give me a pucker kiss when I ask for one. A great song comes on and she dances in a circle holding hands with her baby doll. The times when a new word comes out unexpectedly and used correctly. Like elbow. Who knew elbow would sound so cute? And truthfully, she points more at her wrist, but it's close. 

But sometimes I am just baffled by this little girlie. I've come to the conclusion that she actually likes napping. If it's just the right time (and I do have to time it perfectly) all I have to do is suggest that it might be nap time and she stands up from playing, waves goodbye to everything (every. thing.) in the room and heads off upstairs. We collect a blanket and a stuffed friend and I plunk her down in the crib and that is that. I think this could be one of my favorite attributes of hers. It's so sweet. 

And yeah, it's also great for getting things done or reading a book. 

Because I Miss My Baby Girl

Mama said I could have just ONE cookie.

Hi there. I'm cute. And sweet. And full of smiles. And my mama misses me. Sigh. 

Also, randomly and because I loved this picture, I had great flowers this spring. My peonies bloomed so big and bright and beautiful. They were so big I brought in several vases full and still  had to send bouquets home with friends! 

The summer daisies and echinacea and black-eyed-susans are about to bloom as well. But I'm confuse

d by two mum plants. Blossomed already!? Usually my mums don't pop until September at the earliest. Crazy. 

Aaaand one more sweet baby face. With some type of food on it. The girl likes to eat, what can I say. 

Love you, baby girl. Can't wait to be able to hug you again. 

Things I Love Thursday - Drugs, Music, Men

Surgery went well yesterday. I overheard the nurses talking about me while I was recovering and they said it was the usual and I was very healthy and should recover well. All in all, I was only at the hospital for a little over six hours. 

I definitely loved the morphine the most. Not to mention a friend loaded up my ipod with Morphine tunes which were absolutely perfect for recovery. Relaxing, chill and ironic. I also love being on staff with a bunch of great guys who give me great tunes. They are always up on the good stuff. 

I'm down to a lower dose of vicodin. Now, I love me pain meds as much as the next girl, but I hate, hate, hate the dizzy feeling. So I'm on a bunch of ibuprofen with a vicodin kicker. 

God knew what He was doing when He invented drugs. All power to those of you who went without them in labor, but me likee the epidural. My belly is sore and "pinchy" feeling and yet I feel good otherwise. Thank you, prescription AND over the counter pain-killers. Thank you. 

Also, my husband came out of CVS last night with a bag of dark chocolate Ghirardelli squares. He said that was written on my prescription as well. I love that man. 

Two More Days

It always seems that everyone is looking forward to something. Vacation, a visit from a friend, getting married, having a baby, starting a new job, quitting a job, when the economy turns around, etc. 

I have two days left during which I will still have all of my internal organs. This Wednesday, I'm going in to get rid of a faulty gallbladder. 

Personally, while I'm not nervous about it yet, I am really looking forward to not feeling sick anymore. My fingers are crossed and I am praying that this will fix the problem. They haven't given me a time yet, but if you can pray on Wednesday that it's quick and I recover relatively easily, I would greatly appreciate it!

Besides, who needs a silly gallbladder anyway?

Little Things

Some days I feel like the to-do list grows while I'm not looking and even when I can check most things off, there is a whole other list somewhere that I wasn't paying attention to. Anyone else, or is it just me? 

Anyway, the past few days have felt like that. I have bills to pay and laundry to do. Dishes to wash. But then I discover a mouse (in a house with a cat, no less!) has been living in one of my cupboards so there are things to be thrown away and everything on those shelves must be washed. Ick. So this means three or four loads of dishes along with regular dishes and things all over my counters in the meanwhile. 

I'm not the most tidy of people, but I hate a cluttered countertop. It seemed as though every time I would get one part finished, something else would come up. Like eating. And feeding my family. Sheesh. 

Then there is the garden which is getting choked out by weeds. But the sun is so blazing hot I can hardly fathom going out there for longer than it takes to water the plants. At least when I'm watering, I can spritz myself a little bit. 

Yesterday I was able to get a couple little sewing projects done. Hemmed some pants for a friend, made a tiny diaper for my girlie's baby doll and then shortened a pair of pants so I could have cute, knee-length shorts. I have been ogling this length of short until I realized I had an extra pair of brown pants that would be perfect. 

This morning I got the bills paid and the checkbook balanced. No more shopping until next week. Thankfully, we are pretty well stocked up and can root in the freezer for several days. Baby girl just needs milk. 

Now I'd better head down to wash the diapers and get started on some more dishes. And probably a pot of coffee while I'm at it. 

What's your to-do list for today?

Oreos

Oreo from Anne on Vimeo.

Gender Neutral

Cars are a big favorite right now. I picked up a bag of five little cars at a garage sale last week for .50 and she has been playing with them every day since. 

(Also, while I'm on the topic, can I just reiterate how much I love garage sales? Because I really do. We got new-in-the-box Pottery Barn curtain rods that we needed for the attic, two lattices for my plants for $2, a fabulous backyard playset (like this, but different), a baby doll stroller and swing, ($1 each!) books and a bunch of clothing for winter and for Randi's soon-to-be-seen cousin. Whew. The only bummer is that there is nothing I need to get at sales for the rest of the summer. Not that that will keep me from stopping. Who knows what gems are to be found!)

Fortunately, while baby girl loves playing with her trucks, she also likes rooting through mama's purse and toting around her baby doll. The new doll stroller was a smash hit, to the point that when she has friends over she will not share this toy. Any other toy can be shared with no problem, but she will literally shove a kid out of her way to get the stroller back. We're working on that...

Here's to a Lifetime

This is seriously one of the best things that I have seen in a long time. It's a few minutes long, but well worth the watch. I literally teared up from how fabulous it was. I love that there are groups out there doing this kind of thing. 

Best Surprise Ever

I think this is going to keep me smiling for the rest of the day.

Project Central

It has been busy around here. Since we decided last week that it would be in everyone's best interests to stay home from travel this week, we have been getting some work done around the house. Not too much, mind you it's still our vacation, but some. 

In an older home, there are always weird quirks that one must accommodate. Old, questionable wiring shouldn't be one of those things. Therefore, my handy dandy man redid all of the electrical for the first floor in preparation for finishing the rest of the basement. I can now plug in a three-pronged plug without having to use one of those annoying adapters. I can't tell you how irritating that has been and how thankful I am now that there is no fear of blowing the house up. At least not from the first floor electrical. 

Frankly, this is going to be a very long process. The Studio is moving to the basement once it is  finished. The Playroom (currently the living room, dining room, porch and kitchen) will be the former studio once it is painted and storage installed. Our Bedroom will move up into the Master Suite of the attic once that is re-insulated, drywalled, painted, built-in cabinets installed, closets walled in and carpet laid. The current sewing room will move one room over to where our bedroom is now and that room will become the next Nursery. (No. I am not announcing anything. Do you see how long that list is? Do you also see how this is the last item on the list? Yeah, no announcements anytime soon, believe me.)

But I'm so excited about this process. While I, as much as anyone, hate the mess and the chaos and the expense and the fatigue and the stress that a huge (HUGE) home project creates, I look forward to how much more practical the set up will be and how much more organized it will be as well. We're taking it relatively slow and easy as our budget and time allows. We've been saving for a while and scrimping the extra bits that come along to make this thing happen. 

It will be so nice to be able to shut all the dang toys away in one room. Right now the Farm and the Zoo and the Circus train are taking up residence in the play Kitchen right next to two wheeled wagons full of blocks and stuffed animals. 

At any rate, now that the electrical is done, the next steps are the walls of the basement. He is already kicking it into gear. Here you see the before shot. Pretty much just some blue walls and a lot of mess. Basements are like that. 

And here you will see some framing. Along with a bit more mess. I'm told it will only get worse before it gets any better. This week we buy some insulated, sound-reducing doors. We'll see how much of that noise we can contain down there. 

 My main job is pretty much just occupying the kiddo whilst the sawing and drilling and hammering go on. And a bit of gardening on the side. Ok, a lot of gardening. The weather has been perfect for it. Not too hot, not too cold. Goldilocks weather. Here's hoping my tummy stays in decent enough shape to finish what I have to do. 

What have you been up to lately? 

More Waiting

Many thanks to all of you who I know were thinking and praying for me this past Tuesday. It meant so much to know you were behind me and I had no anxiety going into the test. 

Plus, I was highly impressed with the hospital that I went to as they were extremely busy, it being the day after a holiday. However, rather than being called like a number from the door across the waiting room, the ultrasound tech walked all the way over to me, right up to my chair and asked if I was her next patient. Impressive. 

I'm sure they have a clothing identification system entered by the registration person,

 but it was very friendly and very professional. I was impressed to say the least of being set at ease. 

She took a half hour and carefully got all the pictures of my abdomen that she needed and said they would call after the radiologist had read the report and given it to my doctor. Hopefully by Friday or Monday, she said. Argh. We had been planning on going to New York this coming week and I would have liked to know something before we left. 

Fortunately, I got a call Wednesday (another yucky-feeling day) from the nurse at my regular office that the radiologist had seen a polyp on my gallbladder. Also that they would be referring me to a gastro-intestinal specialist and would call me soon with an appointment. Yesterday they called to offer July 1st. I immediately said that that wouldn't work as I was having problems right NOW and need to see someone sooner! She was going to try another office and I haven't heard yet what the plan is. Sigh. 

From a bit of online research, I discovered that this seems to mean that it will be pretty likely that they will take my lovely little gb out. It's outpatient surgery and I'll need to be careful about what I eat afterwards to digest more easily. I'm ok with this. I'm ready for it to get taken care of NOW. It's just irritating to feel sick after every single meal. 

In the meanwhile, here's a cute picture of my kid in her jammies and jellies. It makes me feel better. 

Tall-ish

This is baby bug's favorite stance. It's partly a "pick-me-up-now," partly "look-how-big-I-am!" This little stinker keeps growing. 

Blood work confirms that there is definitely no baby swimming in my belly, but I'm going in Tuesday for an ultrasound of the rest of my guts. I'm ready to not be sick anymore. There was more nastiness last week and it seriously wipes me out for several days. It's especially frustrating as I feel like I have the summer itch to get things done around here. 

So, if you think about it tomorrow, please pray that they will find something usefully and fixable round about 10 am. Thanks. 

OK, So Maybe a Little Spoiled

Garage sale season is upon us. Not only am I a pro at sale-ing, but it is simply one of my favorite summertime activities. I save my singles and change for weeks and get my best bargain-hunting, price-haggling game ready. 

I keep my eyes open for books I'm missing in a series or a favorite author. In past years, I've found the exact ceiling fan I had wanted from the local home store. I can spot a good sale from the street and conversely try to avoid the sparse ones with a slow drive-by. 

This Friday baby girl and I are heading out with a friend to take advantage of a few prime neighborhood sales. 

In chatting with a coworker last week, I discovered that she was participating in one of these upcoming sales. She mentioned she was getting rid of her kids' old play kitchen. 

My ears immediately perked up as my kiddo has loved playing with kitchens when she's been around them. Without hesitation, I told her we would buy it and pick it up before her sale so it would already be out of the way. Andy stopped by and got it tonight on his way home from work. Randall's face when she saw this thing come through the door was ecstatic. Here, she's making her motion for "love" after I asked her if she loved her new kitchen. She hugged her arms to herself and rocked back and forth like she would if she were holding her baby doll. 

Kiddo almost forgot to eat dinner she had so much fun with her new toy. 

Truly

We spent at least half an hour this evening sitting and lying on the floor laughing at our daughter. She ran in circles around me, crawled over my legs, performed her first somersault and fell down frequently. She pulled out my phone and proceeded to talk in "phone voice" to someone on the other end. She carried around a little basket and laughed uproariously as she swung it to and fro. She scrambled about on the living room rug in just a diaper while we filled in her squeaks and squawks with ridiculous commentary. She ran away with some toy and then ran back to give her daddy a kiss. Without prompting. She gave some solid high-five slaps. She giggled away as we tried to tickle her belly. 

The joys of parenting. 

The Essence of Random

Last week we went on the Mayor's Bike ride around the park. Randall got a brand new bike helmet and climbed immediately into her little bike trailer. She settled in comfortably, holding onto the straps and eating from her bag of snacks. After riding only two miles, she was ready for dinner and my legs were burning. It's definitely the beginning of the season. I have got to get myself in shape.

She is her mama's daughter and loves to play in the dirt. I give her a tub of dirt and a little shovel and she's happy to dig and carry rocks around the yard while I hang clothes on the line or pull weeds in attempts to get the garden ready. 

My clothes line has been wearing out and I decided to replace the braided rope with plastic for hopefully better longevity. The best part about getting new line hung is that Andy did it in such a way that I now have four rows instead of just two. I can potentially get several loads of laundry hung as opposed to a single one. Plus, I have a drying rack that I put out for small things like towels and bibs. There always seem to be a lot of those in the wash. 

I've been sick a lot lately. Nauseated so often a day that I would swear I'm pregnant, except that I'm not. There are no flu symptoms except that I've been exceedingly sick two times in as many weeks. I'm pretty sure I've lost a couple pounds in the process. Something has got to be wrong with me. If it were the flu, the rest of my family would have caught it as well. Ugh. 

This week I have plenty of work to do, gardening to get done and bike rides to go on. Hopefully I can hold onto my lunch in the meanwhile. 

Problem Solver

My child, like many of her age, often doesn't want to eat. Or at least, she doesn't want to eat happily. And of course, she doesn't want to eat what I prepare her. Not to mention, she doesn't want to eat the other 16 things I subsequently offer. 

She is recently enamored with her tongue.  Sticking it out, moving it around, grabbing it (and thusly grabbing our tongues) have become favorite past times of our little munchkin. Therefore, it is all the more important that I convince her to actually keep her food in her mouth and get it down to her tummy. Otherwise, we all know what kind of mess will ensue. (a big one, in case you weren't sure)

Fortunately, I have found a solution. That works for my kid. That works right now. (see, we all know that every kid is totally and completely different and that nothing that works now will work again later. silly babies.)

Toys. Duh, right? Give a kid toys and they will be happy. I hand over a couple small cups with lids or random kitchen utensil and she will put the lids on and take them off and swish things around while I surreptitiously cram everything I can into her little mouth. If she looks up and see that I am indeed feeding her, I hurriedly spoon in one of her favorites like applesauce or hummus. 

"See? I've been giving you that the whole time. Mmm. Now go back to playing." 

Then, while she is preoccupied, in go the veggies and beans and such. It's magic, I tell you.

At least for this week. 

Comparisons

I Almost Made It

It seemed as though this was a meaningful piece of my life. Have you ever played "Two Truths and a Lie?" 

I used to use, "I've never broken a bone in my body," as one of my truths. Unfortunately, this  now has to count as a lie. 

Exactly one month ago, I broke my ring toe. (On my hand, that's my ring finger. Seemed to make sense as a ring toe too.) I'm not exactly positive how I broke it. As I was coming downstairs that morning, the baby gate was up at the bottom of the steps. Hubby and baby girl had been up for a little bit having breakfast and reading books. I think I was trying to step over the gate, but what really happened was I kicked the post at the end of the banister and then fell over onto the baby gate. It was splendid. And a little bit bloody. 

The photo actually portrays my bruised-ness over a day later and the purple hue had already begun to fade quite a bit. The original shade of violet was almost immediate and darker than any bruise I had ever seen on my body. (And believe me, I am very GOOD at getting bruised.) 

I was fairly certain that due to the bruising and hurty nature of my toe, that it was broken. But when, only a few days later the purple had faded almost completely, I wasn't quite sure any more. When I bruise, it usually lasts for quite a while So long, that not only can I not remember how I got it, but I forgot that the bruise was even there until my child pointed it out to me. (She likes to point things out that perhaps I had previously missed.) 

It's been a month now, and the little bitty toe is still sore. It bends, sure, but it doesn't feel quite up to 100% just yet. I can still do plenty of jumping around on it, as my job requires, but it is still healing. 

Tomorrow, I am 30. And I have broken a bone. I sure feel old.

At Least It's Been Less than A Month

I keep having tons of things to write about, but once blogging gets puts off the first time, it gets easier and easier to put it off again. 

All that means is that it's time to write a catch-up post...

Baby girl has been a sweet little peach lately. She definitely has her grouchy times (and is currently trying to switch to only one nap which can be interesting to say the least) but she is generally a very happy, joyful child. She loves to hug and snuggle and give little bitty puckered kisses. 

While watching her the other night at one of the mall play-places, we realized she is very independent and brave. Not the least afraid to try any of the climbing toys or scared of the bigger kids, she played for almost an hour exploring everything. I honestly got teared up watching her and how gorgeous she is and how much I love her. My heart was mush. Mush, I tell you. 

She loves her stuffed friends. Every day when she gets up in the morning or from a nap she will choose two furry friends from her stash in the crib. Most of the time it will be two different guys every sleep. Cracks me up. She loves to hug them and rock them and carry them around. So far, however, it has been nice not to have her addicted to one. I can give her anyone to cuddle and

 she'll be happy. We'll see if that sticks or not. 

Shoes are a current obsession. In the tub, she'll put little cups on her feet and when she finds a shoe around the house, she'll try her best to put it on. She hasn't quite figured it out though. Quite frequently, she will put my shoes on my feet. That one can actually do pretty well. Sometimes she even gets the right foot!

My current favorite cute thing that she does is, "I don't know." We'll ask her where someone or something is and she puts her little hands up in confusion. It cracks me right up and we do it over and over just to watch the cuteness. 

Once in a while, we give her free reign and let her run nekkid around the house. The hooded towel is here just for ghostly humor and modesty. But seriously, people, is there anything funnier than a nekkid baby running around the house? I submit that there is not. 

And finally, amazingly she has had two Easters. It doesn't seem that it could be possible, but at the same time, it feels like she's been with us forever. She has loved playing with the plastic eggs all week. Taking

 them out of the little bunny basket, pulling them apart, throwing them across the room. This girl has quite an arm. I think maybe she'll play softball. At the very least, she'll raise chickens. 

 

Permanence

A month or so ago I got a new tat. I had been waiting until I was done nursing and shortly after we quit, I made the appointment. My first tattoo was definitely a college I-just-want-a-tattoo decision, while this one was very thought-out and well considered. I knew I wanted a wedding band tat, for several reasons. 

First of all, I don't wear my wedding ring most of the time when at home. I don't like getting lotion or dirt or dishwater into my ring so I keep it in a safe place the majority of the time. Secondly, I love the idea of a permanent wedding ring. Frankly, we have enough marriages under our belt for some serious longevity, but I like the physical symbolism.

The text is in Hebrew and is a reference from the Song of Solomon. I wanted a few more characters, but discovered that due to the size and nature of tattoos, they wouldn't fit how I preferred. The common translation is, "I am my lover's," but the more accurate translation of the phrase is, "I am for my lover." The portion I have is, "for my lover," which I think works just as well.

My wedding ring covers it so when I'm out and about, it's just a regular ring, but the symbolism and explanation is underneath. I like it.

A Little Light

The household has been infested for several days now. It strikes suddenly and with no warning. I was the first casualty, Andy followed three days later and then poor baby girl got her portion as well. 

We're resting, drinking orange juice and just generally snuggling the day away while all three of us cough, sniffle and wheeze. At least the sun is shining. 

A Quick Peek

I'm trying valiantly to get a handle on all of the video I have stored up of my kiddo. If you thought the walking was cute, just take a gander at this mini.


Quick Peek from Anne on Vimeo.


If you're a grandparent or great aunt, you'll want to watch the whole 2 1/2 minutes as well.


Long Peek from Anne on Vimeo.


And just because it's sweet to see teeny babies talking...I guess I'm reminiscing. In no time, she'll be heading off to school.


Storytime from Anne on Vimeo.

Since Last Tuesday

Walking from Anne on Vimeo.

Five Seasons

Some people say that in Michigan we really only have two seasons, Winter and Construction. As true as this oft may be, I want to put a name in the suggestion box for a fifth registered season. I call it Waiting. Another working title could be Almost There.



Spring always comes eventually. It's just that during the Waiting season, Winter tends to come and go. Spring seems to ebb and flow around here. One day we're teased and tempted by high temps and actual, bright Spring sunshine, and the next Winter snatches it all away and throws cold and snow back in our faces.

I'm looking forward to 'soon' being 'now'.

For Several Minutes At Least

As any mom will tell you, when there is something great that keeps your kid occupied for a good stretch of time, you will do anything to obtain that thing. Fortunately for us, lately these things have been good old household objects.

Exhibit A: The Water Bottle

Ideally for baby girl, the bottle would be full of water that she could drink, choke on, drink some more and then dump all over herself. We do however, usually try to refrain from giving her a full bottle. Luckily, the empty bottle brings a great deal of entertainment.






Exhibit B: The Laundry Basket

Now I will admit here the truth that I myself often put the baby in the basket to transport laundry where it needs to go. A girl only has so many arms. Plus, darn it, it's just cute to see babies in baskets.



Exhibit C: The Blush Brush

We have a cupboard on either side of our bed in which I keep lotion, cough drops, nail stuff, hair clips and other miscellaneous odds and ends. What could be more fun for a baby than rifling through such a cupboard? Thankfully, she doesn't know what everything on those shelves is used for.


Exhibit D: The Water Bottle

Have I mentioned how much fun this bottle was? Because really, she was busy playing with it for quite some time. As you can see here, she loves her bottle.








Exhibit E: The TP

Everyone knows the all-time best baby toy is a roll of toilet paper. It's not necessarily the easiest to clean up, but if it lets me go to the bathroom in peace, it's ok with me.







What are/were your kids favorite household toys?

Some decisions are harder to make than others.

It's generally pretty easy to choose what to wear in the morning. Is it warm? Wear flip-flops. Is it cold? Put on a sweater.

It's not a hard choice to pick between a vanilla latte and plain black coffee, for me, that's a simple decision. I'll choose the latte any day.

When I get the chance to buy a new book, it might take a little longer to peruse the aisles and find a way to pick between the good old classic or the newly acclaimed title.

Then there are the decisions about how to raise your kid. Choosing what is the healthiest to feed them, how to train and discipline, which toys are or are not safe, where to send them to daycare/preschool/school etc and so forth.

This week offers us another chance to make a decision. It should probably be put in the medium-decision folder. It will definitely impact your life, but it doesn't compare to the which college to go to or who to marry folder.

This week marks the beginning of the Lenten season. Tomorrow we will be heading to IHOP for free pancakes and enjoy a dinner (or brinner?) of stuffing our faces with syrup and starch. Wednesday we will be heading down the block to Sacred Heart to participate in an Ash Wednesday service.

This year I am finding it difficult to decide what to give up for Lent knowing that whatever I take out should be replaced with time spent with God. I need to start a spring cleanse as winter eating has definitely caught up with me. Frankly, I just need to be spending more time with God. There will probably be some tv cut out as well as some computer time.

I've still got two days to decide specifically.

What are you giving up for Lent this year?

I Guess It's Tuesday

Apparently, I totally jinxed myself by saying my kid was a good sleeper. Isn't that just how it always goes?

With only one nap under her belt yesterday, I expected a great night but she woke up twice and then got up at 6:45. Now, some of you may have early risers and are used to this kind of activity, but my girl is an 8:00 getter-upper. Anything before that is unholy in my opinion.

Let's hope she naps well at daycare today.

In other news, my latest post is live at 5 Minutes for Going Green. My hands are itching to get into the dirt.

Sweet Sleep

We seem to have hit a beautiful milestone that I didn't think would ever arrive.

At five weeks old, my precious bundle of joy began sleeping long stretches at night with no interruptions. Almost every night would find her sleeping a little bit longer at a go and her Mama and Daddy rejoiced with their amazingly gifted child.

We were prepared for a downturn in the sleeping to come around month four, which is truly did. In reading different parenting sites and advice blogs I heard about the Wonder Weeks. According to this research, there are 8 key times in your baby's development when their sleep patterns (and practically everything else they do) are affected by what is currently developing in their brains. Week 16 is one of the main spurts. Basically, their brain is on overdrive and their bodies can't quite keep up! Sometimes it causes extra sleep and other times it keeps them awake at all hours.

Randall recovered a few weeks later and started sleeping heartily again. Until the six month stint hit along with her deciding to push out a bunch of teeth. From six months until very recently, baby girl had a rough time sleeping. As all parents know from the start, sleep is a precious commodity to be treasured at every turn. We had some nights where she would wake every 5-10 minutes for up to two hours and other nights it was once an hour all night long. She always went to bed very easily but fussing would ensue at any time.

There were colds and changes in her schedule, travel and lots of teething. We did a bit of cry-it-out, a bit of rock-it-out and a bit of please-God-make-her-sleep. I think we had resigned ourselves to the fact that we would never get a full night's sleep again.

However, something must have finally clicked in her head. My girl is healthy, happy and once again sleeping like a champ for 12 hours straight, in spite of another tooth popping out at the moment. Her Mama and Daddy are so proud, knowing that we can really take none of the credit. (also knowing that it could change at a moment's notice.)

Darn it, this kid is the best.

Happy Hearts

Today was a busy day running around. There was a haircut to be had for the hubby (at which point he remembered that he had left his dress shirt for work at home and we had to stop at Target for a replacement) a free lunch from Moe's to be picked up, then off to work for the afternoon and evening.

Baby girl loves going to church. There are tons of new fun toys to explore and she spent at least twenty minutes or more climbing into and around the infant bouncers and the exer-saucers. She was exploring her roots.

Fortunately, she went down easily for a nap so I was able to prep for work. Since I planned to teach tonight, I had to learn my story and check the props as well as get my regular stuff set up and ready to go for my own volunteers.

There were quite a few missing pieces this evening, but there were also a great group of people who were willing to just pitch in and fill empty spots wherever they were needed. I can never get enough of that kind of amazing attitude!

After a long night and a great service, we tiredly headed home to prepare dinner and put the babe to bed. She soaks in the people and attention from everyone around but crashes soon after getting home. What a nice surprise to find valentine's in the mail from The Grandparents.

It's time for that chicken pot pie I just took out of the oven and a little bit of tv recorded from last night before we crash into bed ourselves ready to go to work again tomorrow morning. Weekends are long, but they are good.

Happy Hearts Day to you!

My Review of Britax Roundabout Convertible Car Seat - Tan Swirl

Toys R Us

The Britax Roundabout® compact convertible car seat is renowned for safety, comfort, and convenience. The Roundabout's compact size is ideal for use with vehicles with limited rear-seat space. The tangle-free, five-point harness with three harness heights ensures a snug and secure fit. ...

Britax Roundabout Convertible Car Seat - Tan Swirl

A great carseat!

Anne Michigan 2/11/2009

4 5

Pros: Comfortable, Great Features, Safe, Sturdy, Easy to install, Lightweight, Easy to Adjust, Stylish

Best Uses: Toddlers, Infants

Describe Yourself: First Time Parent

A friend had recommended this seat to us, but we still tried another before realizing she was right in the first place. This seat is compact and works great for our car. Baby seems to be very comfy and loves her new seat. I love the velcro to keep the straps in place so I don't always have to fish around for them when I'm putting her in. Very easy to use, install and fasten her in securely while also being less pricey than some fancier models.
Love it!

()

Since baby girl is still too small to face forward, she gets to continue watching the world fly by backwards. She doesn't usually enjoy getting into the car (it usually means leaving something fun she was doing) but once she's in her seat she just stares at the scenery as it goes by.

Food or Fiction

We've apparently passed the, "I don't want to eat that" stage and hopped directed into the, "give me more, give me more, give me more" stage. Sometimes I can't feed this kid enough! Though, when it's not what she wants and there IS something else she would prefer, a fit will inevitably be thrown.

She seems to enjoy a good fit now and then. She is definitely not a fan of getting changed. Especially when said fit would cause poo to go all over our body and clothing during the changing. It's lovely, really.



I couldn't help but just laugh at her today. I was able to get her cleaned up, and though much screaming and twisting and turning ensued, a new diaper was put on. However, the tantrum didn't end there. One would have thought she was worshiping me with all the bowing down and arms thrown at my feet if it weren't for the sobbing and tears that went with it. Course, she could have just been repentant. It was just hilarious. She's too little to be offended so I got a hearty chuckle at her sad expense.

All that to say, she has been so super sweet and adorable lately. This kid gives the best hugs, wrapping her arms tight around your neck and patting your back. I can't get enough.

In other interesting (only to me, I know, but this is my blog for my own posterity, right?) news, the kiddo has been sleeping through the night. Every other night. For some reason, one night she will be up for hours whining and fussing in her bed and the next night she'll happily sleep 12 hours in a row. Keeps me on my toes, this one does.

Plus, it also appears that if I put her down at juuust the right time, she will nap for three hours straight. This is great for getting tons of housework done. Or for a lot of internet downtime with coffee and my blogs. Or whatever.

Saved By the Mailman

Some days my head is less screwed on than others.

Today seems to be one of those days.

My list is long:

1. Fix and finish taxes on Turbo Tax. Something went awry and I want to get it submitted.
2. Dishes
3. Laundry - clothing & diapers
4. Tidying
5. Sweeping, vacuuming, dusting. Ugh, it's a mess.
6. Send out thank-yous and birthday cards.
7. Work on baby book--I'm actually almost finished.
8. Work on blurb photo book--I'm almost finished with this as well.
9. Program music and lyrics for our family production this Wednesday.
10.Make dinner for tonight and plan a menu for the week.
11. Start my small group study book.
12. Sewing repairs. The pile is small but they are things that urgently need fixing.

For some reason, it seems like there is likely more to be done, but this is all that is coming to my brain right now. At any rate, in the midst of my working this morning, I got most of my thank-yous and birthday cards written and mailed with no concern for any consequences.

Who would have consequences for mailing out birthday cards anyway?

Apparently, I would.

Half an hour after I retrieved my mail from the mailbox, there was a knock on the door.

"Great," I think. "Here I am in my bathrobe, jammies and glasses on." It was noon and still I hadn't yet gotten myself presentable for the day. (Hey, back off! It's Monday, what do you expect? I'm lucky I'm getting so much done as it is!)

I open the door to find my mailman standing there.

"Is this yours?" he asks.

He handed me my credit card. Apparently, I had tried to mail it.