Saturday, February 27, 2010
New Nursery
It's done! The nursery is finished with the exception of some art on the walls. Right now they are pretty bare, but I don't think the baby will mind. When we were expecting Leah we knew that we were having a baby girl, so we had a pretty girly nursery. The walls were painted a deep coral pink and she had white chenille bedding. But this time around is a whole different story. We don't know what we are having, don't know yet when he or she will be here and we are planning accordingly. I made Mitch paint the nursery months ago...like back in September. We made a deal when I was pregnant with Leah that if we found out the sex of baby #1 we were NOT going to find out the sex of baby #2 and I kept him to it, so I knew that a pink nursery might not be appropriate. We went with a more gender neutral color, pale yellow. And bedding...I just don't care for most of the stuff in the stores today. I wanted something more classic and I love Toile. I was playing around online looking for Toile bedding and I found a lady on ebay that makes custom crib bedding... for hundreds of dollars! NO THANK YOU! Lucky me my mother-in-law can sew. I sent her a pattern and had her take a look at it to see if she thought it was doable. She gave me the go ahead so Mitch and I picked out our fabric and it all came together. I have beautiful gender-neutral Toile bedding. It's ivory with a nursery rhyme theme pattern in soft primary colors. Leah loves it...It's got Humpty Dumpty, The Cat and the Fiddle, The Old Woman who lived in a Shoe...she knows them all. Anyway, it turned out great, I love it. And how special that the baby's grandmother was able to make such a precious gift. Thank You Grandma Tootie, It's wonderful!!!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
The "Grand" Father
You know the saying that hindsight is 20/20? Well, it is. Looking back and talking to my brother and sister we have all 3 acknowledged things that we never would have said when we were younger...maybe we would have, but it's hard to say. We all 3 can admit that as kids, we were BEYOND lucky. Lucky isn't even the word to describe it. We were blessed, our cups runneth over...BIG TIME! We had a loving family, a great home, good friends...what more could a kid need! Now, I'm not saying that things were perfect and I am not saying that I had the perfect dad. No parent is without mistakes and God knows my dad made his share of them, but he was a pretty great dad then, and still is today. As a kid you think that there are things that your dad has to do, or at least should do, but as an adult I know that's not the case. There are lots of kids that grow up with different experiences than I had, kids that have absentee parents or parents that are just parents when it's convenient. Thankfully, I did not have that kind of dad.
My dad was always there...ALWAYS. Almost all my childhood memories include him. I can remember him taking us to a Cardinal's ballgame EVERY summer. We had nose bleed seats but we always took our gloves along to catch that one REALLY out-of-bounds ball. I can remember him missing the exit for 70 a few times and having to take 55 and get off on the Assumption black-top to get home. He took us to Six Flags, he took us to the Zoo. He took us to Disney World, and to Cincinnati for a Reds game that one random summer that Matt was a Red's fan and then to King's Island. He took us on a dreadfully boring family vacation one time to Mississippi and Tennessee to visit Civil War memorials, although I think that vacation was more for Matt too. He was always pushing the history, that's one love that I acquired from my dad. But anyway, in addition to the vacations he was the super dad of the neighborhood. When we lived on 20th street, every summer all the neighborhood kids would gather in that front yard that looked gigantic at the time, but now seems quite tiny, and dad would start up ball games. We would play in that front yard until dark...he was always the pitcher, but occasionally would let another kid toss the ball so he could help us make sure that we got that batting stance right. I remember him teaching me how to swim in the CCC pool. And when he had to take us to work with him he would give us handfuls of quarters to play Ms. Pac-Man and if we were really lucky the bar was closed and we could go downstairs and play pinball. When I was still pretty young he used to get up every morning and get the deposit ready from the previous night's sales at the pizza place, he had a rubber stamp that he used on all the backs of the checks and I used to love it when he let me be his helper and stamp the checks. Then we'd go to the bank and get suckers, every kids dream.
Even more than all the "playing" at home he did, he was the coach of everything. Laura's softball teams, my softball teams, Matt's little league teams...heck he loved it so much that he even put a batting cage in our backyard. I like to think that everyone else enjoyed having my dad as the coach as much as we did. He was pretty cool. When he wasn't the coach he was at every game cheering us on, golf matches, track meets, junior high and high school basketball games (not me of course), and any thing else we did. Yes, even band and chorus concerts. He probably didn't want to do all of them, but he did it anyway and was usually the first one to say "good-job" unless we really screwed up then it was more along the lines of "why did you do that" or one of my favorites in golf "When you were on hole #4, shot #2 what club did you use?"
My dad taught us a lot of things too. He taught me a lot about work ethic. You can't expect anyone to give you a handout. He always placed an emphasis on the importance of education...which is probably partly why I have 2 degrees. It's a running joke that I got 2 degrees before he finished one. He jokes that he is going to give Eastern enough money that they give him an honorary degree someday. I think that's cheating, another lesson that he tried to instill in us. Honestly may not always be the easiest way but its the only way. He tried to teach us about money issues and not spending more than we have on stuff we don't need. I remember talking to him about drugs and him telling me that it would screw up my life and about alcohol which he said to drink in moderation (apparently that rule doesn't apply to him, ha). One of the lessons that hits home the most is about respect. He always said that it is NEVER okay for a man to lay a hand on a woman in anger and it's never okay for a man to talk down to a woman. To this day that is still something that will get him upset. He taught us that we are valuable, that we are important and that no one has the right to disrespect us. In addition to him telling us this he modeled it in a way that I am eternally greatful for. In the 31 years that I have walked on this Earth I have never seen my parents in an argument. Sure they have had disagreements, but with everything that our family has gone through I have never seen my father or my mother raise their hand or voice in anger towards one another. That is a gift that every parent should be able to give their child and I am so happy that my parents gave that gift to Laura, Matt and I. That is something that I hold with me when I think about my dad's character.
Like my previous post about my mother, my father also made sure that we were exposed to some wonderful male role models. Of course I don't remember being with them as much as the women, but I think that's because I am a daughter and not a son. But I have very fond memories of my Uncle Dave and my Uncle Brian. For the most part, their fathering styles were very similar if not identical to my fathers. They loved their families immensely and were ALWAYS there. We spent a lot of time at Uncle Brian's house, they lived across the street and Aunt Trina babysat us. Uncle Brian took us fishing and mushroom hunting. He also coached softball when I was a little older and dad was traveling more with Laura for golf. I remember one particular game when I was probably about 14 years old. I had just pitched the championship game and we won against our biggest rivals. Uncle Brian ran out onto that field and was so excited, he spun me around and hugged me so hard I didn't even know what was happening. Uncle Brian was the first one offer up an "atta girl" and push you and encourage you to keep giving it your all...and after all these years he is still that guy. When I was in Junior High track Uncle Dave was around a lot. His son David was usually practicing and even after David Lee was finished Uncle Dave would stick around and give me pointers. Uncle Dave though was also a lot like Aunt Karen and if he caught you misbehaving and doing something that stupid teenagers do, he would jump all over you and try to get you back on track. Even to this day, I know that my Uncles want the best for me and would discipline me if they had to. I know that they love me and I hope they know how much I love them. All three of these men set such positive examples of what a father and a man should be, it's no wonder that the younger generation has turned out to be just like them. I watch my cousin Paul and my brother Matt with their families and I know that they learned from the best. Their children and families are their priorities and there is nothing more special than that.
As much as I credit my father for being there, and as many good memories that I have from the past, it's even better seeing my dad with his grandkids. Leah loves her "papa". She sees pictures of him and her face lights up as she says "papa". His face lights up when he sees her too, but he won't admit it. It was so special this past Christmas watching my niece Macy and Leah play Santa and pass out the presents. Dad relished having them around and was happily snapping pictures of them with their gifts. I look forward to more memories like this.
I have to credit these men for providing the examples of what a "real man" should be. I think knowing what to look for, learning about the right values helped me when it came time for me to decide who should be the father of my own children. While Mitch is very different from my own father in some ways, they have some very similar qualities. So thank you to the "grand" fathers in my life. They were amazing fathers and now they are amazing grandfathers. These are some of my favorite quotes from a book I got Mitch last year called Why a Daughter Needs a Dad, by Gregory E. Lang.
My dad was always there...ALWAYS. Almost all my childhood memories include him. I can remember him taking us to a Cardinal's ballgame EVERY summer. We had nose bleed seats but we always took our gloves along to catch that one REALLY out-of-bounds ball. I can remember him missing the exit for 70 a few times and having to take 55 and get off on the Assumption black-top to get home. He took us to Six Flags, he took us to the Zoo. He took us to Disney World, and to Cincinnati for a Reds game that one random summer that Matt was a Red's fan and then to King's Island. He took us on a dreadfully boring family vacation one time to Mississippi and Tennessee to visit Civil War memorials, although I think that vacation was more for Matt too. He was always pushing the history, that's one love that I acquired from my dad. But anyway, in addition to the vacations he was the super dad of the neighborhood. When we lived on 20th street, every summer all the neighborhood kids would gather in that front yard that looked gigantic at the time, but now seems quite tiny, and dad would start up ball games. We would play in that front yard until dark...he was always the pitcher, but occasionally would let another kid toss the ball so he could help us make sure that we got that batting stance right. I remember him teaching me how to swim in the CCC pool. And when he had to take us to work with him he would give us handfuls of quarters to play Ms. Pac-Man and if we were really lucky the bar was closed and we could go downstairs and play pinball. When I was still pretty young he used to get up every morning and get the deposit ready from the previous night's sales at the pizza place, he had a rubber stamp that he used on all the backs of the checks and I used to love it when he let me be his helper and stamp the checks. Then we'd go to the bank and get suckers, every kids dream.
Even more than all the "playing" at home he did, he was the coach of everything. Laura's softball teams, my softball teams, Matt's little league teams...heck he loved it so much that he even put a batting cage in our backyard. I like to think that everyone else enjoyed having my dad as the coach as much as we did. He was pretty cool. When he wasn't the coach he was at every game cheering us on, golf matches, track meets, junior high and high school basketball games (not me of course), and any thing else we did. Yes, even band and chorus concerts. He probably didn't want to do all of them, but he did it anyway and was usually the first one to say "good-job" unless we really screwed up then it was more along the lines of "why did you do that" or one of my favorites in golf "When you were on hole #4, shot #2 what club did you use?"
My dad taught us a lot of things too. He taught me a lot about work ethic. You can't expect anyone to give you a handout. He always placed an emphasis on the importance of education...which is probably partly why I have 2 degrees. It's a running joke that I got 2 degrees before he finished one. He jokes that he is going to give Eastern enough money that they give him an honorary degree someday. I think that's cheating, another lesson that he tried to instill in us. Honestly may not always be the easiest way but its the only way. He tried to teach us about money issues and not spending more than we have on stuff we don't need. I remember talking to him about drugs and him telling me that it would screw up my life and about alcohol which he said to drink in moderation (apparently that rule doesn't apply to him, ha). One of the lessons that hits home the most is about respect. He always said that it is NEVER okay for a man to lay a hand on a woman in anger and it's never okay for a man to talk down to a woman. To this day that is still something that will get him upset. He taught us that we are valuable, that we are important and that no one has the right to disrespect us. In addition to him telling us this he modeled it in a way that I am eternally greatful for. In the 31 years that I have walked on this Earth I have never seen my parents in an argument. Sure they have had disagreements, but with everything that our family has gone through I have never seen my father or my mother raise their hand or voice in anger towards one another. That is a gift that every parent should be able to give their child and I am so happy that my parents gave that gift to Laura, Matt and I. That is something that I hold with me when I think about my dad's character.
Like my previous post about my mother, my father also made sure that we were exposed to some wonderful male role models. Of course I don't remember being with them as much as the women, but I think that's because I am a daughter and not a son. But I have very fond memories of my Uncle Dave and my Uncle Brian. For the most part, their fathering styles were very similar if not identical to my fathers. They loved their families immensely and were ALWAYS there. We spent a lot of time at Uncle Brian's house, they lived across the street and Aunt Trina babysat us. Uncle Brian took us fishing and mushroom hunting. He also coached softball when I was a little older and dad was traveling more with Laura for golf. I remember one particular game when I was probably about 14 years old. I had just pitched the championship game and we won against our biggest rivals. Uncle Brian ran out onto that field and was so excited, he spun me around and hugged me so hard I didn't even know what was happening. Uncle Brian was the first one offer up an "atta girl" and push you and encourage you to keep giving it your all...and after all these years he is still that guy. When I was in Junior High track Uncle Dave was around a lot. His son David was usually practicing and even after David Lee was finished Uncle Dave would stick around and give me pointers. Uncle Dave though was also a lot like Aunt Karen and if he caught you misbehaving and doing something that stupid teenagers do, he would jump all over you and try to get you back on track. Even to this day, I know that my Uncles want the best for me and would discipline me if they had to. I know that they love me and I hope they know how much I love them. All three of these men set such positive examples of what a father and a man should be, it's no wonder that the younger generation has turned out to be just like them. I watch my cousin Paul and my brother Matt with their families and I know that they learned from the best. Their children and families are their priorities and there is nothing more special than that.
As much as I credit my father for being there, and as many good memories that I have from the past, it's even better seeing my dad with his grandkids. Leah loves her "papa". She sees pictures of him and her face lights up as she says "papa". His face lights up when he sees her too, but he won't admit it. It was so special this past Christmas watching my niece Macy and Leah play Santa and pass out the presents. Dad relished having them around and was happily snapping pictures of them with their gifts. I look forward to more memories like this.
I have to credit these men for providing the examples of what a "real man" should be. I think knowing what to look for, learning about the right values helped me when it came time for me to decide who should be the father of my own children. While Mitch is very different from my own father in some ways, they have some very similar qualities. So thank you to the "grand" fathers in my life. They were amazing fathers and now they are amazing grandfathers. These are some of my favorite quotes from a book I got Mitch last year called Why a Daughter Needs a Dad, by Gregory E. Lang.
- A daughter needs a dad to teach her that she is equal to her husband.
- A daughter needs a dad to share with her the wisdom that she has not yet acquired.
- A daughter needs a dad to give her a strong willful character.
- A daughter needs a dad to teach her that ignorance is not an excuse for anything.
- A daughter needs a dad to teach her that a man's strength is not the force of his hand or his voice, but the kindness of his heart.
- A daughter needs a dad to teach her what kind of man to chose to be the father of her children.
- A daughter needs a dad who will always make sure she has a place to call home.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
The First Mother
The First Mother
~Eve~
"Even though she sinned against God, Eve showed her children-and all those whole could be born on Earth in subsequent generations-the beauty of repentance, forgiveness and restoration."
~ from the book, Mothers of Influence
Okay, well maybe my mother isn't the first mother, but she is first in my book. She is an amazing mother that I am so thankful for. As I prepare to have my second child I reflect on my own life and my family. For those of you that know me-you know that my family means the world to me and I love them more than words can express. Of course I try to express this but how can one really detail what they feel in their heart. For those of you that know my mom, I'm sure you will agree that she is one of God's most amazing gifts, a true blessing and one of the most special people you will ever meet. That's probably why my dad fell in love with her, and probably why she has been able to put up with him for 33 years, ha!
When I think back about my childhood I have such positive memories of my mother. It wasn't always easy but she managed to make time for it all. I can remember her rushing me to preschool so she wouldn't be late for work and one particular afternoon when she was pregnant with Matt and tripped on the sidewalk, whoops. I remember talking to her on the phone shortly after she had Matt, and she told me I had a brother. I was at my Aunt Karen's and Uncle Dave's and I told her she should have named him John. I remember her playing games with us, and one particulr game when she would wash out hair and make me laugh and laugh by saying that she just saw a turtle or a frog go down the drain. I remember the first time she let me go to the movies without an adult. Tara and I were 10 and we went to a matinee of Adventures in Babysitting. But more than that I remember the lessons that she tried to teach us about life. I remember her pushing us to keep moving forward when we were discouraged and not give up. I remember her encouraging us to pursue our own hearts desire regardless of what anyone else thought. I remember he diligence on the importance of church and how your spirituality and relationship with God could help get you through anything that life throws at you. Dad wasn't much of a church-goer and she would take all 3 of us to church and keep us quiet and occupied through the service every Sunday. And lastly, she taught us about pride and civic duty in your community. My mother is a woman that gives and gives until you think she can't give anymore and then she gives some more and you are just in awe of her generosity of spirit. I can't name all the charitable causes that she has been a part of or I would be writing all day, but her service to the church, the Coalition for People in Need, CCAR and Hospice are just a few.
More than just teaching us these life lessons she LIVED these life lessons, and set the most highest standards for how you should live your life. In addition to being a great role model, she surrounded us with other amazing strong woman. Growing up I felt like I had a number of mother figures...friends and family. There was Deb who worked for my dad, babysat us and quickly became more of an aunt than a family friend. We spent just as much time at her house as we did any other family member. She wasn't afraid to discipline us and teach us the ways of the world and make sure that we knew the difference between right and wrong. There was Aunt Trina who has the kindest most sincere spirit and would do anything to comfort you and make you smile. There is Cece who is so knowledgeable about the world and always willing to share her knowledge. She also is an amazing listener and tries to really help when you need a helping hand, and then my Aunt Karen. There aren't even words to describe how much I miss her sometimes. Aunt Karen told you how it was. If you called her "Karen" she corrected you, it was "Aunt Karen". She put an emphasis on having respect for your elders. If you were doing something wrong she would bring it to your attention and get you back on the right track without flinching, but she did it with a love that you couldn't deny. She had a shoulder that I cried on many times, and her arms gave the best hugs. So in addition to the wonderful example that my mother set for us, I can't begin to thank her for the other positive mother-role models she brought into our lives. I love my mother and I love these women too. So thank you to them as well.
I've often wondered if I will ever be the amazing mother to my children that my mother is to me and my siblings, but the answer to that is easy. No, I won't be...I will be different than my mother but I will share the same life lessons and values that my mother shared with me. Her patience, her heart, her hospitality, generosity, kindness and love have set the perfect example for me and that is all that I can ask for. I'm beyond fortunate to have her as my role model of what a friend, woman and mother should be, and as amazing as a mother that she has been...She is an even more amazing Grandmother. Leah loves her "Gigi" so much and I know that baby #2 will love her just as much.
For many of the milestones in my life my mother has given me a book, always with a connection to the strength of God's love. When I graduated from High School is was a book titled As You Leave Home. When I graduated from college with my bachelors it was I Hope You Dance. And when I became a mother it was Mothers of Influence, She always made little notes in the margins for me that make me smile. Here are some of my favorite quotes from Mothers of Influence.
When I think back about my childhood I have such positive memories of my mother. It wasn't always easy but she managed to make time for it all. I can remember her rushing me to preschool so she wouldn't be late for work and one particular afternoon when she was pregnant with Matt and tripped on the sidewalk, whoops. I remember talking to her on the phone shortly after she had Matt, and she told me I had a brother. I was at my Aunt Karen's and Uncle Dave's and I told her she should have named him John. I remember her playing games with us, and one particulr game when she would wash out hair and make me laugh and laugh by saying that she just saw a turtle or a frog go down the drain. I remember the first time she let me go to the movies without an adult. Tara and I were 10 and we went to a matinee of Adventures in Babysitting. But more than that I remember the lessons that she tried to teach us about life. I remember her pushing us to keep moving forward when we were discouraged and not give up. I remember her encouraging us to pursue our own hearts desire regardless of what anyone else thought. I remember he diligence on the importance of church and how your spirituality and relationship with God could help get you through anything that life throws at you. Dad wasn't much of a church-goer and she would take all 3 of us to church and keep us quiet and occupied through the service every Sunday. And lastly, she taught us about pride and civic duty in your community. My mother is a woman that gives and gives until you think she can't give anymore and then she gives some more and you are just in awe of her generosity of spirit. I can't name all the charitable causes that she has been a part of or I would be writing all day, but her service to the church, the Coalition for People in Need, CCAR and Hospice are just a few.
More than just teaching us these life lessons she LIVED these life lessons, and set the most highest standards for how you should live your life. In addition to being a great role model, she surrounded us with other amazing strong woman. Growing up I felt like I had a number of mother figures...friends and family. There was Deb who worked for my dad, babysat us and quickly became more of an aunt than a family friend. We spent just as much time at her house as we did any other family member. She wasn't afraid to discipline us and teach us the ways of the world and make sure that we knew the difference between right and wrong. There was Aunt Trina who has the kindest most sincere spirit and would do anything to comfort you and make you smile. There is Cece who is so knowledgeable about the world and always willing to share her knowledge. She also is an amazing listener and tries to really help when you need a helping hand, and then my Aunt Karen. There aren't even words to describe how much I miss her sometimes. Aunt Karen told you how it was. If you called her "Karen" she corrected you, it was "Aunt Karen". She put an emphasis on having respect for your elders. If you were doing something wrong she would bring it to your attention and get you back on the right track without flinching, but she did it with a love that you couldn't deny. She had a shoulder that I cried on many times, and her arms gave the best hugs. So in addition to the wonderful example that my mother set for us, I can't begin to thank her for the other positive mother-role models she brought into our lives. I love my mother and I love these women too. So thank you to them as well.
I've often wondered if I will ever be the amazing mother to my children that my mother is to me and my siblings, but the answer to that is easy. No, I won't be...I will be different than my mother but I will share the same life lessons and values that my mother shared with me. Her patience, her heart, her hospitality, generosity, kindness and love have set the perfect example for me and that is all that I can ask for. I'm beyond fortunate to have her as my role model of what a friend, woman and mother should be, and as amazing as a mother that she has been...She is an even more amazing Grandmother. Leah loves her "Gigi" so much and I know that baby #2 will love her just as much.
For many of the milestones in my life my mother has given me a book, always with a connection to the strength of God's love. When I graduated from High School is was a book titled As You Leave Home. When I graduated from college with my bachelors it was I Hope You Dance. And when I became a mother it was Mothers of Influence, She always made little notes in the margins for me that make me smile. Here are some of my favorite quotes from Mothers of Influence.
- A Mother of Influence inspires a love of learning.
- A Mother of Influence teaches her children to do what is right.
- A Mother of Influence instructs and encourages her children to extend compassion to others.
- A Mother of Influence teaches her children to pray.
- A Mother of Influence knows joy can be found in the simple rhythm of life.
- A Mother of Influence sets a godly example for her children.
- A Mother of Influence teaches her children the difference between right and wrong.
- A Mother of Influence has faith in her children's potential.
- A Mother of Influence sets an example of generosity.
- A Mother of Influence provides a loving, stable environment in which her children can grow.
- A Mother of Influence prays diligently for her children.
- A Mother of Influence models forgiveness for her children.
I love you mom, thank you for everything that you do, have done and will do. You're the best!
Baby Update
Oops, I meant to do this last week but time has a way of getting away from me these days. We went and had our ultrasound on Thursday afternoon. Everything looked good except the little troublemaker wouldn't cooperate to let us get a good look at his/her profile. He/She was perfectly center, down in the pelvis facing my spine...no matter which way the doctor moved the transducer we just couldn't get a look at the face. Sooo, no picture this time. Well, actually he did give us a picture of the heart-rate monitor but that's not very exciting. Everything about this baby is a surprise which I just love...we don't know when it is coming, just that it will be here by March 9th. We don't know if it's a boy or girl, don't know who it looks like (I'm guessing Leah) and still are set on any names. Talk about anticipation!!! I went back to the doctor yesterday and so far there is NO progress, but I am holding on to a little bit of hope that there is still time for a natural delivery.
I'm doing a lot of reflecting these days as we prepare to become a family of 4...I've written something about my mother that I will post shortly. I'm working on something about dad's...mostly mine and Mitch because I have no experience in that arena, and I want to write a letter to Leah before the new baby comes. Surely all of this will keep me busy.
I'm doing a lot of reflecting these days as we prepare to become a family of 4...I've written something about my mother that I will post shortly. I'm working on something about dad's...mostly mine and Mitch because I have no experience in that arena, and I want to write a letter to Leah before the new baby comes. Surely all of this will keep me busy.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Little Jaybird
You know the saying...Naked as a Jaybird! That seems to be how Leah is most comfortable these days. She just makes me laugh so much sometimes. It doesn't matter if we are getting dressed in the morning or getting ready for bed at night, but if you let her out of your grip and she gets away from you she runs around the house naked yelling"woo woo, woo woo". There is just no stopping her. She runs the circle lap between our living room and kitchen and when you tell her to "come here" she stops and gives you this devilish little grin that can just melt your heart.
Sadly, my naked little jaybird has been struck down by the stomach flu this week. Honestly, I am lucky that she never really got it before now. She had the stomach flu over Thanksgiving 2008 but she was only 6 months old and it wasn't as hard on her as it was the rest of the family. This time it was a little tougher. It wasn't fun for me or her and I think I let daddy take the brunt of the clean-up duties. Poor thing would start coughing and the next thing you knew she was vomitting. She couldn't keep anything down all day long, not even water and she was content to lay on the couch and watch movies most of the day...which never happens. She crashed on the couch too! This was the first time she ever took a nap on the couch...she must have been really worn out. Thankfully she seems to be doing better and is back to her high energy self...soon she will be running around naked as a jaybird again, ha!
Sadly, my naked little jaybird has been struck down by the stomach flu this week. Honestly, I am lucky that she never really got it before now. She had the stomach flu over Thanksgiving 2008 but she was only 6 months old and it wasn't as hard on her as it was the rest of the family. This time it was a little tougher. It wasn't fun for me or her and I think I let daddy take the brunt of the clean-up duties. Poor thing would start coughing and the next thing you knew she was vomitting. She couldn't keep anything down all day long, not even water and she was content to lay on the couch and watch movies most of the day...which never happens. She crashed on the couch too! This was the first time she ever took a nap on the couch...she must have been really worn out. Thankfully she seems to be doing better and is back to her high energy self...soon she will be running around naked as a jaybird again, ha!
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Breech Baby, Breech Baby
Oh wait...I think the words to the song are "beach baby, beach baby" ha! But anyway, yes I have been dealing with a breech baby for more or less the past 4-5 weeks straight. Most the time I wouldn't be able to tell you if the baby was breech, vertex or transverse, but this little one was having lots of hiccups and they were always right underneath my right ribs...what gives!!! Leah was head down and locked into position at 30 weeks, so why can't this little one cooperate?
Anyway, I knew exactly when the baby turned. It was Wednesday night, after our "winter wallop" and Mitch was out shoveling the driveway for the last time after our 20 inches of snow. I was having all sorts of pains and not long after they ended the baby got the hiccups and sure enough they were down by my right hip...YAY!
I went to my 36 week appointment on Friday and my doctor did an ultrasound and FINALLY the head was down. I was beyond excited...as long as the baby is head down I won't have to schedule the dreaded C-section...yet. We still have to do another ultrasound to look at the baby's measurements. With a VBAC he won't let me attempt to deliver a "large" baby, and he also won't let me go post due date, but anyway...I've been feeling all sorts of weird pains again today and sure enough, the baby just had the hiccups and is breech AGAIN! I'm not going to panic yet though, hopefully this little one will get his or her act together soon. If it could go head down once it can do it again. I am having another ultrasound this Thursday (37 weeks and 3 days) and I hope everything looks good!
Onto other baby related things...the nursery is just about put together, the bottles and breastpump have been re-sanitized and washed, we need to pack our bag and I think we will be rady to go. Well, there is the whole name thing to consider. I thought it was hard to name Leah and we knew that we were having a girl...I think it's even harder this time, not knowing. We think we have names picked out but I just can't commit...and no, don't ask because we won't tell you :) I'm hoping that when I see and hold our second little baby it will just click.
For now a few pictures of our blizzard will have to do. Hopefully will get some more pictures from the ultrasound next week of our new little bundle of joy.
This time Leah actually gave her snowman a hug!
Anyway, I knew exactly when the baby turned. It was Wednesday night, after our "winter wallop" and Mitch was out shoveling the driveway for the last time after our 20 inches of snow. I was having all sorts of pains and not long after they ended the baby got the hiccups and sure enough they were down by my right hip...YAY!
I went to my 36 week appointment on Friday and my doctor did an ultrasound and FINALLY the head was down. I was beyond excited...as long as the baby is head down I won't have to schedule the dreaded C-section...yet. We still have to do another ultrasound to look at the baby's measurements. With a VBAC he won't let me attempt to deliver a "large" baby, and he also won't let me go post due date, but anyway...I've been feeling all sorts of weird pains again today and sure enough, the baby just had the hiccups and is breech AGAIN! I'm not going to panic yet though, hopefully this little one will get his or her act together soon. If it could go head down once it can do it again. I am having another ultrasound this Thursday (37 weeks and 3 days) and I hope everything looks good!
Onto other baby related things...the nursery is just about put together, the bottles and breastpump have been re-sanitized and washed, we need to pack our bag and I think we will be rady to go. Well, there is the whole name thing to consider. I thought it was hard to name Leah and we knew that we were having a girl...I think it's even harder this time, not knowing. We think we have names picked out but I just can't commit...and no, don't ask because we won't tell you :) I'm hoping that when I see and hold our second little baby it will just click.
For now a few pictures of our blizzard will have to do. Hopefully will get some more pictures from the ultrasound next week of our new little bundle of joy.
This time Leah actually gave her snowman a hug!
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Nor'easter...No Problem!
Mitch and I have just had to shake our heads and laugh at the "panic" that the mention of snow gets out here. Being from Minnesota and Illinois we have seen our fair share of winter storms, not to mention low temperatures and negative wind chills...brrrr! Out here in Jersey though, the mention of the "S" word makes people go crazy. For instance last week they were predicting that we were going to get hit by a Nor'easter and have quite a winter storm on Friday/Saturday. Well, on Thursday morning on our way to one of my weekly doctor appointments they had the salt trucks out already. Then on Friday around noon...before the first snowflake had fallen, all sorts of school closings and canceled extra-curricular activities were running across the bottom of the TV. Did I mention that it didn't even start to snow until around 11 pm that night.Anyway the snow came, and we definitely took advantage of it! Not sure how much we actually got in our neck of the woods but we were guessing anywhere from 10-12 inches. Mitch went out to shovel the driveway and was saved by our wonderful neighbor. Bill came over and took care of it for him with his snowblower!!! After that we bundled Leah up in her snow pants for the first time, put her coat and hats and mittens on and headed out to brave the cold. The girl LOVED it! She most certainly has some of that native Minnesotan blood in her, because I think she would have stayed out there to play all day long. Of course our dog Neo, who is half husky was in heaven too...he just rolled and ran and rolled and ran, diving his nose in the snow every chance he got. Mitch took part in the fun too, chasing the dogs and kicking up the snow all over the place. Leah thought that was great. She laughed and laughed and attempted to chase the dogs too, but a toddler in snow pants doesn't move to quick. We took her out twice on Saturday and it was perfect...that afternoon she took a 2+ hour nap, which NEVER happens. It was great!
On Sunday we took her out again. You can see from the pictures that the sun was out in full force. Mitch and Leah built a snowman together, well mostly Mitch, but occasionally she tried to pack the snow in. After Mitch was done and the snowman had a face Leah wanted nothing to do with it. He had to hold her to get the picture. It was a lot of fun watching Leah play in the snow. We may get to do it again soon....they are predicting another 12-18 inches tonight, yay!
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Sweet tooth, perhaps?
I'm starting to notice a re-occurring theme for my blog...sweets, cooking, etc!!! And it has become pretty obvious recently that Leah has inherited her momma's sweet tooth. I'm not going to complain about it though yet. For the most part she is not at all a picky eater and likes her vegetables too, yes...even broccoli!As I mentioned before, this whole pregnancy thing REALLY brings out the sweet tooth in me. So for one of my latest cravings I picked up a big bag of Reese's Pieces and I stashed it in one of our kitchen island drawers. Well, imagine my surprise the other morning when Leah found my stash.
I had gone to take a shower, I always leave the door open and she is usually very good about watching Sesame Street or Curious George on PBS while I am in there, but I got out of the shower and could hear this little "click click click" noise coming from the other room. With my robe on and not even dressed yet, I went out to the kitchen and found her sitting on the floor amongst the ENTIRE bag of Reese's Pieces. Of course when I started to clean them up she started shoveling them in with the biggest cheesiest grin on her face that I have ever seen. It dawned on me that I should have gotten a picture of her amidst the mess so I quickly snapped one before cleaning up the remaining few "pieces". After I took the picture I cleaned up the rest of them...that created quite a temper tantrum...I should have take a picture of that, HA!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Cake Boss
First we got everything ready to mix in the bowl.
Then Daddy let her help with the mixer.
Of course tasting the batter is one of her favorite parts.
And last but not least she definitely enjoyed the finished product.
Cake Boss...Ha! Well, we do live in New Jersey. I went through this stage the last half of my pregnancy with Leah too, but it's like I just can't live without my sweets!!! I used to keep Hershey's kisses in the drawer while I was pregnant with Leah because I had to have chocolate.
For anyone that knows me...you know I am not a chocolate person. I prefer skittles, starbust, twizzlers...the fruity, chewy stuff. But when I'm pregnant I NEED chocolate. The other night I was having a chocolate craving. I REALLY wanted some chewy fudge brownies but it was getting late and I didn't want to go to the store. I had a yellow cake mix and some chocolate icing in the cabinet so we went for it.
Leah loves helping. We've been letting her help in the kitchen a lot more. Now whenever we are cooking, even if it's just a grilled cheese for lunch, she thinks she has to scoot one of the dining chairs up to the counter so she can climb up and help. Maybe we have the next Iron Chef on our hands, ha! Lord knows we watch enough of the food network. Anyway, just wanted to share a few of the pictures with you all.
A friend of mine recently welcomed his second baby girl to the family. He said that they got some cupcakes and threw the baby a birthday party so that the big sister could welcome the new baby home. I think that is a great idea, I am hoping that we can let Leah do this for her new baby brother or sister in a few weeks.
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