Unbelievably Hard Day

I thought I was prepared. I thought since I had planned for it I would handle it better. I thought I knew what to expect. I was wrong. Yesterday was one of the hardest days of my life. We put Sophie to sleep. It sounds so peaceful but it's still ending her life. Even though I know she was in pain. Even though I know she had suffered a long time, it was still hard. I held her as she fell asleep in my arms. I hadn't been able to hold her like that for a long time because she wasn't comfortable. It was comforting and heartbreaking at the same time. I didn't get to hold her as she received the final shot but I saw her take her last breath.

Having Peanut has been both a blessing and a curse in this situation. In one way I had to get control of my emotions and not let her see that I was so upset. And as I was able to go through the day because of this it made it that much harder when she kept asking for Sophie last night. She didn't want her to go on her trip, she wanted her to come home. She wanted to be with her. I hope as each day goes by she asks about her less and less. I love that she loved her as much as I did and I know she doesn't understand she's causing me pain, but it hurts so much.

To Sophie...you were a wonderful dog. You were my first baby. You were always there for me when I needed you. You will be forever loved and missed.

Why? Why? Why??

Why does a 2 1/2 year old know exactly how to push your buttons? Why won't they listen? Why do I have to be punished for THEIR bad behavior???? Whew. Okay, I obviously know the answer to all of these but I needed to get it out. Once again I had to leave a store because of my daughter's behavior. Unlike last time I did choose to check out, but that was ONLY because I had her prescription. If it hadn't been for that I would've drug her butt right out of there!! And it was Target, my favorite store. We had been having such a good time walking around and making her birthday list. And then it turned terribly wrong when she wanted a wagon filled with sand toys and I told her no. She didn't want to add it to her birthday list she wanted to take it home NOW. I keep telling her no and then she starts to hit me. OMG, oh no she didn't!! A fairly quiet ride home (since the tv was taken away from her) and I thought she had gotten over it. She apologized, said she was listening. And then we got home and it started all over again. One time out later and now it's blissful naptime. I don't think she's sleeping yet, but I don't care. She's in her room and being quiet. Right now I can't ask for much more than that!

Princess Tea

Yesterday I took Peanut to a Mommy and Me Princess Tea. She wore her finest princess attire and had a blast! She got to have some make up put on, received new jewelry, decorated a crown and learned from "real" princesses how to walk and wave like a princess. It was tons of fun and she totally fell in love with Cinderella. She was not however a fan of Prince Charming. :)

Buddy's Two Months Old!!

Last week I took Buddy for his two month check up. The appointment was about two weeks behind when he actually turned 2 months so it made it harder to compare his growth to Peanut's. But, he's now 12 lbs, 15 oz and 24" long. 75% in both weight and height. Peanut was just under 12 lbs and 1/4" shorter at her two month, but hers was right at two months. So basically I think their growth is the same at this point. He was a trooper through the shots. He's starting to coo a lot which I love and of course, he smiles all the time. The doctor said he has a twinkle in his eye when he smiles, and I would have to agree!

My GPS Adventure

Now I've always been a fan of geography, I get it from my dad. And I LOVE taking roads I've never taken just to see where they go. It's how I learned where everything was when we moved to Ohio. I was laid off and had nothing better to do than drive around and learn all the back ways to get places. :)

And even though I'm good at remembering directions and I'm confident being on roads I don't know, I LOVE the GPS. It's so much fun! The other day I was leaving a friends house and I knew exactly how to get home, but thought I would see which way the GPS would take me. It was quite the adventure. I was on two different roads that I had never been on nor had even heard of! Peanut liked it because they had slides (hills).

Okay, so after reading this I realized I'm even more easily entertained than I thought. :)

BUT, the funny part of the story was that I told Peanut we were on a GPS Adventure and she asked if we would get in one of the big trucks. She thought I meant UPS. :)

It tastes piggy

At breakfast one morning my Mom was eating bacon and said she wasn't sure she liked it. It tasted too piggy. LOL And what does "too piggy" taste like? She couldn't describe.

A few days later she called me on the phone after reading an article about some sort of dairy product made with goat milk and that people had responded to it saying it tasted too goaty.

People have always talked about certain fish being too fishy, so why not all the other animal products?

Terrible Toddler

They call it "Terrible Twos" and believe me, they can be. But then everyone says that three-year olds are so much worse! And really the bad behavior starts before they turn two. So I've decided to call it Terrible Toddler.

Here are a couple of "fun" things Peanut has said to us lately:

Daddy: Why are you yelling?
Peanut: Dada, don't even.

Daddy: Peanut, get your coat on.
Peanut: I can't.
Daddy: Peanut, put your coat on now.
Peanut: Did you hear me? I CAN'T!!

(Oh yes, you read it right. And with this one I totally lost it. I laughed so hard I cried.)

Daddy: Come downstairs.
Peanut: No.
Daddy: Come downstairs, now.
Peanut: I can't, I have lots of stuff to do.

(Unfortunately she gets this one from me. I say that a lot when she asks me to do stuff with her. Now I feel bad.)

Happy Mother's Day!!

I sit here typing this post in an unusually quiet house and I'm all alone. Also very unusual. It's Mother's Day and I wonder if wanting to enjoy the day all to myself is wrong? Or is it normal? Sometimes I think I should want to spend the day doing wonderful things with my kids, but I'm lucky to do that every day. So to me, this is a holiday, a day off for Mommy. And fortunately, Franklin goes along with it! LOL

The day started off the same as the last two, sleeping in and breakfast in bed. And then one of the best things, a long shower in the bathroom...alone. To those who aren't moms this may not seem unusual but it is. I often shower and sing 'Old MacDonald' at the same time. And I rush through the shower worried that the older child may harm the younger. So a long shower alone in the bathroom is a holiday in itself.

When I finally made it downstairs it was time for hugs, kisses and presents. Peanut got me a back brush/massager for the shower. Buddy got me a gift card to the movies and Franklin got me the MOST wonderful gift...plane tickets to Atlanta!!! I get to visit one of my bestest friends!! I'm so excited!! I literally cried, I don't think I've ever done that over a present.

Then I left the house and went to the nursery to get hanging baskets, the library and then to Target. It's been a LONG time since I spent a leisurely time in Target. I'm usually speed walking through the store getting everything I need while supplying snacks to a hungry toddler and constantly saying "no, you can't have that," "sit down," "do you want a time out???" It was heaven. And even though I only bought the essentials it was nice to walk around and look at whatever I wanted.

And now, I'm sitting here desperately needing to update this blog with all the happenings of our lives. And I only have 8 hours left, apparently Mommy turns into a pumpkin at midnight and the holiday is over. :)

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!!!

Facebook Forgetfulness

I, like many of my friends, am addicted to Facebook. I don't get to spend as much time on it as I would like, but I spend enough. And I love that I get to stay up to date with all the happenings of my friends and family and returning the same favor. But I realized in doing that, I neglect my blog. And I created this so that I could keep ALL of our friends and family up to date with what was going on. And because they all don't have FB accounts, I must get better about this. I'll try, Girl Scouts honor. :)

Yup...we're definitely in Ohio!

Many things...

Over the past couple of weeks several things have happened that I wanted to blog about, but when I finally sat at the computer I either couldn't remember them or just didn't feel in a funny enough mood to type them out. I really wish I could blog like you can twitter. Not that I want to type out a whole blog via texting or anything, but I need something that mobile. I guess I better start carrying a tape recorder so that I can record EXACTLY what I want to say when it happens!

I promise I'll put some stories up later. :)

Pre-pregnancy Jeans!!!

So this morning I put on a pair of non-maternity pants...and they fit!! I can zip them up, button them, walk and even sit down in them!! Now, I do have some serious muffin top, but that's nothing that can't be covered with a long shirt. Yippee!!

Ambulance Chasers

This past weekend we took an impromptu trip to MI. I NEEDED to get out of the house. :) Anyhow, on Saturday we were at my parents and I was laying on the couch after being up several times the night before and my Dad says, "There's a fire!" Franklin and I jumped up and ran to the kitchen to see what he was talking about. It appeared that a house was on fire on the street behind them, tons of black smoke in the air. So what do we do? Franklin and I jump in the car to go check it out!! I was still in my pajamas but didn't care. :) (My mom did call 911 too)

Turns out it wasn't on the street behind them but on the main road in front of their subdivision. It was a big garage that was on fire. We were not the only ones gawking either. :) We got there before the firemen so we got to see them pull in and go into action. I had never seen that in real life and it was very impressive. Four fire trucks in all arrived and it was put out without any damage to the house next to it. Thank God there are people out there willing to fight fire for us, I couldn't believe how close they got to it!

Buddy's 1 Month Old!!!

I can't believe a month has gone by since I delivered him. In some ways it feels like much longer but mostly it's flown by. I'm starting to feel better finally, physically at least. This stupid infected incision has prevented me from recuperating as fast as I wanted, but now I'm on a second round of antibiotics and alas I am finally on the mend.

We have his one month check up on Wednesday so I'll post new stats then. I can tell he's getting bigger but I'm not sure by how much. I do know that he's out of the newborn clothes and into 0-3 month. :) But that's primarily because his toes were about to break through the feet of the newborn clothes!!

Our 2 Week Checkups

This past Friday was a doctor day. I went for my two week check up, unexpectedly early because my incision was bulging and hard (gross!!). Turns out I have a fluid build up and infection so now I'm on antibiotics 4 times a day!! But the highlight of the appointment was that I had already lost 27 lbs! Woohoo!!

Buddy's check up also went very well. He's back up to his birth weight, exactly 7lbs. 4 oz and he grew an inch! The doctor thinks he looks fabulous and we go back when he's a month old.

Think goodness they're washable!

I recently purchased some washable markers for Peanut. She loves to draw with markers all the time so I knew if she had them, they had to be washable. The other evening she said she was going to draw a smiley face on her hand. I thought it was harmless and since I'm all about her keeping herself busy I was okay with it. The next thing I know she's tattooed both her arms!! She was very, very proud of it though. :) Fortunately it all washed off right away so no harm done.

Big Sister!!

After constantly asking about Mommy, Daddy and Brother's bracelets at the hospital a nurse made a special one for Peanut. She wore it proudly for days and days! She really loves her baby brother which I'm extremely thankful for. She likes to hold him, help with diaper changes and hold the bottle while he eats. Fortunately she hasn't taken over too much and is okay when told no. :)

Home

Here is a picture of Buddy and I going home. We've been home just over a week now and have gone through some major adjustments. First, the day we were coming home we had a pipe burst in our basement. Thankfully Franklin had gone home to check on Peanut and saw the mess before we came home! We almost stayed another night at the hospital because of it but fortunately Franklin got things fixed and had someone there to dry things out quickly!

Peanut has also been having some problems. She loves her baby brother and doesn't seem to be jealous of him, but is having trouble listening and being a good girl. I think she was pissed off I was gone for a few days! She's also not used to be home ALL the time. With MOMS Club we're on the go several days a week and staying cooped up every day is not her cup of tea. And because I haven't been cleared to drive yet, it makes things even more difficult. We did get out yesterday and she was able to play at the mall. Her behavior was a little better last night and bedtime went smoothly.

I've also been struggling with nursing. My milk has come in "slightly" but it's not nearly enough to feed Buddy. So, I had started supplementing with formula at the hospital and after 10 days of constant nursing and/or pumping, I've decided to give it up and go totally to formula. It was a very tough decision for me because not only do I want to do what's best for my baby and save money, I was very unhappy and it was making things harder on everyone else as well. Now that I've switched I finally feel somewhat normal. :)

Blushing Buttercream Pettiskirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

Blushing Buttercream Pettiskirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

This skirt is super cute!!!

Welcome Landon Thomas!!

Yesterday was the big day!! Landon Thomas Faro was brought into the world at 10:12 am weighing 7lbs 4 oz and 20 1/4" long. I think he's pretty darn cute!!

Everything went very well, the only glitch was that it took 3 tries to get my spinal in. Ouch! Not fun, but worth it when it went in correctly. :) It was a far better experience than the first time.

So far Landon is a wonderful baby. He's nursing well and doesn't fuss much at all. And of course as I type this he's starting to get fussy!


Big Sister Maya wasn't that impressed at first with her baby brother. She did get a little more interested in him before she left, but was having way more fun with her cousins. Tonight she told me how cute he was, sang to him and held his foot in her hands to keep it warm. I think she'll be a great big sister!

Landon and I are hanging out in the hospital till Tuesday. I should be able to post regularly, thank goodness for free wi-fi!!

38 Weeks!!

This may be my last pregnancy picture, 38 weeks. I can't believe I only have 4 more days before I go in to deliver baby brother!! Yikes!! It still doesn't seem real, but I'm sure it will soon. I certainly am ready to be done with being pregnant. My body hurts more and more every day!!

Our Valentine's Dinner

This is a picture of our Valentine's Dinner. Even though we had it on a different night due to a birthday party it was still special. Two steaks and two lobster tails, YUMMY!! They turned out awesome and I only set the smoke alarm off once...damn broiler! I think I may be hooked at cooking lobster all the time, it was so tasty.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day!!!

Booty Song

Peanut's latest thing is to stand on the stool with a microphone and sing the Booty song. It goes like this, "Booty song, booty song, booty song, booty song..." Sometimes she shakes her booty while she sings, but she doesn't always have the coordination. :) She's our little American Idol!

Pretty Toes

When I wanted to cut Peanut's toenails she said no. And even though I was cutting them anyhow, I thought I would humor her with a bargain. If she let me cut her toenails I would paint them for her. She was so excited!! I even let her pick out the color. :) So here are her pretty toes that she still likes to show off to people!

37 Weeks Tomorrow

Yesterday I went to the OB for my 36 week check up. Things are still going well, but my BP was up again so I have to go back in tomorrow just to check that. Hopefully it stays down and the c-section goes as planned. For those that don't know, we're all scheduled for February 21st. I can't believe it's only 2 weeks from Saturday. And even though I'm getting pretty miserable I still NEED those two weeks!!

We had another ultrasound and the superstar still refuses to show his face. Having a c-section in my future allows this child to be in whatever position he wants, and of course he picks the one that babies are supposed to be in at this stage...head and face down into my pelvis. Kind of makes it difficult for pictures. Couldn't make it breech this time?? None the less, we got a few, his little face is squished up against the placenta but it's the best we've had so far!

Simon says....

Today Peanut and I were eating lunch and she wanted to play "Simon Says." So we played for a little bit and I would throw in "Simon says take a bite of chicken" every once in awhile. She was eating and I thought I was pretty smooth finding a new way for her to get some food into her. Then she wanted to get out of her chair, by saying Simon says of course. And I said "Simon says take one more bite." And do you know what she said???

"No thank you Simon."

She outsmarted me again!!

Backyard BBQ Anyone????

Yup, I'm done with Winter. I realize that I have at least 2 more months of possibly snowy weather, but I can still be sick of it. We got 13 inches yesterday! WTF??? Doesn't Mother Nature realize that stay at home moms need to get out with their children for their sanity? And when a snowstorm like this happens and events get canceled it really can drive one insane!!

Oh well, guess I'll just have to deal with it. Stupid snow.

Proud Mommy

I think I bought our first potty a year ago and have slowly been encouraging Peanut to use it. She started off pretty good and then lost all interest. After I became pregnant potty training was one of my goals before the baby arrived, along with moving to a big girl bed and getting rid of the binky. As the pregnancy flew by I realized that these were pretty lofty goals and that I should probably just settle for one of them. :) Three weeks ago we took on the big girl bed and have had a success. One down, two to go!

Lately she's been showing a lot more interest in the potty. Particularly when we're at one of the grandparents. Which is great, but then once we get home it fades. Well that's all changed. She's been doing very well without any "training." She goes pee pee several times a day and yesterday she went poopy in the potty!!! I was floored!! And to top it off, tonight she went again! I'm pretty proud of her and amazed that she's doing it all without my pushing. Now she definitely doesn't stay dry all day or anything, but I think she's doing great. And since I'm pretty sure she'll regress when the baby arrives, I'm just fine with how things are going. :)

And for those of you wondering if the binky is gone, that's a big fat no. I'm pretty sure she'll need that comfort item when the baby arrives and 2 out of 3 ain't bad!

Pregnancy and General Update

I knew I probably wouldn't be as communicative about this second pregnancy, but seriously, I had no idea how UN-communicative I would be!! I am making a pledge to not be the same when it comes to his pictures. :)

Today I am 35 weeks and I am ready to not be pregnant anymore. Am I ready for a newborn? No. But I would like to be able to lay down or even walk in comfort. We had a little scare this week, I woke up with some spotting on Wednesday. I was pretty sure everything was okay and knew the baby would most likely be fine if born that day, but it sure was an eye opener that we have a lot do still!! Everything is fine and the baby appears to be staying put for now. My c-section is now scheduled for February 21st. It was supposed to be the 20th but the OR was already booked with 3 scheduled that day so my doctor graciously offered a Saturday. Although, he doesn't think I'll go that long. My blood pressure has been elevated but had come down a little on Wednesday. I've been going weekly for the last couple of weeks and will continue through the duration. I had an ultrasound on Wednesday as well. They were already going to do one but the spotting made it a necessity. The little booger still won't show his face so I don't have a cool 3D pic of him. Apparently he's a superstar already and is waiting to show his face at his debut! They said he looks to be about 4 lbs 14oz right now. He'll probably gain 1-2 lbs if he stays in 4 more weeks, looks like I make small babies!! I'm hoping to make it to the 21st, but it's a wait and see. I didn't have to go into labor the first time so I'm not looking forward to that happening this time! At this point I'm going every Wed so stay tuned for updates..I'll really try and be better. :)

Peanut talks about baby brother every day. Wondering if he's here yet, giving my belly kisses. She has a little baby doll she got for Christmas that's all in blue and she calls it her baby brother. Hopefully she'll be this loving when the real one arrives. We've been dealing with some real Mommy attachment lately. She's always been a Mommy's girl, but the last couple of weeks its become crazy. Franklin and I are taking turns putting her to bed and she cries and cries for me. They both stick it out and it works out fine, but it's hard.

She's been in a big girl bed now for 3 weeks on Saturday. It's been a little challenging but does seem to be getting a little easier. We've put a gate at her door, that helped a lot!! At least with naptime when it takes her longer to get settled I know she's IN her room. And I'm happy with having quiet time in her room if she's not going to sleep, Mommy needs alone time!! And the gate has also stopped the late night visits to our room. Occasionally she'll wake up but not nearly as often as she was. I think knowing she can't come to our room helps. Although it was easier in the morning to just have her crawl in bed with me. :) Oh well, I won't be sleeping in much longer anyhow!!

That's pretty much our life right now. This weekend will be spent finishing organizing the baby's room and doing some cleaning.

Trying

I haven't posted in a little while, I'm really going to try and be better. I mean my friend Barb has a week old baby and 2 year old twins and is still blogging every day! What's my problem???

Anyhow, I'm trying to make the blog prettier so bear with me while I get things figured out. :)

My Little Miss Independent

 

Above is a picture of Peanut making a PB&J sandwich. This is the second one she's done. I believe she considers herself an expert. Lately she's been making strides in doing a lot of things independently. She started dressing herself this week. She sometimes gets frustrated with the socks but overall does a great job. She likes to have input on what she wears, but is pretty agreeable to what I suggest for her. :) She sets the table every night for dinner and would like to be involved in all the cooking but I try to just let her cook her pretend things next to me.

I can't believe how fast she's growing up. Today we had a whole conversation about her baby brother and the clothes he'll be wearing. She's 2 1/2 and is asking to go to school already. She has quite the imagination and two imaginary friends, Tika and Rajin, to go with it.

But alas, this story does have a down side...Franklin and I have been working on getting her to sleep in a big girl bed. Tonight it'll be a week. Needless to say this has been the longest week EVER! It takes her anywhere from 30 min to 2 1/2 hours to fall asleep. I think there's only been one, maybe two nights that she didn't get up and come into our room. I'm glad we're doing this before the baby comes, but we're so tired!! And potty training has stalled a little. But I'm not as bummed about that. Even though I would love her to be out of diapers, I figured she would've regressed anyway when the baby arrived.

Thank You Price Family!!

 

 

I'm a bit behind on things lately including thank yous. Peanut wants to send a great big thank you to you for her wonderful Christmas gifts. The Georgia sweatshirt is so cute and I can't wait for her to wear it. I promise to take a picture as soon as she does. And there are no words for how much she loves the Wonder Pets snow globe. What was even more awesome was she watched an episode of Wonder Pets that day and they had a snow globe that broker. She kept saying, "It's not broken!"

Thank you so much for thinking of her!! She made you a thank you card and it will be in the mail soon!

My sick baby girl

Peanut had a fever off and on for a day or so and I thought it was just her 2-year molars coming in. But last night she told Franklin that it hurt when she peed. So I called the doctor and they said that she should be seen but it could wait till the next day unless her temp got over 103. She wanted to go to bed at 6:50pm, but I made her wait a little while and I took her temp right before I put her to bed. It hadn't beeped yet, but I stopped when it reached 103.2. So we packed up and headed to Urgent Care. Her fever was 103.6 and we were all pretty sure it was a bladder infection or a UTI. Going to the doctor is not pleasant for regular check ups so I knew this would be fun. One of the hardest things was checking her oxygen level!! Anyhow, getting a urine sample proved to be quite difficult. We gave her lots of things to drink (when she would drink them) and she got a popsicle but didn't like having the little bag stuck to her. So after waiting over an hour with nothing they did a catheter. :( It wasn't fun but at least they got the sample. In the end her urine came back fine, but the doctor said her throat and tonsils were inflamed so he was leaning towards a throat infection. That was just great seeing as Franklin and I both drank after her all night convinced it was a UTI!! So, she's on antibiotics now and is sleeping a lot but definitely on the mend. And now Franklin and I are crossing our fingers we don't get sick.

Tonight we're ringing in the new year with board games and margaritas. I'll be having a nada-rita. Not as fun but hopefully it'll make me feel like I'm having fun! I hope everyone has a very Happy New Year!!!

Baby in her belly

Today during lunch Peanut told me she wasn't feeling well, she said she hurt in her tummy. This isn't that unusual, since I've not been feeling well the last 7 months, she occasionally (or once a day) says the same thing. But then she tells me why her tummy is hurting. Its the baby in her belly! She says she's okay but wants the doctor to give her a belly check. LOL

I've told her a couple of times there was a baby in my belly but she never seemed to remember or care. She likes to look at my belly button all the time, but that's it. I guess she DOES listen!!

My small town dream come true!

When we moved to Ohio I fell in love with our town. I thought it was small enough to provide the friendliness but still had several amenities necessary aka Target. I thought for sure as I started meeting neighbors and such I would see them whenever we dined out. Not that there's only one restaurant in town, there are several, but I thought surely I would see SOMEONE I know because the town is smaller than what I was used to. Well, that never happened. Ever. Not in the three years we've lived here! Until last night. :) We went to Applebee's for a fundraiser for my MOMS Club and there were several tables filled with people I knew!! Now granted, I knew there would be people there I knew, but it was still very exciting. It was almost like walking into Cheers and them saying "Norm!" No one shouted my name, but still. It only took three years, but finally my small town dream came true. :)

Imaginary Friends 101

I think there needs to be a class for parenting with imaginary friends. No, seriously. I thought I would be good with it, I myself had an imaginary husband, George, for awhile along with 10 imaginary children. So therefore I was fully prepared for my child to have one or many friends. What I didn't expect was that I would always be wrong about them. Wrong about where they are, what they're doing, if they're eating, etc. And the friend changes daily. It's usually Tooth Fairy or Tika, her "cousin", but there have been others. Fortunately, Peanut and her "friends" are forgiving when I mess things up.

I guess the lesson learned is...even when your child is 2, you can always be wrong. It's going to be a long life.

Dinner Party Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Dinner Party Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

These dresses are too cute!!

My apologies

I just wanted to take a minute to apologize to all of my friends. I've been a horrible friend these last few weeks, maybe months. This time of year should be a happy time but being away from everyone makes it a little less enjoyable. And you would think things would be better if I talked to or emailed my friends, but honestly, it makes it hurt more. And with the economy being crappy and not working, not having money and having to spend what I do have on presents for others, it seems to have made me a little bit of a scrooge.

So I'm sorry. I'm sorry to those of you who I haven't called back. I'm sorry to those of you I have talked to on the phone and may have seemed disinterested. And I'm sorry to those I haven't even emailed. Maybe its the holidays, maybe its the hormones, but there's really no excuse. I promise to try and be a better friend soon, if not at least in the new year. :)

Santa did not go well

As many of you may recall Peanut had a bad reaction (3 different times) to Santa last year. This year she's older and we've really talked about the big guy a lot hoping she would be excited. Last Friday morning Franklin dressed up in the red suit again for my MOMS Club Santa event. We decided against letting Peanut watch him get dressed in fear she might yell out "Daddy!" when the other kids were around.

She was happily sitting with her friends singing songs and I went to go get Franklin. I probably should have gone out ahead of him and sat with her, but I didn't. He walked out saying "Ho, ho, ho" and I heard a very loud, shrill scream. I look over and of course, it's my daughter. Her hand was in front of her mouth just like in the horror movies!! The tears pretty much continued the rest of the time even though I held her and sat at the very back. She did not want to go up and get her present but I carried her up there anyway. She did calm down after opening it and was completely fine when he left the room. She told me he was big and loud and that's why she didn't like him. But before nap she did say she wanted him to be her friend. Crossing my fingers she'll not have the same reaction when we go to a different event this Friday!!

Franklin was pretty bummed because he really wanted her to come up to him this year. Maybe next year. :)

Just over 7 months now

It's been awhile since I've blogged anything so today's really a catch up on many events. It's amazing how much of this pregnancy I'm sort of missing by being busy with Peanut. The picture above is technically my 6 month picture, but it was taken two days before I was 7 months!!

We went to the doctor today and everything checked out fine with the kangaroo. According to our OB he's our little Beckham. And with the amounts of kicks I get I can't argue with that. Franklin convinced the Dr. to give us another ultrasound today. He told him he was worried that it might not be a boy after all. And because they're so tight (the Dr. usually talks to Franklin more than me!) he did it for him. And even though our little joey wasn't very cooperative, he did spread his legs twice to ease Daddy's mind that indeed it is a boy.

Overall everything is good, I've gained 20 lbs so far. Which is good, they tell me, but I just hate seeing the number!! I'll now be going every 2 weeks and hopefully the little booger will stay in there till his due date!! :)

Baby Maverick

Over the Thanksgiving holiday we visited a former co-worker and friend of Franklin's. She had a baby boy, Maverick, on November 5th. Peanut really liked looking at the baby and wanted to hold him in the worst way. She also wanted to give him hugs and kisses. I'm sure she's going to make a great big sister!! Except for when she wanted me to play and said "Have Daddy hold the baby." Uh oh.

Congratulations again to Erica and Marty!! He's a beautiful baby!

Ridiculous

Okay, I realize Winter is coming. I realize I live in Ohio. And I even realize I'm super close to the snowbelt of Ohio. However, it's not even Thanksgiving people!!!!! It has snowed every single day since last Sunday!! The roads are crappy, the weather is cold and it just won't stop snowing!! I at least better get a white Christmas out of this!!! Ugh!!!

(Sigh) I feel a little better now.

Franklin's Awesome

So last night was kind of a rough night. I have about a 2 min window at night to eat when I start to feel hungry. I almost always try and fall asleep quickly so that I don't have to but inevitably get nauseated and am forced to eat. Last night was particularly rough and involved Franklin making a PB&J, getting sprite and crackers, and staying up with me till midnight.

When I was pregnant with Peanut he never had to go anywhere on a craving run. I only asked him to once and he denied me. Yes, I know, that was awful and he was punished. :) But it wasn't that big of a craving. For this pregnancy it's been six months with no cravings at all. It's weird and disappointing. Well, tonight it changed a little. When thinking about what I was going to eat before I go to bed (to avoid the late night sickness) I decided I wanted Cap'n Crunch. Did we have that in our pantry? No. So as I type Franklin is out in the cold, snowy weather going to the grocery store to get me cereal. :)

Thank you Franklin!! I love you so much!! And kangaroo thanks you too!!

All that worry for nothing

Peanut and I just got home from getting our flu shots. I was dreading the appointment all day. Not only because she was getting a shot but also because I was going to have to wake her up from her nap to leave! Well the waking up part went smoothly and even though we were running a couple of minutes late, the snow didn't help, we made it to the doctor's office only 6 minutes late. And we were back in our car 15 minutes later!! I couldn't believe it! By far the quickest trip I've ever had to the pediatrician's office. My shot was the least painful I've ever had in my life. Then came Peanut's. I thought it would make things easier if she saw me go first. I think it may have, but just barely. They gave her her shot, she cried and then got a sucker. She was done crying before we even left the office and was thrilled to play with the snow on the bushes on the way to the car. Occasionally on the slow, snowy way home she would say "Something made me cry" and I would tell her it was the shot and then she would say "the sucker make me feel better!"

So all in all, a pretty easy experience. Let's just cross our fingers neither one of us has any side effects from the shots!

24 Weeks and Counting!!

Today we got another look at my little kangaroo. That's what I'm calling him now because I feel as if I'm constantly getting kicked and punched! They were trying to get a look at the abdomen and face. They succeded with the belly but he was still stubborn showing his face! Oh well, we get another look at him at 36 weeks.

I did my glucose test today too, YUCK!! I hate that. Hopefully everything comes back okay and I don't have to do the 3-hour test again, that was awful. I was smarter with what I ate before hand so keep your fingers crossed! But just in case I'm making brownies tonight and planning on eating all of them before I get the results!! LOL

Everything is good, I've gained a little weight, but obviously that's expected. If I must. :)

Hope all is well with all of you, especially my pregnant MI friends, Barb, Heather and Katie!!

$1.99!!!

Today I saw something (in person) that I didn't think I would see ever again...gas for $1.99/gallon!!! I know! I had seen some reports on TV about it being even cheaper in another city about 40 min away, but not here, not in good old Medina. But there it was. And I found myself thinking, I should get gas, but at the same time, I thought, its probably going to be cheaper in a day or two. Hopefully anyway. Plus I have gas rewards at another station that will allow me to get $.60 off a gallon. So potentially, I could fill up for $1.39/gallon. I can't even remember the last time that happened!!!

Here's hoping gas prices are going down wherever you are as well!!

Trip to the zoo

Peanut and I headed to the zoo last week, probably for the last time this year. Here are a couple of videos from our adventure:

Marie-Therese Gown GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

Marie-Therese Gown GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

This gown is AMAZING!!! I can totally picture Peanut in it for Halloween!!!

Ruminations about the election

Aaron Karo is a comedian that I've read for the last couple of years and I do believe he's dead on with this one!!

-We are in the midst of one of the most divisive elections in history. Democrats hate Republicans. Conservatives hate liberals. Everyone hates the debate moderators. But there is really one group that we can blame for all the negativity and vitriol that has enveloped this campaign: “undecided” voters. Obama and McCain don’t care about those of us who have already made up our minds, and with good reason. All their speeches and ads are now targeted to those people who claim, that after a year-and-a-half-long media blitz, they still don’t have enough information to make a decision. I don’t call these people “undecided” – I call them fucking idiots. Forget about hockey moms and Reagan democrats; what the candidates are really courting… is the moron vote.

-First of all, I don’t quite understand Sarah Palin’s strategy of constantly referring to herself as a “hockey mom.” Isn’t she alienating all the parents whose kids are awkward, ungainly, and don’t play sports? There’s got to be fewer hockey moms than there are Dungeons & Dragons moms.

-Many voters compare the candidates’ lives with their own to see if they can relate. This isn’t the best yardstick of who will make a great president, but I’ll admit, I’ve done it. For instance, it’s odd to consider that Obama and I are alike in that we’ve both written two books, but different in that he’s tried cocaine and I haven’t.

-John McCain and I both delivered speeches at my graduation from Penn in 2001. I spoke at the business school ceremony in the morning, and he spoke at commencement for the entire university. An excerpt from my speech: “After all the 9am classes that we had to sit through, did graduation really have to be this early? All kidding aside though, I am confident that each and every one of you sitting before me today will become a great success by meeting any challenge that comes your way.” An excerpt from McCain’s speech: “Will you specifically, with all the confidence and vitality that you claim today, assume the obligations of community, national, or world leaders? I'll be damned if I know. I'm not clairvoyant, and I don't know you personally.” Way to inspire, Senator.

-During the vice-presidential debate, Joe Biden said he spends “a lot of time” at Home Depot. Is that really something he should be touting? Generally the guys loitering in Home Depot either hate their wives or are clinically insane and just like talking to people.

-Think about how old your dad is. Now think about how many years you’d have to add for him to be 72. Now think of your dad at 72. Now think about your dad at 72 running for president. Even if you love your dad as much as I do mine, your conclusion will invariably be the same: no fucking way.

-One last message to all the moronic, er, sorry, “undecided” voters out there: did you notice that the jokes I just made really have nothing substantial to do with who is better able to lead our country? That’s because all of the important facts are already out there. Us decided voters are bored. This is what we’ve been reduced to while you’ve got the candidates pandering around in circles. So put us all out of our misery and make up your minds already. But come November 4th, if you’re still wavering, don’t stop the car at your local polling station. Just keep on driving. I hear Canada is lovely this time of year.

Jumping Bean is a Boy!!

Yesterday Franklin and I had our 20 week ultrasound and found out that we're having a boy!! The baby wasn't being the most cooperative at first (not jumping around this time, just sleeping!) but as soon as Franklin walked away for a minute the tech got a clear shot! So while she was waiting for him to come back she typed "boy" on the screen. When he came back and looked at the screen he almost jumped out of his skin!! He was so excited!!! I wasn't that surprised because I kind of had a feeling it was but he really thought it was going to be a girl. Of course we would have been happy either way but it's very exciting to have one of each. Now I have to go out and buy clothes!! I was also happy because Peanut has constantly been saying she wants a brother. And if you say "what about a sister?" she shouts "NO!" I was worried I was going to have to call a baby girl a brother! LOL

Everything else looked great although the baby wouldn't let us see his face or abdomen so we get to have another ultrasound in 4 weeks!! And they've already told me I can decide on a date for my scheduled c-section. I'm going to have to see which date I like the most. :) Of course that could all change if I went into labor early. And I certainly don't want that! I didn't have to do that the first time!!

If I wasn't pregnant....

last night's debate would have made for an AWESOME drinking game!! But because I am, I chose to use ice cream instead. :) Every time McCain said "my friends" I ate a bite. And wouldn't you know it, I finished a pint!!

Peanut Paints!

Peanut's Aunt Nenny sent her paints and she LOVES them!!

The end of summer

Peanut loves the water, even if she doesn't want to stay in the pool for long periods of time. But now she wants to be free, she just has to remember to keep her mouth closed! Even though we'll be closing the pool soon, her swimming adventures will continue at the rec center! By next summer she'll be swimming around all by herself. :)

Fronda's Legal Adventure....Cancelled

I was supposed to call tomorrow to see if I still had to testify in court on Monday for the hit and run case. Well, the prosecutor's office called me today and told me I didn't have to come in, that the case had been resolved. So my legal adventure is done. For now. Look out would be criminals, I'm still out there!! LOL

Guess what???

We're adding a Jumping Bean to our adventures!!

I'm almost 13 weeks pregnant and due on February 27th!! In my usual fashion I can't have a normal pregnancy so we've already had some complications. But all is well with the baby and right now all it requires is for me to take it easy. Easier said than done with 2-year old Peanut!

I'm calling this one Jumping Bean because every ultrasound, and we've had a bunch already, this kid is all over the place. Way more than Peanut ever was. I'm pretty sure it's a rebel and I'm in trouble. We will be finding out the sex this time, Franklin couldn't possibly wait again!!

I'll post updates as I have them. :)

Shout out to my BFF!!

On our way home from MI last time I took a picture of this truck we saw on the turnpike. She's not the best at reading my blog so let's see how long it takes for her to notice this. :) And let's hope she reapplied her sunscreen today at the NASCAR race!!

The Olympics

Okay, so I have to admit that I've been more into the Olympics this year than ever before. I think it's mainly because its August and there's not a lot on TV. :) And it's something the whole family can watch although Peanut gets bored with it pretty easily. But I do have one gripe....when does beach volleyball end???

Now don't get me wrong, I enjoyed watching it, the first three times, but seriously, it seems like I watch a little of the Olympics every day and every day beach volleyball is on! And they never tell me if it's preliminaries, quarter-finals, semis, etc. So I have NO idea when its going to end. Can someone please tell me????

Go USA!!!

TV Taught My Daughter!!

Tonight Peanut was helping me change the sheets in the guest bedroom and she looked up and saw the stars in the wall border and she started saying "Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight" I was totally in shock!! I asked her where she learned that and she said "Bear," which means Little Bear! And then she kept saying it trying to say the whole thing. She gets stuck on the wish part but it's so cute!! At least I know she learned one GOOD thing from TV. :)

My Stop N Go Experience

A week ago today I started working at Stop N Go. I was looking to make some money and the shift (4:30pm-12:30am) was perfect because I wouldn't need to get a baby-sitter. My first schedule was four nights in a row, which was a bit more than I wanted but it was for training purposes. And I was going to be trained by the employee who had been there the 2nd longest, which was 3 weeks. Yes, that's right. 3 weeks.

So I started my shift without a uniform or nametag, but that was fine. The guy training me was cool, he was leaving to go back to college. That night was quite the experience. I wasn't in my town, just a few miles away but I felt like I drove hundreds of miles into the mountains. :) The same customers came in frequently, at least 3-4 times a shift. They bought cigarettes and beer and LOTS of instant lotto tickets. We know several of them by name. And a group of them would hang out in front of the store every night. To better explain it, I felt like I needed to use hand sanitizer after every transaction.

The excitement was so low that we were keeping track of which product was talked about more: Camel Crush or Chocolate Skittles. By Thursday Crush had pulled ahead by one.

After finding out they scheduled me 40 hours the next week and many discussions with Tim, my trainer, I decided that at the minimum I would have to be transferred, but most likely I would quit. I know it sounds funny to quit after a week, but I gave it a try, right? I was exhausted every day because Peanut got up early in the morning.

So, on Thursday I handed in my resignation and now my Stop N Go career is finished. Farewell John, Jim, Rodney and all the other fine customers I saw over and over and over. I honestly can't say I miss it but it certainly has given me lots of stories to talk about. I can't remember everything now so I'm sure I'll post more later.

My heart is still racing!!

I'm sitting at my kitchen counter and I see someone walk up to the door and it's a cop. And there's a cop car in my driveway. Immediately one thinks the worst, right? I answer the door and he's serving me with papers. What did I do? Have I committed a crime? And then he tells me its about some guy and I realize it's the hit and run accident I witnessed last month. The guy is fighting the charges and its going to court. So for the second time in my life I'll be a key witness in a case. I feel like I'm on Law & Order!! But seriously, my heart is still racing from seeing the cop walk up to my door! I wonder what my neighbors are thinking!!

Girls Gone a little Wild

Last weekend I went on my annual girlfriends camping weekend with three of my bestest friends. :) This year we headed back to St. Joseph to the first place we ever rented a cabin. It was just as we remembered...well, except for a few things. The place was dead quiet at 11pm, which is technically "quiet time" but usually there are a few rowdy campers or hoodlums we call them. We like to think that we're hoodlums too during our campouts. Nothing, nada, barely a crackle of campfire. And every campsite was filled with families. Now this may seem like a weird thing to complain about but we go camping to get AWAY from family life. And our neighbors weren't especially friendly and we were totally being watched by the campground owners. Probably because we were the only ones awake after 11pm!

Needless to say we drank beer, played euchre, went to the beach and laughed ourselves silly. All in all still a good time.

But next year, we're going back to where the trouble is, TUBING ON THE RIFLE RIVER!!!

And p.s. today was the first day that I wasn't scratching a bug bite!! :)

Growing like a weed!!

Peanut went for her 2 year check up yesterday and she's doing great! She now weighs 27 lbs (70%) and is just over 36" tall (95%). Yup, she's my tall skinny girl!! Thankfully she didn't have to get any shots, just going into the room is traumatic enough for her. We brought her doctor's kit and that seemed to help a little, until they checked her ears! My ears are still ringing from the screaming. LOL

She can finally wear the rain boots she got for Christmas!!

Running in her rain boots!

Happy 2nd Birthday Peanut!!

Today is Peanut's 2nd birthday and I can't believe it, the time has flown by. It's hard to believe this time two years ago I was lying in a hospital bed hoping the contractions would kick in enough to keep dilating. And it was only a short 14 hours later that she was brought into this world. 11:18pm, July 5, 2006. And I'm even more happy today with my decision to make sure she wasn't born on the 6th, George W. Bush's birthday. :)

Happy Birthday Peanut!! Mommy and Daddy love you so much!!

I-Freem Cone!!!

A week or so ago Franklin and Peanut were on a walk and they heard the ice cream man, Franklin told Peanut what that was and bought her a popsicle. I had purposely not told her what the pretty music was driving by because I pretty much knew what would happen. Well, now every time she hears the music, she runs to the window and shouts "I-freem Cone!" And yesterday she woke up asking for one and continued asking all day long. We decided to go for ice cream last night and got her a cone, yeah, that's not what she wanted. She wanted a popsicle! That would've been cheaper.

Good Samaritan/Superhero

I had a very exciting moment today. I was on my way to my friend's house and stopped at a light when I heard screeching brakes and then SLAM! I looked over and a car in the right turn had been rear-ended. Well then the guy that hit them took off through the light! Well since I was going that way anyway I followed him!! He got caught at the next light trying to turn left, the direction I was going as well, he tried turning on red but there was too much traffic so I was able to get the license plate and make/model of the car. I then called 911 and reported everything!! My heart was racing, I felt like I was on COPS, but one of the good guys!! LOL They told me on the phone the car was being chased down, they asked me info about the car that got hit and I was like "I don't know, it was white." LOL I was more about getting the bad guy. But I felt pretty good about myself and I'll be watching the police beat for that one!! Beware of a Mom with a pen and paper in the car!!

Happy Belated Father's Day!

Because our schedule for June is so crazy we're actually going to be celebrating Father's Day on July 20th, it's our first weekend day at home by ourselves. However, Peanut did give Franklin a homemade card on Sunday morning. :)

Congratulations Tom & Renee!!

We headed down to HotLanta this past weekend for Frisbie's wedding. Peanut did wonderful on the plane, she ended up with her own seat which was wonderful and I only had to bribe her with candy once on the plane. :)

The wedding was beautiful and Peanut had a great time dancing. The one thing I loved most about this wedding is that they let us eat dinner before they even arrived! How cool is that?? I don't know how many wedding receptions I've had to wait forever for the bride and groom to arrive and do all the toasts and stuff before we get to eat. So hats off to them!

We also got to spend time with the Price crew while we were there. It was great being with them and seeing how the kids have grown. They really entertained Peanut which I loved. I actually got to sit and watch tv for an afternoon while they played with her!! Thanks you guys!!

Just our average day

I haven't posted in awhile, but there really hasn't been anything that exciting to post. I decided today to put a few video clips of Peanut and our daily life. Enjoy!



Little pool fun!




Big pool fun!




Figuring out how to reach the light switch

Sophie the Doggie Diva

Last weekend I tried out a new groomer for Sophie. Just trying to save a little money and I found one that was $10 cheaper. When I picked her up she looked good, had the normal bows in her hair and bandana around her neck. But when I put her in the car I noticed something VERY different...her toenails were painted!!! Yes, that's right, pink painted toenails on my little Shih Tzu!!! I had saw this was an option at my previous groomer's but never did it because I think it's silly, but apparently its all part of the package at A Day at the Spa Grooming. :)

Peanut's New Swing Set!!

On Memorial Day weekend Franklin had two people come over from his office to help build Peanut's swing set. It was a big undertaking but they did a great job! She loves every part of it and talks about it every day. She especially likes sending baby dolls and stuffed animals down the slide. Here's a little video of her enjoying it:

The dreaded day has come

It's something I've dreaded for a long time but thought it may never happen. You sort of prepare yourself but think it won't happen to you. But it did. Last Friday morning, Peanut climbed out of her crib!!! I know to some of you this may not seem like a big deal, but it is. Gone are the days of putting her in there and knowing she can't go anywhere. Now I have to worry, is the gate closed at the top of the stairs, is her door closed, should I put anchors on the back of her chest of drawers so IF she climbs on it, it won't fall on her and cause great bodily harm! Ugh! Growing pains!!

So, for those of you who have gone through this, how long did you keep the crib up?