Mara Had a Little Lamb

Flowers!

2011-05-24T21:13:00.007-05:00

It finally warmed up enough for me to feel confident about having some plants outside! I was able to pick out a few, and while Jay was out of town last weekend, the kids and I planted them. One kid was more helpful than the other, but overall they were both interested in it. Mara loves flowers and plants, and was excited about being able to water them once they were planted!

Hopefully we'll be able to enjoy them all summer!

Changes

2011-04-06T09:34:00.003-05:00

Well, so far 2011 has been a crazy year, to say the least. In January I gained a nephew and lost a grandmother. What a rollercoaster of emotions! It has been a rough time, but we're thankful for the sweet new baby!

The kids were sick a lot, and Jay's schedule was always changing. Winter seemed never-ending.

It seems like things might finally be settling down though. Last month, Jay started working 2nd shift, and we started the kids in part-time daycare instead of full days. Jay is home with them in the mornings, and takes them in to daycare around 11:15. This gives him a couple hours of downtime before work (he works 3-11:30pm). The kids spend the afternoon at daycare, and I pick them up after work (by 4:15) and then have them in the evenings on my own. So far it's been working out pretty well. The downside is that Jay and I don't really see each other during the week. The upsides are that the kids get to see us both (sometimes before they wouldn't see Jay all week depending on his schedule), and we are saving quite a bit in daycare costs. It's been very strange not having to get them ready every morning before work. Kind of nice to be able to 'sleep in' a bit, and still get to work on time or earlier than I used to! We see this as a temporary situation, but so far, so good!

I've been attempting to lose a few pounds. I never lost all of my pregnancy weight after having Mara. I gained a bit less with EJ and it came off without me really doing much...but then I was still holding on to the weight from Mara. It's a slow process, but I'm hopeful I can get it off and be a bit more healthy. Before my wedding, I had lost weight doing Weight Watchers, but I don't have the time or money to do that program, so I'm attempting to just count calories on my own, and get some quick workouts in when I can. Hopefully I can stay motivated!

My baby boy turned ONE on March 16th. I can't believe how fast his first year went! He is such a little BOY now. He is running around, climbing, babbling, pointing, waving, and eating us out of house and home! He switched from bottle to cup and formula to milk without batting an eye, which was SO different from the war Mara started with us over that transition! He loves eating and loves pushing cars and trucks around. He is starting to really like reading books with us too. He is still quite a drama queen about things though. He's more needy than Mara was. She was always very independent. EJ needs more reassurance that we're there, and has been known to throw himself on the ground crying if he feels like we're not giving him what he needs at any given moment! But his grin could melt icebergs! He's a sweetheart.

Mara is almost three and driving us nuts. I say that with love, but it's true! She questions everything, pushes EJ around, and refuses to nap at daycare. She's also hilarious and smart. Too smart for her own good, most of the time. She keeps us on our toes, for sure. She loves playing outside and reading books, and is also a big fan of cars and trucks. She loves arts and crafts. And fruit snacks. ;)

It seems like winter is finally winding down (knock on wood!) and I'm hopeful that spring and summer with be calm and quiet times for our family! Well, calm and quiet might be too much to ask...

I promise...

2011-04-01T13:45:00.001-05:00

...that I'm not giving up on my blog! I hope to start posting regularly again, very soon! I am not sure if anyone is still checking in or not, but I'll be back, I promise!

Hundreds of Pictures...

2011-01-11T21:16:00.001-06:00

I literally have hundreds of pictures from the holidays...but, they aren't on this computer anymore, and I'm kind of lazy...

Eventually, maybe I will post some. Oh and EJ's 9 month pictures...since he is almost 10 months now. Sigh. Where does the time go?

For now, I'm taking a shot of Nyquil and heading to bed with my book...we'll see how long I last!

Happy New Year?

2011-01-02T20:22:00.002-06:00

Life is getting in the way of my personal time lately!

I won't lie...I've been stressed out a lot lately. There is always something to worry about it seems (or maybe I just worry too much?).

Having two kids is so much more work than just one. Mara is in a difficult stage right now a lot of the time too, which doesn't help.

I feel like I'd like to get away from everything for a week of peace and quiet...but it would all be here waiting for me when I got back (plus more!), so it's probably not worth it.

Oh well...that's life I guess. It's hard to complain when we're all healthy and even if the kids are frustrating sometimes, the sweet things they do makes up for some of it ;)

Hopefully 2011 will be a great year for us, and for all of you!

Snow!

2010-12-12T20:26:00.008-06:00

7:30am, Saturday December 11th. The car got stuck in front of our house for awhile.

11am, Saturday 12/11

3pm, 12/11

3pm, 12/11

Sunday morning, 12/12 - this is what we saw when we opened our front door.

Looking out our front door, 12/12

Yep, that's a huge drift of snow on our patio! 12/12

We've been stuck in a huge snowstorm all weekend! It started Friday night, and didn't let up until Sunday morning. It snowed all day Saturday, and the wind was really strong, blowing the snow around and creating blizzard conditions. We were very happy to stay tucked snugly in at home! We were supposed to go to a Christmas party on Saturday afternoon/evening, but that didn't happen! And on Sunday we were supposed to have a baby shower for my sister, but that didn't happen either!

It was definitely the biggest storm that I can remember for a long time, and to be honest, I still haven't been outside, and it's now Sunday evening! One perk of living in a townhouse is that we aren't responsible for snow removal! We finally got plowed out around 5pm tonight. It's very very cold outside, so I was glad to not have to be the one out there doing the work!

Hopefully roads will be ok in the morning and we won't see any more snow for awhile!!

EJ - 8 Months Old

2010-12-12T20:21:00.004-06:00

This was probably the worst monthly photo shoot I've experienced! I got the one good shot, and then it was all downhill! Poor EJ still wasn't feeling 100% better that day, so that didn't help. I also didn't have anyone home with me to help me distract him while I took the pictures. EJ is super active and has to always be moving, and it was nearly impossible for me to get him to sit still long enough to take a picture. The second picture here pretty much sums up how we both were feeling after only a couple minutes of trying to get some pictures! Poor guy. He forgave me though! :)

So Behind!

2010-12-10T13:41:00.002-06:00

I am very behind on my blogging! EJ is almost 9 months old and I haven't posted his 8 month pictures yet... It's getting close to Christmas and I haven't posted about Thanksgiving yet...

Sigh.

Oh well! I'll catch up when I have a few spare moments!!

For now, just a quick update on our lives! We're keeping busy. November was an interesting month for me, because Jay worked 2nd shift the whole month. That meant I was on my own with the kids every day (before and after work) and we only really saw Jay on the weekends. I figured out some routines that worked, and made it through the month, but it was a little rough at times! I'm definitely used to having that extra set of hands!! It doesn't look like he will work that kind of schedule again for awhile, so that's nice. I can handle 2nd shift, but 4 full weeks of it in a row was a bit much! Jay is enjoying his job though, so that's great!

EJ and Mara are both doing great. They both moved up to new rooms at daycare. Mara is officially in a preschool room, and EJ is with the 'big' babies! It was a little bittersweet for me. He seems to really like it in there and is doing great, but it makes him seem so grown up all of a sudden! Both kids enjoyed seeing Santa (pictures to come!) and are going to be in a daycare winter program next week!

I'm trying to finish up EJ's stocking in time for Christmas, as well as planning a baby shower for my sister, and all of the usual holiday hustle and bustle. Usually I'm done shopping by now, but I still have a few things to get...hopefully soon! Then I can start to wrap!

Busy, busy, busy... I promise to post pictures and more updates soon!

Harry Potter Mania!

2010-11-20T22:09:00.006-06:00

I realized that I almost typed 'maniac' in the title...which really wouldn't be too far off!

I am somewhat obsessed with all things Harry Potter, so I had been counting down for a long time, to the most recent movie. Jay is the one that got me hooked on the movies (and the books!) and we've gone to all of them together. The newest one (part one of the two) came out on Friday, and we went to a 9:15am showing.

It was fabulous!! Well worth the wait, and makes me want to re-read the books (again...). I am excited and sad - only one movie left. I think it will be amazing, but bittersweet. The end is near...

Sigh.

But for now, I'm just trying to plan when I can go back to see this movie again!!

Halloween!

2010-11-14T21:08:00.011-06:00

The kids wore orange to daycare on the Friday before Halloween. Mara loved her pumpkin shirt and was excited to wear it!

She was not as excited about her giraffe costume! :( She barely wore it all weekend. She put it on for a little while at her daycare party, but it's hard to tell what she is without the hood on!

EJ on the other hand...he seemed to like his Harry Potter costume! This was one of the only shots I got of him with the glasses on - he was pretty interested in his pumpkin at daycare!

Mara did a craft project at her Halloween party.

The three grandchildren, at Grandpa and Grandma's house the day before Halloween. Mara wouldn't wear her costume, but at least she had her pumpkin shirt on!

I just love this picture of EJ with the pumpkin! He looks just perfect, and so happy!!

We went to visit my Grandma on Halloween, and I got this cute picture of her holding EJ!

Mara put her costume on long enough to get a piece of candy from Great Grandma. Then she wanted it off again!

I did manage to get a few pictures of Mara with the pumpkin...maybe next year she'll pose in her costume!!

Homemade

2010-10-29T11:50:00.002-05:00

This year I attempted my first ever homemade Halloween costume.

I have always gotten Mara's costumes from Old Navy...they are cute, not too expensive, and really warm. I still love them! And again this year, she has a costume from there.

But I decided to be brave and attempt to make a costume for EJ for his very first Halloween.

And I think it actually kind of turned out ok!

It's a bit too early to reveal the details, but let's just say there was cutting, pinning, and sewing involved. And there are a few different fabrics and pieces. We even have a couple accessories to go along with it.

Hopefully when we put it all on him, it won't look like a little kid made it, and people will realize what he is dressed up as. The first test of that will be at the daycare Halloween party this afternoon!!

A Nice Weekend

2010-10-24T21:16:00.002-05:00

This weekend went way too quickly!

It had been a long week, but thankfully EJ was feeling better this weekend. He happily played with toys, laughed, smiled, and had a great time. He was even eating normally again!

Mara had been a bear all week, but seemed more relaxed this weekend, and had a good time playing and reading lots of books.

Jay and I cleaned up the house quite a bit, I made some baby food and a nice crockpot meal on Saturday. I even worked on EJ's costume a little bit (but I should have done more! Halloween is fast approaching!). I had some time to read, and today Jay and I went on a little 'date' for our anniversary - a movie (Inception - it was awesome!) and an early dinner (Red Lobster - yum!) while my parents came over and hung out with the kiddos.

It was nice to have a relaxing weekend, and to feel like we're starting the week with things organized. I mean, I still have a lot of laundry to do - some to fold, and lots to wash. There are a couple dirty dishes on the counter right now. The stairs need to be vacuumed. And I'm sure there's more, but overall I'm feeling like maybe I can handle the mayhem of Monday.

We'll see what the week brings!

Sick Baby

2010-10-23T10:38:00.002-05:00

Is there anything worse than a sick baby? My poor EJ was sick for 6 days this past week, and it was horrible! It started on a Friday, so we thought he'd be able to recover over the weekend. Wrong! He had vomiting, diarrhea, a low temp one day, and you could tell he just felt miserable. He is usually so laid-back and happy, and he barely smiled for 6 days. It was so sad!

On day 5 we took him to the doctor, just in case, but of course there wasn't much they could tell us, just that it had to run it's course.

So finally on day 6 we saw a bit of an improvement. Slowly every day since then he's been doing better and better. Today he's eating great, playing, and acting like his normal self - lots of giggles, smiles, and grabbing whatever Mara is playing with! ;)

We're so happy to have our sweet baby back, and crossing our fingers that this is the worst we'll have to deal with for awhile!!

Go Vikings

2010-10-22T19:06:00.005-05:00

Daycare had a 'purple' day last Monday when the Vikings played Monday night football. I had fun dressing the kids all in purple, and Mara thought it was pretty cool too!

Unfortunately, all the purple didn't help the Vikings win the game, but at least my kids looked cute!

Elijah is Seven Months Old!

2010-10-22T18:54:00.008-05:00

Now that I posted the 6 month pictures from last month, I can post the 7 month pictures from a week ago! I can't believe EJ is already 7 months old! He is getting so big! He is 17lbs 6oz, which seems small to us compared to Mara at this age, but he is getting around really well, getting so good at entertaining himself, and sitting up like a pro. He loves to sit and play with books, blocks, and whatever Mara has. He also loves the cats! He was sick for almost a full week, so he was not feeling the best when I took these pictures, but he still managed a few little smiles!

Oops...

2010-10-22T18:47:00.005-05:00

EJ turned 6 months old...over a month ago (September 16th). Oops! Here are a few pictures!

Busy, Busy, Busy

2010-09-26T20:28:00.002-05:00

So, things have been pretty crazy the last two weeks...

Jay started his new job on the 13th. It is going great, he likes it, and said the days go pretty quickly. He is on an orientation schedule, working days for now, but will get a taste of the other shifts soon too. (Have to say, I'm NOT excited about the month of 2nd shift that he'll be doing in November!!).

EJ started at daycare on the 13th also. He is doing pretty well, it has been an adjustment though! He is getting more comfortable now, sleeping and eating ok there. It has been a little rough because we had some sickness come through our house, so he has missed a couple days already. But otherwise things are going well!

So yeah...sickness. EJ, Jay, and I all got sick in the last couple weeks. Horrible timing of course! Thankfully Mara didn't catch anything, and we are all feeling better now. (I'm knocking on wood so I don't jinx myself, of course!)

We are just trying to get used to this new schedule and routine. Some days it's a bit of a struggle for me to get out the door in the morning (Jay is gone before I get the kids up), but we're figuring it out!

Exhausting.

2010-09-05T21:28:00.002-05:00

Taking kids places is exhausting.

First, there is all the prep. You have to make sure you have everything that your kids might possibly need while you are away from home. Even if you are just going somewhere for an hour or two, there seem to be a million things you might need. There are the basics, like diapers, wipes, bottles, and formula. Then all the other things - a change of clothing, a hat, sunscreen, a jacket, a blanket, a stuffed animal or two, a book, a toy, a sippy cup of water.... Well, you get the point. If you have two kids, everything is doubled... And that's just for summer trips! Imagine all the extra gear you need in the winter....

So once you get it all packed up, then you have to get your kids prepared. Diaper changes, clothes changes, wrestling your 2 year old around for 15 minutes to get a pigtail in her hair (or is that just me??).

You make sure you've double checked the bags, and start the process of packing the car, and getting the kids buckled in. The two year old wants to do it herself of course, so this takes extra long.

To be honest, I'm exhausted before we even pull out of the garage!

The car ride includes stuffed animals being 'dropped' (aka, thrown) on the floor and then a yell for someone to pick them up, begging for there to be 'more cows!' to look at along the way, adults remembering that in all the fuss to get ready, THEY forgot to go to the bathroom before we left, and then some general yelling and shushing, because the baby's trying to sleep.

You finally arrive at your destination (whether it's 15 minutes or two hours, it probably seemed like an eternity)! Time to unload all of your belongings, and your kids, and haul them in. Then you hope you remembered all that 'other' stuff too...whatever that might be. The birthday gift, the potluck contribution, whatever.

Once the kids warm up to the new surroundings, you hope for a little time to relax and visit with your family and/or friends. This is silly -- it's not going to happen. You are chasing the 2 year old, feeding the baby, digging through the diaper bag for whatever is needed at any given moment. If your child happens to catch a glimpse of people in a swimming pool that she wants to swim in, you get to listen to her yell and scream about it for 30 minutes or so.

After a lot of whining and chasing, you decide it's time to head home. This sometimes involves diaper changes, changing into pajamas, maybe another bottle. Then it's all in reverse as you load the kids into the car again, and make sure you haven't left any important items behind. Finally you are on your way home...and hoping the kids will both sleep...which is of course, wishful thinking.

Undoubtedly once you get home, you realize something you either forgot, or forgot to do, while you were out.

But you're mostly too tired to care...

Cereal

2010-08-31T21:06:00.006-05:00

We gave EJ cereal for the first time over the weekend. He wasn't too sure about it at first. Most of it that actually went into his mouth came back out again!

After a couple days, he is getting more used to it. I think he will really like baby food, but we will stick with the cereal for a little while longer to get him used to the whole idea of eating off a spoon! He is not one to turn down food, and is always grabbing at everything we are eating, so we're hoping he will be a good eater! It's hard to believe he is already old enough to be at this stage! The biggest issue that we have is getting him to sit still. This kid does NOT stop moving!!

"I'm Swimming!"

2010-08-31T20:48:00.007-05:00

Last weekend we visited our friends and spent some time outside, and in their pool. I wasn't sure what Mara would think about it, but she loved it! At first she wanted me to hold onto her tightly, but soon she was floating around by herself and having a blast!

At one point she exclaimed: "I'm swimming!" It was fun to see her so excited about it!

EJ enjoyed himself from the deck. Maybe next year he'll be having fun in the pool too!

After the pool fun, the kids played inside. It was fun to see them play together! We've been getting together since they were babies, and they are interacting a lot more now and having fun together!

There was even a little picnic table just for the kids (and Maggie!)

After dinner, Mara enjoyed playing in the sandbox too. She was in Heaven with all the fun outside activities!

Both kids were pretty wiped out from an exciting afternoon and lots of fresh air. It was a great day in the sunshine with friends!

Elijah - 5 months old

2010-08-19T21:30:00.005-05:00

How is my baby already 5 months old?? Time really does fly, and it's amazing how much a baby changes in just 5 months! EJ is so smiley and happy. He adores his big sister and his kitties. He is so close to crawling, which scares me! He gets up on his knees and rocks back and forth - one of these days he is just going to take off!

It's hard to remember life without him around! He is so sweet and can always make me smile!

Sweet Baby Boy

2010-08-15T13:13:00.006-05:00

A Boy and His Cat...

2010-08-03T21:09:00.003-05:00

We have two cats, and they couldn't be more different. They look alike and are brothers from the same litter, but otherwise they are completely opposite! Picasso is scared of the kids, and tends to stay away from them if he can help it. I can't say I blame him, really! Oliver on the other hand, seems to adore both Mara and EJ, and is always hanging out by them. Right now EJ loves Oliver too! They bonded together today...

EJ grabs ahold of his fur, but Oliver doesn't seem to mind!

He comes right back for more, head-butting EJ to try to get the little guy to pet him!

EJ decided he would even try a bite to see how Oliver tasted.... the poor baby has probably ingested a lot of cat hair recently, since Oliver is shedding like crazy!!

Como Zoo

2010-08-01T18:46:00.006-05:00

We took a little trip up to Como Zoo on Saturday to check it out. I haven't been there since I was a kid, and all I remembered was Sparky the seal! It was a nice, hot day, so the zoo was packed, but we had a pretty good time checking out the animals!

Next time we'll plan to take a picnic lunch...I had been planning on it, but didn't end up happening...and food is ridiculously priced there!! Oh well..it's free to get in (they take donations), so I guess they have to make money somewhere!

Mara really loves giraffes, and had an absolute blast feeding one at the Minnesota Zoo last year. She looked at these and exclaimed "Raffs!" but otherwise wasn't super interested, I guess because we weren't that close to them, so it wasn't as exciting!

She's checking out the giraffes here. They held her interest for longer than any of the other animals at least!

We had to check out the giraffe statues too!

The gorilla was pretty entertaining (for me at least!). I'm pretty sure he was looking right at us because Mara was yelling about something. ;) I kept telling her to look at the 'big monkey' (she loves monkeys), and was corrected by a little boy -- 'that's a gorilla!' with a look that told me he thought I was pretty dumb. :)

EJ was pretty quiet the whole time...just enjoyed the ride! He fell asleep after we were there for awhile. He was a lot easier than Mara, who wanted in and out of her stroller the whole time!! :)

Overall, it was a pretty fun time. I'd like to go back again in the fall when it's a little cooler, and maybe a little less crowded.

Elijah is 4 months old!

2010-07-16T21:23:00.008-05:00

But wait...I never even posted pictures from when he was 3 months old!!

So...here he is at 3 months old (June 16th)

And here he is from today, 4 months old!

He is getting so big! He is obsessed with his hands, and is also reaching for and playing with a few toys now. Mostly his giraffe and a moose rattle. Mara claims these are both hers, and I guess she is technically right...she did have both of them as a baby!

He loves smiling and laughing, and mostly watching Mara...she is very entertaining! He loves his jumparoo, and has even tried out his exersaucer a few times. He is constantly rolling around, and prefers to sleep on his tummy now. He is down to 4-5 bottles a day, which is nice, and he refuses to take a pacifier (which is ok, but sometimes I wish he would take one!).

The last four months have really flown by, and it's bittersweet seeing him grown and change so much!

Busy, Busy, Busy!

2010-07-10T20:24:00.002-05:00

Life with two kids is busy! I promise to try to update more soon. Right now we're just working on getting through each week! Things are getting a lot 'easier' though, now that EJ is getting a little bigger. He is so much fun, a happy baby for the most part, laughs so loud and grins all the time! It's so sweet! He is rolling both ways, and desparately wants to sit up and stand. He has a tooth threatening to push through. He just seems so much older than he is! He will be 4 months old next week.

Mara is keeping us on our toes, as usual. She is so much fun though too, she never ceases to make us laugh! She comes up with he funniest things to say! She loves her little brother, even though she doesn't pay much attention to him sometimes. She always has to give him a hug before bed, and always needs to know what he's doing.

I will update soon with new pictures of the two of them!

Baptism

2010-06-12T19:55:00.008-05:00

We had Elijah baptised on May 30th. We had lots of family and friends there to celebrate with us, including his two godmothers Michelle and Laura. Elijah wore a gown that my great-grandmother made for my Grandpa when he was baptised. Many other family members have worn it since then also. It was gorgeous, and I was glad we were able to use it! My sweet boy looked like an angel in it!

Baptism was after mass, and by then, Eli was getting fussy. But, we made it through, and then were able to relax at home! Big day for him, and overall it went pretty well!

Just for Fun...

2010-06-12T19:45:00.008-05:00

Some recent photos of the kiddos...

Yep, We're Alive

2010-06-02T14:33:00.002-05:00

Life is busy, but we're still kicking!

We had some friends visit from Canada two weeks ago, and this past weekend we had Elijah's baptism. Never a dull moment! I'll share some pictures when I get a chance.

Elijah is 11 weeks old now, and I go back to work next week. I'm not thrilled about that! Jay will be home with the little guy until he finds a job, but we have no idea how long that might take...

Mara has stayed in daycare the whole time I was off, so her routine won't be changing much with me going back to work -- she'll just have to get up a little bit earlier!

Just trying to enjoy the last few days of my leave...

Elijah - 2 Months

2010-05-17T15:20:00.007-05:00

It's hard to believe that little E is already 2 months old! The time has gone so fast, but at the same time, it's hard to remember a time when he wasn't around!

He is a smiley little guy for the most part. He is just as vocal as Mara was when she was a baby. He is 'talking' a lot, and lets us know if he isn't happy!

He loves snoozing in his swing, having long conversations, and watching his big sister do things!

We've been back and forth on what nickname to use for the little guy, and still haven't really decided. Mara calls him EJ -- it's the only name she can actually (sort of) say. So we call him that a lot. And sometimes Eli. I guess he might just have multiple nicknames!

Mara's Birthday Party

2010-05-04T16:03:00.006-05:00

Mara had a blast at her birthday party! She was a little shy at first, but that didn't last too long and soon she was enjoying being the center of attention! She loves it!

She loved her new sunglasses (from Aunt Jenna and Uncle Derek) and wore them the rest of the day! I crack up every time she is wearing them!

We managed to get a pretty good family picture taken, so I was happy about that!

It was nice that my family was able to make it for the party - Mara had a lot of fun, and hopefully everyone else enjoyed themselves too!

Mara is TWO!

2010-05-04T15:53:00.005-05:00

She looks thrilled to be two, huh? She was tired and mad at me when I took these, but at least they accurately depict the attitude of a two year old I guess...

I can't believe my 'baby' is two already! It seems like just yesterday she was a newborn...or learning to sit up...or crawl...or walk. Now she's running around, talking up a storm, and throwing tantrums!

I think this is the last monthly photo shoot we'll be doing. We've done one every month for the last two years! Lots of fun memories looking back at the pictures...she has changed so much!!

Happy Baby!

2010-04-28T18:01:00.004-05:00

Elijah started smiling about a week and a half ago. It is so sweet! I forgot how cute those little baby gummy smiles are! He loves 'talking' and interacting, and gives us some big grins! They are hard to catch on the camera (seeing the camera always seems to distract him), but we are seeing lots of smiles lately! He seems like a pretty happy little guy most of the time!!

He is also getting so big! At six weeks old, he is 12lbs 5oz! That's almost 4 pounds up from his birth weight. Not too shabby! The kid definitely likes to eat!

I have TWO kids!

2010-04-22T08:50:00.002-05:00

Every once in awhile it hits me...I have TWO kids. Not just one. TWO. Yikes! I am responsible for raising two children. It's a little overwhelming to think about!

But look how cute they are! We'll just ignore the fact that the only reason they are both on my lap is because Mara freaked out that I was holding Elijah, and begged to come 'up' too. At least she smiled for the picture, right? ;)

It's a new adventure every day, that's for sure!!

Elijah is One Month Old!

2010-04-21T08:58:00.004-05:00

I can't believe it's been a month since Elijah was born! He is getting so big, and starting to show his personality a bit now...although not in these pictures! He was fussy and obviously a little tired when we took them! It didn't take him long to pass out!

I had to get Mara's giraffe into at least one of the pictures...it will be fun to compare the two of them month to month! The giraffe looks so big compared to him, but so small when Mara sits next to it!!

Babies, Babies, Babies

2010-04-18T10:14:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I took Elijah to my friend Mandy's baby shower. There were lots of kids and babies there! I left Mara at home with Jay since I didn't want to be chasing her all over, and it was during her nap time.

The Mama-to-be got a little baby practice, and Elijah just curled right up around her belly! It was so sweet!

Elijah posed (ok, he was asleep) with my friend Tobi's little girl, Elsie. Elsie is 9 weeks old. Elijah is 4 weeks old. There was also another baby there that was 6 weeks old! Lots of babies! Then there were a few toddlers and some older kids too. It was so fun to see everyone and their kiddos. Looking forward to meeting Mandy's new baby very soon!

Siblings

2010-04-11T10:34:00.007-05:00

April Fools?

2010-04-08T19:23:00.002-05:00

The month of April is not off to the best start for me so far! I'm hoping it turns around. The first couple days of the month were fine. I had a somewhat frustrating weekend of wrangling both kids while Jay worked, but my back was feeling a little better after some chiropractor visits, so that helped. We also had a nice Easter with my family on Sunday.

Then Monday, I started to have some abdominal pain. It was getting worse, and I started to vomit too. I was nervous since it was so soon after having the baby, so I went to the doctor. They suspected a kidney stone (which I've had before), and set up a CT scan for the next morning. In the meantime, I was in A TON of pain, and the pain meds didn't help at all. I also felt so nauseous that I couldn't eat (or drink much). The CT scan went fine and confirmed that there was a stone. Luckily, it was a small one (although that doesn't give you much relief when you're in excrutiating pain for hours at a time!!), and they thought I would pass it pretty quickly.

Well, Wednesday I was still in pain. Finally when I went to bed on Wednesday night I was feeling a little better, and now I am feeling ok today (knock on wood!). I am trying to not get my hopes up that I passed the stone without realizing it, but I am thankful for the long stretch of relief, and really hoping to not have to go through more pain!

It seems like it has been one thing after another lately for me, and I will need to see my doctor to discuss some other findings on the scan as well. I need a break! I just want to enjoy my baby and my maternity leave, and not be in pain or uncomfortable! I am lucky that my sister Jenna was able to come over two days this week to help me out when I was in pain!

Keep your fingers crossed that the rest of April will go a little more smoothly than this week did! I could use some good luck!

Two Under Two

2010-03-28T19:45:00.002-05:00

Two kids under two years old. That's what we're dealing with.

Mara is almost two. She will be 23 months old tomorrow. But, she's still so...little...in so many ways.

She is getting more used to having a baby around. It's one of the first things she says in the morning, and she is starting to pay more attention to Elijah...sometimes. She has wanted to help hold a bottle for him a couple times.

But, usually I just get nervous if she gets too close to him. She doesn't really know her own strength, and she is so LOUD. He doesn't seem to mind the noise, but does get startled sometimes.

I've only been 'on my own' with both of them a few times so far. Jay had to work this weekend, but my sister Jenna came over for a lot of the time, so that helped me out a ton. I am having a hard time getting around from some back/nerve pain that started while I was pregnant and has stuck around, so it makes things more difficult. So far I've done ok when I've had them both. It's definitely a little overwhelming though, especially when they are both screaming/crying for my attention at the same time. Overall, Mara is dealing with things pretty well though. I mean, her world has really been rocked, so I expected some acting out, and she hasn't disappointed! But for the most part, she is doing ok with things.

Luckily (and I'm knocking on wood as I type this), Elijah has been sleeping quite well at night. Getting some uninterupted sleep definitely helps!! And we're still sending Mara to daycare during the week, so I've been able to focus on Elijah during that time, which is nice. He's usually pretty content as long as he's fed (and man, can this kid EAT!).

So yeah. Two under two. It's kind of scary. But, we're surviving so far. I'm sure things don't magically get easier once the older kid turns two, but you never know...

It's a...

2010-03-24T17:39:00.005-05:00

BOY!!!

Elijah James

March 16th 2010

1:56 am
8lbs 60z, 19 1/4 inches

We are doing well, and adjusting to life as a family of four!

Yep, still pregnant.

2010-03-14T20:24:00.003-05:00

Just in case anyone was wondering, I'm still pregnant!

I'm trying to keep a positive attitude about it. Some days it's easier than others. Really hoping this baby comes on its own, without having to be induced.

I'm 41 weeks, 3 days today. I'm in a bit of pain, but surviving! I was hoping to be done working by now, but looks like I'll be going to work for at least part of this week!

Tomorrow I go in for a non-stress test to make sure the baby is doing well in there since I'll be over 10 days overdue. I don't forsee any problems, but we'll see how it goes.

As much as I'm ready to not be pregnant anymore, I'm trying to enjoy the sleep I'm getting right now!

Mara - 22 Months

2010-03-06T13:28:00.006-06:00

Due Tomorrow!

2010-03-03T19:57:00.002-06:00

Where did the time go? I can't believe I'm due tomorrow. No sign of the baby coming yet, but that can change at any time I guess!

I wish I could say that I'm feeling great, but I'm not. It's not pregnancy-related though. I actually have a really bad cold. I've been quite miserable with congestion, but the worst is the awful cough. I am up most of the night coughing, and I feel like I've done something to my rib from all the coughing, which is quite painful whenever I move (or cough!!). I would really like to be feeling better before I go into labor, so keep your fingers crossed for me! It's been hard for me to pick up Mara with the pain, but we are managing ok.

Mara was sick for a couple days, but luckily she is feeling much better. Now if only I could say the same about myself!

As far as the pregnancy, things are fine. I go back to the doctor on Friday afternoon and we'll see how things look. I'm hoping to avoid being induced, I'd like the baby to come when the baby is ready, so hopefully things will work out for that! They will let me go up to two weeks overdue as long as the baby is doing ok!

Sick!

2010-02-26T17:11:00.002-06:00

So, Mara and I are both sick.

I've had a cold for a few days, but each day seems a little worse. My ear started hurting today too. I think it's just sinus pressure.

I got a call from daycare yesterday that Mara was running a fever. Poor girl looked pretty miserable when I went to pick her up. She is coughing and has a runny nose too. We went to the doctor and ruled out an ear infection, so hopefully these colds won't last too long for either of us! She doesn't have a fever today thankfully, but definitely isn't feeling like herself either. She slept 16 hours last night, and took a little nap on the living room floor this afternoon too. Hopefully she'll want to sleep tonight! She's not eating much of anything, but at least is interesting in milk and water.

I am due in less than a week, so we're really hoping to get these germs out of the house before the baby is born!

Somehow Jay tends to avoid these germs that Mara and I keep getting...so hopefully he will at least stay healthy!

37, almost 38 weeks...

2010-02-21T12:41:00.003-06:00

I am actually over 38 weeks now, but this was taken last week. Holy belly! The time is getting near, for sure! I'm to the point where not much fits anymore, and I don't really care! I am actually not feeling too bad for being 38+ weeks pregnant. I am a little nauseous off and on, and definitely uncomfortable at times, but I am still sleeping pretty well (I have a bad night here and there, but not too often), and able to sit at work all day without being too uncomfortable.

We finally got a few things set up here for the baby -- the pack n play is set up in our room where the baby will sleep, the swing is set up downstairs (Mara tried to climb in when she saw it). I have a 'diaper' station set up in our bedroom too, and a few other baby items are ready to go when we need them. I have a few things packed in a bag for the hospital, but we do still need to install the carseat. That's something I'm anxious to have done! I've also made some food and stashed it in the freezer so we'll have a couple easy meals after we get home with the baby.

Overall, things are going well. We'll have a baby in less than four weeks, for sure!

So, those goals....

2010-02-13T10:00:00.002-06:00

Since it's already mid-February, here are how my goals for the year are going so far...

-meal planning: eh, not great. I am to the point in my pregnacy where I can't eat much for a meal, so I haven't felt like cooking a meal and then only being able to eat a small amount of it. Oops. Hopefully when I'm on maternity leave (once things settle down a bit) I'll be able to get a little better at this.

-become a better shopper: I've been doing pretty good with this. I found a lot of coupons online and have been using them, and comparing ad prices. I'm off to a good start at least! It is definitely nice to see the 'you saved: ___' part of the receipt. Even if it's just a small amount, it feels good!

-do the dishes: This is not going as well as it should, since it's such a simple thing, but it's not awful either. I don't have huge stacks of dishes, I just don't always do them right away. But, it's better than it has been in the past!

-get organized: this is a work in progress...some things are getting better, others still need work. I've been working on getting my photos organized, which is a big project. It will definitely be an ongoing process.

-keep the house clean: This one is not happening. Ugh. I need to do a big clean up before the baby is born! I can't keep up with the whole house right now, when it's getting harder to get around and I'm more tired than usual. I tend to focus on small areas at a time, but the overall house never seems to all be clean at one time!

-scrapbooking/other crafts: I have been doing pretty well on this one. I scrapped 7 pages last week, not counting the 5 I did when I got together with some friends. I was hoping to do more this week but haven't felt the greatest. I have been organizing my stuff though, and ordered a lot of photos so I'm ready to do quite a bit more!

-date nights: Jay and I are planning to go out today actually! I'm sure it will be the last time we get 'out' alone before the baby is born, but it should be nice. Now we just need to figure out what we're going to do...

So, overall, not a bad start to the year!

21 Months!

2010-02-05T19:10:00.004-06:00

20 Months (Oops!)

2010-01-24T15:34:00.005-06:00

Oops! I never posted these. Figured I better, since Mara will be 21 months old later this week...

Here she is on December 29th! Notice that she really wanted nothing to do with posing for her picture this month. Oh well, she's an active kid, I can't really expect her to sit still and smile for me so much anymore I guess...

2010 Goals

2010-01-17T14:01:00.003-06:00

I mentioned setting some goals for the year earlier this month, but here is a list...hopefully by posting some of these, I'll hold myself a little more accountable! It will be a busy year for us, but I'm hopeful that I can keep up with most of these, and that it will keep our household running more smoothly....

--meal plan: I would like to plan out the week's meals at the beginning of the week. This will include shopping for those meals, and doing any prep-work that I can do ahead of time so that I'm not struggling after work to make dinner when everyone is already hungry. I'm hoping to make dinner at least 4 nights a week. The other nights will be leftovers or something on the fly, but I would like to have at least 4 meals planned out each week. It might not be a fancy meal (most likely not!) every time, but at least it will be a meal that we can all sit down and eat!

--become a better shopper: I would like to get better at shopping sales and at using coupons. This is mostly for grocery shopping, as I feel like I'm a pretty smart shopper for other things. I'd like to set a day of the week for groceries, and will plan meals based on things that are on sale or coupons that I have. I would love to spend less money on groceries, and really USE the items that we buy too!

--do the dishes: This maybe sounds silly, but we have a bad habit of letting the dishes pile up at our house. My goal is to tackle the dishes right away, every night, so it's not such a big job after letting them build up for several days.

--get organized: I'm always trying to figure out new ways to keep things organized. I need to organize our files better, figure out a good system for incoming mail and bills, organize my photos, etc. I always feel better when things are organized, so I hope to find a system that works, and stick with it!

--keep the house clean: I'd like to come up with a schedule/routine for keeping the house clean. Maybe certain rooms or chores are done on certain days, or one day is devoted to cleaning...I'm not exactly sure yet. Might take some trial and error to see what works best for us to keep things maintained. It's hard keeping the house clean with a busy kid running around, and I know it will only get worse with two. I don't expect to live in a perfectly clean house all the time, but everyone feels better when things are cleaned up, so we need to find a routine that works for us!

--scrapbooking/other crafts: I really enjoy doing crafty stuff and scrapbooking, but rarely take time for it lately. I'd like to devote some time each week to working on some sort of project. I have tons of photos to scrap for Mara's book, and I want to get started on a stocking for the new baby, as well as one for myself. Once the baby is born, I'll need to start a scrapbook for him/her too! So, plenty of projects, just need to set aside some time each week to work on it! I may have to set a more specific goal on this one, or I'm not sure it will happen, but I'll see how things go.

--date nights: Even if we can't actually get out of the house to do something, it would be nice to set up a 'date night' with Jay a couple times a month. Maybe just a nice dinner and movie at home, or playing a game or something that we do after Mara (and baby) are in bed. If we can get out of the house to do something, that would just be an added bonus!

After the baby is born, I'm sure I'll have some goals to try to get back into shape, but I'll wait until then to figure that out. For now, I think I have enough to focus on. I don't think any of these goals are difficult, it will just take some time to get into routines and form some new habits. In the end, sticking with it will benefit all of us, so I'm going to really give it a good try! Wish me luck!

Sledding with Grandma and Grandpa

2010-01-16T17:18:00.005-06:00

Mara and I went to my parents house this morning to play. It's finally a little nicer out (meaning, it's above zero!) so we wanted to take her out to play in the snow. I like to get her out of the house to do things while Jay's working or she tends to get bored!

The pictures make it look like Mara's having fun, but the sad truth was that she wasn't thrilled with the sledding (or the snow)! Poor kid! I was hoping she would enjoy it! The first time Grandpa pulled her and Grandma in the sled, she closed her eyes the whole time. The second time, she yelled and cried. Oops! Oh well...maybe next year?

She did enjoy playing inside with Grandpa and Grandma and their toys though! We stayed for lunch and past her normal naptime, so I wasn't sure if she would nap when we got home. She surprised me by falling asleep almost as soon as we got in the car to go home, and slept for 2+ hours once I got her into her home and in her crib! Must have been tired out from all that fresh air!

This is the face...

2010-01-14T20:37:00.003-06:00

...of a child that is up to no good.

But how you can resist it???

Mara was sick earlier this week, but she is back to her normal self now. It was just a quick 24 hour bug luckily.

Jay started back to school this week -- he's had clinicals all week and I think he's ready to be able to sleep in a little later than 5:20 tomorrow! (He has his only actual 'class' on Fridays, and he doesn't have to be there until 8).

It's Mara's first week of 5 days at daycare (although she missed a day and a half because she was sick). It will be odd bringing her tomorrow...I am used to being on my own on Friday mornings! I'm sure she will have fun though, she seems to enjoy her time at daycare!

That's my quick update for now!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-07T19:39:00.003-06:00

Here we are, already a week into January! Where does the time go? We had a quiet New Year here...Jay and I managed to stay awake to see the ball drop on TV. Did I mention it was at 11pm though? We watched it drop on the East Coast and then went to sleep. That counts for something though, right?

After having some time off of work, I went back this week. I miss the free time, but it's nice to get back into a routine again. Jay goes back to school next week (well, it's mostly clinicals, not much classroom time), and Mara will start going to daycare five days a week instead of four days, which she's been doing since she started.

Since it's a new year, and a year of many changes for us, I'm trying to focus on some goals and getting myself organized. I've been feeling a bit overwhelmed and nervous thinking about bringing another baby into our family -- I'm hoping by getting some areas of our lives a little better organized, things will run a little smoother! We'll see how that all works out. It sounds great in theory though!

In baby news...I'm already 32 weeks pregnant! The baby is very active now. I have absolutely no clue or gut feeling as to whether the baby is a girl or a boy. I'm excited to find out! I just can't believe how quickly March is approaching!!

Happy New Year...hope the year will be a great one!

Christmas Photos

2010-01-04T19:19:00.008-06:00

Mara, checking out the tree and all the presents and stockings...

a lovely shot of a 'happy' child in front of the tree

checking out things in her stocking

a new baby and stroller (she doesn't care about the baby, but loves the stroller!)

we pretty much had to force her to open gifts, she wasn't too interested!

our family photo in our Christmas jammies!

Super Blog Slacker

2009-12-30T19:17:00.003-06:00

I apologize for the lack of posts lately. I'm really feeling the 'burn' lately of having a crazy active toddler, being almost 31 weeks pregnant, and just being a little overwhelmed all around. It seems like even normal everyday things are big projects, and I have a feeling it's only going to get worse in the coming weeks...

I will try to get Christmas photos posted soon!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T12:12:00.002-06:00

I can't believe it's Christmas Day already! Where did December go?

Thankfully the weather hasn't been nearly as bad as they were saying, so we were able to go to my Grandma's house yesterday for Christmas Eve. We go every year, so I didn't want to miss it. We did leave earlier than usual, but were able to make it to church in Pine Island before heading home. This morning Mara got up...and didn't really care about her presents. Oh well. It was a little bit of a bummer for me, but not a huge deal. She did love her kitchen and baby stroller, but otherwise wasn't too interested in opening anything (those two things weren't wrapped). And all morning she just keep saying "nigh nigh" so I think she was still tired out from a long day yesterday! We made a nice brunch and now she's passed out in bed!

I have a few final things to do before heading to my parents house later this afternoon, so I better get to it! Hopefully the weather will hold out for the rest of the day.

Lots and lots of photos will be coming soon, stay tuned!

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, etc etc to all of you!

28 Weeks!

2009-12-15T19:17:00.003-06:00

Where is the time going? I'm already 28 (almost 29 now!) weeks into this pregnancy. Tomorrow I go in for my glucose test and my first appointment with my new doctor (sadly, my regular OB is having a baby and will be on maternity leave until after my baby is born).

I am feeling large and in charge, and having a lot more aches and pains, but overall I feel pretty decent, and actually have a bit of energy right now. I'm sure that will go away soon! I actually think maybe this is the best I've ever felt while pregnant. I'm furiously knocking on wood as I type this of course!!

It's a little overwhelming to think that in about 2 and a half months we will have TWO children. I'm nervous about how Mara will adjust, and if I'll ever get any sleep! It's all becoming a little more real, as I feel the baby moving so much more now, and think about how close March is!

Hopefully things will continue to go smoothly for the rest of the pregnancy!

Santa!

2009-12-06T09:14:00.006-06:00

I had pretty low expectations when we took Mara to see Santa at the mall on Friday. Of course, I HOPED she would sit on his lap and maybe even crack a smile, but she is hit or miss with strangers and shyness, so I wasn't counting on it. Realistically, I figured I would get a photo of Santa holding a blur --- Mara as she tried to get away. So, I was pleasantly surprised (thrilled!) when Mara sat on his lap with no problem, and even smiled a few times! Santa was taking a short break when we got there, and there was no one in line, so Mara got to look around a little bit before he got back. Then we sat her down on his lap, she checked him out a bit, and seemed fine. I snapped a few pictures myself, and the 'professional' took a few also. I was pretty happy with the results!

I thought the professional one turned out great! Afterwards Santa asked how old she was. When Jay told him she was 19 months he said he was very impressed with how well she did and that maybe we should buy some lottery tickets that day!

It's Beginning to Look...and FEEL like Christmas!

2009-12-04T21:03:00.002-06:00

We've been a little spoiled here lately with unseasonably warm weather...but not anymore! It was downright COLD out today, and we've had some snow the last couple days. Nothing major, but enough to make it look a little like Christmas!

I wouldn't mind it being a bit warmer, but the snow does help me feel a little more festive! Today we took Mara to see Santa (pictures coming soon!) and tomorrow we're thinking about driving to LaCrosse to see the big light display there. It's supposed to be a little warmer at least! Sunday we'll put up our tree and a few other decorations. It will be interesting to see how Mara reacts to all of it. She barely paid any attention to my parents tree earlier this week when we went to their house to help my mom frost sugar cookies!

I have a bit more holiday shopping to do, and I need to get my Christmas cards in the mail (I need to at least get started on those this weekend). Otherwise, still plugging away on Jay's stocking! I can't believe it's only three weeks until Christmas!

Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T20:10:00.011-06:00

master turkey carver!

attempting a family photo

this one's not too bad!

Mara getting started on dinner (she was getting cranky and tired, so she got a head start!)

ready for a feast!

Mara, Jenna, Derek, and Jay - ready to eat!

Mara enjoying some food

This year was the first time Jay and I attempted to cook Thanksgiving Dinner on our own. It turned out great! We made most of the food the night before, so it was nice to not have to be rushing around doing all of that in the morning. I put the turkey in the crockpot and it was really tasty! We did rolls, mashed potatoes (that was Jay's big project) and gravy today, and my sister and her husband brought stuffing and corn.

What a feast! Everything tasted great, I was so happy! Well, I haven't officially tested the apple pie yet, but the meal and pumpkin pie were great, so my fingers are crossed that the apple pie will be yummy too!

It was nice to be at home - Mara was definitely tired and cranky by the time she finished eating, so she started her nap while we finished up - it worked out really nicely! Jenna had to work at 3pm, so after she and Derek left, Jay and I just lounged around most of the afternoon. It was nice to just relax!

I don't know if it's from being up late cooking last night or what, but I've been pretty tired all afternoon and evening. Must be from all that turkey! I think it will be an early night.

I am so thankful for a healthy daughter and baby coming in a few months, a great husband who puts up with me, and fabulous friends and extended family. I am so blessed!

Turkey, and Cranberry Sauce, and Pies...Oh My

2009-11-25T23:21:00.002-06:00

It has been a busy night of cooking, but we are almost set for Thanksgiving! We decided to stay home this year and will have my sister and her husband over for a Thanksgiving meal.

We made our turkey tonight (our first time, and it turned out great!), made some cranberry sauce, and three pies! (two pumpkin, one apple). Tomorrow we'll make mashed potatoes and rolls. My sister is bringing stuffing and corn. Hopefully that will be enough food (ha!).

For now, I'm heading to bed...hopefully Mara will let us sleep until at least 7am...and then we'll start prepping more food. Should be a nice day, good food, football, and hanging out at home!

I'm sure I'll be sharing some photos...

Becoming More Domestic

2009-11-20T20:26:00.002-06:00

For quite awhile I've been wanting to become more domestic. Maybe it's a 'motherly' thing. I would love to cook and bake more, but I feel like I never have the time or energy to do it. Or, I'm not confident enough in my abilities to try a lot of new recipes. I'm trying to ease myself into it though, especially now having Mara...I'd like to be able to make meals and snacks that she can enjoy.

I think the big thing with me, is planning ahead. Working full time and then chasing after Mara doesn't allow for a lot of planning and prep time for meals every day. I need to get better at planning out meals for the week, and doing whatever I can for them ahead of time, so it doesn't take so long when I'm already hungry! Also, Jay works sometimes in the evening, and on the weekends, so often he isn't around for meals then and I just get lazy... I know things will be even more crazy after this baby is born, so it would be nice to get into a better routine now, while I have a bit more time.

I really don't mind cooking and baking when I have the time (and energy) to do it, and I think I'd like it even more if I found new recipes that were easy and tasted good too. I have a few recipes that I always go back to, so I just need to build onto those.

As far as other domestic things...I've got a decent handle on the craftiness - I really enjoy crafty things. I could do a lot better with cleaning/general upkeep/organization of the house, but I'm trying!

Baby steps I guess...

Table and Chairs

2009-11-16T20:59:00.005-06:00

We've been wanting to get Mara a table and chair set for quite awhile. We were both so amazed to see her sit so nicely at a table at daycare, and thought she would love a set at home too - a place to sit to read books, eat snacks, color, etc.

I looked around for awhile, and asked for some recommendations. My friend Andrea showed me a set from Ikea that she has for her kiddos, so we checked that out and ended up really liking it -- so that's what we got. Mara loves it! The chairs are a little high for her, but she's mastered climbing up on them. She loves sitting at her table. (And yeah...sometimes she loves standing on her chair and then climbing up onto the table too...but oh well).

We don't have a permanent spot yet for the table, so for now it's in the middle of our living room, but hopefully we'll be able to rearrange a few things to find more room for it somewhere!

18 Months!

2009-11-16T20:53:00.004-06:00

On October 29th, Mara turned 18 months old. It seems like just yesterday she was turning 6 months old! Where does the time go?

As you can tell, this was one of our more difficult months for pictures. She didn't want to sit still and getting a picture without any stuffed animals was pretty much impossible.

Don't be too disturbed by the last picture...she was pretty mad, but she got over it quickly!

She is becoming such a little PERSON...it's fun to watch, even if it does make me a little sad some days!

Always Busy...

2009-11-11T11:10:00.003-06:00

I'm a little behind here, there are a few pictures I want to get posted, but I will get to that when I have a chance!

For now, we have been very busy...Jay is super busy with school right now, plus working, and I can never seem to find enough hours in the day. After Mara goes to bed I'm pretty much useless - no energy left! I've been going to bed pretty early. I'm hoping to start planning a bit better so I can get more things done in the evenings, but we'll see how it goes!

Over the weekend Mara got pretty sick (high fever, vomiting), but luckily it was a quick bug and she is feeling much better now. Poor girl was feeling pretty miserable for awhile. We're hoping to avoid any more sickness for awhile -- my fingers are crossed!

I have been feeling ok, and have started to feel the baby move around a bit more too! Jay was even able to feel one particularily strong kick or punch last week. Most of the time the baby is not quite strong enough to be felt from the outside, since the placenta is cushioning it a bit! It's fun to feel more movement now, that's my favorite thing about being pregnant!

I am looking forward to the holidays, although the weather seems more like spring than November lately! I'll enjoy that while it lasts, since I'm sure it will be snowing soon!

Thanks for checking in on us! I will try to update with some new photos soon!

Halloween Fun!

2009-11-01T13:23:00.014-06:00

watcing Daddy carve the pumpkin

really interested in the pumpkin carving

checking out the finished product

our little lion eating a cookie at the daycare Halloween party on Friday

playing games at the daycare Halloween party

checking out the pumpkin on Halloween afternoon

CHEESE!

Mara as a lion, posing with the pumpkin

Mara and cousin Rylee at Grandma and Grandpa's house

Uncle Derek helping Mara pick out some candy (she liked to empty the bucket and then fill it up again)

attempting to get both Rylee and Mara in a picture with Great Grandma

We had a fun Halloween! Mara loved wearing her costume and had lots of fun playing with candy (she did have a bite or two, but mostly she was happy to just play with it!). She got to see her cousin Rylee and actually looked at her a couple times and did say "baby" when she made a little noise. It was a fun weekend! Hard to believe that next year we'll have TWO little ones to dress up for Halloween!

21 Weeks

2009-10-27T09:55:00.002-05:00

I haven't been as good about taking belly pictures this time around as I was during my first pregnancy (I did a weekly picture starting at 12 weeks last time I think! This time I only have 2-3 pictures total so far!). I did manage to get one over the weekend though. I'm 21 weeks (almost 22 now) pregnant, and it's getting hard to hide (not that I'm really trying)!

I need to dig out my pictures from last time and see how they compare. Some people have guessed boy or girl based on this picture, but it's pretty evenly split so far. I feel like I'm maybe a bit bigger this time around at this point, but sometimes I don't feel like there is much there yet.

I am not feeling the baby move yet (I have felt a couple small 'pushes' but nothing consistent) because of the location of my placenta, so I am eager for that to start soon...that's my favorite part of being pregnant!

Overall, I am feeling pretty decent. I get worn out and hot pretty easily. Can't just stand around or be out and about shopping or doing things like that for long, but I'm used to that from last time! I've been taking Zofran, but not every day and not feeling too bad (usually some nausea right away in the morning, but it's been much better), so I'm pretty thrilled about that!!

It's hard to believe I am due in just over four months! I feel like I have a lot to accomplish before then...

Then and Now - Winter Coat

2009-10-26T20:59:00.003-05:00

Last year Mara didn't spend much time out in the snow, since she wasn't old enough to walk (and wasn't really crawling most of the winter either), but we did get her out to at least get this cute picture in late November. We had bought a winter coat for her, but it was HUGE on her, so it looked pretty comical.

Cut to this past weekend...and the same coat. It fits! It's a little snug if she has snowpants or a big sweatshirt on, but otherwise, it works just fine! Kind of funny to see how much she's changed, yet how much she is still the same! I think she will really have fun this winter playing in the snow!

Snow!

2009-10-24T13:38:00.002-05:00

It's way too early to have this much snow! Luckily this is from yesterday, and most of it has melted now. But it was a little crazy for awhile there! It started out as rain, then got a little slushy and turned to snow, and wouldn't stop! It was snowing big flakes most of the afternoon. Kind of crazy for October 23rd. It was looking a little too much like Christmas, and it's not even Halloween yet!

Hopefully we'll have a break from the snow for awhile. I guess I could handle it now if I knew it wouldn't last until April!!

Happy Anniversary!

2009-10-21T10:00:00.004-05:00

Jay and I got married three years ago today! It doesn't seem like that long, although our lives have obviously changed quite a bit since October 21st, 2006!

We had a great wedding, the weather was a little chilly, but otherwise a great day shared with family and friends! I spent our first anniversary in bed with a migraine and morning sickness. Our second was the day after my Grandpa's funeral, so we weren't feeling much like celebrating. This year I'm feeling decent, so that helps! Not sure if we'll do anything tonight to celebrate (free pie??), but we did go out to dinner and a movie on Saturday night, kid-free. Thanks to my parents to coming over to hang out with Mara so we could get away. It was very nice!

Happy Anniversary Jay! Thanks for putting up with me! ;)

One Year Ago

2009-10-16T19:00:00.006-05:00

Me (9 months) and my sister Michelle with Grandma Angie and Grandpa Lloyd - July 4, 1980.

Four Generations - Grandma Angie, Grandpa Lloyd, Barb (my mom) Maralyn, and me - June 8, 2008

Mara and her Great-Grandpa Lloyd - September 2008

It was a year ago today that my grandpa Lloyd passed away. He is so missed! His sense of humor and love for his family are something that I'll never forget.

I'm so glad he was able to meet Mara and spend time with her, even if it was just for a few months. I'm very sad that he didn't get to see her grow up and change - she is such a different little person already now than she was a year ago! I'm also sad he won't be able to meet our little baby coming in March.

But, I'm grateful for the time that we all had with him, and we have memories and photos to remind us of the great times! We miss you, Grandpa!

There's a Baby in There!

2009-10-16T10:04:00.006-05:00

On Tuesday, we went for our anatomy ultrasound! It's hard to believe I am already to that point in the pregnancy! I am 20 weeks along, halfway there!

The ultrasound went GREAT! Everything looks perfect!! We were so excited to see the baby and hear that things looked so good. It is such a relief to know that things are growing and developing like they should be!

We opted not to find out the sex again this time. I think Jay could have been swayed to find out, but I love the surprise when the baby is born. There is no other surprise quite like it!

Baby cooperated well for the measuring, and we got some pretty good pictures, so we were happy! It weighs 10 oz right now, and measured just one day off from my due date (March 4th).

It's amazing how you can tell a difference from baby to baby...this baby was definitely NOT Mara. I know that's obvious, but it's weird how you can pick that up just from an ultrasound. I'm excited to meet the new baby and see what kind of personality he or she will have!

Only 20 weeks (ok, maybe more like 21 or 22!) to go!

30!

2009-10-16T10:01:00.002-05:00

I turned 30 on October 14th. It was a nice day...nothing too wild and crazy, but it worked. After work, Jay took Mara and I out to dinner. Mara was pretty good, and we got free pie too, which is always a plus! Mara went to bed shortly after we got home, and I relaxed and went to bed a little early myself. Such is the life of a pregnant woman! Overall, 30 feels pretty good so far!

Use Words, Please

2009-10-07T09:46:00.003-05:00

I feel like I keep saying this phrase over and over to Mara (and then saying the words we want her to learn, over and over!) There is no denying that she's a smart kid (mostly when it comes to being naughty!), but a little slow with talking. No big deal, but it gets a little frustrating now that we KNOW she understands words and knows what we're talking about. But she will often just point and grunt if she wants something, or even better...YELL.

Over the last couple of weeks though she seems to be picking up on a few words. For awhile now she's been saying kitty. Although it sounds more like "geeeeee!" or "keeeeee!" when she says it (and yes, always with an exclamation point, she's usually excited when she sees one of the cats!). If you tickle her or attempt to tickle her, she'll say tickle tickle over and over (it often sounds like "diggle diggle diggle" but is getting a bit more clear). She says hi and is now starting to say bye. Of course, only when she wants to, and definitely not always on command! But, at least it's something!

She's also starting to say "ma" or "my" - we are trying to figure out if she means MINE or MORE, or maybe both?

It's fun to see her try to say things, and fun when we actually understand what she's trying to say! I always used to poke fun at moms who would 'translate' what their kids were saying (because to anyone else it just sounded like gibberish), but that's the mom that I've become, and it's not so bad!

Pumpkins and Apples

2009-10-04T19:20:00.010-05:00

We braved the cold and overcast weather today to go to the apple orchard/pumpkin patch. The orchard is only a few miles from our house, and we met my parents there. There was a big crowd there despite the chilly weather. I guess it was the first weekend that's really felt like fall, so it put people in the mood!

Mara had lots of fun running around. She enjoyed looking at the animals too, mostly the goats and bunnies. We went on a wagon ride around the orchard, and got some fresh donuts and (of course) apples for a snack. It turned out to be a pretty nice day for the outing.

We picked out a nice pumpkin to bring home, and we'll carve that a little closer to Halloween. We went to the same orchard last year, and measured Mara against the sign to see how tall she was, so I'm sure we'll make that a yearly tradition!

A very fun afternoon for the adults, and of course for Mara!

18 Weeks

2009-10-03T20:19:00.002-05:00

Well, I'm 18 weeks pregnant already. Almost half-way done! This pregnancy is going a lot faster than my first. I just don't have as much time to focus on it as I did last time. I think that's a good thing.

I haven't taken too many belly photos this time around yet. (This isn't a great one - my hair is wet, and I'd only been out of bed for 30-45 minutes. Oh well!) I mostly think I just look fat, since I started out at a higher weight than last time, and I'm kind of in the stage where my belly isn't too 'defined' yet - so I think a lot of people just think I'm putting on weight if they don't know I'm pregnant.

I'm still not feeling well. Very grateful to not have gotten the migraines that I had in my first trimester (and early 2nd) last time. I've had some bad headaches, but nothing that kept me in bed for a day. I'm still nauseous most of the time, although it's definitely worse in the mornings -- some afternoons aren't too bad in the last couple of weeks. I vomit at odd times - usually if I smell something or let myself get too hungry. It's kind of weird. I'm hoping things will settle down a bit in the next few weeks. I don't have as much time to think or complain about it this time, so a lot of people assume I'm feeling pretty good, until I tell them. I guess that's not a bad thing.

Still low on energy too, although it has gotten a little bit better. I'm still ready for bed by 9pm and have a hard time getting up in the morning! Chasing Mara definitely takes a lot of out me too, so some days are better than others.

I have an appointment with my doctor next week, and we'll probably set up an appointment for the big ultrasound then. We won't be finding out the sex, but it will be nice to 'see' the baby and make sure everything looks good!

Then and Now

2009-10-03T19:04:00.006-05:00

May 1st 2008: Mara and Oliver meet for the first time. Picasso runs upstairs and hides if Mara so much as sighs, but Oliver sniffs her and is intrigued. Mara is asleep. Oliver decides he will enjoy sleeping near her whenever he can get away with it while she's an infant. Also, her crib is a fun spot for a nap when he can sneak into it without Mom and Dad noticing.

September 29th 2009: Oliver and Mara hang out on the couch together. He loves her, and she loves him. Despite a period of tail-pulling, he always enjoys being around her and she loves to 'pet' him (sometimes not so gently) and give him kisses. Now if only Picasso would get close enough to her, to see that she's not as scary as he thinks....

Early August 2008: One of Mara's first times sitting in the bumbo chair. I remember this day was also the first day she made an effort to grab a toy from me. She seems to be enjoying herself, and her thighs aren't too difficult to squeeze in and out of the chair (that would change over the next several months).

Late September 2009: Mara finds her Bumbo chair tucked away behind some furniture. She drags it out and decides this is a great place to sit to read her books (she is more excited than her expression shows!) Remarkably, it's not as tight a squeeze as it used to be. Guess she has slimmed down a bit in the thigh area!

17 Months Old

2009-10-03T18:50:00.007-05:00

On September 29th, Mara turned 17 months old! Another month older, already! Time flies!

As you can see, we have quite the little chipmunk on our hands!

(forgive the bad lighting in the pictures!)

A Much Needed Break...

2009-09-17T12:41:00.002-05:00

This weekend I am getting away for a few days to scrapbook with some friends. We've rented a house for the weekend, and will scrap and snack all weekend! It sounds heavenly!

I definitely need the break...I'm getting a little burned out lately all around, and need time to recharge my battery a bit! I'm hoping to get lots of scrapping done since I haven't had a chance to do much lately and I'm way behind! And maybe I'll even get to sleep in a little bit. Hopefully I won't feel too icky and will be able to enjoy the time away!

Mara's First Haircut

2009-09-13T17:07:00.007-05:00

Ok, so it wasn't really a haircut. Just a small trim. But it was definitely needed. As you can see, Mara's hair was uneven and hanging in her face. It was driving me nuts! I was too nervous to attempt it on my own, so I enlisted the help of my mom to get the job done on Friday night. It only took a minute, but the results are great!

Before:

During:

After:

She was kind of sweaty since it was pretty hot and humid on Friday, but you get the picture!

I'm An Aunt!!

2009-09-10T19:32:00.006-05:00

My niece Rylee Paige was born on Sunday, September 6th at 12:14pm. She was 8lbs 10oz, and so sweet and mellow! We went to visit her (and proud Mom and Dad) in the hospital that night. It's my first time being an aunt, so I'm pretty excited! She and Mara are about 16 months apart in age, and she will be just 6 months older than our 2nd baby, so I'm excited about the cousins being close in age and hope they will have lots of fun times together! Mara said "hi!" to her new cousin, but otherwise ignored her - she'll be more interested in her when she's moving and making a bit more noise I'm sure!

Michelle and David took Rylee home on Tuesday, and are settling into life with a new baby! Hopefully I will get a chance to get up to see them very soon!!

Can You Guess Mara's Secret??

2009-09-08T08:51:00.005-05:00

If the first picture doesn't give it away (can you read her shirt? It was the best shot I could get, she's always on the go!), I'm sure the second one does!

I'm pregnant! Jay and I are expecting our 2nd child in early March 2010. Maybe we'll even end up with a February baby! Ok, not likely :) My official due date right now is March 4th, but I'm guessing baby will come after that.

I'm almost 15 weeks, and still not feeling great. I was hopeful that this pregnancy would be a little easier for me, but haven't had that luck yet. I have been nauseous since about 6 weeks, and actually vomiting quite a bit this time around. I do ok and can manage it pretty well for the most part. One thing I'm grateful for is that I haven't gotten migraines this time around (believe me, I'm knocking on wood right now). When I was pregnant with Mara that was the worst part - I had them almost constantly from about 9-15 weeks. I have had a few headaches this time, but nothing as bad. I'm cautiously optimistic that I'm starting to get a little energy back. I'm hopeful that some of this nausea will go away soon too. Fingers crossed! It's been a little hard keeping up with Mara some days, but I think I've been doing pretty well, considering.

We're excited and terrified to have two children. :)

16 Months Old

2009-08-29T13:23:00.007-05:00

It's that time again...

Mara is 16 months old today! Had a hard time getting a photo of her by herself this month...hence the book in one photo, and the lotion in the other. But I got some great ones with her giraffe and bear! Hard to believe another month has passed. And this sure doesn't look like a picture taken in August - long sleeves and jeans! But it's a nice crisp fall-like day, and we had been outside earlier. I certainly don't mind the cooler weather!

Blast From the Past

2009-08-29T09:08:00.005-05:00

Same baby, same outfit...

But, yeah - it's a different size. Mara wore this outfit last July for her 3 month photo, and my friend Andrea handed down the same outfit in a bigger size that her daughter wore - so Mara wore it recently. It's so funny to compare these pictures and really see how much she's grown and changed since last summer! But luckily...she still has the little rolls on her legs!

More Success

2009-08-27T07:58:00.002-05:00

I am so happy to report that Mara had a great day at daycare again on Wednesday! She cried a bit when I dropped her off, but apparently was fine soon after. She ate at all three meals (breakfast, lunch, snack) and had lot of fun playing. When I went to pick her up, she was playing outside. She saw me and smiled...and then just kept playing! I'm amazed at how well she is doing!

This morning when I dropped her off, I was ready for the usual tears. Instead, she started flapping her arms around when we got inside - her sign for being excited. I was a little surprised. We went to the toddler room, and she couldn't wait for me to put her down! She immediately took off to go grab a book, and didn't even notice me leave! Wow. It's only the 4th day! I couldn't believe it! They are having a water day today, so I'm sure Mara will love playing in the water tables outside!

I'm sure there will be some bumps along the way, but we are thrilled she has adjusted so well so far. Today is her last day there for the week (she will be home with Jay on Fridays). So Monday might be a challenge again, but at least we know that she enjoys her time there. She will probably be bored with just us over the weekend!

In other news, Jays classes are going well. He's been pretty busy all week since he's worked a couple evenings too. I've come down with a cold, so I'm not thrilled about that, and hoping it will not last too long!

Daycare, Day 2

2009-08-26T09:38:00.003-05:00

As I drove up to the daycare center to pick up Mara yesterday, I saw her outside...stealing a ball from another (bigger) girl. Ahh yep...that's my girl!

I was so pleased to find out that she had a pretty good day! SHE ATE AND DRANK!! And even slept a little bit again. She brought a monkey to daycare to have for her naps, and I wonder if that is helping. She has a favorite monkey at home, but we wanted to keep him at home, so we went and bought the same one, but it's blue. As soon as she saw it in the store she started to make her monkey noises, so we figured it would do the trick. So, hopefully she is enjoying that at her naps. It sounds like she only cried a few times during the day, but otherwise did pretty well. One of the teachers said she has found a couple of favorite books that she carried around the room during the day too.

We're so proud! I know there will be ups and downs, but after last week, we really weren't expecting a very smooth transition. She was playing outside pretty happily when I got there, and it was just great to see! I can handle some crying when I drop her off if I know she'll be having fun during the day. Hopefully today will go ok too, my fingers are crossed!

What We've Been Up To

2009-08-24T17:22:00.002-05:00

I've been slacking on the blog again, and hoping to find more time in my day to start keeping up better.

It's a very busy time in our household right now. Today Jay started back to school, and Mara started at a new daycare. We had a bit of a daycare 'situation' last week, but are hoping that the place we're at now will be a good match for us. I wasn't thrilled to leave Mara this morning while she was sobbing, but we're happy to report that she made it through the day and didn't do half bad. It sounds like she even managed a little bit of sleep, and some quiet resting time. Hopefully she'll add eating and drinking to her day at some point too! But overall, we are pleased and hoping tomorrow goes ok too. I know it is a huge adjustment, so we are trying to not expect too much from our stubborn little girl all at once!

Jay will be in class full time during the days, Monday through Thursday every week. On Fridays he will be home with Mara. I'm still working Monday through Friday. Jay is also still working part time, and got scheduled for quite a few hours this week and the upcoming weekend. So, we will definitely be keeping busy with all these new schedules to work around!

Thanks for checking in on us, hopefully there will be more blog entries to keep up with soon!

15 Months Old

2009-08-09T10:14:00.006-05:00

Mara turned 15 months old on July 29th. I can't believe it! My baby is growing up! She looks so much more grown up now - I can't ignore the fact that she's a toddler now!

I was surprised she actually sat still long enough for me to get a couple good shots this month. It's hit or miss every month, but it's fun to see how much she has changed.

We're going to try to get some outdoor 15 month professional photos taken tomorrow, so hopefully she'll be on her best behavior for those!

Water Table Fun

2009-08-09T10:07:00.003-05:00

Mara loves her water table. We've had a couple chances to get it out this summer so far. It works well on our patio, which is nice since we don't have much of a yard! She loves filling up cups and then dumping them out (usually on herself). Jay and I usually end up with our feet in the water, so it's nice way for us to cool down too! Definitely a good investment, I think she'll have a lot of fun with this for many summers to come!

Dad's Grand Re-Opening

2009-08-07T20:00:00.005-05:00

In mid-July my Dad had a Grand Re-Opening party for his new shop. There were refreshments, and drawing for prizes. A lot of people came out to show their support and see the new shop, which was really great! It's so exciting to see him back in business after several months. In December his original shop was destroyed by fire, and it has been a long process, but with help from family and friends, the new shop is now built. I know there are a lot of people that are really happy he's back to work - he's already very busy!

The picture of Mara with my Dad is one of my favorite pictures! My dad very rarely smiles for pictures, but I guess Mara just brings it out in him! She even wore her tractor overalls in honor of the special day!

Busy July

2009-07-26T14:50:00.002-05:00

July has been a busy month, and I have been a bad blogger! Most of the photos are up on facebook, so I won't post them here too, but here's a brief recap of a few things we've been up to this month!

We celebrated the 4th of July at my parents house with lots of extended family. Mara had a blast running around all day, and exhausting us!

We went to Toronto for a week in early July. It was a tiring trip, but nice to see Jay's family and friends, and we got to go to Alex and Lisa's wedding too! Mara did really well for being so out of her element. My parents came for part of the trip too, and were able to do a lot of sight-seeing and have a little vacation. Mara was definitely happy to get home though, she was excited to get into her crib, which was a relief! It's always nice to get back to a normal routine!

Earlier in the month we decided on a daycare for Mara to start at next month. I'm nervous to have her going back to daycare again since we are so used to having her at home during the day. It will be different to have to get her up in the morning with me every day again! I think she will fit in well at the daycare though, so we are optimistic that it will work out well!

My Dad had a grand re-opening for his new shop last weekend. I'll share some photos from that in a separate entry!

And yesterday started the 3 weekends in a row of baby showers for my sister Michelle! Baby girl is due in about 6 weeks - can't wait to meet her!!

We're Alive!

2009-07-16T11:16:00.001-05:00

It's been a busy few weeks, including a week in Canada, so I haven't had time to update the blog. Lots of photos and stories to come, just as soon as I find a few minutes to spare. In the meantime, just thought I'd let everyone know that we're still alive!! :)

14 Months Old

2009-07-03T20:30:00.006-05:00

Mara turned 14 months on June 29th. Every month I can't believe how much older she is! She is doing so many new things now, and seems so much more like a little person than a baby!

It was definitely hard to get a photo this month! She was squirmy and kept trying to crawl off of the chair. But, despite not getting a 'perfect' shot, I still think these turned out pretty cute, and show off her playful personality pretty well!

New Piano!

2009-07-03T20:23:00.006-05:00

Jay's been wanting to buy this piano for Mara for quite awhile (I think he wanted it for himself really!), and we finally got it. Mara seems to really like playing it, and so does Jay! I think it will be a toy that she'll want to play with for quite awhile, and hopefully it will help her learn to love music!

Lili's 2nd Birthday Party

2009-07-03T20:12:00.007-05:00

Last Saturday we went to a birthday party for my friend's 2 year old daughter Lili. Mara had so much fun playing and running around outside! The weather turned out great, and Mara was filthy by the time the day was over, but it was lots of fun. She loved the water table, and filling up the wagon with rocks. It was also Jay's birthday, so he enjoyed cake and everyone sang Happy Birthday to him too!

Lili really enjoyed her party, digging into her cake, playing with all of her friends, and opening lots of presents. Hard to believe she's 2 years old already, seems like she was just born!

Recent Random Photos

2009-07-03T19:48:00.005-05:00

Mara is having a busy summer, and definitely keeping us on our toes! June flew by quickly and I know July is going to go just as fast!

Father's Day

2009-06-29T19:03:00.005-05:00

For Father's Day this year we went out for pizza with my parents, and my sister Jenna and brother in law Derek. Mara has started to actually like pizza, so that worked for her! She spent most of the evening running around the restaurant - I swear, she never wears herself out! We had a nice dinner and I guess we got a little exercise chasing her around too!

Weekend Fun

2009-06-20T17:19:00.012-05:00

Last night we decided to go to Red Lobster for dinner (mmmm cheesy buscuits!). We've been cutting back on eating out lately, but had a couple gift cards, and needed to get out of the house. Mara behaved pretty well for most of dinner, but she gets tired of sitting in a highchair, so we didn't stick around too long! She really didn't want to ride in her stroller after that, so we attempted to let her walk. It worked out ok. She gets distracted (she giggled and stared at every person that walked by us), and then goes too fast and falls, but we eventually made it back to the parking ramp!

Today Mara and I hung out together at home while Daddy worked. It was too hot to do much outside (we don't have any shade, and not much room outside anyway), so we played inside mostly. Mara has figured out how to climb on whatever she needs to, to get to what she wants, which I discovered today! I see lots of trouble in our future! We did go outside for a little while to water plants and play on the patio. Mara's so funny - after I water all of the plants, she picks up the empty watering can and goes to each plant and imitates what I just did. It's crazy how much she picks up just by watching us!

While Mara napped today, I looked into some more daycare options. We felt like we really wanted to go to a center, but I'm re-thinking that now (they are so expensive, and there are SO many germs!) so I've set up interviews with 4 different in-home daycares for next week so far. It's such a big process, but we're hopeful that we can find a good place to send Mara once Jay goes back to school full time in the fall!

More adventures tomorrow I'm sure!

The Great Outdoors

2009-06-17T18:13:00.007-05:00

Mara loves being outside, and it's nice when we go to a place where she can really run around. The kid never seems to run out of energy!!

This past Sunday we went to my cousin Nicole's high school graduation party. Nicole lives on a farm, so there was lots to see and do there. Mara doesn't like to sit still, so she was pretty happy to get out and run around. My Aunt Lois found the cool car in the first picture for her to play with, and she loved sitting in it and trying to beep the horn. She 'helped' Uncle Dave and Daddy play beanbags for awhile, and played with Uncle Dave and Aunt Michelle's dog Dori. Then she got to see some cows too. I thought she would be more interested in them than she was - maybe she just wasn't excited because they didn't move much or make much noise. We tried to get her to say cow, but the closest we got was "Ow!" (and no, we weren't pinching her!)

She had a lot of fun running around, but somehow I think I ended up more exhausted than she did! Chasing her around is a lot of work!

Watering the Plants

2009-06-14T11:17:00.005-05:00

Mara always likes to come outside with me to water the plants that we have on our patio. Usually she just watches or plays with rocks and walks around, but yesterday after I was done watering, she wanted to play with the watering can. At first she was just playing around with it, but then she started to walk around and was actually pretending she was watering the flowers! Apparently she's been paying attention!

The Great Bottle Battle

2009-06-13T12:10:00.006-05:00

We've been wanting to wean Mara off of bottles for awhile, but the time never seemed right. Finally we decided to just go for it. She was ignoring her cups most of the time and being way too dependent on the bottles.

So Monday morning Jay gave her a bottle for breakfast, and then cups with milk the rest of the day. It didn't go great. She wasn't happy about not getting her bottles, and she let us know it! She wouldn't drink anything out of the cup, but would carry it around with her. We tried a few different cups to see if any one would be easier, but she was equally unhappy with all of them.

Tuesday was the same. Jay gave her a bottle in the morning to make sure that she'd get at least SOME milk, but that was it. I did get her to drink at least some water out of a regular glass, but otherwise she ignored the cups completely, and was not a happy girl.

On Wednesday we decided no more bottles at all. We did sneak milk into some of her foods, to make sure she was still getting some, but otherwise, we just kept offering her the cup. Again, she wasn't happy with us. But I was thrilled on Wednesday night when she picked up her cup and drank the whole thing!

Thursday she did ok - she wanted us to hold the cup for her when she drank, but at least she was drinking from it.

Friday she started to boycott the cup again, but then drank a lot in the evening. And so far today she's drinking it well - sometimes on her own, and sometimes with our help. She seems to be in a much better mood now that she's getting hydrated again!

It was definitely an interesting week, but we're glad we did it when we did, and happy that we can finally pack away the bottles! I'm sure there will still be times when she will miss them, but overall, we're really pleased with how things are going!!