Thursday, July 31, 2008

Cheese!

Here is one of the first good smile pictures I have been able to get. There are a few more pictures on flickr (click the link to the right).

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Just a Thought

Boy diapers are much easier to change than girl diapers. Baby girls have so many creases and folds. Boys... well everything just hangs out there, so you just wipe it off. Sure there is always the chance of getting a shower with a boy, but I would much rather change a boys diaper than a girls. I'm just saying.

Monday, July 28, 2008

Somewhat Productive Day

Even though it is now 3:00 and I was finally able to get Aria to sleep I got a lot done today. My major accomplishment was cleaning out the pantry/storage closet in the dining room. It seems to be the place where everything ends up. I think I will sleep better tonight knowing that it is organized once again. I also got a crap load of laundry done. Since we weren't home all weekend again, my chores were ignored. And I actually was able to do a few pages of Aria's scrapbook.

We spent Saturday in Berlin at the annual Bugle Mouth Bass fishing tournament. We didn't fish, but the $1 beer wristbands for all the beer you can drink was worth the trip. Stephen ran around and played the whole time, while Aria slept. The most exciting part of the day was when Lyhna won a raffle for a $200 gift certificate for Mount Olympus in Wisconsin Dells. I can't believe she actually won. So now we have to plan a trip to the dells before the summer is over.

Sunday was spent at the Oshkosh water park all day. For only $4/adult there is 2 water slides, a lazy river, pretty big pool with a play area for toddlers, a sand/water play area, and a separate water jungle-gym area. I took a picture, but it really doesn't do it justice. There are also a couple pictures of Aria hanging out in her stroller while everyone else is playing in the water.

Aria's nap is apparently over and she is starving... Later Gators!

Friday, July 25, 2008

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Must Read... It made me tear up

From PerezHilton.com:

This Might Make You CryFiled under: Sad Sad
This is so sad, yet touching.
Reece Fleming was diagnosed with leukaemia back in 2004 when he was just 4 years old.
He battled the disease for years until this May, when doctors gave the 8 year old boy only a few weeks to live.
The family decided to try and help him achieve most of his goals before he would pass. And one of those was to marry his school sweetheart, Elleanor Purgslove.
Reece's mother said "When we found out that we only had a few weeks with him we tried to do absolutely everything with him that we could. Him and Ellie had been 'special friends' for a couple of years but then they broke up. We said we'd have a pirate party, and Ellie came. She went to visit Reece a few times in hospital as well."
Then during a recent laser tag party, Reece "proposed" to his little friend.
After she accepted, their parents arranged a pretend wedding at Reece's home (not the kids pictured above).
The families went out to dinner in the mayor's limousine and organized the wedding with rings and even a fictional certificate.
The kids got married on July 4th. And Reece told his mom, "I can go now," after his wedding wish had been fulfilled.
His mom added, "He was so proud of her, and we were proud of them both."
The following day after the wedding, Reece died at home with his family.
Soooooo sad!
During the funeral, the mourners followed a horse-draw hearse on foot.
His mom added, "Even on the Saturday that he died, he got out of bed and walked to the sofa. He always tried walking, right to the end, so we thought if he walked for us then we would walk for him."
What an amazing little boy.

How did I get so lucky?

I thought the chances of getting both Stephen and Aria on the same nap schedule would be nearly impossible. Actually, I was looking forward to them sleeping at opposite times so I would be able to give each one some one on one attention while the other is sleeping. Now that they are taking their long afternoon naps at the same time, I think I was crazy for wanting them to sleep opposite each other. Stephen has always slept from about 1pm-4:15pm everyday. And now, without any coercing from me, Aria is sleeping from about 12pm-3ish every day. It is the greatest thing in the world. I am able to get the laundry done, clean, get dinner ready most nights, everything except vacuum. Don't get me wrong, some days I do take naps, and my house is far from spotless. But I do love my alone time!

Today I practiced my cake decoration for Stephen's upcoming birthday. I can't believe he will be 2 in less than 2 weeks. I am very excited to do his cake, well actually it will be a cupcake cake. I bought real decorators tips and frosting bags. I will not tell you what it will end up being, you will have to wait for the picture when it is finished. I think we will be spending his birthday up at "gamma and papa's" cabin. I am not sure we will stay the whole weekend, but I think we will try 1 night away from home. It should be interesting. I think my sister, bro-in-law and niece will also be going, so that makes 4 grandkids plus one on the way. I hope they can handle it.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Getting my butt back in gear

I have officially started to workout again this week. I forgot how hard it is at first. It's not like when you just slack off for no reason. After you have a baby, muscles are stretched out beyond recognition, some just disappear all together, and forget about cardio endurance. After working out for 2 days, I am so tired I feel like I could sleep for a week. Thanks Trisha for the cardio interval workout, it kicked my ass. The strange part about this, is that I actually like going to the gym this time. I lost track of time, I really liked the fact that I was sweating for a reason. I have always hated working out until now. I can come up with 2 reasons why I am enjoying it:

1. It is my ONLY time I get away from the kids and husband. I'm not "mommy" for an hour a day.
2. I know I'm not having any more kids, so it's not like I am working out for no reason.

Whatever the reasons, I am enjoying it and can't wait to get rid off the jiggles!

Monday, July 21, 2008

Going INSANE Today!

Have you ever had one of those days where any and everything that could go wrong will go wrong, or you can't find anything, and your child is tap dancing on your last nerve? I am sooo having one of those days.
  • Stephen figured out how to take the door knob child lock thing off the inside of his bedroom door, then lost half of it.
  • Stephen lost my car key. I took the escape key off the key chain since we barely drive it anymore and left it my purse. Well, that is now MIA. It is probably in the same spot as the missing Blockbuster movie and baby bottle. Seriously, where does he put this crap, I can't find it anywhere.
  • The garbage bag leaked all over the floor.
  • Our bathroom light switch is possessed. It will be flipped all the way on, but turns itself on and off. I am sure it will blow up one of these days.
  • Aria had a major blow out all over my arm.

I think that is all for now, but it is only 12:00 so I am sure there will be plenty more to come. I finally can go back to work as of today, I need to get the heck outta here. So hopefully I will get some hours soon!

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Weekend Wrap-Up

We had a fairly busy weekend, again. Friday was my birthday, so we had some people over (see previous post for details). Then on Saturday was "Beer Ball". I had never heard of this before so I was a little confused. Basically it is softball with one quarter barrel at first base and a second one at third base. When you get to first you have to fill your cup and finish before you get to third. Then fill it again at third and you must finish it before you get home or you are out. So basically it is an excuse to play softball and get completely wasted at the same time. Surprisingly people didn't get as drunk as I expected and the day ended with only one argument (involving me), Stephen falling off the bleachers, and a broken car window (not ours thank God). I didn't really stick around much for the game. I took the kids swimming since the pool was right next to the field.

Then today was spent entirely at the pool. Stephen loves jumping in and going down the giant slide. It goes pretty darn fast, but he says "weeee!" the whole way down. It is a challenge going to the pool this summer because one of us has to stay with Aria the entire time. Luckily, she usually sleeps though most of the afternoon with the exception of one feeding. But it kind of stinks that we can't all be in the water together. Next summer will be INSANE!

Stephen is getting really good with his speech. His latest sayings are: stop it, baby crying, and sh*t (thanks daddy). He will basically repeat anything you say, so he is just starting to put a few words together. I am sure he will wake up one of these days and start speaking in full sentences.

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Happy Birthday to Me

Yesterday was my 25th birthday. It started out a bit rocky with cranky kids, a trip to the gyno, and a disaster area of a house. But once I got everything spotless for my little birthday get together I was in a much better mood. We had a few friends over for dinner, drinks, and ice cream cake (YUMMY); then it was game time. We played Partini, and of course the women won even though the men tried to cheat. All in all, it was a great birthday. Thank you to everyone that sent a card or a birthday wish my way.

In other news, I have been giving Robin his haircuts lately and have gotten pretty good at it. So I thought that I would try to tackle Stephen to do his hair. It was much more challenging since he doesn't understand the concept of "sit still, don't move your head." I think it turned out pretty damn good. I can now at hair stylist to my resume, along with maid, chef, taxi, teacher, doctor, etc...

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Getting so big


I can't believe how big Aria is getting already. When she was born premie clothes seemed big on her, now she is starting to fit into her 0-3 month clothes. Her face is definitely filling out, and she is even starting to get those super cute baby rolls on her legs and arms. She is starting to cry less during the day. She will actually be content and very alert for 10 minutes sitting by herself sometimes. But the evenings are still very challenging. She definitely recognizes voices and is tracking objects and faces. I have even gotten a few smiles from her during those rare moments when it is quiet and just the two of us. Oh and she LOVES kisses. Here is a picture of her with her new quilt that Aunt Sandra sent her. If you look closely, you can see that it is embroidered with her name and birth date... Thank you Aunt Sandra!!
There are lots of new pictures on flickr!


Sunday, July 13, 2008

First trip to the zoo

We found a nice zoo in Greenville, about 15 min away from us. It is small, but you get really close to the animals. The petting zoo area was definately worth the trip. Stephen loved it and Aria slept the entire time. Check out the video bar for a clip of Robin getting chased by the lion!

Saturday, July 12, 2008

New pictures are up

I put some pictures from the wedding last night on flickr. Stephen was a dancing machine. He was dancing circles around the bride and groom during their first dance. I really hope he didn't ruin all their pictures. Lyhna passed out on a chair by 11:30, it was a very long day!

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Bigger is definately better

Everything around me seems to be getting bigger, in a good way. Let me just say my boobs grow and shrink way more than I remember with Stephen. I am in wedding tomorrow and can barely zip up the last 3 inches of the dress because of the ta-tas. That will be an interesting day trying to find time to pump, they just might explode if I don't. Item number 2 getting bigger: the stroller. My mother-in-law (who has been staying with us for the last 2 weeks) bought us a double stroller. I totally love it!!! I can put the infant seat in the back and Stephen sits in the front. It's awesome! The third thing, and biggest of all, is our vehicle. Yesterday we FINALLY got our mini-van. I kinda feel like I am driving a school bus, but we definately needed it, escpecially with grandma staying with us. So anyone interested in buying a 2001 Ford Escape XLT, please let me know. I have an ad on Craigslist, so hopefully it goes soon.

Baby Update: Aria is doing great. She is sleeping really well at night. I usually get up with her between 2am and 3am, then again between 5am and 6am. I would guess she is somewhere between 9 and 10 pounds now, and definately getting little chunky. I hope she is good for Grandma tomorrow. I hope to get some really good pictures of all of us tomorrow.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Oh Happy Day!

I am up with Aria for her 3am feeding and wanted to share some very exciting news. While rummaging through my closet trying to figure out what to wear for the rehearsal dinner for a wedding both Robin and I are in this Friday, I came across a pair of "goal" shorts that I bought while pregnant. They are a size 2 so I thought what the heck, I'll give them a whirl. Hot Dam those buggers fit!! I was soooo excited I could've done a back flip. That's all for now, the babe is asleep again.

ps- it is hard to type with one hand

Monday, July 7, 2008

Is it colic?

Definition:"one who, otherwise healthy and well-fed, had paroxysms of irritability, fussing or crying lasting for a total of three hours a day and occurring on more than three days in any one week for a period of three weeks."

She is definately well-fed and cries about 75% of the day. The crying is at it's worst after feedings. The only time she isn't crying is when she is eating, sleeping, or in the bath. She gets beat red and sweaty. Her arms fly all over and claws her face. If she is laying on my chest, she can crawl up me from kicking her legs so much. Thankfully, nights have been getting better.

On a positive note though, Stephen is coping very well with all the crying. He will give Aria her nookie, push her in the swing, and give her kisses and hugs. His favorite phrase right now is "uh-oh baby." I have only broke down into tears once so far so I guess we are doing okay. Everything I have read about colic says it usually is gone by 3 months... 1 down, 2 to go.

Birthday Shout-Outs

We have so many July birthdays in our family so I am going to say a big happy birthday to everyone at once (since I can't guarantee that I will be able to on your actual day):

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO:
Brooklynn July 6th
Mom July 8th
Grandma July 10th
Lyhna July 17th
Me July 18th
Drew July 20th

I hope that's everyone.

I'm Back!

Hi folks...I really missed having my blog. I can guarantee that I won't be able to update nearly as much as I previously did, but I am going to give it a whirl.

It has been a crazy month to say the least. Can you believe that Aria will be 1 month old in two days!! Time really flies by now. There have been many sleepless nights, many more temper tantrums, and for my own sanity about 2 bottles of wine.