"Selfish" Pleasures

My friend, Dari, had double knee replacement surgery on Monday at Fairfax hospital. When I first found out, I was most worried about her having to be in the hospital for Christmas. But she has been in a lot of pain and her only other option was waiting until March, so the timing was a huge blessing. I'm also good friends with her daughter, Rachel. Mom and I wanted to make sure she wasn't trying to make the drive to NoVa by herself after work each evening - it can be such a long icky drive. We set out to plan a way that we could help Rachel and visit Dari. In the midst of our planning it dawned on us that Fairfax Hospital is about a mile away from Sweetwater Tavern... aussie rolls, drunken ribeye, roast chicken salad, flourless chocolate waffle, all of our FAVORITES! So I'm getting ready to head out the door to meet Rachel, pick up Mom and head over to see one of my favorite people and one of the best places to eat in the DC area. It's a good day!

Merry Christmas and "Boggle Balls"

These videos come courtesy of Zizi. We have yet to locate our camera and I wanted to share Little Man's stirring rendition of Jingle Bells. This all takes place in my parents soon to be laundry room. He loves the open space and the echo when he's running around.

Beware, Part 2

When I mentioned a few days ago that my appetite was slowly returning, I didn't realize how wrong I was. There's nothing slow about it. It has returned with a vengeance! Mom, Zizi and I met some friends for breakfast yesterday. I couldn't believe how hungry I was. I ate my breakfast, helped Zi with hers and then topped it off with a little of Mom's Sweet Potato Pancakes. Good thing I was full for a good part of the day. Thank goodness it's the holidays.

Beware

It's back! My appetite is slowly returning. I've had some nausea, but haven't thrown up in almost a week. My fingers are crossed that this will continue and if it does... watch out Christmas goodies! And does anyone know if Kneaders will ship their cheesecakes? I may ask Santa for one of each flavor.

And thank you for all of your well wishes. I promise to share my cheesecake if you want to come visit.

Holiday Treats?

When I was pregnant with Little Man, the "eating for two" excuse was great during the holidays. If there was a treat I craved then I usually found a way to make or buy it. I wish I could say the same with this baby. There's no way to know if I have some kind of stomach virus or if the morning sickness has come back to haunt me, but it's seriously taking the fun out of Christmas treats. At my doctor's appointment this morning I found out that at 29 weeks, I've already lost all of my "baby weight" and I'm now working on the pounds left over from Little Man. Of course this is by no means out of choice. If there was a Kneaders I could get to within any reasonable distance, there would be cheesecake... chocolate and strawberry! No matter what the repercussion.

Movin' on up

We are officially done with the ghetto apartment. We started last Friday, getting all of the storage stuff out and as much as the big furniture as we could. Susie had Little Man Friday evening and our plan had been to go over and get stuff packed. Unfortunately, dinner didn't settle well and I spent the evening sick. That made Saturday totally chaotic. But we got it done! We hired a lady from our ward to come over and clean the place. I knew I wasn't going to be able to tackle something like that and we needed to make sure we got our security deposit back. And it was well worth it! She made that place look better than it was when we moved in. So good in fact that our landlady wrote us a check on the spot.

Now we have to tackle the mess here. Figure out where we are going to put stuff until the apartment is done (hopefully only a few more weeks!) and find the stuff we use on a regular basis.... so if anyone sees my hair stuff, let me know. Otherwise the next few weeks could get scary.

The little things in life

We had a rough night last night, Little Man is having a hard time transitioning to a new room and new noises. I was hoping this morning that he would sleep in so I could too. Unfortunately it didn't happen. But I'm trying to not be so negative and find a little more of the Christmas spirit. So this is my list of things I'm grateful for this morning:

"I'll get Little Man so you can take a shower."- I think these are my most favorite words ever! Thank you Grandpa. And he even changed a diaper, something Grandpa hates to do.

Wil unpacking all of the bathroom stuff so I didn't have to search this morning to be able to take a shower. But especially the Mandarin Grapefruit shower gel that smells so good and helps me feel awake.

My mom's turkey and stuffing! We had a small repeat of Thanksgiving dinner yesterday, thanks to Grandma's hard work and the sales at Safeway. I was even able to eat a little for lunch and dinner without getting sick. That also means that today we get turkey sandwiches!!!

2 more days before presents HAVE to be in the mail to Texas. I have two more presents to make. Hopefully I can get them done during naptime or after Little Man goes to bed tonight.

And last, but not least... NAPTIME!

Christmas Treats!

I've been wanting to experiment with a new recipe that I came up with a couple weeks ago, but haven't had the energy. Wil convinced me that today was the day to try it out. I have to say that I'm REALLY glad he did. It was easy and will make a great addition to our Christmas treats. Here it is:

Lemon Blueberry Bark
1 pack dark chocolate - the kind you melt for candies
1/2 pack chocolate chips (I suggest semi sweet)
zest of one lemon
1 1/2 cups of dried blueberries
1/3 cup of almonds, toasted

Melt chocolate in the microwave in one minute intervals until completely melted. Add blueberries, almonds and zest. Spread onto wax or freezer paper and let cool. Break into bite size pieces.

I found a bulk bag of dried blueberries at Costco, but you could also do craisins, orange zest and almonds.

To the Rescue

Amy suggested that ZiZi should win the Best Sister Award and I agree. She is picking Little Man up after work tomorrow and watching him until sometime on Saturday. Not only will that give me time to pack/unpack/organize, but if all goes well I'll also get an uninterrupted night's sleep. I love my sissie!

Two, Two, Two

The number of hours Little Man "napped" before waking up last night.
The time at which he went back to sleep.
The number of hours of sleep Wil got before going to work.

Should I feel bad that when I went to get stuff out to make him a healthy meal he found a leftover eggroll in the fridge and was determined to eat it for breakfast? So determined in fact that the he has eaten 2/3 of it and shows no signs of stopping.

Stomach Flu vs. Morning Sickness

Ladies, I need your help/suggestions. It's been over a week now since I've been able to stomach a decent meal. I don't know if my first trimester morning sickness has come back or if it's just a long running stomach virus of some sort. Either way I'm starting to get worried about the baby and I both getting enough of what we need. The throwing up isn't a problem like it was last week, but any food on my stomach makes me queasy for hours. A chicken sandwich for lunch yesterday, sent me to bed for the rest of the day. Thank goodness Wil was home from work, packing for our move.

Any ideas or suggestions on what might help baby and mommy to stay healthy and hydrated?

Where are you Christmas?

This Faith Hill song from the Grinch movie is on my Christmas music mix cd in the car and I find myself relating to it too well this year. There are so many things that could be influencing my inability to find the holiday spirit... Little Man's hives, my stomach flu, moving next weekend, not knowing for sure where we are moving to. But all the stress aside, I just can't seem to feel Christmas this year. My attempts to decorate, craft, serve or bake aren't going well and I'm not sure what else to do.

This did lead to one good thing this week though... We actually made an attempt at FHE. There wasn't really a lesson or spiritual thought, but there was time and planning involved. We took Little Man to see the neighborhood lights in Chesapeake Beach. He loved seeing all of the different lighting displays that they had, especially Santa going fishing. This one has stuck in his head so well that now all Christmas lights are "fuf" or rather, his version of "fish".

Lime in the Coconut

We've been back from our trip to Utah for almost three weeks now and in that time our Little Man has been suffering from all kinds of ailments. It started in Utah when he caught my cold. That cold turned into an infection. The same day we started antibiotics his tummy reacted to something he ate and ended up with diarrhea. We stopped the antibiotics for a couple days as we got the nasty diapers under control and went back on the antibiotics without any other repercussions. Yesterday was his follow up appointment with the doctor and all was well... so he got his second flu shot. He was a trooper and did a great job. Then last night after he and Wil had been wrestling, I noticed welts on his cheek, arm and neck. We put him to bed, a little worried about what they were and what could have caused them, but when we checked on him an hour or so later... the welts were gone. This morning after giving Little Man a bath, I noticed the welts again, on his left wrist. By lunchtime they had disappeared and popped up on his right arm and left cheek. So after some babycenter research, I think they are hives. What he's reacting to, I have NO IDEA. As far as I know he hasn't had any new foods, soaps, lotions, etc. I have started him on Benedryl and hope that will do the trick. But, seriously, someone needs to cut Little Man and his mama a break. I want my good natured little boy back.

ps. the title of this post is for Susie. She taught Little Man the lime in the coconut song. She'll sing the chorus ("I called the doctor and said,...") and he chimes in with a nice loud "Doctor!" and waits for her to finish. Super cute!

A Barenaked Christmas

The winter Wil and I got married I discovered the "Barenaked for the the Holidays" cd. I have quite a few Barenaked Ladies cd's and really like their music, so I knew that the holiday cd would be a hit. Now, they call it a "holiday" cd because they are Jewish and have included Hanukkah songs on their cd. Some are remakes of traditional Hanukkah songs, others are their originals. The cd is by far one of our favorites. With Friday being deemed the first day of (almost non-stop) Christmas music in our house. I quickly pulled out a mix cd and popped it in the car.

So can you guess what Little Man's favorite "Christmas" song is? "Susie Snowflake"? "Frosty the Snowman"? Nope. It's "I have a little Dreidel", also know as "Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel".

St. Nick

This weekend was Festival of Trees, the annual Hospice fundraiser. When I was working for Hospice, it was a huge undertaking. Now I enjoy volunteering for a few hours on Saturday morning after Thanksgiving. Plus there are a ton of things to enjoy and get you in the mood for Christmas. Festival has over 70 decorated Christmas trees lining the halls of one of the local high schools. There are "shops" you can visit to buy crafty stuff, pictures with Santa, entertainment from local schools and churches, and food of course. This year I spent a couple hours at the Hospice table, greeting people and running into old friends, before Wil, Little Man, Susie and Sheryl met up to see everything that was going on. My goal was to get Little Man's picture with Santa. It only costs $2 for the instant picture that they take, plus they let you take one with your camera too. Unfortunately, the result of our $2 was the candy cane that Little Man reached for from 2 feet away... he wouldn't get any closer than that. So this is our 2007 picture with Santa:

Give Thanks

We spent Thanksgiving this year at my parents house. My cousin, Nancy, came for dinner with her family and two of Susie's friends. We had a fabulous time. The boys were all very patient with our Little Man. He wanted to be right in the middle of everything the big boys were doing... whether he was big enough to do it or not. Like playing marble works:

or watching a movie:(This one was taken after he had crawled across the pillow over each of their heads and kicked Anthony out of his spot.)

Little Man also got a kick out of playing with my Grandmother's cane. He thought it was a fabulous toy and at one point was even riding it like a horse.

It was the nice relaxing day I had hoped it would be, and for that I am very thankful.

The difference a week can make...

For a while I've been feeling like I'm balancing on that fine line between sanity and completely losing it. Overwhelmed by everything I was committed to doing and feeling trapped by the uncertainty of things that I can't control. It was the contributing factor to Susie's insistence that I take the trip to Utah.

When I left for our trip, I had two jobs and a time consuming calling on top of taking care of Adam and dealing with the apartment construction. Since our return, things have changed dramatically... Hospice hired a new development person. They've asked me to come in and train her, but it looks like I'll be done with that before Christmas. Things are slowing down a lot this winter in the landscaping business and I won't be working for KneeDeep after the 1st of December. Then to top it off, I was released on Sunday from my calling.

I feel so free. It's amazing!

The Energizer... Cow?

About 10 years ago, my grandparents took a trip to Switzerland to see where their ancestors had lived. My grandmother returned with all kinds of cow bells as gifts and as souvenirs. One of these bells came attached to a mechanical cow. The kind you see in front of the toy store at the mall. It walks around, stops and moos for hours on end. Seriously. HOURS. I know this because a couple months ago she gave it to Little Man as a gift. At first he was terrified of it. If anyone turned it on, he would run to me and climb onto my lap until the beast stopped mooing. Then there was a change of heart. Now, he loves "Moo". He wants Moo to be turned on at all times. He will actually look for Moo through his other toys, have me turn it on and then leave it walking into a wall, oblivious to the noise.

Wil and I, on the other hand, aren't oblivious to the mechanical walking noises which seem to echo through the apartment. When Little Man first started wanting Moo to walk, we quickly decided that once these batteries wore out, that was it. Moo would be permanently "sleeping". That was at least a month ago! Moo is the Energizer Bunny. He has stopped mooing, but will walk around the apartment for hours on end. So now I'm thinking Moo might get "lost" during the move to the new place.

The tractor says... "Moooo"?

Some of you may know of Little Man's love for vehicles. Anything that moves really, planes, trains, cars, trucks, - you name it. Luckily, he has yet to show a preference for a certain brand or character, but he does recognize them. He loves to watch the Disney movie "Cars" and if he happens to find Thomas or Bob the Builder on TV he's completely enthralled. This usually works to my advantage and I will admit to using it as bribery for both car trips and plane rides (and sometimes just to get dinner on the table).

A couple weeks ago in the soup aisle of the grocery store, he started yelling, "vroom, vroom" (he calls things by their sound). It took me a few minutes to figure out what it was that he wanted, until I spotted the Campbell's soup label with Mater and Lightening McQueen. Little Man was insistent that he have that can of soup. I was weak and gave in, justifying it in my head that at least it was soup and not candy. (Right?) Plus he loves chicken ramen and the soup should have a little better nutritional content than a pack of ramen, at least there are carrot pieces (for triple the price).

So yesterday as I was trying to figure out what to feed him for lunch I came across the Cars chicken noodle soup can. Thinking that it would be good for his cold, I showed Little Man the can and asked if he wanted car noodles for lunch. I couldn't get it fixed quick enough, he was so excited. He almost ate all of the noodles plus carrots and some broth. What little was left he finished off today, drinking the broth with a straw. Now I'm faced with the dilemma of whether or not to buy it again. It kills me to spend double on a can of soup just for the label and car shaped noodles. But is it worth it to know he's eating something "healthy"?

A dream is a wish your heart makes

I came home from Utah to a few surprises, both good and bad. Things I've been hoping for but haven't really expected them to happen.

The first was a WORKING DRYER. The landlady finally got the dryer fixed. It's so nice not to have to haul everything over to my parents house. I'm on my 4th load - trying to catch up on sheets and towels. I don't like laundry, but today I'm enjoying it. Mostly because I feel like I'm get something accomplished.

The second was winter layoffs. I'm still not sure when they are going to take effect, but when you work for a landscaping company (even if it is your dad) you can't always expect to work year round. We've been lucky the last two years that there has been work through the winter, but not so much this year. Even though the financial part of it is a little stressful, I'm really ready to be done. Family businesses aren't just work, but also a fine line of family politics. Politics that I don't feel cut out for. I'm ready to be done.

The good, the bad and the ugly

There are so many things to tell about our trip to Utah, I don't know where to start. Susie, Heidi and Ames have covered a lot of it. So for right now I'm going to break it down into the good, the bad and the ugly.

The good: FRIENDS!!!, food (Kneaders, Cafe Rio, and Jamba - I kinda feel like I ate my way through the week.), watching the kids play together, Dave and Uncle Mike babysitting, crafting with Amy, naptime & bedtime, talking to Heidi until it was painfully late (which was still much earlier than we used to go to bed), shopping, and dinner Sunday night.

The bad: Head colds. Wishing we had a Kneaders, Cafe Rio or Jamba. Saying goodbye.

The ugly: Little Man starting the day still on Eastern time....all week long.

The good definitely outweighed anything else. I'm so glad Susie convinced me that I should go. Sometimes I think she knows me better than I know myself.

Where, oh where?

Don't you hate it when you put something in such a "Safe" place that you can't ever find it again?

When we went to Texas last March I bought one of these:
It combines your carry on suitcase and carseat to make a stroller. Genius idea! It worked great, especially when I was traveling alone. Little Man was strapped in and I only had to worry about one thing to haul through the airport. Plus, he thought it was great to be able to see all the people.

Now Susie and I are leaving at the crack of dawn tomorrow to head out to Utah and I can't find the strap anywhere. It's driving me crazy! It's all I've been able to think about for almost two days now, wondering where the HEE HAW the darn thing ended up. The worst part is that it could seriously be anywhere in our gazillion storage boxes or someplace in the apartment. Wil spent two hours last night looking for it. I even called my grandfather to make sure it didn't end up in his car. I'm having nightmares of trying to navigate the carry on bag, diaper bag, car seat and stroller through the airport. Pray that we find the darn strap! PLEASE!

*** We never did find the strap, but I figured out a way to use a large key chain ring to hook the three safety latches together around our carry on bag. It worked great.

Now I get it

When I was working full time I used to read Carolyn Hax's column in the Washington Post every week. She's an advice columnist, who is very straight forward and direct. I didn't always agree with what she said, but liked her approach. One of the reoccurring themes in letters she received was from women who were struggling making friends. Most had found close friends in college, moved on for work or marriage, and were having a hard time finding those friendships again. At the time I didn't quite understand. I made some of my best friends after college, when I was living and working in Northern Virginia. Now those friends are spread across 3-4 states and I get it. I get where these women were coming from. Now, you may wonder where this is coming from....

I had so much fun last night! The food was perfect (it was almost painful driving home), but even better was the conversation and company. Spending time with friends who love you, no matter what stupid things you have said or done, was just what I needed. Three hours of non-stop conversation, catching up on things the kids have done, things we are working on - you name it. Wil and I have just hit the point where I've lived with him longer than Heidi and I were roommates. It's an odd realization. I'm grateful that he understands (or maybe just accepts) that sometimes I really need time with my girls.

I'm even more excited for our trip to Utah. A full week to soak it all in.

Sweet!

Thinking about yesterday is just too depressing, but today is not a depressing day. I've been looking forward to today for WEEKS and even have a cute new maternity top** to wear. Wil and I are leaving Little Man with Susie for the evening and going to meet Dave and Heidi for dinner at Sweetwater Tavern. Those of you who have lived in NoVa or who know me well, know of my love for Sweetwater. It is so divine that hauntingly bad dates from my single days have not killed my love for this place. I know exactly what I'm getting and have been dreaming about it all day.

What's even better about this dinner though, is the company. I haven't seen Heidi since summer of 2004 and it's odd to me that she's never met Wil. I'm excited and nervous to see how they get along. I'm surprised sometimes by how much I miss having my girls around. The blog helps, but I'm so very glad that Susie convinced me to go with her next week. I don't think I realized how much I need it... and tonight will be my vacation teaser. Enough to make me really want to get on that plane for Utah and enjoy my girls. It's only FIVE days away.

**I found great shoes on sale at Old Navy to go with the top, but they are KILLING my feet. Luckily I found some of Susie's sandals at my parents house. Now I have to choose between being sore or being cold. I better go do my nails, because I think cold is winning.

One of THOSE days

This should be my cute Halloween post of us Trick or Treating last night. Unfortunately yesterday was one of those days where you're happy to have survived without inflicting bodily harm on yourself or your children. Our landlady woke Little Man up sometime before 7 and the terrible twos kicked in right away. Everything we did was a screaming fit. By noon I thought I was going to lose my mind and put him down for an early nap, hoping it would last a good 3 hours. 2 hours later he was awake and crying to get out of the crib. He settled down quickly with some cuddles and his milk cup and was good until dinner time. Then the tantrums started again in full force. He wanted to get in his monkey suit and was excited about that, but the car seat was a different matter. So as we were driving from my parents house to a small neighborhood close by (much better suited for 2 year-old's), I called it quits. As he screamed in the back seat, the visions of dragging Little Man in full tantrum down someone's driveway because he didn't get what he wanted, overcame any sense of motherly duty. When we got home Wil took over and made me go to bed, which was probably the best thing he could have done. My nerves were shot and the guilt of giving in to the tantrum was kicking in.

Today is better. Sleep solves so many frustrations or just gives you the patience to deal with them. Of course, I realize that he's only 22 months old and has no idea what Halloween is, or that he missed anything last night, but I still feel bad... maybe I'm just missing the candy I would be snitching from his bag right now.

Just my luck

Our fall weather has been slow in coming, in the ghetto apartment this is having a HUGE effect on the thermostat. For months the temperature in our apartment hasn't gone below 85. And until this weekend it was still registering in the high 70's - low 80's (seriously, it's almost NOVEMBER!). So last night we got home and it actually felt comfortable. Wil noticed that the temp had finally dropped to 70 and we were both starting to cool off. It was a nice change, until.... the landlady turned on the HEAT. If it works as well as the AC did, then we'll be okay. If it actually warms the place up, then I might be tempted to stay in Utah until I hit 37 weeks.

The end of the tunnel

Last week it rained, and rained and rained. It was seriously the best thing that could have happened, because when it rains you can't install ponds. Why is this important? Because instead of working on ponds last week, my brothers and the guys that work for KneeDeep installed hard wood flooring! The to do list for the occupancy permit is still a mile long, but for some reason, seeing a real floor up there made the whole thing seem real. I'm starting to be hopeful that we'll be in there for Christmas. Keep your fingers crossed!

Decision '07

Since our opinion poll is over, I bet you are expecting an annoucement of epic proportions today. Unfortunately, I'm just as unsure now as I was a week ago when the poll seemed like a fun idea. And don't get me wrong, it has been fun. It just hasn't been helpful in coming to a decision. Wil seems to be sure, but nothing feels right to me. Everyone has great arguments as to why their favorite name is best. Baby boy might be one of those kids that doesn't have a name until he's born.

Recount!

I think Lindsey Sue is cheating in favor of James...

More than meets the eye

Apparently, I have become a Decepticon and my name is now Bone Crusher. I have no idea how this happened, but I have joined the forces of evil. If you aren't sure what this means... ask Susie or check this out.

Baby Names

We were talking to Little Man tonight about his brother. Trying to see if he had an opinion on the names we have on the poll. What was his choice? ELMO.

The Poll

Susie reminded me that some people may see the blog and baby name poll without seeing the email with the guidelines. So here's the email I sent out:

"We found out last week that we are having a baby boy! But the name we had picked out just doesn't fit. We do have a few guidelines that are important to us. The first is that it has to be a family name and we have already picked out a middle name, Stanford. It's a 5th generation name from my dad's side of the family, so that is set in stone. We have narrowed it down to 3 first names. If you would like to vote, click on the link below. You have 7 days to voice your opinion. And feel free to pass this along to anyone who might want to join in on the fun.

Have fun,
Lauren

***disclaimer. we reserve all right to override the final decision of the poll"

It's the Great Pumpkin

Last night after Wil got home from work we decided to take Little Man to the pumpkin "patch". We called it a "patch" but it was really more like a produce stand. One of the local churches harvested a ton of pumpkins and put them in a member's front yard. For us it was a perfect solution. Little Man got to run around and play in the pumpkins and we didn't have to navigate through the fields. This was the result...

It does a body good!

Part of the conversation I had with my OB today went something like this:

Lauren: Let me make sure I understand, you would rather me have dairy and take medicine for the congestion?
Dr. A: Yes.

If I hadn't been eating dairy all weekend and feeling guilty for being "bad", I would have gone straight to Wendy's for a frosty. The list of foods I am now hungry for has quadrupled in the last 2 hours. Now I just have to be careful with over doing it. The no dairy thing has had a direct effect on the amount of weight that I've gained with this baby. I don't want to go to next month's appointment and find out I've doubled the amount of weight of gained. That would not be good.

Right now though I'm dreaming of a grilled cheese sandwich. This may call for a special trip to the grocery store.

Venting in Progress

If I EVER think it's a good idea to move into a fixer-upper, take on any type of house construction/remodeling or choose to deal with contractors on a daily basis for an extended period of time, PLEASE remind me that I have sworn NEVER in my life to do this for the following reasons: Contractors do not know how to return a call or stick to a schedule. The time estimate they give you is half of the time the job will actually take to complete. They show up unannounced in the middle of naptime to make as much noise as possible. If they send a crew, the laborers rarely speak english, so finding out what the HEE HAW is going on is almost impossible.

I'm losing my mind.

Pink or Blue?

We had our 19 week sonogram this afternoon. We went in convinced that Peanut was a girl, but we were wrong. Little Man is going to have a little BROTHER.

Daisies a doozy

If you haven't watched last night's episode, then I don't want to spoil it for you too much. I'll just sum it up in my three favorite things:
1. Olive bursting into song...one from the Grease soundtrack. I love this show even more.
2. Kissing
3. A character dressed up as a huge dandelion.

Three years and counting

Sunday will be our 3rd anniversary! We have a bunch of hotel points saved up and Grandma offered to watch Little Man, so Friday we are going all the way to STERLING to celebrate our anniversary. It doesn't seem so exotic, but I'm excited to have a night off. Now I'm trying to pick out a restaurant for our anniversary dinner and I'm kinda stumped. My first choice was Sweetwater, but we're meeting Dave & Heidi there in a couple weeks. I wanted to pick something else that would be a treat. This is where you come in... do you have any suggestions of other fun restaurants? They can be anywhere between Reston and Ashburn.

Daisies are Dandy

I wanted to add my 2 cents to Lin's TV blogs. Wednesday night we were waiting for Bionic Woman to start and ended up watching the premier of Pushing Daisies on ABC. Now, I have to say that I rarely watch anything on ABC after 8pm because I find it way too trashy for me... I'm more of a solve a mystery/ save the world kinda gal. Daisies fell into that category in a very unique way. The main character is Ned, the Pie Maker. He owns a restaurant called the Pie Hole and when he touches something dead, it comes back to life. If he touches it a second time then it dies for good. His childhood sweetheart is murdered, he touches her to find out who did it, but can't touch her a second time. Now she's alive and the stories begin... Sounds odd and it is, but not in a creepy way. All the sets are really colorful and quirky. The narrator plays a huge role and it's the guy that does the Harry Potter books on cd, so it's a FABULOUS voice. Wil said it had a Lemony Snicket sort of feel to it... I would add that there seem to be more happy endings than in a Lemony Snicket book. If you're flipping on a Wednesday, check it out and let me know what you think.

And the Bionic Woman... I miss the cheesy sound effects from the early 80's. The first episode was a bit dark for me, the second was definitely better. It didn't pull me in like Heroes or make me smile like Daisies, but I'm not ready to give up on it yet. Once we have the Tivo back, that may change.

AHP

I wish I had the words to write you one of those fun rhymes to tell you how fabulous I think you are. I hope you have a great day! We are thinking of you and can't wait to see you.

More Pictures

I put some more pictures up on our family website. Click on the Becker's button to the right.

Vacation: So sad it's over

Vacation: Day 2 - Frank the Concubine

First of all I have a confession to make. (And this has nothing to do with the "concubine" title of my post.) I like Litchfield Beach even better than I like Cape Cod. And for those of you who know about my past love with the Cape, this will come as a huge surprise. There are a few reasons...
1. I can see the ocean from our balcony!
2. We can walk with Little Man to both the pool and beach. This lets us go down for an hour a couple times a day instead of trying to pack up for a few hours at the beach and the 10 to 30 minute drive, depending on which beach we want to go to. When I was single, this wasn't such a big deal. I could easily sit on the beach with a good book for hours at a time.... With a little one, that doesn't really work.
3. The beach is private, so there aren't a lot of people to climb over.
4. The sand is different and the water is warmer. I rarely actually get into the water on the Cape. It's too darn cold and there's a lot of seaweed and stuff. Down here, the water seems much more clear and the sand is finer. We spent an hour in the ocean yesterday morning and another hour playing in the sand last night. It was a lot of fun for all of us. (I have to say that this would be more difficult if there wasn't a washer and dryer in our condo. We do end up covered in sand from head to toe.)
I'm sure there are more reasons, but I'll stop there for now.

As for Frank... we were watching Cars last night and were at the tractor tipping part. Wil's friend, Jonas, had never seen the movie and was getting a kick out of it, when Frank, the COMBINE made his appearance. Jonas laughed at out and said "Frank's a CONCUBINE", completely oblivious to his mistake. I almost wet my pants.

Vacation: Day 1 - Road Trips and Waffle House

We finally made it out of Calvert County. We left after sacrament meeting on Sunday and started our drive to South Carolina. It was fabulously uneventful...no screaming or car sickness. Our only small drama was the dysfunctional "Cars" DVD. We ended up watching "Hardhat Harry" for far too long. It's a DVD called All About Trucks, with 2 half hour segments. One about tractor trailers and the other is Monster Trucks. Little Man loved it. I found it a bit mind-numbing. (I was one of those parents who swore they wouldn't let their kids watch TV in the car, until we started talking about an 8-hour road trip with the Little Man. We didn't let him watch movies for 8 hours straight, we did turn it off between movies. It made the trip a lot easier. I will be taking it out of the car when we get home though. I really don't want him to get used to the idea that getting in the car means you get to watch TV.)

I started this post thinking of my dad and road trips we have taken. At some point we insisted on the "Waffle House Rule", which is that there will only be one stop per day at a Waffle House. When we were trying to find someplace to stop for dinner Sunday night, there was the Waffle House sign. Since Little Man loves eggs, we figured it was a safe place to stop if we wanted him to actually eat something. Of course we had to chronicle his first trip to Waffle House for Grandpa.
It was a bit difficult to get his attention though, because we were next to a busy road and he was mesmerized by the cars and trucks driving by.

Discoveries

First of all, I have to tell you that the Grant is DONE. Submitted and off of my desk!!! Hallelujah.

Now back to Little Man's latest discoveries. It feels like all of a sudden his ability to comprehend and climb onto/into things has exploded this week. Every time I turn around he's discovered something new.

1. Opening the linen closet door.
2. The Disney movie "Cars" (4 times in 5 days)
3. Climbing onto the toilet, laying his belly across the bathroom counter, getting his toothbrush, turning on the water, putting his head under the faucet to drink the water and "brushing" his teeth.
4. Spiting. While driving in the car yesterday he figured out how to get a mouth full of "juice" (thank goodness this juice was only water) and projectile spit it all over himself and the car seat. This discovery could come from the above brushing activities. Since the only time I let him in the bathroom now is when I'm brushing my teeth and can keep a close eye on his climbing.
5. Coloring. Up until the past week or so his attention span for coloring has been limited to maybe 5 minutes. It is now one of his favorite things to play. If he's sitting on my lap at the desk, he'll ask for a pen and paper and spend 20-30 minutes drawing... or asking me to write "e" all over the paper. It's been nice to be able to put him in the highchair with paper and crayons and be able to post a blog or answer an email. I LOVE IT!
6. The Mouse in "Goodnight Moon"
7. Climbing from the bed to Wil's nightstand and jumping back onto the bed.

What day is it?

You know how, when you are planning for a trip, the weeks before end up being PSYCHO crazy? Well, that's me right now. I keep thinking that if I can just make it to Sunday, I won't really care if everything is properly cleaned and packed because I'll be on my way to the beach. A week without deadlines, hectic schedules or overextending myself. A week with a view of the ocean and real waves to lull Little Man to sleep at night. And if I'm really dreaming, it will be a week of sleeping in, reading on the beach and Little Man on his BEST behavior!

As for now, I've got my fingers crossed that I can actually accomplish everything on my to-do list.

I Heart Mod Podge

**Pictures have been added. Scroll down to see them.
***AHP this is for you!

Last week I taught a class for our "Midnight Madness" Enrichment activity (think Super Saturday, but on a Friday night) on Altered Paint Cans and Clipboards. I think I have now become addicted to Mod Podge. I want to "alter" everything I see or at least make presents for everyone I know. I think part of the addiction has also come from the super cool paper pack that Shea got me for my birthday and the lack of time to actually work on any new projects. But Mod Podge is so cool and super easy!

So Ames, this is what you do... Go to your local Stuff-mart or craft store and pick up some Matte Mod Podge (the yellow container), a sponge brush and some fun patterned scrapbook paper. Pick out something that needs new life (I've used wooden letters, a clipboard, empty clean paint cans, etc. You could also do terra cotta plant pots, picture frames, or an old recipe box.But go for wood or metal, plastic doesn't work so well.) Give it a quick sanding, just to make sure there's no debris or to rough up any old finishes. Make sure it's clean from the dust. Tear up your paper into random sized pieces. Take a piece of torn paper and put a light coat of Mod Podge on the back. Put it on and wipe out any bubbles. Do this with all of your paper until you have covered as much of the surface as you would like. Cover with a good coat of Mod Podge. Remember that even thought it goes on white, it will dry clear. Also, DO NOT worry if something isn't exactly as you want it. This is meant to be kinda "messy" looking.

I'll post some pictures as soon as I can. If this seems daunting, we can get the stuff and make something while I'm there. (Maybe initials for the kids' bedrooms?) I promise you'll be hooked!

My letter "B"

The Thankful Can, my clipboard and Wil's Valentine can.

Close up of the bottom of my clipboard.

Little Man "helping" and showing me his "cheese" face. (This actually gave me another idea. He found the "b" while I was trying to take the pictures and now he doens't want to put it down. It might be fun to make him his own alphabet to play with...big letters in fun kid prints. Oh the time I wish I had to work on these things!)

Peanut Update

We saw the doctor this morning. Peanut's heartbeat is nice and strong. Everything is going well... and at 16 weeks, I've only put on 5 lbs. I guess there is a benefit to the no dairy thing. We tentatively scheduled the C-Section for February 28th with March 3rd as our back up. Our doctor only does surgery on Monday and Friday, but the Friday before is the 29th. Apparently we aren't the only ones avoiding the 29th, so she's trying to get another day on the schedule. We also got the referral for our ultrasound, so we should know by mid-October if Peanut is a girl or boy. I hope "she" cooperates as well as her brother did.

Very Odd

This morning Little Man woke up at 6:45 crying for his "juice", which is a sippy cup of milk. I tried my normal routine of giving him a pacifier and telling him that it was still sleepy time. That worked for about 10 minutes and he was again crying for juice. The medicine he has been on this weekend has done a great job of kicking the cough, but has made the poor kid terribly gassy and REALLY irritable. It was obvious this morning that he was NOT ready to be awake, but he is stubborn enough to force himself awake for his sippy cup. So, desperately wanting to start the day with a shower, I took his cup of milk into him and told him that he could have his milk, but that he had to go back to sleep as soon as he was done drinking it. TWO HOURS later he was still playing quietly in his crib. I had time to shower and get ready, check my email, make some phone calls and make breakfast. I'm sure that this was a fluke, but believe me, I'm gonna try it again!

Return of the Cough, Part 2

I found out today that Little Man's pearly whites are not the cause of his fussiness this week. I was worried this morning, wondering how long I should let it go before heading to the Doctor. I was dreading the trip and the co-pay to hear the words, "He's just teething". Then he woke up from his nap with THE COUGH and wheezing... a total red flag for a mom who spent 4 days at Children's with RSV. I called the doc right away and he saw us half an hour later. Good news is his lungs are clear. Bad news is the he does have croup. I'm so glad we caught it right away and got meds in him before he went to bed tonight. We'll be staying in tomorrow and hopefully getting him some extra sleep.

My Mom ROCKS!

Of course, she's my mom and I'm totally biased. But this post is to congratulate her on her PROMOTION!!!! You deserve it!

Those Pearly Whites

Little Man and teeth have been an issue since month 4, when he started teething. By 6 months he had 6 teeth and by 7 months he had 8. Up side to the whole thing was that it was over fairly quickly. Now he's working on his 2 year molars and I don't know if we are going to survive. Today was a whirlwind of crying, tylenol, temper tantrums with only a one hour nap for a break. Definitely a "Calgon take me away" kinda day. Until, Susie came over to Mom and Dad's after work and played with Little Man so I could get dinner ready with out any fits. She sure is a great sissie.

Happy Birthday, Grandpa!!

Today is Dad's big SIX-0. I'm not sure how happy he is about that, but we sure hope he has a great day!

Grandmother's Chicken Noodle Soup

My grandmother isn't your typical "Grannie" by any means. She will ONLY answer to Grandmother. By the age of 4, I knew how to shop, taking the time to look through the racks to find a good deal... thanks to Grandmother's training. And although she has always been a great cook, homemade chicken soup was never on the menu. When we were sick, Grandmother would show up to visit with her special bag of Chinese take-out. Wonton Soup always made it better. Now when I'm feeling under the weather, the first thing I want is some Wonton Soup.

**This picture was taken right after sitting on Santa's lap Thanksgiving weekend. Grandmother was in great spirit's, but Little Man had had enough of picture taking for one day.

Return of the Cough

The first time I experienced The Cough, I was pregnant with Little Man. The Cough started in the first trimester and turned into bronchitis. It came and went throughout the pregnancy and turned ugly the week he was born. The Cough is the main reason behind the no dairy mandate...in hopes to avoid the Return of the Cough. It worked pretty well until the last few days, then I spent last night keeping everyone in the apartment awake with my dog like barking. I wish I could begin to describe to you what it sounds like. It's so nasty - one of those deep painful coughs that leaves your voice sounding like something that is more fitting to a large burly man. It's really attractive!

At some point last night, I came up with a great post about The Cough and my frustrations. Luckily, sleep finally took over for a couple hours. Unfortunately that leaves this version of "Return of the Cough" for you to read. The good news though...my doctor just called in two prescriptions for me that should help make the weekend better and best of all, will knock me out.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

After spending over 3 hours in the car yesterday, I was a little concerned about how Little Man would react to a highchair at a nice restaurant. Well, nicer than what he's used to in Calvert County. Luckily, we were early and there's a small park across the street from Wil's office. So we spent half an hour letting the Little Man get some of the wiggles out. At first it was funny because he wasn't sure what to do. You could see the questioning look on his face when I told him he was allowed to let go of my hand and run. Then the magic happened... the amtrak train runs about a block away and even though it's hard to see through the trees, you can definitely hear the engine and the horn. Little Man was amazed. And if that wasn't enough, we realized that if you sit in the right place you can see the planes taking off from National airport. He didn't know what to do. Watch for the planes, try to find the train, run through the muddy grass... what's a little boy to choose. He finally decided that he would run to the center of the lawn, where he could still see the planes, watch for one to take off then run back to us, excitedly pounding his chest (Little Man sign language for "please") and saying "Again, Again". It was nice to not be rushed to be somewhere and to have the time to enjoy him being a little boy.

Eating in Style

Part 1
It seems like years ago that the girls (you know who you are!) made frequent trips to Baja Fresh and every time we pass one, I get the craving. I don't know if it's so much the food (which I do still love) or the fond memories. Either way, yesterday while out shopping we passed a Baja Fresh. In between our trips to the Arundel Mills Mall and Costco, I got to quell the craving. I was a little concerned that the no dairy mandate would put a damper on the experience, but I think for the first time it actually made something better. I ordered my usual Baja Burrito with Steak (NO CHEESE) and it was fabulous. A little messier without the cheese to hold stuff together, but it wasn't as heavy and really yummy! The added benefit? No repeating the guac a few hours later.

Part 2
After a long day of shopping, Little Man and I drove over to Crystal City to pick Wil up from work and meet our friends, Todd and Mandi for dinner. It's been far too long since we've seen them and even though I was exhausted, I was so excited to hang out with them. Little Man was an angel, especially for only having had a 40 minute nap in the car. We went to the Carlyle Grand (owned by the same people who run Sweetwater) and the Great American Restaurants chain has yet to disappoint. The Roast Chicken Salad was divine. Wil's ribs were really good too.

So I guess the theme of the weekend ended up being good food and great company, not a bad way to spend your time.

A Pilot or a Wingman?

After reading Heidi's blog a couple days ago with her pilot and wingman theory, I've been thinking about which I am in different relationships. At heart, I am a wingman. I am rarely comfortable as the center of attention and have always liked to have someone with me when involved in large social events. I think that's part of the reason Heidi and I made such great roommates for so long. But I was a bit perplexed at which I was when it came to Wil and I. Until last night....

We went on a double date with some friends from the ward. They wanted to learn how to peel and eat crabs, which is one of my favorite things to do. It's definitely a Maryland thing, that a lot of people don't get. It isn't about the food, it's a social thing. Wil didn't get it either until our date last night. Picking crabs is all about being social, it's never a quick meal and you HAVE to be with people you enjoy. So we headed to Abner's, one of those places that looks like a dump, but has great food. We spent 2 hours, picking and eating crabs, shrimp, hush puppies and onion rings, talking, laughing and having a great time. It was FABULOUS! As we sat there, I realized that my husband is definitely the pilot, although I'm not sure he would see it that way. He HATES large social situations and avoids them like the plague. But last night he was totally in his element and it showed - people he felt comfortable with and enjoyed, not too fancy of a place and good food - a great combination. I, of course, was happy to let him run with the conversation and inserted my 2 cents whenever I felt the need. Meanwhile, those crabs sure did hit the spot!

When to say no

So as an afterthought of my last post, I thought I would ask the peanut gallery about something that I have been struggling with for a while now. I have been in my calling in our ward for over a year now. It's been a rough year... family stuff, moving, babies. I've had one active committee member. We always have a great turnout and everyone is willing to bring food, but only a small handful of people who are willing to really pitch in. Which usually leaves me, Wil, and Lin to do the bulk of the work. I'm ready to call it quits, but this is where the dilemma comes in. When is it right to ask to be released? Is it ever right? Do I just pray my little heart out that a miracle will happen? Do I need to stop my whining and deal with it? Ideas, suggestions? I feel like I've hit a large brick wall and have no inspiration or desire left to get stuff done... and of course an activity looming at the end of October.

I think it's genetic

Have you ever been in that situation where you are happily busy? Not overwhelmed, but enough to keep you going without being stressed. Then all of a sudden you realize all the things you've said "yes" to, that they all fall within a very short period of time, AND what that will mean for your sanity. Well, that's me. My schedule for the next two weeks has now become overwhelming. Why? First, because I don't think the word "no" was ever part of my genetic coding. Second, because they are all things that, in and of themselves, I really WANT to do. Third, because I didn't pay enough attention to my calendar. Keep your fingers crossed for my sanity!

Note:

The new "project" will require space on a desk that is already overflowing, for papers that cannot be messed up by stinky little hands. HELP!

A New Job... Almost

I went down to Hospice today to talk to Lynn about a project she asked me to help out with. Apparently she was ready to offer me a part time, work from home position until she found out that I'm 12 weeks pregnant. I was really surprised. It was flattering to know that they were that happy with my work and that she wants me back badly enough to offer telecommuting. With Peanut on the way, I wouldn't have felt good about taking it. Having worked there I know what's involved. It was a great place to work, I just don't think I could commit to certain hours each week or a set schedule while life around us it still so hectic. What did come out of this meeting? I am now contracting with Hospice on an hourly basis, specifically working on upcoming grant applications. It will allow us to bring in some extra money over the next couple months. I don't have to have a set schedule, just meet grants deadlines. And I can work on it while the Little Man is sleeping. Maybe, just maybe, it will be enough to let me quit working once Peanut is born. We shall see!

What's in the Tub? The Brown Stuff!!

I just heard Wil yell from the bathroom, "I sure must love you" and had to go investigate the source of this comment. I walk in to see Little Man standing in the tub looking completely confused and Wil with a handful of poo looking completely disgusted. Apparently, Little Man had pooped in the tub, fished it out and innocently handed it to Wil. Wil, not knowing what he was being given, held his hand out for his very special present. I love my husband!

The rest of the story:
What we didn't know is that he was not done, and proceeded to poop more, which left several good finger sized pieces for me to fish out. So, I drained the tub while Lauren talked to Grandma and posted the 1^st part of this post. I then dumped water in the back of the tub to flush all the little pieces down the drain.

Next, I refilled the tub with bath water, flushed the remnants, washed up, and everything is okay.

Bobbing for Binkies

I noticed Little Man today with both hands full of toys and his face planted in the sofa. It seemed a little odd and I could not figure out what he was doing until he came up for air. He had a very proud smile on his face, around the binky that was now in his mouth. Apparently he was using his face to get the binky in just the right position to grab it with his mouth without having to let go of the toys. I'm not quite sure what he was thinking. It's not like there are other kids around to steal his toys and it would have been quicker to put one hand full of toys down and grab the binky. Either way, if he keeps this up, he's gonna be great at bobbing for apples.

Yummy Summer Salad

This is one of the salads Wil's Aunt made when we went up to PA last month. I made a small version for dinner last night and it was great... I did make a few adaptations to fit into our budget, so it was EASY, inexpensive, and didn't heat up the house.

Corn Salad

1 bag of frozen sweet corn, follow the microwave cooking directions and put in fridge to cool.

Add:
1/2 chopped tomato
1 cucumber (peeled and chopped)
1 chopped green onion
About 6 leaves of chopped FRESH basil
2 tsp white balsamic vinegar
2 tsp olive oil
Chill for a while in fridge to let flavors combine.

***Deb roasted her corn, still on the cob and then cut the kernels into a bowl. That was too much work for me. She also added peppers and red onion, you really can put in anything you have on hand. The fresh basil is HUGE in this recipe - the dry stuff will leave you disappointed. You can also use regular balsamic vinegar. It doesn't change the taste, but I didn't like the color it gave to the salad.

Thank you Easter Bunny, Bock, Bock

This weekend while the guys were working on the drywall in the apartment, Mom, Lin, Little Man and I made a quick trip to Prince Frederick. We stopped in the Hallmark store and to keep Little Man occupied, Lin was showing him stuffed animals. She picked up a very life like duck and asked, "what does the duck say?". To which Little Man quickly responded, "bock,be-gock" (or insert your best chicken noise here). Of course Lin and Mom got him 2 duck toys while we were out and now they do nothing but cluck. And it's the cutest darn cluck I have ever heard!

I wonder...

I'm sure most of you have read this post. It made me think about my 10 year reunion. First, that it already seems like a LONG time ago. And second, that it's odd to run into people in the grocery store that I went to high school with now that we live in back in the county. But most of all it made me think of Amy Belsito. We weren't friends in high school, but our groups of friends sometimes crossed... mostly at the lunch table. I personally don't have all that many memories of high school and Amy, but she did. At our reunion we ended up at the same table with some of our common friends. We were all catching up on where our lives had taken us and it was interesting to see that for Amy and I our lives had gone the exact opposite of where we had expected. I had the career and she was a stay at home mom. This is where Amy apologized to me... a long heartfelt, sincere apology. I didn't remember ever being offended by her (I still don't). Apparently she had mocked me at some point for not wanting a career and wanting to be a mom, now she was living the life I had imagined in high school and couldn't think of anything more important than raising her children. Her husband was even surprised by her confession and that she it had been on her mind for 10 years. At the time I was glad to have made a memorable impression on her, now I'm randomly curious to see her at the 20 year reunion and again see how things have changed.

Still dead...

Remember last month when the dryer died? Well, yesterday the new dryer finally arrived! I was so excited. Being without it hasn't been too bad. I do small loads and hang them on a big drying rack that we got at the Stuff-mart. Except for towels and underwear, they feel gross when they are crunchy. So we have been carting them off to random friends and family members homes, depending on what our weekend schedule is like. I was ready for today to be a HUGE laundry day.... that was until the landlord told us that the new dryer had only been delivered, not hooked up. Apparently, the venting for the old dryer is no longer up to specs and the delivery guy refused to do anything else until she has everything replaced. This is now going to take, "a few more weeks to resolve". I think we'll be lucky to have a working dryer before we move in the new apartment. Mom, this means we'll be doing towels and whites at your house for the next "few weeks".

Ba - Na

The only food words that Little Man has picked up are apple and "ba-na", which means banana. He just misses the middle syllable. So this morning for breakfast he asked for his usual ba-na and we picked a yogurt out of the fridge. This was the result...

Light at the end of the tunnel

Sheet rock is going up in our apartment this weekend and I went to pick paint colors last Friday. I think there may actually be a light at the end of this tunnel. It's only a tiny little glimmer, but it's a light nonetheless!!!!

A scrapping we will go...

Today is the day!!! Twice a year Mom treats both of her girls to a scrapbook day... 12 hours of girl time where we get to scrap until our hearts are content. It usually includes a trip to the scrapbook store to pick up miscellaneous things and a run for treats as well. Wil brings Little Man by for a "break" and so Grandma can see him. Plus we feel great about giving to a good cause, all of the proceeds from the Crop go to Calvert Hospice. Maybe I am I big geek, but I look forward to these days all year!

Brusha, brusha, brusha

Before having Little Man, I had only ever gotten ONE cavity and that wasn't until I hit my late 20's. I hate going to the dentist, so I was very happy with my strong, healthy teeth. Then I got pregnant and hit the point where having the toothbrush in my mouth for more than 30 seconds made me gag. We tried changing types of toothpaste and that helped for a little while, but I still had to be as quick as possible. What was the result? FIVE cavities after Little Man was born. Now I'm hitting the same point in this pregnancy. I have about 30 seconds to get my teeth clean and everything out of my mouth before the gagging starts. Plus, I always feel like I have horrible bad breath because I can't spend the time I feel I need to get the pearly whites clean. Ladies, any suggestions that might keep me from having 5 more cavities once Peanut arrives?

Free Food

Sunday one of the members of our ward was giving away zucchini from their garden. They were huge! Of course I grabbed one and Dad offered to grate it IF I would use it to make zucchini bread. Sunday evening we started the task, but got sidetracked when we didn't have enough sugar and the electricity went out. So I put the zucchini and wet ingredients that had already been mixed together in the fridge and during naptime Monday I finished the project. I used this recipe and was amazed how much bread you end up with when you double it (3 loaf pans, 18 muffins and 3 small cakes). Everybody loved it, even Susie (who doesn't like zucchini bread). I was wishing once it was all baked, that we had had more loaf pans though. Since the loaf pans had to bake longer to be done in the center, the tops got perfectly crunchy and the nuts tasted like candy. So if you are wondering what to do with all the zucchini in your garden, I highly recommend this one!

Your thoughts on the matter...

We need to start thinking about a scheduling Peanut's birthday. We don't have to decide until December, but it's already a popping up in conversation. One of the hottest topics right now is whether February 29, 2008 is a cruel birthday or would it be fun... what do you think?

Muggles?

Wil sent me this link and I think you guys will enjoy it too.

I am...

In Relief Society today we had to write "poems" about ourselves. We were given a piece of paper that said "I am..." at the top and we had 5 minutes to describe ourselves. Of course there were rules: You had to describe you now, not what you once were or what you hope to one day become. You couldn't use any words such as mother, sister, daughter, friend. You had to describe each of these using "I am" phrases, such as "I am in love with dairy, even though it doesn't love me". This is what I came up with:

I am lightheaded and nauseous, not only in the morning.
I am changing dirty diapers, playing toy trains and always looking forward to naptime.
I am a fuzzy purple blanket, new shoes and big scrapbooks.
I am a listening ear, a damp shoulder, a good hug and lots of cell phone minutes.


Of course, I've been thinking about it all day and have come up with a lot of things to add to the list. But I thought this was pretty good for 5 minutes on the back row.

Now I want to read yours. 5 minutes starts... NOW!

One "Halupkie" of a Weekend

We got home late Tuesday evening, and I'm finally starting to catch my breath and maybe feel hungry again. I don't think we ever stopped eating.

The fun started Saturday evening when we headed to Grandmother's house outside of Annapolis and realized that our air conditioning had decided it was done. It ended up being a really LONG ride. Once we got there things got much better! Grandad had gotten the inflatable pool ready and Adam was in heaven. Thank goodness Little Man is only 19 months old, because I forgot his swim diaper. He was a bit perplexed when he was allowed to run around the yard naked as a jay bird, but soon realized the freedom he was given and loved it. The breeze coming off the water was great and we had fun roasting hot dogs and smores over the fire pit. Wil headed off to the airport to pick up our rental car and came back with a Dodge Grand Caravan. Can I just tell you how wonderful it was? I know this will strike most of you as odd, but yes, I have been dreaming of a mini-van for months now. Compared to the hassle of baby gear and a manual transmission Toyota Corolla - it was unbelievable. There was endless space, working air conditioning, and Little Man loved that he could see out of the windows - those big trucks are a little boy's dream. But I digress...

Sunday morning we headed back to the airport to pick up Mimi & Papa. They were thrilled to see the Little Man and he was happy to see them too. We got back on the road and drove up to Aunt Deb's house in York, where we spent the rest of the afternoon. Little Man was completely enthralled with the vast array of animals at Aunt Deb's house... dogs, birds, fish, turtles, frogs, and a chameleon (which he got to see being fed. It was actually pretty cool). She had also cleaned out a bunch of her kids toddler books and toys and we reaped the rewards... a big yellow tonka truck and two boxes of kids books. We were really glad for the stow & go. A bunch of other family members ended up coming over and we had a great time visiting. Not to mention the spread Deb had prepared - to die for salads and just about every grilled meat you can think of, topped off with the most heavenly blueberry crisp. WOW! I'll pass along recipes as soon as I can. We left around 9 for Tremont/Pine Grove and hit a nasty thunderstorm. By the time we dropped everybody off and got settled at the hotel it was somewhere around 11, we were exhausted.

Monday morning it was slow going. After our late night and no naps on Sunday, we were still too pooped to get up and out quickly. We started out at Grandma Scheib's, where she decided to make "Halupkies" for dinner. I have no idea if I'm spelling it right, but it's a fancy word for stuffed cabbage. We drove down to Pine Grove, picked up Grandma Becker and went to the Red Lion for lunch. It's Papa's favorite restaurant and everything I've ever had there is so yummy. They even have birch beer on tap. YUM!!! Wil was especially pleased with his chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting. Then we drove up into the mountains where the old strip mine used to be and Wil's great-grandma lived. A lot of his family still lives up there now. Little man got a much needed nap, we visited all kinds of cousins and we found both a nice chunk of coal and a big piece of coal shale for our fish tank. For me it's something cool to put in the tank, for Wil it's a piece of home away from home. By then it was almost dinner time and we made our way back to Grandma Scheib's house. The halupkies were cooking in the roaster and smelled so good, but weren't going to be done in time for dinner, so we started dinner number 2 - pork chops, mashed potatoes and 4 different veggies (everybody had a different favorite). After dinner Mimi and Wil took Adam in the pool and then we headed back to the hotel for an "early" night.

Tuesday morning we packed up, checked out of the hotel and met Uncle Danny, Mimi and Papa at the truck stop across the street for brunch. Little Man was happy as could be - eggs for breakfast and HUGE trucks all over the place. He even found a truck in the gift shop to bring home. We spent the next couple hours visiting with Grandma Scheib and letting Little Man get out his wiggles for the ride home. We were too stuffed from breakfast to have halupkies for lunch, so she packed up a big container and sent them home**. The drive home was quiet, Little Man was exhausted and slept the whole way. We got the van returned, visited with Grandmother and Grandad until it cooled off some and drove home in our little car.

Life up there seems to move slower and Grandma Scheib always makes us feel welcome. I only wish we could make it up there more often.

**the thought of cabbage for dinner last night, just about sent me running. So I can't give you a verdict on the halupkies, although Grandma Scheib has never made anything I didn't like. Wil took them for lunch today, so I wouldn't have to smell them.

Fluffernutter

We are busily getting ready to drive up to Pennsylvania tomorrow to visit Wil's extended family. We are picking his parents up at the airport in the morning and then driving to Pine Grove/Tremont. I'm excited to go. Grandma Scheib has a pool that I'm sure we will spend hours in and she always stocks up on the marshmallow fluff so we can have FLUFFERNUTTER sandwiches. I don't think there is anything healthy at all in this white bread, peanut butter and fluff concoction, but I love them! And I only eat them at Grandma's house, otherwise I would be in big trouble.

And you have to click on the Fluffernutter theme song - it's awesome!

Peanut

has a HEARTBEAT! We had our first sonogram today and things are looking good. We are right on schedule and you could see the tiny little heartbeat. I can't even tell you what a relief it was to see.

Sleeping Beauty

We are having serious sleeping problems at our house and I don't know what to do. Over the last couple weeks, Little Man has gone from being really good with naps and bedtime to a total nightmare. Last night we put him down for bed around 8 (his normal bedtime) and finally turned to the trusty Benedryl at 10 to get him calmed down enough to fall asleep. Naptime is getting to be just as bad, he will play in the crib or cry for up to an hour and a half before going to sleep. I've been careful with his routine...nothing has changed. We let him cry it out for up to 30 minutes, which used to work everytime. We tried laying down with him, which would calm him down for the short term, but he would cry even worse when we put him back down. I know he's absolutely exhausted from the temper tantrums and huge dark circles under his eyes, but I'm at a loss for how to fix this. Help!?!?!?!?

I did it!!!!

Yes, Heidi, I did it. I booked the flight! Susie, Little Man and I will be in Utah from November 6th to November 13th. I think we will be renting a car, so I'm gonna bring the car seat. We will be in need of a pack and play and someplace to crash.

Give me a call or send me an email if you are in Utah and want to see us while we are there.

I am so excited!

What I found...

when I came back in the family room this morning. I was doing laundry, Little Man was watching Sesame Street and...