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Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Tick, tick, tick, tick...







Only a few days left and I am free of schoolwork!

Honestly, it feels like a dream to me....I have spent so many nights studying this semester that I really cannot imagine not having to do it. But I am sooo looking forward to it!

Saturday is going to be a long day for me. I have a final from 9-12 and then 2-5, with a wedding to go to at 6! Add the fact that I will be up around 5:30, out the door by 6:30...sigh, I am not really looking forward to it at all. The wedding will be nice-once I get there. We are having Greg's niece watch the girls for us-they are so excited! Analese is especially excited since I told her that she could show Katie The Little Mermaid movie...that's all she has talked about since.
This will be the first time we have gotten a babysitter for the girls and gone out, and the first time Mara has been watched by someone other then us! I am not too worried, as she will have big sister there, and they both LOVE Katie. She is wonderful with them.

I just wish it was on a different day then my finals...I don't know how long I will be able to last! I think I'll feel better once I am there-its the stress of getting through finals, driving to Greg's parent's house (which is close to the wedding spot) and get ready and go.

Thursday night a few friends and I will be getting pedicures and I may possibly get my haircut. I am soo looking forward to de-stressing for a bit! My legs and hips have been really bothering me lately, I am so looking forward to a leg massage.

The girls and I have been been enjoying some of the wonderful weather we have been having the past few weeks. Spring is here, and I love it!



Here's a few photos of what we've been up to...once I get through Saturday, I'll have more time to update and get updated :) I feel really out of the loop lately, which has been tough. All these hormones, I guess. Have a great week everyone!





Tuesday, April 22, 2008

My Flower Told me to...

I know it has been a looong time since I have posted! I have been swamped with final projects and such, and just haven't had any free time lately. As it is, I am up until 12-1 o'clock every night just trying to get this web design project done before this weekend. After this weekend, all I have left is my finals on May 3rd! I cannot even begin to explain how excited I am for this semester to be over.

The girls and I have been busy. The girls started their new learning classes today, which went very well. It is such an amazing program-so amazing that I am going to wait and write a post about it later when I have time!

As I have mentioned before, I started this blog as a way to capture the daily moments in our lives that would otherwise be forgotten. One of these moments happened tonight and I wanted to write it down while I am thinking of it!

Tonight it was just me and the girls again, as Greg was out playing pool. Greg has been putting the girls down for bed at night in order for me to study, so I knew they would be feeling a bit out of whack. Rather then try to do "Daddy's routine", I find it easier to do things complete different on my nights.

So tonight, we got our jammies on, teeth brushed, sleep sacks on, and turned all the lights down low. We snuggled on the couch with blankets, pillows, etc. and I put in a special cd that Analese had received with one of her books. It is called "My Special Angel" and it talks mainly about how to feel good about yourself and the person you are. The music and the woman's voice are both very soothing-perfect for going to sleep.

So tonight we sat listening. The woman talked about many things-rainbows, your special angel, a beautiful garden, etc. The girls were totally relaxed and Mara was starting to drift off, her with head resting on my belly. Analese laid beside me, holding my hand. listening intently and nodding her head when the woman asks a question.

So then the woman begins talking about a special flower, and asks us to imagine what your special flower would look like. I looked over at Analese and she whispers "pink" (of course). Next the woman asks you to imagine that the flower is telling you something, and to think about what it is saying.

Analese leans over to me with a big grin on her face, and says "I think my special flower is telling me that I need to go color".

We both got the giggles, and killed any sleepy thoughts that may have just occupied their minds. But it was worth it!

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

26 weeks and Dancing.....


So the belly pics we took the other night were not the most flattering...so I had to improvise a bit! This was taken Sunday, after spending the day at a baptism. My legs were a bit swollen, and I have my lovely-but comfy slippers on!

I know I have been terrible about posting, but haven't had much time lately. We are supposed to go to New Jersey this weekend, so I am scrambling to try and get some work done in order to go!
In Baby news, two wonderful things have happened. First of all, the girls got to finally feel the baby kicking tonight. Analese's face was the best! She was so excited, and kept resting her hands on my belly for the rest of storytime-"just in case she dances some more" (we do not refer to the baby as kicking, as it was scaring Mara :) )
And two... we decided on names! I am so excited, as we seemed to be struggling this time around. Greg rejected all of my "favorites", but we finally seem to be in agreement. Yeah! It somehow makes it even more exciting-to think more of the baby as a person, if that makes any sense!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful week, and I hope to get back on soon!

Friday, April 4, 2008

Uno and its wonderful lessons....

Last night the girls were begging us to play a game with them, but Greg was trying to fix dinner and I was attempting to study. We have begun to have "family game night" every night after dinner as a way to keep the girls up longer (to help Mara) while still keeping them from bouncing off the walls. It has gone very well-so well that the girls are constantly begging us to play a game every time they see us :) Mara wakes up from her nap often yelling "GAME!" It's rather comical.

Anyway, back to last night. Feeling somewhat guilty because I had the nerve to try and have some time alone while the girls were still up, I got down a pack of Uno cards and gave them each 1/2 of the cards. I waited around a bit to see what they were each going to do, as I really didn't want them to be thrown around the living room.

But they surprised me! Mara began sorting her cards by color, placing all the reds, blues, yellows and greens into piles. She even had a pile for all the Wild cards! She would hold a card up to me and I would smile, not wanting to become too involved, as I was really enjoying just watching her work.

Analese spread all of her cards onto the floor and then went to work, gathering up all the numbers and placing lines of 1s, 2s, 3s, etc. As she worked, I could see her mind began working overtime, as she then began making rows of patterns, choosing each card carefully by its color.

Mara, seeing what her sister had done, also began making a straight line with her cards, and eventually both girls were up, jumping over that line, giggling and laughing.

I never made it back to study, but I cannot say I didn't learn anything right then. My girls amaze me every day by showing me how to think outside the box, how much fun simple cards can be through their eyes. I am reminded to just sit back, and just give them the freedom they need to explore and discover all on their own. They are grasping all they need to know, all on their own.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Mara update: she has slept through the night for the past two nights! She actually slept so hard the other night that she woke up with a stiff neck and couldn't move it until I massaged it. She had a really yucky diaper yesterday, which indicates digestive upset, so we are hopeful that its passing. We'll see, but our fingers are crossed!

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

25 Weeks!

First, I want to thank you all for the kind words and tips...ones we will surely use next year! I love the idea of trading in your candy, and will definitely have to use that one. We've been so lucky, Analese is so excited to get all the candy from the hunt, she gets to choose one piece before dinner, and has not asked about it since! Greg has been taking it all in to work and his coworkers have been eating it up. It's funny-we searched for safe jelly beans and gummi bears for Mara, and the highlight for both girls? The mini raisin boxes! They loved them-I do not know why we haven't gotten them before.

Anyway, I also love the sticker idea, even Greg thought it was a great one to try next year! We do have some special needs children in our family-autistic and visually impaired, but like I told Greg, it doesn't matter what eggs they get, just as long as Mara only gets her own.

We are still dealing with Mara and her sleep issues, to the point where I am beginning to feel that we may need to call her doctor if we can't straighten it out soon. She has begun snoring-quite loudly, another sign that its reflux. Last night she was up so many times again, and today at nap she woke up with this painful nonstop cry. I picked her up and she was just stiff, tight as a ball and just clung to me, never opening her eyes. She was almost shaking, and I rocked her until her body relaxed against mine. She slept for another hour on me...I just really need to get her some help, as much as I do not want to have her undergo any more tests.

So I am 25 weeks as of today! I have to tell you, I look and feel like I am 35 weeks. It's odd how big I have gotten this time around. I feel like I have gained so much weight in my stomach and in my thighs...and it makes me feel quite self-conscious. I know that technically I do not weigh that much, as I was pretty underweight to begin the pregnancy and I have gained about 20 pounds so far. I gained between 30-40 with each girl, and luckily lost it all within the first six months-you got to love breastfeeding! I just feel blah, and keep telling myself its the stress of school, and lack of sleep and the weather....I think the biggest thing is that I am carrying much lower this time around, much lower then I did with the girls. Lots of hip and leg pain, and my maternity clothes fit differently, where I am outgrowing shirts I wore before when I was 8-9 months! Yikes.
My loving husband seems to have forgotten with "how to deal with your pregnant wife's insecurities" and seems to be reading straight from the book of what not to say to your pregnant wife. He has never been one for proper etiquette, but also never this bad. It's been so shocking to me, it makes me laugh!
My favorites:

"Your HUGE! I mean, GIGANTIC! I can't believe you are this big, only being so far along" (this was rubbing my tummy as we laid in bed.)

"Of course your funny-looking! HELLO? Your PREGNANT!" (when asked if the dress I tried on for Easter made me look funny. Now-would that comment make you want to wear the dress? He couldn't understand why I was looking for something else to put on!)

" It's not like your just fat, I mean, your pregnant! You have a reason" ( that was trying to make me feel better when I told him how big I felt)

Other then that-things are going well! I still have a million posts to finish writing, and hopefully will find more time soon. We got to enjoy some 70 degree temps outside today! It was wonderful, just what we all needed :)

Hope your having a great week!