The Daily Rhythm

A Break

2008-11-22T10:14:00.001-05:00

Sorry I haven't been posting lately...things are hectic with school and all the studying that goes with it. I am doing a horrible job this semester with keeping it all together, and falling so behind in my statistics class. It's been difficult balancing the needs of my schoolwork with the needs of my family...and I am so afraid I am failing at both. sigh

So I probably will not be posting again until after December 6th....the day when these classes are finally over and I can breathe for a bit. I just pray that I didn't just struggle this semester for nothing..and that I'll have to take this class over! I cannot wait to "just" be a mom again, to enjoy the moments with the girls without a cloud of tiredness washing over me. Can't wait.

So wish me luck, and I'll catch up then.

Can't help myself......Looking Back

2008-11-07T23:23:00.004-05:00

2005
Analese

2006
Analese and Mara

2007
Analese and Mara

2008
Analese, Mara and Rose

Pumpkins, Pumpkins

2008-11-07T15:03:00.010-05:00

I am a bit behind in everything these days, but I wanted to post some pictures of the past couple of weekends...which involved pumpkins, pumpkins and more pumpkins!

First, there was the Great Mother Earth Harvest Festival:

Analese-dancing during the drum roll

Then, the pumpkin festival at the nature center:

The girls had a blast! Analese loved running into her teacher and showing Daddy her classroom.

And then our annual trip to the pumpkin farm!As you recall, we do this every year, see post Greg's parents went with us this year so we actually got some family photos...which rarely happens so that was nice!

Mara picked out her own clothes to wear and got herself dressed today. the sweater was too small, showing off her adorable belly and her skirt was inside out :) People would look at her and smile..

The day after....

2008-11-05T12:29:00.003-05:00

Such joy.

I don't think it matters who you voted for...you have to admit, last night was magical. Such a great moment in history. I found myself so emotional yesterday, watching the long lines and such hopeful faces.

And today?

I haven't stopped smiling.

We still have a long way to go, but I feel like we've taken a step in the right direction.

Remember to VOTE!!!

2008-11-04T09:47:00.002-05:00

My fingers and toes are crossed today........

praying for a good outcome.

Remember to vote today......let's vote for CHANGE and get America back on track!

Costume Photos

2008-11-03T11:24:00.007-05:00

The girls are still sick and now I have been lucky enough to get it. I knew living on 3-4 hours sleep for the past 2+ weeks would catch up with me!

The girls have been wearing their costumes all morning, so I decided to snap a few to share. They still are not feeling well, especially Analese. I am sure Greg will take much better ones outside once they are better. And Rose slept through the photo session, so no photos of my sunflower at this moment!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

2008-10-31T13:14:00.003-04:00

Rose-15 weeks!!

I hope everyone has a fun and safe Halloween!! The girls are sick today, so fun will be at home :(

A week in the life of me-Thursday

2008-10-16T23:29:00.012-04:00

Yes, I am now a day behind but posting each day is hard! WARNING: I was very camera happy today..lots of photos :)

Anyway, Rose decided to mix things up a bit and wake up on and off from 1 am on...since I went to bed around 1, not much sleep for me! She was so needy, it seemed like she just couldn't get close enough to me :)

So Mara is up at her usual 7:20, but fortunately greg got her up before she woke Analese up. Mara has absolute no volume control, and I laid in bed giggling over her talking-quite loudly, to greg and hearing him try to convince her to talk softly. She was quite upset over the nightgown she had on-the same nightgown she was so proud of last night!

I get up as soon as Greg leaves, and find Mara studying our cat Chloe's bottom. As I walked in, she said "Does Chloe have a butt? I can't see it!"

We snuggled on the couch together as we talked about what had butts and what didn't. I love hearing what's going on in her head!

Today we have our reggio class from 1-3. You would think with it being in the afternoon that we would have plenty of time to get ready for it, but its still a struggle. My girls are so unmotivated and time just flies by on mornings like these.

With Analese now up, it's time to make breakfast! Mara is all about helping me, and sweeps the floors and even wipes up some spills she notices. I have to get them to wash the floors more often!

Baby Rose wakes up before breakfast preparations are complete, so I have to take a break in order to change/feed her. I am hoping she will sit and watch me for a few minutes so that I can finish cooking!

She looks happy, doesn't she?

So, she starts out in her bassinet

She lasts 5 minutes.

We try her papason:

Nope.

So then we try her floor gym:

I give up. Thank goodness for my collection of wraps and slings!

Breakfast is finally ready and we can sit down and eat. I always try and sit and eat with the girls, I think its an important time to be able to just talk with them. This morning Analese is all about fairies, discussing what kinds of things fairies do....I love hearing her ideas!

After breakfast, Rose goes down for a nap. I love how easy it is to get her to sleep!
I clean up breakfast, and get the girls to pick their clothes out and get dressed.

I also take the time to get myself ready.

I throw some laundry in, prepare the diaper bag, and start thinking about lunch! The girls are never ready to eat lunch at 12, as we usually eat around 1, so I attempt small, calorie-packed lunches to help them get through class.

For class today, we had to bring in a variety of hats. Analese had so much fun searching the house for hats!

Mara thought she would help...gathering ALL their coats and sweaters and piling them up by the door. She did not want t o hear that we were looking for hats, and kept telling us no.

Rose is now up so its time to get her dressed and ready to go. Isn't she a sweetie?

Until we get her dressed....how dare we try and change her before feeding her?

I read the girls some stories on my bed while I nurse Rose.

And we're off to class!

Of course, the girls are getting tired and really need a nap instead of class!
It's about this time that I always questions why I am taking them.

But we're off!

The girls are fine by the time we get to class. Class goes well. Mara has to go potty and wants to use her potty (that we keep in the back of the van) So I lug her and Rose downstairs and race her to the potty. She makes it, only to have peed on her skirt! So she gets a new outfit....

After class, its a struggle to get the girls into the car to head home. They love it there, and never want to leave.

Once we get home, I decide to get them outside. We're all tired, and need the space to do our own thing...it's beautiful outside too!

Our neighbors comes home, so I went to talk with her while the girls tended to their "grass garden". It's
always nice to have some adult conversation!

And the best part of the girls' day?

Daddy shows them a snake he found in a bucket. He found it last night and kept it to show the girls today. Afterwards they went down to the compost and let him go.

While they are doing that, I run inside with Rose and get ready to go. I have to go to a fiance meeting for the girl's school. I am so braindead at this point and have no desire to go, but I am in charge of the money so I really don't have a choice.

Rose and I kiss the girls-and Daddy goodbye and off we go. Analese has an especially hard time with us leaving tonight, and cried hysterically out the window. I hate it, it makes me feel awful.

I get home in time to kiss them goodnight and then hit the books. Such a long day, and now an even longer night!

Congrats if you got through reading that!

A day in the life of Me-Wednesday

2008-10-15T21:38:00.010-04:00

Once again, my day begins around 4 or so, and Rose wakes up on and off from then on. I am blessed, as she goes to sleep around 9 and wakes up for the first time around four. I have never had a baby sleep for so long-if I wasn't stuck studying every night I would be pretty rested!

The girls woke up around 7:30, and I got up once Greg was ready for work. Rose slept on peacefully...I am so jealous!

I found the girls watching "Curious George" and drinking their milk:

Both are still so tired. Mara is up every day around 7:30, and usually wakes up Analese before she is ready to get up.

Mornings are usually the only time they get to watch television, and I think that's what forces Analese out of bed.

On Wednesdays have Analese's speech class every other week, and I am so thankful it's an off-week this week. It's so nice to have a break from activities mid-week, and I was hoping to get some much-needed cleaning done.

Mara is always my helper when its time to cook. It's hard on me, as it takes twice as long and I am usually trying to make things as fast as I can before Rose wakes up. BUT-I was also know that this time won't last.......

She's got a mouthful of dates in her mouth-one of the main reasons she loves to cook with me :)

While breakfast is cooking, the girls help me clean out the dishwasher. I love that they love to help me.

Rose is now up, so the cycle of diaper changing and nursing begins! Rose is such a heavy wetter, and since you change more often with cloth diapers...I change about 10-12 diapers every day. She is still nursing about every 1 1/2-2 hours as well, so these two things are a BIG part of my day :)

After breakfast, the fun begins! Both girls are still tired, so there is lots of this:

AND

Oh and we can't forget this:

Mara is usually crying because she got hurt, falling into something. Either that or Analese hurt her. On days when they are both tired, its usually the latter.

Analese is my sensitive child and Mara feeds off of it. By simply not answering her, Mara has the ability to produce a screaming, crying, hysterical sister

She loves this power.

Mara refused to get dressed this morning, so instead of making it a battle, I just left her alone until she was ready.

Two hours later, she finally was.

The day was quickly getting away from us, but I was still determined to try and get something done!

So I let the girls wash the kitchen floor while I cleaned the living room. This is their favorite thing to do. i just add a bit of vinegar to a bowl of water and they are set:

See how clean it looks? The best was when Greg came home and I whispered to him to notice the floor. they were so excited that he noticed!

This completely wiped them out, even more then before!

Taking turns holding the baby. Poor Rose, she is such a trooper!

The girls decided that naps were not necessary this afternoon, and although I disagreed, i refuse to fight it. Analese is outgrowing her need for a nap, and Mara just refuses to without her sister. It makes our evenings so difficult-filled with so many tears, but I am not one to force them to nap. It's too stressful on all of us.

So the girls got to watch "Thumbelina", just in order for them to rest their bodies in some way!

This picture of Analese makes me smile. It was chilly outside, so I suggested to Analese that she might want to put something else on.

She did.

SHORTS!!

Mara read some books before joining Rose and I in the rocking chair. Lots of cuddle time for me!

As soon as Greg came home, I took off to the bedroom in order to get some early studying done. Sort of my payoff for having the girls Tuesday night while he goes out to play pool :)

I stay up studying until 12. The it's yogurt time and I am off to sleep!

Day in the Life of ME-Tuesday

2008-10-14T21:26:00.003-04:00

So my sister started this idea last week, where she started posting about the daily events in her life. My other sisters began to do this and I have really enjoyed reading them! It's always hard to stay connected when distance is a factor and you get caught up in your own daily life....

So, anyway, last week I began taking photos throughout the day and I am hoping this week I'll be able to post them!

Always a week behind.....

Rose wakes me up around 4 to nurse. I was up studying until 1, so this is somewhat dream-like for me. She usually doesn't wake me up by crying-more squirming and grunting. I turn the television on to wake myself up a bit, change her diaper and feed her. I used to always watch "Fresh Prince of Bel Air" or "Rosanne" at this time, but I have now discovered that "Without a Trace" is on at this time, and I am happy :) Yes, the simple things....

Anyway, Rose nurses on and off for the next couple of hours. Mara wakes us up promptly at 7:15 by screaming at the top of her lungs. Greg jumps up to get her and I get to snuggle with Rose a few more minutes while he gets ready for work.

7:40 Time for me to get up, leave Rose sleeping and join the girls out in the living room. The first thing on my mind?

My coffee. It's a must, although its more of a psychological thing because I very rarely drink more than a 1/2 cup these days. My first goal in the morning is to at least get a sip in before Rose wakes up!
So Rose wakes up...I change her diaper, nurse her some more and then begin to attempt breakfast for the girls. My fingers are crossed that Rose will sit in her bassinet long enough for me to get things together!

"Not in her face Mara" I will repeat this at least 50 times today! Poor, poor Rose. She is so loved!

9:00 I am on the phone with this new nature center that opened up. We went to the "Great Mother Earth festival" on Sunday and found out about this Nature and Arts program that would be perfect for Analese. It's all about getting children back into nature. They have circle time, music, go hiking, have a story and puppet show. Oh and art! Just perfect for Analese.

So anyway, I get her enrolled into the program and we have to be there in 2 hours. we are supposed to have class at their reggio program on Tuesdays, so i have to call and tell them we won't be there. As much as I love the program, it hasn't worked out great for Analese. She is the oldest one there, and they decided to put Mara back into her class, which is really tough for me. Now, instead of dropping Analese off for class, which was the original plan, I have to stay from 1-3 with the girls. It's very draining for me, hard for Mara with no nap, hard for Rose...its just tough.

So anyway, I struggle with getting the girls dressed, bags packed and out the door in time to meet the educational assistant at the center at 12:30. The girls are less then cooperative! Analese has begun to stress about the "all by herself" part of the class, wondering what I was going to be doing while she was in class. I tried to downplay it with her and play it up with Mara, who was already telling me how much she was going to miss her sister :)

So we get to her classroom. It's cute, pretty small but set up nice. Analese has her own cubby, which she loves. we meet her teacher, who is very bubbly and I can tell Analese is going to be comfortable with her. She takes Analese's hand and brings her over to circle with a few other children. Analese sits down and as I turn to leave, she runs over and whispers "Mommy, I need hugs and kisses" just melted my heart...

So, another reason I was excited about this class was that it would give me a chance to spend some alone time with Mara. I feel like she has been really needing me lately, and its been tough with Rose and studying, etc. I had visions of us being able to hike the trails, talking, laughing, bonding....

Instead I got this. Yes, she looks happy there, but she was such a STINKER!

She refused to move once she saw the picnic tables.

"I tarvin!" was all I heard, in her ultra whiny voice.

I tried to motivate her, showing her the chipmunks that were running around everywhere. Nope, she didn't care.

Sigh. what can you do?

We opted to take silly photos of ourselves while Rose slept. We had some snacks, ad played in the nature center. So , we did get to spend some time together, and that's all that matters!

Analese was exhausted when we picked her up, but she was very happy. She talked the whole way home, telling me about the dam they tried to build, the lobster the painted, etc.

Mara was asleep two minutes after we got into the car.

It's Greg's night out to play pool, so he was home early-thankfully! He made "breakfast dinner" while I tended to Rose and tried to keep the peace with two tired girls.

After dinner, he got the girls ready for bed and ready them some stories before heading out the door.

Me? I was doing this:

It's what I do every night. Ugh.

But, I also have this beside me:

She lights up whenever I look at her.

Always make me smile...even while I am doing statistics :)

I end my night eating a bowl of coconut yogurt with granola and some chocolate chips thrown in Yummm

Did you know....

2008-09-19T20:56:00.003-04:00

"It's hard to go to sleep when your tummy is empty and your mind is full"

Analese told me this at dinner tonight, When I asked her what her mind was full of, she said

"UNICORNS!! I really really want one to come to our house".

I hope she never changes.

So long, Farewell.....

2008-09-14T20:04:00.003-04:00

It looks like my dairy-filled days are over once again :( Rose has been reacting to dairy for almost a month now, and it only seems to be getting worse. My fear is that she will continue to develop stronger reactions if she continues to be exposed to it.
My plan is to go off of it for the next month and see if there is any change. If things are going well, I may try and test to see if its possible for me to have foods with dairy in them. Right now we see the biggest reaction when I eat straight dairy, like ice cream, milk in my cereal, etc. I am somewhat sad to be off of it again, although I really did not miss it that much when I avoided it. I have been off dairy for almost 2 1/2 years, and was enjoying the past 5 months of being able to eat it. Let's just pray that this is it for restrictions!

But I am excited to have some new nondairy options. I can now have coconut yogurt and coconut ice cream (which is delicious!) I think we have decided to buy an ice cream maker and make our own, as a pint is $5.00!

Tonight we are having a special meal...my last meal with dairy. I chose Italian, as I haven't had regular pasta in years! I cannot wait to eat it!

I know I have a bunch of catching up to do....I was hoping to do that this weekend but suffered from a migraine instead. I have to play catch-up tonight with studying...hopefully this week I can at least get some photos up!

I am back!

2008-09-05T21:16:00.003-04:00

or at least I hope I am :)

Sorry it has taken me so long to update! I wanted my first post to be Rose's birth story, and just couldn't find the time to write it out. My goal is to do it tonight, as I really do not want to forget the details of her birth.

Things here are going well. They get better every week. To be honest, having 3 children under the age of 4 has definitely taken some getting used to. We have had a lot of adjusting to do! For me, I had to once again adjust to no sleep, no free-time, and absolutely no personal space. It's definitely been tougher this time around. I don't think I gave myself enough time to adjust before the guilt set in, and I set out to do too much too soon and ended up just feeling down that I wasn't accomplishing all I needed to. I can see that now. I felt bad that I wasn't being the best mother I could be, as the lack of sleep definitely ate up much of my patience! There were many days where I felt like all I did was nurse, change diapers and help the older two with the potty. Oh-and cleaning up the older twos bathroom mishaps! Mara had many accidents (which is expected, as she has only been using the potty for a few months) and Analese also thought she would join in on the fun. A few weeks ago she decided to stand there and pee all over our bathroom rug! I couldn't believe it. She just smiled and said " I couldn't make it". Ugh.

But each week it has gotten better. Rose is now sleeping through the night, she sleeps from 10-3 and sometimes 10-5! I am in heaven, as Mara didn't sleep through the night alone until she was two! I should note that this is sleeping with us. When she is next to me in her cosleeper, she is up every 2 hours! But I do love sleeping with her. There is nothing like having your newborn snuggled up against you. No matter how stressful the day, looking down at her sleeping face,listening to her little sighs as she snuggled up against me...it just puts everything perspective and the stress melts away. She is only little for such a short amount of time..I plan to savor every moment I can!

The girls just love their sister, and are constantly smothering her with love. I do my best to protect Rose from all the love without hurting the girls' feelings or make them feel like they are doing something wrong. I'll admit, its tough! Rose does not like to be put down at all, and one of the reasons for this-I believe- is because the girls are right up in her face! Mara has to be constantly touching noses with Rose, as she wants her to "see her"...but then that is ALL she sees :) I should also add that Rose just lights up when she sees her...for those few seconds that she can see all of her (and not just a cheek). Mara has begun nursing her baby-I found her on my bed, IN THE DARK, shirt off nursing her baby the other day! She also walks her baby around, bouncing her to sleep exactly like I do with Rose. Just too cute....

Analese has just grown up overnight. When Rose is crying, she always tells me "it's OK Mom, I got this" and will go to her and sing. Her emotions are still all over the place, and we butt heads on days I just do not have the patience to help her through it. But even when she is testing me like crazy, I can't help but laugh at her. Her latest thing is singing out her her objections.."No, no I won't clean it up...Yoouuuu can" to the tune of different songs. It is hysterical, I must admit. Although the " I won't lay down and take a nap" song is one that amkes me want to cry :)

So just a quick update. I have a ton of photos to post and hope to get on that as well. I have Analese's birthday photos and trip to Dutch Wonderland to post about, and the many photos of baby Rose, who is growing so so quickly!

Sorry for the rambling post, I hope this makes some sense!

Quick Baby Update

2008-07-25T10:36:00.002-04:00

Again, not much time, but I had to update you on the news!

Introducing..................................

Rose Hollin
born July 18th at 12:44 AM
weighing 7 lbs 14 oz
20.5 inches tall

Another girl! She is absolutely beautiful and it's unbelievable how much my heart has swelled with love for her.

I'll update soon with more photos, details, etc.

Right now we are just trying to adjust, relax and enjoy our newest family member!

Still here!

2008-07-15T15:47:00.002-04:00

Just another quick update!

Baby still isn't here yet! He or she seems to be very happy in there! Me, on the other hand, haven't been too comfortable. I have never felt so uncomfortable in my other pregnancies. The baby is so low, giving me so much pressure that it hurts to walk. I feel like my leg keeps coming out its socket....so hard to explain this feeling! Greg asked me last night...."so what can we do to get this baby out?" as its been hard on him as well.

Anyway, my due date is tomorrow as well as my next appointment. I haven't been feeling well the past few days so I am hoping that means I have dilated more. Five or six, maybe?

I'll try and keep you posted. My parents are here visiting and so my computer time is limited (they are staying in my computer room). I just had 178 new messages to go through!

The girls are enjoying the visit, although they both seem to be so overstimulated 24 hours a day that its been hard for them to just calm down...and to listen. I find myself repeating myself over and over again and getting frustrated (yes-hormones are at play as well) I am trying to let some things go, but also have the fear that if I let too many things go, I will have 2 wild children on my hands once the baby comes and I have all three by myself!

I'll be in touch and hope to bring some good news soon!

Within the week.....

2008-07-02T15:04:00.002-04:00

Another quick update!

"Within the week" is my doctor's prediction at my appointment today. I am now close to four centimeters dilated and 100% effaced! He actually thinks it will be soon, as he says I have "a look" about me. So we shall see......

After my appointment the girls and I went over to a friend's store and picked up some more cloth wipes, and a waterproof bag for the cloth diapers. The two women that own this natural store are part of our learning community, and both happen to be there rearranging the store around, so we had a nice time hanging out with them and their children. It's only been a week since we had seen them and it felt like much longer then that. Analese found a princess nightgown that she liked in their consignment pile, and Mara picked out some puppy dog leg warmers. Analese is in love with her nightgown, and actually put it on over her dress and wore it home :) Anyway-it was so nice to connect with them. One of the owners is also the owner of the farm where the girl's school is at, and has offered to come watch the girls if we need someone there quickly, and has also offered to come get the girls once the baby comes and let them play in the loft for a few hours. I will probably take her up on it, as the girls really miss being out there and just being surrounded by so many people who lavish them with attention and affection.

So that's my update for now. I am having lots of lower pressure but nothing more then that. I am getting excited to meet this baby soon, see exactly who has been kicking me so much! I am hoping for a few more days, as we ordered the girls' digital cameras as their "gift from the baby" and they probably won't be here for a few more days :)

Until then, we just plan on spending time with the girls, as they have been needing us more these days. Last night we took them outside in their pjs to catch fireflies. It was just so amazing, as Analese has been waiting all month for the fireflies to show up! We ran around in the dark, played hide-n-seek-with the highlight being when Greg hid up in the tree :) Such precious moments....of course then this morning Mara used a marker and put dots ALL over her legs...."they fireflies Mommy".

Sooner or Later....

2008-07-01T15:38:00.004-04:00

That appears to be my motto with most things in life......

It comes across in much of my parenting. I don't believe my girls should do something or stop doing something because they reach this "magic age" where the experts tell you they should. I would rather just "go with the flow" as my children are individuals who set their own pace in life. This isn't always as easy thing to do. Mara started sleeping through the night around the age of two, much later then many thought she should. But, I knew, sooner or later, it would happen. And it did. She still has her moments of getting up in the middle of the night and wanting us to just be there, and she often comes into our bed around 5-6 in the morning and sleeps another hour or so. But again, I know that sooner or later this too will pass, and I know that I will miss it when it's gone.

Now, with potty training Mara, again I don't believe in actual "potty training". With Analese, I waited until she showed that she was ready, and it was one of the easiest process we went through. With Mara, I honestly was hoping to wait until after the baby was born. BUT...she decided sooner was better then later, and decided a few weeks ago that the time was now. She was ready. We still have our good and not-so-good days with it, as she seems to have trouble with anything on below the waist (like tonight, when she pulled her underwear down and threw it across the room...just as surprised as we were to see a large clump of poop fall out!) but overall, she is doing great and we are so proud!

Yet another example...Analese still sleeps with a paci at night. Yes, she is almost four years old. I often feel like this is our "dirty little secret", and yes, it's embarrassing to me at times. But, we have decided to let her take control of when to give it up, and I am determined to stick with it. Sooner or later, she will be ready and I have to trust this. I do not see her going off to college with this paci!

Anyway, now I find myself again using this motto when it comes to the baby. Sooner or later, he or she will be ready to come! This past week my body has been going through lots of changes, and the reality of meeting him or her soon is quickly hitting me. Last Thursday was an especially busy day, as I lost my mucous plug (I'll spare you the details, but this time was especially shocking to me) and I have had cramping on and off since. Saturday night the contractions started to become a bit regular-every 17 minutes or so and Sunday they were every 11 minutes. We decided to go to our niece's graduation party that afternoon, which is an hour away, and on the way down there the contractions became very uncomfortable and about 4 minutes apart (I guess there is something to a bumpy car ride!) But once there, they slowed down again. Everyone was shocked that I was there, but I kept saying that how I refused to just sit around and wait for it to happen. I would go insane! My mother-in-law was ready to come up Thursday, but I said absolutely not, it would only cause me stress (last time she came, she refused to leave and lived with us for a week) I don't think she is happy about it, but I explained how she has a houseful of people (Greg's sister from Italy is living there for 6 weeks) and I know how much she has looked forward to them coming home. She hasn't called since Friday so I don't think she's happy.

Anyway, things are moving along. My next appt is tomorrow so I'll update you on any changes. No contractions lately, just a lot of really low pressure. This baby is still pretty active, a little less active today, but we also had a playdate so I have been moving around a lot.
I'll keep you posted....sooner or later, he or she will come.........

3 centimeters

2008-06-24T21:18:00.005-04:00

Just a quick update......sorry it's been so long since I have posted! The girls and I have been busy with their school, and lots of play dates. I really pushed myself to take them to as many places as I could, knowing it won't be long now before we will be homebound for awhile.

Last week was their last week of school, which honestly ended at a good time for me. My energy level just dropped last week, and it was difficult just getting them out the door. I was hoping the tiredness was just a temporary thing, but it has continued into this week so I am afraid it may be here to stay!

The baby is as active as ever. I cannot remember the girls ever being this active! My stomach is constantly changing and moving-you can constantly see some body part rolling across my stomach! I am still feeling lots of lower pressure, even more so the past few days. My appointment today showed that I was 3 centimeters dilated and about 85% effaced. Knowing me, this could go on for a few more weeks! We'll just have to see......

We have been making progress in getting the house together. We moved our room around to make room for the baby's dresser/changing pad. Greg and I both went through our closet and got rid of a ton of clothes we haven't worn. I also bought 5 under the bed storage bins for all of our sweaters, and my shoes. I also bought some bins for our closet shelves to hold the baby's clothes. Yesterday I went through all of our cloth diapers and got them organized and ready to go. We are slowly getting things together! Of course, we still have bins in our hallway that need to go back into the attic, we still do not have the car seat down, nor do I have a bag packed.....sigh. So much to do! Tomorrow I hope to gather a list of snack ideas safe for Mara-just to make it easier on whoever gets to watch them. I also hope to throw some dinners together as well. Tomorrow will be one busy day!

I will post some photos soon of the girls and all their activities. I also want to post an update on them as well-they are both changing so much!

We had a very busy weekend. Greg celebrated his birthday last Friday. We bought him an apple tree, which he loved. Mara actually came up with the tree idea, and Analese decided it had to be an apple tree (the girl is addicted to apples). Then Saturday Greg and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary. Hard to believe it's been five years already! Friends of ours watched the girls for us while we went out to dinner, which was really nice. Their son is around Mara's age, and they were in the same class together so we see them often. The girls had a blast! Then Sunday we welcomed home Greg's sister and her family. They moved to Italy two years ago, and now are home to stay. It was so nice to see them all again.

Happy anniversary sweetheart!
Looking forward to many more............

34 weeks and check-up news

2008-06-03T14:23:00.004-04:00

It's odd to think I will be 34 weeks tomorrow. I still haven't quite accepted the fact that there will be another baby in the house soon...I feel like I need to mentally prepare but then just do not have the time to do it!

I had my check-up today. When I mentioned how much lower pressure I have been feeling off and on, she offered to check me in order to see if my body was actually doing anything. Well, it seems that it is! I am 1 centimeter dilated and 70% effaced. She told me how they would like the baby to hold off until at least 37 weeks, and warned that they may want to put me on meds to slow things down. Right now she wants me on a "modified bedrest" taking it extra easy and calling if I continue to feel this pressure.

So we will see....right now I am not too concerned, as I have always been at least 1-2 centimeters dilated the first time they check me at 36 weeks. With Mara they still had to break my water at 39 weeks, as I was 6 centimeters dilated, 100% effaced and no labor in sight. They started to become concerned I wouldn't make it to the hospital in time (I have had fast labors with both). The only concern I have right now is that I never had this pressure before, nor has the baby ever been this low.

She wants to now see me weekly, so we'll see how next Monday's appt goes!

Of course, rest is the last thing on my mind right now....as we have SO much to do beforehand!

How low can you go....

2008-05-29T15:40:00.010-04:00

The baby has officially dropped a few days ago.

On Monday, I felt fine. Then Tuesday morning came, and as soon as I woke up, I felt that the baby had dropped. Looking in the mirror, I thought I looked lower but wasn't too sure. But then getting the girls to school became quite painful-the lower pressure felt like the baby's head was in-between my legs (nice visual, isn't it?) Climbing up the stairs to get to class-holding Mara, a diaper bag, purse and another bag full of paperwork was excruciating. As soon as I walked in, a friend of mine said "oh my, look at you! You are carrying much lower now, aren't you?" and the girl's teacher looked up and told that I looked "very pregnant" today.

So at least it's not just me.....I'll have Greg take new photos tonight and you can tell me what you think!

Tuesday was a tough day, and we have a ton of activities planned this week. Yesterday I canceled our park playdate, thinking I would take it easy instead. WRONG! The girls and I ended up doing some major cleaning and I ended up moving the furniture around in the living room and dining room....I think the nesting has begun!

But overall I felt fine, and last night the girls and I spent 2+ hours outside, just playing on their playset and hanging out. I didn't do too much activity, mostly just watching them play. We came in for dinner and after eating, I went to get up and the pressure I felt was unbelievable! I made it to the couch and just had to lay there for awhile....Greg had to get the girls to bed, I just couldn't move.

Today we had art class. It is absolutely beautiful outside so we had class outside, under a big cherry tree. So nice. The class was using shaving cream, so I had brought in some of Mara's soap and we blended it in the blender for her. It worked out great and she loved it. I think she preferred being on her own separate mat, away from everyone else.

We are still having issues with Mara's cough and breathing. Over the weekend, it was horrible, to the point where she was gasping for air. Even just her breathing in general seemed off. But then by Tuesday she seemed to be getting better, so we didn't take her in. Then yesterday, they were playing tag and Mara began coughing again and had to sit for 10-15 minutes in order to calm it down. Now today her breathing seems off again and she's in there snoring....

Analese has been breaking out all around her mouth, which we believe is from drinking milk. We have cut out all dairy except a 1/2 glass in the morning and the occasional yogurt. Yesterday she had an extra glass of milk in the afternoon and her eczema-like rash spread all over her cheeks. We want to cut dairy out completely to see if their improvement-we just have to talk her into it! She doesn't like Mara's hempmilk, so I may see if she prefers rice milk instead.

As you can see, there is always something going on with the girls and these allergies! Although Mara might just have a respiratory thing going on, one can only hope!

I have a ton of photos from our week, I'll try and post them today. We went to a Sustainability Fair over the weekend and helped out in the children's tent, which the girl's school was sponsoring. It was so fun! The girls got to do some weaving of yarn through sticks, and paint a mural. The best part about the fair was that we knew so many people who were there working in different booths. It was so fun to take a walk and stop in to visit everyone :)

So another busy week for us! I have been working hard at getting the bookkeeping set up for school, as well as getting the website together. I am really starting to feel that "need" to get things in order so that I will have some time just to relax when this little one decides to come. Time is going by so quickly! This was supposed to be the girl's last week of classes, but their teachers decided to offer another 3 weeks of classes free because the children were enjoying it so much! Have I mentioned how much I love their school? I do worry that the girls will go through some type of withdrawal once the baby comes and we won't be getting out for awhile. A friend of mine just reassured me that she plans on bringing her son over to help out, and keep the girls entertained, which they'll love.

Tomorrow we are going to the petting farm-the girls are so excited! Then tomorrow night, their school is having a "chicken sculpture making party" with a potluck. I am excited to see what we can come up with :) This weekend should be a busy one, as my hope is that our room will be done and closer to being ready for this baby...wish me luck!

32 weeks, and oh so tired....

2008-05-21T14:58:00.011-04:00

Sorry it's been awhile once again. I can't seem to find the time to write anymore, nor do I have much desire to be on the computer lately. Still a little burned out from school, I suppose!

The girls and I have been busy-very busy these days. In a way, I feel like I need to do all of these things with them since I will need some recovery time when the baby comes. The girls have been loving all the activities, which then pushes me to do even more. It's been great, but today we stayed home and that was even greater! Even the girls seemed to enjoy it, as I was talking to a friend of mine on the phone and Analese said "today is a stay home day-we are NOT going anywhere!".

One thing that has kept us pretty busy is the girls' new learning classes. It's hard to explain just how perfect and exciting these classes are, but I'll try. The learning approach is based on the reggio emilia approach, which believes in a child-directed approach to learning. On our first day of class, the teachers sat with me and asked me what my goals were for each child in the program (learning to cooperate/interact with peers and other adults) what each girl likes, dislikes, etc. Parents are encouraged to participate in every aspect of the program, and most stay during their child's class time. Right now I have the girls in the learning class on Tuesdays for 2 1/2 hours and an art class for an hour on Thursdays. I do try to kind of hang back during their Tuesday class, as my goal is for them to become more comfortable around their classmates and their teachers. It seems to work out well. Mara will play and participate for awhile and then she wants me to "hold you" and kind of shut downs and just watches. Analese has been loving all the attention and has become quite the ham! It's so funny to see, and I can't help but think about how no one else could hold her or even look at her for the first 13 months of her life!

Anyway, the class is amazing and the space is amazing! Our meeting place is in the loft of a barn on a working farm, where they are worked hard at fixing it up into this magical place that gives such a feeling of warmth. You cannot help but feel right at home as soon as you walk in there. They even have a huge tree branch hanging above the circle area-covered in different lights and mobiles. Downstairs, we have baby chicks growing, and outside...wow, where to begin? They have a larger chicken coop (where we buy fresh eggs!) a pond stocked full of fish and tadpoles, a huge garden with a space for us to plant. It's just exciting, and the girls learn so much just from the experience of being there.

Just some examples of how the whole "child-directed approach" has worked:

Analese found a patch of violets outside and was sitting there, picking them. Her teachers helped her bring them back upstairs, where they helped her pick out a ribbon to tie them up and got them in water. Afterwards, they sat down in circle and made up a poem about the flowers she had picked. They then wrote down the poem, saying each letter as they wrote it. Analese then colored below it, as well as adding a few letters of her own :)
Analese has an interest in measuring, and the children were given their own ruler with their name on it. They take the rulers with them when they go to see the baby chicks, and have been "measuring" them each week and charting it onto a graph.
Because of the children's love for music, they were each given their own recorder, which they play for the baby chicks and the fish in the pond. I love to hear them play-especially Mara, who hums quite loudly while she blows :)

Anyway-I could go on and on....as I feel very passionate about this! It has also been nice to become involved with so many families who are so like-minded. We had a "block-making party" last Friday, where one parent had cut out pieces of wood and we (OK, the husbands mostly) sanded them and got them ready for the children to play with. We had a potluck dinner, just talking while our children all played around us...we had such a good time that we plan to do this once a month from now on! What's amazing to me is seeing the girls become so comfortable around so many people! I watched Analese tackle another father, Mara trying to tell another mom a story....it just warms my heart and reassures me that they are getting so much out of it.

Of course, the cost of the program is always a consideration for us, and our original plan was to only enroll Analese in the Fall. But now I am not so sure, as Mara is gaining so much as well. They do allow bartering with services, which we are doing our best to take part in. I am currently designing their website, which allowed me to enroll the girls in art class for free, and I just became their bookkeeper, which will hopefully help with this Fall's tuition. I do worry, though, about overextending myself-as Greg predicted I would, especially with the baby coming soon. I do find myself becoming so much more tired these days, and I haven't been able to get much done after the girls are in bed, as I am ready for bed myself! I am still having lots of hip problems and have spent the past 2+ weeks sleeping on a recliner out in the living room. I keep attempting to find a position in bed but just can't without pain. Ugh, I miss my bed!

It's shocking to think I am 32 weeks already! Only one more appointment before I start going weekly and my internal exams begin. That just seems so close! We still have so much to do, and hoping this weekend will provide us more opportunities to actually get some things done!

That about sums up our May so far! We have had a few unfortunate episodes with Mara-she reacted to ham that she had at Greg's sister's house and suffered from diarrhea and poor appetite for over 2 weeks. She has now developed a very "croupy cough" which only appears at night, but its scary to hear her coughing and gasping for air. Last night she slept in our bed so that I could keep an eye on her.
Analese is still suffering from allergies, and we are doing what we can for her. We started her on raw, local honey, as research has shown that could help minimize allergy symptoms. So we shall see! It's been rainy here, which has helped her (not me, as molds are my worst allergen).
Hope your all enjoying some warm weather!

Finals, Date Night, and Allergies...

2008-05-12T15:30:00.013-04:00

OK, so I thought I would have more time once school was over with! It's been a crazy week, but hopefully this week will go better. Finals are done and over with-yeah! I am still waiting on grades and such, but I really don't care at this point. Whatever will be, will be!

My date night with Greg went well. I feel like I should explain why we haven't been out in so long, as we are not complete losers :) It's just been difficult-for one, we couldn't go out to eat due to all the restrictions I have been on while nursing Mara. Movies are out, as my husband cannot stay awake if he isn't moving. Going out for drinks is out because of the being pregnant/nursing thing again. Plus...it's hard to find a babysitter! We live at least an hour away from all family members, and most would rather us drop the kids off with them then drive all the way out here. This honestly makes me a bit nervous with Mara-I would rather have someone here so that only her food is here. Our close friends all have kids younger then ours, so its hard for them to come to the house (although a few friends and I have been working on a babysitting coop among the three of us)Plus-there's the added bonus that the girls bedtime routine is very fixed, so having someone else put them to bed would subject them to too much stress (for the babysitter AND the girls).

So that's why we haven't been out. But I will say that we have had many "dates" at home after the girls go to bed. We play games, eat a late dinner, watch a movie (OK-I watch, Greg sleeps). The connection is there, and that's the most important thing. We both know that this is only one short moment in our lives-we have plenty of time for dates out when the girls get older.

OK-so anyway....the wedding was beautiful. Has anyone watched "Ace of Cakes" on Food Network? They are the one's that made the wedding cake, and it was beautiful! They filmed the bride and groom seeing it for the first time, but that was before any guests were there (so no tv appearance from us!) I was so tired, and ready to leave around 9. My feet were so swollen-I had no ankles and my shoes suddenly looked so tiny as my feet were pouring out of them. People were shocked to see them, I just had to laugh. As much as I had wanted to leave, I hung in there a bit longer as the groom was a childhood friend of Greg's and so there were many people there that he hadn't seen in awhile. We began to leave around 10:15 and actually got out the door around 11. We got to Greg's parent's house around 11:30 to pick up the girls and they both greeted us at the door :) We told Katie not to worry about sleep-if they do great, but if they didn't, that was fine too (did I mention the fixed bedtime routine?)

Last Sunday I took the girls outside and we played for several hours. The pollen count in our area is crazy high right now-I think NPR said it was 2000% higher then normal right now! I was brushing the pollen off the swings just so the girls could sit down and not be covered in yellow. Anyway- after we went inside, Analese and I started having lots of sinus pressure, nose and eyes watering, etc. Analese developed a yucky cough-I felt like her lungs were filled with pollen. We were miserable most of the week-I kept the girls home from school and everything Tuesday just to give Analese a break. Every time we went outside, she started coughing again. I hate that everything goes right to her lungs. Anyone with some natural ways to minimize outdoor allergies, please give them to me! I hate the thought of medicating her, but we cannot stay inside all summer!

So that was our week! For Mother's Day we took the girls down to the D.C. Zoo-even though the weather was supposed to be rainy and highs were only in the 60s. We lasted almost 4 hours before the rain turned into a downpour and we had to leave. The girls got to get right up close to the Giant Panda-it was literally on the other side of the plexi-glass eating bamboo ("making a mess" as Analese has been telling everyone)

Here are some photos of our week! We were busy-playdates, a trip to the Aquarium, art class, and some free time outside (the highlights were puddle jumping and playing with clay) Enjoy-and I hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day!

I will update again soon, as I have "new and improved" belly shots to post :)

Tick, tick, tick, tick...

2008-04-29T16:07:00.012-04:00

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!

My Flower Told me to...

2008-04-22T21:48:00.005-04:00

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!

26 weeks and Dancing.....

2008-04-08T21:28:00.005-04:00

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!

Uno and its wonderful lessons....

2008-04-04T15:51:00.002-04:00

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!

25 Weeks!

2008-04-01T21:37:00.002-04:00

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!

Easter Weekend Highlights

2008-03-28T22:48:00.017-04:00

So I am finally getting around to posting! I thought I had better get on this before summer comes.

I am happy to say that keeping Mara up an extra hour has done wonders! The first night we did it, she slept from 9:30-6:30 without waking up! Last night she slept 8:30-7 and then slept another hour in bed with me. It is amazing. Hopefully-by just continuing the "hour up" routine and being strict on her diet, we will all be catching up on some sleep for awhile!

Here are some photos of our week:

First was the Easter Egg Hunt on Thursday with my parenting group. It was so cold outside-with wind gusts up to 40+ mph. But it was still fun! They filled the eggs with money and slips of paper that they could turn in for things like stuffed animals, coloring books, bubbles, etc. Very nice!
The girls were tired from all of this no sleep, so there were lots of tears. Analese had an especially hard time, and was either crying or demanding one thing or another-foot stomping and all!

But we survived :)

I know I have mentioned this before, but it's interesting the response that Analese gets from parents whose children are younger-such shock at her emotion! And the parents with older children? Don't even look her way :)

On Saturday: DYING EGGS!!

Do you think she is excited?

Sunday morning: Egg Hunt and Baskets

Found one!

The girls enjoyed their baskets full of art stuff, books and
Mara loves her new rain boots! She wears them every day, and I am looking forward to the next rainfall so we can test them out :)

Sunday afternoon: Going to Aunt Charlotte's House

aren't they both just beautiful?

The Egg Hunt:

So that was our day! I will admit that Easter is becoming a difficult holiday for us-much like Halloween in the amount of candy being pushed onto our children. When you have a child with food allergies, this is a nightmare! We do not give our girls candy, but do not refuse to let them have it if it is offered to them (or to Analese, I should say) This year we did find some jelly beans and gummi bears that Mara could have so that she wouldn't feel left out. That is always my fear for her, because as she gets older, there is going to be more and more things that she will miss out on. We hope that she may outgrow some of her food issues, but do not want to sit and wait for this to happen. I would rather be pleasantly surprised :)
The big family Easter hunt was a major stressor for me, as I wanted Mara to be able to participate and just have fun...without feeling singled out by having to only look for certain eggs or be limited to a certain section. That did not happen this year, as we brought metallic eggs filled with Mara-safe things and I had to trail behind her and throw out the eggs she picked up that she couldn't have. It worked this year-I hope we can find a better solution next year, as she will be older and wiser :) I have been told by many "that its just one day"....but remember what that one day was like as a child? I want both my girls to experience such excitement, and to never feel left out of things. There are plenty of other days for that....it shouldn't be like that with family.
Anyway, I wanted to get these posted. I have so many posts started, and will try to finish them soon! This weekend will be filled with studying once again, as another web design project due. Only a month left of school!

Have a great weekend everyone!

The Break

2008-03-25T22:15:00.003-04:00

Sorry for the leave of absence, which was much longer then I had expected. I had a "break" from school last week, but also had two big projects due yesterday...so not much of a break! I cannot believe I only have about a month left of school, and then a much needed break until September!

Mara has been the biggest cause of my absence. We are starting to believe that her reflux may be coming back, as she is once again having major sleep issues, waking up anywhere between 6-10 times a night. Yes, thats 6-10 times a night, which comes out to be about once an hour. She wakes up just screaming, her whole body tense and then she goes limp...she barely wakes up anymore (although we are not so lucky). I am exhausted, as I run into her room as soon as I hear her in hopes of preventing both girls from waking up. Isn't this the time when I should be catching up with some sleep in order to prepare for those long nights of newborn feedings?

So we are making some changes to see if we can help her sleep better, and are watching her diet once again. I have a feeling it has to do with the flatbread she loves...it has bits of dried onion in it, which we usually try to avoid with her (as it causes her eczema to flair up) but let her have it now and then. Last week she ate a bit too much of it, as she loves it with this chicken salad I made for her. I hope thats it anyways! It could also be due to just having the stomach virus just causing her digestive system to become all screwy once again. Who knows!
We have also changed our dinnertime, pushing it to earlier so that she can be up for one hour before we start our bedtime routine. The longer she is upright, the better chance she'll have to digest and keep the food down.
Of course, if this doesn't work, we'll have to figure something else out soon. We all need to get some sleep soon.

Anyway-just a little explanation as to where I have been! Analese is sick with a head cold right now that is quickly moving to her chest, so she has been keeping me busy as well :)

I hope your holiday went well, and you were able to spend some quality time with your family! I will hopefully be able to post about ours tomorrow with some photos :)

Happy St PINK's Day!

2008-03-17T21:26:00.002-04:00

That is according to Ms. Analese, who wants nothing to do with the color green! As I tried to explain what today was, she kept saying "no, no, no...PINK, PINK PINK. It's Happy St. Pink Day!"

I thought she was rather clever.

Thanks for all the well-wishes, as Analese and I were able to escape this nasty stomach virus. Mara was hit pretty hard...just when we thought she was on the mend, the vomiting would begin again. Monday night she blessed me by vomiting right in my face. So not fun, and I still can not believe I didn't vomit right back on her!

After all that vomiting, she refused to eat. Anything. It took her 3 days of no vomit and no food before she began swallowing the food she put into her mouth. I kept her fluids up, but the last thing we need is our Mara to not eat!

Anyway, I am really behind, as Mara has become very attached to her mama these days. I am once again getting used to doing things one-handed! Night-time has been hard, and she has been up every few hours just yelling out for me until she ends up in our bed. It's funny, one night I told her how mommy really needed to get some sleep that night, and how I needed them to both sleep until morning. Well, Mara was up her now usual times, but yelled for "Daddy" every time. We couldn't help but laugh :)
So this is short, as Greg is in there now putting the girls to bed, and all I hear is "Mommy" over and over again.....so I am sure to get a visitor soon! Hopefully I will be able to catch up with everyone in the next few days!

The Invasion

2008-03-10T22:53:00.002-04:00

Our home has been invaded.

With

the

stomach

virus.

Mara was the first to get it. Saturday night we were driving home when she began vomiting in her carseat. Of course, our first concern was that she ate something she shouldn't have at the reception we had left. That is the downside of food allergies! It turns parents into very paranoid people :)

But as it dragged on into Monday, we suspected a virus, which was later confirmed when we learned that her playdate buddy on Friday is also sick with the same thing. I felt bad, because we were so relieved to finally have some reassurance!

Anyway, tonight Analese and I went to a meeting about a homeschooling co-op starting up, and I came home to one hysterical little girl and her pukey daddy.

It is going to be a very long night, and even longer day if he is still sick tomorrow! Have I mentioned that my darling husband does not handle illness very well?

Of course I have a ton of schoolwork to do....please cross your fingers that Analese and I are able to stay healthy!

I'll be back when I can.....

Random Photos- Our Week so Far

2008-03-06T15:46:00.006-05:00

Monday's weather was beautiful!
Sisterly Love at the Park.

Tuesday : Sunny but very Windy
My sweet kitty, enjoying some rays

Wednesday: Very Windy and Rainy
One grumpy little girl with a head cold.
This is the position she takes if she knows I am getting a tissue :)

And Thursday: Beautiful, sunny spring day
Our last art class involves playing with shaving cream.
Mara leaves class- head to toe in hives.
No photos of that!

Pregnancy Flipouts and Awards!

2008-03-04T22:58:00.005-05:00

Thanks for listening and helping me through my very first pregnancy flipout! Well, OK, the first flipout that I have actually posted about! You have to love all the lovely hormones coursing through your body and all its magical power over your ability to think rationally :)

I do want to clarify that being a perfect mother is never a worry for me....I already missed that boat a long time ago! I don't want to be perfect, as I think it teaches the girls more to see my imperfections and how I deal with them (Danielle-I think you wrote a post about that, which I totally agree with). I do think that just my overall stress helped contribute. As I thought about it more, I realized exactly what the triggers were. Analese, my sweet intense child, has been having such strong emotional outbursts lately, and some days it seems like all my energy has gone towards helping her get through them. When I think about what it will be like when the baby comes and I am more limited, I do worry that I won't be as available to her as much as I am now. We seem to be making some progress in helping her through, so I am hopeful that this will not be as much of an issue in the next few months....not like it is now.

But we are seeing improvements. It's funny, she will "guide" Mara when she is upset, just as I often guide her. I heard her telling Mara "See, look! You used your words and NOW I understand why your sad. Good job Mara! Now I can help you!"

Of course, Mara, being the younger sister, knows all the right buttons to push and boy, does she pus them! I have been helping Analese to understand this-that Mara just wants her attention, and that if she walks away, Mara will come to her. This morning Analese was trying to ask Mara if she wanted to play a game with her, and Mara just sat there, refusing to look or acknowledge her. I was so proud of Analese, who, after asking Mara several times to look at her and getting more and more upset each time, did take a moment to step back with me and talk about what Mara was doing. She then told Mara (with no prompting from me) "Mara, I am trying to give you attention, but your not listening. I will not talk to you until your listening ears are on!" and she stormed out of the room! Mara quickly followed and they then started playing Analese's game.

I wanted to finally acknowledge and pass out some awards! This first award I have received is from JO-N a few weeks ago (again, sorry its taken me so long). I am a new reader to her blog, and have really enjoyed her discussions on children and parenting.

I think it is so cute! I would like to pass this on to my lovely sister Chris, who is going through some major changes right now with a big move to Colorado in the next few months! I hope this brings some cheer into your day!

My next award if from Autumn, whose blog I highly recommend you go check out! I have recently discovered her blog, and have enjoyed getting to know her. She is an amazing photographer too! Thanks again!

I would like pass this award onto another sister of mine...Lorrie! Lorrie is about as real as you can get, and I love that her blog is such a true reflection of that. She has such love and devotion to her three children and it shows in every post, and such a great sense of humor (I get the giggles every time I see your exercise chart!)

So my two projects are completed, turned in and I do not have much to complete this week! Yeah! I hope to spend it playing catch up though. We have decided on some of the changes in order to help me get some more studying done, but I'll get into that tomorrow!

Do Butterflies Have Butts?

2008-02-29T09:23:00.007-05:00

(I overheard Analese asking Greg this so seriously as he was helping her get ready for bed. It definitely made our night!)

Sorry it has taken me so long to post this week. All of my late studying and sleepless nights are catching up with me, and I had to take a break. I took a few days off of all things computer-related, which definitely helped me get over the feelings of burn-out that were starting to emerge. (Which is a good thing, since I just spent the weekend back on the computer, studying away!)

But I am starting to realize that I just cannot keep going on at this pace, especially as the pregnancy progresses. My workload has been especially tough, and I have to try and figure out a way to achieve my goals without completely killing myself. That is my goal over the next few weeks, and I really hope to find a solution soon. Any "free-time" I have goes to studying, and yet I feel like I just keep slipping further behind.

I feel like my whole life is falling behind, if that makes any sense.

So, anyway, my doctor's appointment went well. I knew I had gained weight this month, but was shocked to learn that I had gained SEVEN pounds! Yikes. I am not one to really worry about my weight, as I have always been underweight my whole life. But the seven pounds does bother me. I think it has more to do with me being stressed and not being able to exercise as much as I normally would. It makes me feel very frumpy, and I cannot wait for better weather so the girls and I can go walking on the trails and hiking through the woods. It brings a smile to my face just thinking about it!
I also learned that I tested positive again for the Group B Strep Infection. I was negative with Analese and positive with Mara, requiring me to have antibiotics during labor. They usually do not test you until the end of your pregnancy, but I thought I had a UTI last month and was tested. My doctor told me that I would need to have meds again at this labor, but I further researched this and saw that there is a chance I will test negative later on. Let's hope this is the case! I hate the thought of exposing my baby to antibiotics right away, and wonder if this could have contributed to all of Mara's digestive issues, since it wiped out all of her good flora (but then I also have lots of different theories as to why Mara has so many food issues!)

My appointment was scheduled at 2:15, right when the girls were due for a nap. Never again. They made it through most of the appointment OK, just a few tears from Analese. Then afterwards, out in the waiting room, meltdowns began. I had to schedule my next appointment, and Analese started demanding something out of my bag....foot stomping and everything! Things like that do not embarrass me-it gave those waiting some entertainment :) The receptionists thought it was hysterical, especially when she hissed " I DON"T LIKE YOU TALKING TO PEOPLE!"

Our next appointment will be first thing in the morning.

We then had our ultrasound the next day. The girls were so excited. Our technician was new, so we unfortunately ended up being there for over an hour. One hour in a small, dark room was a bit too much for them, but they entertained themselves very nicely. At first I tried hard to just concentrate on the screen, to focus on this little one dancing around wildly. But the giggles next to me kept pulling me in, and my focus was diverted many times to my silly monkeys tickling each other's toes. It's funny, at first I felt bad about this, like I was once again putting this baby to the side. I think that is my biggest fear with adding number three into our family....that someone is going to get slighted. I worry about what kind of mother I will be....will I still be able to focus on each child and give them the attention they need and deserve? My biggest fear is that I will fail, because if I fail, I will have failed them. That is just so scary to me.

There has been a lot floating around in my head lately, and I think I really just needed to take some time and figure out what exactly I am fearing. I am so excited to meet this baby, there are no fears about that. I think it comes down to balancing it all, and being successful at it. This has been on my mind a lot lately, but this week also helped me see things a bit more clearly. I have been so worried that I just would not have time to give everyone the one-on-one they need. But then, I started to pick up the simple moments happening throughout our week. Like the time Mara and I sat and waited for the washing machine to complete its cycle. It supposedly had "one minute"left, yet we probably sat in front of it for almost 10. We giggled each time it slowed down, only to begin spinning once again. She sat in my lap, and we cuddled on the floor of our laundry room. A perfect moment.

And the time Analese and I sat whispering to each other in her room while Mara was asleep. She couldn't sleep and wanted me to rub her head...and then kept remembering that she had to tell me something.
These are the moments that remind me that it will be OK. We'll find our time, I have to trust that.

And last but not least, here is the latest shot of our baby! This little one was moving throughout the entire ultrasound, so she had a difficult time getting photos.

It amazes me just how much I can see Mara right here. I wanted to find Analese and Mara's ultrasound photos to compare, but I'll have to save that for another post!

I have two awards to acknowledge and give away-hopefully I will get to that tomorrow.

Hope you all had a good weekend!

My Little Sunshine

2008-02-27T09:12:00.008-05:00

One of those nights = one of those mornings.

After going to bed around 1 this morning, the girls took turns waking up at 2, 3 and 5. Mara ended up in our bed around 6, and Analese was up for the day at 6:30.

I feel exhausted and completely drained.

I drag myself out of bed, slowly pealing Mara's little arms off my arm. Thankfully she rolls over and continues her snooze. Most days I am not so lucky!

Fortunately for me, Analese is also a slow riser. Just like her mama. She snuggles with me on the couch as she watches a show and drinks her milk. I sip on my smoothie, praying for some energy and dreading the fact that this down-time will not last for much longer.

Just as I had expected, yells from the other room let me know its over. As I go into my bedroom, I am greeted by my youngest, eyes still sleepy and fighting to stay open. As I climb into bed, she pops her paci out of her mouth and begins trying to tell me something-hands flaring and animated. Oh, how I wish I knew what she was trying to say (and for just an ounce of that energy!) Perhaps she is telling me about a dream she had, or her plans for the day....

Sister climbs into bed, and Mara greets her as she does every morning-with a loud "HI!" and a cheerful wave. Such excitement! It never fails to bring a smile to my face.

Mara is pure sunshine. Every morning. She wakes up smiling and happy. Always. This is no slow riser, as she is ready for an adventure the very second her eyes begin to focus.

Oh, she'll come and sit on the couch with us sleepyheads. She snuggles long enough to guzzle down her hemp milk, and then she is off. This morning, Analese and I laughed as we listened to our Mara in her bedroom sing at the top of her lungs to the music in her cd player.

Ten minutes later, the television is turned off and the dress-up bin is out. I no longer have two little girls, a princess and a butterfly have emerged and begin to dance.

As I started breakfast, I thought about how tired I was just an hour before...how I sat there, dreading the start of the day.

Thank goodness for my little sunshine. Knows just how to motivate, and knows just how to put things into perspective.

It's going to be a great day :)

I'll try and post later about my doctor's appointment and ultrasound!

Monday and some changes

2008-02-25T08:21:00.006-05:00

I hope everyone had a good weekend! Did you do anything exciting? I spent the weekend as I have spent most weekends...studying. This semester is really killing me with the enormous workload, but knowing it is half over already puts a smile on my face! I am not going to attempt summer classes with the babe coming, so after May 3rd my brain will get a break until September.

On Saturday we took a drive to bring bunny to her new home. I was surprised and relieved that we were able to bring her so quickly. The bunny rescue gave me contact information for a foster family an hour away, and he thankfully got back in touch with me quickly and was very willing to help us. They were a very nice couple, and they told us stories of some other bunnies they had rescued, and some that they were trying to rescue. He was surprised at how tame our little bunny was, and thought she was just as sweet as we did :) She really was, and if we could have, I would have easily kept her. Having raised two rabbits, I know all the work they require and we just do not have the time or space right now.
The girls were OK with everything until it was time to leave. As we were walking back to the car, Mara burst out crying (which in turn set Analese off as well) She kept yelling "bunny back!" over and over again. It was definitely hard for her to understand, at least with Analese we could reason with and explain why we weren't keeping her. I just kept telling Mara how happy our bunny is going to be with 4 other bunnys to play with.

I had mentioned before that we have had some changes occur in our household. I have to admit to being very stressed out lately-stressed with schoolwork, house stuff, and all of the projects that we must do before baby #3 comes. It's all been overwhelming to me. I think the biggest stressor has been the lack of sleep, since I have been up studying until 12-1 every night and then getting up with the girls around 7-7:30. Add the fact that my back has been bothering me at night so the sleep I have been getting hasn't been very, uh, restful.

So one day I decided that things had to change. For all of us. One such change occurred last weekend, when we moved Mara into Analese's room. We have always wanted the girls to share a room, as I believe that it teaches a certain level of cooperation that is important for both girls to learn. Analese has been all about "mine!" lately.."my room", "my toys", etc. etc. and while I know it is age-related, I also wanted to change this.

I was also hoping this will help Mara as well, as she still needs someone with her to fall asleep, and she does so much better sleeping with us. We then plan to turn Mara's old room into their playroom-bringing the playroom from downstairs upstairs. This will allow us to use their old playroom to store furniture and such while we renovate the downstairs. I really hope that Greg is able to start on that soon...he seems to be dragging his feet a bit, but work has also been stressful for him during the week.

Anyway-the move has been so much better then I could have expected. The girls were excited about it, as we kept stressing that we thought they were now old enough to share a room together. Analese was quick to point out how she gets to share a room just like "Mommy and Daddy do".
Here are some pics of the big move:

I still have to do a few more things to finish the room-and the playroom, so I'll post some pictures when I am finished! They are cozy, but haven't seemed to mind (especially with their playroom being just next door).

It's funny, but they have actually been playing so much better these days. Much of it is the age-as Mara is getting older and can participate more in Analese's imaginative play.
The only adjustment we all have had to make is with sleep, as one will frequently wake the other one up. Analese needs a night light and Mara needs complete darkness. So that has been a challenge! But we worked on darkening Mara's side and as much as we could and hopefully she'll adjust. Also-Mara still wants one of us in there as she falls asleep, to which Analese is now the one requesting it :)
So not much sleep-still- in the past week for me, as Analese will wake up from a dream and fall back asleep...but then Mara is now up and I find myself back on their floor at 3 am. I hope this will soon change, as a few more months from now, I may have some issues getting up and down!

So that is one of our changes...I'll try and post more later. Analese is sick with a cold and, as I have mentioned many time before, she does not handle being sick well...such drama :) Mara is currently at the window yelling for bunny. I have a doctor's appointment this afternoon and an ultrasound tomorrow. Can you believe I will be 20 weeks as of tomorrow? More on that later :)

Have a great Monday :)

We Got Her!

2008-02-22T09:08:00.003-05:00

It's funny, I took this photo yesterday to show you how smart this little gal is! She got far enough into the trap to get an apple, but not far enough to set the trap off!

But she was in there this morning! I am so happy, as it is supposed to snow/sleet/rain the next 2 days.
Getting her out of the trap and into the carrier was a bit tough, with her escaping into our garage and Greg having to just pick her up. She is actually pretty tame, showing no fear, and I actually got to pet her.

Tonight she will go into our dog crate, and I am hoping to get to Walmart this morning for some hay and food, with the weather coming, we may have her all weekend. Greg is giving me a hard time about it, but oh well....he is impossible to understand sometimes!

That Waskly Wabbit....

2008-02-19T21:48:00.004-05:00

This has been a week of enormous stress for me.

For so many reasons.

This is one of them:

isn't he cute?

We first noticed him a few months ago. Greg and I were coming home from somewhere, and we saw this little white bunny hopping along the neighbor's lawn. We laughed about it, and Greg mentioned that he was pretty sure it was their bunny, because he had seen a rabbit hutch outside.

Fast forward to last week. Greg had just gotten home from work, so the girls ran to the window to see him. That's when we saw her again, hopping across our lawn.

She has never left.

The poor little gal sits under my van all day long. She (as Analese is quite certain she's a girl rabbit) stretches out on our front lawn, munching on grass and the few flowers we have/had coming up.

One night she somehow got into our fenced in backyard, and almost got eaten by Durango. Luckily, Greg happened to see the bunny as he was letting Durango out, and both ended up chasing her all around the yard as the poor bunny desperately tried to find her way out. Durango would listen when Greg told him to leave it, but would then chase her again because Greg was! What a sight that was, I am sure! Somehow, the bunny got out and seems to have learned her lesson, as she now never leaves our front.

The girls have grown quite attached-especially Mara. She gets upset and tells me that the bunny is "cold". We started feeding her carrots, apples and celery, and it's to the point that the bunny doesn't even run when we go outside....or when Greg comes home.

I have been worried about her. She is/was obviously someone's pet at one time, and I am surprised she has lasted this long on her own. We have so many cats, foxes and hawks flying around...and this little bunny just sleeps out in the grass, completely unprotected and blissfully unaware.

I know its only a matter of time before something does happen to it.

So I have been on a mission. Over the past week, I have contacted 3 wildlife rescue groups, and two rabbit rescues in hopes that someone will take this bunny once we capture her. A friend of mine gave me a live trap to use, but we really couldn't use it until we knew where to take her. With two cats and a dog, we really do not have a safe place inside to keep her, and the garage is no place for her to stay. None of the wildlife groups would take her, as she wasn't considered a wild animal...I kept saying she has been outside for months, but no. I do understand, as they are all nonprofit, all volunteer, with high demand and low funds. Just like every other social welfare group in this country!

Plus, I have the girls to worry about, as Analese keeps asking me why we aren't keeping her. It's been a good lesson, as we researched what bunnies need to be happy, and why she wouldn't be happy with us. We have talked about all the reasons why this little bunny would be happier with someone else, to the point where I feel that Analese really understands. I know its still going to be tough for them to say goodbye, but again, I feel like this has been an important lesson for them to learn.

After stressing out all week and wondering if we were running out of time, I finally got some good news. A Bunny Rescue contacted me back and said they would take her. They are 2 hours away, but are willing to work with me on how to get the rabbit to them.

So now all I have to do is catch her!

I set up the trap today, right next to the van she has been living in. She sat under there watching me the whole time. I covered it up with a towel and put some banana, celery and carrots inside. Greg later covered it up with branches in hopes that would make it more appealing.

This little bunny has been hopping all around it all afternoon, sleeping next to it, etc. Hopefully she will get brave-and hungry tonight and hop inside! Greg is out playing pool, so he will check on it when he gets home. So tonight would be perfect! (you hear that little bunny?)

I really hope we get her soon. It is supposed to snow/sleet tomorrow so it would be nice to get her in a warm place before it starts. The whole thing has been stressful for me, and as Greg reminds me, I am worrying waaaaayyyy to much about this. Hormones or not, I just cannot stand to see an animal suffer, especially one that seems so helpless. Being pregnant just brings it all to the surface, and many surprising tears have been shed over this little gal.

I know I'll feel so much better once I am able to hand her off to this rescue, knowing she now has a "forever home", and will never be abandoned like this again.

We have had some BIG changes in our household this week! I'll post about it when I have more time...school has been overwhelming this week with 2 big projects due AND a sick hubby to boot. Hope your week is going well!

Happy Valentines Day

2008-02-14T15:36:00.003-05:00

My two little butterflies, taking a break from searching for bees

Happy Valentine's day everyone!

Chain o Links

2008-02-12T14:56:00.000-05:00

I was tagged by Autumn for a very easy-to-do tag! Of course it still took me a few days to accomplish :)
So check some out new blogs out when you get a chance!

*Start Copying Here*
I have randomly selected 5 of you below to be tagged and I hope that you will similarly publish this post in your blog. You will have to tag 5 other bloggers and just keep adding on to the list. (Do not replace, just keep on adding! Yes we hope it will be a long list!)
It's real easy!
Tag others and see your Technorati Authority increase exponentially!
The benefits of Viral Linking:

1.One of the fastest ways to see your technorati authority explode!
2.Increase your Google PageRank fast
3.Attract large volume of new traffic to your site
4.Build your community
5.Make new friends!

Linky Love Tag

The Strategist Notebook

Link Addiction

Ardour of the Heart

When Life Becomes a Book

The MalaysianLife

Yogatta.com

What goes under the sun

Roshidan’s Cyber Station

A Mind Forever Voyaging

Don't Make Me Get The Flying Monkeys

Laura Williams Musings

Melissa's Idea Garden

Eve atConfessions of an Everyday Housewife

ChristiS of the Blah Blah Blog

Stephanie at Stop the Ride!

Diane at Soap, Blings & Girly Things
Amanda at Amanda:Mama's Musings

Kristin at An Ordinary Life

Mama Zen at The Zen of Motherhood

Atomik Kitten

The Sassy Southerner
A Room of Mama's Own
Exploring Autumn
Immoral Matriarch: Catechizer
Real Life
Boogiemum

Living and loving every minute of it

Huckdoll

The Daily Rhythm

The Rocky Mountain Retreat
Peace is Every Step
Life According to Lizzy
Following Forward
Boys Rule My Life

The last five blogs are ones I added.
*Stop Copying Here*

Sicko

2008-02-10T15:50:00.000-05:00

So yes, Greg and I are a little behind in keeping up on the latest movies, and we are just seeing the movie "Sicko" now. The movie is directed by Michael Moore, and say what you will about him, our healthcare system in this country sucks.

There is just no denying this, and if you can, just wait until you become sick. I mean really sick.

Of course this was not anything new to me, as Greg and I are up to our ears in debt because our insurance refuses to pay for some of Mara's medical care. Why? Who the h*ll knows, as we never seem to get a straight answer. Our credit has suffered, because we simply do not have the thousands of dollars needed to keep all the hospitals, doctors and lab companies satisfied.

But listening to the stories of what some families have been through...really puts things into perspective. We have a healthy daughter. We have a home and food to eat. We'll get through this.

But the families in this film? They broke my heart.

A mother lost her 18 month old baby girl because the ambulance brought her to a hospital that was "out of network" with her health insurance, and the insurance company refused to approve services, stating that she had to go to another "in-network" hospital. Meanwhile, her daughter-who had a very high temperature- was having seizures! Can you imagine how scary that would be to have to then put your daughter in your own car and drive to another hospital?!? The mother begged the hospital to just treat her daughter but they refused, and ended up escorting her and her daughter out because they were "becoming a threat". The little girl went into cardiac arrest and was pronounce dead at the second hospital.

How is this right? How come there hasn't been a HUGE outcry about this? How come the insurance company AND the hospital were not held accountable for this? Because to me, denying care is responsible for this little girl's death-we'll never know if quick treatment could have saved her. Imagine being that mother and having the "what ifs?" play over in your head for the rest of your life.

I found myself just sobbing.

What has happened to this country, where taking care of others is no longer a priority?

When your medical care is being determined by how much money it will cost?

When your medical care is determined not by your doctor, but by the type of insurance company you have?

It is so scary to live in this country and get sick.

Let's pray that this election will FINALLY bring some much needed change. I guess I just do not understand why we have allowed this to go on for so long.

What has happened to this country?

Family Fun

2008-02-10T15:09:00.000-05:00

We have had such a busy week, and an even busier weekend. I have been studying hard these days, staying up until 12:30-1 most nights this week in an attempt to keep up with my never-ending workload this semester.

So I am exhausted. The girls have been working hard on Valentine projects this week after we made a trip to Michael's craft store and picked up lots of ribbon, foam hearts and flowers, and oh so many stickers. I let the girls pick out what they wanted, as we do not do this often, and we are set for awhile in the art department! The girls have been using glitter on everything! Often to the point that nothing underneath is recognizable :)

Yesterday we had planned to go to an event called "Baby loves Disco"- a fun event to take the girls dancing! Analese was so excited to go, especially since Daddy could come too. I checked out tickets, which were $12.oo a piece, and decided to wait until closer to Saturday before purchasing them...just in case something were to happen and we couldn't go. Friday I went online to buy tickets and it was sold out.

I could have cried.

Analese was devastated, so it was then my mission to find something else fun for us to do. Most things were nixed by Greg, because of how crowded it would be in a Saturday, and the weather wasn't supposed to be great so outdoor activities were out.

THEN I found it. The perfect activity to make my child forget all about dancing......

NEMO!!! The Disney on Ice show was playing downtown, and had an 11 o'clock showing. It was so perfect. Finding Nemo was Analese's first big movie, and she has always loved it. It was also something that Mara could enjoy as well.

So we ended up paying a bit more then we would have dancing, but the show was great! No pictures to show, for I had planned just to use my camera phone so we wouldn't have to haul a camera around, and then forgot it in the car :(

The show was basically the Finding Nemo movie, with some added songs and dances thrown in. Both girls sat memorized the entire time. Analese would crawl onto my lap for some of the scenes, but then would climb back into her seat once it was over. The costumes were beautiful-they had a scene in the beginning where they dimmed all the lights and you could just see the fish costumes glowing in the dark...so beautiful and peaceful!

Afterwards, we took the girls to the one-and only restauraunt where Mara and I could eat. It is a vegetarian place with vegan, soy, and gluten free options. The food is amazing! Both girls were overly tired and barely ate anything. I, on the other-hand, ate almost 2 meals myself since Mara and I were supposed to split them :) Mmmmm, it was soooo good!

The girls never fell asleep on the way home, so we fed them a quick meal and put them into bed. They were asleep by 7:20! It was so nice just to have some downtime. I tried to get some studying done, but Greg and I ended up watching a movie. We watched "Sicko", and I was literally sick just watching how badly our healthcare system is in our country. But I think I will save that an entirely different post.

A great day, but an expensive one!

Growing Taller

2008-02-04T15:28:00.000-05:00

My Analese is always thinking.

I love to just watch her face as she is taking in new information, and now that she is older, hearing her explain this new information in her own words is just priceless.

She has now come to the conclusion that taking a nap will cause her to grow. Every time.

With every nap, she grows taller.

It took me awhile to figure this one out. For the past few weeks she has been asking me to look at her and see how tall she was getting. I never connected it to sleep until a few days ago.

After her nap, she came running down the hall, and throws her hands up in the air with this "ta da!" pose. "I took another great nap!" she said proudly.

Yes, you did. That is great!

"But look at how much TALLER I got in my sleep!" she turns around in a circle so I can really see just how tall she got.

Oh-did you grow while you were asleep?

"YES! Sleeping makes me taller! See? I was standing on my bed to see. I am really tall-that good nap really helped me." She is just so proud of herself, and cannot stop smiling at her own reflection in the glass of our entertainment center.

Then she leans up to me and says "you know, soon I am going to be taller then you Mom!"

Yes, you are probably right about that!

I let out a sigh as she danced around the room. My child is growing up so quickly, in such a hurry to get bigger while I would do anything to keep her small for just a little while longer. I love the innocence that she possesses, her fiery spirit, her enormous heart. I wish I could protect her, to protect these things so special about her.

I know that I cannot. There are some things that I cannot teach her, that only she can learn on her own. I only hope that I can teach her just how important she is-that she will always know what a gift she is to this world.

I love you, my sweet Analese, and I cannot wait to see how much taller you are when you wake up!

Cold and Dreary Friday

2008-02-01T14:27:00.000-05:00

It is a very cold and dreary day outside. We woke up to sounds of sleet hitting our windows, and all I wanted to do was lay in bed and snuggle with the girls.

But of course today would be the day where that just could not happen. I had my OB appointment this morning-the one I had to cancel last Friday, so I really wanted to go. Plus I have been having lots of lower back pain and suspected that I had a urinary tract infection.

Roads were covered in ice and schools were closed. I kept debating back and forth as to whether or not we should venture out in this mess. When I talked to Greg, he told me that the roads were fine, to just be careful.

So we went. Once we were in the car, it was fine. Analese has been having a rough week, so many tears and emotional upsets. She has a cold, but it has gotten much better then earlier in the week. Her mood has just been so, uh, moody! You would think she was the one with the raging hormones. Everything sets her off, and she has been so negative. "I don't like (fill in the blank)" has come out of her mouth so many times, I have decided that she also has to come up with something she does like about whatever she does not like. It's been hard to be consistent with it-as she says it over and over again, but it really seems to help temper her mood when I am. Brainstorming what she likes about something, like Mara's hair, has been a great distraction and helps move us forward.

The doctor's visit went better then I had expected it too. My doctor was out, so the other doctor there was stuck seeing all of her patients and my doctors. So lots of waiting, but the girls and I read books so it was not a problem. Once we got called back and finally into a room, Analese started to get scared. I kept reassuring her, as we had gone over everything that was going to happen, Once the doctor came in, she became more defiant, refusing to sit down on the chair, etc. so I just ignored her so she wouldn't cause too much of a scene.

My appointment went well. I gained another 2 pounds. They told me that I was "severely dehydrated" and that my protein levels were through the roof. I don't know if I agree with the "severely" part, but know I haven't been drinking as much as I should this week. I have an actual due date of July 16th, and I am currently 16w3days. Having so few appointments has really helped move this pregnancy along!

She gave me a slip to get the screening for downs syndrome done, which I declined and she looked at me like I was crazy. I told her it didn't matter,what will be, will be and why stress out about it now. When Mara was born, she had many characteristics of a downs baby, and we had to have genetic testing done in order to find out. It took over a week, and it was such a hard week to endure. It may have been one of the longest weeks of my life. BUT- I never had any doubts about my love for her and knew no matter what the outcome would have been, Greg and I could handle it. It is this knowledge that allows me to turn down all these tests with confidence.

The girls are now fast asleep and I am going to get some much needed studying done! This web design class is freaking me out-is it bad that I got confused just reading the syllabus? And I didn't even understand what programs I needed for this class, and had to google the word "FTP programs" in order to know what it was!

Oh and lastly, I wanted to thank Lizzy for giving me my first blog award! You are very sweet, and it made my day to read all the nice things you said about me! I started this blog as a way to capture stories about my girls and also for me to gain a better perspective about my life. I have been fortunate to also "meet" some great people and read some wonderful blogs :)
I will be passing this award on soon, just need some time to get it all together.

Have a great weekend everyone! We are celebrating Mara's birthday-again, with Greg's family, so we should be pretty busy.

Oh, and one last question....when is it just too late to send out holiday cards? Our "winter cards" are hopefully going out this weekend!

Mama's Magic

2008-01-30T14:56:00.000-05:00

Both girls are miserable,
both have bad colds.
When all they want is their Mama to hold.

So what can Mama do
to turn frowns upside down?

Well, a picnic of course!

Complete with the picnic basket we received as a wedding present that we have never used!

Our menu:

Analese: peabutter on rice cake
whole apple, peeled
peas
flourless peanut-butter cookie

Mara: chicken
peas
raisins
apple slices
snickerdoodle cookie

Mama: chicken salad on a bed of lettuce
flourless peanut-butter cookie

It was successful! Frowns turned upside down,
if only for a moment.
We clicked our plastic glasses and had lots of cheers.
Lots of giggles, and lots of spills

A very dreary day turned out great (for a little while)

The Long Weekend

2008-01-28T10:02:00.000-05:00

Thanks for all the well-wishes and hopes for a virus :)

We are still not sure what is up with our child. She spent Friday laying on the couch, feeling pretty miserable. On Saturday she woke up feeling a bit better, still tired and irritable, but up off the couch and moving around. We still wanted her to rest and drink up, as she was probably still a bit dehydrated, so Greg took her to the movie store to pick out some videos to watch.

Anyway, she seemed on the mend Saturday, even asking for and eating up a tuna fish sandwich for lunch, but then not wanting to eat more then her salad for dinner. We didn't push it too much.

Then came Saturday night. It started off a good night, as the girls were both in bed by 8 o'clock-a rare occurrence these days, and I was able to study AND then watch a movie with Greg. Throughout the movie, Analese woke up a few times crying but we were able to get her back to sleep right away. After we went to bed, she continued to keep waking up. She was pretty disoriented every time I went in there, thrashing around and crying. Once I was able to calm her down, she went right back to sleep. This pattern continued throughout the night, and I had counted 8 times of me having to get up. I woke Greg up to go in there once, but he is such a hard sleeper...much faster for me to just go!

Around 4 am the fun began, as Analese began to once again vomit all over her bed. Mara was in our bed by this time, so Greg stayed and helped her back to sleep. I got Analese cleaned up, the bed cleaned up with new sheets and blankets. Analese was really tired and just wanted the light off so that she could go back to sleep. I got her back into bed, and went downstairs to rinse the sheets and get them in the wash. As soon as I got back upstairs and just two feet away from my bed, I heard her throwing up again! Once again, we got everything cleaned up and I took her out to the couch with me. I set the sofa up with towels everywhere, put a bowl next to Analese and we watched some television until 6 am when she was tired enough to go back to sleep. She was really thirsty, but I waited until 7:30 to give her a sip of water. She seemed to do OK with it, so I continued to give her a sip every 15 minutes. But an hour later she threw it all up again.

Anyway, she spent yesterday on the couch once again, very lethargic. She did not vomit anymore, and we continued to get fluids in her. We do wonder whether it really is a virus or her head, as she was pretty disoriented and confused, and very sensitive to light...becoming really upset when the blind was pushed open a bit. I know having a "headache" is a hard concept for a child to understand, so we have been asking her if her eyes hurt, if it hurts to move her head, etc. but couldn't really get a real answer.

So we'll see how today goes! She is still pretty tired, but did eat some of her muffin this morning. I think the only way we'll really know if this is a virus is if one of us also gets it. Not really sure if I want that to happen.

Quick Update

2008-01-25T17:37:00.000-05:00

Sorry its taken me so long to update you all. My computer has been acting up today-of course!

Greg was at the hospital with Analese until 4 this morning, and she continued to vomit until about 7. We got to sleep from 5-7 and then Ms. Mara was up for the day. The hospital said she either has a concussion or a stomach virus...we're all hoping for the virus. There seems to be a nasty one going around, so hopefully that is it (but one the rest of us do not get!)

Analese is pretty lethargic, not eating and I have been getting her to take sips of water every 15 minutes. Hopefully she'll start to feel better soon, and hopefully we'll get some sleep tonight!

Got to go, but wanted to give a quick update!

Oh what a night....

2008-01-25T00:06:00.000-05:00

I am sitting here waiting to here from Greg. He took Analese to the hospital to have her checked out. She began vomiting a little while ago and has thrown up 7 times in an hour. Because of her head injury earlier today, we are a bit concerned!

I hated to stay home, but we couldn't see waking up Mara so that we could all go. So my job is to continue washing all of her bed sheets, blankets and pillow in order to have to ready for her return. I feel for Greg, as I had explained in my post earlier, Analese does not handle doctors very well. Hopefully they can get in and out quickly so that we can all get some sleep tonight.

I'll keep you all posted with any updates. For now, I will be concentrating on trying to get the smell of vomit out of every room, and out of my hands. I have washed them over and over again, and I can still smell it.

My poor baby. Hopefully I'll hear something soon.

Check-ups and Boo Boos

2008-01-24T16:23:00.000-05:00

We have had a busy week and it looks like we will not be slowing down anytime soon.

Yesterday Mara had her two year checkup yesterday. I was actually looking forward to seeing how much she weighed, as I could feel that she was getting heavier every time I held her. I was disappointed to find out that, now that she is two, they weigh her fully clothed. I asked her if we could weigh her naked in order to have a more accurate weight, but backed down once I saw 2 other families waiting to get weighed...of course I am kicking myself now and plan to call today to see if we just run in and get her reweighed. So anyway, she is now 22 pounds fully clothed, so she probably weighs about 21 pounds or so. She still isn't back on the chart, but doing well on her own chart. I was hoping she would have moved up to zero, but not just yet! She is 33 1/2 inches long, which puts her at the 25% for height.

She needed to get a shot, as we are still playing catch-up since I delayed them all. I had warned Analese beforehand and we had come up with a plan on how she could help Mara feel better by making faces. Well, our plan flew right out the window, as Analese started screaming this high pitched scream as soon as the nurse came in! It was rather comical, for Mara just sat and looked at her. She did cry when she got her shot, which caused Analese to go an octave higher-something I didn't even think was possible at the time! Mara calmed down within minutes....minutes before her big sister did. Fun, fun times :) Do you think that may have been the reason for my headache last night?

Today we had art class, and as we were getting ready to go, Analese came running down the hall and fell into the corner. It was horrible. Her face has a line down it, with bruises and scrapes on her forehead and then her cheek is bruised and swollen. Luckily, she only scraped it as I was expecting to see some big gash on her eyebrow. She still wanted to go to art class, so she iced it the whole way there. Her teacher gave me some natural remedy to put on it, which is hopefully going to help heal it up.
The girls absolutely love their class, and just work quietly the whole time. Today they used paper and glue, with all sorts of materials to use! Both girls really enjoyed using the scissors, which reminded me that we needed some at home! I have been bringing my camera to class, but never have time to pull it out....plus the class gets pretty messy.
The girls did not want to leave, and played quietly while I helped their teacher clean up. When it was time to leave, Analese hid under the table because she did not want to leave!

The art teacher is also in the midsts of planning a preschool class, which I am very interested in. She hopes to have a parent meeting next month about it-I am so excited! We keep going back and forth about what to do with Analese next year....this may be an option.

School started yesterday for me, so I have to get back into a schedule with that. I am taking my last Algebra class, and a class on Web Design. The web design class looks interesting, I cannot wait to learn new stuff.

I have my next OB appt tomorrow, so hopefully it will go well! I am attempting to bring both girls by myself, since it should be a quick appointment. Analese has such a fear of doctors, I am hoping we can get through this one with minimal tears. Wish me luck!

Birthday Weekend

2008-01-22T15:17:00.000-05:00

Mara had quite the birthday weekend! She woke up Friday in such a mood, its almost like someone had filled her in as to what the "stereotypical two year old" should act like! Everything was "Oh, Oh, Oh!" (translation: "No!No!No!")
We still managed to have a fun day anyways :) I still had to make her cake, which had enough drama in itself. The only kind of cake/muffins that Mara has ever shown any kind of emotion towards is banana, so I found a banana pineapple cake recipe in one of my gluten-free cookbooks. It called for two flours that we did not have-potato flour and teff flour. Greg had gone to 3 different natural food stores that week and still wasn't able to get it. So I had to improvise, which I really did not want to do. Using different flours can be tricky, and the wrong choice can leave quite the aftertaste (this I know from experience). But, I chose my flours-rice, potato starch flour, tapioca, and millet and we began our cooking.

The girls had a blast! Analese spent most of the time mixing up the flours for me, as Mara just played with the leftovers from my dump bowl.

The cake looked delicious, so delicious that one of the cats ate a chunk out of it while I was putting/fighting with Mara to take a nap! I just cried, darn hormones, but soon realized that I was flipping the cake over to get it out of the pan so it didn't even matter.

Mara wanted a puppy dog cake, so that is what she got! The frosting took another search to find, but I found one that only used sugar, an egg, cream of tartar and boiling water. I added some vanilla to it for flavor, and it was pretty good!

Here is the finished cake! I used one of Mara's cookies for a nose her fruit snack for a tongue, all natural sprinkles and safe choc. chips. It's not the greatest dog cake ever, but it brought a smile to Mara's face :)

The cake was delicious too! I am so happy...getting better at this food thing!

Here are some photos of the birthday girl blowing out her candles!

Then it was present time! Mara had received a special gift from Aunt Lorrie in the mail. She LOVES the "horsies" and has slept with it every night since! Thanks again Lorrie!

The box it came in was lots of fun too!

We had gotten Mara a dollhouse for her birthday, and I was so excited to give it to her. She loves it even more then I thought she would and has played with it nonstop. The best part about is that the house comes in two pieces, so they can constantly rearrange it and can even play two separate houses. Great for two little girls!

On Sunday we had Greg's parents over for dinner and more cake. The girls had fun showing them all their toys and games. Next weekend Mara will have a birthday party with all of her cousins who also share a winter birthday. I kind of dread the thought of her getting more stuff, but I guess thats what happens when your birthday is right after Christmas :)

Happy Birthday Mara!

2008-01-18T16:09:00.001-05:00

My baby is TWO years old today! It certainly has been one of those days, as I still have to frost Mara's cake (that the cat ate a chunk out of earlier) and fighting quite the headache after our birthday girl decided to fight hard not to take a nap (she lost).

I'll be back when I can, but here are some pics of the birthday girl! I am sure I will have birthday photos later!

Autism Awareness

2008-01-16T21:30:00.000-05:00

If you have a minute, please check out this video. It was done by a band called "Five for Fighting", which is donating $.49 cents to Autism Speaks each time the video is viewed. The funding goes toward research studies to help find a cure.

Be warned: I found myself crying through the whole thing! It is very powerful.

It's a very personal issue for me, as Greg's uncle, and a nephew has been diagnosed with autism. Another nephew is on the spectrum. It's very scary to me, something I think about often while pregnant.

http://www.whatkindofworlddoyouwant.com/videos/view/id/408214

How to teach Respect

2008-01-15T20:55:00.000-05:00

So I am finally getting around to posting my views on the question "Do you spare the rod when it comes to discipline?" My sister Danielle has tagged me with this question a while ago, and well, here it is-finally!

I will admit that I have begun to write this post many times. I have written it many times in my head, but I have been having problems articulating exactly how I feel on this issue. I didn't want to offend anyone, or sound too harsh. But tonight, I finally just said "to hell with it!" and will no longer worry about how it sounds......I am just going to write from my heart.

One of the most important values I wish to instill into my children is respect. Respect for us not only as their parents, but as people as well. I want them to respect each other, themselves, and to ultimately have respect for all things around them.

How do I intend to teach my children how to respect? By modeling it. We respect each other, and we give respect to them. It is really that simple. We use please and thank you just as we would like them to. We do not scream our demands, and we expect the same in return. A common phrase used often in our household is "Can you please rephrase that?" We then either help her to find better words to use, or listen to her come up with her own. This simple phrase works in our household..no yelling, no punishments involved. Demands and disrespectful talk is ignored. We are teaching our girls that treating someone with respect will get you respect in return. Yes, we have our conflicts. We get mad, but dealing with this conflicts effectively helps show our children how to communicate their own wants. And the times we do not deal with our conflicts in a constructive manner? We apologize. To each other, in front of our girls. We are not perfect, and do not pretend to be in front of the girls.

So to answer the question, yes, we spare the rod. I have never been able to come up with a reason nor have I ever read anything that could justify inflicting pain onto your child. Some could argue that your child respects you because you spank them. I would disagree. Spanking does not teach your child respect, it teaches your child fear. Fear of you. I don't care if it's in a "controlled environment" or whether or not you clearly explain to your child your reasons for hitting them. It is bringing a certain level of fear into your household, and clearly affects the trust your child has in you. It can also break down the levels of communication within a household. I have experienced this first-hand. My parents spanked us growing up-not often, but they did. I can remember being very young and keeping things from them, even going as far as to lying if I had to....just so that no one would get in trouble. This is not the kind of relationship I wish to have with my girls.

And exactly what are you teaching your child when you spank them? Are you going to spank them for hitting? It seems kind of hypocritical to me. I will never forget an incident I had witnessed in a Target store years ago. Way before I had children. It involved a mother with her three young children. Her little girl, probably 4-5 years old, was sitting in the front of the cart, and her son, probably about 3 years old, was sitting in the back. An older child was walking with her mother. The little girl kept turning around and making faces at her brother, and the little boy kept whining to her to stop (the whining is what first drew my attention to them in the first place). The little boy then got fed up, got up on his knees and smacked the little girl in the back of the head. As the little girl began to cry, the mother grabs this little boy up and smacks his bottom a few times, saying "WHY ARE YOU HITTING YOUR SISTER?" and plops him back down into the cart. This incident has stayed with me all these years, and I found myself thinking about this over and over again as I was thinking about this post. Hmmm, I wonder why this little boy would use hitting to express his anger at his sister? Isn't that exactly what his mother is teaching him?

Personally, I feel that spanking is not an effective teaching tool. Young children are full of emotion, emotion that can be quite explosive at times. I have a child who screams, hits, cries, kicks, and throws things when she is upset and even the simplest of things (in my eyes) can set her off. Yeah, spanking her a few times could possibly reduce these outbursts, maybe even stop them all together. But again, what am I teaching her? I certainly am not teaching her how to gain control over her emotions, or how to effectively find alternative ways to communicate them. Instead, I am teaching her to suppress them, to bottle them up inside (something us Americans are really good at!) I am teaching her that all of her feelings do not matter to me, only the happy ones.

Parenting is tough, and yes, kids can really learn how to push your buttons. Children are forever testing, pushing the limits to see how far they can go. I find that this usually happens on days when I am feeling overly tired and overly stressed! I do not feel that by not spanking my children, I am spoiling them and giving them no boundaries. There are boundaries in our household. We have rules. I do believe in consequences. When I tell my children no, I do not give in. I can offer them comfort, alternative things, but I do not give in. I feel that is important at this age, even if I start to question it myself! As my girls get older, we will continue to find effective ways to keep communication open with mutual respect for each other. This will not always be easy, but I trust that we will find our way.

Miche does not spare the rod Jo-N wants to be her children's best friend.

Tot's Mom spares the rod and believes in patience.

Huckdoll spares the rod and believes there are more effective yet gentle ways to discipline than spanking.

Kelly at Ordinary Art has a three-step approach that does not always work but leaves tiny tushes mark free.

OhMommy has spanked and never will again.

Amy spanks when necessary.

The Sports Mama found it depended on the individual child and the situation.

LunaNik feels that sparing the rod is bogus and spanking (within reason) is a necessary step in raising respectful children.

Peace is Every Step feels that spanking does not teach children how to be mindful of their actions and practice self control, and is disrespectful to the child.

The Daily Rhythm feels that spanking does nothing but create fear and mistrust between parent and child, and does not teach the child how to effectively deal with their emotions but only how to bottle them up inside.

This is one of those issues where there isn't really a gray area...you usually do or you don't! It wasn't my intention to offend anyone, but that is often hard to do on such emotional subjects like this.
Now...I get to tag some people for such an interesting topic! I choose Lisa, Jen and Chris to take on this subject....I look forward to hearing what you have to say on it!

Here are the rules:

The rules:

1. Post about the topic.

2. Give me the linky love

3. Copy the last paragraph above and add your name and discipline style.

4. Post that paragraph onto your blog, including links.

5. Go to the people you have tagged and leave them a comment to know they are now, it.

6. Sit back and let the comments roll in.

Art Class

2008-01-10T15:23:00.000-05:00

I don't know if I had mentioned this before, but Analese has been really resistant towards going to dance class. It started around the beginning of December, with lots of tears and crying about how she doesn't want to go, fighting me to get dressed, making the whole morning a nightmare. Once she got there, she was OK. No more tears, would participate for awhile and then towards the end kind of tune out because she was tired. After the morning we had, I was tired too!

So right before Christmas I let her stay home, and decided to see if the Christmas break was what she needed. Last week class was set to start again, and once again, she cried. I finally told her that this class was supposed to be fun for her, if she wasn't having fun, then we just wouldn't go anymore.

She smiled and said "Great! We are not going" and ran off to play.

I was torn as to what I should do. I felt like this was the right thing to do, I mean, why drag my child to her dance class every week? This was supposed to just be a fun class for her, since she loves to dance.

I called Greg and told him...he was surprised. At first he thought I should have forced her to go. "Then that means she won", he said.

I told him "Isn't she supposed to win? Isn't it HER dance class?" He could then see my point, and we decided to pull her out. If she wants to sign up next year, we'll try it again.

So with dance class being out, I wanted to find something that perhaps both girls could enjoy. I am happy to say I found it! It is an art class, designed for children 9 months to 4 years old. The instructor is trained in the Reggio Emilia Approach to learning, believing in an holistic way of teaching children.

We were sold. Greg called it "hippie classes" which I thought about today when she told us how each of our energy was now all flowing into one connected unit :)

We went to our first class this morning. The girls had a blast! It was painting, and they painted with potatoes and sponges and fingers. I didn't come as prepared as I should have, and Mara's cream leggings (what was I thinking, going to art class dressing her in cream?) displayed somewhat of a tye-dye look of greens and blues. She kept assuring me that it would come out, but I really did not care. The girls had so much fun, it would have been worth a few stained clothes.
I love the mix in ages. I was a bit concerned that Analese would be the oldest one there, but was pleasantly surprised that there were at least 4 other children her age. The girls loved seeing the babies all covered in paint, and the mom next to us had her 2 month old girl with her, so the girls were excited!
Next week we'll be more prepared in our attire...and hopefully I'll remember my camera!

My baby is growing up..

2008-01-09T15:10:00.000-05:00

In ten days, my baby will be two years old! I still cannot believe it.

Though she is changing in so many ways. Her language has increased tremendously over the past month, now talking in 2-3 word sentences. She is so determined to get her message out, and will resort to body language and charade moves to help us figure it out. My favorite word she says "Sister", which is what she calls Analese.

She is so observant, just like her big sister. She loves games, and really looks forward to Daddy coming home at night so we can all play a game together.

She is also showing us her fiery spirit as well. I have seen some leg stomping and yelling coming out of my sweet baby! But she is still easily calmed down with some hugs...for now.

She is now using the potty. Not consistently, but she has gone a number of times and sat for about hundred more. She can feel when she goes, and becomes all panicky abut getting to the potty. Eventually she'll learn some pre-potty signs to help us get there beforehand!

Another big change, which is bittersweet for me....Mara is beginning to wean. In many ways, I am proud. Proud that we were able to nurse for two years when there was so much pressure to put her on formula with her allergies. I know that this pregnancy has pushed her towards self-weaning, which brings many different emotions. For one, it is a blessing to me in many ways, as it has been very painful for me the past month to have her nurse. There is also the fact that when she is finished nursing, no more food restrictions for me! I have been without dairy and soy for almost 2 years, without gluten for 10 months. I do not necessarily miss these things, what I miss is the opportunity to eat out...maybe Greg and I can on some dates before baby #3 comes? I would also like a break from food restrictions before the baby comes, because chances are high we'll be right back on them when he or she is born.

But I still cannot help but feel sad that this part of our relationship is ending....this afternoon I took her into my room and held her as she drank her hemp milk. She was fine with it, drinking up and then going to sleep. I will admit to crying once I left the room.

It's a good thing, I know. She is doing it on her own terms...I have not and will not refuse to nurse her. So we'll see. One step at a time.....

Sunny and 70

2008-01-08T21:29:00.000-05:00

I think my New Year's resolution should have been to not post often or keep up with other people's blogging.....I would have been successful! Sorry I haven't been around much, I haven't gotten much computer time lately. The girls have been coming into bed with me in the morning (OK, Mara is usually already there) and they watch a show while they drink their milk. Once the show is over, it's TV off and we get up for breakfast. It's been great on limiting their television watching even more-we are down to 30 minutes in the morning and sometimes another 30 minutes in the afternoon. Not too bad! Plus having another 30 minutes to lay in bed half-awake is great for me as well :)

But, my point in all this is that my morning computer time is no more. I could usually get on while they watch their show, but I instead have traded it for sleep. I try and get on throughout the day if the girls are involved in something without me, but its tough. I am sure this will all change in a few weeks once school starts up again. I am taking a web design class, which I am really excited about!

The weather here has been BEAUTIFUL! It has been close to 70 degrees outside, making my resolution to get outside very easy! Yesterday we met Greg's cousin and a friend of mine at the park, and we walked and then hung out at the playground. It was so nice to be outside, and the girls just love their cousin Ryan, who is 9 months old.

Today Analese had speech, but we packed a lunch and headed to a park afterwards. Another fun time! We stayed for a few hours until we had to pick up our food order.

Oh-cute story. After speech, I was helping Mara into her car seat when Analese suddenly just bursts out crying. Once I got her calmed down a bit to understand her, she cries "I FORGOT TO TELL MS. RENEE YOU HAVE A BABY IN YOUR TUMMY!" She was devastated, and was not comforted by the fact that the baby will still be in there next week.

It's been a great two days, but it has been exhausting for me. Once we get home, the girls go to sleep and I clean up from the morning. It's not giving me any down time and by 5 o'clock I am worn out! I will be heading to bed here shortly, once I know both girls are finally asleep.

My tummy is popping out and my belly button is even half popped out! It's funny that it is happening so soon, but I always hear that it happens sooner with each child. I am doing the safety pin trick on my jeans, and living in sweats when I am home. I told Greg that we'll have to get my maternity clothes down from the attic soon...just so I can be comfortable in a few more things!
I hope your all having a good week, and I'll be back on when I can! I am off to eat some rice cream and go to bed :)

A First Glance...

2008-01-04T19:48:00.000-05:00

at our newest member of the family!

Isn't it great?

She put me a few days past 12 weeks, which I had myself at exactly 12 weeks today so pretty close! My due date will be mid-July.

The ultrasound went well. Preparing Analese for it was interesting, as she would go back and forth from being excited to scared. Mara just kept yelling "Baby!" and rubbing my tummy :) During the procedure, Analese just sat, amazed. Mara took one look and then said "go! go!". I don't think she liked how dark the room was.

The baby woke up towards the end and started moving all around, which the girls loved. Analese told me "she was dancing in there!"

The girls had no nap today and were in bed by 7 tonight! Greg is out doing the grocery shopping and meet-up to play pool...so I have the whole night to myself. Lots of posting, and hopefully I new layout if I can find one I like :)

My Resolutions

2008-01-04T19:15:00.000-05:00

So I started a list a few days ago of the things that I would like to work on this year. Some involve things I would like to do as a parent, things I would like to do with my time, things needed to be done around the house.

So, as a parent:

Get the girls-and myself outside. Every day. Rain or shine (as long as it is safe). The girls need it, I need it. We have been really good about getting out until a month or so ago and the tiredness set in. I can already see the affects-we went outside yesterday and it was sooo cold, but we played tag and hide-n-seek and had so much fun!
Get the girls more involved in daily chores. They already help me with laundry, dusting, and general picking up. But I think they are getting old enough for more responsibility, like helping me clean the floors, etc. Things we can all do together, and just have fun with it.
Get us motivated and going earlier in the morning. My girls move so slow-as do I, and we never really get to start anything until 11. I think we could accomplish so much more if we could start our day a bit earlier, like 9-10 o'clock.

For myself:

Bake more. I stopped baking as much with the no gluten thing, because it's tricky finding the right combination of different flours to use. But I need to start again, and get the girls involved as well. We made banana cupcakes today and they were really good.
Take time for myself. That doesn't include school work, house work, or bills. I feel like I have been neglecting myself in this area, as I am usually too tired at the end of the night to do anything. I would like to renew my hobbies-scrapbooking, sewing, even reading for pleasure! I am determined to take one day a week and devote it to my hobbies.
Relax and Just let things be. I tend to be a worrier about things I have no control of.
Take more breaks-and not feel guilty in doing so.
Simplify my life. Get off of mailing lists, get off of email lists on things I don't even look at.
Spend more quality time with Greg. I never want to lose that connection with him, and feel the need to rekindle it before another being enters into this world demanding my attention! It's hard not to feel so "touched out" some days, but I also need to show some understanding to my husband as well :)
Exercise more. I know-everyone says that! I have been having a lot of back pain ever since I threw my back out, and am wondered it will get worse as the baby gets bigger. I am in the search of a prenatal yoga class to take again, and plan to get the girls out walking on our trail once again.

For our House:

Declutter and Simplify. This is huge on our list this year, as we plan to Freecycle a bunch of things we no longer use and is just collecting dust.
Finish our basement. I really have nothing to do with this, unless nag Greg about it. It has to be finished before the baby comes and we completely run out of space.

I am sure I have more floating around in my head, but this is a start!

Happy New Year!

2008-01-03T15:44:00.000-05:00

Yes, I am a bit behind in the New Year wishes, but then I also just ordered our holiday cards so that lets you know I am a bit behind in everything these days!

Thanks for all the congrats! It still hasn't really hit me yet that I am actually pregnant. I thought it would sink in when I heard the heartbeat-which it did for a minute, and now I am back in this sort of ignorant bliss :) I mentioned this to Greg last night, and he said "Your just too busy to really pay attention this time around". Which is true, but I also feel that this baby deserves much more then a mama forgetting that he or she is in there! We have an ultrasound scheduled tomorrow, so maybe THAT will be the "oh my gosh" moment I need-and want!

Analese has taken such an interest in my tummy, and wants to know all things related to baby. She still asks me many times a day if the baby is still in there, and reminds Greg of this many times as well. Last night Greg was in the bathroom and she brought out a book I had showed her-which showed how big the baby was now, and what it looks like each month as it gets bigger. It's a great book-showing real images and all. Analese went through each photo that her and I had looked at the day before, telling Greg everything I told her! She even quizzed him a bit, saying "see this round thing? Know what that is? That's the yolk sac, daddy, and that helps feed the baby until she gets older". Greg was pretty impressed! She seems to be thinking about it all the time, and just blurt out questions out of the blue, like "What does the umbilical cord do again Mommy?" I have a feeling she will be quite the expert by the time summer comes!

This morning she was sitting on my lap and asks me if she is hurting the baby when she sits on my lap. I told her no, and she said, "OK, but if I kick or punch your tummy, would that hurt the baby?" I told her it could, and that it would definitely hurt Mommy if she did!

We have had a busy week, and it seems we are still recovering from it. The weekend involved a family gathering with my side of the family-it was great to see the girls interact with second cousins and all of my aunts and uncles. They had so much fun! My aunt has horses-the girl's new found obsession, and got to feed them some carrots, which they still talk about!

Unfortunately, Mara ate something she shouldn't have, and we ended the night her her vomiting once again. Didn't I say I wasn't going to give her food if I hadn't made it? I am so mad at myself, feeling bad that my aunt had set aside chicken for us to eat. She said nothing was on it, but she might not have realized that oils count as well.....my fault, and I will not be letting it happen again!

Last Sunday we took the girls bowling. We met all of Greg's sisters and kids and had so much fun! I forgot here on the East Coast they play with little balls-perfect for the girls. Analese and her cousin Carlee had the best time! Mara was still pretty wiped out from the night before but managed to roll a few balls in.

Our New Year's Eve was spent at home on the couch, watching a movie. It was nice after such a hectic weekend. Greg was asleep by 10 and I was in bed at 11:30.....when did we get so old?

I have my resolutions made up but I'll save that for another post! I am loving all the new templates and need to find a new one as well!

Santa gave the girls an extra special gift this year...

2007-12-30T10:26:00.000-05:00

A new baby brother or sister!

Yes, I am pregnant! About 11 weeks along, due sometime in July.

It has been hard not to say anything, especially with morning sickness being especially difficult this time around, but I couldn't get an appointment with my OB until the 26th, and I really wanted to hear the heartbeat before telling the girls.

So Wednesday night, we sat the girls down and read "Welcoming Babies", a great book about how different cultures celebrate the birth of a baby. Afterwards, we just sat and talked about babies, and then I told the girls that at my doctor's appointment, I found out I had a baby in my tummy. Mara hasn't seemed to understand, but Analese sure does! She is so excited, and keeps asking me if its summer yet :) She has already told me that the baby is a girl, and keeps referring to it as such. She asks me a couple of times a day...is the baby still in your tummy? So cute, and makes it so exciting to be able to share this with her.

Last night as we were getting ready to leave my families' Christmas gathering, Analese suddenly remembered and told everyone how "Mommy has a little tiny little baby growing in my tummy". :)

Ok, more details to come, but I had to share the news!

A loving moment between sisters

2007-12-27T16:33:00.001-05:00

I found Mara comforting her sister yesterday

Our Christmas Week

2007-12-27T15:39:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday. Ours went well-a tad bit overwhelming, but that happens every year.
On Christmas Eve, we made ornaments and cookies and had a very special dinner of spring rolls and chicken pad thai. I have had such a craving for Thai food-and Indian food as well, but both are impossible for me to eat right now. My loving husband found some ways to modify a recipe, and it was delicious! A very special Christmas gift to me!

We began a new tradition this year. I had the girls come with me to their rooms and then to the playroom, and we gathered up toys that we were no longer playing with, and then wrapped them up to give to Santa so that he could give them to other boys and girls. A mom mentioned this idea on our parenting board, and I loved it. What a great way to teach the girls about giving! Analese was a bit worried this year, but did eventually find some things to give to Santa. They even got a special thank you note from Santa the next day!

Right before bedtime, we read some Christmas stories and gave the girls a special present- ponys made by my cousin Kaylyn. The girls LOVED them (thanks again Kaylyn!) and the first thing Analese said was "I am going to sleep with her tonight!" She named hers "Princess". They have both been sleeping with them every night since!

Christmas morning was very nice-the girls were excited and loved their new gifts. The horse stable was especially a big hit, and it took Analese some time to understand that it was something that had to be shared. Mara just seemed fascinated by everything-and somewhat confused, like "where did all this stuff come from?" She just happily played with whatever was closet to her :)

Then it was off to Greg's parent's house. Things were going well until it was time for presents. Craziness began! Greg's mother really goes overboard every year, and the girls get sooo much stuff....just too much, honestly. I understand her philosophy-she would rather spend the money on everyone now instead of hoarding and saving it until they die. I respect that. It is just so much stuff that the kids just lose sight of everything.....Mara became a nut and was ripping paper off of anything close to her. As soon as she unwrapped a present, it was on to the next one. Yesterday and today was spent just reexamining and discovering what they did get! I even found a few presents of my own that I never opened :)

Analese got a guitar, which she has been enjoying immensely. Mara received these "Snap n Go Babies", which she has fallen in love with and is constantly feeding and giving a bath. The girls got tons of art supplies, which I am excited for! We go through lots of materials with my two artists in training.

It was a quiet Christmas compared to most family Christmases. Many families left before dinner to go see the inlaws. I hated to see them leave, but it ended up being more my speed....plenty of time to actually sit and visit with those around me. It was quite nice!

It was a long day, but the girls did great. They fell asleep as soon as their heads hit the car seat, and even slept as we carried them in and got them ready for bed. Thats a first! They even granted me another special gift the next morning-Analese slept until 9:30 and Mara until 10!

This weekend we will be celebrating with my side of the family, as well as Greg's mother's side of the family and hopefully spending some time with Greg's sister who couldn't make it from New Jersey this year. Another busy weekend, but one that is full of family, and full of love.

Enjoy some Christmas photos!

Christmas Lessons Learned

2007-12-20T12:46:00.000-05:00

We have been learning ALOT this holiday season, and I thought I would share two that I have been lucky enough to learn this week:

1) Hiding under the Christmas tree is NOT the best hiding spot when playing hide-n-seek. Especially if you have a real tree! I spent yesterday morning soaking and scrubbing poor Mara's head, trying my best to get out the big glob of tree sap that was dried to her head. We had to use rubbing alcohol to get the last bit out.

2) When preparing a package to be mailed, it may not be the best idea to have your 3 year old help. Yeah, it may seem fun and cute at the time, but if she starts to refer to "the package" as "my package", WATCH OUT! The last thing you want to do is then take her to the post office with you as you mail it out, for screams of "GIVE ME BACK MY PACKAGE!" doesn't really help those around you to remain in the Christmas spirit. ( the 10+ people piled into this hot, tiny post office were so not amused!)

Just two of the lessons I have been lucky enough to learn in the past few days.

Can't wait to see what else I don't know about.........

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas....

2007-12-18T14:34:00.000-05:00

Sorry once again for being so absent. I have been taking advantage of not having to be on the computer for school, and enjoying some freedom for awhile! These past few weeks have been rough with all of us being off schedule, so I have been working on just getting us back on track!

Our weekend was a busy one. On Saturday we went to the Christmas Tree farm to pick out a Christmas tree. We did not go with the rest of Greg's family this year, for they all went last Sunday instead. We were going to go then but it was raining and cold-just not worth it for us! Our girls enjoy the whole experience of going-running through the trees, seeing and feeding the animals, seeing Santa. As the cousins have gotten older, getting the tree isn't nearly as fun as all going out to eat afterwards. They always go to the same place, a family restauraunt that would not have anything Mara and I could eat, so we had planned to skip that part.

Anyway, it was cold on Saturday and we were all dressed in many layers. We picked our tree out fairly easily-a smaller tree to accommodate the little space we had to put on this year! Our usual tree spot was taken over by our aquarium a few months ago.

The girls had fun. We pretended to be mountain climbers climbing up the hill through all the trees, and Analese kept referring to us as "mountain climber mommy" and "mountain climber Mara". Mara kept falling in every mud patch there was, so she was pretty covered and got tired quickly.

We got our tree ready to go and walked through the animal part, stopping to feed a baby cow and some goats.

We took the girls to see Santa. Analese wasn't too sure about it, but Mara headed right inside and went right up to him, pointing to him and saying "Santa, Santa" over and over again. We asked her if she wanted to sit on his lap and she shook her head no. Surprisingly, Analese went over and got on his lap! So then Mara did, but she wouldn't look at him the whole time :) Analese told Santa she wanted a pony and a new teddy for Christmas this year. I was proud of her for sitting on his lap, and anytime someone brings it up , the first thing she says is "I didn't cry at all!"

At this point, Analese was starting to lose it so we finished up and headed to the car. She had quite the meltdown outside the car, my drama girl, started screaming "I'm cold!" over and over again. We had her in the car, piled in blankets and coats to try and calm her down. Mara was crying at the same time, yelling "sister!" over and over again :)

On Sunday, we got the tree set up and lights on, but we were not able to decorate it since we had a holiday party to go to. It was at Greg's cousin's house. The girls had so much fun playing with her son, who was 8 months old. He kept dropping his toy and they would scramble to get it for him. It was so cute to see! Mara was obsessed with the babies, and I kept finding her just standing close to whoever had a baby in their arms, just looking up and watching them. It was so funny!

Yesterday we spent the morning decorating the tree. The girls didn't get into it as much as I thought they would. They lost interest pretty quickly and I did most of it. It was fun to pull out the ornaments-we have so many handmade ones from family that we have gotten over the years.

Greg has decided that the girls should not play with the ornaments on the tree, and last night I heard him telling them over and over again to stop playing with them. I am not sure why he is suddenly so concerned about it, and even threatened to take the tree out! I told him later to just lighten up-the whole reason we put certain ornaments on the bottom of the tree was so we wouldn't have to worry about them breaking, etc. They have been taking them off the tree every year-but can you blame them? All this new, shiny, items just dangling there, tempting them. I really, really hope he gives up this battle.....or it will be a long week!

We still have a bit of shopping left to do. We have been finished with the girls for a few weeks now, but need to buy presents for the names we have picked from Greg's family. Greg said he would take a day off this week, but the week is quickly going by.....I have a feeling we'll be out with everyone else this weekend. Not fun.

Hope everyone else is enjoying their week!

A Sweet Homecoming Story

2007-12-14T21:18:00.001-05:00

Last night on the news I saw a story that completely touched my heart. The story began with two young children, probably around the ages of 5 and 7, sitting on Santa's lap at the mall. Santa asked them what they would like for Christmas this year, and they both said that they wanted their Daddy to be home with them. Santa told them to close their eyes, and wish really hard for their Daddy to be home.

They both closed their eyes really tight, and repeated their wish, over and over again.

Then Santa told them to open their eyes, and right in front of them was their Daddy. You see, Daddy was a soldier stationed in Iraq, and unexpectedly got to come home in time for Christmas. This was how he surprised his children with the news.

The looks on their faces was priceless, and quickly had me in tears. What especially got to me was watching how the little girl just held onto her Daddy so tightly, as if she was afraid to let go.

I couldn't help but think about my own girls and their relationship with their Daddy. They miss him so much when he is just gone for work during the day, and are lucky enough to talk to him on the phone at least once a day. Little Mara was so upset this morning when Daddy had given her kisses goodbye but forgot to give her a hug. Goodbyes always need a kiss and a hug.

The minute Greg walks in the door, he gains two shadows as he goes about the house. Often he is working on some household chore, while the girls will just play amongst themselves. Just happy to be near him.

As soon as chore-time is over, playtime begins. The girls happily bounce on their daddy until dinner is ready. On the nights that Greg cooks dinner, they are on stools, watching.

Every night at dinner, Analese tells her Daddy that she wants to tell him about her day. When he tells her to go ahead, she always stops and says " I can't remember my day. Mommy, what did I do today?"

It's these simple, daily traditions that make up the daily rhythm within my family. It's these moments that we treasure, and find so much comfort in. I am so grateful to have a husband who plays such an active role in our children's lives.

As vocal as I am about how much I oppose this war, I have to say that I have nothing but the utmost respect for our men and women over there fighting it. I think about the torment they must feel, torn between the job they must do and the family they hold dear.

This Christmas, my thoughts are on those that are not able to make it home to their families this Christmas.

And for the children who are missing them.

Oh, what a day....

2007-12-13T14:44:00.000-05:00

We had quite the day yesterday. The girls and I made some Christmas cookies yesterday morning, which was fun. I cheated a little this year and had bought some Mara-safe sugar cookie mix through our buying club. We have 6 boxes to have fun with! As much as I love baking from scratch, I wanted to be able to make many different kinds and it's hard to do that with two little ones with short attention spans.

Anyway- we made snowman, and the girls decorated with mini-chocolate chips, dried apples and raisins. Then we made ornaments, in which the girls used LOTS of sprinkles! Mara is sooo careful spooning them onto her cookie, while Analese also sprinkled the table, floor, and everything else within reach :) ( I think this was mainly because she was trying to sneak as many into her mouth as she could!)

So I thought that was the highlight of our day, until I was cleaning up the kitchen. I happened to glance into the dining room and saw Mara reaching for Analese's bowl of Zoe cereal (which contains both wheat and soy). I screamed hysterically for her to drop it (probably a little too hysterically, but I wanted to get the point across) and ran over to her. I asked her if she had eaten any, and she said yes. I checked her mouth for crumbs, etc. and couldn't see anything so I really didn't know if she had really eaten it or not. All I could do now was wait.

I should say that Mara is usually really good about eating her own food, but two things confused her yesterday. For one, we had just gotten her a box of Perky-Os, which are safe for her. And two, I was out of bowls that I normally use for Analese so I put her cereal in a bowl that Mara sometimes uses.

Anyway, Mara's last reactions to soy occurred about an hour after she ate it. After an hour was up and no reaction, I gave her some lunch (spaghetti and meatballs -what was I thinking?) and then she nursed and went to sleep.

She woke up happy, asking for a snack, and I really thought we were in the clear.

Until she began to vomit EVERYWHERE. It was amazing just how quickly she got sick. She was playing, standing a few feet from me when all of a sudden, she projectile vomited all over the rug. She turned to me and got me covered. She seemed confused and kind of turned again as more came up. I tell ya, our living room floor was completely covered in vomit. I raced her to the bathroom, and had her sit on her potty and calm down. Once she was calm, I had to calm Analese down-who had one drop of vomit on her and needed to be changed immediately (nevermind that both Mara and I were completely covered)

I left the girls in the bathroom and went out to clean up the living room before the dog and cats get to it. After that I went into the bathroom and found poor Mara, who had crawled into the bathtub and was just sitting there. My poor baby! I felt so bad for her. I cleaned us both up, set up the couch with lots of towels and plopped her on it.

It lasted a few minutes before it started again. I'll spare you the details, but Mara continued to vomit nonstop for the next four hours. It wasn't fun. We went through every towel we owned, and Mara ended up on the couch in just a diaper.

At one point Mara just laid her head straight down on the couch-she was so miserable. When Greg came home, he asked her if she ate something she shouldn't have, and she nodded and said "sister, sister, belly" over and over again.

Although it was awful at the time, I feel very fortunate that it only four hours, as her last two soy reactions were nonstop vomiting for 8+. Her last reaction also followed with diarrhea for a week. This morning she had a yucky diaper which appeared to have blood in it.

Soy is definitely a big issue with Mara, and we won't be trialing that anytime soon! Not a fun day at all.

Vegging out

2007-12-11T21:35:00.000-05:00

Sorry I haven't been posting lately. I have actually been spending the past few days just vegging out on the couch...it's been really nice! Yesterday I even sat and watched television while the girls were napping, something I never do. It's been very much needed. I feel like I haven't had a nice "break" for so long. This has been a difficult semester for me, trying to balance my school time with kid time and family time. During the day, my time is with my girls. I do not study unless they are sleeping, as I feel that being with them is my "job" and I do not think they should lose that time with me. Plus-to be honest- I wouldn't be able to get anything done even if I tried!

Saturday was a long day. I was up at 5:30, out the door by 6:30. I got into my exam an hour before it began in order to study and unwind a bit from driving. I wasn't in there for more then 5 minutes when my eyes began to water, and my nose became runny. I started sneezing constantly, it was so frustrating! I have been taking Clariton in order to break up the fluid in my ear and to get a handle on my allergies, but whatever it was causing this reaction obviously got passed it! I had brought about a half roll of tissue with me-just in case, and had them all used up within 15 minutes after my test has began. It was awful. This sounds so gross, but I ended up having to squish wet tissues together in order to use them, as my nose was a complete faucet! I had to take my glasses off a couple times and wipe them, as mt eyes were watering nonstop. Fun, fun, fun. Of course, my fellow test-mates had to listen to me sniff every five seconds as well!
I can honestly say that the test did not go so well. It was Algebra, and I couldn't remember formulas, etc. With all that was going on, I just got to the point where all I wanted to do was get out of there! So let's just cross your fingers that I passed the class, as the test was 40% of my grade.
The second test-my Ethnic Minorities class, went much better, and I was in a different room and my allergies didn't bother me as much. It feels so good to be done!

My back is feeling much better now. Yesterday was the first day that I could walk straight and not be in constant pain. The girls have been laying in bed with my in the morning and watching their shows while I ice my back, which seems to be helping (and they love the snuggle time). My back is so frustrating. Greg and I were in a car accident almost 10 years ago, and I really messed my back up. Now I can sneeze and throw it out. Want to know how I messed it up this time? I sat down for breakfast. That's it. As soon as I sat down, I felt pain going up and down my back and when I went to get up, I couldn't without severe pain. Yikes.

Greg had quite the adventure with the girls. I haven't left them in awhile, and I don't think I had ever left Mara for this long. They were quite upset when they woke up and I wasn't there. I had tried preparing Analese a few days before, but she got very anxious, telling me-no, screaming at me, how scared she was going to be without me. She kept insisting that she was coming with me, and even woke up crying one night, telling me she was coming to school with me!
But they got through the day, and were very happy to see me. I knew Greg was stressed when I heard him giving the girls empty threats like, "Put the crayon on the table, or I'll take all the crayons away for good"...things that do not normally come out of Greg's mouth! So it was a good lesson for them all, as he told me I have the patience of a saint. I just think when you don't have the kids day in and day out, you can sometimes forget to pick your battles, let some things slide, and, most importantly, the kids will feed off of your energy. Get stressed and they get stressed.

Anyway, I am off to veg once more on the couch before heading off to bed! Hope your all having a good week!

We got snow!!

2007-12-06T09:23:00.000-05:00

Yes, even we got some snow! We were supposed to get 1-2 inches, but got 5+...to say the girls were excited would be a huge understatement!

I, unfortunately, had thrown my back out a few days ago, and have been unable to move much...with two young kids, you can imagine how tough it has been! I just hope I will be able to walk somewhat normally on Saturday when I go to take my finals. We are also supposed to go Christmas tree hunting on Sunday with Greg's whole family and I really do not want to miss that!

Anyway, Greg came home from work early to take the girls outside, and here are the photos. As they were getting ready to go out, Analese said "I think I am going to go really crazy out there!"
She has never used the word crazy before, so it was really funny! They went sledding, did snow angels-Analese even did a somersault! They had so much fun-and were covered head to toe in snow.

Luckily dance class was canceled this morning, so no place to go!

Now, back to my books...and ice.

Have a good week!

2007-12-02T14:50:00.000-05:00

I will be busy studying for my final this Saturday, so I am checking out until then! My goal is to spend lots of time wearing the girls out in the AM so that naps may actually happen and I get some much needed studying in. Wish me luck!

After Saturday, my brain can finally take a much needed rest. I feel like I have been losing brain cells daily with all this studying...yesterday Mara showed me her spoon, and I said "Oh, what color is your spornge?" Translation: I meant to say spoon and yes, her spoon was orange.

Yup, I am losing it.

I haven't been feeling well either, with all the mold in the air, my allergies have been going nuts and really messing with my stomach. Every time I start to gag, Analese says "Ok, Mom let's go to the bathroom", and she rubs my back as I am bent over the toilet. I even threw up on her foot, and my little sweetie goes "it's OK! We can just clean it up...though that was really yucky Mommy"

This morning she came into the living room and asked me if I was thirsty. I wasn't, but she was just too sweet to resist, so I nodded my head. She then asks "Ok, would you like juice or water?" and goes into the kitchen and asks Greg for a glass! She let him pour it but insisted on bringing it out to me, and rubbed my head as I drank it.

All this lets me know I must be doing something right!

Have a great week everyone!

A gift for Analese

2007-11-29T15:13:00.000-05:00

So I am just about done shopping for the girls....I have put months of thought into it so it has been pretty easy!

I just placed an order for Analese today for this:

Think she'll love it? She has been having a hard time sleeping lately, waking up a couple times a night, and recently told us that she did not like her bed anymore.

Hopefully this will solve it!

(I am so excited to give this to her, and just had to share! Now back to my studies...)

The long weekend

2007-11-27T14:30:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! We had a good time. We went to Greg's aunt's house this year. It was quiet this year, with only one of his four sisters there and one out of his three cousins. Usually we are piled in, clamoring for space! So it was a bit different this year.

I can honestly say I am just not comfortable with other people cooking food that Mara is going to eat. There are just too many variables that you have to look out for, and its hard to explain it to someone who doesn't really understand allergies to begin with. Everyone kept reassuring me that the turkey was "safe", telling me over and over that they didn't use anything on the turkey-only canola oil. I relented and said OK, we would eat it. Imagine my surprise to walk into the kitchen as they were scooping gluten-filled stuffing out of the turkey! Oh- they hadn't thought about the stuffing.... Luckily Greg and I were on the same page and he had them separate the turkey slices that were furthest away from the stuffing so that we could eat.

I worry that sometimes I sound a bit too paranoid with this food thing, but Mara is finally doing well-eating and growing, and the last thing I want is to relive those months where she wasn't. I also have hopes that someday she will outgrow at least some of this, and avoidance is the best way to achieve this so her tummy can heal and her immune system can strengthen.

Anyway- the rest of the weekend was spent studying while Greg ran around with the girls. This is my last week of school, with finals next weekend. I cannot wait to be finished, just to be able to breathe and relax a bit, but these next few days are going to be tough.

Gobble Gobble

2007-11-21T22:52:00.001-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

(wish I was home this year!)

Terror Cat

2007-11-21T08:03:00.000-05:00

Pebbles has always been a one-owner cat. With me, she is a wonderful, cuddly ball of fur.

When she was a kitten, Pebbles was THE friendliest cat. When we first got to the rescue group, she came over to me and then refused to leave. Yes-she picked me, not the other way around. She had even took to climbing onto a nearby table and leaping into my lap. I was sold.

At home, she was a people cat. She always had to be around people. When I eventually moved to my own apartment after living with two other roommates, Pebbles was extremely lonely. My landlord (who lived upstairs) told me she meowed all day while I was at work.

When Pebbles was around a year old, we suspected that she had a bladder infection had to spend a few days at the vets so that they could get a urine sample. Imagine my surprise to receive a phone call from the tech, telling me that "my cat isn't very nice", going on about all the trouble she was putting them through.

As the years have gone by, this is a side we have come to know well. She is just so unpredictable-she'll rub up against you but hiss if you reach down to pet her. It has to be all on her terms, all the time. With me, she is great. With others-especially children, she will allow you to pet her but suddenly lash out when she has had enough with no warning given. Many of our friend's children have been scratched, and Pebbles now has a permanent spot in our basement when we have visitors.

Greg and I were somewhat concerned as to how she would handle the girls getting into her face, but I could see a special bond form between Analese and her when Analese was just a small babe.

Still-I have been teaching the girls to be mindful of Pebbles, giving her the respect and space she needs.

Today I walked into the living room and found this:

Poor Pebbles, covered in necklaces by two very busy girls. Although I do not know if "poor" would be the right word, as she appeared to be enjoying every minute of it!

It appears our "terror cat" has developed a very soft heart for two special little girls.

That and a love for accessories!

Warmth

2007-11-20T07:46:00.001-05:00

Our new pellet stove is in! I think we have all taken turns just sitting in front of it. It is amazing how warm our house has become, and I cannot wait to finish the basement off so that we can snuggle up in front of it :)

Not a Baby anymore...

2007-11-18T22:30:00.000-05:00

Can you believe that Mara is 22 months old today?

She is growing up so quickly, and I cannot get a handle on the fact that she will be two in just two months.

She is, however, letting us know. Both her and Analese agree. Mara is not a baby, she's a toddler. They remind me of this every time I call them my babies.

Everything to Mara these days is "MINE!" Everything. From the cats to the television show to the van outside. "Mine, mine, mine"

Her favorite activity lately has been to go through the toy magazines that are bombarding our household. She will sit and point to every other object, screaming-you guessed it "Mine! me me. Mine!" until you come over and comment on it. I find this so funny because Analese has never put the connection together that the toys in these magazines are ones that she could own. Well, she didn't until Mara showed her....

Her language skills are exploding, and every day we are surprised at all she knows. Tonight she was cooking dinner with Daddy, and he was counting spoonfuls with her. He got to seven, and Mara screams out "EIGHT!" We both just looked at each other and laughed.

She has also quickly discovered just how to get under big sis's skin, taking her toy and running like the wind down the hall. My easy-going baby isn't quite so easy going anymore, and Analese does not quite know what to do about it!

For me, it's refreshing to see. Mara is becoming her own person, out from under the wings of her big sister. She is developing her own likes and dislikes, her own wants and desires.

It makes me smile to see her assert herself, to make her opinions known to the world. I will admit to always being a bit worried when it comes to Mara..after the rough time we have had with diagnosing her food issues, it's hard not to worry about her development. I remember her nutritionist telling me that we had to catch Mara up before the age of two, because if we did, chances are good that she will not be mentally affected by the months of malnutrition (in her defense, she was actually telling us this to be reassuring). That comment has stayed in the back of my head, and as she approaches the ripe old age of two, I can't help but wonder...is she caught up? Have we succeeded?

Every new word, I feel a victory. One small reassurance that my child is heading in the right direction.

Maybe one day I can stop this worry.

Maybe.

Analese's new friend

2007-11-18T22:17:00.000-05:00

This morning Analese was sitting on the potty, and she turns to me and says "I have to hurry Mommy. I have to go meet my friend".

We had no plans to go anywhere today, but I played along and asked her what her friend's name was.

"Her name is Analese. Just like me. Isn't that funny?" She giggles, and I tell her that yes, indeed, that is funny to have the same name.

She finishes up and climbs up on her stool to wash her hands.

She turns and looks at me, and gives me this "ta da!" pose.

"Mommy, see my new friend Analese?" She is pointing to herself in the mirror.

I shake my head and laugh, leaving her in the bathroom while she talks to her new friend for the next 10 minutes.

So I have been tagged....

2007-11-16T08:23:00.000-05:00

Being new at this blogging stuff, I wasn't quite sure what being tagged meant exactly. But being the great researcher that I am (hey-can that be one of the seven?) I found the specifics.

Here are the rules:Link to the person that tagged you, and post the rules on your blog.Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself.Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.Let each person know that they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Here are my seven:

Today we were late for Analese's speech session because I let the girls watch two turkey vultures having a seat on our roof. The looks on their faces were priceless, watching these enormous birds shaking their wings to keep warm. It gave Analese something to tell her therapist! So random fact number one: I will always choose nature over timeliness any day.

I am very passionate about helping the weak, whether its families, children or animals. When we lived in the city, I used to feed all of the homeless cats living around us (yes, "crazy cat lady" was me). I even went as far as to set up a box for an old tomcat that never left our porch-rain or shine. When he got sick, I will admit to crying like a baby when we had to put him to sleep. And my new obsession now? Saving our little fish babies from being eaten by their parents. I set up barriers of java moss and check on them often...I need help.

I have a hard time hiding my emotions, especially things I do not approve of. When I worked with families and they said or did things that upset me, I used to pinch my own arm to keep myself in check until it was my turn to talk (the last thing you want to do when someone starts to trust you with their problems is look completely shocked or disgusted when they tell you!) I do not know when this habit started...yes, kind of odd.

I am always cold. No matter the season.

I am happier today then I have ever been in my life.

I have either been pregnant or breastfeeding for the past 4 years. Wow.

I have the worst gag reflex. Just hearing Greg brush his tongue makes me gag. I could even be in the next room, and I still gag.

So there's my seven! Not very original I'm afraid, but then neither am I!

So, now I get to tag some people! I tag:

Lorrie
Danielle
Jen
Lisa

Participate if you want!

And it's only Tuesday...

2007-11-13T21:47:00.000-05:00

Why does it feel like Friday?

It's already been a long week. Analese and I have been butting heads for the past few days, and I do not know why. One minute she is telling me how much she loves me, and the next she is screaming and trying to hit me.

Sigh.

My child is such a passionate and spirited girl. She puts so much effort into everything she does, and when things go the way she envisions, there is so much joy to share. Joy for Mom, joy for little sis. I love her spirit, her excitement, her enthusiasm.

This morning she was a baby bird and I was her mommy (this was my attempt to get some more bites of oatmeal into her-she hasn't been eating much these days). We had a great time, she peeped as I fed her "worms" and laughed as I flew back and forth to each child, doing my best crow impersonation. Analese loved it, and did not want it to end.

Hours later, I called her, only to be greeted by screams "I AM NOT ANALESE!! I am a baby bird, a baby bird....YOU are the mommy bird " She cried for oh, 15 minutes or so, because I had the nerve to call her by her human name.

I am still trying to figure out how to best help her through the roadblocks that come her way, like allowing a fun moment to pass. Other such seemingly simple things, like Mara walking into the bathroom when she is in there, or picking up the same color block, will completely send her over the edge. Tears, kicking, screaming...we get it all.

These episodes last anywhere from 10-20 minutes each. I am so tired. She'll eventually catch on, right? Right?

In some aspect, I truly admire the ability that she has to voice her unhappiness, loudly and dramatically, getting all of her aggressions out with each kick, each flail of her arm. Adult temper tantrums would be wonderful, wouldn't they? And then to experience the calm, when it's all out of your system....

Let's hope that tomorrow is better.

All about Daddy

2007-11-12T07:47:00.000-05:00

This weekend the girls spent most of their time with Greg. I had lots of studying to do, as the semester is almost over!

Saturday morning they took a drive up into Pennsylvania to buy a pellet stove for our basement. Right now our basement is only partially finished-and partially heated, so it will be nice to get some heat down there and-hopefully, help us heat the upstairs as well! We originally wanted a woodstove, but the piping needed was very expensive. The pellet stove needs less piping and would only cost us 1/3 of the cost of a woodstove. So we went with that. I am so excited to get it in! It brings us one step closer to finishing our basement, which we hope to do in the next couple of months. We are seriously running out of room, and it will be nice to have a second bathroom down there.

Saturday night Greg and the girls made homemade chicken soup. Mara was soooo excited to help her Daddy. It was so adorable. She was dancing all around the kitchen while he got things set up.

It was so nice to just sit back and watch them all cook. Usually they are cooking with me, so I do not have the opportunity to just be an observer.

While Greg was busy chopping up the veggies, Mara continued to be the "helper", handing him vegetable after vegetable (which most were dropped onto the floor). Analese, on the other hand, had named her vegetables ("F*cky" and "Clucky" again) and had them bouncing and talking to each other all over the counter.

Did I mention how much fun it was to just sit back and watch? Yes-it was difficult to get studying done!

Sunday was spent outside-flying kites and jumping into leaf piles. I hated to miss it, but its so nice for the girls to get some "just Daddy-time" in :)

Last night they snuggled up and watched a movie-great weekend!

Speech Evaluation

2007-11-08T14:28:00.000-05:00

We had Analese's speech evaluation done this morning. It was basically a meeting to go over the previous assessments and discuss what they now want to do about it. Surprisingly, Analese had about 20 or so "errors" in her speech, although many are very normal at this age. She does substitute p for many letters-s, sh, f, v, th, and f for t, and g for d.

We begin speech therapy next week, and it will be every week for 30 minutes. Therapy will take place at the school and Mara can come too as long as she cooperates. (Let's hope she does! I have no idea what I will do if I cannot bring Mara with me...)

The therapist is very nice and I know Analese will do great with her. So we'll see how it goes!

On another note, we went to a playgroup yesterday where there were lots of children running around. The girls had a great time, but as I was putting them into their carseats I noticed that Mara's face had broken out into a rash. When we got home, I found that it had spread all over her neck, chest and upper back. So who knows what is going on there. I know she didn't eat anything she shouldn't, but my thought is that she had sat at the table to eat her snack and its possible that there was something there we couldn't see.

Sigh...never a dull moment!

A Little Peace and Quiet

2007-11-07T16:19:00.001-05:00

Things were a little too quiet the other night, so I peeked into Analese's room to see what they were up to. They had dragged Mara's bear chair from her room, and set up their own reading area. They looked through Analese's entire book bin, and I never heard a peep for almost 30 minutes!

Folding Laundry

2007-11-07T16:04:00.001-05:00

I used to hate folding laundry. Well, I still cannot say that I love it.

But it has gotten much better.

Before I would wait until the girls are asleep and sit on the couch, folding clothes and placing them into piles all around me. I would then have to gather up all my piles and place them back into the basket to wait until they can be put away in the morning.

But I now have two helpers.

I sit on the floor next to the basket and take a few things out at a time. Fold it up, and place it lovingly into the outstretched arms of one of the two eager girls standing before me.

I give them the command "Pajamas, in pajama drawer" and off she goes.....

As I continue folding, I can hear the loud banging of drawers, and then the swishing of feet coming back towards me.

"Pants...bottom drawer"

Off she goes. We go through all of the basket. It takes awhile, longer then if I were to do it at night. But I have two proud faces staring at me, so proud to be helping mama.

I know that there will come a time when folding laundry with mom will not be a highlight of their day, or fun at all, for that matter. So I will take this time we have and enjoy it.

Plus I then have my own excitement of playing "where did you put your clothes?" as our little Mara has set up her own system as to where she thinks her clothes should go. Sometimes they are just piled into one drawer, sometimes I'll find shirts in the bathroom, jammies in her bed, pants in her with her toys....

And she is just so proud :)

Simple Pleasures

2007-11-06T14:32:00.000-05:00

The breakfast dishes are piled up in the sink.

No matter, we are on a hunt! We bundle up with sweaters, hats, jackets and head outside. Both girls are excited, because Mama is excited (such an awesome power, isn't it? To have the ability to set the mood for two little girls?)

Clutching their bags, they begin studying the ground. Looking, looking.

Looking for the perfect one.

The wind suddenly whips the leaves up all around us. Analese lets out a whimper, as Mara laughs hysterically.

Truly opposites in every way.

We run around the yard, trying to keep warm. Shouts of "Look at this one!" fill the air. I share in their joy, in their excitement.

Once our bags were full, we head inside. We have work to do.

Two bottles of glue, and one package of googly eyes later..

What was once a seemingly simple leaf has now been transformed into.........

LEAF CREATURES!!!!!

Aren't they delightful?

I hope your day is going just as well!

Analese the Alien

2007-11-04T17:54:00.000-05:00

Sometimes talking to Analese is like talking to someone from another planet.

For weeks, every night at dinner, she would suddenly look at me and say "Mom, your supposed to be looking for birds, NOT COOKIES!!"

Oh, how she laughs. We do not get it. We have tried to figure it out, but it appears that it will forever be a joke made exclusively for one.

I am actually reminded of those clips they show you in psych class about the man who developed a language disorder in which the words that flow out of his mouth make absolutely no sense. Just complete jibberish.

That is my Analese.

It is truly so wonderful to be able to get a glimpse of what is going through her mind.

Wonderful and yet.... scary. It's mind-boggling to try and keep up with!

Yesterday at lunch she was telling me about her trip to the store with daddy. I asked her what she saw.
"I saw lots of pumpkins. Mommies, and little babies....but no Daddies! They were all still at work." Oh? What were the pumpkins doing?

"They were hungry and looking for spiders". Huh? Pumpkins eat spiders? She nods her head. Do they taste good?

"I don't eat spiders. PUMPKINS eat spiders. They eat spiders and play games". What games do they like to play?

"They like to play the Ladybug game. Yeah, they do" She nods to herself. Mara, who had been sitting quietly and listening, lets out a loud growl. Analese growls back.

"Yes, bears. I am not Analese, I am a bear. Can you give me more fish? Us bears have to get ready for the PARTY! The party in the pink van. Mommy, do bears drive?" She cocks her head to the side, as she is now in "thinking mode".

Greg shakes his head which Analese then asks him why he's saying no, and what is he saying no to. I laughed and said "She doesn't miss a beat, does she?"

Analese's eyes lit up. "I AM NOT GOING TO THE BEACH!!"

Friday Highlights

2007-11-03T22:41:00.000-04:00

On Friday we had a visit from Leslie and her two children. I had met Leslie and Avery in Gymboree class (along with Staci and Noah) and we formed our own playgroup. Their personalities always meshed well-both were quiet and observant little girls. We all attended a couple more classes together, and they had the special bond of having their mommies become pregnant around the same time. They had lots in common and we were sad when they moved away!

They had moved down to Florida last year, so its been awhile since we have seen them. They flew up for the weekend so that Josh (Leslie's husband) could interview at a dental office in Silver Springs. Our fingers are crossed that it went well!

Here are some photos of our day. Avery and Analese are 2 months apart, and Mara and Camden are just a few weeks apart. It was a fun day, although ALL of the kids were sick and mine were pretty tired. Analese decided that she did not want to share, and let us all know when someone picked up an "off-limits" toy by screaming and crying quite loudly.

Camden was a bit obsessed with Mara, tackling and tapping the top of her head. Now, whenever I bring up Camden's name, she rubs her head and pretends to cry :) Yes, my girls are full of drama!
Avery is still the sweet little girl I remember, and Camden is also very sweet as well.Our visit wasn't nearly long enough, but we are so glad to have seen them!

Staci-we really missed you yesterday! It wasn't the same without you, although you did escape all of our germs :) Be thankful for that!

Hide & Seek Safari

2007-11-02T23:11:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to let you all know that the "Hide & Seek Safari" game that I showed you in my Christmas list seems to be on the "Hot List" for Christmas this year! (I knew I had great taste :)) My friend Leslie told me that it is about to featured as one of Oprah's favorite things, and are already selling out down in Florida.

So, what I am basically saying is...if you thought about getting one for Christmas, you might want to buy soon! And since I just bought one tonight, I'll make it even easier for you!

I found the cheapest one at Amazon.com for only $25.98. This is for the tiger only. The monkey is $34. 95.

If you want an extra wand, Amazon.com only sells the 2-pack for $18.00. I had originally bought this, but then discovered a single wand for only $10.50 at Funagain.com.

I also bought Mara and Analese this for Christmas...I know they are going to love it! I bought the beginner set, as I think Analese would get too upset with
the other set because the pieces do not lock in.

Have a great weekend! I will try and update you all on my visit with Lelsie and the kids (I know your all dying to know!) and share the wonderful photos we got today. I have a ton of studying to do this weekend and Mara has given me her wonderful cold- coughing into my mouth yesterday sealed my fate :) Analese's cough is getting worse, so it should be a fun weekend for us.

Happy Halloween!

2007-11-01T08:23:00.000-04:00

I hope everyone had a fun day yesterday! Ours was pretty mellow. Both girls are sick, so we couldn't do everything we had planned. Mara became sick on Monday, becoming very congested with a cough. She hasn't been sleeping well at all (so of course that means I haven't either).

We had a Halloween Party to go to yesterday morning, so Greg had planned to come home and watch Mara so I could take Analese. But then Analese woke up congested and miserable, so we thought it would be best for both of them to stay home. She felt horrible, and I couldn't see exposing everyone else to their germs. Analese actually agreed, so I knew she felt bad.

We took it easy yesterday, playing lots of quiet games. etc. When Greg came home, we got them dressed in costume and took them up to my friend's holistic studio for trick-or-treating. Analese looked in the mirror once she had her costume on, and said "I AM SO PRETTY!" They had stations set up around the studio, and the best part? I brought "Mara-safe" treats and gave it them beforehand, so Mara only got things she could eat! I cannot explain how happy that made me! They also only gave out organic, healthy treats which is so nice for Analese.

We hung out there for a few minutes, and then went home. Greg and the girls carved the pumpkin-finally, while I made dinner.

After dinner, we got our costumes back on and went to a few houses. We just hit 3 houses this year, as the girls were tired and it was getting late.

We did not get one trick-or-treater this year! I guess all the kids went elsewhere this year.That made me sad, I love seeing all the costumes!

The costumes are now in our dress-up box, which Analese has already pulled out for me to put on her this morning. I doubt we'll go to dance class today-with Analese's nose and eyes running and Mara's cough, I am sure the other parents would appreciate us staying home!

I have lots of cleaning to do today. A friend of mine is flying in from Florida tonight and coming up to spend the day with us tomorrow. We haven't seen them in 1 1/2 years, Avery was Analese's second friend :) It should be fun!

Video

2007-10-30T09:58:00.000-04:00

A friend just emailed me this, and wanted to share it. It's pretty powerful, whatever your views....

Abracadabra and Corn Maze

2007-10-29T08:29:00.000-04:00

Every Sunday night, I have trouble going to sleep. I do not know why. In the past, when I worked outside the home, the reasons were easy. Starting the workweek always brought a bit of anxiety because I really had no idea what I was in store for. But now? I am guessing it might still have to do with beginning the workweek, but also due to the end of the weekend....my only hope to accomplish anything these days.

It may be due to the fact that the weekend is over, and I still have so much to do......

Our weekend was a busy one, which is funny since we began it with nothing to do! A friend of mine told me about a Halloween party on Saturday at a local restaurant. They were having a magic show, which I thought Analese would like, and they get to dress up in costumes. I really just wanted to stay home and study, but Greg was nervous to take them himself and the guilt got to me. Once again we also had to debate the whole food issue, as they were having free food (pizza) for everyone. We decided the just skip the food and arrive an hour later-just in time for the magic show! The girls did not even notice the food. The magic show was cute-both girls sat looking like a deer-in-headlights as the kids around them laughed loudly and screamed.
Analese was so sweet to Mara, and kept stroking her back the whole time. This made Mara a bit too relaxed, as she ended up leaning completely back on her sister! So she ended up sitting with Greg, and Analese eventually joined them.
Analese got a huge bag of candy from them when it was over. It was full of the most sugar-filled, yucky candy like wax teeth, etc. Ugh. I let her have the snickers bar after lunch and the rest has disappeared :)

On Sunday we took the girls to a local farm that had set up a corn maze. It was fun! It was huge, and took as a lot longer to get through it then we had originally expected. They also had a petting zoo, so the girls got to feed the goats..another highlight. Mara was so funny-at first she wouldn't come closer then 5 feet to the animals, especially the llamas and the donkeys, waving crazily. Eventually she did come closer to see the ducks-I guess they were more her size! Greg helped show her how to feed the goats, and she did really well.

So another fun-filled weekend! I now have so much work to do this week to catch back up....hmmm, maybe that has something to do with my anxiety?

Enjoy some photos!

Rainy Friday

2007-10-26T15:56:00.000-04:00

Another rainy day here, but no complaining from me! We need as much rain as we can get. I had planned to do some much-needed cleaning this morning but a headache and two little girls prevented that from happening.

We all began to get under each other's skin. Analese wanted to just play by herself, Mara wanted to play with Analese and I just wanted the yelling and crying to stop!

So, I came up with a solution: Outside time. It was raining pretty steadily, the perfect kind of rain to jump around in and look for puddles.

I announced my plan to the girls and their eyes just lit up. We got some sweaters and jackets on, rain boots and raincoats, Mara and her winter hat...we were set!

It was cold outside, but the girls didn't mind. Mara held her arms out slightly as she walked due to the bulge of her sweater and jacket, but her smile told me it really didn't matter.

We walked around looking for puddles, and ended up on the street to watch the water flowing down the curb. Analese suggested we follow it, so off we went. We got to splash and jump as we walked...my glasses were completely speckled with raindrops. Analese found a leaf and put it in the water, gently encouraging it to "swim".

We followed the water all the way down to the storm drain, where we listened to the echo that the water made as it flowed into it. Analese found her leaf and shoved it through the holes.

We walked back to the house and ran around out back for awhile. We were soaked. Once back inside, the girls had a nice warm bath before lunch.

Turned out to be a great day!

I couldn't take photos outside, as Greg would kill me to expose the camera to water and humidity! Here of some photos of the girls getting ready....Analese would make a silly face just as I took the picture :)

AHHH!!!

2007-10-25T15:47:00.000-04:00

When you try to post a comment on a blog, you'll notice a new feature. You can now click on a feature which lets you receive by email any follow-up comments. In other words, if you want to know if someone responds to your comment, you click the box and it will email you...

Sounds simple enough, but when I first noticed it, I thought my email address was being displayed for everyone to see! I will admit to flipping out a bit, trying to figure out which setting I had messed up, trying not to think of all the spam I could get or the fact that my last name has been posted....

So, I thought I would spare you all the drama I just went through and let you know in advance.

Have a great day!

Our Busy Day

2007-10-25T14:28:00.000-04:00

We have had a busy morning! Analese had a "formal assessment" done for her speech-a little more involved then the last one. We got to go to the elementary school that Analese will be attending if we decide to do public school. Analese was so excited! She woke up around 5 this morning, and when Greg went in there she told him she was ready for school :) She kept asking me if she could sit next to Ms. Renee (the therapist), and then wanted to know where I was going to sit. All morning she asked me this, over and over again. On the way to school, she suddenly got nervous, and told me she was scared. I kept telling her we were just going for a short meeting, Greg and I were not leaving her, etc. but she still had her "worry-face" on the whole time.

The assessment went well. Analese had to look at different pictures and just her what she saw. Simple enough. Analese sat on my lap and answered them all without hesitation. We now have to go back November 8th for a meeting to discuss the results from today's test. Once we have that meeting, we can then set up therapy. She discussed the possibility of either having her in a group session or individualized...so we'll see what she thinks about what would be best for her.

After the assessment was over, we had to hurry home and get ready for dance class. Today they were celebrating Halloween, so Analese got to wear her butterfly princess costume...boy, was she excited! She floated when she walked, she was just beaming. She had a heart wand that went with it, but the heart fell off on the way to class. So it was just a pink stick, but surprisingly she did not seem to mind! Class was full of princesses, fairies and witches. One little girl was a dinosaur-it was adorable! The class itself was chaotic, as the girls were too preoccupied with costumes to actually dance. Analese actually did very well, because she loved looking at herself in the mirror. (I had forgotten my camera again, so no photos to show just how cute they all were!)

Analese got a piece of candy at the end of class, which did not go over too well with Mara. We had been contemplating what to do about trick-or-treating this year. We do not give the girls candy, but do not completely restrict it either. I have seen way too many "restricted children" go completely nuts over it and become obsessed....when I taught preschool I had one little girl who would search everyone else's cubby looking for sweets! So in my opinion, moderation is better. Plus, this year Analese is older and will probably realize that candy is being put into her bag (we were able to get away with just taking the bag last year). So-I think we decided to put one of Mara's safe lollipops in her bag and pull it out as her treat to eat (they'll each get to eat one thing when we get home). I think that will work this year......our fingers are crossed that it will.

The Hat

2007-10-24T14:58:00.000-04:00

Mara wanted to pick out her own clothes to wear today (like her big sis) so I told her to go ahead!

She brings me this hat.

She wore it for 2+ hours, until her head was so sweaty I insisted she take it off :)

Her sister, of course, chose the complete opposite, in her summer dress!

Recycled Slippers

2007-10-22T15:07:00.000-04:00

In keeping with my post about environmentally safe things, I wanted to show you these great slippers that a friend of mine makes. She uses recycled wool from sweaters and things, and gets the soles from leftover leather pieces from factories and upholstery stores....very cool! The shoes are adorable too.

So check it out....Polliwogs Shop