Hey guys, I have had a great run on Blogger, but it's time to move on. I have created a new blog at Wordpress and am hoping to be able to do more fun things over there. Everything has been exported so you should be able to see all old posts over there and all new posts will be posted over there in the future. Click here to link to it:
http://g-ratedlife.com/angelle
These are some things I want to be able to remember about this age with Erin...
* How she will cling to your leg and say "uppy" when she wants to be held
* How when she counts she always says "one, two, sick" (six)
* How she is like a vulture when she sees food, she always has to share yours even if she just finished eating
* How she chases and tackles Ally all day everyday
* How she loves to do anything physical (climb, jump, push)
* How she will tell you "kishes" or "huggies" and then give you one
* How when I leave her in her room at nap/bedtime she says "Bye, Mom"
* How, if Mike is the one to get her in the morning, she gets into bed with me and gives me a big hug first thing, then asks to "wash (watch) a show" then says "'mote pees (remote, please)"
I know Mike already blogged about this, but I wanted to tell it too in case you don't check Mike's blog. Last night he called me into the craft room where he and Leah were playing around on the Paint program. He said, "Watch this," and he wrote H-A-T on the screen. Leah spelled it out first, then proceeded to say the sounds for each letter. It took a few tries to blend it together, but without help from us she figured out it said hat! Next we did frog, but I think that was too hard (the F-R blend AND the unusual O sound), but she got the next one, pig. It was pretty exciting.
I have to say though, I attribute a little of it to this new DVD we got called Letter Factory by Leapfrog (they have it at Target for $10). I was at the bookstore the other day in the children's section and I overheard two women talking. One said that her son had been watching this video and within a week was sounding out small words. So we ran right over to Target and picked it up. Leah has watched it twice and already is understanding letter-sound relationships. The next DVD in the series is the Talking Words Factory, which teaches them how to put sounds together to make words. In fact, this pack may be your best bet as its got the whole series plus Math Circus. It got absolutely fabulous reviews. I highly, highly recommend either the pack or the first DVD to see how it goes. I wish I had seen the pack before I bought the first one by itself.
Mom's Night Out (MNO) was a blast last night. I made the Tokyo Tuna (we never buy tuna so it will be fun to eat something unusual) and I won the door prize of a dessert. I chose Key Lime Freeze. After the event, about 8 of us went across the street for a glass of wine and chit-chat. I really got to know about 3 of the moms and liked everyone I met. I am definitely looking forward to more events with this group.
Leah has had a low grade fever since yesterday afternoon. She is staying home from school today and will hopefully make a full recovery by tomorrow afternoon so she can attend a classmate's birthday party.
So I will have to tell two stories here to get to the point of the post.
#1 - I have been looking for a local mommy group to join for about a week now. I finally found New Mommies of South Charlotte Playgroup 2 days ago and promptly joined. The first event I could attend is scheduled for tonight, a Mommy's Night Out! We are meeting at Mr. Food no-Fuss Meals and we are having a food & wine tasting AND we get to bring home an entree all for $10! So I am excited about the opportunity to meet some new people, but for some reason I am nervous like this is a first date. Will they like my new haircut? Is it going to be cliquey or will they accept a new member readily? The pressure...
#2 - I went to the dentist today to have a cavity filled. Of course they numb you up good so my entire lower right jaw was numb. I was starving on the ride home so I decided to eat the apple I brought, I would just chew on the other side. Everything was going smoothly until I felt something weird on my lip. I looked in the mirror and saw that I had chomped down and the inside of my lip was all skinned and bleeding a little. Now two hours later, I have a fat lip.
So here is where the two stories converge. I have a fat lip to take with me to the Mom's Night Out. Yeah, I'll have to say, I gave myself a fat lip. Nice to meet you.
What do you guys think? You can't really see my color because I took this in my bathroom and the light stinks.
I forgot to update with Erin's stats from her 18 month appt on Friday. She is 24.6 lbs (55%) and 31 inches (25%). Her head is 47 cm. She is pretty much on target with all of her developmental things and WAY ahead in the area of communication. Her peed did tell us something interesting though. Erin has dysplasia abdominal muscle. Basically the muscle in the center of her stomach running vertically is weak. When she goes from laying on her back to sitting, you can see a vertical football-shaped muscle protrude as her stomach muscles contract. The dr said that she will have it all her life, although it will strengthen and get smaller with time, and it will not affect her in any way. Very strange. I had never really noticed it before. Maybe that's why it took her so long to roll over or go from laying to sitting up.
Also she did have an ear infection again. We are finally on Augmentin and are seeing a big difference this time around. She is sleeping well at night and napping well. So we are all happy over here now.
So, you guys, Stacy and I went to the Raleigh Regional this past weekend and watched Open class and above. It was sooooo bittersweet. To have something be such a HUGE part of your life, then to just drop right out of it is a strange feeling. My sophomore year of college I marched UF's marching band in the fall and Paradigm Winterguard in the spring. So weekends were at games or rehearsals from August until April. I LIVED school and guard that whole year. Then I did Paradigm the next two seasons which, if you know anything about winterguard, means I was at rehearsals every Sunday and once a month the entire weekend again from August until April. I also marched my last two years of high school. So from '95-'00 I was a guard junkie. And then... nothing. I went to a few shows for the next year or two, but I wasn't performing anymore. Performing is like a drug, it is a high like no other. And I don't have any other way of feeling that any more and no prospect of it either. It is a tough pill to swallow. Made me a little bit sad to realize that is well and truly behind me.
I have spent the last two days making Rice Krispie Treats for all of Leah and Erin's classmates and making cards for their teachers. Thought I'd share how everything came out.
A few weeks ago, we started a new weekly tradition of Family Movie Night. We decided that on Friday nights, I would make something for dinner that we could eat on a blanket in the living room (or we would order in). Mike and I would pick a movie Leah had never seen and we would all watch together. It helps to expand Leah's repertoire of movies (Tink and Cinderella were getting old) and we are doing something together. Erin of course doesn't actually watch. She runs around and hugs us and lays on top of us. It's pretty cute. Anyway, just wanted to let you guys know about our fun new tradition.
PS We are going to Durham this weekend to hang with the Wrigleys and Stace and I are going to a winterguard show!!! So Family Movie Night will be in the car this week. :)
* The other morning in her crib, Erin was singing "Sue-pah Leah" (SuperLeah after Super Why!) over and over.
* Erin runs up to you when you are standing up, hugs your legs and says, "Hi Mommy." So freaking adorable.
* This morning I sneezed and Erin said, "Bess you, Mommy" and then repeated it when I asked, "What did you say?"
* The phone rang this afternoon and Erin said "I gegit" (I'll get it)
For some reason, for the last month I have not slept through the night. Almost every night, one kid or the other wakes up and needs something. Last night it was both of them an hour apart. And then on the nights that no one wakes up, I can't sleep. I wake up every hour it seems like. It is getting beyond frustrating.
I think Erin got used to me going in to her because she was sick and now expects it. So tonight I am breaking that pattern. No going in unless I think she has thrown up (which is unlikely). She can just cry it out and learn that nighttime is for sleeping. Maybe once she sleeps through the night consistently again, she will stop waking up at the butt-crack of dawn.
I am So tired in the mid-afternoons, then by 7 or so I am wide awake and can't settle down until after 10pm. So going to bed early is not going to help. Maybe I will take Tylenol PM one night and let Mike handle any emergencies.
Leah was not RIDING a snowboard. Mike's snowboard hangs on the wall in the music room. She was tugging on a little string hanging from it and it fell on her face, right between her eyes. Mike thought it would be funny to write it like she was actually snowboarding. Maybe she will in March!
Here is the info on my second born:
1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED? Yes
2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? Yes
3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? Excited, more surreal than the first time
4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU? This question is ridiculous for me
5. HOW OLD WERE YOU? 28
6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? Peed on a stick during our CDS Progressive Dinner because I wanted a glass of Sangria (I didn't get it)
7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? everyone who was there when they saw my face coming down the stairs
8. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? Oh yes!
9. DUE DATE? August 17, 2007
10. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? Not really
11. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? ice cream, especially rocky road
12. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? going up and down the stairs
13. WHAT WAS YOUR CHILD'S SEX? Girl
14. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? No, I was scared to have a boy.
15. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? 50
16. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? A small CDS one
17. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? I knew
18. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? nope
19. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? Presbyterian Hospital-Matthews
20. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? 29 hours
21. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? Mike
22. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? Mike and my mom
23. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? Natural
24. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? even better epidural than the first
27. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? 7lbs 11oz
28. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN? August 13, 2007
30. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER? Erin Audrey
31. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY? 1 1/2
This was stolen from Facebook. I don't like to put too personal of stuff on there for people I knew a million years ago to read. So you want to participate, feel free.
Here you go mommies - a different kind of survey for a change - it's all about your first born!
Let's see how much you remember!
1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED? Yes
2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? Yes
3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? Scared, excited
4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU? Not on a planned pregnancy
5. HOW OLD WERE YOU? 26
6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? Peed on a stick at Stacy's house the week of her wedding
7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? Mike & Stacy were waiting downstairs
8. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? Oh yes!
9. DUE DATE? May 19, 2005
10. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? Not really
11. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? milkshakes and cereal
12. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? my sciatic nerve
13. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX? Girl
14. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? Oh no!
15. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? 50
16. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? yes, several
17. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? The first in N.O. was a surprise. I was barely pregnant but I wouldn't be back there until after the baby was born, so they threw me one anyway.
18. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? nope
19. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital
20. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? 41 hours
21. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? Mike, Stacy was in the back seat and my mom was following
22. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? Mike, Stacy, my mom
23. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? Natural
24. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? Thank god for epidurals
27. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? 6lbs 11oz
28. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN? May 17, 2005
30. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER? Leah Cathleen
31. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY? 3 1/2
We finally had no drama today. Erin was not sick, she napped 3 hrs. Leah watched Tinkerbell while I napped. She said that she had a headache a lot of the day and a tummyache at times. Don't know what that was about. Hopefully she doesn't get that stomach bug tonight.
We loaded up and went to the mall this afternoon to buy Leah Crocs with the fur lining because she HATES socks. I mean writhing, fit-pitching every time I ask her to put socks on. She claims they feel funny. So I thought maybe with those Crocs she wouldn't have to wear socks as often. And I got a pair too at buy one get one 1/2 off. We played at the playplace, then went to Toys R Us to buy Ian's birthday present. I did not have a stroller the entire trip but Erin did SO well at the mall. She stayed close and listened when I talked.
All in all, much better day. Thanks for listening. :)
As I am sure you can ascertain from my last post, last night was straight from hell. Leah woke up coughing at like 9pm, but she fell back asleep before I could get back upstairs with her warm juice. Then at 1:30 Erin woke up throwing up (BAD, all over her bed and onto the floor. Her room reeked of vomit all night) and continued to throw up every 1/2 hour until 4:30.
At 4:45 just when I was dosing back off for the first time, Leah comes into our room claiming she has to pee. When she has to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, she usually comes into our room so she doesn't wake Erin up by using their bathroom (so sweet). Anyway, I hear her in the bathroom quietly crying to herself, so I go in to check on her. She says, "I don't ever want to play in the pile of leaves again." What? "Or on Daddy's ramps." I have no idea what she is talking about, so I bend down to comfort her and I see dried blood smeared from her nose all the way to her left ear. Her hands and her jammies have dried blood on them. I started to freak out a little but she said she wasn't hurt. Her nose looked full of blood so I had her blow it. There was quite a bit of blood and some was a little clotted so it came out in big globs (TMI, I know). When I tried to wipe her hands, she started freaking out and talking about splinters. I think she was dreaming of when we took her splinter out and thought that is what I was doing. It makes sense with the not playing on the ramps, because that's how she got the splinter to start with.
Anyway, she was scared, so she climbed into out bed for the rest of the night, which is a SUPER rare occurrence in our house because I usually don't get any sleep with her there. She always crowds against me and somehow wedges her elbow right under my shoulder blade. But I managed to sleep a little before I got up to call and tell Laurie Erin wouldn't be going to school today.
I want a nap!
I think God may be trying to tell us something. We started thinking about having another child, and BAM Erin gets an ear infection. We say, "OK, we can deal with that," then BAM Leah starts her night coughing again. We say, "Bring it on, what else?" and BAM Erin is throwing up. So maybe we should not be having another? Is this God's way of politely saying get the heck out of Dodge? :) I apologize for the incoherency of this post but it is 2:30AM and I am waiting to see if there is another bout of vomiting before I try to fall asleep.
Ha ha, some joke, God.
This was the conversation at lunch today:
L-I am feeling guilty in my tummy.
A-Why, honey?
L-I think I have the croaks in my throat again. (this means her throat is tickling)
A-Why does that make you feel guilty?
L-Because croaks are guilty.
I think we need to have a vocabulary lesson.
I wanted to write this on here because I am using this as my journal so I can remember milestones for my kids. The last 3 night have been nuk-free over here. Mike didn't give it to her the other night. Because she was so stuffy, it was actually harder to breathe with it in. And it hasn't come up again since then. It is amazing that both girls were so easy to break of nuks. I wonder what other thing will be tough to deal with because of that. :)
I am much better today. Everything went well yesterday (except I took Erin to the dr instead of going to the gym - more on that later) so I feel accomplished. Leah and I did an art project and we played outside a bit in the afternoon. So the schedule did its job.
Last night Erin finally slept through the night after going to bed at 6:15. BUT Leah woke up crying incomprehensibly at 11:30 (I had just fallen asleep) and then woke up for the day at 6am. Mike was like, "And you want another one? Then we'll have one more reason to wake up in the night." But it goes through cycles, there were like 2 weeks where they both slept all night and woke up at 7:30am everyday. It was awesome. So we just have to get through this cycle to get back to good.
I took Erin to the dr yesterday because she had been waking up in the night SCREAMING and could not be comforted. I was worried that the new prescription wasn't working. But her ears are almost back to normal, so I think we deduced that she may have had a night terror. I was not prepared for that, but it figures that Erin would get them.
Okay, that is it for today. I am not getting on here until bedtime again. I think not having the option to be on the computer makes me happier about the time I spend with my kiddos.
PS Congratulations to Min & Nicole on the birth of their baby girl! We hope to hear more soon. Lots of love!
I was cranky again yesterday, even after that enjoyable Saturday night. But I think today I will force myself not to be by following my schedule. You can't be cranky if you are feeling a sense of accomplishment. So today I will clean up upstairs, vacuum up there, and change all the sheets on the beds AND I will play with Erin while Leah is at school and play with both girls this afternoon and NOT GET ON THE COMPUTER OR READ the whole time. You won't hear from me again until after bedtime.
Reading is really what does it. Once I pick up a book I don't want to put it down and apparently I get cranky if I have to. I have always kinda known that about myself, but it has been getting worse lately. Maybe it's because I hardly ever get to read anymore and I am resenting it. I used to always read a little before bed, but not I am either too tired or I stay up too late reading and am super tired the next day. I guess I will have ti put reading in moderation on my schedule. I think I may have a scheduling problem, is there a meeting I can go to for this?
Erin is still not herself. She is waking up at night and in the morning crying. That is not like her. She has been on a new antibiotic since Saturday morning since she wasn't getting better on the other one. But I don't see her getting better on this one either so I am calling to talk to her doctor today. Hopefully we can get her back to normal soon, the lack of sleep is not helping anyone.
I am so cranky today. I don't know why. I wanted the kids to disappear. I didn't feel like hanging out with my family. I just wanted to veg and read. I could NOT wait to get the kids in bed (both were up late last night and Erin was up SUPER early) and sit with a glass of wine, which I am drinking at this very moment. Mike is on his way to the video store to rent us Can't Hardly Wait, which was one of our favorite movies when we were dating. We own it only on VHS, so I think it is time to upgrade. AND he is stopping to get us some chocolate dessert. I totally needed this tonight. Thanks baby! Hopefully tomorrow will bring a tad warmer weather and a happier me.
1. I remind myself SO much of Kate on Jon & Kate Plus 8. I just watched the episode where they go visit their new house. They go into Jon & Kate's room and they tell the kids that they will never be allowed in there again. The way Kate explained it and the way she made the kids stay in the room and pay attention just reminded me of me. A minute ago I was telling Leah something and I made her stop and pay attention to me. I had a flash of Kate just then.
2. Erin can count to ten! This morning she was pointing to letters or numbers on their little table (I couldn't see which one it was) and she counted all the way to ten! Also her favorite color is "geen-pu-pul" and that is the first color she says when I ask what color something is.
After Tuesday night's fiasco or Erin not sleeping well, I was SO tired yesterday. AND we found out about Erin's ear infections. So I was not especially looking forward to date night last night. But as we had tickets to RENT and had the babysitter lined up, short of Erin having a fever or being truly sick, we were going.
We ate at Carrabba's, which is a favorite of ours sans kids. They now have mini desserts. They come out with this tray of six little cups and you can get as many of them as you want (or all 6 for $12!). We got the zabaglione (custard over crunchy biscotti type stuff) and chocolate brownie with chocolate mousse. Then we hit up Starbucks to stay awake the rest of the night. I was wearing my teal Old Navy kangaroo sweater and a lady stopped and said, "That blue is a really good color on you." Random complements are the best! Then it was time for RENT.
It was SOOOOOO good! We had the original Roger and Mark in our cast. Mark makes my heart skip several beats, he is that good. Don't worry, Mike agrees. :) I cried all through the second act for Angel, Collins, Mimi, Roger, etc. I love plays that truly make you feel. And we had pretty good seats too so we could see the faces and expressions pretty well.
All in all, great date night. And Erin was fine at home so I am glad we went.
I was tagged to do this on Facebook. I thought I would put it over here too in case I have some people who don't cross over.
1. I will never homeschool my kids, even though I am a teacher. I believe too much that absence makes the heart grow fonder.
2. I am addicted to The Bachelor and Biggest Loser. I always cry for the one not chosen on Bachelor.
3. I am a fan of Wii Music, after telling Mike I thought it looked stupid. Oh, and I suck at bass.
4. Most of the time, I CANNOT wait to go back to work. I think I romanticize it in my head A LOT.
5. Most of the time, I want to have more kids. The idea of a big family appeals to me.
6. I seriously think my husband is the best husband and dad I know. I almost never have to bitch about him to my friends. Our biggest problem is money.
7. I am terrified of having a boy. I only really grew up with sisters. I have girls. What to do with a boy?!?!?
8. I am SO HAPPY we moved to NC. I am just a happier person in general since coming here 2 yrs ago.
9. I loved teaching middle school and I think I will probably look for a job in social studies or English when I go back. I like how they think at that age. They have real opinions on stuff. And it is a challenge to come up with things they want to participate in.
10. I am a super-organized control freak who has a problem with clutter. How does that happen?
11. I am NOT a fan of cold weather. I am ready for spring!
12. I just recently realized that I do not have a best girl friend. My husband is my only best friend. I kinda wish I had a girl best friend too.
13. I LOVE eating out. My favorite part is trying new foods, so tapas is the ultimate.
14. I am really proud of the fact that I have been working out five days a week fairly consistently since last August. But I am disappointed that I don't see the effect of it more in my body.
15. I think I sing okay most of the time, but I get the impression from others that I am not that good.
16. I LOVE my minivan. But I miss driving something small and super-maneuverable.
17. I pretty much like ALL kinds of music except that one where the lead singer screams instead of sings.
18. I truly think TV has taught my kids a lot. I don't believe that whole no TV before 2.
19. I also don't believe the new no unprescribed meds for kids under 2 thing. I still give Erin cough medicine and stuff like that.
20. I really hate playing dolls/Barbies with Leah. I am not good at doing voices and making the dolls talk. I do not enjoy it at all.
21. I LOVE reading out loud. I miss reading chapter books to my class. I can't WAIT until Leah is ready for that.
22. I am not a frou-frou girl. I almost never wear skirts or dresses. I only wear makeup or fix my hair on special occasions. BUT as I age, I find that I would like to look nice more often. I guess I am thinking now that I need more help to just look decent.
23. I don't miss my kids when I leave them as much as I used to.
24. I will read just about anything. I used to be able to read a 200-300 page novel in an evening. Now I am too exhausted. I usually fall asleep after like 1/2 hour.
25. I love cooking for my family, experimenting with food, and trying new recipes. If you come to dinner at my house, chances are I am making something I have never made before. You are my guinea pig. Good luck.
She has another double ear infection. It is either gym daycare or Leah carrying germs because Erin JUST started school. Ugh! She was up last night coughing and crying. I can't wait for the meds to kick in.
Erin started school today. As typical of her, she ran right into the classroom and would not hug me good-bye. She actually told me no when I asked for one. I took Leah to go pick her up and she was playing away. When they handed me an art project (a cotton ball snowman) I got teary. I have never even attempted an art project with her yet I guess I assumed that she wasn't ready. They said she loved it. I am so glad we put her in school, she is such a social creature.
I swear this kid is older than she really is. Tonight after dinner Erin was stripped to her diaper. She grabbed it (it was pretty full) and said "I ge git, dah-pah" (I get it, diaper) and brought one over to me. She was ready to be changed. It was pretty funny.
Erin is also playing with the counting bears a lot lately. She can put all of one color in a cup. She may not know the name of the color but she can sort by color already. What a smartie!
I loved spending time with Mandi and Stacy this weekend. We all hooked up in Savannah at about 5pm on Friday and went to dinner at an English pub. Because we were all exhausted we were in bed watching Bourne Ultimatum at 9pm (don't judge us).
Saturday it was so nice to *sleep in* (I slept til 8am and read by the window-light until 9:15 when everyone else woke up) and have a leisurely breakfast. We headed out to find a spa for pedicures soon after. It was hard to find a place that wasn't booked, but eventually we ended up at this adorable brick building covered in ivy. I can't remember the name of it (Stace, Mandi, help me out) but it was fab! We spent 3 hours there getting pampered and relaxing and chatting and decided that spa trips are going to be a mainstay of all future girls' trips. We headed back to our hotel room to renew and refresh and get ready for the evening.
Dinner was at Jazz'd, a tapas/martini place. I had seen this place every time I had been to Savannah and always wanted to try it. AHHHHH! It was a small piece of heaven. Some group favorites: Beef Gorgonzola, Chorizo Empanadas with cilantro-lime cream, and Potato-Leek Frittata with fig chutney. The plan was to catch the 8:30 ghost tour that we already paid for (I know, I was coerced), but we arrived at the trolley site 2 minutes late and the trolley was already gone. We were able to grab drinks to chug before the next trolley arrived. The ghost stories told on the trolley weren't scary but I did NOT get off to tour the "most haunted house in Savannah" with the rest of the people. Mandi and Stacy said it was pretty cheesy though. After we went to the dueling piano bar Savannah Smiles.
I definitely had lots of fun at the bar. It has been a LONG time since I have been "out" like that. But I looked at all the other girls there and I realized that I was probably in the oldest quarter of them. It was kinda crazy.
Sunday morning checkout wasn't til 11, thank goodness. We got up eventually and headed to Starbucks for that caffeine hit before driving. Stacy left (she had the longest drive) and Mandi & I walked around one of the oldest cemeteries in Savannah. There were graves there from the 1700s. It was interesting to talk about all of their stories.
On the way back to the car, we happened to run across a honey store. That's right, a store completely devoted to honey. We got to taste 8 different flavors and I actually bought two small jars, one of acacia and one of sourwood. Then it was back on the road.
I have a total of 5 pictures from the whole trip. Mandi has most of them, so when she posts them (!) I will link to them here. Thanks, girls, for such a great time. I hope more of you can make it to the next girls' weekend in 2010.
My neighbors, Tiffany and Brandon, had their baby this evening. I just wanted to say congratulations on the birth of the newest member of the CDS crew, Weston Larsen. We can't wait to meet you!!!
Is it too early to tell if Erin will be a stutterer? Because I am noticing it more and more. Especially on say the word "potty" which she says "pa-yah", she repeats the puh-puh-puh sound several times before saying it. It happens on other words too, but not every word. So I don't know what to think...
On to me, I am SO excited to meet up with Stacy and Mandi tomorrow afternoon in Savannah. Mandi and I were looking up restaurants to go to. (You can tell who the foodies are.) I realized that there are too many restaurants and not enough meals! That can only make me happier. AND Mandi is bringing me cupcakes! I thought I had blogged about these cupcakes before but I can't find the entry so here is Mandi's entry about the famous cupcakes. Seriously, read her entry before you go any further.
I know, right? And we picked some up on the way home from Hive in October and they were worth the detour. Holy deliciousness!
Can't wait!
The girls LOVED the snow this morning, especially Erin. I will try to pick out the best pics from our playtime this morning to show you.
I just want everyone to know that I am watching the snow fall in our backyard as we speak. Why am I awake at 6am if there is no school and no work today? Well, I have a big overgrown kid for a husband and he was doing a giant happy dance this morning and now I can't sleep anymore. But very cool! Pictures to come today, I'm sure.
Conversation with Leah at bedtime:
We were talking about whose birthday is next (is that grammatically correct? whose?) and I told her it was Ian's. Here is how it went:
A: You know whose birthday will come before Ian's? Baby Weston's! (Tiff is ready to POP!)
L: Can I go see him when he comes home?
A: Sure. And after Andy's birthday, Ian's new baby brother or sister will be born.
L: When will my new baby brother or sister be born?
A: I don't know. There is no baby in my tummy yet.
L: Why not?
A: Because we haven't tried to have a baby yet.
L: Can we try tomorrow?
A: No, baby. But we will soon.
L: How does the baby get in your tummy? Is there like a control that puts them in there? (I guess she meant like a remote?)
A: Daddy helps put the babies in my tummy. He helped put you in there. He helped put Erin in there.
L: I didn't see him put Erin in there.
A: That's because it's a secret.
L: No, it's not, Mommy.
A: Oh, look at that! Song is over. Good night sweetie.
AHHHH! I got out of that one as delicately as I could. How much am I going to have to tell her? I want to be as honest as I can without giving too much info. Hopefully she won't remember to ask about it again tomorrow, but I wouldn't put it past her.
When I bought The Supermarket Diet Cookbook a few weeks ago hoping to find a variety of healthy recipes, I had never heard of the "Supermarket Diet." I was just looking for new recipes to try. When I got the book home and started to read through it, it really made sense to me. And the recipes sounded yummy. So I decided to try it. I have been doing it for a week now and as you can see by my weight loss counter, I have lost a few pounds (like 3 this week). I am REALLY enjoying the food and the portions seem huge! I am never still hungry at the end of a meal. I LOVE that I get a treat of 125 calories every day. I can still have a latte at Starbucks when I want. So I highly recommend giving this a read if you are interested in losing weight and you enjoy preparing your own meals. I wanted to post here two of the recipes we have REALLY liked.
Honey Pecan Belgian Waffles (9 servings)
1 1/4 c whole-wheat flour
1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/4 c oat bran (I used ground flaxseed meal instead)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 c buttermilk
1/4 c butter, melted
2 eggs
2 T honey
1/2 c finely chopped pecans, toasted if you like
1. Spray waffle maker and preheat. In large bowl, combine flours, oat bran, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add buttermilk, melted butter, eggs, and honey. Stir until flour mixture is moistened (batter will be lumpy). Stir in pecans.
2. When waffle maker is ready, pour batter and make waffles according to manufacturer's directions. (I was able to make almost 6 waffles and I have this waffle iron.)
3. Serve drizzled with honey and 1/2 cup fruit (berries or diced peaches) each serving.
Greek Salad Pitas (4 servings)
1 can (15 oz) garbanzo beans (also called chick peas)
1/4 c plain yogurt
2 t olive oil
2 T lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/4 tsp cumin
1 garlic clove, peeled
4 (6 to 7 in) pitas (about 150 cal each)
3 c sliced romaine lettuce
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 medium cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
2 oz feta cheese crumbled (1/2 c)
2 T chopped mint leaves (I didn't used this)
1. In a food processor, combine beans, yogurt, oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, cumin, and garlic. Puree until smooth.
2. Cut off top third of each pita to form a pocket. Use half of bean mixture to divide evenly inside pockets.
3. Combine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, feta, and mint. Use mixture to fill the pockets. Top with remaining bean mixture.
Since we have been back to our daily lives, I had been slacking on real quality interaction with the girls. There was too much TV and computer time and not enough imaginary and creative play. So I put together a daily schedule that included time for me to work out 3 days a week, time to run errands/get out of the house and just do something, and individual time for each girl (will work better when Erin starts school in February). So here it is:
It says Schedule B because I have alternating weeks on my chore list and this is the schedule I am doing this week. So far it is going extremely well and I feel like I have dedicated much more time to playing AND I still have gotten everything done! The only thing I am missing is time for me. I guess technically gym time is time for me. I mean scrapbook/computer time. I do get on in the mornings still and occasionally during the lunch hour. As we speak, I am watching Ian & Chase for Laurie so the kids are entertaining each other. In a way, it is nice to have something to force me off of here.
Anyway, just thought I'd share.
Erin does a lot of "hi-in'" (hiding) lately. She goes somewhere like my closet or behind the bathroom door and says, "Mommy, hi-in'." I ask, "Erin, are you hiding?" She says, "Yah." I know it sort of defeats the purpose of announcing you are hiding while you are in your hiding place, but otherwise we would never know to look for her. :)
This morning she hid in my closet. I peeked in at her then I hid in another part of the closet. She thought that was pretty hilarious. She giggled while I said, "Where's Mommy?" and then came to find me with the biggest hug. It was so sweet.
These things are the reason we are talking about trying to have another child again soon. She has gotten so BIG the last month or so. She is no longer a baby. She is talking, playing, running, climbing, and wanting her own way.
At breakfast she said, "Dampin' makey does?" (Jumping Monkey joes?) She remembers a week ago when I took them up there to play. Just now she laughed at something Leah said and told her, "Funny." What a kid!
Leah is SUPER excited because tomorrow she gets to wear her pajamas to school and bring her blankie and a teddy bear. Tonight she made Mike ask her at least 3 times, "Do you know what tomorrow is?" And as she lay in bed she told me, "Mom, I will remind you in the morning that I don't have to take my pajamas off." I told her that I wouldn't forget. She said, "I will remind you anyway."
I love that school can make her so giddy.
I logged onto the tri website on January 5th (the day after they opened registration) and the race we wanted to participate in was already full.
And there went my triathlon hopes. Just like that.
Mike and I are still going to do a "triathlon" in our own neck of the woods. We plan to swim at our gym, then bike and run from there to get a time for ourselves. It doesn't matter now when we do it, so there is no particular date. Just a day that it isn't too cold would be good.
Because of this issue, we pondered briefly on the idea of trying to get pregnant in February. We would only have the one shot. That baby would be born in November. That would give us time to attend Brittany's wedding in January. If it didn't work, we would have to wait until at least June in order not to conflict with the wedding. And if we are already waiting until June, it may as well be July so we can enjoy our cruise witha clear conscience. So we are back at July again.
In other news, Mike & I decided to start Erin at Leah's school in February on Tue/Thurs. Chase started there today, so they would be in the same class. Then I would have time to spend one-on-one with each kid. And I know Leah needs it. She rarely gets time alone with me. It will be fun to do errands with just her since she is easier to handle.
I think that is all that is new with us.
Now that Erin is starting to talk, she says some really funny things. We sometimes have a hard time interpreting it, but sometimes not so much.
The other day Erin was pooping in her diaper and I guess it hurt. She kept saying, "Poo poo, poo poo" frantically. I asked her, "Awww, baby, does it hurt?" She said, "Hurt," in a pathetic voice. Then she thought about it and said, "Kiss it."
When we ride in the car awhile and she needs some attention,, she slips her arm under one of her car seat straps and says, "Arm out?" asking you to help her get it out. But she can get it out herself. She just wants some interaction with you.
Today Mike and I rode our bikes with the kids on the back up to Food Lion to get the paper, then around the back way home. Every once in a while Erin would say, "Mama?" "Yes, baby?" I would respond. "Fun," she would tell me. It was adorable.
Also today she brought us one of the play coins from Leah's cash register. She kept saying something over and over while holding out the coin and I had no idea what it was. Then it dawned on me, Channukah candy she was saying. The coin looks like chocolate gelt to her.
I love that kid.
I just reread the poem Loving Two I posted when Erin was born. It made me cry (of course), but I also really related to the part:
I watch how she adores you — as I have for so long. I see how excited you are by each of her new accomplishments. And I begin to realize that I haven’t taken something from you, I’ve given something to you.
I really and truly believe that. Erin ADORES Leah and Leah gets even more excited than we do when Erin does something new. They have each received something immeasurable by having a sibling, a sister. It is probably the best gift I could have ever given them. They may not think so at certain points in their lives, but I believe that ultimately they will look back and be grateful they have each other.
I am feeling sentimental this morning thinking about my kids, my future kids, and my family that I love so much.
So we were sitting down to dinner last night. I had made chili and one of those Steam Fresh bags of sugar snap peas. Leah was sitting two seats down from me so I couldn't see her plate. All of a sudden she said, "Daddy, what is this?" Mike took one of her snap peas and looked at it. Then he handed it to me. Leah had torn it in half and in between two of the peas was a teeny tiny caterpillar or worm or centipede or something. Of course it was dead (I gag a little just writing this) because I had steamed it BUT STILL! Leah likes to tear the snap peas in half but what if that had been one I ate? I just munch right down on them without looking inside. Or what if she had taken a bite instead of ripping this particular one. I tell you my skin crawled. I opened up every snap pea I ate after that, threw away the leftovers, and do NOT plan on buying them again.
So the warning is beware all fruits or vegetables that you eat without seeing the inside. Yikes!
I was very much looking forward to Leah returning to school today. Alas that is not the case. She was up a lot of the night with fever AND coughing. Leah often coughs to the point of throwing up, so that happened too. I ended up sleeping in her room from 5-7:30am after being up with her at 4. It was a strange night, she fell asleep the night before at 5pm and slept til 7:30. Then she was awake until 9:30, but coughed in her room from 9:30 until 11 when she finally threw up. It was a miserable night all around. Thank goodness Erin slept all night.
My goals today are to complete my chores (clean the bathrooms and vacuum upstairs), ride our new (to us) stationary bike for 58 minutes, and stick to WW points for eating my meals. I also wouldn't mind napping when Erin naps due to lack of sleep last night. So that means I need to complete these things while she is awake. No easy task. At least Leah will be lounging watching TV most of the day (and I don't have to feel guilty about it, she's sick) so she will be pretty easy to handle.
Now that we are back to our boring everyday life (which I am pretty happy about for now), these blog entries will be pretty boring to read, I bet.
I decided to put my anticipated week's training on the graph and will make adjustments as the week progresses as to what was actually done, if necessary. That way I can check my blog for my daily training schedule instead of having to go multiple places. Enjoy!
PS Yes, I went from week 11 to week 9 (were you paying attention?). I haven't really worked out in almost two weeks so I decided to go back and redo weeks 9 and 10.
After reading Keri's goals and now Nikki's, I am ready to state what I want to accomplish in 2009. Now, don't go reading Nikki's first, because she beat me to the punch, but mine are very similar to hers.
1. Go back to eating healthy and meal planning and shopping accordingly.
2. Try to hit my goal weight BEFORE my cruise in July. (Mike told me to buy 2 new swimsuits for this summer!!!)
3. Create a daily and weekly schedule for myself and the kids that includes working out, playtime, and one-on-one time with each girl.
4. Continue to train for and compete in my sprint triathlon in late March.
5. Stick to our budget so we can have money to go on trips with our friends.
6. Make more time with my girlfriends (all of them around the country). Our CDS girls don't do that nearly enough. I also think the girls' weekends need to be closer to twice a year. I miss you girls!
7. Sell our dining room table and buffet and buy new ones.
8. Get completely up to date on my scrapbooks.
9. Move closer to the lake or be in process to move in early 2010.
10. Make a new baby to add to our family.
As Nikki and Stacy both mentioned, my goals align with becoming a better wife, mother, and woman. That is all I can ask of each year. I hope at the end of the year I can look at each of these and see things I did to improve each area.
Beech Mountain, that is. It was quite an... interesting trip, to say the least. The day we left, I had the doctor call in a more potent prescription for Erin because her ear infections symptoms were back. We got just a bit lost on the way to our resort (apparently the mapping websites do that a LOT), but made it in by dinner time. After a dose of the new medicine, Erin went to bed at a decent hour and slept til like 8:30am! It was a miracle!
Tuesday was lovely weather-wise. It was in the 50s and sunny. They were making snow on the slopes so we headed over to let the girls (and Mike) play. 
A little bit more stressed, no? It was SO icy, I couldn't ski without skidding. The snow-making machines were blasting snow right in your face so you felt like you were in a blizzard. Mike said he had never seen the conditions so bad there. But I did enjoy it when I wasn't sliding out of control and smashing my elbow into the ice.
