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!
