Christmas Likes....

I got this on email and thought I'd post it here (copying after my wonderful cousin, Bink).

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping, except for gifts that are really odd shaped or when I'm "wrapping" at the last minute.

2. Real tree or artificial? Artificial this year

3. When do you put up the tree? The weekend after Thanksgiving.

4. When do you take the tree down? New Year's-ish.

5. Do you like eggnog? I like Soy Nog.

6. What was your favorite gift received as a child? I don't think I remember any!

7. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes - a very old one.

8. Hardest person to buy for? Dad.

9. Easiest person to buy for? Lacey and Leah.

10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Can't think of one to mention.

11. Mail or email cards? Mail.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Elf.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? September or so.....

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Nope.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Cookies. :-)

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Clear.

17. Favorite Christmas song? Silent Night.......or on a lighter note, Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

18. Travel for Christmas or stay at home? Stay home.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Commet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? A reindeer that Lacey made.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? One of Christmas Eve (PJs), the rest on Christmas morning.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? All of the news about shopping.

23. What I love most about Christmas? Just about everything else! I love the wonder that children feel!

Merry Christmas!

On Christmas Eve (a.k.a., Butch's birthday), we were quite busy. I went with Dee, Rick, Kristina, Jess & JD to mom's grave to put up a wreath and new winter mini flag. (We are really bad about getting down there and will make it a resolution for 2008 to do it more....even though we tried that for 2007 and failed.) Then, we went to Dad's (where Butch and the girls were waiting) and gave him his present.........a new leather recliner. His old one was falling apart....literally.

We were able to come home for a short bit before getting ready for 5:00 church. It's the family service and is really cute b/c the kids do a lot of it. And, you don't feel bad when your kids are making noise because it is the family service. :-)

Then, we headed home for dinner (mexican casserole) and ice cream cake for B's birthday. Lacey even sang for him. Our tongues turned blue from the yummy ice cream cake.

Before the ice cream cake, Lacey opened 1 gift for her and 1 for Leah. Of course, it was new PJs. That was always a tradition for us growing up, so I think I'll do the same now. Lacey got a new princess nightgown, with robe and slippers. She was very pleased. Leah got a new Piglet sleeper. Lacey actually slept in her robe.

I was exhausted on Christmas morning b/c Leah slept horribly. Her 2nd tooth is coming in and seems to be really giving her a tough time. She woke up early, too......6:20 or so. She was actually back down for a nap by the time that Lacey woke up for presents.

When Lacey woke up and was calling for me, I went into her room and told her Santa had come and brought presents. When I asked her if she wanted to go see, she said "no". So, I had to make sure she realized that Santa wasn't here anymore.....then she was okay coming downstairs. She does not like to be close to the man in the red suit.

Two of the things that Santa left (unwrapped) were her favs......Barbie, Island Princess and the Belle baby doll. With those and the crayons, markers and new coloring books, she would have been happy. Because she was fine with those things, it took a long time to get her focused enough to open everything. And, I actually had to open a few things for her.

Here's a picture of the tree before the chaos....

Leah woke a little while later and Butch opened up her gifts for her. She enjoyed the paper, but really like the books and things, too. She was cranky some through the day b/c of those darn teeth.

Rick, Kristina, Jess, JD, Dad, Dee, Buck, Kristin & Kyle all came for dinner later in the day. Even though we "hosted", we got off pretty easy because Dad did the stuffed ham and Buck did a fried turkey. We always do pot-luck, so Kristina brought a couple of dishes and we just had a few things to do for dinner. What did we have, you ask? Besides the meat, we had broccoli casserole, grean bean casserole, corn pudding, sweet potato casserole, strawberry spinach salad, gravy & rolls. For dessert, we had carrot cake and pistachio torte (and cookies, of course).

Between dinner & dessert, we opened gifts. More toys for the girls and also some clothes. Lacey was (again) thrilled --- especially since she got more princess things. Here she is showing off the dress that Grandma made for her:

It was a busy day and at the end, you wonder where it went. But, it was fun (even with the few tantrums from Lacey) and we enjoyed the company, the food and the wine. :-)

Each year, we do a pic of all of the cousins....here is the one for 2007.....with the newest "member", Leah:

Some Sad News

I hadn't blogged about this last week, but wanted to do so now so that you can keep my boss & her family in your prayers. Her only child, 25-year old Blythe, was killed while serving in the Peace Corps on 12/6. I can't imagine what Joan and her husband are going through. They received the news while out of town (together, thankfully), at a business dinner. At any time, this is horrible news for a parent to hear, but at this time of year, it must be ever more awful.

http://www.beepcentral.com/story.aspx?story=20567

Santa came for a visit to our neighborhood last night. He was riding on the local fire trucks. :-) They do it every year, but this is the first year we walked Lacey down the street for it just because they come sort of "late" (8:00).....after her old bedtime. She was so excited.

I think I'm nearly done Christmas shopping. Just a handful of things left (thankfully). I need to get the gifts for you out of towners wrapped so I can get those in the mail.

We still haven't gotten Christmas cards done. I haven't been able to get Lacey to cooperate for a picture in her dress. Of course, the last 3 days were shot since she had hives......wait a minute.....that's another story. Re the cards, we may end up sending them late or just doing New Year's cards. We'll see.

Hives......so Sunday morning, Lacey & Butch played downstairs in the basement for quite a bit. It's unfinished and a mess. Open insullation. Cat hair, etc. You get the picture. She was rolling around on the rug down there and I think that may be what caused the hives. They aren't too bad now, but on Sunday....wow. Dr. Jill says they commonly stick around for a couple of days. They go away with Benadryl, then come back (in different spots) when the meds wear off. Hopefully we are at the end of this now.

Both Lacey & I have colds. I think Leah is getting one, too. Blah. Oh well, better now than in 2 weeks.

I had Lisa start Leah on lunch this week. She has been diving for her dinner, so I figure she is hungry. Hopefully she'll go back to being a good sleeper soon......either food will help or maybe those darn teeth will come in. :-) Or, she'll just keep waking every 4-5 hours.

Frisbee 2000 - 12/8/2007

Well, he was doing somewhat better yesterday and we expected to bring him home today. However, he took a turn for the worse overnight. We spoke to the vet around 9:15 this morning and she said that he needed a blood transfusion if we were to continue. She agreed, though, that it was a gamble. He simply wasn't responding well. I asked about bringing him home for the weekend, but she didn't think he would last until Monday. We decided to euthanize him today and to do it there so he wasn't stressed any further.

When we got to the vet around 11:30, he didn't even wag his tail or lift his head. He was so anemic from all of the fluids he was receiving that he was too weak. And, even with all the fluids, his kidney counts didn't ever get very low. We spent several minutes petting him and talking to him.

It was heart-breaking to let him go. I can't believe that my fun-loving 7 year old goofy dog is now gone. I know we did the right thing in letting him go, but I'm just so angry that he got so sick in the first place.....from a freakin' tick.

We will miss him tremendously. It has already felt strange over the last few days with no barking and no one licking up our messes on the floor.

Frisbee

I am so sad. Frisbee was diagnosed this week with kidney disease and Lyme disease. He had been a little weird about his eating habits for the past few weeks -- not interested in his food, but devouring Kramer's food -- and begging at the table (more than normal). Nancy mentioned during their visit that she thought he'd lost weight. We didn't think so....until Sunday when we decided to weigh him. He had gone from 30-32 pounds or so down to 25. That's more than 20%. More than 10% is an issue. So, I bought different food on Monday to see if he would eat canned dog food....he ate it....and then vomited a few hours later. So, I made an appt. at the vet for Wed. Because of his young age (7), she was surprised that he had kidney disease, which is why they decided to test for Lyme disease, too. Apparently Lyme disease can cause kidney problems if left untreated. Looking back through the spring and summer, there are only 2 instances that we now realize were related to Lyme.....2 times that he limped.....for a day....and then appeared to be fine. He seemed fine otherwise.

We have always just used the flea/tick stuff in the spring/summer months. I would suggest that if you live in an area with Lyme disease to use it all year long. And, I've learned that there is a vaccine which is 75% effective. Get it. We had a horrible infestation in our yard this year and had to put pesticides down twice. It was awful.

Kidney disease is fatal. We learned that with Toonces. It's the same *&%^ illness that we lost him to 15 months ago. The vet estimated 6-12 months for Frisbee when we spoke on Wednesday. They kept him in the hospital that night to give IV fluids and flush his system. Thursday, they tested blood again and it was better, but not great, so they kept him overnight again. Today, she called to say that he had vomited a few times last night (not good at all) and they really wanted to keep him until tomorrow morning. Based on all of this, I'm not sure we even have 6 months with him.

Day by day. I visited him yesterday & Butch is going this afternoon. If we get him home tomorrow and the weekend doesn't go well, I imagine we'll be making big decisions. I am hoping that he will at least do better through the holidays, but based on how things have gone so far, I'm not sure how likely that is. I don't want to put him through lots of treatment and antibiotics (for the Lyme disease) if he isn't going to have a good quality of life.

He is truly the best dog ever. He has tolerated a ton from Lacey and barely growled at her. He has been annoying as hell with the loud barking, but wow, what a watch dog. The teeth are shown if someone he doesn't know shows up. I have never worried about being safe.

Give your dog a hug today. And, take issues with ticks very seriously.

"Shake Your Booty"

Last night, Lacey was playing with her Little People (who "live" on the coffee table and end tables.....I guess each table is a new town or something). So, she turns several of the Little People around so their backs are facing her and says (a few times) "Shake Your Booty". Butch was sitting right there and I was in the kitchen, but he didn't even hear her. (He tunes her out when she's playing.) I asked him if she said what I thought she said. She said it again a few minutes later and he did hear her......yes, we heard correctly.

No clue where she got that from. We do let her watch some inappropriate TV, but it's not anything like that. Maybe the older girls at daycare.......too funny.

Thanksgiving and Leah's Baptism

Butch was off the day before Thanksgiving and our office closed at 1:00. So, I worked at home that day and we kept the girls home. We headed out for family pictures that afternoon. Amazingly, both girls cooperated. After pictures, we treated Lacey to Cold Stone Creamery. Okay, you're right....it was an excuse for me to get to go.

Chuck & Nancy came for a visit over Thanksgiving weekend. They arrived on Turkey Day around noon. (They were going to come the day before, but we suggested waiting since traffic is a nightmare around here the day before.) Anyway, we were invited over to Dee's around 1:00ish and dinner was to be around 3:00. But....Leah actually took a *good* nap that day. And, I was not about to wake her up. No way. So, we didn't get over to Dee's until about 3:00. (There were some other's that were late, too, though.) Dinner got moved to about 4:00.

There were about 15-16 people there....including Dee & family, Rick & family, us, Dad, Calvin (Buck's dad), Steve & Amy & kids. (Steve is Buck's bro.) They have 2 little girls, too. Riley is about 5 and Camryn is around Lacey's age. Dee had been wanting to get Lacey together with them for a while....but Lacey is a shy girl and wasn't much up for playing at first. Even later, she wasn't much for playing "with" them by herself. Oh well.

Dinner was YUM-O! Turkey, stuffed ham, gravy, mashed potatoes, broccoli casserole, corn pudding, sweet potato casserole, salad, mac & cheese, biscuits......I don't think I'm forgetting anything. It was so good. After everyone had time for the food to settle, out came the desserts. And, by then....it was time for us to head home right after because of sleepy little ones.

We didn't do much the rest of the weekend. Relax, visit, eat, etc. Well....until Sunday. Sunday was Leah's baptism. It went smoothly. Leah's dress was beautiful. Nancy made it.

I hate sitting in the front of church. I suppose we didn't have to, but everyone else in the fam would want to since they'd want to take pictures, etc. (And, we'd want them to take pics.) Trying to keep Lacey quiet was a struggle at first. She never comes to church. She always goes to the nursery. Anyway, after acting up a bit in the beginning, she took her binks and rested. Leah seemed to really like the water - kind of funny. The pastor walked Leah around the church after the baptism and she enjoyed that, too. After all of the excitement, Lacey fell asleep on me and Leah fell asleep on Butch.

We headed back to the house after church for Italian Meatball Stew and a little football. Everyone left at half-time.....our TV isn't big enough. :-) I'm not joking here. Hehe.

Not much else is going on. I've started Christmas shopping - most of it online.

I have to head to NY on Tuesday and am not looking forward to it. At least I don't travel a lot anymore.

I'd better get myself organized for tomorrow. Bottles to prepare, ironing, etc.

Leah is 5 month's old!

4 months

5 months

She's getting to be so much fun. Just this last week, she has started to sit a little better, but you still need to catch her when she starts to lose her balance. She loves to play with her toys. I was putting her to bed the other night and she laughed at "nothing". I was just getting her jammies on and she laughed. So cute.

I weighed her last night & she's up to 17 pounds. We started her on cereal a few weeks ago and she's eaten some fruits, too.....bananas, pears, apples. Bananas are her fav.

We started letting her cry at bedtime a little over a week ago to try to get her back to sleeping through. It's been okay. At least she goes down easily now and we don't have to bounce or rock her to sleep anymore. Out of maybe 9 nights, she's slept "through" twice. Hopefully that will come (soon). She slept so great until 3 months old.

I'll do an update on everything else later. They both just woke from naps....

Leah had her 4 month well visit Tuesday. She is now 15 pounds, 15 ounces and 25.25" long. She was given 4 shots again and another oral vaccine. Her little legs are a little red and swollen from the shots, but otherwise, she's been a trooper.

Her sleep hasn't been great since she hit 3 months. She used to sleep 7+ hours, then another 3-4. But, then she settled into 4-5 hour stretches only. I mentioned it to the doc and he thinks she is needing more to eat, so she's on cereal now. She isn't so sure she likes it. :-)

Last time I posted, I mentioned Lacey would be going for her flu shot. It went okay. She did scream, but got over it quickly since I told her we'd go to the store to buy "Belle" (Beauty & the Beast). We got to Borders and they didn't have it, but she didn't care because she found another Barbie DVD. She loves those. The animation isn't very good, but the stories aren't too bad.

We had the carpets cleaned last weekend and they look incredible. It's amazing what a professional can do. And, we had Joyce (our previous cleaning person) come on Monday. Unfortunately, despite my directions on what was important to do, she did her own thing and didn't have enough time to do our master bathroom. Ugh. She's coming back on Sunday to do that. She is really good, but she's also good at ignoring your requests.

I have to go to NY for a daytrip in early December and am not looking forward to it!!! I'm still nursing Leah, so I have to drag the pump with me (through security) and find decent places to pump along the way. No fun. I'm hoping to have only a couple of other trips over the next 7 months so that it isn't such an issue.

What else?

We hid Lacey's Halloween costume since she was so obsessed with it. Now she is obsessed with a dress that I bought her for Easter that she didn't wear b/c the weather was so cold. She is putting it on every evening after getting home from daycare. Oh - and she is a trip when I go to The Children's Place website (or other kids clothing sites) and look at dresses. Cracks me up what a *girl* she is!!! I love it!

November is here already!

Wow! I can't believe that Thanksgiving will be here in just a few short weeks.

Butch has to work tomorrow (SAT administration), so it will be the girls & me for most of tomorrow. It wouldn't be so bad if Leah would settle into a good nap routine! But, she still catnaps for the most part, which makes it hard. We don't really have other plans for the weekend. Just trying to rest up and do a few things here.

Lacey has an appointment on Monday afternoon for her flu shot. Not sure how that will go! She hasn't had to have a shot since she was just over 18 months and she was not as strong then. We'll see.

The following Monday, daycare is closed for Veteran's Day. So, I'm taking a day off. I was hoping to get Leah in that day for her well visit, but there were not appointments available, so I get to take some time off on Tuesday, the 13th, too. 4 more shots coming her way. Poor baby.

We're hoping to get family pictures done in November, but I'm not sure when. Maybe the week of Thanksgiving. We were going to try for the weekend before, but Lacey & I both have hair appointments that Friday and I don't want pictures done so close to getting our haircuts.

Chuck & Nancy are coming to visit for Thanksgiving. And, we have Leah's baptism scheduled for that Sunday.

Oh - I forgot. We've also been making an attempt at going to church --- 2 weeks in a row now. Hopefully Lacey will adjust to the nursery. The first week, Butch stayed with her. The next week, he ducked out (he'd told her all along he was going to, but didn't tell her when he *did*). Anyway, she was fine for a while, but apparently started crying at some point and sat on the teacher's lap for the rest of the time. We'll keep trying. She's got to warm up to it at some point, right?

The girls, Halloween, etc.

Both girls have colds again, but they don't seem to be too bad (so far). They have been taking turns having bad nights sleeping, so Butch & I have been exhausted. Thankfully, Lacey has slept through the last couple of nights and Leah slept solid from 12:30 to 6:15 last night. So, I feel a little more human now.

We've done some fun things the last few weekends. We did make it to the pumpkin farm a couple of weekends ago and Lacey loved it. Last year, she loved these tunnels that you could crawl through, but this year, she said "it's dirty" and didn't want to go in. This is the girl who plays in the dirt frequently. Weird. Anyway, it was a nice day.

Halloween was fun! Lacey was Cinderella and Leah was her pumpkin. I picked them up at daycare, got them dressed, then headed to my dad's. Dee, Rick & Kristina met us there so we didn't have to do house hopping. After that, we came home and planned to just do 1 street in our neighborhood. Lacey was done after 4 houses, so it was a short night. She wouldn't take her costume off that night, so she slept in it. And, she insisted on sleeping in it last night, too.

Leah's 4 month pics

It's amazing that she is 4 months already! Her next doctor's appointment is November 13.

3 month picture

4 month picture

Can't we catch a break???

Last week, I was off Monday for the holiday; Leah was home with me Tuesday (and to the doc); I worked a full day Wednesday; Lacey was home sick Thursday (and to the doc); Lacey came home early (and back to the doc) Friday.

Lacey's 2 doc appointments last week weren't much. On Thurs., Dr. Jill thought it was just the end of her virus (very sore throat, but not strep). But, on Fri., Lacey had a fever and was still feeling really bad, so back we went and I was going to insist on a strep test. However, that doc said the throat didn't even look like strep - not the same spots. She did change her antibiotic and prescribe a decongestant though. Lacey was a new kid the next day. It was amazing.

Last night, Lisa called to say she and her son are sick. She's closed today. Both girls are home again. I really hope that Lacey didn't pass along whatever she had --- although Lisa's symptoms don't sound the same. I need to work!!!!

Our lovely weekend....

Well, it really started last week.

Thursday
Butch got a call from Miss Lisa at 3:00 --- Lacey had a 101* fever. He left to go pick her up & I left work, too. I was thinking we could meet at the doc's office since I was guessing she had an ear infection. However, the pediatrician could not get us in. So, we went home. I took Lacey to the after hours place Thursday evening.

This left Butch with Leah - to get her fed and to bed. She didn't like that idea. I talked to him on the phone twice & both times Leah was screaming. I guess that she is okay with the bottle in the daytime, but wants momma in the evening. Anyway, she took a catnap after eating an ounce or so from a bottle, then woke when I got home for her normal routine.

At the doctor's appointment......yep, an ear infection. We went all last season without antibiotics once for Lacey. This year she has had them 2x already. Crazy.

Friday
Lacey stayed home with me since they aren't supposed to be back at daycare until 24 hours after a fever is gone. I was planning to work as best as I could with her here. However, I realized that in my haste to leave on Thursday, I left my laptop at work!!! My boss was very understanding and supportive and just said to work offline as best as I could. Love her.

Saturday
Everything seemed to be going okay. Until Leah woke at 10:30. After I went back to bed, I thought, "did she feel warm?". So, when she woke an hour or 2 later, we took her temp. Yep, she was warm. Very warm.......102* if I remember correctly. So she got Tylenol, but she woke throughout the night.

Sunday
Leah was fighting the temp in next morning, so back to the after hours place I went. She had no signs of infection, so we went home thinking "just a virus".

After Leah & I got home, I was snuggling with Lacey & realized she was warm. On antibiotics, but had a fever. Ugh. Hers was also pretty high. This went on all day and at 8:15 p.m., she threw up. Then, she was a different kid. Fever was gone and she was feeling good. She actually said "I'm tired of being sick!".

Monday
Leah's fever seemed to be gone. Then it was back in the afternoon. Gone again at bedtime. Back in the wee hours this a.m., so more Tylenol.

Tuesday
I took her to the pediatrician, despite the big happy smile she gave me when she woke this morning. Sure enough.....an ear infection for Leah, too. Poor girl. She actually was hurting so badly that after nursing at 5:30 a.m., she wouldn't again until 12:30 p.m. Poor girl. Hopefully she'll be feeling much better tonight with a couple of doses in her system. She's sleeping now.

Whew.

Butch & I were planning to go to the Sotterly Wine Fest on Sunday with the girls after church. (What a combination for the day, huh?) Anyway, that went out the window.

Assuming everyone is fairly healthy, we are planning to do some fun things this weekend. There is a Farm Festival and Lacey has really been into anything farm related lately. And, Dad will be there since the Optimist Club is doing something there. And, we're planning to go to the pumpkin farm, too. Lacey loved it last year.....I imagine she'll love it even more this year.

Oh - I actually have my laptop, thanks to our administrative assistant who lives nearby. She drove it to my house on Friday evening.

I think that covers the fun stuff we've been up to. ;-)

The Beginning of Cold & Flu Season

BLAH! Lacey had her first cold a few weeks ago. And (of course) gave it to me. Leah even had a little touch of it. Butch escaped. Lacey's experience was rough. She was fine in the evening, went to bed, woke crying at 10:00ish and it took a while for me to figure it out. Her nose was totally stuffed up & she couldn't breathe. All she wanted to do was sleep and she couldn't. I struggled to get a little Benadryl in her sometime in the wee hours (when I'd figured it out), but may have been lucky if I got 1/4 dose in her. The rest was all over her hair and PJs. We all had *maybe* 2-3 hours of sleep that night. I took her to the doc the next day b/c she's never had such difficulty sleeping with "just a cold", and I was worried it was an ear infection or strep. (It was a Friday and I wasn't heading into the weekend like that.) Lacey was a nightmare in the exam room.....screaming and fighting. The doc said she thought she had a sinus infection, so we got an antibiotic. She also prescribed Tylenol 3 (yes, you read correctly). She thought that Lacey's inability to sleep was likely caused by really bad sinus pain and thought Lacey was "beside herself with pain". We gave her the Tylenol 3 for 3 nights and were all able to sleep. The cold left. And, it left me a few days later.

This week, I got a sore throat (Monday) and realized on Tuesday that it was a cold....not just some random thing. Yesterday, Lacey was fine. Went to bed at 8:30, woke crying at 10:30 with a totally stuffed up nose. So, downstairs we went to watch Aladin (her new fav) and forced drugs into her. Decongestant. Benadryl. Motrin. And, Butch put the humidifier in her room. We managed to get her back to bed at midnight and she slept solid until 6:10. I sure hope she recovers quickly.

Now, if I'd been able to sleep for all that time, I'd be good. But, Leah woke at 11:00 (while LJ was still up); again at 3:15; and again at 5:15. And, my alarm had gone off at 4:50. So, I'm tired.

No idea what is up with Leah's sleep these last 4 nights. The first few, I was thinking growth spurt, but I would think she'd be settled back in by now. I hope this isn't a trend that continues.

Leah's Baptism

Leah's Baptism is scheduled for November 25.

We have a new pastor at our church. Her first Sunday was July 1. Leah's birthday. And, we haven't made an attempt at going to church since Leah was born. Not b/c of Leah. But, b/c Lacey hates the nursery so much.

Well, when I called to schedule the baptism, the pastor said she wanted to meet with us. And, she asked if we'd been there recently. I ended up feeling like bad parents and bad church members by the end of the call.

We met with her yesterday at 3:30. I really thought it would be about 30 minutes. Nope. We walked out around 4:45. We both felt like we were being quizzed on our knowledge of the Bible for a good chunk of the time we were there. And, also lectured for not bringing our little ones to church. She is a believer in having the little ones in the service and not in the nursery -- even though it might be difficult at first. So we are going to try that. Again. We have tried that before and Lacey ends up making so much noise that one of us (me) ends up sitting in the van with her. But, we'll try again.

Man, I miss Pastor Phil.

September

So, I'll try my best to do a rather quick recap of our September. It won't be everything, but I'll update you as I remember it. We had a pretty good month.

Leah started daycare a few weeks ago and is doing really well. I'm so happy that we paid Lisa to save the spot for Leah. It was quite nice feeling OK dropping Leah off somewhere. I knew she'd be well taken care of. I was totally unsure of how things would go with her eating, though. Since I'm still breastfeeding, I have no clue how much she takes at a feeding. That was honestly the biggest challenge of sending her. But, we've gotten through it.

Lacey has adjusted well to having her sister with her. She is a bit possessive and didn't initially want anyone talking to "her baby", but other than that, she's good.

A couple of weeks ago, Lacey went potty at daycare! Wow....the first time. That was a Friday. Then, on Sunday, she was running around naked after her bath (common occurance in our house for her) and she said she had to go potty. She says this often. She sits. For 2 seconds. Wipes and flushes. Nothing comes out. However....this time, she meant it. We weren't even in there with her, b/c she always says it and never does. We've had no success since then, but at least a little movement in the right direction.

On the 15th, we went to the Charles County Fair and had a ball. Leah was content in her stroller almost the entire time. Lacey rode a pony and did not hesitate at all about hopping on.

She rode several rides, but then it was all ruined when I (bad mommy) let her ride a kiddie roller coaster and it completely freaked her out. She just about flew out of it b/c she wasn't sitting down. So, after 1 lap on it, they stopped it and she got off....and was over the rides and ready to go home. I took off the following Friday & took her to the St. Mary's Fair. She still wanted nothing to do with the rides, but enjoyed all the farm animals and rode a pony again.

My birthday was the 22nd. As I was opening cards, Lacey kept insisting it was her birthday. Silly goose. Butch got me a charm for my bracelet with Leah's birthstone. That night, we even got to go out. Kristina babysat for us (along with Rick). We went to the Civista Wine Tasting with Dee and Buck and several of their friends. It was a nice night out. But, I had too much wine and felt it the next morning!!! With 2 little ones, that's why we don't go out much!

What else?

Oh - work. I started back a few weeks ago with working 1/2 days from home. The first week, I had Leah with me and just worked during her catnaps. The next week, she started daycare, but I kept my 1/2 days so I could try to run errands. Then, last week, I started the hellish coummute again. I'm leaving 20-30 min. later than I used to so that I can nurse Leah and help Butch get the girls to the car. So, I'm stuck in slightly worse traffic than usual. I hate that drive. Then, I found myself stressing b/c I was so late getting in (8:30-9:00 instead of 7:30-8:00) and really can't stay later b/c I need to get home to nurse Leah. So, I talked to my supervisor (whom I've known for 14 years and consider a friend) and she basically said not to worry. I knew she'd say that. I just needed to have the conversation to feel better.

Work itself is going okay. I'm just trying my best to dig out. Others handled things that were "must do" while I was out, but lots of stuff just sat....waiting for my return. And, my head isn't in the game completely yet.

2 Client Execs (my job) left while I was out on leave. Lovely. They are looking for replacements. When you pile more & more work on people without any real compensation increase, they leave. This is what happens. I hope the powers that be aren't surprised. We're lucky to get something "close" to cost of living each year.

I'll try to do another post in the next few days!

Dad's 70th Birthday

What happened? I haven't posted since Sept. 5 and hadn't even posted about the end of August! I think I'll do a couple of separate posts so it isn't so much at once.

In August, we had a 70th birthday party for Dad. He turned 70 and had made it clear a year ago that he expected a party. We combined it with our annual family party that is held each August/September since so many of the same people would be coming. And, we added about 40 people. Keep in mind this annual party isn't small to start. Dad's family is fairly large and the party includes his siblings, their children, their children, and in some cases, their children. It's awesome, though and everyone has a great time. Here is what Uncle Kennedy had made for Dad this year.....this is the pic of the whole family from last year.

So, to make it special, we used a theme --- Aloha! Almost everyone got into the spirit (Rick failed here) and dressed appropriately. In fact, the pictures all look the same b/c it is just a sea of Hawaiian prints. Quite funny.

We had (thanks mostly to Dee & Buck for catering) pork loin, pulled pork, fried chicken (thank you, Popeye's), Dee's special baked beans, Buck's awesome potato salad, cole slaw, deviled eggs, etc., etc., etc. You get the idea. Oh - and of course, the party wouldn't be complete without Joanie's crab dip. (Which Dee and I usually stand over and eat most of.)

For, us (Butch, me and family), the party was a little strange. We enjoyed ourselves, but it's not like we could have as much fun with an 8 week old. I think I failed to mention that it was 100* outside. Yes, you read that correctly. It was HUMID on top of that, too. So, Leah stayed inside most of the day while we all took turns hanging out with her. Lacey had a good time, though, and I was amazed at how well behaved they both were all day. We had several compliments on that. It's always good to hear. ;-)

Leah is 3 months old!

2 Months Old

3 Months Old

Leah's 2 Month Appt.

Leah had her 2 month doctor appointment yesterday. 4 shots and an oral vaccine. Blah. Why does something that is supposed to be so good have to hurt like that? She did pretty well, though. Screamed when she was being poked, but recovered fairly quickly. Slept in the car on the way home (about 25 minutes with my stop at Chick Fil A). After we got home, she napped for 3 hours, woke to eat and have a diaper change, then back down for 30 minutes.

She is now 13 pounds, 12 ounces....still 95th percentile. They said her height was 23.25 inches, but that is only .25" from last month and I think it's wrong. I tried to measure her the other day and she was 24 or 25 based on what I did. (It's really hard to measure a baby for length when they don't like to be stretched out like that.

Anyway, she's fussing upstairs, so I guess her nap is over....

Time Flies......2 months

Wow - I can't believe that Leah is 2 months old!! She has a doc appt. on Tuesday and gets a few shots (ouch). Here is her 1 month picture and her 2 month picture.

1 Month Old

2 Months Old

Only 2 more weeks before she starts daycare....sniffle sniffle.

Update on The Girls

Lacey has a new obsession with Cinderella. We rented Cinderella 3 a couple of weeks ago and she wanted to watch it constantly. It was insane. Very cute, but insane. So, it was returned (late) a few days ago. Grandma stopped at WalMart and bought the original Cinderella for her. She LOVES it. She says "princess mommy please". And she pronounces it "princense" (notice the extra "n"). While I was at the mall yesterday, I wandered into the Disney Store and they had PJs on sale. So, now Lacey has Cinderella jammies, too. She was so excited about them last night. And, this morning, she refused to get dressed and wore them to daycare. (Keep in mind they are long sleeve and long pants and it's in the upper 80's today.) We sent a dress, too. It is so much fun to watch Lacey watch the movie.....I love hearing her giggle at the mice and hearing her say "it will be okay princense, don't be scared". A-dorable.

Leah is doing great. She is still a great little sleeper - generally from 8:00 p.m. to 4:00 or 5:00 a.m., then nurses and back to sleep for 3-4 more hours (until 8:30 usually). Bliss. I'm going to start waking her up around 8:00 early next week....then 7:30....to slowly get her adjusted to her new schedule. I have to wake her at 6:15 for daycare starting on Sept. 17. Ugh. (No, she probably won't stay asleep....she sleeps swaddled and will need to have a diaper change, eat and be put in the carseat.)

Leah is so much more "awake" during the day now. Full of smiles and coo's. Lacey loves to play with her.

We bought a used crib last weekend and I am so happy! We got it for $100 (incl. mattress) and it is in great shape. So, that is set up in Leah's room and she transitioned to it easily. I'm relieved that we can let Lacey stay in her crib now. Most advice that I've read is to leave them in the crib until around age 3, if you can. So, I'm thrilled. She's confined. And, she can let us know when she's ready for her big bed. No pressure from me.

Lacey....potty training (no) and big bed (no)

Well, I think we have decided that we aren't even going to mention the potty or the bed. Apparently, when Lisa brings up the potty, Lacey "frowns". And, we've had no success here either....other than her wanting to sit on it for 5 seconds so she can waste TP and flush. ;-) She is content to sit in a diaper that is so wet it will soak through...she won't tell us and she fights getting changed. When she's pooped, she'll usually tell us, but not always cooperate for a change. When she is naked for a bit after her bath, she'll ask for a diaper when she has to pee. We've suggested the potty and it's "no momma...diaper change!". And, then, the diaper fills up a ton...so she can totally hold it.

About the bed....still no interest. I ask almost every night "crib or bed?" and she always wants the crib. We were going to force it in another month or so, but I'm starting to think that we'll end up with big issues if we do.

I've thought she was adapting so well with Leah....and I think she is....but I'm also seeing some issues there. If she is really tired (5:00 a.m. for example), and Leah wakes, I'll say "I need to feed Leah" and she'll jump into my arms crying.

Why, you ask, am I up with her at 5:00 a.m.? Because we are having big sleep issues with Lacey now. She wakes almost every night sometime before midnight and then wakes again around 4:00 or 5:00. At that point, I've taken her to our bed a couple of times because she won't go back to sleep. And, I can't stay in her room because I can't hear Leah in there (over Lacey's white noise machine). And, she's normally wanting "momma" and not Butch. I think she has realized she can get my undivided attention at these times. Which makes me feel bad about not giving her enough attention during the day. This weekend, Lacey & I are going to the Amish market by ourselves and leaving Daddy & Leah at home. Next month, I'm going to take a day off to take her (by herself) to the fair. I'm going to try to be better about some of that stuff. It's hard with breastfeeding, but she is obviously missing me.

Anyway......back to the main point of the post. No mention of potty or bed for 2 weeks. I want to give it a complete rest before attempting any discussion again. A friend recently said that there was something to be said about waiting until the toddler is ready for potty training. She waited on her son (who is a few weeks older than Lacey) and had it done in just a few days. I hope it is that easy for us when the time comes.

Sleep, Weekend, Oatmeal Cookies, Etc.

Things are going well here. Leah has been sleeping really well. 8-10 hours each night since Friday. She gets wrapped tight in her Miracle Blanket and can still manage to get an arm out every once in a while! I've explained the MB to a few people, but included the link since I know it sounds crazy!

This morning she took her first 2 hour nap in her bed. (She has really been napping in her swing or bouncy seat or on us until now. Everytime we've tried the bed, she wakes quickly.)

Lacey woke twice last night with nightmares. Butch went in at 2:00 and I went in at 3:30, then brought her to our bed at 4:00 b/c after I put her back in bed at 3:45, she screamed again after 5 minutes. Even in our bed, she was crying our "no" in her sleep. Ugh. I hope she doesn't always have nightmares.

The weekend was good. We went to the Baltimore Aquarium on Sunday and met up with Butch's friend, Barb and her family (hubby Brian and son Joe). Lacey had a ball. She sacked out in the car within 5 minutes after leaving.

Saturday was beautiful here, but Lacey had no interest in playing outdoors. Strange. She LOVES to be outside usually, but never even stepped foot out that day.

Last night we went to Dee's house for dinner and cake for Kristin's birthday. Yum-o.

I've been making oatmeal cookies again today. It's a recipe that uses brewer's yeast and flax seed and I've also been using part whole wheat flour to make it more healthy. They are so freakin' good. Oatmeal is supposed to be good for your milk supply, so I give myself the OK to go a little crazy with them. ;-) I'm planning to start walking this week, though. And, I joined weight watchers online. I'm only about 7 pounds more than my pre-preg weight, but want to start eating better and exercising.

Monday Night at the Hamilton House

8:30 - Lacey in bed
9:00 - Leah in bed
10:00 - Me in bed
12:30 - Lacey screaming...nightmare
1:30 - Leah crying....needs diaper change & fed
2:00 - Me back in bed
3:00 - Butch sneezing and blowing his nose
4:30 - Leah crying....needs diaper change & fed
5:30 - Lacey calling for Butch
6:20 - Leah crying
6:45 - Lacey up, too

Ugh. If only Lacey could sleep through without nightmares we'd be better. I can't complain. Leah is sleeping well, so I'll take it. It's amazing how your body adjusts to no sleep. Oh - and even when I could have been sleeping, I didn't fall back to sleep easily. Thinking about Dad's party, the Harry Potter book, things to do, etc.

The Past Few Days

Well, you already saw that Lacey is refusing to nap. ;-) What else has been happening? Hmmm.

Daycare was closed Mon. - today. We've been trying to keep things fun around here for Lacey. We went to Chuck E. Cheese for the first time Tuesday. Lacey seemed a bit nervous and shy to start, but after having lunch, she warmed up and had some fun.

We also had gotten her a golf set, so she & Daddy have been playing golf some in the yard.

Leah had a rough night on Monday night - up almost every hour. The 1 time she slept 2 hours, Lacey woke up in the middle of it. Ugh. Last night was a huge improvement. Lacey slept from 8:30 to 7:30 this morning and Leah gave me 2 3-hour chunks, plus some smaller ones. I can't wait until things are more consistant! I have been wondering if Leah has a touch of reflux. Lacey never really spit up, but Leah does quite a bit. We inclined her cosleeper last night so that she isn't flat and that seemed to help. Usually she'll spit up in her sleep, but she didn't last night.

My Harry Potter book arrived on Saturday and I was so excited. However, I'm only a few chapters into it. With Lacey back at daycare tomorrow, I might be able to read some while Leah naps. (Doesn't that sound awful? Send Lacey to daycare so I can read??? But...she really does do better with her normal routine.....)

Hopefully the transition back to daycare won't be too hard. It's hard when we get off of her routine. At least Miss Lisa doesn't have any scheduled time off until late August. So, we'll have a few weeks of consistancy.

Oh - here's a picture to show what a loving big sister Lacey is!

Dee, Buck & family; and Rick, Kristina & family are all on vacations. Dee/Buck are in OBX and Rick/Kris are in FL. We have Woody (R/K's dog), who is neurotic. He can't be left alone or he'll pee/poop everywhere. He can't be put in our fenced yard because he'll get out, so he was in the basement while we were at Chuck E. Cheese yesterday.

Dad is watering Dee's plants and feeding Ginger and Tinks (R/K's other pets). Although, he called us on Saturday to ask if we could do all that the next day so he could stay at Frankie's. I wasn't happy. Note to my family: Everyone isn't allowed to go on vacation at the same time again......unless we all go someplace together! Honestly, I don't mind taking care of the pets, etc., since people do it for us. I'm just more grumpy than usual due to sleep deprivation. And, in all honesty, Woody has been really good on this visit.

Lacey is still sleeping on the floor in the family room (for an hour so far). It's after 5:00, so she needs to wake up soon for dinner and so her bedtime routine isn't totally screwed up. Although, she's probably so tired from skipping naps that she'll still go to bed fine!!! (Let's hope so.)

Rufusal to Nap

Lacey has been refusing to nap. Luckily, she's been pretty good, but still. It started on Sunday. She ended up falling asleep on the ottoman, but woke when I took her upstairs.

On Monday, she fell asleep on the stairs!!! Then woke as soon as I tried to pick her up - as if nothing had happened!

On Tuesday, thank God, she took a 2 hour nap.

On Wednesday, she fell asleep on the family room floor, and I decided that was fine! Leah & I are upstairs while she naps on the floor.

Heartburn During Pregnancy & Baby's Hair

Okay....you've probably heard the "tale" that if you have lots of heartburn during pregnancy, then your baby will have a lot of hair. I had heartburn with Lacey's pregnancy & she had lots of hair. I had even more heartburn (and for a longer time.........the entire pregnancy) with Leah's pregnancy and she had more hair. So, I've been saying that whether it's a tale or not, it's a fact for me. ;-)

I was reading Parenting magazine today and found a tidbit. Researchers at Johns Hopkins Univ. set out to disprove this......but they were surprised by evidence supporting it. 82 percent of women with moderate to severe heartburn delivered hairy babies. Most women with little or no heartburn ended up with baldies.

A few new pictures

Leah snoozing....Lacey holding her baby sister:

Lacey's silly hair-do after playing with Grandma:

Leah Slept In Her Room!

Last night we tried Leah in her own room. Lacey is still using the crib (can't remember if I said that yesterday), so we have the Pack n Play set up in Leah's room. It has a bassinet feature on it. We had tried it the night before, but she didn't really settle, so she was back in our room in the cosleeper. I tried again last night - this time putting Lacey's lambskin under the sheet so that it wasn't such a hard surface to sleep on. Leah slept from 8:30 - 11:40, then 12:00 to 3:05, then 3:30 to 6:15 and 6:30 to 8:15. Ahhhh. Butch & I slept SO MUCH BETTER without all the grunting. I hope this continues to work!

An Update

Things are going pretty well. Leah is a better sleeper than Lacey was, but I am still nursing her every 2-3 hours or so at night. Sometimes I get a 3.5 hour stretch of sleep. But, she has slept (for the most part) in her bassinet from the start. Lacey only slept ON ME for the first 6 weeks of her life.

I'm thinking of moving her to her own room to see if she'll sleep longer. She is NOISY....grunts and groans quite a bit. So, even when she's sleeping, we aren't necessarily getting that benefit! I tried her in her room last night, but she wouldn't settle, so I brought her back to our room.

She is gaining weight well. She was 10 pounds, 2 ounces yesterday. She is also starting to look a little chunkier.....filling out a bit. Still wearing 0-3 month clothes, though. ;-)

I started pumping today.....in hopes of going to see Harry Potter with Butch soon. (I'm so excited about that movie. And.......quite excited about the book! I preordered it from Amazon, so I'll have it on Saturday. Of course, I won't get to read it right away because Lacey's daycare is closed Monday through Wednesday next week, so we'll be busy around here.)

Lacey was home from daycare last week - because she was closed for vacation. It was tough since she is still adjusting to sharing us (me). Lacey went to visit Aunt Kristina and Jessica on Monday morning to get good one on one attention and give us a break. Grandma & Poppy (Nancy & Chuck) came down on Wednesday and stayed through Tuesday morning. So, she had lots of attention from them, too. Of course, it's not the same as Mommy, though, and there were a few minor meltdowns.

She has been super sweet with Leah. If anything, OVERLY sweet. She wants to help a lot - including trying to change Leah's diaper. And, she is very concerned when Leah cries. But, with the time that breastfeeding is taking, it's hard on her. I've thought a few times about switching to formula just b/c of the time issues, but that wouldn't be fair to Leah. And, I don't *really* want to stop. Hopefully, Leah will move to eating every 3 hours (rather than 2 during the day) soon and it won't seem so crazy.


The other difficult time is in the middle of the night. Lacey is typically waking up 1-2 times (she was before Leah's birth, too) and usually wants me. Unfortunately, her wakings tend to be close to a time when Leah needs to eat, so I don't go to Lacey.


The guilt felt at being a Momma is insane. I am not sure how anyone has lots (and lots) of kids and manages to give them all deserved attention. I think 2 is plenty for us. I want to enjoy them both! Enough about guilt!

It's been really nice having Butch at home! He's off until August 20 and it's amazing how much easier it is to have a newborn with someone else around to help. Of course, it's easier since she is our 2nd child, too.

We are hoping to meet up with some of Butch's friends (married with a kid) in early August in Baltimore - either at the zoo or aquarium, if it's a hot day. I've been wanting to take Lacey badly. Maybe if we go to the aquarium, we'll go to the National Zoo in the fall sometime.

Welcome Leah!

Most of you that read this most likely already know that Leah has made her arrival! At my last doctor's appointment (Friday before), Dr. Aron didn't think it likely I'd go into labor soon. So, we talked about the game plan for being overdue and he also "stripped my membranes" (sorry if TMI for some of you!). I had cramping on Friday, but that can happen and still no labor, so I didn't expect anything. Saturday night, after going to bed around 9:30, I rolled over....in my sleep....around 10:20 and my water broke. Wow.

Labor was faster than it had been with Lacey, but still somewhat long (at least it was long when you compare it to those stories you hear from others and their 3 hour labors!).

She was born on July 1 --- on her due date (just like Lacey!). She weighed in at 9 pounds, 3.9 ounces and was 21 inches long. Yes, a big baby. For those of you that had seen me toward the end of pregnancy, you know that I was worried about her size!

She also has lots of dark hair - very much like Lacey's was at birth. Whether it's an old tale or not, I did have LOTS of heartburn with each of them.

Big sister, Lacey, is adjusting well so far. She adores baby Leah and is obsessed with holding her.

I'll post more at another time! Just wanted to share.

Father's Day Weekend

Friday night I took Lacey to get her hair cut. She hates having it done. I'm sure she's not "the worst", but really doesn't like it. She was saying "I don't want to" the whole time we waited. Has to sit on my lap, etc. Oh well.

Saturday was spent around the house....packing for the hospital, etc. Lacey slept for 3 hours that day. Nice. Love it when that happens. I honestly can't remember what all we did, though.

Saturday night, the stinker woke up at about 3:15 a.m......wide awake. Butch tried for 20 minutes, but then she was crying "mommy", so in I went. I laid down with her for 30 minutes, but she just fiddled with her binks, still wide awake. I said "do you need some medicine" and of course, she said "yes, I need medicine". Little turd. But, she obviously needed SOMEthing. So, I went to give her about 1/4 dose of Benadryl, but only about 1/2 went in. Oh well. She still wasn't settling and at 4:45, I brought her to our bed. I know, I know.....several of you are going to want to lecture me on this, but I was TIRED. And, it worked. We all slept until 7:15. Maybe she had slept so long for her nap that she just wasn't sleepy for bed. Who knows?

Sunday was a good day - other than being exhausted. I gave Butch a book he'd had on his wish list at Amazon and also a Tommy Bahama shirt. I know he would never buy that for himself and Lord knows he deserves something nice. He has been so great with doing so much more around the house during my pregnancy (back pain).

Dad is a member of the Optimist Club and they have an annual picnic/cookout on Father's Day. So, we went to that. Lacey played on the playground quite a bit. And, they had 2 horses with a carriage, so we went on rides. Lacey went 3 times. She couldn't get enough. That kid has no fear. It's scary as a parent.

Unfortunately, the event was a 1:00. Lacey's nap time. So, she only slept for 20 min. on the drive down and that was it for the day. Ugh. We paid for it dearly that evening. Oh well.

This week her sleep has still been off. I think her last 2 molars are coming in. We've started giving her about 1/2 dose of Motrin and now she's sleeping well until 4:00 or 5:00. Tonight I'm doing a full dose in hopes that it will get her through the night again. Her naps at daycare have also been shorter - an hour to 90 minutes. They are normally 2-2.5 hours. I'm going to talk to Lisa about that today. I think that Lacey is now sharing a room with Mary Kate and that might be what's causing the shorter naps. In addition to that, school is out, so there is lots more activity with the older kids there all day. She's been a real crank in the evening.

Time is running low!

Okay, so there is now less than 2 weeks before my due date. You haven't heard much from me recently because of that.....and the fact that I was starting to feel overwhelmed.

The past week or so has been almost completely focused on work - trying to get things done, or far enough ahead, so that I didn't feel horrible for leaving it for someone else to do. Luckily (?), everyone in our office feels overwhelmed these days, so I don't think I'll be judged for some things not getting done. ;-) Anyway, I have been exhausted at the end of the last 2 days and decided last night that I'm done pushing myself so hard at work. I still have several things to get done at home, too, and also REST. (Note that I don't say "sleep" since that's a joke when you are 38 weeks pregnant.)

Last weekend, I got bags packed for the hospital and got a bag packed for Lacey. She's staying with Rick & Kristina while I'm in labor. Well, if I go to the hospital in the middle of the night, Kristina will come to our house, but otherwise, she'll be at their house. Hopefully if Aunt Kristina has to pick her up at daycare, Lacey won't fight that too much. She is sometimes weird with Aunt K for some reason. Just depends on her mood. She'll just have to deal, huh? If Aunt K bring Jessica with her, there will be no problem. Lacey LOVES Jess. I said that the other day and Lacey said "uh-huh", very enthusiastically.

I'm seeing the doc every week at this point - next appointment is on Friday. I'll be thrilled if I go a bit early.

Last Weekend and the Week So Far

Last Thursday night, Lacey's nose started running a little. She has officially picked up Butch's cold. Blah. Thursday night & Friday night were rough. By Saturday evening, I realized that her throat might hurt, so we added Motrin to the mix of meds and she slept great. Of course, meds are more difficult lately b/c she likes to say "I don't like it mommy".

Poor thing has been taking 3 tsp of medicine each night for a few nights now. She's still on Milk of Mag for constipation. Speaking of, I need to call Dr. Jill today since it's been about 7 weeks to discuss weaning her off of that.

What else? The weekend seems like it was so long ago. On Saturday, I think we let her play in the little pool on our deck a bit. Sunday it rained ALL DAY. We really did need it. And, it was a slow, steady rain so it soaked in good. But, a certain 2 year old wasn't happy to be in the house all day. I brought out the finger paints and we had a little fun with that in the afternoon.

Sunday night, Lisa called to say that she was sick and that her sub would be taking care of the kids on Monday. Then, on Monday morning, her hubby called to say that Carmen (the sub) couldn't make it and Lisa was still really sick. Blah. Butch stayed home. Last night, Lisa called to say she's still very sick, perhaps it's even strep, closed again on Tuesday. I'm "working" from home today with Lacey. (Right now my connection to my work stuff is down, so I can't even really try to work.)

I really hope Lisa doesn't have strep and that she's open again tomorrow. Butch's year is winding down (next Friday is his last day) and my time before leave is winding down and I really need to work! (It would help if we didn't have so many stupid issues with our work system, though!)

Lacey seems to be feeling a little better. Still giving her the meds for nighttime, but she is happy during the day.

Oh - my office had a surprise shower for me yesterday! I thought I had a client lunch at 1:00, but it turns out that was their way to make sure I was in the office that day. ;-) Butch was supposed to come, too. But, with Lacey sick and the shower being during nap time.....and the fact that I work 45 miles from home....he skipped it. We were given a nice gift certificate to Babies R Us and Seneca (good friend at work) gave Leah a very soft blanket and a cute little robe. So sweet. Butch wanted me to bring ALL the cake home. There is a TON left. I'm planning to send some to daycare whenever Lisa is open again.

Sleep

Late pregnancy is an awful time to try to get any sleep. I always love how people will say "get sleep now, while you can". Speak for yourself. YOU try sleeping with that big belly and heartburn and the back pain and the need to go to the bathroom every 2-3 hours. It's an awesome night for me when I only get up once (this does not mean I only wake once....I still wake several times). It rarely happens. And, while Tylenol PM is approved to take when needed, I'm afraid I'll sleep too soundly!

I do have to say, though, that thankfully Lacey has been sleeping so well for weeks now. It's been a huge blessing. We'd planned to push her to her big bed before Leah was born, but with a toddler that finally sleeps consistantly through the night, we aren't messing with it! Not a chance! Not when in a few weeks (less than 5 until my due date by the way), we'll have a newborn waking us up throughout the night. I don't need a toddler climbing out of bed or adapting to a new environment.

What's funny is that I'm normally wound very tight and I stress over things like this. But, amazingly, I've been pretty laid back about it. (Potty training, too, by the way. I thought I'd be so insane if she wasn't showing more interest in it. Maybe I'm learning to let go of small things or something.)

She is taking a nap in her bed today - 2nd time she's done it. The other time she napped there, it was much shorter than normal (90 minutes instead of 2-3 hours). But, she's easing into it at her own pace. I think eventually, it will just happen if we let it go that way.

TV

I have to say that I'm glad the season finales are all done. I have TOO MANY shows that I love and they take up so much time. By far, the Lost finale was the very best. Now we have 8 months to wait for the next season. Ugh. I've been reading posts on lostcasts.com and checking out everyone's theories.

The good news is that I now have more time to read and do projects around the house!

Memorial Day Weekend

Well, our weekend has turned out different than we had originally planned. Agnes & Trampas were supposed to come for a visit. But, Trampas ended up having to work. He's an FBI agent and these things come up sometimes. I was looking forward to seeing them, but told Butch we would just have to look on the bright side and take advantage of the sudden "free" time.



So, what have we done?



Friday night I was going to head to a scrapbooking thing, but didn't have the motivation to get my butt in gear, so we just stayed in. Saturday morning, we headed to Shlagel Farms since we didn't make it there Mother's Day weekend. We picked lots and lots of strawberries. Our camera batteries had died, but thankfully we had our cell phones.

Lacey had fun for a short while and then didn't want to stick with us anymore. Butch kept picking and I walked around with her.

Then we headed to the mall to look at patio furniture and bought something at Sears. They were out of stock, so we won't have it until next weekend. Lacey found the toy section while we were there & ended up getting her first Barbie, which she adores.

I thought for sure she'd crash for a long nap once we were home, but HA! She kept going. I could have forced it, but she was being good, so I let her stay up. She ended up crashing around 4:30 and I let her sleep until 6:00......which screwed up her bedtime, so she was up late. Oh well.

Sunday, I made a Pampered Chef breakfast I'd wanted to try - Brunch Pizza (or something like that). The crust is hashbrowns and the topping is eggs (of course), peppers, onions, bacon, etc. Pretty good. We all went to Wawa around lunch so I could get my fix of a fountain diet coke (yes, I have my quirks). No matter what anyone says, there is a big difference in taste of a soda in a can or bottle versus one from the fountain. Lacey didn't even eat lunch...she fell sleep right after we came home and slept for over 3 hours!

Then, we headed to Dad's house for a cookout with everyone. It was still early when we got there, so Butch got in the pool. He was the only adult that was brave enough to get in the cold (76*) water. The rest of us were content to put in our feet. Lacey soon decided the pool wasn't so scary & got in with her daddy. She LOVED it and put up quite the fuss when it was time to get out.

Dinner was delish. Burgers, mac salad, potato salad & strawberry spinach salad. Dee & Buck also brought a Carvel Ice Cream cake to celebrate Mom's birthday. She would have been 65 on Saturday. (Appropriate, by the way, that we went strawberry pickin' on her birthday. She loved to do that before she had her own patch.)

Rick & Kristina (really Jessica) were dog sitting for a cousin and had a little chihuahua named Tink at Dad's house. I have *never* seen a nice chihuahua like that. Lacey & Tink had a ball running in the back yard chasing each other. It was awesome. We have video, but I don't know if there is a way to post video here.

After getting home late, another late bath for Lacey and another late bedtime. Oh well. Summer is here.

Today we are just hanging out. She woke up at 6:15 -- despite the late bedtime -- and is already napping (fell asleep on the floor at 9:45). Butch is doing some work. I'm updating you. Not sure what else we will do.

Butch has a cold. I've threatened him about not getting Lacey or me sick. Even with being sick, he's gotten a lot done around the house/yard. Cut out some more brush out back, trimmed the hedges in the front, etc.

Oh - the a/c upstairs isn't working. I posted about that a while ago - that it wasn't working properly last year and we knew it would need fixed. Well, we turned it on for the first time on Friday night and it wasn't really doing a thing. It's about 85* in our rooms when we go to bed. Blah. So, I'll be calling around tomorrow to get someone out to fix it. We've just turned all of it off (even downstairs). Even though it's supposed to be pretty warm today (upper 80's again), there is a nice breeze and I love to hear the birds.

St. Michael's

Butch & I went to St. Michael's last weekend. It was really nice to get away for a couple of days. We waited until traffic died down on Friday to go, so we didn't get there until about 9:00. But, we had all day Saturday to play. We had a nice breakfast at our inn before heading out to explore. The morning was filled with a lot of walking....about 3 hours worth. We just walked around the town and checked out all of the shops. By lunch, my back/butt was killing me. We had a good lunch at Key Lime Cafe, then headed back to our room to relax before getting massages at 3:00. Ahhhhh. We had dinner at Town Dock and enjoyed the view.

Neither of us slept very well while we were there....I think it was the bed. So, we ended up waking up before 7:00 on Sunday morning even though we could have slept in. Since we were up, and nothing in town was open, we headed out.

That afternoon, we went to DC for the Closing Ceremonies of the Avon Breast Cancer Walk. Kristin & her friend Jill walked it --- they made it 32 of the 39 miles (in 2 days).

Lacey stayed at Dee & Buck's house while we were out of town and did really well. Apparently, when she saw our van leaving Dee's, she said "uh-oh....what happened?". We laughed at that most of the weekend. Crazy girl. And, when we returned, she was running in circles, screaming "mommy, mommy, mommy". Dee picked her up b/c she was afraid Lacey would fall & get hurt.

Mother's Day and general update

Happy Mother's Day to all of you momma's! When I picked Lacey up at daycare on Friday, she had a nice little gift bag for me. They "made" bookmarks and flower pots (with violets). The bookmarks have a flower on them and the petals and leaves are from Lacey's finger prints. Very cute. The flower pot has an insert that she colored on. Of course, when she saw the flower pot, she said "Mine!" and I told her we would share. Butch got me lots of Burt's Bees things and some chocolate (he knows me well).

It's been a pretty nice day. Lacey has been a complete joy all weekend. Friday night she slept for 12 hours. Bliss. Last night was only about 9.5 hours, but she woke up happy and has been really good playing on her own. She is still in her crib, and I think we're going to leave her there for a while. I wanted to transition her to a bed before Leah's arrival, but when she is sleeping so good, I don't want to mess with a good thing!!! Most advice suggests keeping them in a crib until they are closer to 3 years old, anyway.

utch has been doing a lot of house cleaning today.....God love him. With my low back issues, vacuuming kills me, so he's taken over.

We are thinking about going to Shlagel Farms to pick strawberries later if she'll go down for a nap early enough. Little stinker is still running around with tons of energy right now.

I'm 33 weeks today. It's really hard to believe I only have about 7 weeks to go. Crazy. All is still going well with the pregnancy (other than my back complaints). Dr. Aron assures me that I'm measuring on target....even though I feel HUGE. My weight is about the same as it was with Lacey at this same time.

We're hoping to clean the carpet in the nursery yet today so we can start organizing in there over the next few weeks. We shouldn't need to get much, but I hate feeling disorganized.

Oh - about the yard projects, they are temporarily on hold because I remembered 2 more important things we have to get done. The roof above the garage needs repaired. And, the a/c unit for the upstairs had a leak last year and needs repaired. So, for now the money is going there. I'm still hopeful that we can at least level off a very small area to put in a swingset this year. It shouldn't be that difficult since it's not a big area and I doubt a "professional" would do it since it's such a tiny job.

I hear Butch asking Lacey if she's tired, so I'm off to check on her.

House and Yard Projects

Well, now that Spring is here, we've come back to talking about all of the projects we'd like to do around here.

For those of you that don't know, we got an estimate on having the basement finished (and turned into a walkout) about a year ago. But, we really wanted to buy the minivan and the minivan won. The other project we've talked about a lot for inside the house is tearing out the wet bar (dry bar.....plumbing was never installed by the previous owners) that is in the living room. We'd either replace it with built in book shelves, or something along those lines.

As far as yard projects go, we have drainage issues that we need to fix. When it rains, it takes days for the front yard to dry out. So, Dad & Rick have some ideas of how to fix that and we are hoping to get that done soon.

Our side yard is pretty level, but there is only an upstairs window that overlooks it, so it's not a good play area for little kids. The backyard has lots of windows overlooking it and it's fenced in. But, it is pretty sloped. We can't use it for a swing set or patio furniture or anything. It's sort of wasted space. If we were going to do the basement project, they would be leveling out the yard in order to make the walkout. Now we are considering other options.

Ultimately, I want to dig out the yard to level it off (and have it ready for a walkout when the time comes). But, we are also considering putting a 2nd, lower deck at the bottom of the stairs from the existing deck. That will give us a lot of level space.

And, we were talking yesterday about just leveling off a portion of the yard to have a good space for a play area. Since it would be such a small area, we should be able to do that ourselves. Then we can get a swing set for little miss. I know she'd love it. It would be great to get that part of the project done before Leah's arrival. We'll see how it goes.

Work, Easter, Travel, Visits, etc., etc.

Wow, I can't believe it's been about 3 weeks since I posted. I guess it's been busier than I realized.

Work has been pretty busy. I took on another client, so I've had more work with that. And, knowing that I have less than 10 weeks until my due date, I'm feeling a bit stressed about getting lots done with work anyway.

I was so disappointed about the weather on Easter weekend! I didn't even bother putting Lacey in a dress b/c it was so cold. And, we missed church. We normally go to 8:30 service, but didn't have our act together. Lacey really doesn't like (to say the least) the lady that does nursery at 9:45. We thought we'd make the 11:00, but Lacey fell asleep before 10:00 and snoozed for 3 hours. Oh well. We went to Dee & Buck's for dinner. Other than Dee's family, it was just us, Dad and Calvin (Buck's dad). So, a quiet day.

Butch went to Atlanta for a conference April 14-16. He was supposed to stay until the 17th, but Ryken (his school) wanted him back for a meeting on the 17th. Then, I left on the 18th for Boston for a conference and was there until Friday night (20th). I was supposed to stay until Saturday morning, but was sleeping horribly due to a bed that was way too soft. And, traveling when pregnant isn't "fun" anyway. If I'm not pregnant, I like to go out and explore the city, but at the end of 10 hour days, I just wanted to hang out. That was boring in a hotel room. I thought it would be nice to have the time to myself, but I was just bored. Anyway, I was able to get a flight out after my meetings on Friday and get home at 10:45. Nice.

Tonya (best friend that lives in Charlotte, NC) came into town on Saturday. She works for my company again and had some meetings scheduled on Monday in my office. So, we picked her up at the airport, went to lunch and then did a whole lot of nothing all weekend. That's what's so nice about her visits. She doesn't need to be entertained. ;-) On Tuesday, we both took vacation time and went to lunch, shopped and got mani/pedi's.

Lacey absolutely adored Tonya. It was so cute. She calls her "tona". Anything that Lacey wouldn't do for us (get her face washed, for example), she'd do happily for "Tona". I think she had a crush on her. Hehe.

I had a doc appt. yesterday. All is fine. I've gained the same amount as I did with Lacey at this same point (30 weeks). But, I feel HUGE. Dr. Aron said that is very common. He thinks I look a little more swollen than with Lacey (just what a girl likes to hear), but is contributing that to the weather.

I've been feeling good other than the back/butt issues. My chiro pretty much confirmed I'll just deal with it to some extent through the pregnancy. And, even just doing yoga seems to aggrivate it a little. Blah.

Lacey is doing really well. She was still dealing with constipation a few weeks ago, so I called Dr. Jill. She suggested giving her Milk of Magnesia every day for 6-8 weeks. Yikes. She needs to be cleaned out and also have a chance to forget that it can hurt to poop. Dr. Jill said that many times, they think it's going to hurt so much that they hold it and that just makes it worse. So, it's been about 2.5 weeks and she's doing well. We're changing a lot of dirty diapers, but that's okay. She is SO MUCH happier. And, she's sleeping better. And....she's not fighting baths.

Miss Lisa filled Leah's daycare spot temporarily, so we don't have to pay the holding fee for about 8 weeks. It will be nice to have that savings for a while.

Oh - Miss Lisa also let me know about the tantrums Lacey was having at daycare. (Welcome terrible 2's.) Mainly, they seem to be associated with food. If she doesn't get one of her favorite things at lunch, she screams. But, Lisa said she ignores it and Lacey ends up eating. Lisa was really sweet about it when she told me -- made sure that I knew she wasn't complaining -- just that she likes to keep parents informed.

We have NOTHING planned this weekend.....very nice. Time for yard work and things like that. Then, next weekend (May 4-6), Butch & I are heading to St. Michael's. Lacey will be stayin with Dee & Buck.

Better run.....lots to do.

Cherry Blossoms...a love/hate sort of thing

A couple of weeks ago, the cherry blossoms were at peak in DC. They are absolutely beautiful. Yes, you can see them elsewhere, but when there are so many together in one spot and they have the backdrop of national monuments.....you can't beat it. I took my camera with me to work one day so I could take some pictures on my drive home. I drive right by the tidal basin...where there are so many.

However....the downside is that tourists invade the city. Tour buses block (stop in) lanes they aren't supposed to be in. Traffic backs up way worse than normal. So, on the 2 days that I was in the office that week (that were wonderful, warm days.....bringing out more people), it took me FORever to get home. Normally, my drive home is 75-90 minutes. (It's a 45 mile drive.) On those 2 days, it took me that long just to go the first 10 miles & get out of the city. No exaggeration at all.

Weekend, Pregnancy, Misc.

Not sure where to start since it's been a while since I've done a "normal" post.

We had a good weekend last weekend. We went to dinner on Friday night at Bert's (local diner). Lacey loved it. Of course, she didn't stay in her seat. There were way too many other things to take her interest away.

Saturday, we did a lot of house and yard work, which was good. The tulips are blooming.....azaleas are close.....very nice.

Sunday we attempted church again. The week before, we didn't get out of the house early enough for 8:30 service, so we went to 9:45. I completely forgot that Lacey doesn't like (to say the least) the nursery person for that service. So, she wouldn't stay. I ended up sitting in the car with her. Anyway....this week we made it to 8:30 and she went to the nursery. She wasn't happy about it and was held the whole time by someone, but she went. Not sure how we'll handle Easter service. I'd like us all to go, but will be irritated if she doesn't handle the nursery well again.

Sunday afternoon, I met some girlfriends from college for lunch, shopping and ice cream. It's always good to do that - I just wish we could more often. They are all about an hour or more from where we live.

Lacey was truly back to her fun self, too. She was so much fun. (Of course, the terrible 2's are here and there are tantrums here & there.) I'm so glad she's 100% now.

What else?

I'm almost 28 weeks pregnant now. Strange. Only 12 (or so) weeks until we have another sweet baby. I'm now going to the doc every other week. Last week was my 2nd Gestational Diabetes test and I was worried about it, but heard today that all is good. Whew. No 3 hour test to deal with now. And, sweets are fine. ;-)

I've felt good for the most part, except for my low back issues. I haven't been happy with the chiropractor that I have been seeing nearby. Whether I'm pregnant or not; and no matter what pain I'm complaining of, it seems like he always does the same adjustments. So, I got a recommendation for a new one from my massage therapists office. I am SO GLAD that I changed. I went to see the new guy yesterday and he spent more time with me and listened to what I was saying.

What I have is piriformis syndrome. The piriformis is the muscle that is around the sciatic nerve. Because of the weight I'm carrying up front (and probably from lugging Lacey around when she was sick), the bone near that muscle had to adjust to compensate.....and the muscle got inflamed. So, I'm going back tomorrow for another adjustment and he's going to show me some stretches that will help, too. When the massage therapist and the old chiro couldn't help before, I found the pigeon pose in my Yoga for Pregnancy book and it has been the only thing that's helped.

Butch starts spring break on Thursday. Lucky duck. He's off through all of next week. He has a long list of things to do around the house and for his business.

My wireless card on my laptop (work) is broken and because it's under warranty, we had to send the whole freakin' thing to IBM in Atlanta for repair. Blah. So, as of today, I have no access to work email or anything else. It should be back by Fri. or Mon. For now, I'm using my personal email account and also working like in the olden days.....you know, with the phone. ;-) I much prefer email.

Our office closes on Friday at noon for Good Friday. That will be nice. Oh - speaking of benefits from my company, they announced a couple of weeks ago that they are adding 2 weeks of "paid parental leave" to our benefits. That means for maternity leave, I get 6 weeks disability, plus 2 weeks paid leave....before I even have to touch my vacation. Nice extra. Quite happy about that.

What's New?

Chuck & Nancy came into town on Tuesday. I thought they were coming on Wednesday - based on earlier conversations, but Butch & they were on the same page. They are back again so soon for a visit because of all the missed time from work that Butch & I had due to Lacey's illness....and the fact that daycare is closed 3/14 through 3/19 for Lisa to take a mini-vacation. While I have the vacation time, I couldn't imagine missing more work and getting further behind. Thankfully, they were happy to come help and visit the munchkin.

I called the doctor's office yesterday about the constipation issues that L is having. My favorite nurse was there and she agreed we are fine to continue with Milk of Mag. for another few days and then start to wean her off of it. She's much happier since she's taking that and she's drinking more fluids, which will help the issues.

The weather here has been fabulous for days. Yesterday was 81*! Today should be around 70*......and tomorrow.....in the 30's. BLAH! Maybe even a wintry mix. Oh well, spring will be here soon.

I have yoga tonight. Hope I can do it okay. My back is still hurting. A visit to the massage therapist and chiropractor didn't help much. The stretches that I think would help the most, I can't do because of my growing belly.

Butch & I are hoping to go to St. Michael's sometime in May and leaving Lacey with ....????....Dee? Kristina? Kristin? ;-) I know it will be much harder to have an overnight trip away once we have 2. Anyone been to St. Michael's? I'm trying to decide on where to stay.

Can't think of much else. We're still trying to catch up on things with Lacey having been under the weather for so long. Life is getting back to normal.