Teatopia

Birthday boy

For my hubby:

Enjoy your last year of being in your 20's!

Woo-hoo!

Now this is something to celebrate!

At not even two weeks post-partum, I am comfortably wearing a pair of pants that were too small BEFORE I got pregnant with Liam! I am *so* staying on this gestational diabetes diet (except for the sundae I plan to eat tonight when we go out for ice cream!)

The second time around

Yes, I know. He looks nothing like me and completely like James. I did all the work, it really isn't fair. :-)

I love being a mother of two. The second time around is much, much easier. I feel like I am enjoying it a lot more because I am much more relaxed and confident in my abilities. It's also completely incredible to see Olivia interacting with Liam. She tells him she loves him 20 times a day and says, "It's ok baby Liam. Don't cry."

The first few days were not so easy. Although Liam was nursing like a champ (which was such a relief since I had such difficulty with Olivia), he lost a lot more weight than even Olivia did in the beginning. We noticed he wasn't pooping and peeing as much as he should, and we took him to the doctor on Monday to check his weight. He was down to 7lbs 8 ozs from 8 lbs 10 ozs. Not good. I was devestated, but also confused since he was nursing a lot. His umbilical cord stump was also getting a little infected, so they prescribed some ointment and said that since my milk was just coming in, we'd give it a few days and re-check his weight. His cord ended up falling off after just 5 days and by then, everything was fine with it. Yesterday, at his 2nd appointment, he was up to 8 lbs, 5 ozs. That's a whopping 13 ozs in just 3 days! I was so happy and also proud! I love breastfeeding. There's something amazing about nourishing a child with your body. Also, he is definitely wetting and pooping enough.

Speaking of diapers, I don't know how you people with boys manage(d) to change a diaper wihtout everything getting saturated. I thought I'd be fine and could keep Mr. Winkie under control. Ha! This boy has a fire hose and it goes everywhere. Does this stop at some point? Surely they don't pee everywhere when they're 8 months old, do they? While we're on the topic, since I asked you all about circumcision a while back, I figured I should tell you what we chose. We actually decided to keep him intact. While I have nothing against circumcision (obviously, since we considered it), after talking to the pediatrician and doing lots of research, we decided it wasn't necessary. Socially and religiously, it wasn't really an issue for us, so we left it alone. I'm happy with the decision and so is James.

Last night, Liam had his first real bath, and he screamed the entire time. I'm still hopeful he'll end up liking bath time. Olivia screamed through her first bath but then never cried again. He doesn't cry much unless he wants to nurse (which is constantly) or if he's getting his diaper changed.

Since his belly button is now in good shape, we've been using cloth diapers, and I love them! We actually started out with cloth when he came home from the hospital, but I was worried about them rubbing his belly button since it was already kinda gooey, so we used Huggies until a couple days ago. They were easier to keep lower. The cloth kept riding up and touching his belly button. I'll have to post some pics of some seriously cute newborn fluffy fanny!

He's a pretty easy baby. I don't want to jinx anything, but he still sleeps most of the time. We wakes up to nurse, and usually goes back to sleep. I just hope it lasts. Olivia doesn't really wake up when he fusses, so it's been an easy arrangement with her in the bed with us and him next to me in the Arm's Reach Co-sleeper. We're going to try to transition them both out of our room at the same time so Olivia doesn't feel it's because of him. We'll tell her that both of them get to sleep in their big beds. She already naps a lot in hers, so she's on her way anyway.

For some reason, for me, this whole experience keeps bring up the decision whether or not we're done having children. James would like to but says we can talk about it later. I think I'm mourning no longer being pregnant even though I'd much rather have Liam here on the outside. Being pregnant becomes your identity for a while, and I feel out of place a little bit. Also, I think the idea that I might've given birth for the last time is somewhat sad. It's probably just post-partum hormones making me think about all this.

Well, I'm off to nurse Liam! Birth story is still in the works.

Introducing . . .

Our son, Liam Anthony, was born on June 5th at 12:17 pm. He weighed 8 lbs 10.3 ounces-- just .4 ounces less than his big sister. He's 22 inches long. We got home last night.

When I get the chance, I will write a proper birth story, but for now, let me just say that my midwife said mine was one of the strangest births she's seen. Although I went into labor on my own Wednesday night, things did not move quickly at all, anything but in fact. I didn't think pain like that was possible. He didn't even drop into the birth canal until minutes before coming out, which is why his head is so pretty. :-) There was meconium in the amniotic fluid and the cord was wrapped around his neck, although not tightly. He was also in a posterior position and didn't turn until he was coming out. I am proud that I had my completely natural Bradley birth, which is probably the only thing that saved me from a C-section. I don't think I could've pushed him out if I'd had an epidural. I labored in ever position imaginable to get him to come down and turn.

My mom and grandma made it just minutes before the birth, so they were again able to see another grandchild born. James was so supportive and really handled things well. I know I wasn't easy.

My birth team was amazing. I'm crying just thinking about them. My incredible midwife Melissa, my sister, and my nurse Cheryl (who my mom grew up with) were such a blessing to me. I'm not one who necessarily prefers women over men when it comes to medical things, but there was just something powerful about these women being there. They were so supportive. I can't imagine my old OBGYN wiping my head and rubbing my back and telling me things like "God is with you." I couldn't have gotten through it without them.

Liam is just beautiful and I already love him so much. Somehow this experience has made me love Olivia even more too. She's been staying with my parents and I can't wait to have her home this afternoon, although I don't know how we're going to handle both of them tonight since she still co-sleeps.

He's nursing like a champ (although we need to work on the latch) and isn't happy unless he has a nipple in his mouth. My milk isn't in yet, but hopefully soon.

I will share a full birth story soon because I have so much more to say, but for now I'm going to get some rest before Liam wakes up and Olivia gets home.

Let's get this party started

Baby boy has moved into the birth canal since yesterday and my cervix was much closer to the front, so having my membranes stripped wasn't as bad as I thought it might be. She still couldn't get to things really well, but she did enough that she hopes it works. I've had cramping off and on since then, mostly for the hour after. I've also had some contractions, but nothing really strong or regular. I've also used my breast pump for stimluation (which my MW recommended) but unfortunately, only one side is working. Time to buy a new pump!

MW said that I could come in this evening and have my water broken, or I could wait and do it tomorrow, but she's thinking I won't need to. Although, I'm skeptical. One would think many different things would have indicated labor by now. People keep telling me "it must not be time." Maybe not, but good grief, 5 centimeters?!? What if my body just isn't going to do it on its own?

Ok, it's been 38 weeks! Come on out little man!

*Sorry for yesterday. Stupid internet was down when we finally got home last night and I wanted to post. We're just not getting a good signal in this house! James thinks he's fixed it, so there shouldn't be anymore interruptions in posting until it's that time!

I have tons of pictures to share! I'll do my best to get all these uploaded in one entry. Olivia is getting into everything and I'm too big and tired to do a lot about it. Is that terrible? Just look at my feet! BTW, I do not have a dimple in my foot. That's actually a spot where I pressed my finger into my foot and the indentation stayed. Blood pressure is still ok, though. Still, every step I take is awful.

Here are some current belly shots at 38 weeks exactly. My stretch marks definitely aren't as bad this time. I really don't think he's quite as big, but I'm definitely carrying more in the front with this pregnancy.

And from the side:

I love this photo! I snapped this at the Saturn dealership this morning when I was getting my oil changed. Olivia loves to kiss and pat my tummy, so I took a quick pic with my cell phone.

My newborn cloth diaper stash is almost complete. Everything has been ordered and the last few things should be here this week. This came last week and I just loved how the work-at-home-mom took the time to wrap everything up. She also have me a free coffee mug wrap. Cute!

In other news, Olivia is finally almost completely potty-trained. I think if we hadn't moved, it would've happened sooner, but it needs to be in her time. Of course, she may revert back with baby boy coming, but that's ok. I'm really proud of her now. She always wants to hold our hand when she has to poop. Too cute!

Well, that's enough picture sharing for now. Olivia hasn't napped yet and it VERY tired. I'll keep you posted. I have an appt tomorrow. Please pray he comes soon. They want me delivered between 38 and 39 weeks.

False Alarm

I have lots of pictures to post: our shower, what I won at Babies 'R Us, and my ginormous belly. Yes, trust me, I'm HUGE. People look at me with pity everywhere I go. I'm tired of going out because every one stops me to ask when I am/was due. *sigh*

Actually, I thought last night might've been it. Those suckers HURT! They never got really regular, but goodness they were intense. From what I remember, they get much worse, but these sompletely hardened my uterus all over and I felt them in my back, too. I laid down and tried to sleep, and at first I couldn't because if the pressure, but then they let up.

I guess there area couple good things about last night's tease: 1) James is very eager to finish everything I've been asking him to do, and 2) I'm pretty sure I'll be more dilated at this week's appointment. We'll know Wednesday! BTW, they didn't check me last week. I wanted to know if I'd made more progress. My widwife does however think that he's a little over 7 pounds right now.

I'm going to try to blog each and every day until baby boy arrives so you'll know if anything is happening. I'll also try to post before we leave for the hospital, too!

Family Update

Poor Olivia has been sick since Wednesday night. One minute she was dancing around the house eating a piece of chocolate because she told us she had to tee-tee and went successfully on the potty, and 30 minutes later, she was throwing up and had a fever of 102. Poor baby. I thought she was all better yesterday, but just before bed, she threw up again and the fever came back. So far today, she's a little whiny, but other than that, no symptoms.

I love how she's playing with her curls. I find myself twirling them all the time. Even strangers come up and play with her hair, which sometimes is kind of creepy, but most of the time it's cute little old ladies who can't resist. :-)

I didn't blog about it, but last weekend, my parents and I took Olivia to a local farm. James was actually on the plane coming home while we were gone. It was hot, and being so pregnant, I felt kind of miserable walking everywhere and smelling animals, but Olivia had fun. She wouldn't ride the ponies, but she did ride a little train, taste cotton candy for the first time (she said it was fuzzy), and she ate 2 hotdogs (w/o the bun)!

I think one of her favorite things was dancing on the stage with the other kids to various songs. This was her first experience with a hula-hoop. I think I might need to get her one.

We think Olivia might be a super smeller. She has an excpetionally sensitive nose. Even as a small infant, she'd gag if I boiled eggs or if the dog breathed in her face. She told me she didn't want to go inside the petting zoo building because the animals were too stinky and she would gag. As we walked by the building, she gagged and gagged and said that she didn't want to see the stinky bunny. Ha!

As far as the pregnancy goes, I have had lots of BH contractions off an on. On Wednesday, my sister and I went to Target and I had some really strong ones. My sister (who is an L&D nurse) felt my tummy and said she could tell some of them were strong, but they never got regular or really painful. They seem to come and go. Some are low, some are higher up. I'm hoping to go at least another week without a baby, especially since my newborn cloth diaper stash isn't yet complete. Yeah, I'd better get going on that. I plan to have everything on its way by the weekend.

I have a shower this weekend. It's actually a family shower, so kids and hubbies are included. It'll break my heart if I have to leave Olivia home with James because she's still sick. :-(

Bookworm

I've been finding some time to read at night (and yesterday evening while I got a pedicure and James watched Olivia!) :-)

I was sent a few books to read and review and one of my favorites is "Dr. Gotts No Flour, No Sugar Cookbook". I've found that it fits in perfectly with my new GD diet. The recipes are really yummy and easy to make, and you don't miss the flour or sugar. These recipes aren't carb free, which isn't healthy anyway, but the carbs come from healthy sources, like beans and corn, rather than from a more empty source like plain white flour.

Another they sent that I really enjoyed is "A Confident Woman" by Joyce Meyers. I don't think I have any major issues with confidence, but we can all use a little boost, and Joyce Meyer is awesome! I'd actually like to check out some more books by her. She's also writes on Christianity, I believe.

On the same note, I just finished "The Other Boleyn Girl" (not sent my the publishers) and loved it. Although from now on, and until baby boy arrives, it's birthing books for me. I'm almost done Ina May's "Guide to Childbirth" and next I'm on to the "Husband Coached Bradley Method" book. :-)

What have you read lately that I should check out?

Woo-hoo! Grey's is back!

I just read that Grey's Anatomy is back this Thursday and for the next 5 weeks with all new episodes!

Know what other show we are totally hooked on? Dexter. When I first heard about it, the idea didn't vaguely interest me. Well, I saw one episode and now I'm hooked. We just finished the first season last night and are about to start the second.

I also love the Tudors. Henry is very yummy.

Welcome to our abode (and other stuff)

Since I've pretty much caught up on blogging about other stuff, I figure it's a good time to share some pics of the new house. I'll be sharing more of baby boy's nursery as it comes along, but it's not quite done, so I'll wait. Same with the office/guest room, which isn't neat enough to share. James needs to clean out his clutter, which he'd better do soon since I'm getting more and more in nesting mode. :-)

I'm going to share one of my favorite rooms with you first, our master bathroom. Weird, I know, but I'm hooked on the jaccuzi tub. I haven't use the jets yet (a big no-no for pregnancy), but soaking in the deep tub has been great for my aching muscles. Also, I've had some great mother/daughter bonding time with Olivia in there. We bring toys, wash each other's backs, laugh, sing songs, and she feels so grown-up when I (carefully) wash her hair with my Aveda shampoo. She usually puts up a fight when it's time to get out. I also figure this will be a great place to labor before I go to the hospital. The shower is nice, too.

I'm sure some people would love the private toilet, but since I always have an audience, I wish it was more open so Olivia could spread out her toys and coloring books easier. I'm sure when I no longer have little ones accompanying me, I'll appreciate it more. :-)

This is the other bathroom that's located on the other side of the house with the 3 bedrooms. We have a split plan, so our room is on one side and the other 3 bedrooms are on the other. I don't think I like the split plan all that much (although everyone says I will later) because I'm too far from the babies.

My other favorite room is the kitchen. We had a tiny kitchen before, and although our new kitchen isn't huge, there's definitely enough room for me to move around and leave my most-used appliances out.

And here's the breakfast area on the other side of the bar. It gets a lot of natural light, which is nice in the morning.

This is the dining room, which is too the right of the foyer.

This is our bedroom, which is still needing a great picture above the bed. Most likely, we'll be using something created by my talented uncle. Olivia was snuggling on the bed while I snapped pictures. :-) James has a matching chest-of-drawers on the other side of the room. It's not a big room really, but it works. I love the color we chose. It's a very pale blue-- something different for us since everything was beige/neutral in our first house.

This is the living room. It's amazing how much bigger it looked after we got rid of the dark carpet from the previous owners and painted the walls a light brown rather than their yellowish color.

You can see the foyer here as well as part of the living room. To the right is the nursery. :-)

I planted herbs in the backyard, but I haven't taken many pictures of the yard yet. I think this is the only one I have since we've moved in and finished the fence. Sorry about the shadows. I took this through the blinds.

I'll have to post pictures of the nursery and guest room/office later. I didn't think you'd care about the laundry room or garage. They're not that interesting really.

I love our new neighborhood, although the neighbors could be better. WE have really nice, friendly people on either side of us, but they're both about to put their houses up for sale. No one else has talked to us or welcomed us. I actually waved and yelled hello to someone the other day (he definitely heard me) and he totally ignored me. I like that it's a safe neighborhood and there's a lake for our community that we can walk to and see the ducks. Olivia of course loves it! They're also building a playgroud somewhere. Not sure how close it'll be to our house because it's a big development, but it'll be good exercise if it's a couple streets away.

I want to blog more about pregnancy later and also the totally amazing Bradley class we're taking, but that can wait.

New Address

We'll be moving in our new house next week. If you need our new address, please leave a comment or e-mail me. :-)

Thanks!

UPDATE

Things are better, I suppose. I feel like I still haven't quite come out of my funk from all the stress, but I'm trying to be positive.

We closed on the house this morning. That's the important part. The people had the jacuzzi tub in the master bathroom fixed last night, and the airconditioning people were out fixing the AC this morning, and were finishing as we closed. Things with the house are good as far as we can tell.

Our realtor handled the issue with the window at our old house. I don't know how it was resolved, and I'm not going to ask. All I know is that we didn't get stuck with it. Chas is right, they'll learn. Sometimes it's not cheaper to cut corners. They should have brought their inspector to the final walk-thru. I really liked the girl that moved in, and although all the trouble occured between our realtors, I doubt we'll be mixing business with pleasure. Too akward.

The bank people are idiots. The bank manager actually sided with the teller, saying that I had given her my checking account number instead of my savings. That's possible, but I verbally said that it was from my savings account. Besides, why would she withdraw thousands of dollars from an account with insufficient funds? That doesn't sound right. I've argued with them several times today, and they finally said they'd remove all of the overdraft fees as a courtesy. Courtesy? HA! I'm glad they are, but I made sure I told them that they would've been doing that anyway since they had a large part in the error, if not sole responsibility for it. Jerks. The next time I check my account, it had better be right! I'm not one to be messed with today because I've had just about enough of dealing with idiots.

The people are going to be out of the house Friday. I would've liked for them to be out earlier, but at least I have a date. They already set up for the utilities to be removed that morning, so I'm confident they'll really be out.

And that's it for updates. I wish I was jumping for joy right now since we have a gorgeous house that's only 3 years old and has everything we wanted, but for some reason, I feel like a total grump. I think I'm waiting for something else to go wrong. At least our house payment is nearly $150 less than we thought it would be. That's certainly something to smile about. :-)

New stuff for the house!

We're pretty much done buying and picking out everything for the house. Yesterday, we ordered Olivia's dresser, picked paint colors, and bought an area rug. Earlier in the week, I bought Olivia a lamp, bed, shelves, toy box, mattress, and some new throw pillows for the couch. I know I'll think of more stuff I need though. :-) I've been taking advantage of sales when I can, and I've gotten some really great deals.

Here's the rug we bought yesterday for the dining room. I had been googling more traditional looking rugs, but when we went to look yesterday, James really liked this one. I was worried it's too modern (the pattern is "gravity seashore"), but when I pictured it with our furniture and tried to imagine us sitting at the table with friends over, I found that I liked it too. :-) I also have to add that we got an awesome deal on it. When I searched for a picture on the internet, it was $369 everywhere I looked. We got it on sale for $149 at a local store! WOO-HOOOO!

For Olivia's room, we're painting it a VERY pale pink, almost whitish-pink, and she has a white dresser, and white-rimmed mirror for her wall, and then a pink and white toddler bed which she will hopefully actually be sleeping in. There's a canopy that goes with the bed with Disney Princesses on it, and it matches the other furniture. I was going to go with Hello Kitty, but Olivia said she wanted "Sleeping Booty" so there you go. :-)

Here's the set. It's VERY pink, which is why we toned down everything else in the room.

This is the bedding we chose to go with it, but is a lighter pink than it seems in this picture:

I'm a girl who likes to play it safe, so we never had any colorful walls in our old house. Everything was an almond color, so this time, we actually chose some colors. I know I've pulled James out of his comfort zone, but luckily my sister was there to reassure him (and me) that our house will look better with color! Olivia's room will be a pale pink, Baby Boy's room will be light yellow, our room will be a very pale blue, and the office, living room, kitchen and dining room will be a tan color, which is supposedly very popular right now. With the white chair rail in the dining room, I think the colors will look really nice together. I wanted to do even more color variations, but since James likes more neutral, our decision was a compromise.

BTW, don't know if I mentioned it, but the people are moving out earlier than they originally said. In fact, they are supposed to be out today, but we don't close until Wednesday. They were going to initially stay until a week from today, so we'll have more time to paint and maybe even get new carpet (we're considering it), and we'll still move in on the 22nd as planned.

I'm actually feeling sad about leaving my parents' house. I feel almost like a kid again, but I'll blog about that later.

Moving Up and Growing Out

Yesterday, was somewhat of a "Moving Up" moment for me. We got to go back to the old house and see all the changes. BTW, in case you haven't seen "Moving Up" on HGTV, there are 3 sets of people who sell their houses (or something like that) and they all go back and see how much their old houses have changed. I was excited to see it because I knew the people wanted to paint all the rooms in colors other than the beige we'd had.

I left my cell phone number with the girl who moved into our house (I think it's funny I call people my age "girls" instead of "women") and she called to tell me that they had some mail for us that didn't forward, and also a plate of Olivia's that was in a cabinet, and also some dish towels that were way back in a drawer, so she asked if we wanted to come over and get them. It felt odd driving back through our old neighborhood and even weirder knocking on my own door. I was shocked to see dark green walls in the living room (the color, according to the girl, was "Avocado") and the dining room was dark red. I thought it looked good. It was awesome to see my house in colors I never would've been bold enough to try. We talked for a while, and invited her to join my moms' group. We've always chatted away each time we've seen each other (closing, on the phone, and then yesterday) so I wouldn't be surprised if I saw her again. They have a toddler and are expecting another one, just like us, so it's weird to see a family in there that so closely resembles us.

Olivia has settled down. She keeps asking questions to reassure herself that they'll be some consistency in her life. Whenever we leave to go somewhere, she asks, "I come back to Grammie's house?" and this morning, she told me, "This my bed. This my pillow." We've had to make a time-out corner here at my parents', and it's been used more here than ever at home, but I think having the same rules here helps give Olivia the same structure she's used to.

I need to transfer some pictures onto this computer so you can see my ever-growing belly. My sister told me that I'm as big as some full-term women she sees at the hospital. I'm already outgrowing my maternity clothes because I am so freaking huge. And I have 3 months to go. I am miserably uncomfortable, so I am thinking of scheduling a massage next week. Last week, I got my hair cut after something like 7 months, so I'm trying to take care of myself a little more. I love my new cut BTW! I went to a new guy recommended by a friend, and he told me I had sexy hair. :-)

Oh, forgot to mention that we did end up with the side-by-side fridge. I'm still worried about having enough room, but our old fridge, which is plenty big, is going in the garage, so we'll have extra room if we need it. We also bought our new bedroom suit, dining room table and china cabinet, and also a coffee table/end tables. This afternoon, I'm going to get stuff for Olivia's "big girl" room, but something tells me she'll still be sleeping with us for a while, which is fine. I don't want anymore big changes for her right now, which is why I backed off when she decided she wanted to stop going in the big girl potty. It's likely she'd revert back anyway with the little guy coming, so we can resume potty training when the time is right.

Well, off to go shopping. I'll try and get some pictures up later.

The house is empty.

I'm feeling very relieved at the moment, but also very sad. About an hour ago, we took one last look around our first home, laid our keys on the counter, listened as Olivia said goodbye to the only house she's ever known, and pulled the door shut behind us. I told myself I wouldn't cry, but as soon as I pulled out of the driveway, the tears began. I was glad I was driving alone with just Olivia in the back seat because there was something empowering and also private about that moment . . .

The last time I saw that house completely empty, I was 21 and single, soon to be a new bride. James and I purchased it a few months before our wedding and rented it out to the previous owner until a few weeks before our big day. We spent many excited hours painting and planning and I moved in the week before the wedding. After the honeymoon, we got James settled in. Now, 5.5 years later we saw the house empty once again, this time leaving as a family of 3. It's weird to think that I'll never pull in the driveway again, or sit on Olivia's floor reading books and putting together Mr. Potato Head. It's amazing to think how much my life has changed between moving in and now moving out.

I'm already starting to think of our next house as home. When I picture certain things now (like planning our Easter dinner), in my mind I see it at the new house. I've been buying towels and mats and candles and things with the new house in mind. I can't wait to be settled and really feel like we have a HOME again.

We're going to try to catch our breath over the next few weeks before the we start painting the new house. Assuming everything goes according to plan, we close 3/12 and move in 3/22. BTW, our old house closed yesterday, so legally, we're homeless for now. :-)

I can't believe that our house wasn't even on the market a few weeks ago and now we've moved out, closed, and paid off the old mortgage. Crazy. I think it's pretty unusual for things to move THAT fast. Hey, be careful what you wish for. I remember us fretting when we decided to sell the house and asking each other, "What if it doesn't sell before the baby comes?" HA!

Well, off to relax a bit. Olivia has a fever, so we'll be laying low. I was hoping to go out tonight to celebrate the sale of the house, but maybe instead we'll order in (Indian? Thai?) at my parents' and watch a movie. :-)

I need your help.

We are buying a fridge this evening. HH_Gregg has a great sale (30% off!) that ends tonight, so we're going to go ahead and get one, and they'll wait a few weeks to deliver it. Perfect!

Trouble is, we don't know what to get. Initially, we wanted this one. It's stainless steel, with a bottom mounted freezer and french doors. We still love it, but it's $2000.00 I like that the freezer is on the bottom though since we use it the least often, and it's so stylish and sleek.

In thinking about it though, it seems foolish to spend THAT much on a fridge when we have other furniture to buy and some fence to put it (the fence doesn't enclose the whole yard, so we've got to fix that for the dogs). Anyway, you see what I mean. Cheaper is probably better. We're dead set on stainless steel, and for nearly $1000 less, we can get the same brand fridge in the side-by-side style that still has the water/ice despenser on the outside, which we also want.

So here's what I'm wondering, do any of you have a side-by-side fridge with the freezer on one side and the fridge on the other? If so, is it annoying or do you like it?

Finally, Pictures!

Excuse my lateness in posting the pics of the house. We've been packing/moving all weekend and now are officially squatters until the end of the week. Not sure if I can survive staying in this house even that long, but it's easier to stay here than with my parents because I still have packing to do and they are 25 minutes away. I'd rather be able to stay up late packing and then crash here and start again in the morning. Who knew we had so much stuff? I'm also actually sorting through it rather than just boxing it. Goodwill loves me right now. :-) We got out all the big stuff, but James is still cleaning out the storage room, and I'm packing up dishes and sorting through the thousand piles of random things that are in every corner of every room in this house. Olivia's toys are also scattered throughout the house.

I think she's confused and having a tough time time with what's going on. She keeps telling me the house is messy and that we're going bye-byes, but I can tell she feel lost. She cries at the smallest thing and clings to me constantly. She'll feel much more settled when we get to my parents' house.

Ok, enough chatter. Here are some pics! I would've liked to take more, but the seller was home recovering from surgery, so I told her I was taking them to help plan my decorating. I felt akward snapping a ton of pics.

The front of the house:

I love that there's a (small) space to sit on the porch. We can't afford rocking chairs right now given all the other furniture we're buying, but I have a super cute cafe table and chairs from my current patio that will do just fine.

Here's the back yard, which doesn't look quite so big in real life:

My pictures of the inside are dark. I turned off my flash thinking there was plenty of light and I didn't want to annoy the seller. I should've just taken them anyway. Oh well. :-(

I can snap more next time I'm there. Here's one of Olivia so you can see all her wild curls (we call her Kramer sometimes). Here, she's wearing Mommy's "boof"-- the word she used for nursing. She loves playing with my bras. :-)

And here is her "smile"! She told me, "Mommy need picture of Eeeya. I smile." And so she did. :-) (BTW, she can't say "Olivia" so she calls herself "eeeya")

Off to pack some more!

Popping In

-- Busy packing to move! We are actually going to stay here until next weekend, but we'll move most of our stuff out this weekend.

-- I'm heading to the new house this afternoon when the inspector is there and I'll snap some pics with my new Canon Elph! Keep in mind, carpet and paint are being replaced. The colors are not too pretty. Have vision people! :-)

-- Yesterday, Olivia woke up and asked me if Santa had brought more toys. When I said no, she replied, "I need more books, mama!"

-- I've been telling her about the new house every day to prepare her. Finally yesterday, I started talking about it again and she said, "We go to new house. I KNEW that!!" Ha! I guess she gets more than I think! :-)

-- I can see lots of tummy movement from the outside! Baby boy is getting big. :-)

-- Olivia is an artiste extraordinaire. She can draw a face, eyes, and circles around the eyes for glasses. The other day, she actually drew lines for legs and colored balls at the end of the feet, telling me, "look! legs with shoes!" Isn't she a little young to draw like that? Perhaps I gave birth to the next Picasso. Her understanding of things is amazing, it really is. I definitely wasn't that smart as a kid. I'll post a pic of some of her drawings when I have access to a scanner again. It's all packed up!

Ok, off to make a million phone calls, go to the bank, then see the lender, grab lunch, head to the new house, and then back home again for a workmen to give me an estimate. Whew!!!

BTW, thanks so much for all your kind comments. It's nice to sign on and have something to smile about it the midst of the chaos. I'm sorry I've been a stranger on some of your blogs. I try to read when I can, but I haven't commented since it takes more time and I want to pack in as many as I can. When I'm at my parents', I'll have a big break! :-)

Yes!!!!

****Pictures to come-- forgot my camera yesterday, so when we do the inspection this week, I'll slip in and snap some pics. I also need to take some measurements for curtains and stuff.

Just dropping in to say that we got the house! And there's a contract on this one! Wow!

We have to be out of here by the 22nd (I know, crazy), but we'll probably end up moving this weekend and going to stay with my parents. Our new house will be available March 16, but since that's a Sunday and the weekend will be almost gone, we'll probably wait to move until the next weekend. It'll give us time to paint the rooms a better color (bye bye yellow!) and finish the fence so our doggies will be safe. :-)

The stressful "what's going to happen?" stage is over, but now we're onto the stressful "what a hastle" stage. We have TONS of work ahead of us-- moving twice, first out of here and to my parents and putting everything in storage, and then renting a truck to get the stuff out of storage and into the house. I'm just going to remind myself that I will be settled in my gorgeous new home a good two months before the little guy arrives. That in itself is a blessing. The rest will fall into place.

Be prepared for lots of furniture talk and pattern/paint questions. I love input! We're buying a new bedroom suit (FINALLY! We still have our mismatched college furniture), a formal dining room set since our current smaller one will go in the breakfast area, and a fridge. Our old one is just that, OLD, and will go in the garage for extra space. It's white and the kitchen has black appliances.

I am still in freak-out mode and it feels so weird to be in this house that already doesn't quite feel like ours, even though it is until we close on the 22nd.

You know, we prayed for God to move us out if it was His will, we just didn't think He'd do it so fast! :-)

The Waiting Game

Well, the house we were interested in went off the market early this morning. Luckily, we found an even more amazing (and slightly more pricey) house at the end of the street. We loved everything about it minus it's odd yellow-colored walls, so we made an offer. The house has everything we wanted: a great location, 2 car garage, 4 bedrooms, it's less than a year old, it has a jacuzzi tub in the master bath, and a gorgeous almost fully-fenced yard, which we'd finish fencing in. Someone had made an offer on it yesterday, which hadn't yet been accepted, so we offered them something we hope is better and we're waiting to hear back. When we know we've got it, we'll agree to the offer we got yesterday.

We'll definitely be moving in with my parents for a few weeks if we get this house.

I told James that no matter what happens, God has a plan, and also, that I expect to be taken to dinner tonight to either celebrate or distract myself from having a potential nervous breakdown. Either way, God knows what he's doing.

*Fingers Crossed*

The girl whose parents live up the street came to see the house today. Inbetween appointments today (bank and then OBGYN), I ran by the house and found this note from my real estate agent:

"They liked house and are going to meet with their lender."

Sounds promising, doesn't it? Here's hoping this girl gets approved for a loan!!! Wouldn't it be awesome if the first person to look on the very first day ended up buying our house?? That sounds a little too easy. Of course, we still have to find somewhere to move . . .

Whirlwind

The last few days have been a blur. I'm still sick, but I've been trying to suck it up and get stuff done. Yesterday was MF's shower, which went great! We had a great turnout (not Karen, who BTW e-mailed me today and asked me to financially sponsor her for something?????). I think MF was really happy. Instead of a cake, I got all the girls Rocky Road brownies from a local bakery. Since half of us are pregnant, I figured something chocolatey and decadent would go over well, which it did. I got cookies for the kids.

I'm so proud of myself-- I got rid of nearly 20 pairs of shoes and flip-flops in less than 20 minutes. I didn't sit and obsess about letting them go, I just grabbed them and threw them in a bag. Go me! And today, I cleaned out my closet and got rid of TONS of stuff. It was hard to let go of pants I hope to someday fit into again, but if I ever get the small again, I'll treat myself to new stuff! I also donated 38 books to the library. Can we say BIG tax write-offs next year? :-)

James has been hard at work touching up paint and doing stuff outside and I've been organizing closets, re-staining cabinets, and doing general cleaning. Our real estate agent is moving at lightning speed. There's already a sign out), but it's clear we need a little more time before this house is ready to be shown. Right now we have paint out and supplies laying around, piles of stuff to be taken to storage, and still a few more things to start. I asked our agent to please add a note to our listing that the house is not to be shown until next weekend, and she said that was fine. So, we'll be going crazy this week getting ready for next weekend.

I'm dying to go look at potential houses to buy, but we need to tackle our current house first and get it ready to be shown before we really start looking. However, I thought you all might like to see another one we like so far (BTW, the last pictures I posted were of the same house, front and back):

The end of the house is actually the garage. The house is on a corner lot, so you pull into the garage from the other side of the street. This house has a little more square footage than the other I posted, and it's also more expensive. It's at the top of our price range, but finding something maybe in the middle of the range would allow us more money in our pocket each month. Decision, decisions!

Breathe.

The real estate agent just left, and I'm fighting back tears. I'll blame it on the hormones. James went to pick up a pizza (yes, at 9:00 pm) because we spent time cleaning up rather than eating when he got home, and then the agent arrived. I am a terrible parent because I let Olivia go with James instead of keeping her home, bathing her, and getting her to bed. But I get to blog and vent, so it's all good.

Ok, things on my mind since meeting with the agent:

-- It really sucks that our house is being listed at several thousand less than I thought. The market isn't so good and we want to be competitive, so it has to be.

-- We have a looooong list of things to accomplish before Monday, when the house is officially "on the market." Nothing is major, but there are so many things like, scrub down all cabinets, wait 24 hours, and re-stain. Take bathroom mirrors to shop and have them cut-down to get rid of the water-damaged rim. Clean out all closets and storage areas. Just pain in the butt type of stuff.

-- My first house is going to be sold. I'm feeling incredibly emotional and nostalgic already. I can't even look at my house right now because it makes me so sad.

-- Good news: houses in our price range are selling fast (2 houses down the street sold in a couple weeks last month). Hope we find something we like soon because hopefully this one will be gone.

-- We all sat at the dining room table to go over paperwork, and Olivia, wanting to be with us, sat strapped into her booster seat eating snacks. During a quiet moment of reading papers, she knocked over her bowl of crackers and said emphatically, "Oh shit." I thought I was going to die. At least I'm not to blame. She heard my church-going grandma say it the other day when she locked her keys in the car and I guess it stuck.

Last thing not house-related. I told myself I wouldn't talk about Karen anymore, but I seriously need to vent. I'm throwing a shower for MF this Friday, and Karen asked MF to please tell me to include her. I thought it was odd because I figured she didn't like me, but I sent her a kind e-mail and extended the invitation. Well, today, I got a response from Karen basically saying that she didn't know why I'd invite her since she knows I have said so many bad things about her to people (totally untrue BTW. I have lots I could say but NEVER have because I lead a Christian mom's group and wouldn't give her or anyone else cause to think badly of me. I have always held my tongue, always.) I wanted to write her back and ask what gives? She set me up. Why did she bother to ask to be invited? Of course, I know the answer. She wanted to cause more drama. If I hadn't invited her, it would've given her cause to get mad about that, so I couldn't have won either way. Anyway, after calming down and praying about it, I wrote her the kindest e-mail I could muster:

Karen,

I'm sorry that you feel uncomfortable. I was under the impression you wanted to come since you asked to please be included in the shower I am hosting. I wanted to reassure you that I have nothing against you and haven't ever said so, so if you change your mind, it's going to be held at __________. Please do whatever is most comfortable for you, but know that you are certainly welcome.

Take care,
Hannah

I was so proud of myself. Obviously, there are other things I would've liked to say, and probably would've been justified in saying, but they weren't the best choice. I nipped any potential drama in the bud. She later wrote me back and thanked me. Still though, UGH!!!!

OK, off to shower, which is what I was supposed to be doing while they're gone.

Ecstatic

It's done! Finished! Over!

We heard today that the insurance company accepted our lawyer's proposed settlement amount. We can pay off my medical bills and put the house up for sale! I promised James I'd keep the info private, so all I can say is, things are much better for us now. :-)

Now I just hope we can sell this house and move before Baby Boy arrives. The market hasn't been so hot here, so it won't be easy.

Weeeeeeee!!!!

Heath Ledger is dead!

I just saw on the news that Heath Ledger is dead! I don't know if they've determined cause of death, but the news said that pills were found near his body. He has a daughter Olivia's age. It's so tragic, regardless of the circumstances. It's so odd when someone famous dies because you feel like you know them!

Cameras and Clueless

I really want a good camera for my birthday in Feb. My camcorder/camera combo just isn't cutting it. The pictures are WAY too pixilated. I was hoping for some suggestions. I know several of you are great picutre takers (GFF, Lisanne, etc) and I'm dying to know what you use and how you like it. James is prepared to put out some money for one since we really need one with Olivia at such a young age and also with the little guy on the way. This is prime picture time in our lives.

On another note, I love that my husband helps so much, but he really can be quite clueless. Olivia just came up and complained that her feet hurt, and what did I find? Her shoes are on the wrong feet and have been since this morning when James dressed her. Bless his heart, he really tries, but he can be so clueless! :-)

Losing My Mind

Lately, things have been stressful to say the least. There are times I think I'll simply lose my mind because of everything going on, and other times, I feel God's peace and I'm thankful for the blessings in my life-- and there are many.

My mom hasn't been doing so well. She's having trouble keeping up with her exercises and she's in terrible pain. I've watched people in my family have knee replacements before. There is a rare condition in my family that causes leg deformities (I'm not a carrier) so leg surgeries are nothing new, but my mom's was extremely complicated because of the severe nature of her deformities. From the outside, her legs have always looked fairly normal besides off-center knee caps, but inside, the bones are not formed properly and she's missing parts. It's going to be a long recovery.

My grandma finds out tomorrow whether or not she has cancer, pre-cancer, or something completely different. If she has cancer, I will be devestated. Few people I've ever known are as close to their grandmas as I am. I talk to her every single day. I see her several times a week, at least 4. I have never lived more than 15 minutes from her my entire life, no matter what state we were in. She is a second mother to me. I tell her everything. How many teenages do you know who talk to their grandmothers about their boyfriends? She has always been my advice giver. Seeing her with Olivia brings tears to my eyes. I know she has to go someday, but I'm not ready. She has to get to know this new baby. I am terrified. Please pray for her.

I'm trying to juggle family duties (and taking care of a high-maintenance toddler) and be a good organizer of my Christian mom's group. It's been a rough start, and although I have been diligent about not saying anything negative (besides on my blog) about the group I left (Karen's group), rumors are flying. It would take me a million years to get into everything, but I'm very confused and angry as to why our shared members (people who are in our group and Karens) have no problem with Karen talking about us behind our backs all the time (many people have told me what she says) yet people are mad at me and my co-organizer for, in their words, judging Karen. Because we left to start a Christian group, they think we must be judgmental of her and her group because it wasn't good enough. People will find fault in anything. It just makes me mad because my co-organizer and I have been so careful not to say anything negative about Karen or her group so we could keep a clean, Christian reputation, and it hasn't made any difference. People assume the worst anyway. We've been praying hard for our group, and things are better. The people who just wanted drama are gone, and the ones left are awesome, Christian moms with awesome kids. Before I end this topic, I have to say one thing that gave me just a little satisfaction, even if it's wrong to feel this way. Karen has tried hard to eliminate any group in the area but hers. I've heard her say things about other groups in the past, so I have no doubt she hates ours, too. She "coincidentally" schedules events at the same time as ours, and yesterday, she scheduled an event at the library at the same time as ours. We couldn't be sure she did it on purpose, but it's a safe bet. Well, when we got there, she was arguing with the library because she wanted her "usual" room, the one we were in. They explained that we booked it first, so really, by scheduling her event at the same time, she screwed herself out of her room. Maybe she learned something. I can proudly say that I've done nothing to hurt her or her group and I don't see it as a competition. I don't want her members. I left them for a reason. :-) If I only have a few members who are kind, drama-free people, I'll be thrilled.

I think all the stress and physical stuff I've been doing (cleaning, helping my mom, baking for friends and family, carrying heavy packages to the post office) has caused me to spot again. It's light, and there's no cramping or dark red blood. The doctor assures me all is well with the little one (and I think I'm feeling flutters maybe), but I know I'm doing too much. I wish I had a day to myself. Tomorrow night, I'm going with some friends to see "The Business of Being Born" hosted by our local birth network, so I'm excited about that. It might help me make some decisions about the birth I want this time.

In Olivia news, she is as funny as ever.

She insists regularly that she "pegnant" and says "Have beebee in my tummeeeee." She tells me she loves me all time time and that I'm pretty. Then she says, "eeeya (she calls herself this) pretty, too!" She calls Santa everyday on her pretend phone and tells him she wants a dolly. It makes me tear-up seeing her do all these things. Her vocabulary continues to amaze me. She's speaking better than most 2 year olds I know. The pediatrician assures us she's extremely advanced. :-) I just need to remind myself all kids learn at different paces and this next one might be totally different. I'm guessing that unlike Olivia, he/she will walk early and talk much later and be the total opposite.

We find out the sex in a week and a half. Don't forget to vote.

Well, that concludes this update. Time for bed...

Great Books of 2007

I'm going to follow GFF's lead and tell you about the best books I read this year.

Reading is what I look forward to at the end of a long day. After Olivia and James are snoozing away beside me, I quietly grab my current read-- the book on top of the huge stack next to my bed-- and snap on my book light. Then, I'm taken to another place.

These are the best books I read this past year:

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
This is the fascinating story of a Bengali family living in America. The son, Gogol Ganguli, hates his names and wants to change it, until he finds out how meaningful the name really is. This was a great read, and I'd recommend it to anyone. I am seriously DYING to see this movie. It's on my Netflix list, and my Christmas list too!

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
At first, this book seemed odd to me and somewhat hard to follow, but the more I read, the more drawn in I was. I literally couldn't put this book down. It's the story of Henry, who I found myself having a crush on, who uncontrollably travels through time constantly, meeting his love at different stages in her life until they finally meet in the present. I became very emotionally involved and found myself crying when it was over, which I rarely do.

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
Wow. This book broke my heart and fascinated me at the same time. It's the autobiographical story of the author, who grew up in extreme poverty, yet her family was loving and valued education. Her parents made crazy choices like choosing to be homeless while their kids wanted normal lives. It's amazing anyone lives like this, yet strangely, in some ways, her family wasn't so dysfunctional.

The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd
This was a lighter read-- a great beach book I think, especially since it's vivid descriptions of the island and sea found me wishing I was laying in the sun while reading. In the story, a middle-aged mother and wife goes home to help her crazy mother and falls in love with a monk living at the monestary on the island. She goes through a string of emotions about what to do about her husband and how to handle her intense feelings for the monk.

Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything across Italy, India and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert
I'm still reading this book, and already I'm totally into it. Anything cultural fascinates me, so the fact this woman felt drawn to leave her life and explore these three places is just completely fascinating to me. I didn't used to be a big biography reader, but I'm finding more and more that I love having insight into an author's soul, and this author holds nothing back.

Helloooo

I'm here. Very tired, but here. Pregnancy decided to kick my a$$ over the weekend. I was feeling pretty good, and then all of a sudden, I was zapped. I'm feeling better now, not quite as lazy. :-)

Olivia has her first allergist appointment today to see if she has an egg allergy after her bad reaction to the flu shot last year. She tested mildly positive, and the doctor thinks the allergy is related to the excema she has as an infant. She outgrew the excema, and since she only tested a little positive for eggs, she's probably outgrowing that too. She got stuck 6 times and screamed off and on for the two hours we were there. I must've been extra sensitive because I found myself wanting to burst into tears whenever she cried. I think the only thing that kept her semi-sane was the lollipops they kept giving her. We were both a sticky mess when it was done. I'm just thankful it was only 6. Another girl got stuck 40 times and screamed at the top of her lungs. I think I'd scream, too!

I told Karen I wanted out of her group. I had the perfect excuse to leave when the organizer of the new Christian group I'm in asked me to be an assistant organizer. Karen congratulated me and even asked me to be a part of an oline group for mothers' group leaders. I'm assuming there are no hard feelings. Either way, I'm not responsible if there are. I was very polite and explained that I there are kids from church in this other group and I thought it was a good fit for us. I'm not exactly sure what my role will be as an organizer. Perhaps I should ask Chas since she's an assistant organizer too. I'm excited though, and I hope I do a good job.

I am starting to show a bit. I'll have to take a picture. It's amazing how different things are thing time around. I haven't taken any belly shots, although last time I started out with a flat tummy, and this time, I started with a lot of extra skin. Yuck. I need to cut back on my junk food eating. I used to be a healthy food freak and it seems lately, I've been going through one too many drive-thrus. Today wasn't toooo bad. Know what I ate for 2 meals today? A grilled cheese on whole wheat bread and roast beef and a runny fried egg inside. Then I dipped the whole thing in ketchup. Sounds like a very pregnant meal to me. I wouldn't normally eat a runny fried egg, or pair it with beef, but it was soooooo yummy.

After Olivia's appt today, we headed to meet my mom at Barnes and Noble to let Olivia play on the stage. She was not happy and I knew seeing my mom and getting a cookie would cheer her up. There was the cutest little Chinese boy there playing with Olivia. He was about 3 I'm guessing and he tried to speak to her in Chinese. His mom told us that he was telling Olivia she was pretty. How sweet. :-)

I also bought Olivia this awesome book called "What is Christmas?" It shows Santa and a Christmas tree and all the usual traditions, and then at the end, it says that although these things are a fun part of the holiday, the real reason we have Christmas is because of baby Jesus. So far she's so excited about Santa and seeing Christmas trees, but I want her to recognize Jesus too.

Have to share this: After Barnes & Noble, we went by Carter's to get Olivia some undershirts. When we walked in the store, it smelled funny.

My mom: (whisperting) It smells like poop in here.
Olivia: (loudly for all to hear): Smells like poop here!
My mom: Shhhhh. Olivia, look at this! (trying to distract her).
Olivia: Smells like poop, Grammie. Grammie pooped! Grammie go poo-poo!

My mom and I laughed so hard. Everyone looked at us!

Well, I'm going to go give Olivia a bath. The back of her pants are wet. Ugh....

Sexy Daddy, Olivia the fairy, Pho Vy, and other stuff

James is outside chasing Olivia around the front yard. I can hear her squealing and he's making all these funny noises. I think he's trying to distract her from messing with the yucky carved pumpkin on the porch from Halloween. Olivia loves being outside and James is so good with her. A friend once told me that she thinks there's nothing sexier than a man with a baby, and I couldn't agree more. I'm also thankful for a few minutes to myself. I've been typing away writing sponsored entries for Pay Per Post, trying to get some extra money for Christmas gifts.

I took Olivia Christmas shopping with my mom today. We enjoyed a great lunch at Olivia Garden (yummmmm... eggplant parmesan) and then hit some stores to buy gifts. I've started buying early this year so I can spread out the costs between now and Christmas. James has always gotten a big bonus this time of year, which has helped with gift buying and also with our car insurance that's due a few days after Christmas (how convenient). Now that he has a new job, we don't know what to expect, hence all the sponsored posts below this one. I can delete them after 30 days, but until then I have to keep them up, so I'm sorry. :-(

BTW, I posted an update about weaning, but it's buried under sponsored posts. If you want to read it, it's here.

Our Halloween was fun, but people seemed to come at odd hours this year. Usually, people start Trick-or-treating around 6:30, but I had people at my door just after 5:00. I wasn't ready at all, and I had to leave them on the porch while I looked for the candy I'd bought. We had some late comers this year, too. I hate that. We decided to take Olivia to just a few houses near ours, but that turned into many houses. We didn't even knock on all the doors we passed. She mostly enjoyed walking around in her fairy costume, carrying her pumpkin, and looking at all the people dressed up. Surprisingly, Olivia wasn't scared of anyone. Stupid me forgot to teach her to say "trick-or-treat." I didn't even think about it until we were leaving the house, so she didn't understand, but she did say "Halloween" and "thank you" when people gave her goodies. My parents and grandma came over to see Olivia. I watched my grandma tear up as Olivia pranced around in her costume, and I cried too watching my big girl walk excitedly up to people's houses in her cute fairy costume. Precious! I couldn't get her to smile for me. She was so busy watching people walk by and I had to chase her around the yard to get pictures.

As for this pregnancy, I can't stop peeing. I am waking up 6,7, even 8 times a night to pee. And it doesn't help that I'm super thirsty all the time, just like I was with Olivia. I also feel really fat. I can't tell if I'm starting to show, or I'm just super bloated/fat from gas and eating too much food. Did anyone notice an expanding waist around 9 weeks with #2? BTW, I am dying to find out what I've having. We found at at 16 weeks with Olivia because we paid for a 4D ulltrasound. If we do that again, we'll probably be able to find out the week before Christmas. I keep assuming it'll be a boy because I already have a girl, but really, that has nothing to do with it. James isn't one of those guys who wants a boy. I think secretly, he wants another girl.

Tonight, we're going to eat at Pho Vy, a Vietnamese restaurant where we ate last night! We've never gone back to the same place 2 nights in a row, but after we'd finished our meal last night, they brought out steaming bowls of Pho (soup) to the table next to us, and James said "wanna come back tomorrow night?" I think part of it is that we're just super excited to have more ethnic places to eat. This town was so country when we moved here and now, we have some many choices. James and I big foodies and we both eat pretty daringly and we've both traveled a lot, so we have that in common. Last night, we talked about our dear friends Stef and Mike. Pho Vy is the type of place we would've liked to eat with them, although they have everything at the fingertips since they now live in Seattle. :-)

After dinner, we'll probably do more Christmas shopping!

Fall festivals, cane walking, my totally awesome pumpkin log, and the cutest diaper ever!!!

I have some catching up to do!!!

We've been doing so many fun "fall" things and I have pictures to share. A few weekends ago, we went to Callaway Gardens, which is about 40 minutes north of here near the mountains. We went to their annual fall festival, which we'd never been to before. It was crowded, but Olivia enjoyed the hay maze and just generally running around.

Since it's still warm here, all of the flowers there were still in bloom. It looked like an English garden. Although finally, this week, it's really starting to look more like fall-- and feel like it, too.

On Thursday this week, my sister and I took Olivia to the pumpkin patch. I think she was truly in heaven. Ever since I bought her her first mini pumpkin weeks ago, she's been obsessed. She has a pumpkin bib and socks and a stuffed pumpkin, and she loves them all. She says "puntin" and it's the cutest thing! I wanted to let her pick out her own pumpkin, but she picked out about 50 of them, so finally I got to pick. She gets upset when the front door is closed because she can't see the pumpkin on the porch. She likes to look out the storm door so she can see it.

I've been meaning to post a picture of her walking with a cane. This is my grandma's cane and Olivia loves it. She won't even let my grandma use it! I was so embarrased-- a few weeks ago, Olivia stole a lady's cane at church. I got it back quickly, but she took off with it. The lady thought it was cute though. :-) Here she is at the gym at my old school, where my mom teaches now. She was putting on quite a show for everyone. She kept yelling, "look! cane!"

As you all know, I am such a foodie and I love to cook, but I just haven't had time to cook all gourmet like I used to, so I was thrilled when I made a most impressive pumpkin roll last night. The recipe came from this month's Saveur. I didn't have a jelly roll pan as the recipe called for (I don't even know what that is) but a 9x13 one worked just fine for me. I held my breath as I loosened the hot cake and attempted to remove it from the pan in one piece, but as you can see, it was a success!

The cake was so moist and the cream cheese frosting was perfect with it. I also made Rachel Ray's Pasta w/ pumpkin, sausage, and sage. I also made green beans simmered in beef broth, garlic rolls, a spinach and apple salad with homemade apple cider viniagrette and candied pecans, and mulled cider. The food was great, but I was so tired from cooking all afternoon that I just wasn't that hungry. :-(

And now for one of the cutest diapers ever! I sold a few of the diapers that didn't fit Olivia anymore. I bought a couple newborn diapers to start building the stash (once the baby is about 6 weeks old, he/she can start using the one-size diapers I use for Olivia). I also ordered this super cute coffee diaper, which I scored the second it went up for sale on Diaper Swappers. There were many disappointed people who were hoping I'd change my mind, but I didn't and it arrived today! :-)

I have some important mommy things to blog about later, both about Olivia and the new little one in my tummy. :-)

ETA: Olivia just called me "Hannah" right out of the blue and she's already called James "James" a few times. She thinks it's funny. Oh Lordy, I hope it stops.

Now we're talking!

FINALLY!!!

Today it's cold, cold for here that is. It's in the upper 50's, low 60's (beats yesterday's high of nearly 90!!!)

And... I just saw Christmas decorations going up in a local shopping center. It may not even be Halloween yet, but you'll never hear me complain about Christmas starting too early!

Tomorrow, my sister and I are taking Olivia to the pumpkin patch and Friday, the girls in my family are going to our annual Christmas craft fair. I love this time of year!!!!

Possibly the best Saturday EVER!!!

On Saturday, I FINALLY used a gift certificate I received last Christmas to get a massage at a place called Heavenly Hands. My grandma had heard about the magic this woman works, so she got everyone in the family a gift certificate for a one hour full body massage. She's been bugging me to use it, and I'm sooooo glad I waited until now because I have never needed it more. My back pain has been almost intolerable. I forgot to mention that the results of the discogram I had showed an anular tear, which means the fluid in the center of my discs is leaking out into my back, causing me great pain, so you can imagine how great the massage felt! Her hands were like magic. After the massage, she asked me if I had been in an accident, and when I said yes, she told me that she hoped I had gotten some good money out of it because she could tell the extent of the damage just from that one hour. We haven't settled yet, so I could use your prayers about the whole settlement mess, which will be over by Febuary, exactly 2 years after the accident.

My mom has her massage right after mine, and then we had lunch at a local favorite around here, Country's. Later, my parents took Olivia out to eat and back to their house while James and I went to our first movie in a year. We saw Rendition, which was quite good!

It was a great day! I can tell you one thing, I will definitely be treating myself to more massages. I am in so much pain from the accident, and I am constantly carrying a toddler and lugging around a huge diaper bag (I seriously have everything but the kitchen sink in there and I can't seem to do without anything). I just want to treat myself while I'm pregnant. Although I don't feel as sick, I can already tell that my back is going to be an issue, so I want to take care of myself.

My fingers are so completely swollen. I had to take my rings off a couple weeks ago. Is it possible to be swollen this soon? I haven't had my first appt yet, but I hate to call just to ask about my fingers. I doubt I'll hear the heart beat at my first appt. I'll be 9 weeks, so I think that's too soon. I guess I'll hear it at the next one.

I am so curious as to what this one is. If it's a girl, I think I'll be relieved because I already have one and I have all the stuff. If it's a boy, there will be a moment of "oh crap! What do I do with a boy? What do I do with his penis while I change his diaper????" and then I think I'll feel excited because I'll be experiencing something different. We don't really know what we'll name either one, but it's already fun to talk about it. We don't agree on anything this time, so hopefully, when it gets closer, James will give in. :-)

Just had to share: Olivia is saying sentences all the time now. The other day, the check-out lady asked me how old she was, and I said, "18 months." She said, "What? 18 months? I just heard her say a whole sentence! She's amazing!" and I felt sooooo happy! :-) She asks questions, sings songs (not the whole song of course) and answers me in 4 words sometimes. She's great with pronouns too. She referred to my sister's bf as "him" and she differentiates between "that" and "those". I love this age!

When my money from Payperpost comes in, I am soooo buying these Robeez!!!

Life

As I type, I'm having a bit of nausea, but that's all it's been so far-- just an occasional thing, usually before I eat breakfast and after I eat dinner, but it's NOTHING like it was with Olivia. I'm 6.5 weeks along, and I think by 5.5 weeks I was feeling pretty terrible last time. Maybe it won't get much worse? I hope not because I'm not sure how I'll keep up with Olivia if I feel like I did last time.

Last night we enjoyed a great fall dinner at Cracker Barrel, one of my favorite restaurants. I ordered the turkey dinner, and right before it came, I started feeling yucky, but luckily I was still able to eat most of my dinner. One thing's for sure, the nausea hasn't really affected my appetite, which could be good or bad depending how you see it.

We're really debating about whether or not to move. We could certainly use more space, and financially, this is a good time for us, but I doubt our house will sell. It seems that the market has kind of frozen here (and everywhere else I think?). We're 15 minutes from one of the biggest military bases in the country, and thousands more soldiers are expected to arrive in the next year, so hopefully the market will pick up some then. I just wanted to be settled before baby #2 arrives so we could set up his/her nursery and get Olivia transitioned into a toddler bed.

I've been enjoying more time at home lately playing with Olivia. Between my moms' group and nursing moms' group, we were going somewhere almost everyday, but it's just been too much. I am tired and I was sick of running around. All we really attend regularly these days is or Thursday bible study and La Leche League. Me and a few moms from my moms' group have considered starting our own drama free, no trash moms' group. I am so sick of women who don't want their kids AT ALL. People have no consideraton for others. They bring sick kids to events just because they want to socialize. In fact, we've had problems with a few moms who attend the bible study. Obviously, we want to welcome everyone and encourage people to come, but there's one mom who has 4 kids (and sometimes babysits too) and she brings all these unruly, dirty kids and it ruins the entire thing. We've even had a few moms who came once to the bible study and never wanted to come back because of this woman. She consistently brings sick kids. Just a couple weeks ago, her son had strep throat and rashes all over, and she brought him. As much as I want to welcome everyone, I'd rather she didn't come because she ruins it for everyone and makes it unpleasant.

One thing I've really enjoyed doing lately is shopping at my new favorite grocery store downtown. I am such a foodie-- even if I don't cook like I used too-- but I still love trying new things. I've discovered these new yogurts: the brand is Rachel's and all the flavors are exotic.

Flavors include: Vanilla Chai, Peach Green Tea with Ginseng, and Pomegranate Blueberry. I think there are 20 in all. This store has even special ordered products from Whole Foods for me. :-) Love them!

Anyway, Olivia is calling. I have tons of pics to post later from our trip to the mountains last weekend for a fall festival. Fun!

It's hard not to be a couch potato with so many great fall shows!

Lately, I'm finding myself on the couch or in bed watching TV waaaayyyy too often. I'm just so tired and worn out and it's so relaxing to watch TV. Olivia usually requires my undivided attention, but when she's interested in something else, these days I tend to plop down on the couch and turn on the TV. Same thing at night. When she's asleep, into bed I go and on goes the TV. It's mindless and relaxing. What could a pregnant woman with a toddler to chase all day want more? (Maybe some hot fudge cake, but I'm trying not to go crazy. Pants are feeling snug already).

This fall, I seem to be watching more shows than ever. Some new, some not. Here are the ones I try to catch:

Grey's Anatomy
Duh. One of my favorites for sure. I'm even getting James hooked. *mwahhh hahahaha* Love all the drama and the medical stuff, too. I never miss this one.

Life is Wild
Thank you Ani for e-mailing me about this one, or else I never would've known it was on. I don't watch much on the CW, so thank you, thank you! If you don't know about this one, it's about about a family that decides to move to a game reserve in South Africa for a year. Obviously, right up my alley. When I saw the pilot, the show kind of bothered me. It was the epitome of the "American" perspective of Africa. You know, elephants in the back yard. Constant animal encounters. Happy-go-lucky villagers interacting with animals and selling souvenirs. But it was a fun show, and when I watched the second episode today which I recorded on my DVR last night, I liked it even more. I think it'll be a regular, if for no other reason than it's about South Africa.

Law & Order SVU/Criminal Intent
I like that I can miss an episode or two of these and I don't fall behind. These are always fun.

CSI
Same with these. I can watch sporatically and never really miss anything. These are fun and I love figuring them out.

Jon and Kate, Plus 8
Ok, we are Jon and Kate, minus 7 kids. We bicker and scold each other just like they do. It cracks me up to watch Kate and her rituals and super organized ways because I feel like I'm watching myself, although I have less reason to want such order in my house. James is just like her husband. He's compliant, but really, he's thinking I'm anal and crazy. :-)

Dog the Bounty Hunter
Love this show. My sister got me hooked. At first I thought Dog was crazy, but now I find him amusing. He's a decent guy. I enjoy watching the chase.

Other notables: Either I haven't decided what I think or I haven't seen all the episodes, but they're worth mentioning: Journey Man, Heroes (James loves this one), Little People Big World, and Private Practice.

Then of course, there's the Food Network, Discovery Channel, TLC, and other channels that I watch, but don't stick to specific shows.

What are you watching this fall? Anything I should see?

Girls' Night Out

I've been feeling really good since my mini meltdown in the last entry. I'm still worrying about things, but I feel good (just tired) and no nausea yet. *fingers crossed*

I decided to do something last week that I don't do nearly enough: go out with the girls. Once every month, the organizer of my moms' group has a special "Domestic Divas" dinner for the more active members since there are too many of us to go out normally. I've never gone to one before (I think we've had 3) but last week, I decided I really needed a break. Also, I've been wanting to try the new Tapas bar that opened down town. We live in a not-so-small town that oddly enough has a very country feel, but I've been finding more and more places here lately that feel more like the DC area. The area where the Tapas bar is, Tapatinis, is right next to my new favorite gourmet grocery store I posted about a few weeks back.

The restaurant overlooks an art gallery and a trendy area of home decor shops. It's only open at night, but there's a cafe open daily that's owned by the same people and connected to the gallery. I really want to have lunch there sometime, too. We ate on the terrace and it felt so good to laugh with the girls, enjoy the breeze, and listen in on the blind date going on next to us. It didn't seem to go too well (but the guy was really cute) and after they left, all six of us sat around and analyzed the date. :-) The music was great too and I could've made the soundtrack myself! I don't know if they had the radio on or what, but they played so many songs I love. Everything was just perfect.

We all ordered different things, and everyone was amazed at how good the food was. I ordered a house salad with mixed greens, honey glazed pecans, Mandarin orange segments, and baby tomatoes with creamy coconut citrus vinaigrette. It was amazing. Because it's a Tapas restaurant, you can choose the size of your entree. I got the smaller one, and it was plenty of food. I got a New York Strip Au Poivre topped with applewood smoked bacon, gorgonzola crumbles,
& a brown sugar balsamic reduction, served with fettuccini. For dessert, I had a flourless chocolate torte. I wanted to take pictures, but it was dark and I knew they'd be too dim. I was a good wifey and brought James home some dessert, and so the other moms followed my lead and brought home something for their husbands.

The mom sitting next to me was also pregnant, and she goes to another OBGYN practice I've been considering because they have nurse midwives on staff with the doctors. She said she loves them, so I might make an appointment just to see. I don't see my current OBGYN for almost another month.

Then last night, we attended a private after-hours shopping party at a swanky (expensive) baby and maternity boutique hosted by my friend Logan. I saw a million things I wanted, but I was good and only bought one outfit for Olivia, which still cost $45 with a discount. Whoa! I'll have to post pictures of it. I tried on some maternity stuff, but I didn't get anything. There's plenty of time!

Another fluffy fanny....

Well, it seems that early next June, we're going to have another fanny to fluff in cloth! :-)

Yep, Olivia is going to be a BIG SISTER!!!!!!

I'm not quite a month along, but I couldn't wait to share our news! I see the doctor next week to get an official due date, but 5 tests confirmed our news (as if the first wasn't enough). :-)

Big Update! Lots of pics!

I know it's long, but I hope you'll read everything. :-)

Hope I remember everything I wanted to blog about. It's been a busy weekend and I'm a little brain dead.

I called James this afternoon while I was at Wal-m@rt to ask him if he needed anything, and he said he couldn't check because he was waiting on the police.

THE POLICE?!?

Crap! I figured it was something with a neighbor because I've already had to call the police twice in the last few months to come to our once nice, peaceful neighborhood. We had a bunch of teens down the street who were partying and driving drunk. I was outside playing with Olivia in the front yard and they swerved into my yard and tossed beer cans in it. In the day time!!! Then the next night same thing, so I called again.

Anyway, I was right. The drunk redneck rebel flag loving neighbbor down the street was shooting his gun off in his yard. James was out trimming the hedges and said it was so loud! That's all I need with Olivia playing in the yard. A drunk man shooting a gun across the street. Makes me so mad. We live in a nice house and now the neighborhood is going down hill because of several houses that rent to total trash. They arrested him and took him to jail where belongs!!!

On a happier note, I made a yummy dinner Saturday night: ham and broccoli quiche and an apple oatmeal crumble. Very fall-ish I'd say. Yum!

On Friday, I got some unpleasant news. I left a doctor's appt in tears. You know, we're still in the middle of this whole lawsuit mess from the accident when I was pregnant. An MRI last year showed damage in several places and lately, things like leaning over to bathe Olivia cause me a lot of pain. This coming Friday, I have to have a procedure in the hospital. They're going to sedate me and inject dye in each vertabre and then do x-rays to see each disc more closely. Wish me luck. I'm nervous and scared I'll feel all those big needles since I won't be totally under. I'm sure I'll be quite sore the rest of the day. :-( Then we'll go from there. Surgery is a possibility, although a last resort in my opinion. I'm scared of the pain getting worse over the years, and since some of what's wrong is arthritis, it probably will, but I don't want back surgery. I've heard horror stories.

Get this: Apparently, I am not allowed to listen to "my music" anymore when Olivia is in the car, which is always. If I turn on the radio or put in a CD, she screams, "NO!!! Pooh!" and yells until I put her CD in. If I have to listen to the Winnie the Pooh song one more time, I might just drive off a bridge. So if you see a woman with her hands over her ears and a toddler jammin' in the back seat, it's probably us. :-) Although I have to admit, hearing her sing along is precious!!!

This afternoon, Olivia went into the kitchen and yelled, "seep! seep!" We couldn't figure out what she wanted until James got the idea to give her the broom. She happily exclaimed "YES!!" and swept the whole kitchen. She kept telling us, "seep" as she swept. Too cute!!

On Saturday, I made the best discovery. As you know, I'm into natural, healthy living. I'd give my right leg for a Whole Foods like we had up north, but I've had to make do with our tiny locally owned health food store and buy the rest on occasional trips to Atlanta. Well, on Saturday, I discovered a grocery store downtown that is packed with gourmet everything and a crap load of natural products. I found cleaning stuff, chlorine free diapers (for when we use disposables), new brands of Organic baby food (because yes, she still eats some), recycled paper products, cheaper Organic milk. I could go on and on. They even had a whole aisle for Indian food and another section for Paula Deen stuff. I think I'm going to look forward to grocery shopping each week now!

Today was a special day too. After church and Mexican food, James came home to take a nap (he's been working so hard on projects around the house) and to work outside and Olivia and I hit the new Babies 'R Us (this town is sooo growing on me!) We browsed an outdoor mall and stopped in various stores. I found a Halloween onesie for Olivia at Old Navy that says "Daddy's Little Pumpkin" and then we went to Barnes and Noble where we shared a sugar cookie and played in the kids section, which is one of her favorite things to do now. She loves the stage. My little ham! :-)

Check out her shoes. They're hard to see, so here's a bigger picture. Love these! I get so many compliments on them.

I'll leave you with some seriously big bedtime bootie! This is cloth for night time-- a Fuzzi Bunz diaper with a mighty nighty hemp liner inside and then this incredible awesome pink wool cover to keep any leaks contained. Seriously, if anyone is interested in cloth or just curious about it because you think I'm totally nuts, ask away! I'm planning on devoting a blog entry to cloth soon because I love it so much.

Nighty night!

What a morning!

We seem to be having a series of crazy mornings around here lately, many of which seem to revolve around some sort of poop incident.

Just this morning, I was making the bed when I heard Olivia scream and start to cry from inside our bathroom. I stuck my head in the door, and saw that the poodle (always the naughty one of our two dogs) had pooped on the floor and poor Olivia stepped in it. She was crying, "mama! mama! tee-tee! tee-tee!" and pointing to her foot. Obviously, we haven't quite distinguised between tee-tee, poo-poo, and toots. She says toots and has tee-teed, and sometimes she says poo-poo and it was only a toot. Anyway, the fact that she tells us almost every time makes me think it might be time to potty train, but that's another entry.

I picked up Olivia and saw that the dog poop was squished between all her toes. EEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWW! She was yelling and squirming and she wiped the poop from her foot all over my shirt.

The stupid poodle caused me a lot of work. I had to scrub Olivia's feet with anti-bacterial soap, then wash out the sink, wash my shirt, then do another load with the bathroom rug, and then I had to sanitize the bathroom floor.

James better not ask me what I did today (I swear he "checks up" on me) cuz he's going to get a mouthfull today. :-)

Fall and Olivia's Halloween Costume!

I love fall. It used to be my least favoite season as a kid. Fall meant the end of summer, which wasn't so hot back in Maryland so it was more enjoyable. Fall also meant going back to school, having to buy new clothes (I HATED trying on clothes as a kid). Fall was the bridge between my two favorite seasons and I couldn't wait for it to be over so we could have winter and play in the snow.

Well, now I live in unbearably hot Georgia where I'm eager to kiss summer goodbye! Winter doesn't really feel like winter so there isn't anything much special about it except for Chirstmas. I feel like since I reached adulthood, I've really started to love the fall. I love the relief it brings from the summer heat, but also, I love the smell of leaves, apples, ginger, and all things pumpkin.

I'm also excited because I just bought Olivia's Halloween costume! She's going to be a fairy. I initially had decided she'd be a lamb, but I think realistically she needs to be something that will still be apparent even without the hat which she undoubtedly will refuse to wear. So, a fairy it is.

Last year she was a pea in a pod, but that didn't go so well. She didn't like being so constricted in her little pod!

Any thoughts what your children will be for Halloween this year?

It was bound to happen

Today, I was driving around a local shopping center on my way to buy another nursing bra when I saw a man and a young woman cross the street. Before it even registered who they were, I found myself stopping my car in the middle of traffic to get a closer look.

Then it hit me who they were: my biological dad and my sister Katie. My mom was with me and she agreed that yes, it was him. Then I saw him get into a sporty car (so like him) and saw his college alumni license plate holder and a Nascar sticker (the man is obsessed with all things that go fast).

I quickly made a u-turn and pulled up behind his car (he wouldn't know me so I didn't care if he saw me). He was in the process of pulling out when he saw my car, so he stopped. I waved him out and out he pulled and drove off. And that was that.

I've been waiting to see him. Not because I wanted to but because I knew I would at some point, this being a small town and all.

Weird, just too weird. I don't know how I felt. My heart was pounding and I felt strange. It did occur to me that this was probably the closest he'd ever get to his only grandchild. Can you imagine if he'd known his daughter, ex-wife, and grand-daughter were the ones waving him to go ahead?

Obviously, after my last post (which I linked to above), I never contacted my sister. It just hasn't felt right. Maybe someday, but for now, maybe our lives are best they way they are.

Another Yipppeeee!

James got a new job! A better job! With more money, great benefits and a sign-on bonus! Things have been really rough for us and I've considered going back to work because we need the money, but now I can stay home. James told me not to look yet, that he wanted to look first, and he got one! I feel so relieved. I am so thankful I am able to be a SAHM. Being home with Olivia is the best. :-)

YIPPPEEEE!!!!!

James just finished his master's degree. A perfect 4.0, dean's list, and Phi Kappa Phi member. I'm so proud!!!

I'll also no longer be a single parent! No more night classes for James. Yay!!!!

Because I can't think about anything else right now (TMI to follow)

Ok, so the doctor said no bladder surgery until after I'm done having babies. That could be several years. We know we want to try to #2 before the new year, but I could see us trying for a 3rd within a few years after that if we decide to have 3. I think at this point it depends on our financial situation at the time. Anyway, I can't wait that long, but I hate to have a surgery that will be undone with another birth. That's just crazy.

However, I was so busy last night at the book club making pot after pot of coffee (note to self: buy a carafe) and serving dessert (I decided on peach cobbler because my parents happened to bring me some peaches so it made good sense) that I didn't stop to go to the BR. I was also in charge of leading the discussion. Then one of my candles burned part of my wall, and I had to deal with that. Luckily, enough of the black came off that you wouldn't really notice. Needless to say, I was busy. It didn't feel like I really had to go that much, but when the night ended and I went to change clothes, my Poise pad was SOAKED. I can't do this for years. I'm peeing right and left. It isn't just an, "oops! I sneezed and out came a few dribbles." It's much worse. What will I do when I'm pregnant? I guess then I might be a little less embarrassed because it's pretty much a cliche that women have trouble holding it, but I'm not even pregnant, and I'm a leaky faucet. I woke up this morning, and as soon as I sat up, WHOOSH! This is awful!

I don't want to have surgery more than once, but might it be worth it not to be peeing my pants all the time? What would you do? Have surgery and risk having it again, or just stay padded and deal with it? If you really think about it, just dealing with it is easier said than done. It's a big incovenience. We 're planning a possible beach trip and I've already thought about what to do when I'm in my baithing suit and don't want to wear a bulky pad. I'm *so* frustrated!

Today

This morning I have:

-- done 3 loads of laundry

-- changed a v. stinky carrott poop

-- tried to distract Olivia away from the fridge (she won't stop banging on it and screaming "cheese" and she's had way too much already)

-- cleaned up b/c I'm hosting book club tonight

-- obsessed over what dishes/containers to use to serve dessert and coffee, and what to put the cream, sugar, and flavored splenda packets in

-- talked to one of my favorite students on the phone for a while and had a great conversation about morality. Kids can be so cool!

Books and Boobs

Am feeling v. happy!

There's a house for sale in our neighborhood, so I called the number on the sign and pretended to be in the market for a new home so I could find out the asking price. I was thrilled to learn that we've aquired some equity! Now if I could only pay off the new heater and air conditioner we put in so I can actually keep the equity when we sell our house. We've been thinking about moving lately. Just thinking. And talking. Not planning. We want another child, but I know I'd like to enjoy having more money each month (less cooking for me!) and I'd hate to have a bigger mortgage. Hmmm... something to think about. And moving is such a pain. I'm getting anxious just thinking about it. :-)

My aunt and uncle are visiting us this week. They last saw Olivia when she was 7 months old, so she's a completely different baby now. Walking and talking, and she's been giving them hugs and kisses. I like that she doesn't give open-mouthed kisses like so many babies. She gives nice, dry normal smooches and I love them. I'll often pretend to cry just to get a smile and a kiss (she knows I'm kidding).

I am impatiently waiting for Harry Potter to arrive. Am@zon hasn't even sent it out yet. I may have to attack someone with a hack saw. I WANT MY HARRY POTTER BOOK AND I WANT IT NOW! I am DYING to find out how it all ends. I just hope this one is better than the last. I wasn't that impresses with the last one. In the meantime, I've found the cutest series: the "No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency". I'm only on the first in the series, but I'm already hooked. It's about a woman in Botswana who opens her own detective agency with the money from the sale of her father's cattle after his death. I like that it's in Africa because the cultural info is interesting.
I like that it has words like lekker and biltong. Good old South African words (I am so totaly obsessed). I love reading words spelled in the Bristish fashion. Words like "organised" and "neighbour". Very cool. It doesn't read like a typical mystery. It's a lot lighter, perfect for tired Mamas like me who can barely focus on a book by the time their stubborn baby is asleep.

I also ordered Olivia a book called, "Breastmilk Makes My Tummy Yummy" to which James asked, "Isn't that a bit weird?" My repsonse? A very mean look and "Absolutely not!" I think it's great! Breastfeeding is awesome and amazing and this book is the cutest. It even has a picture of a baby nursing from a "boof" on the front. She may not understand the book now, but someday, when I nurse her brother or sister, we can read the book together and she'll understand how special it is.

Speaking of BF, I was at a breastfeeding moms' playgroup yesterday, and I learned of a campaign called ban the bag. It's interesting. Check it out. I have mixed feelings. If you are formula feeding, it's very helpful I suppose, but it might sway some people toward bottles who are undecided. I know how much I wanted to nurse, but when I couldn't get Olivia to latch on, the bag, with all its samples, started to look good, but I resisted the urge. In that sense, they were a bad influence, yet I was glad to have samples. I gave them to my friend and she was grateful. I think we need to be pro-breast but not anti-formula either. Some people need to formula-feed and some want to and will regardless of what you tell them, so why not give them something free to feed their baby? Just thinking out loud (you know what I mean). I like to talk about BF with these ladies, but I think the judgement is wrong. They can be pleased with their choice, and be passionate about it, without ridiculing others. That really bothers me.

Now for a completely off topic