I'm baaaaaack!

yes, i'm alive and i'm back. we went to visit family this past week and i haven't had the opportunity to get on the computer much.

here is a picture of me and my bean by the christmas tree. (which we will say is my best shot monday....) i thought she was better... i was wrong. we went to family christmas a promptly infected the whole bunch. everyone is so happy with us, i'm sure! i was sick for only about 36 hours, bean had a milder version for a total of five days. sigh. oh, and daddy had it too, but no pukies or poopies for him. lucky guy. we are really sorry to everyone we infected, this was something that we really didn't mean to share!!

as for sleeping in the big girl bed, this is night number 2 and still going quite well. the first night she thought "maybe i go back to my crib..." when i told her that i couldn't sleep with her. but she didn't and she fell right to sleep.

lastly here is a shot of bean giving sprout a kiss. as you can see my belly is getting awfully big! i don't really enjoy belly pictures- not because i think i'm fat or anything, it just feels weird to take pictures of one's tum. this one is cute though because bean's mug is in it, so i will share! ;)

hopefully you all had a wonderful christmas!!

Silent Night...

just wanted to say that bean is, at this moment, sound asleep in her big girl bed!! yes, you heard me right. as an early gift we let her sleep in it tonight and it is going great. i'd show you a picture but goodness, i can't go in there and risk waking her up tonight! ;)
(i'll tell the whole story in a few days when i have more time. now i have to go to bed... you know santa doesn't come until you are asleep!)

sleep in heavenly peace, bean!
we love you!

...and merry christmas to everyone everywhere!!

Christmas Memories...

Ahhh, memories! lovely memories of past christmases!

like 2005- Bean's first christmas!

such a pretty little thing... even though she barely had any hair! and she even unwrapped some of her gifts herself, which i thought was pretty good considering she wasn't quite 6 months old yet! she also did a great job with all the hustle and bustle and traveling we had to do to... because you know everyone has to be part of the FIRST christmas! ;)


and 2006- bean's second christmas and biggest trip to date!

awwww, she is cute and the hair is finally starting to grow in too! ;) she enjoyed her first candy cane, first christmas cookies, and loved talking about "baby gee-zee" and "mah-wee". oh, and a major vacation. you are looking at that picture saying "sea world, i didn't know think bean lived near florida!", right? well, we don't. we live 16 hours away from sea world. the journey down was not entirely pleasant but the time we spent there with the in-laws was.

and 2007? well, since it's not quite here yet i'm not sure what it has in store for us. i do know however, that it is the last christmas we will have with just bean. in 2008 sprout will be here for his/her first holiday season. i can only imagine what that will be like!
here's hoping that you all make some very lovely holiday memories this year!! enjoy your family and friends!! enjoy all the delicious foods and drinks!! (and enjoy some alcoholic ones for me while your at it!) and enjoy giving and receiving all those wonderful gifts!!

from our house to yours,

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A JOYOUS NEW YEAR!!!!

A little better...

well, i'm still alive. that is about all i can say at this point. i have basically eaten nothing since dinner on thursday night and although i'm hungry, i'm too afraid to eat. food sounds good, until i smell it then i really don't want anything to do with it. i'm also having pretty severe back pains for some unknown reason.
i did manage to get the husband to come home early yesterday. see, he has two jobs and he was supposed to work both yesterday, thus getting home at 10:30pm. anyways, he came home early to find the bean and i napping. yeah, the bean took a nap. i was scared. she doesn't nap and now she is napping. uh-oh. husband took her out to eat, she threw up at the restaurant. she threw up again at home. i knew that nap was bad news! she did sleep pretty peacefully through the night though. only woke up once asking for water to drink.
today, i woke up to one last bathroom episode. since then i haven't had to run back in there and that makes me happy. bean also had a delightful diaper for me to clean up after breakfast. she kept telling me she only "tooted" but i knew it was more than that! she's napping again right now... she fell asleep on the floor. this can only mean she is still sick... at least she doesn't have it as bad as mommy did.
we are just hoping that daddy doesn't get it too. we all want to be healthy and well so we can enjoy our christmas!

Oh so sick...

violently cold, blazing hot. up ALL night in bathroom. continues this morning. feeling very gross. home alone all day with a 2 1/2 year old.
please send healthy vibes this way for me (and sprout).
sigh.

Yet Another Sprouty Update

went to the o.b. yesterday. everything still looks hunky dory. uterus measures right on schedule. sprout's heart rate is still zipping along in the mid 150's. sprout took a couple of kicks at the doppler while we were listening. pretty much just like last time. :) probably gaining too much weight but... well, it is christmas and i don't see myself saying "no" to desserts anytime soon so i guess i'll just have to get used to it!
next month i have to do my glucose tolerance test and have my rhogam shot (curse that a negitve blood in my veins!) on the same day. ugh! a blood draw and a shot on the same day! how much fun for me.
i'm definitely getting round. very round. reaching the "hard to get up off the ground" round stage. i've noticed a distinct waddle to my walk- not always but it's getting there.

a web site just told me i have "only 99 days left". ahhh, it is going to be the longest 99 days of my life! ;)

Best Friends

Have you ever seen anything sweeter in your whole life?!?! honestly! don't you just want to snuggle them??

mommee and her boys came over to decorate christmas cookies yesterday. and, while that was fun, apparently bean's new big girl bed was more fun! they pretended to nap. they hid from each other under the quilt. they hid from their mommies. they NEVER stopped giggling! it was so funny to watch.
it seems hard to believe that at two years old you could have a "best friend" but that is just what they are. they really do love each other.

Name Troubles

ahhh, you are thinking i'm talking about having trouble naming sprout? well, we are BUT that isn't what this post is about!

bean has found a couple names that she is having a slight bit of difficulty with. well, it is understandable, after all they are really big names! here they are:

1. tasmanian devil- or as bean says it "taz-damian mevil"
2. rudolph the red nosed reindeer- all evening she has been calling him "rudolph the reindeer nose"

ha ha ha!! :)

Best Shot Monday

we decorated gingerbread cookies on friday. this seems like it would be a fun project to do with your toddler, and it is... if you don't mind being with someone who doesn't listen to anything you say!
please don't lick the knife!, don't use the knife like a screwdriver! (seriously, i actually said that), that is too many sprinkles!, don't let the dog lick your fingers!, etc, etc, etc.

but, she had a fantastic time. she was very happy when at last i said, "yes, you can eat that one." so, here are my best shots this week- bean eating a gingerbread man. the facial expression in the first one just kills me! she is such a turkey!!


also, i have another beanism for you. don't worry, it is a good one! here it is:

we are sitting at the dinner table. i ask bean if she is going to let daddy read her bed time stories tonight. she says, "no" (as always). i say "but daddy really likes to read to you. it makes him a little sad when you won't let him do it" and her response...
she looks up, gives a slight nod and says, "yeah, and that's the problem."
bwah, ha ha ha ha!!!

please don't forget to visit tracey at picture this for more lovely shots!!

Huh?

so, bean is looking at her i spy christmas book. she looks at a picture and says to me, "i think that looks like a better cat, don't you agree?"
what?!? don't i agree??
where does she get this stuff?!?! ;)

Success at Last?

so at thanksgiving time bean started going pee pee on the potty occasionally. i didn't want to mention it because, well, i didn't want to jinx it. so this week occasionally expanded to frequently. monday it was once, tuesday it was twice, wednesday it was three times, and today it was.... eight times!!!!! yes, you heard me right eight times! i changed only ONE dirty diaper today!!
now the big question is... will this continue???? it is pretty nice not to have to worry about changing diapers. :) but it is kinda stressful trying to remember to ask her if she thinks she might need to go. making sure i know where the restroom is if we go somewhere.
will she even go on the potty in a public restroom? well, i guess i know the answer to that question. she tried at the zoo last night and.... um, the automatic flush was triggered while she sat there and... yeah, it scared the living daylights out of her. oh yeah, full on freak out!! ;) but she tried again today at the library and woo hoo they don't have auto flush toilets! and yes, she did go while there.

so, here is my big girl that uses that potty...
GREAT JOB BEAN!!!! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK! WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU!!

Bean at the Zoo Lights

bean and i went to see the light display at the zoo this evening. here she is trying to give this light up peacock a kiss! he he! the lights were beautiful and it wasn't too terribly cold so it was a great evening.

first we headed off to the barn area to find the reindeer. i mean, the kid has got to see the reindeer! :) she saw one but it was so dark i couldn't get a decent picture so you'll just have to take my word for it!

then, we went to the model train display. bean got to be an honorary engineer. the man there showed her how to control one of the trains. she made it stop and go. she thought she was the coolest person in town! (she totally refused to look at the camera so i could take her picture, of course!)

then, she visited mrs. claus and made a cookie. this was a little (ok a lot) overpriced but she really enjoyed it and it distracted her from the santa. she so much wanted to see him but i was not waiting in that line! so i bribed her with a cookie... i know, bad mommy! ;)

it was a great evening and i think we both had a great time.

A good sign?

i'm hoping that this is a very good sign that the bean is ready for her big girl bed. we spent the weekend shopping for her room. she got a quilt, bed skirt, throw pillow, curtains, lamp, and paint. you can see the quilt and hot pink throw pillow here because yesterday she HAD to get them out and lay them on the mattress! (the bed frame is waiting in the basement for someone to get of her lazy pregnant butt and paint it) she cuddled in that quilt for quite a while just full of smiles. then she of course started bouncing on it. so... what do you think? is she going to sleep there in two weeks, or will she freak out??

just in case you are wondering, the wall behind her there will be painted "tinker bell green". two walls green, two walls "pale lemon yellow". the windows, which are on the yellow walls, will have green curtains. her bed frame will be white as will the bookcase. her dresser and bedside table will be natural wood. i think it is going to look pretty good. i'll post some pictures once we get the room painted- i've got two weeks... oh dear, maybe i better get started!!

Lyrical Confusion

so, bean and i are at her cousins' house. we are talking and the girls are dancing to christmas music in the kitchen. the wassail song comes on... you know the one that says "love and joy come to you and to you your wassail too..." yeah that one. well, if you are 4 you might not hear those words exactly. you might hear something more like this "..... and show your muscles too". seriously. that is what my sister and i heard my niece singing! then she says to bean, "you need to show your muscle! like this!". and we turn to find her flexing her bicep. ha! imagine three little girls running around a kitchen island and showing their muscles for christmas. yeah, it was that good! ;)

Best Shot Monday

happy monday, ya'll!

here is the best shot. bean LOVED the snow.... yes, that is past tense. see, it rained all day yesterday and there is no more snow. :( talk about a bummed out toddler! anyways, she loved the snow so much she kept trying to eat it. this is a shot of her trying to figure out how to get that oh so yummy snow off of her mittens and into her mouth. if you look you can tell that the velcro strap that keeps her hood on has slid up over her mouth and is making things difficult for her! she was very determined and did manage to get some in her mouth. "mmmmm, yummy snow!" is what she told me.

don't forget to head on over to picture this for more best shots!

Oh dear!

bean and i were at the table eating dinner. (sadly daddy was working tonight and couldn't join us.) she starts talking about grandma and grandpa and nana and papa. you know, normal happy conversation. then she asks the question: "who is daddy's grandma?"

(oh no! none of my husband's grandparents are with us anymore. what do i say??? man, this isn't funny. she isn't going to understand! ugggh! deep breath. don't panic! ok, here it goes.) "well, daddy had two grandmas, but they died before you were born. so they aren't here anymore."

she takes it in. she thinks a moment. ok, here it comes..... "does daddy have a grandpa?"

(what?? oh no! here we go again! ahhhh! calm down, ok good.) "daddy's grandpas died too honey. they aren't here either." (oh please, oh please don't ask anymore questions. i don't know how to explain death to you! you are too little to get it!)

she thinks a second. this is what i got in response...
"maybe i share my grandma and grandpa with daddy." she smiles and nods her head. she goes back to eating her green beans.

awwwwwwwww! she wants to share her grandparents with her daddy because he doesn't have any anymore! i officially have the sweetest child on the planet! what started out as a totally awkward conversation ended so perfectly that i nearly had tears in my eyes.

i just smiled at her and said "yes, i think daddy would like that very much."

A Couple of Firsts...

bean went sledding for the first time today!!!!!!!!! HOORAY!! she went to visit her cousins today and they went out on the hill in their backyard. they all had SO MUCH FUN! bean didn't even mind trudging back up the hill after every run. (which was great because lugging my pregnant butt up the hill was hard enough, i didn't need to carry her too!!)

then they took a little break from the sled and built bean's first snowman! it was a lot of work- for me and my sister. when you build a snowman that is almost a foot taller than you are it is definitely difficult work. snow is heavy for goodness sake! anyways, it was worth it. the kids loved him- they had to take turns giving him hugs and kisses!

it was a fantastic day. we all had so much fun... although i think that bean's uncle jack was probably jealous when he got home and saw the snowman. he loves to do that sort of thing! hopefully it will keep snowing this winter so we can do this again and again!

Package

the mail came and there was a box in it for bean. my mother-in-law got her a subscription to a magazine and it came with a free gift- a set of dishes. i told bean, "a package came in the mail and it's for you! from grandma!" bean came racing into the room. "for me? it is, it is from grandma!!" she screamed as she opened up the box. she pulled out the plate, it has a baby lion on it. "oh, a kitty mommy! thank you grandma!" she says bouncing around. i tell her she can use them for dinner tonight.
about 10 minutes later i walk down the hall. she is in her room and this is what i hear, "grandma was a nice girl. she so nice... grandma's super. super grandma!"

as you can see, she likes getting packages... a lot! i can't wait to see what she does on christmas morning!! ;)

Decorating the Tree

the tree is decorated and bean did a great job. i had only one rule- no more that one ornament per branch. she didn't quite get that. there was one branch on the tree that she tried to put almost every ornament on! i kept having to show her that there were tons of branches that were "sad and empty". he he!
she was very proud that she got to do it herself. i helped a little bit (holding branches still and such) but she really did decorate the bottom 1/4 of the tree herself. she was a tad bit disappointed when the box of ornaments was empty.

no pictures of daddy by the tree because a) he hates getting his picture taken and b) he was holding the video camera. sadly no digital video that i can post... didn't think about shooting a video with the camera in my hand! duh!

there is a few with mommy in them though for a change! look!

Snow!!

This is what i woke up to this morning....

yeah, i went to bed late last night, like 11:15ish and there was no snow but when i woke up at 7:00 there was a whole lot of it! schools were delayed and canceled around the area.

of course you know that bean HAD to play in it. snow is awesome for goodness sake!! so even though i hadn't bought her any snow boots yet i took her out...













she had a grand time chasing the magpie around the yard, throwing snow into the air, and trying to catch snowflakes on her tongue. i told her we could go back out after lunch... after all, you have to enjoy it while it's here! (it is supposed to be back to rain by saturday. booo!)

Sibling Similarities

i feel very much the same this pregnancy. the only really difference is that i'm much more tired. even the baby movement seems about the same. case in point- daddy can't feel the sprout move. why? because every time he puts his hand on my belly the little stinker stops moving! bean did the exact same thing. as a matter of fact, he only felt bean move twice the whole time i was pregnant! i've decided that he is some sort of fetus whisperer- you know, "can calm a spastic fetus with just the touch of his hand" kind of thing. tee hee! ;)

Christmas Concerns....

ahhh, well the trip to visit santa wasn't too bad. she wouldn't sit on his lap so they had her sit on a little reindeer and santa leaned in behind her for the picture- pretty cute. so i'm talking to the girl who is taking the picture. i pick the shot i think is best and turn around.... bean is sitting on santa's lap!!! gah! whatever, we still got a cute (although entirely too expensive) picture with santa. :)
now the concern: bean asked santa for baby stuff. she tells everyone that santa is bringing her baby stuff. problem: santa isn't brining her baby stuff! mommy, i mean santa, finished her (his) shopping long before bean ever got the whole baby stuff thing in her head! santa is brining her a basketball hoop, glow in the dark stars (for the ceiling in her big girl room), a coloring book, and a book. no baby stuff!!! my mother-in-law went out and got her baby stuff so she is getting it but not from santa. and she isn't having christmas with grandma until the 27th. my concern is- will she be terribly disappointed? the reason i say this is last year my niece (who was three) asked santa for a shopping cart which my mother had already bought so my sister thought nothing of it. well, christmas morning she opened her gifts from santa (before going to see my mom) and there was no shopping cart. she started crying because santa didn't bring her what she asked for. she was literally heart broken!! i don't want that to happen at my house! ahhhhh! you understand my concern, i'm sure. no one wants to see their kid cry on christmas!!

anyhoo...
this is how i knew that i had to stop waiting for my husband to help me fix the tree and just do it myself:

yes, that is a roll of masking tape in the tree! as well as a silver ribbon, a floating key chain, a ring of plastic keys and there are a few linking letters too. i guess the bean decided that if mommy wasn't going to get out the ornaments that she would have to make her own!!
don't worry, i bought lights yesterday and put them on the tree last night along with most of the decorations. i saved a whole box and the whole bottom of the tree for her to do tonight though!

Best Shot Monday

bean found the snowsuits that a friend so kindly loaned to us so that i wouldn't have to buy one. she pulled out the pants. "fire fighter pants!" she declared. (i'm guessing she remembered the fire fighters at the library?) she put on the pants, asked me to help her with the coat, then ran to get her fire hat. over the course of the day she took this "fire fighter outfit" on and off several times.

here is a picture of her decked out in her fire gear. as you can see a wrapping paper tube makes a perfect hose! it is not a super photo but it is a fun one and it makes me smile.

don't forget to stop by picture this and enjoy the other "best shots" of the week!

Daddy's the Spoiler

so, today is daddy's birthday. (happy birthday honey!) and yesterday he got a gift card to a department store from his sister. he decided to take bean shopping. i was not invited. when they got home i found out why... a) i could hear bean talking to him in the garage. she kept saying something about "mommy's present". so they must have done some christmas shopping. and b) he spent half of his gift card on bean- he bought her a TOY! and he knows i wouldn't have let him do that had i been there. he does these things. he feels the need to get her stuff all the time. she doesn't need this much stuff! we don't know where to put everything she already has!

i guess they had fun shopping though- bean came home all bubbly and happy. she couldn't wait to show me the little people airplane that she got. (apparently she told the cashier that she needed that in her own bag!) after we got the airplane out of the box (which can be a total pain in the butt- why do these things need to be attached in 2 ba-jillion different spots!!!) the first thing she did was take mary and one of the kings from her nativity set on a ride around the living room. (baby jesus is in the manger and doesn't fit or he may have gone too!) then she ran from me to daddy giving giant hugs. so i guess this is why daddy does the spoiling? ;)

i also found it funny that when daddy was trying on coats at the store she was telling him how "pretty" he looked in them!! "oh daddy, you look really pretty in that!" he he he!

i know, i know, the picture is completely unrelated but, COME ON! is that not the most adorable face you have ever seen!!! ;) all squeaky clean in the bathtub. she was making different kinds of faces for me and i kept taking pictures. this one is a little blurry but who cares when you got a smile like that!!

have a great weekend! :)

Thursday's Theme: Cozy

thursday's theme is cozy. have you seen anything cozier than this?!? i think not! ;)

are you saying "awwwwww!" yet??? no, well then, how about another??

that is my cozy. how about you? what is your cozy? head over to picture this to share and see what everyone else is up to!! :)

The Photo Shoot

remember how bean got her christmas portraits taken about a week and a half ago? probably not. ;) let's just say she did AWESOME. they posed her and she stayed put! they asked her to do specific things and she did them! and the pictures were cute too. here is a sample...






















how adorable are those!!!! :)

now i gotta go.... see, bean likes to undress herself and, well, she is stuck in her sweater. she can't get it off and she can't get it back on. she is starting to enter panic mode! sigh.

Disappointed Toddler

bean was disappointed last night. she was looking forward to decorating the christmas tree all day. mommy can't carry the big tree up the stairs by herself so, she had to wait for daddy to get home. well, he carried it up, popped it together and plugged it in. it didn't light up right. i tried several things to fix it- nothing worked. daddy said we should just decorate it anyways. um, no! i mean, look at this tree!

is this pretty??? no! you can't decorate that! it looks like it has a bad case of christmas tree mange or something! that tree needs fixed.

so, one of daddy's "poker friends" is big into christmas lights (as in he lights his whole appartment that way... no joke!) and he is coming over today. my hope is that he can figure out what is wrong and fix it or he has lights that we can borrow to fill in the gaping wholes on the tree.

so, maybe tomorrow bean can help decorate her tree. if not, mommy is going to start being disappointed too! ;)

Best Shot Monday

happy monday all! here are my best shots for the week!

we have a new tradition in my family. the granddaughters get to help decorate nana's christmas tree the day after thanksgiving! how fun! here is a shot of all three of them (4 years old, almost 2.5 years old and almost 2 years old) working hard to hang the ornaments. the 4 year old can actually hang the ornaments pretty well and was placing them in more than one spot on the tree. the 2 year olds.... well, lets just say that they had fun running from the box of ornaments to the tree and back. this is what the tree looked like when they were done:

there was quite a pile of ornaments in the middle of this tree! and another impressive one under the tree, you know where all the ornaments went when they crashed through the branches and landed on the floor. ;) we spent a little time that evening "adjusting" their work but it was worth it because they had such a good time.

i'm kinda disappointed in myself. we were at two thanksgiving dinners and a family reunion this weekend and i took almost zero pictures! what is up with that!!
i'm sure other people took plenty of pictures though, so head over to picture this and check out all the "best shots"!

It was all a tease...

for three days before thanksgiving bean talked about how she was going to eat mashed potatoes and gravy and turkey. she was excited about it. she couldn't wait.
i was hoping for the best but i remained slightly skeptical...

if you just thought to yourself, "i bet she doesn't eat them." you were SO right!! she wanted them on her plate yesterday but wouldn't touch them. today she just kept saying, "no". they weren't allowed anywhere near her plate.
she does like cranberries and dinner rolls though. :)

hope you all had a lovely holiday!

Words of Thanks

so, here we are, thanksgiving day! let's call it thankful thursday, shall we? ;)

1. i'm thankful that i have my babies! it took so long for me to become a mommy i had started to prepare myself for the idea that i would never have any children. that was a sad time for our little family. our prayers were answered with bean and then again with sprout. i can't imagine life without them. :)

2. friends! i don't have very many. i could probably count them on one hand. but if you combine them with my husbands friends we have a lot. and we are blessed with some truly great people!

3. we have the ability to meet our needs. i mean, we have a roof over our heads, we have transportation to get us where we need to go, and we have food and drink to put on the table each night. not that we have lots... we often live from paycheck to paycheck due to debts we have to pay off. but we manage and get by in the rough times.... and probably celebrate too much in the good times. ;)

4. oh, i guess i should say i'm thankful for my husband, huh? after nine years it seems he's been around forever. like if there wasn't any him there wouldn't be a me.... i love him, even though he can frustrate the crap out of me!! ha ha!! ;) he makes it possible to be home with bean everyday and for that i will always be grateful!

i'm sure there are more things to be thankful for but i have things to do! there is a turkey out there waiting for me to eat it for goodness sake! oh- i'm thankful for the turkey too! ;)

Happy Thanksgiving!!!
May you be surrounded by people you love (or can at least reasonably get along with) and lots of delicious food!!!

Switching Shoes...

bean played with bubba today. they had such a good time! bubba's mommy had them make turkey cookies, then they had lunch, and then they played- a lot! at some point bubba decided that bean's purple mary jane shoes were something he had to have. so bean took his black penny loafers in exchange. :) here is a picture of the two little turkeys on the couch showing off their "new" shoes.

tomorrow is thanksgiving. what am i thankful for? i'm thankful for bean and sprout. they truly are a blessing, regardless of how they sometimes make me feel. (ha ha!!) as for bean, i think that she is thankful for bubba! because best friends are always something to be thankful for, no matter what your age! ;)

Another Sprout-y Update

had a little visit with the o.b. today. surprisingly weight wasn't nearly as bad as i thought but i have gained a fair bit so far.... like, oh 15 pounds. not terrible, i know, but when you start out over weight you really should gain a little less than the average. of course, they said nothing about it- they never do. (i do wonder how much of this weight gain is in my breasts though. they have gotten bigger still. the shirt i'm wearing today fit last month when i bought it, now it is pulled very tight across my chest and i'm completely filling this triple d bra!!!)

sprout was uncooperative again! this kid is a mover!! they asked me if i was feeling "good movement" from the baby. and i said "oh, you have no idea!" they laughed. they had trouble getting the heart rate because of all the rolling, kicking and squirming. doctor said "wow, i think you have a soccer player in there! listen to all those kicks! and darn it, this little one just doesn't sit still!" (i have felt nauseas the past few days because there is so much movement in my belly! i'm not joking!)
anyways, sprout's heart rate is in the 150's still. i'm measuring at 22 weeks, which is just about spot on for my due date. my blood pressure is nice and low, like normal. everything seems to be just dandy. :)

i was told, once again, that i need more time to myself. you know, that i would feel much better (not exhausted) if i could a) spend sometime just for me and b) take a nap. well.... duh! i still can't figure out how to accomplish this, especially with a 2 year old that will not nap. and i can only see this being more difficult as we move into the holiday season... sigh.

next appointment: dec. 18

Hot Chocolate with Bean-isms

alright, let us start with the hot chocolate, shall we? i mean, yum... right?
here are some shots of bean enjoying her first cup of hot chocolate. at first the stirring was the best part. got to stir in the marshmallows, don't you know! the stirring phase lasted a LONG time. bean has a fear of hot foods. she has burned herself on a couple of occasions. so while hot chocolate sounded great in the fact that it is made from chocolate, the fact that it was also hot caused some concern.

next we had the tasting. it took way to long to get to the tasting in my estimation but she got there. she thought it was great. she declared her love of hot chocolate. then, 5 sips later she was "all done". that was it! she didn't want to finish it. hmmm? oh well.

now for bean-isms. everybody loves a good bean-ism! am i right? ;)

bean-ism #1: the book "hippos go berserk"... for three days she called it "hippos de-jerk"! ha ha ha!!!!!!

bean-ism #2: new favorite phrase "no way jose!" (yeah, daddy taught her this one. what exactly was he thinking?!?!) i heard it approximately 20 times yesterday. ahhh, delightful!

bean-ism #3: sitting at the table she says to me, "i'm really sleepy! see i got circles on my eyes... no, they triangles! i got triangles on my eyes!" i tried not to laugh and told her that what she meant was the she had "dark circles under her eyes, not triangles." hee hee! don't know exactly where she heard that one but it definitely amused me! ;)

Best Shot Monday

ahhh, hello monday! here we are to share our best shot.

this is bean on saturday evening. we were having a rough day. she was being her stubborn self. i was tired of it. i gave her a graham cracker and some milk. i left the room to cool off. well, at first i could hear her talking to to the magpie. then things got awfully quiet. you know, that quiet that kinda freaks you out because it usually means they've done something bizarre and messy. BUT this is what i found when i came into the room. bean had finished her crackers and milk and fell asleep! apparently someone did need a nap but was not about to leave the party to do it!! she slept there for a half and hour while i cleaned up from the party. it worked out well for all of us. :)

i called my husband to tell him how cute and funny it was. his response: "did you check to make sure she was still alive?!?!" (what??) my answer: "dude she is snoring, i think she is fine!"

do you have anything to share this fine monday before thanksgiving? (mmmmmm, thanksgiving!) head on over to tracey's to share and check out everyone elses best shots!

Well.... (a retraction of sorts)

ok, so maybe i'm slightly glad that daddy went to the casino last night after all.... i mean when he woke up he gave me... are you ready?... $500.00!! woo hoo!! and this time it is all mine, i'm not letting him borrow it back! ;)

and i really want to show you what bean did last night... but you are going to have to wait because i think i want to use it in my best shot monday post.
what?!? you only have to wait a day for goodness sake! :)

Totally my fault but...

when the "big game" was over (which, by the way, was SO insanely boring) the men decide to go to a casino 2 hours away. the husband asks me if it is ok if he goes too. not wanting to be the whiny complaining wife i say, "well, i'd rather you stay home with us but, if you really want to go i guess it is all right." i thought that it was fairly easy to tell i wanted him to stay home with me and the over tired toddler (she was entertaining everyone since the game was not). well, i think all he heard was "if you really want to go...." so he is of course gone. note to self: i should have been the mean wife and said "no, i don't want you to go."
i have a child in the middle of a tantrum because she wants candy. (she didn't eat her sandwich at lunch time so she isn't allowed to have candy) i'm tired. is it eight o'clock yet? is it totally wrong for me to want to put her to bed 2.5 hours early?? i think i'm only half kidding......

**edited to add: the game wasn't boring because our team lost... any football game where there is over 20 punts, no big passing plays, no big fumbles, no big interceptions, etc.= equals not such a good time even if your team is the winner.

Where did that come from?

this is something that we say often. things come out of bean's mouth and we look at each other and say, "where did that come from?!" there could be a huge list of funny things she says or mispronounces but sadly sometimes i forget them within seconds of hearing them. here are some fun examples of things she says!
example 1:
daddy is sitting on the couch eating tortilla chips. bean says, "daddy, i have a chip please." he says "sure" and hands her one. she says "oh! a crocodile chip! i love crocodile chips!" and happily munches away.
what?!?!?! what is a "crocodile chip"??? we don't know but if she sees you eating tortilla chips she will ask you for a "crocodile chip". hmmmmm.
example 2:
the word is "exhibit" but she can't say it. the bean and i were at the zoo this week and i told her the orangutans were not in there exhibit. so now she asks about the animals "zibits". "is the tiger in his 'zibit'?" "if he isn't in the 'zibit' whered he go?"
example 3:
bean is pretty polite for her age. she says please and thank you most of the time. about 3 days ago something new started though. when i do something for her she will say "thanks handy helper!" i was down right confused for about an hour. then it came to me, bean is a religious watcher of the mickey mouse club house. the hand that opens the door (among other tasks) in the club house is called the "handy helper". it seems that i have become bean's "handy helper". ;)

lastly we will discuss sprout's name. my 4 year old niece has decided that sprout is a boy. bean has decided that sprout is a girl. bean declared on tuesday that we should name the baby "lucy". wow! that is a real name... but where did she get it from?? my niece says "no, lucy is a girls name!" i said, "well, what do we name the baby if it is a boy?" she says "i don't know." and bean turns and says, "maybe charlie brown... or snoopy!" oh yes, she said she wanted to name the baby snoopy! so i thought, well, she must have gotten all 3 names from her snoopy and the red baron story book. then we got in the car to drive home. i turned on her cd. the second song to play was "spin again"- her favorite! the words go like this: there was a girl named lucy finagan.... now, i'm SURE that is where lucy came from.
now, when it comes to seriously naming this child... we've got NOTHING. my husband is so wanting to name it penelope laine if it is a girl so she can be... penny laine! (my response was NO) he wants brody vegas for a boy! (also a giant NO from me) sadly, i've really got nothing that i LOVE this time around.... anybody got any great name suggestions?? maybe you can come up with something we haven't thought of yet.....

Decidedly NOT giddy.

yes, the theme this thursday was giddy.... however, i am anything but. i don't feel like searching for a picture of the bean. i don't feel like doing anything. it is one of those kind of days. it sucks.

my daughter has been entirely too sassy today. i actually believe i was getting "back talk" from a two year old! since my fuse is about as short as it could possibly be, i'm sure you know what my response was, right? if you guessed "total over-reaction" then you are correct! raised voice? check! exasperated sighs? check! angry sarcasm? double check! mommy was actually on the verge of a tantrum herself. daddy couldn't get home soon enough.

now, she is supposed to be playing with daddy. but there is a problem- she wants me and won't stop screaming. poor daddy just wants to play. i just want a break. neither of us is enjoying this AT ALL! she could be enjoying this time but is apparently determined to ruin it for everyone. sigh.

sometimes i wonder how i'm going to survive the next 19 weeks. of course, once baby sprout gets here it is going to open a whole different can of worms...... yeah, i didn't tell you that she looked at me yesterday and said "i might cry when you hold the baby." and i said "why?" and she said "cause then you can't hold me." oh yeah, she said that.

No...

what do all these things have in common? "bean, it is time to go inside now." (notice the level of darkness in the picture!) "bean, can we pick up these toys so that no one trips and gets hurt?" "honey, let's get dressed so you can go to the library." "alright, time to get ready for bed!"
if your answer was "they all result in bean saying 'no'!" then you win!!

she isn't a "bad" kid. she is very sweet most of the time. she isn't a big tantrum thrower and when she does start one we can usually talk her out of it rather quickly. BUT that being said, some days the constant flow of "nos" (and, even worse, the completely ignoring everything that comes out of mommy's mouth) can really get on one's nerves!!

BUT then, things happen and you forget how completely annoying your child has been all day.
we took bean out for dinner with some friends. like usual as soon as the waiter came to the table bean told him what she wanted. that was all it took, the man was completely smitten with her! ;) he sat and talked to her. he specifically asked her how her meal was. then, he listened while she explained that she liked the oranges, apples and grapes in her fruit cup but she didn't like pineapple. he brought her extra cherries for her ice cream and told her that if she put the cherry into her mouth and pulled the stem it would come right off- it worked just like he said and she looked at him like he was a genius! bean had a fabulous time and so did all of us adults. it was a perfect ending to the day!
the greatest thing about it is that as a child i never, ever would have spoken to the waiter at a restaurant! i was horribly shy, and still am to some extent. i'm so happy that my little girl is completely comfortable with herself when we go out in public. i hope she always stays that way. :)

A couple things...

thing 1: baby sprout is seems very active during bean's bedtime stories. always thumping and bumping around. particularly so when i read the book "bringing down the moon". (it is a very cute story about a mole who wants the moon and tries very hard to get it. i would recommend it, especially if you have a kid who LOVES the moon like i do.) i don't know why sprout is all full of energy right about that point every night... do you suppose he/she likes hearing the stories?? ;)

thing 2: bean and i are at the zoo eating lunch today. i hand her some animal crackers. she picks one up and says, "buffalo, mommy!" i say "yep, looks like a buffalo!" a few seconds later she declares, "buffalo can't walk!" i ask why. she answers, "cause i bit his legs off!" and starts laughing.

Best Shot Monday

ahhhhhh, it's monday once again and time to share my favorite shot(s) of the week.... sadly, we didn't take many but i did get some cute ones of the bean playing outside on friday.

here is bean in her leaf pile. she LOVES her a good leaf pile! but today she was really busy checking out all the leaves. pulling them out one by one and turning them over and over in her hands. at one point she got really excited because she found a red leaf! (unusual for our yard because we have only oak, magnolia, and apple trees in our yard- which turn green- yellow- brown) you should have seen the look of horror on her face when daddy and i bagged up this leaf pile and took it to the street for pick up!! you would have thought it was the end of the world!

i liked both these shots and couldn't decide which one to post, so you get them both! ;) the best part about them is that she didn't know i was taking her picture, which means she didn't run away! i also like the orange-y brown leaves against her light blue coat.

now, head over to tracey's so you can check out everyone else's best shots of the week! i'm sure you won't be disappointed! :)

Dressing Bean

so yesterday bean decided that she wanted to get dressed. what?!?! after a week of preferring pajamas (specifically tops only) she suddenly wants to wear clothes?? she runs to her room and pulls some jeans out of her basket and comes out declaring "i need a shirt!" i help her pick one out (no not red! thank you!) and she takes off again. i find her standing in the middle of the family room taking off her pajamas and telling her daddy that she is a "really big girl now!" she then puts on her jeans and shirt with minimal help from us! what?!?! no whining? no "i can't, mommy do it!"?
daddy decides it is lunch time. bean says "i want pea-butter! i make it!" and starts pushing a chair up to the counter. what?!?! i know she likes to help in the kitchen but... um, she has never wanted to make her own lunch before! oh, wait.... daddy is having pizza! bean discards the idea of "pea-butter" and decides that daddy can share his pizza.
so, it appears that not only have we entered the glorious age of "why" but the age of "i do it!" came along for the ride! oh my, what am i going to do?!?!

on a completely different note... the bean has decided that sharing her cold germs is perfectly acceptable and now i'm sick. not just a little runny nose like her but a full on raging head cold (ah, thanks pregnancy!). i can't breath, i can't sleep.... gotta love life, don't ya? ;)

The joy of little girls...

...is that you can walk into the living room and discover that your poor doggie has been turned into "little beadie"!

yes, that is the magpie wearing at least 4 strings of "mardi gras" beads and a jelly bracelet. how the bean got her to sit still for this dress-up session is beyond me. normally the magpie runs for the hills when the bean comes at her with something. you can tell from the look on her face in this picture that she is not really enjoying being "little beadie". i think that expression says "why are you just standing there taking pictures woman?!?! get this crap off of me!!" ;)

Why?!?!?

why didn't anyone tell me the "whys" started so soon?!? the past week i have been asked "why" about eleventy bajillion times. (i really don't believe that this is an exaggeration either) for a sample of my new life, enjoy one of this mornings converations...

bean: mommy what you doing?
me: making orange juice.
bean: why you make it?
me: because i'm thirsty for some orange juice.
bean: why?
me: because i really like orange juice.
bean: mommy, why you like it?
me: it tastes good, it is mommy's favorite juice.
bean: whys it your favorite?
me: i don't know baby, i just like the way it tastes.

it can go on for ever if you don't figure out a way to change the subject. really, she will ask "why" about ANYTHING and EVERYTHING until you can't think of anyway to answer her. it is starting to stress us out a little. i mean hearing "why" over and over again just grates at your nerves!

if you need me, i'll be in the bathroom practicing deep breathing relaxation techniques.... until of course she comes in and asks "WHY".

The Day After...

part 2 of the nap time drama (part one here): so far so good. she is in the bed... clearly NOT sleeping, but she is quietly flipping through a book. what is the difference? i couldn't tell you for sure.
when daddy came home last night we talked about what happened at "nap time". i told her how sad it made me when she screamed and yelled like that. i told her she was so loud that it hurt the magpie's ears. i explained why it was important to rest. she interrupted several times to tell me that she "didn't want to rest". i reminded her to listen when mommy talked. i really didn't think it did any good.
today, i told her we would read some of the new library books then she was going to bed. she didn't seem happy but didn't fight it too much. we read 5 books. she sat on the potty (because it is a ploy to stay up longer). i let her pick two books to take to bed. i laid her in bed...... she didn't scream. she looked at me and asked me to rub her tummy. so i did. she asked me to rub it again. i said "ok, just once more. then we blow kisses." she said, "ok. i won't do it again though mommy." i said "what honey?" she said "the screaming. i not do it again." i said "oh, thank you. i appreciate that." she said "welcome". we blew kisses and i left the room.
what?!?!?!
i know she probably doesn't need a nap everyday, and i'm ok with that. but i really think that she would benefit from at least 3 naps a week. it isn't that she is particularly cranky or otherwise bad. she just looks tired sometimes. and i'm sure a 2 year old should get more than 11.5 hours of sleep a day. but i can't force her to sleep. so what do i do?

oh, guess who likes grapefruit? yeah, bean does! she had it before and hated it and i thought that was perfectly normal, i mean it is sour and all! today she insisted on trying it again (that in itself is weird because she DOES NOT try things). she took a piece and licked it... "mmmmmmm" she says. she ate about 4-5 pieces total. she declared that she "wikes grapefruit!" so, this leaves us with only one fruit she won't eat- the dreaded pineapple! ;) now, if i could just get her to try meat again........

Thursday's Theme: Memory

thursday? already? goodness how time flies!

this week the theme is memory. i could have picked so many different pictures but this one just caught my attention this morning. this is bean walking down the beach with her nana. we took a vacation- just the three of us to visit my grandma (four generations of ladies hanging out in the summer sun!). the weather was beautiful the whole time we were there. we had a really great time!

bean won't ever remember this but my mom will. bean was very attached to her during this vacation. (she just adores her nana!) so here's to my mom's memory and my memory of a beautiful vacation at the beach!

if you want to see other great memories, head on over to picture this... and don't forget to share your own while your there!! :)

Now what!

so, my sweet little darling child- who no longer naps regularly but will spend a peaceful hour in her crib so mommy can take a short break- decided that peaceful isn't who she is anymore. today the second her tiny toes touched the mattress she started to shriek. not cry, shriek! i put her in the crib and leave the room knowing that she is obviously beyond reason at this point- MISTAKE! now she is shrieking even more violently (which by the way i didn't even know was possible). so after 10 minutes of this i fear that she may make herself throw up if she doesn't stop so i go in to talk to her- MISTAKE! now she thinks i'm there to get her out of this hideous thing we call her bed. of course i still think i can get her to calm down and stay in the bed (ha ha ha! what, you'd think i'd know better? well, honestly, this is new for us. normally she just sits there and plays if she doesn't want to sleep! i have learned my lesson though... believe me!). she calms down but only if i'm touching her, because she'd under the impression that i'm going to free her. she won't let me talk. there are words coming out of my mouth but she does not hear them because she won't stop saying "but i don't want to rest. get me out mommy. i need out mommy." i loose my cool- completely- and have to leave the room before i explode. well, she EXPLODED! i cannot believe the noise level that is coming out of this child. it is raspy, horse, and well, blood curdling. my nerves (what was left of them) are completely shot. i have been defeated by a pint size demon.

i feel bad in some respects because i said some stuff that on second thought doesn't seem very nice. however, i'm not sure she actually heard ANYTHING that i said so it probably doesn't matter at all. i also feel angry because she didn't care at all about how i felt during the whole thing- and i'm well aware that this is developmentally appropriate for someone her age, but come on! there is only so much a pregnant lady can take before she feels like she is going to lose it! ;) and i feel sad. sad because i feel like i truly can't handle it when she acts out like this. i love her more than anything but on days like today... i'm not sure i like her. you know what i mean?

please god, let this just be an afternoon thing.... if this happens tonight i don't know what i will do! i mean, there isn't any place else for her to sleep!

Other Things...

1. bean put her pajama pants on all by herself yesterday. this is good because she has never put on an article of clothing without first insisting that "mommy do it!" why?? because my child is STUBBORN. she pretends to try and then expects you to do it because she "can't". well, she CAN put on pants now. of course, she only put them on....

2. so she could take them back off. seriously. yesterday when i got her out of her crib she wasn't wearing any pants. i said "hey where's your pants?!?" she laughed and said "i don't need pants, mommy!!" and she meant it. she spent the whole day wearing nothing but her pajama shirt. she refused to wear anything else. needless to say, we stayed home yesterday.... sometimes i just don't have the fight in me.

3. why do they call them "fun size" candy bars and why have i eaten almost an entire bucketful of them???? gahh! oh, my weigh in at the o.b. on the 20th is going to be fun. sigh.

4. i was on the phone with my mother. she was a little worried because she hadn't found a "fun" gift for bean for christmas yet. suddenly something came to mind. i said "did you still need an idea of a fun gift for bean?" just as bean was running by. she came to a dead stop looked at me with big eyes and said "mommy, are you talking to santa?!?!" ha ha ha!!! (i thought my mom was going to pee her pants she was laughing so hard!)

5. oh yeah, sprout is half done. i'm now 20 weeks into this pregnancy. half way to the end... the second half is going to go slower, isn't it? yeah, you can tell me, i won't hurt you...... much. ;)

Things...

1. bean hasn't taken a nap in well over a week. it has been so long that i don't even remember the last time i successfully got her to sleep. hmmmm. or maybe it is just my pregnancy brain that is preventing me from remembering anything of relevance!! ;)

2. does anyone else's kid poop four times a day?? i mean, good grief! i'm so ready for her to use the potty.... of course she used to use the potty but has decided that it is pure evil and will not do it no matter what we offer her in return. even a CANDY bribe isn't working!!!

3. it is getting uncomfortable to bend down. it is getting uncomfortable to pick things up. this big belly is going to pose a problem while parenting a 2 year old! sigh. we are going through a "mommy, hold me" phase. sigh. it's just not that easy anymore.

4. should i move bean to a new bedroom when she gets her big girl bed at christmas or put the baby in the new room?? the "new room" is bigger. the "new room" has more windows. the "new room" she can help decorate. she is unsure about the "new room". some days she is interested, some days she seems upset by it. thing is, if she wants the "new room" we will have to start working on it soon to have it ready by christmas!!! what should we do??

5. lastly, my niece (4 years old) suggested these names for sprout: "pumpkin head", "frankenstein face", and "princess". she thought that she was quite humorous!

Best Shot Monday

good monday morning to ya! (i don't even know if i can pass that off as sincere in type! ha!)
time for best shot monday. my absolute favorite shot of the week i already posted here. but these are part of a series that are a close second place!
see, i bought this dress for bean to wear in her christmas portraits. i wanted her to put it on so i could a) see if it fit and b) see if i liked it on her. i also, decided to take a couple pictures to show family to see what they thought of the dress.

well, bean clearly did NOT like this idea! she did NOT want to put on the dress. once i wrestled her into it, she did NOT want her pictures taken. she cried, she ran away, she hid from me. then she crawled into this chair in the dinning room and something happened. she got all silly on me! i turned the flash off on the camera and just kept snapping her picture over and over. it was SO funny to watch!! my little girl is such a turkey sometimes!
(now, these are definitely not high quality shots- they are blurry and out of focus due to not using the flash. i think i like the processing on the second two better than the first two. BUT i had to see what leaving a little of the color in looked like though!)

don't forget to stop by tracey's and check out more best shots on this fine monday!! ;)