Last Sprouty Update

yep, this is the last sprouty update before the baby makes its appearance!

soooooo, yeah. today i feel like... uck. that's right, uck! not a word but a sound that best describes what i am currently feeling. i told the doctor that. i also told her that i wasn't sure if i'd had any contractions or not. (seems like if you are having your second kid you would know this, but i guess not.)
anyways, i'm now 3 cm dilated and 90% effaced. (woo hoo!) she pulled my cervix forward again and tried stretching it again to see if that would help move things along. she is fairly certain that i was having a contraction while i was trying to lie down on the exam table. she said she was very pleased with the progress i had made. AND...

she thinks that it is possible that i could have the baby today. that is right people, i said today. of course she has no way of knowing for sure but she said everything looked very favorable and she wouldn't be surprised if she saw me again. whoa!

so, today's doctor visit was a good one..... ok, except for the fact that i weighed in at 201.2 pounds. GAH! darn that easter candy! it gets me everytime!!!! ;)


(don't worry, if i go to the hospital i will let you know. unfortunately, once i'm there i have no way to let you know anything SO i guess you will have to wait 'till i bring sprout home to hear about it. sorry!)

Best Shot Monday

ahhh, the joy one experiences when one discovers that sometimes eggs are plastic and sometimes those plastic eggs contain... m&m's!!! seeing everything again for the first time is one of the greatest joys of having a child. :) and, since it is monday again (already!) we will say that this is my best shot monday.

i tried to take lots of adorable pictures of bean. bean didn't think this was particularly fun. i got pouty pictures, tongue pictures, back of head pictures, and down right silly pictures. sigh. some of them did turn out nice though. she doesn't look happy (she was ready to "hunt eggs NOW") but man does she look sweet clutching that easter bunny!

it was a good easter. we had an egg hunt. bean and i made chocolate chip pancakes (that were dyed pink... i guess i started a "thing" on st. pat's day that i may not be able to stop!). we also had dinner with grandma and grandpa and one of bean's aunts. overall, a nice family day.

this was also bean's last holiday as an only child. did i find it bitter sweet. no. i'm actually a little annoyed that the new member of our family hasn't arrived yet! i was hoping we would have him/her with us this easter... or at least he/she would be born on easter. sorry sprouty, i know you like it in mom's tum but your getting kicked out on thursday!

anyways, i hope you all had a lovely easter weekend! and don't forget to hop on over to tracey's and see what everyone else has to share this monday!

Nope, not yet!

no, sorry folks, no labor yet. just an update:

the induction has been scheduled. it will be thursday march 27th at 8:30 am.

there is and end in sight people! woo hoo!

Gimme a Little Attitude!

i had bean try on her easter dress. i needed to make sure it would fit and all. and she really did like it. she squealed with delight when she saw herself in the "big mirror". she though she looked pretty- which she does, of course.
but when i tried to take a picture, this is what i got...

little stinker!!
she still is darn cute though, isn't she?

Easter Eggs

yesterday (before the fever hit) bean and i dyed easter eggs. she seemed to enjoy it last year so i was really looking forward to doing it again. and since i have no idea when sprout is going to decide to make an appearance, i figured we better get our easter preparations taken care of!

she had quite a lot of fun picking out what colors to make. deciding what mommy should draw and write on each egg was important too. we made and egg with her name, one that said "i love mommy", one that said "i love daddy", one that said "magpie" and one that said "little babers"- because the baby needed an egg too don't you know! it was a good time and a lot less messy than it was last year!

we also learned that yellow and blue make green. she wanted sprout's egg to be green but we hadn't made green dye. so i told her to make it yellow then we'd put it in the blue and see what happened. she was a little skeptical but did what i said. she was quite pleased when the egg turned a soft green color! hooray!

as for the sickies that have hit our house.... bean's fever is basically gone now. she still isn't eating much- i think she may have a stomach ache, but i'm not sure. but i think we are on the mends..... oh gosh, i hope i didn't say that too soon!

The Sickies

bean is officially sick. i really didn't think much of her runny nose when it started on monday. i mean, toddlers get runny noses and 90% of the time it doesn't bother them a bit. i still didn't think anything was terribly amiss when she started coughing monday night. runny noses sometimes have a cough attached to them, especially at night. so no big deal, right?

well, this afternoon, after dying her easter eggs, she sat down with me and snuggled up real close. she felt warm. no, she actually felt hot. oh dear. i hunt down the thermometer. she has a fever- 102.5. lovely! just what i need.

we go to the computer to look at pictures- this usually cheers her up. after a while i notice she is awfully quiet. yep, you guessed it, she was sound asleep. this is a child that DOES NOT nap- EVER. clearly, she is NOT well.

she sleeps fitfully for about an hour. i make her some dinner of which she eats very little. she asks to take a bath. ok. so, she splashes around a bit. then i get her dressed in cozy jammies and try to think of something relaxing to do. i almost suggest tv- even though she has already watched a fair bit today- because i'm at a complete loss. then she says, "mommy, i want to go to bed. i'm tired. i don't feel good."
WHAT??
it was 6:25. she normally goes to bed at 8:00. she has NEVER asked to go to bed- especially not early. she must feel REALLY bad!! so, i started the bed time routine. i turned out her light at 6:50. she has been asleep for close to thirty minutes now.

what now? i'm praying she wakes up feeling better. i'm praying that she sleeps soundly until morning. (and i'm praying that i don't get whatever it is that she has!)

Sprouty Update

well, it is that time of the week again. the time when you find out more about my cervix than you care to know. ;)

anyways, there really isn't much change. i'm now a full 1 cm dilated, still 80% effaced, and baby is still at -1 station. i'm not really encouraged by that. sigh. but at least things changed a little, i guess. the doctor did pull my cervix forward and try to stretch it- and boy did that feel good! ahh!- to see if that would help. i guess we will have to wait and see on that one.

as for the induction it is in the process of being scheduled. it will either be the 25th or the 27th. the reason is the baby seems like it may be big. i had trouble delivering bean (she was delivered via vacuum) and she was only 6 pounds 15 ounces. a bigger baby may present even more difficulties. i really want to avoid a c-section if at all possible so we are going to try it. the doctor also said it is very common to go into labor after scheduling an induction, so we are hoping that sprout decides to come out on his/her own in the next couple of days and i won't even need the appointment. ;)

so that is that. by next week we should be a family of four. wish me luck!! :)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

happy st. patrick's day everyone! bean and i celebrated with a green breakfast this morning. we had green pancakes and green grapes, yummy! bean loves to cook and was especially excited about stirring the batter after i added the food coloring. she loved watching the batter slowly swirl into the color green. here she is pictured waiting for the pancakes to "bubble" so she can tell me to flip them over. she is a very good helper!

then the very best part- eating the green pancakes!! bean learned that adding green didn't change the pancakes- they still tasted as delicious as always. as a matter of fact, she ate two! :)

this second shot here also shows her "nasty head wound" that she got saturday. it doesn't look like anything at all now. but on saturday (when it happened) it was a doozy! just ask her daddy!!

hope you all have a great st. patty's day AND we'll just call this our best shot monday too while we are at it! ;) stop by tracey's for more best shot fun!!

Sometimes the weekend isn't so relaxing....

it started saturday morning. the husband decided to take the bean to the recycling dumpster with him. woo hoo! i get a little break. she helped him load the car and i... well, i'll be honest, i went back to bed. a while later i hear this from the hall: "um, honey. we had a little accident and need some first aid."
so i stumble into the bathroom then turn back to reach for the girl. i'll say they had an accident! bean's hair, face and coat are covered in blood. delightful, what a way to wake up! so i wash her face and hair with a wash cloth while telling everything is just fine. it is just a little cut but when you cut your head it bleeds a lot because there are lots of blood vessels in your head (yeah, too much information for a 2 1/2 year old, i know. but she was going to ask why and i find it easier to just give her a reason, even if it is one she doesn't really understand completely!) we got a band aid on it and then i took her coat to the laundry room to see if i could get the blood off that.

the story is that daddy was letting bean grab small bags of recyclables from the car and run them to the dumpster where he would lift her up so she could throw them in. she was LOVING it. well, on the way back to the car she tripped and landed smack on her face. apparently we don't have a first aid kit in our car (yeah, we are on top of things aren't we) so the only thing that daddy could find to slow the bleeding was the lambswool padding on the dogs car harness- yes, i'm sure that was oh so clean BUT you gotta do what ya gotta do. then he brought her home for me to deal with.
what i find so odd is that i never freak out when i see blood all over my kid. i just calmly clean her up and talk to her in a soft voice. i would think that i would panic, but i don't. why do you suppose that is??

in "me" news.... the weekend is also much less relaxing when you are nauseas, crampy, and achy all the time. no contractions that i have noticed. just a general feeling of complete yuck that has lasted for about 2 days now.
sprout, if you are listening, it is time to come out! mommy wants to feel good again and having you in my arms instead of my belly is probably the only way that is going to happen!!

Look what bean learned today!

she can make the letter "e"! hooray! the coolest part is that she did it mostly on her own. she drew a line and asked me how to make it into an "e". i told her she had to add three lines and pointed to where they should go. she just went and did it, just like that. of course, a couple times she added a few too many lines or the lines weren't quite in the right spot, but i think this is pretty darn good for a 2 1/2 year old.
why the letter "e" you ask? well, it is the first letter in the name she goes by. i think she wants to write her name. she almost knows how to spell it, so writing it would be the next step i guess.
she is quite proud of herself right now. we had to email this picture to grandma, nana and daddy at work because she wanted to show them her "e's". i'm pretty proud of her too! :)

Good Intentions

good intentions. i'm sure bean was full of good intentions when this conversation occurred.

i was reading her a bed time story when i let out a very large yawn.
"you yawned mommy!" she declared
"i'm sorry honey, mommy is just really tired tonight. i'll try not to do it again, " i reply and start back into the story.
she lays her hand on my leg and says, "don't worry mommy. i'll sleep good tonight. i won't wake up in the night time. i won't wake up too early. i'll sleep good for you." she smiles up at me nodding her head.
"oh honey," i say, "that is so nice of you." i give her a hug and kiss. we finish the story and our bedtime routine. she falls asleep rather quickly.

oh yes, good intentions. but not good follow through....
no, she didn't wake up in the night, but she did wake up at 7:15am. and since she has been sleeping until 8:00am since the time change, 7:15 felt awfully early to mama! i might be yawning at story time again tonight. hmmm, i wonder what she will promise me this time? ;)

GAH!

due to a slight misunderstanding by the husband and a computer error we nearly lost 3 months of pictures of bean a few days ago! OMG!!! i thought i was going to die!
i think i recovered everything. i think. i'm not 100% sure... well, i'm fairly certain that i recovered all the originals- i'm not sure i have all the edited versions. sigh. but the originals are what is important, right?

so, for the past three nights i have reorganized, burned to cd, labeled the cds, and copied to an external hard drive all of bean's photos. this took a while because i was pretty far behind on archiving. (i'm now exhausted) i will not let this happen again! i have a system of sorts in place now- it seems pretty complex compared to what i used to do (which we will call the "deal with it when you have time" system) but i think i can handle it.

public service announcement: i highly recommend that no one else use my former "system" when dealing with their digital photos- unless of course you like having panic attacks. ;)

Baby Love

here is a picture that shows the monstrosity of my tum. admire the hugeness! it weighs a metic ton.... ok, so maybe not but it sure feels like it when i'm lumbering around the house!

bean likes to hug her baby. she talks to her baby. she likes to say, "daddy, look at mommy's big baby belly!!" (gah!) she declared yesterday "i think babers is ready to come out." unfortunately i don't think babers was listening.

i'm not sure she completely understands what life will be like when the baby comes home. she knows it all. baby sprout will sleep in her old crib in her old room. baby's don't talk, they can only cry. baby's don't eat food they only drink "special milk". she will go on and on telling you about all the stuff about babies. my worry is that she won't let daddy help her with anything. when i remind her that the baby will need mommy sometimes and daddy will have to help her she tells me that "daddy can take care of babers and you can take care of me." i have a feeling we are going to have an interesting first few days at home learning how to share mommy...
i'm really not all that worried about how she'll treat the baby. my concern is how she is going to react to me!

Nothing to report

sprout is happy where he/she is apparently. there has been no change at all. everything is exactly the same. it all looks good, of course. but still.....
this is very depressing to me.

i loved being pregnant when i was pregnant with bean. i was happy, relaxed, nothing really bothered me.
this time around- i'm irritable, uptight, impatient, and totally stressed out. everything is much more uncomfortable. i yell at my daughter over ridiculous things and then feel horrible. i'm so tired and cranky and i take it out on my husband. gah! i'm really starting to dislike myself.

you would think i would be getting nervous about the baby coming. you know, how to handle two kids at once and all that, but i'm not. i just want it over. i know it is only 16 days 'til my due date but that seems like a life time to me. is that pathetic or what?!?

so, we wait. we wait for a week and see what (if anything) happens.
yeah, waiting sucks.

Fort!

yesterday there was no school here (because of the snow, obviously) so daddy was home. when daddy plays you get to do things you don't normally get to do, like build snow forts!

i was tired and had to make dinner so i didn't get to enjoy the outdoor play this time. i had no idea what they were going to do but i was ever so curious when they went into the garage to "look for something". turns out they just needed a "mold" to build their fort and a bucket worked perfectly. i'm SO glad i made daddy take the camera out with him. othewise i never would have gotten to experience this! see that little face peeking out! akkk, i might die from the cuteness of it all!! ha!

i'm so glad they went out to play yesterday. the snow is melting quickly. the temperatures will be in the 40's today and tomorrow and in the 50's on thursday. sigh. our yard will be back to muddy swamp land and my house filled with muddy dog and toddler prints in no time at all!

Best Shot Monday

here is my best shot of the week. bean in her butterfly princess dress and wings. it is a little blurry, but i think that it makes the picture better. a bit more on the dreamy side, perhaps?

it is hard to get her to dress up. she would rather throw all the clothes on the floor and play in the empty box. i sometimes wonder why that is. maybe she is "too busy" to bother with the clothes. maybe she doesn't think she needs to dress up to pretend? i don't know. what i do know is she looks simply adorable when she does dress up and i feel like i must take pictures. you know, to hold that moment forever....

if you want to see what every one else is up to this monday, stop by tracey's and check it out!

Oooooh! Pretty!

what do you think of the new look?? my friend mommee (who is obviously very cool) did this for me in her free time. free time!! i don't know where she found that! all i did was ask her to teach me how to do it and a couple weeks later i get this in my email! isn't she just the coolest!

thanks so much!!! i love it! i feel so much cooler now!

now, mommee, in a few weeks we will have to add pictures of sprout ya know.... ;)

She LOVES it!!

well, i took bean out and threw her into the snow for a photo op..... she didn't want me to take her out! she loved being in the snow up to her waist! she kept reaching down into the snow and throwing it up into the air. she was giggling uncontrollably. every time we pulled her out she wanted thrown right back in. it was pretty fun watching her and hearing her voice echo across the whole neighborhood.

later in the day, daddy helped bean make some delicious snow ice cream. we added chocolate syrup and peanuts, yummy!! sometimes daddy does have some pretty great ideas. ;)

we took the yard stick out to the the most level portion of the yard and took a reading of 15 inches. the deepest drift we measured was 28 inches. it was still snowing at this point so i think it is pretty safe to say we got at least another inch, if not more. it is the most snow we've seen in a long while- especially in MARCH. ;)

we went outside twice yesterday. and you know, as soon as she woke up this morning, bean was ready to go out again! so, it looks like we are playing in the snow today. hope you are all having a fun weekend!!

Winter Storm!

this is the magpie looking at me saying. "holy crap woman! i know you said it was snowing but HONESTLY! how am i supposed to go to the bathroom?!?!? heck, how am i supposed to get to the yard?!"
poor magpie! i guess i'm going to have to drag daddy out to dig you a path to a place you can "do your business"!

yeah, we got a march "blizzard". the winds are not quite strong enough to be a real blizzard but when you open your back door and find a drift this big you can call it whatever you want! ;) you can also see that the snow is still falling steadily so it isn't over yet! i really want to bundle the bean up and drop her into the snow for a few pictures! how funny would that be!

here are a couple more shots- one that shows how deep that drift of snow really is and one that shows how much the snow is blowing....

oh and a big happy birthday to mommee- she turns 25 today! and boy, i'm sure she is really happy about all the snow she got as her gift! he he he!

Snow...

the snow started. it is blowing. it is getting a little slick on the roads.

we are expecting blizzard conditions, 8-15 inches of snow accompanied by some pretty strong winds, over the next 24 hours or so. so, what do you want to bet i go into labor tonight? wouldn't that be FUN! i don't feel like i'm going to but, you just never know....

the fact that i said to my mother a month ago "watch we will have a blizzard in march and that is when i will have the baby!" makes me worry just a wee bit! ;) ha!

Sprout....

after saturday's post a few of you wanted to know what i thought about sprout's gender. do i think sprout is a boy or girl? hmmmm.

to be honest, i really don't have any idea. i've spent 90% of this pregnancy referring to the baby as a "she". does that mean anything? probably not. i mean, i have a little girl and a female dog. my guess is that saying "she" is just a habit. the fact that when i imagine the baby it is a girl is probably for a similar reason.

i don't dream about the baby. i had one baby related dream with bean and 2 with sprout. all the rest of my dreams are weird and involve lots of people from my past mixed with people from my present (that have never met). it is quite odd. my baby related dreams involve me being pregnant and having the baby kick me and you can clearly see the shape of the foot coming out of the side of my belly. creepy! so, you see, i haven't dreamed the gender of the baby either.

something somewhere inside me keeps me thinking girl though. but that could just be the fact that both bean and her father have expressed interest in this child being a girl and i don't want to disappoint them. (yeah, can you believe that daddy has actually said he wanted another girl!) to be honest, i guess i have to say that part of me really wants another girl too. would i be sad if i had a boy, no! but gosh, i love being the mommy to a little girl!

if you ask our family.... i think 90% of them will tell you boy. but i think that is because there are no grandsons/nephews on either side of the family and they all just want one. ;)

i'm trying to keep my mind neutral at this point. i don't want to find myself in tears in the delivery room because the baby isn't who i thought i wanted them to be. (obviously, god is giving us the baby that we are supposed to have!) whoever is in my belly is perfect the way they are and we will love him/her with all of our hearts! we will just have to wait a little longer to find out "who" they really are. :)

so there you have it. a wishy washy post in which i say virtually nothing! ha! but if you have any advice (especially if you have experience with this!) on the decision i have to make (from this post) feel free to leave a comment. thanks!!

Beautiful Day

yesterday was a beautiful day. yesterday it was 65 degrees. bean tried to do the tricycle again. she still can't really do it. she is getting real close to learning to peddle though. we also did some chalk drawings and took some of bean's babies out for a stroll. it was nice.
except for the wind. bean does not like the wind blowing her hair around. she doesn't want hair on her face. she kept asking me to hold her hair down while we were drawing and walking her babies in their stroller. ;) silly girl!

today it is currently 31 degrees. it is also raining- a lot. my backyard looks like swamp land.
bean could not figure out why she couldn't wear a short sleeve shirt and her "hoodie-hood" today. why on earth should she have to wear her winter coat?!?!

don't you just love it when the weather plays with your kids mind?

Weekly Sprout Update

i'm back from the o.b. not much to report. you guys didn't do a very good job on that homework i gave you... you were supposed to send me dilation and effacement vibes!! ;)

baby appears very healthy still, even though there has definitely been a decrease in movement. seems sprout is running out of room. heart rate is still in the 150's.

pretty much no change for me though. still less than a centimeter dilated and baby is still sitting at -1. the only change to note is that i'm now 80% effaced. i'm pretty bummed. why? i don't know. i was hoping for a little more progress. i shouldn't be surprised though. when pregnant with bean i was 2 cm and 80% for a whole month. why do i think things should be so much different this time around??

as for induction, i can't be induced before 39 weeks- no medical reason to do so at this point. so the earliest it can be done is march 20th. the only other day available is my due date. so, now i have to decide. do i want induced? if the answer is yes- do i want to try to go early or do i want to wait and evict sprout on his/her due date?
hmmmmmmmm........ i guess i have a week to figure it out.

seriously, my next appointment is in a week. remember, think dilation and effacement! :)

Best Shot Monday

here is a shot of "super bean" from the past week. who knew that blankie was so versatile? i mean, it is great for sleeping with, helping you stop crying, and companionship while watching tv BUT who knew it also made a great cape?! she ran around the house for quite a while with that soft white blankie tied around her neck. then she needed a rest (plus blankie had come untied and was starting to fall off!) and i got this shot. nothing amazing but it is a sweet shot. maybe the last time she plays "super bean" as an only child?

that has popped into my mind several times in the past week. "this could be the last time we do (insert activity) before the baby comes." "this could be the last time she (insert another activity) as an only child." it isn't a sad thought. it is exciting to know that baby sprout will be here before too much longer. it is another chapter in our lives and i can't wait to start it!!

as always, don't forget to stop by tracey's and see what everyone else has been up to. you won't be disappointed!! :)

Oh dear.....

oh i really did it this morning! i accidentally referred to sprout as a "him". this upset my little bean quite a bit.
"no mommy, babers is a girl! you called her "him", him's are boys," she tells me.
"honey, we don't know what baby is. baby might be a girl or baby might be a boy. we won't know until the baby comes out," i gently explain.
"i think babers is a girl," she says.
"well, what will you do if baby comes out and is a boy?"
"i probably will hit him," she says. (what?!?! this is a surprise. she doesn't hit and knows we have rules about hitting.)
"no, you cannot hit the baby. that isn't nice. and it isn't the baby's fault that you didn't get what you want. we don't get to choose what kind of baby we get. i think that you will love a brother just as much as a sister," i tell her.
"i don't think so mommy. i want a sister girl baby."

the conversation went on like this for several more minutes. i finally just gave up. she won't stop expressing animosity for the possible baby brother in mommy's tummy. her mind is made up, baby IS a girl and there is no changing it.
you don't think she'd really hit the baby, do you? nah, she'll love the baby once she sees it...... right?

A coloring story.

"what? i have marker on my forehead? how could that possibly be? markers are for paper. i only put them on paper, mommy. honest! there is no way that i have gotten bright pink marker on my face. that would look ridiculous, and i am certainly not ridiculous! really mother, how could you suggest such a thing? me putting marker on my face, HA! good joke. now stop taking pictures of me and let me color in peace!"

yes, my girl you have marker on your face. how did it get there? hmmmm, i don't know. but does this picture give you any ideas?? yeah, that's what i thought! ;)

by the way, she says that picture is supposed to be daddy. he is a handsome devil, isn't he? tee he he! my favorite part is that she gave him blue eyes, which is basically true... it is just that she made one about 10 times bigger than the other! ;) i swear he isn't a mutant!!! he he he!

Feelin' Crafty

bean and i have been crafty lately! ok, it isn't always fun to do crafts with a two year old. they can't do a lot of the steps and they don't always listen to what you say. so, frustration is part of the game. BUT for some reason it is only frustrating to me, bean seems to really enjoy it.

craft one: vase of flowers. empty pringles can decorated with construction paper, peel and stick wonderfoam flowers and crayons. flowers made by tracing child's hand, wraping the wrist part of the hand around a pipe cleaner and gluing (use two different colors of pipe cleaners twisted together if you want your stem and stamen different colors), and curling back the fingers. add leaves if wanted.
i think this one turned out WAY cuter than i ever thought possible!! i LOVE our vase of fake flowers!

craft two: toilet paper roll bunnies. easy peasy. paint tubes desired color. glue on ears, faces, tails... whatever deco you want. daddy thinks that we made too many. he claims it looks like a small easter army is occupying our family room! what a goof!

bean is ready to start another project. she wants to make ducks, hmmmm. i'll let you know how it goes. ;)

Sprouty-kins Update!

i'm back from my appointment so it is once again time for your sprout update!

uterus measuring a little big this time (37 weeks when i'm actually barely 36 weeks). heart rate great (still in the 150's). got my group b strep test done.
and........
i'm about 1/2 cm dilated, 50% effaced and the baby is at -1 station.
being induced during week 39 is a possibility. (bean got stuck coming out and they nearly had to do a c-section. they don't want me to go over my due date and have a TOO BIG baby. plus doctor is going out of town 3 days after my due date.) i'm sure you realize this doesn't make me sad. although it would feel weird knowing my baby's birthday in advance....

let me tell you, i can tell the baby moved down! it is pushing against my pelvic bones all the time. talk about uncomfortable! ok, down right painful at times! i was hoping for a little more action "down there", but i'm one day away from being 36 weeks so i guess it is a good start.

OH and the other good news..... I LOST ONE WHOLE POUND!! (believe me this is nothing to worry about since i've gained around 35 pounds total so far) he he he! :)

so, next appointment in a week! remember your homework- think dilation and effacement!!!

Best Shot Monday

good monday to ya!

i actually didn't take any pictures this week. that is VERY unlike me! so, i guess i will have to share a photo from last weeks dress up session. here is the firefighter checking out her beads. you know that firefighters need to look good when they are on duty, right? ;)

she is fun to photograph when she is in front of the mirror. she makes such interesting faces AND she doesn't seem to realize that when she turns her back on me i can still see her face in the mirror. which means i can actually get a picture with her face in it! hooray!

have a great week!! and don't forget to stop by tracey's and see what everyone else has to share!!

Again?!

another true conversation.

"would you like to take a bath, sweetie?" i ask.

"yes, mommy i would love to take a bath!" she declares before adding, "BUT don't wash my hair."

"oh, how 'bout i wash it just a little?"

"ok," she says turning towards the bathroom, "but i might freak."

(she might freak?!?!? what the?!?!)


*in case you are wondering she didn't freak... just some mild panic during the rinse cycle. ;)

Another one of those moments

i go in to the bathroom. i close the door. i hear little feet in the hall. the door opens. bean prances in. she stops and just stares at me.

"whacha doing?" i ask her.
"pestering you!" she declares.

ohhhh-kaaaaaay...

Uh...No!

in the last 24 hours these are the names bean has suggested for sprout:
girl: gladys
boy: clifford
girl: oval
boy: triangle
and...

"maybe just o", she says
"the letter 'o'?" i ask.
"yes, just the letter o," she replies with a smile.

her name choices keep getting weirder. others she has provided recently have been "baked beans", "bunt cake", "pink", and "bowl".

she is now officially banned from helping name the baby. ;)

A Bright Spot...

she needs me to do everything for her. she needs me to do everything with her. she claims she doesn't "like daddy". she will turn into a shrieking banshee if he tries to help her with even the simplest task. there is nothing that i have been able to do or say that has changed this for the better.... as a matter of fact it has only gotten worse.
so it was very refreshing to witness this sunday morning.

awwwwww! sweet, huh? ...even though it makes her a total liar! ;) but it is good to know she does love her daddy- some of the time.

Nothing...

i'm sure there are tons of things i could say. i mean bean is a wacky kid and does all sorts of story worthy stuff, but i just don't feel like putting forth the effort. i'm tired. i'm sad. i'm lonely. i don't feel good physically or mentally. i don't have fun playing with my child anymore. i'm no fun to be around. all i do is look for blogs to read. when you haven't updated i just read the comments others have left for you. i'm living through you people. that probably isn't good...
so, i'm not going to blog unless i really have something good to say. you shouldn't have to listen to me whine, who wants to read that? no one! anyways, i didn't want you to think i went and had the baby early or something.... i mean, i would write about that, that is blog worthy! see ya'll later...............

Hearts to You!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

bean, the magpie, sprout and i (oh, and i guess daddy too) would like to wish you all a very happy valentine's day. one filled with love, happiness, and lots of chocolate candies! mmmmm, chocolate!
hope it is a great day!

Dressy Bean

soooo, i finally got bean to put on some dress up clothes!!!! yes, and it was oh so much fun. she didn't really care for it until i took her to the mirror.... then she turned into a total ham! she stood in front of that mirror making faces, giggling, jumping around, dancing, and kissing herself. she even did a little singing. it was too cute not to take pictures, of course.

this here is the "fashionable pirate" look. because you know, girl pirates should wear feather boas, pearls, and sparkling shoes! :) we also had the "princess witch" look. that consisted of a black and orange witch dress, pink tiara, purple and white feather boa, and white feather fan. she also tried out the "pretty firefighter" (firefighter coat with several strand of beads) and the "butterfly clown" (clown outfit with butterfly princess wings... oh, and a huge plastic ring). they were all pretty funny!

i wish i got good pictures of all the outfits. she just wouldn't hold still. too much running, and jumping (and giggling on my part) to stay in frame!! maybe next time i can get a good picture of "elmo girl".... that is who she is right now. sprinting around in her elmo costume, several strings of beads, purple pajama pants and, of course, red sparkle shoes!

Sprout!

ahh, yes i had an appointment today.
everything is still just fine. still measuring good. still has a heart rate in the 150's. still kicking at the doctor while she is trying to find the heartbeat.

i didn't enjoy the weigh in. i gained A LOT this time. i'm feeling particularly crappy and so have been over compensating with food and BOY DOES IT SHOW. i'm not sure i can keep it under 200 pounds this pregnancy. you think that would whip me into shape and make me eat better, etc. no, it just makes me want to eat a pan of brownies. sigh. clearly i'm a little self destructive.

next appointment in 2 weeks- 36 week check.... let's hope for some dilation and effacement kids. mama loves her little sproutling but is really getting ready to get him/her OUT. ;)

Best Shot Monday

didn't take a lot of quality photo's this week but here is a shot of bean at the children's museum. they had a section of wall covered with these mirrors and she really seemed to enjoy looking at herself in them!
the children's museum was fun. they had a huge room completely full of sand, a room with a large water table, and another area with a grocery store, bank, hospital, house, bus, and car for the kids to play in. the sand was the best part according to her. :) a good time was had by all, i believe!

have a great monday, and don't forget to stop by tracey's and check out what everyone else was up to this past week!!

Cooperation

bean wanted to play but she really hasn't gotten the hang of peddling yet. her stubby little legs (that she got from both her parents) just barely get her little feet to the peddles, so pushing them around is an issue. she was doomed to lose every game....
until her cousin had this solution to the problem. the two of them figured this out all on their own. bean manned the handle bars and cousin issy manned the peddles. hooray for cooperation!

Mama's Girl

ok, this sucks. i am going out to dinner with a friend tonight. this is like the first time in over a year i'm going out with someone other than my husband and child. i was really looking forward to it. daddy planned this great evening for the two of them- her favorite restaurant, a trip to the pet store, etc. so, 10 minutes ago she decided that she wasn't cool with this plan. she needed mommy to go with her. according to her, daddy could go eat with mommy's friend and mommy could take her out for pizza. i did everything i could but it was useless. daddy just dragged her from the house bawling. "no, i want mommy!" she was screaming as they left. huge tears pouring down her face.
i feel bad. not that i'm going out without her, i'm still cool with that part of the plan. i just know that daddy's feelings had to be at least a little hurt. i know mine would have been.

Running Bean

here is bean doing one of her favorite things, running on the porch. sounds weird huh? her favorite thing is that i'm waiting at the end to catch her in a giant hug. she did this about 20 times yesterday after our walk. i had to tell her "no more" because my back was starting to ache!

it was strangely warm here yesterday. mid 50's in february is not really normal! and today is warmer... i was woken up by a thunder storm this morning, huh? we don't usually get those in the winter time!

i'm crabby, cranky, and otherwise irritable. not a good mommy day for me. sigh. i've been having a lot of those lately. i keep hoping the next day will be better, but... you know. fortunately bean seems fairly resilient. i'm still the one she wants- for EVERYTHING- so i guess she isn't too mad at me... yet.

Best Shot Monday

i finally got one! after days of chasing bean around with the camera i finally got her to sit still long enough for me to take a decent picture. (we needed a good picture because we are crafting our valentine's cards soon and they require a photo).

she is lying on the floor talking to her daddy. (see, you need some sort of distraction to keep her from running or covering her face when she sees the camera come out.) so, that sweet little face was all for daddy. awww.

hope you all had a great weekend! and remember to stop by tracey's and see what everyone else is sharing today.

Big...

you know you are just too hugely pregnant when your pants routinely slide down as you are waddling around. i officially have one pair of pants that don't have to be hiked up every 5 minutes. one pair. 52 days and one pair of comfortable pants.... oh good grief! ;)

Stealing Daddy's Candy

tonight bean decided to try some of daddy's candy. he was eating pop rocks. she really wanted some so of course we gave her some!

she liked it at first. then she didn't like it. then she asked for more. then she said she didn't like it. then she said she didn't want anymore but she was going to stick out her tongue and i could put some on it! then, of course, she didn't like it AGAIN. she ate an awful lot of the stuff for not liking it! ;)

i was hoping for some crazy reaction from her when the candy hit her tongue. candy that pops and fizzes in your mouth, you think that would freak a two year old right out. no, not so much. it was pretty cute though. she'd sit there and be all smiling while you could hear the candy fizzing in her mouth, then suddenly both her hands would fly up and cover her mouth. she would stare at us with big eyes and say, "i don't like it". then, 30 seconds later, she wanted more! what a turkey!

Where does she get this stuff??

bean found a dime on the floor. just a regular old dime. she asked if she could have the coin. i said sure.
she walked around the rest of the day showing everyone her "coin from egypt". yes, she claims that the dime is from "egypt"! she is very serious about her "egypt coin".

so, i guess you can imagine that it was a problem this evening when she couldn't find the egypt coin.... yeah, i need to get to egypt to find another i guess. ha!

two year olds are a strange bunch, aren't they? :)

Sprouty Update, the Ultrasound Episode!

Sprout looks good!
we had our ultrasound today. sprout was very cooperative when it came to letting us see his/her face. turned and looked right at us. you could clearly see both eyes, nose and mouth! the doctor claims that sprout is a "very cute baby"! we also got a good look at sprout's heart, stomach, legs, and one hand. sprout is head down.... he/she better stay that way!! oh, and baby kept "itself" hidden so it's gender is still a surprise to everyone, including the doctor. :)

now, the sprout was not as cooperative for the doctor. wouldn't let her get a good head measurement. sprout kept turning his/her head at weird angles.... hmmm, bean did the same thing. so where the leg bones and stomach were measuring between 31-33 weeks, it's head was measuring over 35 weeks! doctor said not to be alarmed, the head isn't really that big, she just could not measure it right. when you add up those measurements it says that sprout weighs around 4 pounds 11 ounces, uhhhhhh...... once again the doctor assured me that that is probably totally wrong. (it better be!!!) but she said that if there were any concerns about the baby's size she would do another ultrasound in a month or so just to check.

doctor said all the pressure i've been feeling is probably due to how low the baby is and how much it seems to be moving. since i haven't felt anything resembling a contraction there is no reason to worry about any of that.

my uterus was measuring just a little bigger than what the dates suggest- but just a bit. sprout's heart rate was still zipping along in the mid 150's.

my glucose test came back normal but i'm anemic, big surprise! so it is a return to the iron supplement for me.

over all everything looked just fantastic according to the doctor. i'm told to keep up the good work.
next appointment is in 2 weeks....

Best Shot Monday

well, i didn't take a lot of pictures this week... like maybe 10! (oh my goodness!!!) none of them are very good either. :( but i decided to share anyways!

here is bean playing at her little cousin's birthday party. the kids were all running around throwing balloons up into the air and trying to catch them. she was so very excited and cute about the whole thing. unfortunately, she never moved away from that window so every picture i took is heavily back lit. still, i like this shot. her face looks so sweet. her hands up in the air like a little ballerina about to spin... sigh. she's just cute!

and remember to visit tracey to see what everyone else was up to this week!

Dance Hall Days

oh, you need to check out the bean's new dance move. seriously! this is unbelievably funny. she has never done this before and well... you just gotta watch it, you will know it when you see it. i apologize for any jiggling of the camera because i was laughing so hard and trying to hold it in! ok, so i failed to hold it in at the end... i'm sorry, it was funny!

(oh also sorry about the total lack of focus at the beginning. i don't know what that is about!)

Things that bug me...

one: every time i say something is different about this pregnancy i hear, "oh, maybe you are having a boy this time!!!" or some variation on the theme. no, nothing i've experienced has any barring on whether or not i will have a boy. just because i'm more tired this time does not mean i'm having a boy, it means i have a toddler to take care of. just because i crave sugar this time doesn't mean i'll have a boy. i just want different food this time. period.

two: comments on how big i am, about how much i'm eating, about how bad i look, about how i should be exercising more, about how i'm going to have SO much trouble getting the weight off because i'm getting older, etc, etc, etc. sorry, i eat because i'm hungry. i also eat because you are stressing me out. i've always been a stress eater. when you bug me about my weight it drives me to eat more. so stop it please. all it does is make me feel bad about myself.

three: no, we don't have any names picked out. my husband and i have totally different tastes in names and have hit a complete roadblock on this subject. besides, if we had names picked out we wouldn't tell you. people can make some pretty rude comments if they don't like a name. we don't want to hear them. we will tell you the child's name when he/she is born.

four: when i talk about being tired and needing a break the first thing out of people's mouth is that they will take bean off my hands for a while. that isn't helping. see, that leaves me completely alone. i have nothing to do but stare at the wall in this instance. that just leaves me in a lonely and depressed state. it makes it harder to deal with the bean when she comes back. bean has a father that is perfectly capable of caring for her. what i need someone to want to do something with me sans kids. i need to be with other adults. i need to have grown up conversation.

ok, let's just leave it at that. if i keep going i might not be able to stop! i sound like an ungrateful whiner. sorry. something about pregnancy hormones.... ;) but thanks for letting me get it off my chest.

Interesting Snack...

bean and i sit down at the table to eat bed time snack. she had a bowl of strawberries and some animal crackers. she is munching away happily when she suddenly says, "look mommy!"

i say, "what?" as i turn to look at her.

she waves a headless animal cracker in my face and says "look!" again.

"did you bite the head off that one?" i ask her in mock horror.

she says, "no mommy, the reindeer did!" (in a tone that said i should have already known that.)

huh?!?!?
"wow", i reply. "i don't think i want to meet that reindeer!"

"it was santa's reindeer," she says with a funny little grin on her face.

oh my! scary!
i didn't exactly have a reply to that. apparently she didn't need one, because she continued to happily munch the rest of the poor little reindeer ravaged animals.
sometimes i really wonder about that little girl....

Best Shot Monday

bean told me she needed to take her babies to the ballet show. she said she needed to get dressed. i asked her "what do you wear to the ballet show?" her response, "dresses."

so, we got into the dress up clothes and found a dress, feather boa, tiara, fairy wand, pearl necklace, and red sparkle shoes. she finally thought she was ready to go.

i wanted pictures, she did not. so i grabbed a few on the go, of course. she is trying to get by me before i can get a shot. but, mommy is sneaky and turned off the flash. i really like the softness of the picture... not all blur is bad! :)

head to tracey's to see what everyone else was up to this week!

Why is it....

...that when your two year old begs for "baby stuff" for christmas (high chair, play yard, swing, etc.) and she gets it, she only plays with the stroller? and she already had one of those!

...that the same two year old will empty her box of dress-up clothes, tell you the clothes are "in the washing machine" (on the couch) then use the box as a pretend bath tub for her and her dolls? then the clothes go back in the box without ever touching her body.

...that the girl who was only getting her diaper changed once a day (because she won't do a poo poo on the potty- no way, no how!) is now getting her diaper changed 3-5 times a day because she "doesn't feel like using the potty right now"?

...that clothes are always optional? that getting dressed, to the fore mentioned toddler, means picking out a different pair of pajamas and socks? that more than one pair of socks is perfectly acceptable? regular clothes are no fun apparently....

...that i'm pregnant and freezing- so much so that i'm wearing a long sleeve tee, a fleece jacket, yoga pants, socks and slippers? and my daughter... well, she is wearing a diaper and socks. sigh. aren't i supposed to be the one who is hot?!?!?!

hmmmmmmmm..................................

Honestly!

ok, who told my bean that it was ok to start waking up this early?!?

my child, who previously woke up between 8 and 8:15, is now getting up between 7:20- and 7:45. WHY?!?!?! and why, oh why did it have to correspond so well to me being unable to sleep for more than an hour straight at night?!?!? i toss, i turn, i pee... pretty much anything but sleep. of course, she sleeps like a log and can't wait to start the day.

i'm tired. i don't think i can emphasize that enough.

Just what i needed!

bean and i went to the library for story time. it was our first day back after the holiday break. she was excited to see her library friends and get new books. she did SO well too. participated in everything. i was feeling very proud.

then we went out to the library to look at books. we were sitting in an aisle and one of bean's library friends walked up to me. she looked at me carefully and said, "pretty necklace!" i said thank you to her and started to pick up another book. the little girl came closer. she got right up to my face. she smiled and said this, "you very beautiful in your glasses!" awwwwww!

is it sad that those six words totally made my day? :) seriously, i was just what i needed.

Email

bean always wants to check her email. she claims to have cinderella's address. she needs to type.

daddy and at least one aunt have opened up blank word documents and let her type. she really believes that she is writing an email. bean is very serious about her correspondence.

speak of the devil, she is now demanding a turn at the keyboard!

Sprouty Update

yes, its time for your monthly sprouty update!

well, first let's start with the amazing fact that i didn't gain a ton. really, after what i ate at christmas i thought for sure i'd break the scales!! ;)

next, sprout seems to be doing just great. uterus measuring right on target. heart rate still zooming along in the mid 150's. still gyrating around and, well, starting to make me a little uncomfortable with all the pushing and thumping.

my glucose test went ok. i don't know the results yet but i say any blood test that only takes one stick in the arm is a good one. ( i have very rolly veins that like to elude the nurses best efforts!)

got my rho-gam shot today too. no big deal. injection site is a little sore though.

up next for us: jan 29th- 32 week ultrasound! :) always fun to look at the baby!
feb 12th- 34 week appointment

Kids and their toys....

i'm not referring to bean's toys, but rather my husband's. he has to have all his gadgets and stuff, don't you know. this is just the way he is.... and apparently this is how bean is too. see, i didn't know how awesome an i-pod would be to a 2 1/2 year old. she thinks this is the greatest thing ever. she wants daddy to let her listen all the time.

so tonight at dinner bean and her daddy are arguing about whether or not a song is on his i-pod. bean insisting it is, her daddy (who has had enough of that particular song) is trying to convince her otherwise.
"just look daddy" she says.
"i don't have to, i know it isn't there." replies her father.
bean looks up at him very serious and says, "look daddy. you will find it or you won't. it's that simple."
HUH?
it was all we could do to hold our amusement in.
"it's that simple", do i say that??? someone must. i mean she didn't come up with that on her own!

then of course she says this. "i want an i-pod."
sigh.
"honey, you are too little for an i-pod." i respond.
"when i get bigger i get one." she says confidently.
"maybe, or maybe they will have something better by then." was the answer that came out of my mouth. i really need to think before i speak, because this is what came next....
"like what, mommy?"
sigh!

On a more cheerful note!

ok my post earlier, although funny in places, still sounded awfully whiny. i don't like it when the bean whines so i shouldn't either! right? ;)

so to make up for it, i'm going to share a video with you! yes, it is amazing. i finally shot a video in which i didn't hold the camera sideways! (i'm not exactly the brightest berry in the bunch!!) so here is bean painting a picture. we used washable tempera today.... mostly because when we use watercolors black is the dominant color. why? i don't know!! she just always uses black. hmmm. should i be worried about that? ha ha! ;) i don't have any black tempera so problem solved!

This time around....

i'd love to say i was having a great time with this pregnancy. i would love to tell you how happy i am and how my heart is full of joy. but that would be a lie. a total lie.

i have no joy. no happiness. i'm too tired to enjoy even the simplest things. bean irritates the crap out of me. yet, i don't want her out of my sight because i also feel like she is the only thing around this place that could ever make me smile.
my back hurts, my stomach is heavy, and my sciatic nerve is killing me.
i look lumpy and large. i see other pregnant women and they look all cute with their round bellies and perky breasts. but my breasts are large enough to have their own gravitational pull so there is NOTHING perky about them. they just lay lifeless on my stomach. sigh.
i just want a good nights sleep. i wake up too often (to pee of course). last night i ran into the bathroom door because it was partially closed. (note to self: remember to open eyes when heading to the bathroom!!!)

this is down right depressing! why are you reading this still?? i should just shut up already!

i have 77 days until my due date. 77 days..... hey, does anyone out there have the ability to speed up time?? seriously.
anyone? anyone??

Bean's Pictures

my brother's girlfriend (now ex, sadly) started something over christmas. she let bean use her camera. then grandma indulged her. now, she wants to take pictures all the time. i got tired of the whining the other night and gave in. here are a couple of the shots she took.

seems that it wasn't important to have my head in the first shot. the second is of her baby dolls. keeping the camera still while shooting is not her strong point! ;)

she was really excited and proud to see what she did. i guess i'm going to have to think about one of those kid's cameras when it gets to be birthday time!

Weird Weather

it is january. it is supposed to be cold and possibly snowy. why then was it in the 50's yesterday and in the mid 60's today?!?! i know a lot of you think i shouldn't complain but i don't like it when the weather is all freaky. because a) it does a number on my sinuses and b) it confuses my child big time! every time we go to leave the house she thinks she needs her winter coat and snow boots- and she will in a few days but by then she will think she doesn't anymore! arrrrrg!

anyways, here is a cute shot of bean taking her babies for a walk sunday afternoon. she enjoyed the walk but was tired by the time we got home. seems she is getting a little out of shape being cooped up indoors this winter! ha ha ha!!
today we went to the zoo. we took a picnic lunch- in JANUARY. that still is throwing me for a loop! the thing that really disturbed me today was that while at the zoo, a bee landed on bean's stroller! a bee! in january! then we were on the front porch playing before dinner and an ant crawled on my hand. in january! it has only been warm for two days. the insect population shouldn't be that confused already, should it??? i find that creepy and disturbing..... i don't know why, i just do.

anyways, one more day of 60's temps then we head back down again. upper 40's on wednesday and all the way back into the 30's by saturday. sounds like a recipe for a good solid head cold to me. sigh.
note to mother nature: pick a temperature and stick with it! thanks. ;)

For Bryce...

well, seems bean got tagged for a meme by kimberly's little boy bryce! so here is bean to tell you 8 things about herself!

hi! my name is bean and i'm excited because mommy rarely lets me touch the computer keyboard! i better get on with this before mommy changes her mind!!

thing 1. i have a new bedroom with a big girl bed. (i had to move because baby sprout will need my old room when he/she comes.) i've been sleeping well in it since christmas eve. it is a very pretty room- green and yellow with a little pink thrown in here and there. i like my big girl bedroom very much.
thing 2. i'm a good eater. i love fruits and veggies! if that is all there was to eat i'd be pretty happy. so what if i'm very picky when it comes to main dishes! i'm 2 1/2, i'm supposed to be picky about something, right?
thing 3. i can dress myself. i've been doing really well at this lately. my only problem is that some times i can't get my shirt over my head. i have a big head and some shirts just aren't stretchy enough! ok, maybe i have a second problem... some times i put the clothes on backwards. that isn't such a big deal, right? i mean, at least they are on!
thing 4. i use the potty.... well, most of the time. i have good days and bad days. i don't know why, but i'm totally against doing "number 2" on the pot. i think that frustrates mommy a bit...
thing 5. i LOVE to go to the library. i've been going to story time since i was 6 months old. it is so much fun! i also love picking out books to bring home. mommy lets me pick 10 books every week!! i think reading is the BEST!
thing 6. my favorite toys are: baby dolls, trucks/cars/airplanes, play kitchen, and cash register. i like to pretend! i've been told i have a pretty good imagination.
thing 7. i'm learning to play games. i got a bunch of games for christmas... i know they say ages 3 and up on the box but my grandmas and aunts must think i'm smart for my age! ;) i like to play but it is really hard to let other people take turns. some times i cry when i "forget to win".
thing 8. i really like to help. i set the table every night and i clear my own dishes after every meal. i try to help mommy with the cooking when ever she lets me. i start the dishwasher when it is full. i help put the clothes in the dryer after they are washed. the only thing i don't like to help with is cleaning up my toys. i just haven't figured out why that is necessary! why can't i keep them out where i can see them all!!

well, that is eight things. i'm not going to tag anyone specifically, i really don't know who has already done this! BUT if you want to do it, go for it. just let me know. i'd like to know more about my cool internet friends!!
mommy says i have to give the computer back now. bye bye!

Huh?

we took bean to the bank today to deposit her christmas money. she loves doing this because she has a children's savings account and every time she makes a deposit she gets a toy dinosaur. we went in and went up to the counter. when the teller asked if she could help us, bean told her "i need to put money in the bank." she handed the lady her cash and deposit slip and said "here you go!". the lady smiled and completed the transaction. then of course bean said, "may i have a dinosaur now?" the teller chuckled and said "of course". she brought bean the dino and said "she's very sweet. how old is she, around four i'm guessing?"

(four?!?!?! i know that she has wonderful verbal skills and talks like a much older child BUT look at the girl! she clearly is too small to be four years old!)

i just laughed and said "oh no, she's 2 1/2."
the teller looked a little dumbfounded. "really?? but she talks so well. she sounds just like my 4 year old granddaughter!"

(i never know how to respond to that. i hear it all the time. what am i supposed to do? bean just started talking one day and has never stopped. i don't know how to explain it but i feel like i have to. i should just let it go but honestly some of these people are visibly upset by it.....)

but really... four years old?!?! ha ha ha ha ha!!!!

A visit to Chuck-E

we told bean that when she filled her potty chart with stickers (35 total) we would take her to chuck e cheese. well, she has filled two and a half charts. we figured we better get on the ball and take her already!

she had a wonderful time! she ate veggies out of my salad, pizza, fruit, and jello. she played games to win tickets with daddy. she rode rides- this one pictured being her absolute favorite. of course she kept saying she wanted to dance with chuck-e, like nadia. (christina has a little video of her daughter dancing with chuck-e and it is bean's favorite thing to watch!) well, there were a few birthday parties going on so i told her she couldn't go dance with the robotic chuck-e but if the real one came out she could dance with him...... the real one did come out, and what did bean do?? hid behind my legs of course! so there was no dancing, hugging, waving, or anything else with chuck-e. the whole way home she kept saying, "oh mommy, i forgot to dance with chuck-e!" no baby, you didn't forget, you were too scared!

the second picture here is of bean and her daddy playing "deal or no deal" for tickets. they were waiting to find out what was in bean's case. she didn't do great, she should have taken the deal BUT she liked that white flashing "no deal" button and slammed her hand down on it every time the banker offered her a deal. it was pretty funny!

it was a great day. lots of fun was had by all of us. and we get to go back in about 1 1/2 weeks for a birthday party! maybe she will dance with chuck-e then..... ;)

2008 isn't starting so great....

we woke up to snow this morning. it was quite beautiful. the day quickly went down hill from there though.
we got a phone call that no one ever expects to get. a friend called. it was not good news. a very close friend of my husband's (and bean's favorite baby sitter's) little sister was murdered. yes, you read that right. her sister apparently went to the grocery store new years eve. on her way home she was attacked and stabbed to death near her apartment.
we are all numb with shock. we don't know what to do. we feel an overwhelming need to do something for our friend and her parents but we don't know what. having a family member die is always a sad thing but for them to die in that manner.... i just can't imagine how that feels.
i've prayed, it just doesn't seem like enough right now- but it is all i've got. if you have a chance please pray for her family to have the strength to get through this. i'm sure they need all the help they can get right now.
thanks....