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!)