Just a Wanderer

Catch up

2011-05-07T06:58:00.000-07:00

Life moves fast when you are the mom of a 3 and a half year old and a 1 year old. I feel like I am constantly behind, trying to keep up.

First an Evie update. She tips the scales at barely 20 lbs and is 28 inches tall. She took her first steps in the last week of March, was walking everywhere by April 10th and now a week past her first birthday she is learning to run! Evie is my little troublemaker, always finding the most dangerous thing whether it is climbing stairs, chairs or tables, pulling stuff off of tables onto her head, or trying to stuff anything and everything in her mouth. Verbally Evie loves to screech, scream, and say Eh? Aaaah? at everything. She doesn't have too many words yet: Mama, Dad, bye, hi and Ut-oh are the only consistent ones. She also does cow, sheep, and airplane noises. Evie is very affectionate--she gives lots of kisses to everyone and everything :) However she is not a snuggler, she will run by and make kissing noises in your direction and then be off to the next thing. Very independent, she doesn't really mind if I am in sight or not, and she actually enjoys being held by other people (for the few seconds she will hold still :)).

As Evie is getting older, she and Aubrey are really playing together a lot more now. It melts my heart to see them walk around the house holding hands. Aubrey is really learning a lot about making other people happy, even if it means giving up something that you want. She has been a great big sister. Don't get me wrong, we have our moments of sibling rivalry, but overall they get along great. Evie is a stinker and likes to pull Aubrey's hair, which causes great dramatic screaming from Aubrey. Yeah, we are working on that one. When I tell Evie NO about things she just laughs and tries to do it faster or harder. Aubrey at that age would start crying if I said no. I think my discipline approach will have to be totally different for the different kids.

Aubrey is making huge strides in learning lately. She has started being able to sound out and read words. It is so fun to watch the excitement on her face as she sounds out and then figures out what the word is. She is very good at writing all our names, and now she is very into drawing pictures of our family. Just about every day she adds a new detail, yesterday it was eyelashes. She loves learning and begs me to do school with her almost every day (weekends off? no way!) I think I will be starting a kindergarden curriculum with her in the fall. She still is growing like a weed: she is 41 inches tall and 36 lbs--totally grown out of her 4ts in height and is now moved up to 4/5s or xs in childrens. No more toddler clothes here!

Well, there's my catchup post for now...I am hoping to get a little more consistent with updates, but we'll see how that goes!

Me from A to Z

2011-03-20T04:41:00.000-07:00

A: age: 30
B: bed size: queen, but I'd love a king if I had a big enough bedroom
C: Chore I dislike: Dishes
D: Dogs: Have one, love the big ones, not so much the little ones
E: Essential to start my day: COFFEE and hugs and kisses from my girls
F: Favorite Color: Kelly or grass green
G: Gold or Silver: Silver or white gold
H: Height: 5'6"
I: Instruments you play: piano long, long ago
J: Job Title: Mom (aka. wife, nurse, chef, housekeeper, personal shopper, personal assistant, chauffer, scheduler, grounds keeper, activities director, teacher, financial planner, and troubleshooter.
K: Kids: 2 girls so far: 3.5 and 10 months
L: Live: in Connecticut, where I grew up. Used to live in Virginia
M: Mom's name: Kristine
N: Nickname: Don't really have one. My Dad calls me Beck
O: Overnight hospital stays: 2 for the two child births.
P: Pet peeves: Inefficiency and laziness
Q: Quote from a movie: "You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you," and "I hate waiting. Get used to disappointment. Okay"
R: Righty or Lefty: Righty
S: Siblings: One younger brother (and lots of SILs and BILs)
T: Time you wake up: Whenever the baby gets me up, around 5:30am currently
U: Underwear: should be worn
V: Veggie you don't like: Lima beans
W: What makes you run late: I don't. I can't remember being late for something ever. If I was late it probably would be because of the car breaking down or an apocalyptical event. I should have put down being late in my pet peeves.
X: X-rays you have had: Teeth and my back (scoliosis as a kid)
Y: Yummy food you make: baked goods, especially secretly healthy muffins
Z: Zoo animal favorites: Giraffes and meerkats.

Wardrobe Facelift Needed!

2010-12-17T05:43:00.000-08:00

It has been a few years since I have done any serious clothes shopping. I have picked up a few items here and there when I see a really good deal--a t-shirt here, a cardigan there, for example. However I am getting to the point where my wardrobe needs a serious face lift. When trying to put together outfits to wear to church, I came to two realizations. One: 95% of my clothing does not fit me properly and two: there really isn't anything I own that I LOVE. Somehow I shrank after having two kids rather than gaining weight. Also much of my clothing is actually worn out since I have been wearing it for 8 or so years. I would gladly throw everything I own away and start from scratch. Now that would be nice if some "ambush makeover" type show would come give me a $5,000 shopping spree, but the likelihood of that happening is nil.

So when Bill asked what I wanted for Christmas, I said, clothes! So we went shopping and I went to my two go-to stores for clothes: J.Crew and Ann Taylor Loft. Well, actually we went to the outlets for both places. I didn't even end up trying on many items. I ran into a huge disconnect between how much I thought things should cost and how much they actually did. I spent most of the time in the stores going: oh, that looks nice, pick it up, look at the price tag, $90 for a pair of pants! $30 for a t-shirt! $180 for a jacket!

For now I'll continue to wear my early 2000's wardrobe, that doesn't fit very well as I save up for some new clothes. Then I will just have to bite the bullet and readjust my expectations of what I need to spend on clothing!

Tis the Season to choose your Christmas Card

2010-12-06T15:09:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things about this holiday season is reconnecting with old friends and far away family members through the exchange of Christmas cards. With a busy pace of life it is hard to keep in touch with loved ones all over the country, but the Christmas season is the perfect time to reach out to let them know you are still thinking of them the year through.

I always enjoy picking out a design each year--it is part of my Christmas decorating tradition. Especially now we have two growing girls who change so much every year it is important to incorporate one or more photos on the card. Shutterfly.com is the perfect website to turn to to help me put together that perfect card. They have a huge variety of photo cards to chose from.

I was especially draw to cards with three photos: one larger and two smaller. It provides me with opportunity to highlight our two girls' different personalities and also include a photo of them together or of the whole family. While I haven't gotten the perfect photos to put in the cards yet, here are a few of my favorite designs. You'll have to let me know which card you like best, then wait to see which one you get in the mail!

First, is this Picture Joy card. I love the simplicity and exuberance of the message.

The Dotted Collage Christmas Card is a mix of Christmas red and white, with a less traditional brown. I like using brown because it is one of my favorite neutrals, much softer than black.

A beautiful script and a 2010 banner are the hallmark of the Starlight Ribbon Christmas Card. I especially love the different fonts used for the message here.

I think this card may be my favorite: The Peppermint Pink Christmas Card. A reference to a fun Christmas song, traditional Christmas red, monogram, three photos, and a bit of pink for my girls thrown in.

Shutterfly has a bunch of other photo products that you can use for your memory projects as well. I have done a photo book in the past, and am planning to do a desk calendar for Bill at work soon! They also have cute items like personalized gift tags for all your Christmas gifts.

Thanks for helping me pick our family's Christmas card this year!

Time to Eat!

2010-12-04T12:38:00.000-08:00

I have been enjoying getting back into making baby food. One of my goals for my girls is to give them as healthful a start in life as I possibly can. This is why I breastfed Aubrey and am breastfeeding Evie and why I make my own baby food from organic produce. Such a happy feeling of satisfaction comes from seeing all those baby food ice cubes in the freezer: a rainbow of oranges, yellows, and greens. So far Evie loves eating peas, pears, and butternut squash the best. I have also made green beans, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, carrots, avocados, apples and mangoes. The options for variety are endless when you are making your own food--not limited to what jars are on the shelf at the grocery store.

Now while I do have a goal of healthy eating for my girls, I am not going to be one of those hyper-protective mothers regarding the food they eat. Especially after their first year, the bulk of their food should be organic, whole, nourishing foods, but an indulgence in eating a few french fries or an ice cream cone every now and then is certainly allowed.

In fact.....that reminds me. It is almost time to be baking some Christmas cookies!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T05:37:00.001-08:00

What's Cookin'?

2010-08-19T05:45:00.000-07:00

Ever since I was old enough to help out in the kitchen I have enjoyed cooking. Now that I am a stay at home mom, one of my "jobs" is to make most of the meals that our family eats. Every week it is a challenge for me to plan seven dinners--a challenge that I sometimes enjoy, sometimes I don't. I try not to get stuck in a rut, without spending too much money on more creative meals. I don't want to have "pizza fridays" and "pasta mondays" every single week. Incorporating seasonal produce is one of my favorite things about cooking this time of year. I love a big salad piled high with local tomatoes, cucumbers, and corn. Since my mom's garden is overflowing with green beans right now, I have inherited quite a few. My favorite way to prepare these is to blanch them and then toss with a balsamic dijon mustard vinaigrette. I am looking forward to having enough time next year to grow a garden of my own: at the very least with tomatoes, cucumbers, and some herbs.

Cooking Light has been a good resource for new dinner ideas, what are some of your inspirations?

Three Years and Three Months

2010-08-03T10:32:00.000-07:00

It must be that the more kids you have the faster time flies by. Aubrey turned three last week and we celebrated with a fun birthday party. For a few weeks she was really anticipating her birthday, "am I three yet, Mommy?" Per her request we had a butterfly party which was a little awkward since her guests were boys, but hey, it was her party, so it was a girly one! She got lots of fun presents--she has been using her new pretending skills playing with them: trains, horses and a stable, calico critters, and some dishes and a cake decorating set. Aubrey is getting to be such a kid now--I was watching her make new friends at the church picnic and thought, this is it, this is the end of the constant need for Mommy. Aubrey is still my little snuggler, but she is also developing into her own independent little person. Always a very thoughtful and sensitive girl, Aubrey takes good care of her sister. She is always very concerned when Evie cries and even thought to pick out some books for Evie at the library when she went with Gramma. Aubrey is also is good at keeping us all laughing with her silly sense of humor.

I am happy I have another little bundle to fill my arms, wiggly as she may be. Evie is three months old now and laughed for the first time on her three month birthday. Maybe it is because of all the wiggles or just because she is a different kid, but Evie is a whole size smaller than Aubrey at the same age. This is working out well for the hand me downs :) It is different to have a baby who everyone exclaims over how little she is rather than how big she is!

Two Months Old

2010-07-01T13:12:00.000-07:00

Evie is now two months old and getting to be such a big girl! She was 11 lbs 6 oz and 23 inches long on her dr. appointment on July 7th--right around the 50th percentile in both. Besides the reflux issues which we have learned to manage pretty well we have been blessed with a very good baby. Evie now gets up only once a night on average--she has even slept eight hours in one stretch twice now! She still can't sleep flat on her back, so for now she is still in our room in the special bassinet. We had Aubrey in the crib in her own room at 6 weeks, but I am not in a hurry this time. Maybe because I know how fast they grow up now! Her personality is very different than Aubrey's was, Evie is a much calmer baby. It looks like I won't be getting two drama queens, haha! She also is not a snuggler at all--she is all about the wiggle, wiggle, wiggle. Her happy personality shows through in all her smiles and coos: she gets especially happy when she sees her daddy. Bill gets home from work and it doesn't matter how cranky the two girls are, when they see him, they are happy as can be. He probably doesn't believe me when I tell him we had a bad day. It is so adorable that they are such daddy's girls--melts my heart when I see how much they love him. (and I only get a tiny bit jealous)

The Daddy's girls on Father's Day.

Some Evie pictures

2010-06-13T06:58:00.000-07:00

One Month Old

I think it is funny how babies can sleep with their hands up in the air.

Catching one of her smiles on camera isn't easy. Evie is six weeks old in this picture

Sisters playing

2010-06-01T05:31:00.000-07:00

Froggy Girls-- both three weeks old.

2010-05-25T06:07:00.000-07:00

2010-05-19T11:18:00.000-07:00

Eighteen days...has it been that long already? Days blur into sleepless nights as we adjust to having baby Evie with us. She really is a good baby, but is just has her days and nights confused so since I have one awake all day and one awake all night I don't get much sleep anymore! When Evie does sleep at night she is so noisy--she grunts and makes all kinds of noises as she wiggles around. She has a lot more spitting up issues than Aubrey ever did, so we bought a reclined sleeper/rocker bassinet made by Fisher Price. It does seem to be helping somewhat, she still is a noisy little thing though.
Aubrey is doing wonderfully with her new role of big sister. She is always kissing and hugging and wanting to hold Evie. Every time the baby makes a bit of fuss she tells me, "pick her up, Mom, she needs some "mom milk." One benefit of having Evie sleeping a lot of the day is that I still have plenty of time to devote to Aubrey. When it is nice out I pop Evie in my Hotsling and we can take a walk or Aubrey can play on her swingset. I do confess on rainy days I have resorted to allowing Aubrey a 1/2 hour of Veggie Tales or Thomas the Tank Engine--sometimes I run out of entertaining creativity. :)
Each day that passes I am gaining more confidence as a mama of two--I am sure pretty soon we will be out and about like we were before Evie arrived. I am thankful that the first three weeks have just about passed with their rollercoaster of hormones and emotions. Having been through all this before I know just how fleeting these newborn days are, and while I am grateful that I won't be up all night forever, I also am clinging to the sweetness of the wee hour cuddles with Evie who won't stay so little for very long.

Mother's Day 2010

2010-05-11T08:00:00.001-07:00

She's Here!

2010-05-02T06:37:00.000-07:00

Evangeline Emma Crane was born at 5:58pm on May 1st. She weighed in at 6lbs 15oz and is 18.5 inches long.

Birth Story

(warning, don't read if you don't want to know all the details, might be tmi for some, haha)

May 1st I woke up at about 2am with some contractions. They were too serious to sleep through so I decided to go upstairs and start timing them rather than tossing and turning uncomfortably in bed. I watched Food Network TV and had a heating pad on my back as my contractions were ranging from 4-8 minutes apart. I woke Bill up around 6am and let him know that I had been up for 4 hours and I thought that today was the day! We slowly started getting ready, packing the stuff for the hospital in the car, etc. Contractions were pretty steady all morning, not terribly uncomfortable, but enough to make me have to stop what I was doing and concentrate through them. Walking intensified them and made them come only about two minutes apart. Around 10am we called the dr. and she said to come in and get checked. We got to the hospital to discover that I was still only one cm dialated (same as at my dr. appointment earlier that week). So, we turned around and headed home. At that point I was rather discouraged that all the contractions I was having were not being productive!

We decided to eat a yummy lunch and see where things went. By one pm contractions were getting a lot more painful, I needed Bill to apply counter pressure and help me breathe through them. They were all four minutes or less apart at that point. We headed back to the hospital, arriving around 3:30pm. In the car and on the way into the hospital I was starting to really hurt during the contractions--and was starting to be pretty vocal about it!

Our doctor met us and checked me and said I was 3cm. Again I was a bit discouraged that all the pain I had been through hadn't gotten me too far yet. However the doctor said that she could tell by how I was acting I was going to progress a lot faster from there on out.

Per our birth plan I wore my own clothes, didn't have an IV. I didn't even get in the hospital bed until after the baby was born! Our nurse was amazing, she would find the baby's heartbeat in whatever position I was in, helped me with my breathing, and encouraged me.

Our doctor was right! It took me 1.5 hours to get to 8cm, and then only a little bit longer to make it through transition to being fully dialated. These two hours I was experiencing the most intense pain of my life, that is for sure! Bill was the best birth coach ever, supporting me, rubbing my back, helping me breathe and focus. The dr. even asked afterwards if he had taken a class on how to be a birth coach.

The dr. moved me off of the birthing ball I was on onto a birthing stool. She just let me feel the urge to push, and it took over. I pushed for only about 12 minutes (a bit different from the 3 hours it took with Aubrey!) My water broke as I was pushing--then came the ring of fire. Let's just say I hope that memory fades soon. As Evie came out I reached down and pulled her up into my arms and couldn't believe she was finally here. I remember thinking how much smaller she looked than Aubrey did when she was born. We waited a few minutes to cut the cord as I just half laughed/half cried and talked to Evie. Then I moved to the bed and Evie started nursing. Everyone just let her do her thing and we waited almost an hour before we even knew her weight and length.

Overall the experience I had was great. Everything went like we planned and requested of the hospital and the doctor. Our doctor was so much more hands off, but still present than I had expected. She was there most of the time that I was in labor in the hospital (probably because she could tell Evie was coming fast!) Natural childbirth was the most insanely painful and intense thing I have ever experienced, but seeing the wonderful difference that it made in how alert and calm Evie was compared to Aubrey made it all worth it.

the waiting game

2010-04-27T08:45:00.000-07:00

Not too much going on here, we have been pretty ready for baby to make her appearance anytime now, but she seems pretty content to stay put for the time being. :) Less than a week until my due date, and I do expect I'll see it come and go before baby arrives. That's okay though, I want her to wait until she is ready! May is a nice month to have a birthday in.

She is still as active as ever--I think sometimes it feels like she is participating in a one baby break dancing marathon. Praise God she is healthy in there and everything has been going well with this pregnancy. I have gained 24lbs, my blood pressure is still low, no swelling--lots of aches and pains, but nothing that is keeping me from doing what I need to do (except sleep!).

Hopefully the next post I make will be a birth announcement!

2010-04-09T12:27:00.000-07:00

Ultrasound Tech: "In all my 30 years of doing ultrasounds I have never seen or felt a baby move so much!"

Baby girl two is looking quite happy and healthy in there--measuring about 6lbs, 6oz which is right on track for being about the same size as Aubrey was when she was born. I guess it is just me that is measuring small for some reason. Oh yes, we did double check that she is a girl--they were right with the first ultrasound.

Recently I have been saying to Bill that I just don't remember Aubrey moving as much as this baby. I am glad to know I am not just forgetful--this little one is a very active baby! And her nose and chin definitely look different than her big sister, more like daddy and less like mommy I am guessing.

Only about 3 weeks now until we get to meet her! Very exciting. :)

2010-04-07T06:07:00.000-07:00

Now I am past the 36 week mark--only about a month to go--provided she comes on time. I just had a doctor's appointment yesterday that went well. We had an encouraging conversation with the doctor about our birth plan: she is very supportive of our desire for a very low intervention birth. I won't need to get an IV or even a Hep lock (yay for no needles!) and as long as everyone is feeling good after the birth we can check out of the hospital in as little as six hours.

I am measuring on the small side so I am going to be having an ultrasound on Friday. They want to check the fluid levels and her growth. The doctor, after feeling the size of the baby, said she expects her to be much smaller than Aubrey was--around 7lbs vs. 8.5lbs. I am looking forward to having another peek at her (and having them double check that she is a she), just praying that she is growing well in there and that there are no problems. Maybe I'll have some more ultrasound pictures, but at almost 37 weeks it will probably be too crowded in there to get a good view.

For now we are enjoying this nice spring weather we have been having and savoring the last few weeks of just one child. Aubrey is such a sweetie and is so excited about her baby sister coming, but I know her world is going to be rocked. It will probably be really hard at first, but having a sibling will be so wonderful for her. I am just getting a little sentimental that my first baby won't be the baby of the family for much longer. (with as good as she is at being bossy, she probably won't mind the older sister roll all that much.)

Marching along

2010-03-10T07:09:00.000-08:00

March is filling up, time is flying by! We ordered new carpet--exciting (but yikes lots of money). Once that is in I'll post pictures of how the rooms are looking. I have been waiting for the carpet to be put in to get most of the baby stuff out of the attic. I also ran out of steam on the trim painting, I got the baby's room done and haven't done any since, even though our's and Aubrey's rooms need it. I guess I need to get going on that again...

With plans for a hospital tour, dr. appointments, celebrating St. Patty's day and Mom's birthday before I know it, it will be Easter! I think I am not going to make my self imposed deadline, but that is okay. This baby will probably not be early, although there is a full moon only 5 days before my due date...

We did decide not to get a double stroller and just see how it goes, then once the baby is 6 months I'll look for a second hand double jogger so I can get back in good shape. The stroller that I wanted to get was just so expensive, not a cost I could justify thinking about the handful of times Aubrey has actually sat in a stroller in the past year. I think I'll be fine putting the baby in a front carrier and Aubrey in her stroller if I really needed to have her in one, but she is such a good walker, I think that will only come up rarely.

2010-02-22T13:25:00.001-08:00

Winter is dragging on here, I am looking at a forecast with snowflakes on the next five days straight! Happily February is almost over, and March has to be the last month of snow, right? Now if we were in Virginia still we would be looking forward to cherry blossoms and daffodils next month, but spring comes a bit slower around here...

I am really looking forward to getting outside more with the warmer weather. It was "nice" today: sunny and 36 degrees so Aubrey and I went for a walk and spent over an hour outside. It helps the day go so much faster and neither of us get as cranky with a good dose of fresh air. :) I am counting the days until I can trade in my boots for flip-flops.

We are getting closer to getting ready for the baby now, I have one more coat of paint to put on the trim in the baby's room, a lot of stuff to wash, and a few more things to buy, but I feel like it is under control now. Ten weeks to go (provided she comes when she is expected). I'll have to take pictures of her room when it is done, definitely after the new carpet goes in next month.

Aubrey said something really cute today. We were sitting together and I was reading to her and she was looking at my tummy and asked, "The baby can't hear us, Mommy?" and I replied that she could hear us. Aubrey tried to figure out how that worked since she was inside of me. Her solution, "She listens through your belly button?"

I guess I should post more Aubrey updates too: she is getting to be such a big girl so fast! She knows all her letters and can tell you what most of them say. She loves to sit and read each word, letter by letter, out of books with me. Besides books and reading she loves art, just about every day she colors, draws on her chalkboard, paints, and plays with playdoh. Little princess that she is, she hates going outside when it is cold and windy, so she has only enjoyed a few of our winter outings lately.

I' ll leave you with a picture of her latest outdoor fun: building a giant snowman with Daddy.

nesting and exercising...

2010-01-27T15:17:00.000-08:00

Hello from here in mommyland! We have been pretty busy doing all kinds of nesting things. Bill and are very close to finishing the painting downstairs which also has included rearranging of much furniture and shuffling around of "stuff." Our guest bedroom is now becoming the nursery/guest room so we had to take out all of the random things that we stashed in there after the move. We also got a new couch for our tv room and have been hanging up paintings that have been in bubble wrap since last year. Nothing like a baby to get you motivated to get stuff done! I have had the strongest nesting urges this pregnancy, I certainly don't remember it being like this when I was pregnant with Aubrey. I have been washing windows, cleaning out and reorganizing the attic, pantry, and closets, etc. It is hard for me to sit still and not be cleaning, I am always thinking of new projects!

All this painting, moving stuff, and cleaning has been hard on my back. So I decided that I would start to do some prenatal yoga--provided I could find a routine that was just about the stretching and breathing and not the more "spiritual" empty your mind mumbo jumbo. We get netflix so I found a good 45 minute routine on the instant play that I have been doing. Can I just say how wonderful it is? I always feel so much better after doing yoga--especially since I haven't been able get on the eliptical machine for a few weeks now (too many BH contractions so my dr. told me to take it easy). My back pain is so much better on the days that I do the yoga. I am also hopeful that doing the yoga will help me in my goal of having a natural, unmedicated birth.

It's a.......

2009-12-17T11:09:00.000-08:00

GIRL! We are on team pink again. :) There is a picture of her head on the left and her round little body on the right. Her face is turned toward the viewer, you can see her nose is the white line in the middle. I think that she looks different than Aubrey did--her nose looks longer and her chin a bit pointier, maybe more like her Daddy. It is hard to tell for sure though because we didn't see Aubrey at the same angle for her ultrasound.

Everything looks healthy and perfect--and she was very cooperative for it. She even rolled over when the tech needed to look at her spine. Maybe the cooperation is a good sign. She was waving at us, we could see her eyes moving back and forth and then at one point she yawned and we even saw her tongue come out! Too cute! :)

She had us fooled though, we were all thinking she was a boy. It was such a fun surprise to see another little girl in there. And yes, we have a name, and no, we aren't sharing until she is born. We have to leave something to announce that day!

Cousins in Gramma's Sweaters

2009-12-09T10:10:00.000-08:00

Kyle is almost 5 months old, Aubrey is 2 years and 4 months old. Aren't they cute? My mom knit them matching Nordic Christmas sweaters. :)

What's in a name?

2009-12-08T10:29:00.000-08:00

As I near the halfway point of this pregnancy, my thoughts have turned more toward baby names. Next week we find out if we are having a girl or boy, but I think it is best to have a name picked out for each, just in case of a mistake! You do hear about that happening occasionally. We are pretty sure we have settled on a girl's name, it wasn't too hard this time around. A boy's name, on the other hand, has been a huge struggle. There is much less room for creativity with a boy, but the traditional names just seem so boring to me. I am trying to find a name that isn't so uncommon that people have to ask you to repeat yourself when you say the name, but isn't so common that everyone knows at least five of them. And then when I think I find a name I like, of course Bill doesn't like it!

Another name problem we have run into is that I tend to be drawn toward names that start with "A." But since I don't want to have a theme with our names we are going to try to avoid "A" names, at least this time around.

Other than the lack of sleep that I have been getting between pregnancy stuff and toddler woes, I can finally say I am feeling good! It took me just about until Thanksgiving to feel myself again, and even then I was having bad headaches. Those are gone for the most part, at least now they aren't an every evening occurance. I just don't understand those women who say they enjoy being pregnant! I am certainly not one of them...I may enjoy the outcome of having a baby, but would much rather just skip ahead to the good part. One thing I do enjoy now is feeling the baby moving around. I can tell the difference between kicks and rolls now--baby is a little acrobat in there. Bill felt some kicks the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and Aubrey got to feel one two days ago. It was fun to watch the expression on her face as she exclaimed, "Mommy, the baby in your tummy poked me!" Now she climbs up on my lap and says, "do you want to make the baby kick mommy?"

Major cravings lately: Grapefruit and cottage cheese (not together). mmm, I think i will go get a grapefruit now.

2009-11-10T05:04:00.000-08:00

Fifteen weeks pregnant--have been feeling the baby move for a little while now. The very first time was on my birthday, three little nudges. It is pretty early to be feeling movement, so they are still few and far between. Just yesterday I had my hand in the right place and felt the kick from the outside as well as the inside. :) I am looking forward to when I can feel this little guy consistently--I hope this baby is as active as Aubrey was. Well, maybe minus the kicking in the ribs part.

I have a dr. appointment next week and then I guess I will be able to schedule the big ultrasound! It seems to be dragging really slowly, I really just want to find out the gender now! Everybody thinks that this one is a boy. Interestingly, all my friends who are having babies next year who know what they are having are having boys. When I was pregnant with Aubrey almost every single one of my friends who had a baby the same year as I did had a girl (that is at least six girls!) So maybe this will be the year of the boy...

Election Day

2009-11-04T04:17:00.000-08:00

We voted for the first time in our new town yesterday. I love election days--they had tents out front, one for the GOP and one for the Dems. Under and around each tent milled people, greeting candidates, eating from the bounty of food that was provided, chatting and debating. It made me wish I was out there under that tent, providing info for the voters, just like I was three years ago in PA. This was such an encouraging election this time around, as opposed to the last two. In Virginia and New Jersey the GOP gained the governorship--people are starting to wake up. It has only been a year since BO took office, but we knew it wouldn't be too long before people started regretting that vote! We still don't have results in for our small town election here, things move at a slower pace. Maybe that's what I need to volunteer to help with next year--reporting results in a timely manner!

This was Aubrey's fourth election--the first one when I was pregnant with her, one when she was three months old, one year old, and this last one. The funniest one was the presidential one last year, we had to wait in line for hours to vote and Bill and I took turns chasing her around the gymnasium where we were and waiting in line. She kept picking up sample ballots and handing them to people. This time around she was VERY excited about the "I voted" stickers that we got, telling people as we walked by, "look, I got a sicker! And mommy's got a sicker too!"

This time around

2009-10-23T13:28:00.000-07:00

I am going to try to get back into writing more on my blog, it is such a good way to document what is going on in my life, and honestly my brain isn't up to remembering all the details anymore! I have been enjoying going back and reading what I wrote when I was pregnant with Aubrey, and there are little things that I had forgotten. So this time around I am going to try to document everything so I can look back at these memories as well.

I am not sure if it is something to do with being pregnant for a second time, or if it is just because it is a different baby in there, or if it has something to do with having a toddler and therefore a lot more strain on my energy reserves, but the first trimester of this pregnancy was so much harder than last time around! I seriously felt nauseated before I took a pregnancy test (so before I was 4 weeks pregnant) and I still am not back to normal yet. The good news is, after 9 solid weeks of barely functioning, I am slowly coming back. Last time around I was sick only from weeks 7-11, I didn't know how good I had it! Also, last time I craved fruits and loved sweets. This time I am totally into the salty and really can't stand sweets, they taste off to me. Biggest craving so far: mashed potatoes. Yum, just thinking about them makes me want some right now! :)

Aubrey has been a good girl: even though I feel badly that I have been neglecting her somewhat. She now comes over when I am on the couch and pats my tummy and says, "you have a tiny baby in your tummy, Mom? She makes you feel sick?" She also covers her mouth and makes imitation gagging noises. Aubrey is convinced it is a girl, and also insists that we name her Archie, after a pony that she rode at a fair earlier this year. Yeah, that isn't going to happen.

Another interesting thing about this time around is that I am growing out of my pants so much faster! I guess my abdominal muscles gave up a lot faster this time around since they know the drill. I don't really look pregnant to a stranger yet, just like I have been enjoying dessert a little too much. ;)

We had an ultrasound last week and everything looks great. The baby was in there dancing around, waving his arms, and kicking his legs. (yes, I am saying his, but we don't know if it is a boy or girl yet, it just sounds right to me to say him and his for now. Maybe I am balancing out Aubrey calling the baby a her.)

We have an announcement...

2009-10-20T08:35:00.000-07:00

Baby two is on the way--due May 3, 2010!

Some House Adventures

2009-08-30T09:37:00.000-07:00

We have slowly been adding furniture and rearranging stuff since we have moved in here. Has it really been six months already? There is a blank wall that is sort of in our living room, but also is a high traffic area so we couldn't put anything wide on that wall. This bench was our solution--it is great. Out of the way when we don't need it, but it fills the space. It is near our door to the outside so is a good place to sit and put on shoes, well, once we start wearing something other than flip flops. When we have more than 5 or 6 people in our living room we can pull it closer to the couches and complete a "conversation area." This bench seats three people easily. It was a great bargain find at HomeGoods store, as was the painting above. I love that our living room now looks more complete with art, rug, seating, throw pillows, lamps, etc. that all coordinate so well! I wish I could take a 360 degree picture so you all could see :)

In other house news, we found out that we had a family of raccoons living in our walls and Aubrey's room's ceiling. Gross, I know! Our basement/crawl space didn't really have a solid door on it and they were getting in there. They tore out some insulation so they could climb up inside the walls. Bill and I shovelled out 14 wheelbarrows of mud out of there (who knows how long that had been accumulating, the house is over 100 years old!) and then the next weekend Bill and my Dad framed out the door and then built a special two layer screen door to shut it tight. It has to be a screen so that the air can circulate under the house so that it doesn't get too damp. We put a fine mesh screen to keep out mice and a sturdy wire screen to keep out bigger varmints. Once the door was done we left it open until we heard the raccoons leave in the evening. We shut it tight and locked them out! We haven't heard them since, so we are pretty sure it has worked. :)

Next we are going to be working on the bedrooms downstairs, moving the baby furniture out of Aubrey's room into the guest bedroom since she is in her big girl furniture now. I got some wall decals that match her new bedding, but want to paint her walls first. They haven't been painted for over 20 years (I think) so they are due! The colors in her bedding are pink, green, orange and tan. I found this picture and liked the idea of an orange stripe, maybe with pink background or a less khaki looking green.

The Out Takes

2009-08-14T18:33:00.001-07:00

I will hold you by the nose and bash you with this musical instrument!

If I have to smile and look at the camera one more time I am just going to lose it!

Maybe if I tickle myself I'll smile.

You want me to lay on my tummy why? What if these creepy photo ladies creep up on me from behind?

Some pictures from Aubrey's Photo Shoot :)

2009-08-14T18:26:00.000-07:00

Two Years Old!

2009-08-04T10:32:00.001-07:00

Aubrey on her new swingset from Gramma and Papa

Aubrey with her new tricycle from Gramma and Grampa.

Aubrey celebrated her second birthday last week. We just had a small party with family, with a dinner and cake and ice cream. She really enjoyed opening her presents: a lawnmower, a backhoe, a little people airplane, and a cooking (pots and pans) set.

At her checkup she weighed 32.5 lbs (95th percentile) and measured 35.75 inches tall (90th percedntile).

Our other big news is that Aubrey is now potty trained! She is so proud of being able to wear her big girl underwear and go in the potty, she even makes it through the night without having to go. I now get woken up every morning with a little voice calling, "go potty, mommy?"

Cousins

2009-08-03T12:22:00.000-07:00

You all might remember this picture of Aubrey with the frog from when she was about three weeks old. The frog was a present from her Uncle John (my brother)

Now, here is a picture of Kyle at almost 4 weeks with his monkey, a present from Aubrey. I thought it would be cute to post them both here for comparison.

2009-07-06T08:40:00.000-07:00

We had a beautiful Independence Day celebration. Friday afternoon our Texas relatives flew in and we had some massive thunderstorms. All the rain was worrying us that all our outdoor plans would be ruined, but July 4th and 5th had the most beautiful weather that we have had so far this season! It is so nice to be on the lake when it is a holiday weekend and not be the ones to have to drive in all the traffic. :) Anyway, we had a wonderful time participating in the boat parade, eating, swimming (only the bravest, the water is still very cold!), eating, talking, watching fireworks, eating, hiking in a local park, and oh, yes, we ate. My Aunt and Uncle were up only Friday through Sunday afternoon, their visit flew by. My grandmother will be staying the whole month. She will be here for the birth of my brother's baby (already 11 days late!) and for Aubrey's second birthday.

I hope that this good weather holds because we have some outdoor work to do--we need to put deck preservative on the deck and we have some stairs that are falling apart that need to be replaced. Aubrey LOVES swimming and boat rides. She always asks Papa to "go FAST!" and then shrieks "Weeeeeeeeeee!" when he does.

And lastly, I just wanted to share a happy story:

Recently I have been trying to find doctors for us since it has been a few months since we have moved. I found a good pediatrician for Aubrey and then started looking for an OB/Gyn. I kept running into roadblocks and was getting really worried I wouldn't find one that met my requirements of a small all-female practice who encouraged low-intervention births who did not perform abortions. Everywhere I looked I found large (8+ doctors) practices of mostly men who provided abortions. With 8 abortion clinics in the small state you would think that an OB practice wouldn't need to do them as well! I looked for birthing centers: there is only one in the state 1 hour and 45 minutes away. I looked for midwives: the only ones I found were part of a larger practice with the above problems. I said, okay, I just need to prioritize what I am looking for and just let the other things go. So I decided I will go to a large practice and a male doctor if I can just find one that isn't an abortion doctor. I even gave up the idea of going to the closest hospital to us (1/2 hour away) and was going to look further afield. As I opened my computer this morning to start my search once again I prayed that God would guide me and lead me to the right practice. So I decided to look at the close hospital one more time and there was a practice I hadn't called yet! I called them up and found not only a two female doctor practice who do not perform abortions, but the head doctor specializes in low intervention births and VBACs (not that I need a VBAC but I think that says something about her philosophy on C sections.) I have an appointment scheduled to meet the doctors in two weeks, but I am fairly certain that I have found a practice that I can be comfortable and happy with. Praise be to God!

I should have taken some before pictures

2009-06-22T12:06:00.001-07:00

Along with this old house on the lake that we have moved into we have inherited a number of very mature shrubs and gardens. I tend to prefer the cultured, mannered look of well ordered and pruned gardens, like the shrub mazes at Mount Vernon or Versailles. Others prefer the wilder, more natural looking gardens. Of course I choose the one that requires much more work! First order of business is pruning the shrubs. Two giant rhododendrons, a crazy azalea, an eight foot plus tall burning bush, some spindly holly bushes, and a leggy lilac have all met with my pruning shears. The hollies and the lilac I didn't prune much, just tried to give a little shape and encourage them to fill out a bit. The rhododendrons and the burning bush I took off at least half of their foliage and so now they look quite sad. I think it will take a few seasons of consistent pruning before they are looking more civilized. Anyway, I told myself I couldn't buy any more plants until the ones that are here are under control. This year I think will be totally focused on that, then I can plant some new stuff in the spring. It will be fun to have some gardens to plan over the winter. :)

We plan to furnish Aubrey with a few outdoor toys for her birthday. On her wish list is a climber/slide or swingset, sandbox, and tricycle. Also smaller things: a sprinkler attachment for a hose for running through, bubbles to blow, good ball to kick/bounce around, floats for swimming in the lake.

I would like to build some sort of fenced in area to put these toys so that Aubrey can play and I won't have to constantly worry about her running toward the lake. We were at my brother's house a few weekends ago and it was so incredibly nice to just let her have the run of the entire back yard. I could actually sit on a lawn chair and talk to everyone without running after Aubrey telling her not to go that way or the other way. We could put up something just out where the old horse fence was--there is already two sides to that fence still up. Or we could connect to the existing dog fence in the woods and just fence across the lake access. The only problem is that Dexter LOVES swimming 250 times a day, so that would hamper his water access. I would have to just be sure to close the gate only when I was out there with Aubrey I guess. More planning to do!

catching up

2009-06-06T15:39:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we had our friends from Richmond, VA, come visit us. We had a great time, Aubrey and Charlotte are so cute together! We also got the chance to have some good food, play some games, spend time on the lake in the boat and kayaks, do some shopping, and even went out on a double date! One of the hardest things about our move has been being so far from all our friends.

It is so nice here on the lake now that summer has arrived. We have been enjoying the cool breezes and dappled sunshine we get here in the woods on the lake. Bill has been swimming for a couple weeks now, but the water is still pretty cold. I'll venture in soon I am sure. We just bought Aubrey a bathing suit at LL bean last week so she'll be ready once it warms a little. I am not missing the 90 degree weather of NoVA, we haven't had the need for any air conditioning yet this year here! We really want to buy a canoe, I have been keeping my eye out for one on craigslist since they are so expensive new!

I also need to buy a new bathing suit, ugh! Not looking forward to that search. I have a very specific idea of what I want: a tankini that the top is on the looser side and overlaps the bottom by a couple inches and the bottoms aren't cut really low so as to hold in my post baby tummy, but not so high as to look like granny panties. ;) Oh and not $$$ either! Some bathing suits are so pricey. I did get some good deals at Ann Taylor Loft lately--they really mark down their sale items. I got a really nice pair of dark wash jeans for $9.98 (size 2 no less, woohoo)

I have been trying out some new cake recipies lately which has been fun. My stand mixer is getting lots of exercise. :) I made a Carrot Ginger cake with Orange cream cheese frosting today for Alisa's birthday. We are going over to John and Alisa's house tomorrow to celebrate--they aren't going far from home these days since she is due in about 2 and a 1/2 weeks! We are all eagerly anticipating the arrival of baby Kyle. (well, maybe not Aubrey, I don't think she gets it when we tell her that Alisa has a baby in her tummy) I think Aubrey is in for a rude awakening when she finds out that she is not the littlest, cutest, center of attention at family gatherings anymore. It will be good for her though!

Speaking of Aubrey I can't believe her second birthday is next month! People always say time flies when your kids are growing up, and it really is true. It seems like she was just a little bundle that did nothing but drink milk and need diaper changes. :) Time to start planning a birthday party and another cake...

Sunshine Singing

2009-05-11T13:56:00.000-07:00

Aubrey's new favorite activity is singing, it is so cute. We thought we would share it with you. Please don't mind my singing (or post-workout hair) Just focus on the cute toddler. ;)

Have a Blessed Easter!

2009-04-12T05:36:00.000-07:00

2009-04-10T09:32:00.000-07:00

We have been having lots of computer troubles lately. I think we have a virus, but virus removal programs can't detect or remove it. We probably will have to take it to a place to get it fixed which I hope won't be too expensive! I am getting a laptop, I am so excited! We got a great deal through Bill's work, and I was able to get some nice upgrades (including the color purple!). It is supposed to arrive on Wednesday. It has been frustrating not being able to get on AIM or facebook or even view emails properly. I'll be able to bring the laptop outside with me, which will be great because all Aubrey wants to do is play outside. The weather is slooooowly getting more springlike. Today it got up to 56!

Bill has the three day weekend off so we are hoping to get some painting done and a light fixture up. Aubrey really wants to play with her Daddy though so I am not sure how much we will get done. He has been having late meetings at work so he leaves before she wakes up and gets home after she goes to bed. She didn't see him for three days this week! :( Sunday we have a dinner with my parents and John and Alisa after church. I'll have to post pictures of Aubrey in her cute dress later when we get the computers in order!

twenty months

2009-03-30T10:56:00.000-07:00

Aubrey is 20 months old now, can you believe it?! She is growing by leaps and bounds, and has an amazing capacity for learning. She can count to ten and just about say the alphabet (needing one or two prompts). She also has learned how to manipulate very well. If she does something naughty and is getting in trouble she tries to hug or kiss us and be cute to distract us. She also knows if I am in the bathroom I can't immediately run to stop her from doing something so she seizes the opportunity to color on her chair or open the bathroom cabinet. Mischief is her middle name....

Aubrey is extremely affectionate. We get more than our share of hugs, kisses and "shuggle, shuggles" (snuggles). Many times throughout the day I hear, "Mommy, Wuv You!" Now she is getting comfortable around Gramma and Papa D. and Uncle John and Aunt Alisa they are getting some of the love too.

Bonus photos: the spread for my Mom's birthday dinner and a picture of the cake I made.

2009-03-11T11:37:00.000-07:00

We survived the move! I think....

I can't believe it has been so long since we moved already, I am still unpacking boxes and settling into our new house. I want to take pictures so you can see what it looks like here but the inside isn't anything like what I want it to look like yet and outside it is either snowing, raining, or super muddy. I'll get to it eventually. Here is one picture I took looking out from the living room, over the deck at the lake.

We are all slowly adjusting. Aubrey was more needy and cranky for a while, but I think she is finally settling in and understanding this is home. She loves having tons of room to run around, inside and out, and is sporting all kinds of new bruises from tripping. I think she inherited my gracefulness. Bill is in the middle of his second week at his new job and is enjoying it very much. The coworkers are nice, the work not too overwhelming, and yet plenty of responsiblity and leeway to make improvements where they need them. I am really missing my friends back in VA, and am reluctantly adjusting to the slower pace here. Aubrey and I went to Target today: 35 minute drive there, 30 minutes in the store, 30 minutes to Starbucks, 20 minutes home. A little different from my two Targets and ten starbucks in a ten minute radius. ;)

It is probably a good thing that we are further away from all stores and restaurants because Bill won't be getting a paycheck until he works for six weeks, yikes! I am going to be going shopping with my sister-in-law Alisa next week though, I am very excited about that (and praying Aubrey cooperates!)

I have so many plans for the house, and then I have spaces I don't know what to do with. We got all kinds of free cable channels on our tv so I have been watching HGTV and thinking I need to apply to one of those home makeover shows. Maybe I'll post pictures on here and ask for ideas for colors, floor coverings, storage options, etc. I know some of you have amazing taste (Liz that definitely includes you!)

Our wish list includes a canoe for the lake and a swingset for Aubrey. As long as our Townhouse rents out soon maybe we will be able to afford a few of these grand plans I have. :)

2009-02-12T09:54:00.000-08:00

I am sitting here at the computer with the windows wide open enjoying the early spring weather. It is almost seventy degrees for the second day in a row and there is a nice breeze stirring all the trees outside. I am definitely going to miss the early warm weather of Virginia. Instead we are moving to a place that frequently has its last snow of the season in April. We will just have to embrace the fact we will have a lake to skate on and hills to sled down now. I am so not a winter person though. Oh well.

It has been really busy, as you can imagine, packing, cleaning, and organizing. It is interesting what you find when you go through the recesses of closets you haven't fully emptied since you moved in. Clothes from college, maybe even before, catalogues from 2004, nail polish colors that I don't know what I was thinking when I bought them, pictures from visits with friends you forgot you took. All this stuff slows me down, but don't worry, we have thrown away, sold, and donated a TON of stuff. We are moving to a house with so much more space, it is going to echo in there for a while.

We got really exciting news yesterday! John and Alisa are having a boy! One of the plusses of moving now is being up there for the latter part of the pregnancy (hello? babyshower!) and the newborn stage of the little guy. Thanks for waiting so we won't miss any of it (just kidding!).

Bill has next week off so that we can spend our time on packing and getting the house ready to rent. Yikes, though we have a lot to do. I get overwhelmed just thinking about it! I am sure it will be fine once I buckle down and really work hard on it, but for now it all seems a little daunting.

Qui Transtulit Sustinet

2009-01-27T11:06:00.000-08:00

Northern Virginia has been our home for almost seven years--Bill as a bachelor, as newlyweds, young professionals, renters, first time homebuyers, and parents. I have had so many firsts here: first (post-college) job, first car, first house, first baby, first time being a grown-up really. When we moved down here after college we always said, it will only be for a while, then we will move closer to family. And now the time has come for us to transplant ourselves to Connecticut, where I grew up. Bill has just accepted an amazing job offer, and as much as we are going to miss all the friends and ties that we will be leaving behind, we feel that this is the direction that God is leading us in. We moved to the DC suburbs for my job, and now that I have a different one as mom that reason isn't keeping us here anymore.

Our house in CT is in the beautiful woods on a lake that we can swim and ski on. We will have so much more room there for guests and we expect each of our friends to come visit us--just start signing up for summer weeks! :) It is a great location between NYC and Boston, so if you want to have a vacation where you do a tour of southern New England and NY we would be a good base to venture out from. (just a little sales pitch)

It looks like will be moving the 21st of February. We are going to miss Virginia terribly, but we know, as the Connecticut state motto says, "Qui Transtulit Sustinet," or, "He who transplanted still sustains."

And just for fun, a picture of Aubrey out in the snow today.

pre-bedtime sillies

2009-01-23T11:15:00.000-08:00

A little bit of catch up

2009-01-12T07:59:00.000-08:00

I have really been slacking off as a blogger lately, what does that make me, a slogger? I guess it is that I have been busy without really doing anything. Having a 1.5 year old with boundless energy and endless needs keeps me on my toes.

One thing that I have committed to lately is exercising. I learned that I have to make it a priority--the first thing on my to do list, rather than the thing that I get to if and when everything else gets done. So now I run/walk 3-4 miles outside with Aubrey in the stroller or do 1/2 hour on the elliptical machine 6 days a week and workout with my exercise ball and resistance band 3 times a week. No excuses. The problem that I always run into is that I really hate working out. It makes me miserable, so I am pretty good at finding ways to get out of it. But now I am being very good about it and make it a habit so that it feels wrong when I don't do it every day. I do wish I had someone I could do it with that could make it a sort of competition--that would help with the motivation. For now I just have to compete with my laziness and the scale.

Around this time of year I always get the itch for vacation. I don't know if it is just that it has been a long time since we have had one, or winter drives us inside and there isn't all the fun picnics, hikes, swimming, and other various free outdoor activities to do, but I REALLY want to get away. I daydream and "shop" online for vacations until it becomes a reality that with a kid and dog we can't really afford to fly anywhere, so we will end up waiting until it is spring or summer and just drive to the beach. Honestly though, I don't want to be a family that does the same vacation every single year. I would rather have adventures. Bill and I have semi-seriously been talking about taking a trip out west this spring, maybe to Arizona or Colorado. Have any of you had a good trip out west? Anywhere you suggest as a fun place to visit, that isn't too hard to bring along a toddler? We do have a backpack that we put her in, and definitely plan to do some hiking, but obviously with 30 pounds on Bill's back we can't do a whole mountain.

Speaking of toddlers, Aubrey gets more like a kid and less like a baby every day. It is a little sad, but fun at the same time. She asks to do her favorite things all the time now--Walk? Outside? or Playdoh? Downstairs? I also constantly hear "help please" because she gets herself halfway under or over something and then gets stuck. If she even so slightly bumps something she runs over to me and holds it out while making kissing noises so I will kiss it and make it better for her. I think she probably learns a new word every day now, and says "welcome" when she hands you something and "okay" when you tell her something. Aubrey's latest challenge is learning colors. She knows all the words, red, blue, yellow, green, orange, purple, pink, but she gets them right only about 50% of the time. Often she just says a color regardless of what the color actually is. Also, we have casually started potty training. I think it will be easier to do in the summer when we don't have to take off three layers to sit on the potty. We got her a green baby bjorn brand potty that she gets excited when she sees it and says, "potty! potty!" She knows how to sit on it and say what you are supposed to do on it though, it is cute. Mostly we are just talking about it so she gets used to the idea at this point. Along with all the fun parts of having a toddler we are "enjoying" the temper tantrums now, fun times.

Well, she is handing me books and saying, please! so that is all for now.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T05:55:00.000-08:00

Christmas Charleston

2008-12-23T10:39:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

'Tis the season

2008-12-18T07:41:00.001-08:00

I don't know about you, but I just love Christmas. Every year I am so excited to get out the decorations, put up the tree, listen to the Christmas music constantly on the radio, and I even love the hustle and bustle of shopping. Bill thinks it is crazy how energized and excited I get by shopping for presents. :) Wrapping them is just as fun. I love to think about each person and what wrapping paper "fits" them the very best. I think my favorite tradition is making and decorating all of the yummy Christmas cookies.

Anyway, here is a little tour of our decorations this year. A friend of mine is doing a Christmas decorations tour on her blog. Be sure to check it out. My decorations certainly aren't as grand as they have been in the past because of a certain very active toddler who loves to grab and throw!

We start with the tree of course. All silver and gold ornaments, except for two or three special keepsake ones.

This tree skirt is new this year. I love the combination of silk, velvet, and stylized reindeer. We won't put out the presents till Christmas eve.

Our stockings. My Mom makes everyone in the family one--including the dog. :)

Note how the TOP of the desk is decorated--way out of grabbing range.

I love snowmen.

decorating cookies

The ten second rest

2008-12-14T10:51:00.000-08:00

Aubrey and Charlotte played so hard that they had to lay down for a quick rest before resuming play.

Thanksgiving Photo Recap

2008-12-04T04:49:00.000-08:00

I never take as many pictures as I want to. Usually the camera comes out as an afterthought at family gatherings. For example there are no actual pictures of Thanksgiving dinner! In a way I suppose that is a good thing because it means I am enjoying myself so much I don't have time to take pictures. Still, I need to get better with that!

Dressed up cutie for Thanksgiving.

Hiking down the driveway with Daddy. Time to burn off all that turkey!

Putting up Christmas lights on the outside trees with Gramma and Grampa.

"Helping" with more outdoor Christmas decorations.

Feeding the ducks in Essex, Connecticut. A good way to celebrate Aubrey's sixteen month birthday!

Oh, the irony

2008-12-03T13:39:00.000-08:00

Be sure to note what song is playing in the background.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-26T04:39:00.000-08:00

We are headed up to Connecticut really early tomorrow morning, hoping to beat the traffic. We will be spending the holiday with my parents and my brother and sister in law. I am so excited to see John and Alisa because they are expecting their first baby in June! Yay! It reminds me how two Thanksgivings ago we announced to my family that we were expecting Aubrey. :)

Tons of eating will occur over the weekend because not only will we be partaking in my Mom's excellent turkey dinner on Thursday, but we will be celebrating my Dad's birthday, which is on Saturday. Essential to my Dad's birthday celebration is a feast of homemade spaghetti and meatballs from his mom's recipe. My gramma had a lot of Italian blood in her veins and her spaghetti sauce is to die for. mmm. I am sure I will weigh ten pounds more upon returning home on Tuesday.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

cute

2008-11-21T13:01:00.000-08:00

2008-11-19T11:22:00.000-08:00

Through a friend of mine I just found a cool grocery list/menu organizer that I really want. The To Do list looks good too. Hint hint for Christmas. :) Anything that helps me plan 7 dinners a week and get all the ingredients in one grocery shopping trip is fantastic! I need to get a day planner for the year 2009 as well.

As long as we are on the subject of Christmas, in case anyone is wondering Aubrey is growing into size 2T on top and 18 months or 18-24 months on bottom and is in a 6 shoe. She wants to start being artistic so would like crayons, playdoh, and big pieces of paper to work her magic on. Also, she would love a baby doll or some kid's music to dance around to. Nothing for the tv yet please, we are not allowing cartoons, movies, etc. until age 3. I know, we are such mean parents. ;)

lip lesson

2008-11-19T04:30:00.000-08:00

Last night I was feeling lazy. During my pre-bed face washing I realized I had moved my face wash and could either try to find it with a dripping wet face or just use Bill's. Of course I took the easy way and used my hubby's face wash. Now his stuff is usually a little harsher than I like to use on my skin, but whatever, one washing won't hurt. Or so I thought.

After finishing my bedtime preparations, I jumped into bed with my new library book and snuggled under my down comforter. I read a few sentences and noticed a sort of numb and tingly feeling in my upper lip. Weird I thought, and went back to reading. A few minutes later it was still there so I reluctantly left my warm nest in the bed and looked in the bathroom mirror. My lip was swollen to about twice its normal size! Just my upper lip. It looked like a really bad plastic surgery job--think Meg Ryan a few years ago. I stared at it for a few more minutes, and poked it, and it didn't seem to be getting any worse, so I jumped back into bed. I only entertained a few panicky thoughts about my whole face swelling up and not being able to breathe, or the swelling not going down and having to walk around looking like I had a botched lip plumping.

Bill came in after walking the dog and I asked, does my lip look swollen? Somehow I thought perhaps I was imagining it. Bill was quite amused by my new look and told me not to worry about it, it would be fine in the morning.

He's right, it is. Lesson learned, don't be lazy and use man cleanser on your face, unless you want to see what you would look like after a collagen lip plumping.

Getting Ready for Winter

2008-11-14T12:41:00.000-08:00

Aubrey's new snowsuit came in the mail today. It is on the big side since it is 2T, but the 18 month one that we tried in the store was too small. We had a fun time running around and falling over in all the extra padding. I love the silly expression on her face in the second picture. Now when I put an item of clothing on her she declares herself, "Cuuuuuute!"

We went to visit Bill at his office today for lunch. Aubrey had fun running around and distracting all of Bill's coworkers. There is a maze of cubicles there so she was running up and down the aisles, stopping and waving and saying hi when she saw someone, then continued running after a 5 second pause.

I've also made an appointment for next weekend for the family to get pictures taken. We have never done it as a family professionally before, so I hope they turn out well. I am going to have fun picking out outfits for us--I don't want to do too matchy-matchy or holiday themed, but obviously want to coordinate. Maybe we'll do some test shots this weekend. :) The place lets you do outfit changes too, but that would involve more decisions and more patience from Aubrey so I might skip that part and just have them change the backdrop.

Banana

2008-10-31T07:42:00.001-07:00

I had to document this one. Some of the things that Aubrey says are quiet clear, others not so much. Occasionally she comes up with very creative ways to say what she is hearing. She has been saying banana like this for about a month now. And yes, she is in a kind of crazy mood--look at the disaster of toys behind her! That happened in about thirty seconds flat. :)

15 Months Old Today

2008-10-29T07:01:00.000-07:00

The face she makes when I say "smile." She also started clapping too for good measure.

With her best furry friend.

Wants to go climb stairs.

It is cold out today and very windy. Every time there is a big gust she looks at the trees and says "wooooowww!"

Can I bring this little pumpkin on our walk?

The pumpkin was too heavy so we took off without it--we don't hold still for long!

Warm and Cozy

2008-10-23T06:41:00.000-07:00

Now that it is finally cooler out, Aubrey can enjoy her fabulous custom sweater by Gramma.

2008-10-15T05:52:00.000-07:00

I have kept pretty quiet about the Presidential election so far on my blog. All my readers are well informed people who most likely have their minds made up about who they are voting for, so I wasn't really going to delve into it. However, a friend shared an article with me today that both brought tears to my eyes and sickened me.

Our country is at such a crossroads. Economic policies: whether you believe in free markets or more regulation by the government. Health care: privatization or government regulation. Foreign policy: continue to pre-emptively protect our country from terrorists using the military or reduce nuclear proliferation and use diplomatic venues to prevent more violence. I could go on. These issues are all very important, but there is one more that I want to delve into in greater depth because I didn't understand how extreme Senator Obama's policies are when it comes to the area of human life.

Senator Obama places a great deal of importance and priority to his pro-abortion policies. He has promised that ''the first thing I'd do as President is sign the Freedom of Choice Act.'' This act would provide federally funded abortions for any point in the pregnancy for any undefined "health" reason. It would remove parental consent and notification laws and conscience exemptions that protect health workers from losing their jobs if they object to participating in abortions. In addition to that, he would remove funding from pro-life crisis pregnancy centers that provide support for women who choose not to abort their babies.

It gets even worse. Not only does Senator Obama wish to remove the protection that President Bush has provided for frozen embryos that were created in the process of invitro fertilization, but he wants to lift bans on cloning embryos for research purposes. This will create and then kill these babies factory style in the name of science.

Lastly consider that there will likely be vacancies on the Supreme Court in the next term. If you have a pro-abortion president, pro-abortion majority in Congress, and a pro-abortion majority sitting on the Supreme Court, how many more innocent lives will be lost? Abortion is such a black mark in our nation's history and we should look back on it in shame as we do slavery.

Does the average pro-Obama voter understand how extreme his policies really are?

I encourage you to read this article in full.

Other sources:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27035396/
http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/567646696.html
http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/womenissues
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2064639/posts

She loves riding horses already

2008-10-14T11:14:00.000-07:00

Busy day

2008-10-07T15:25:00.000-07:00

eating lunch

antiques shopping

at the Richmond Children's museum

Aubrey didn't want to stop going back and forth across the bridge

Aubrey and I went down to Richmond to spend the day with Hayley and Charlotte yesterday. Yes, they are dressed alike, Aubrey and I found shirts that say best friends on them and had to have them. Isn't it cute? We had a lot of fun. First we went to the Republican headquarters to pick up some bumper stickers. Being in the midst of the phonebanking and campaigning buzz certainly brought back memories of two years ago! Then we headed to get lunch at a bagel shop and browsed in a few boutiques. Then we headed to the Richmond's children's museum and the kids had a blast! The whole place is amazing: there was a kid scale town with a grocers, dr. office, bank, etc., dinosaurs, a tree you "pick" apples from, and a whole section for under 3s. Aubrey was so wound up from it all she hardly slept on the drive home and then was running around like a crazy baby before bed.

Running around in PJs before bed

attacking mommy with a silly face

Fourteen Months

2008-10-05T05:40:00.001-07:00

Drinking a Mango Pineapple Smoothie

We have been so busy lately that I had been meaning to do a 14 month post for quite a few days now and am just getting around to it. Our little Aubrey is growing in leaps and bounds. It didn't take long for her to transition from not walking without holding our hands to don't you dare hold my hand while I am walking. We go on walks every day, we are up to about 1/2 mile now before she gets tired. And by tired I mean she just turns off the sidewalk and plays with leaves or grass, she would never ask to be picked up! Anytime that I do pick her up or guide her away from something she wants to be doing she screams like I am torturing her in the worst way. Definitely humbling in public.

Just like her mommy, Aubrey is a talker. She has at last count over 40 words*, four two-word phrases, and four animal sounds. However, around people other than us Aubrey clams up and is very quiet. While at home she repeats just about everything that I say to the best of her ability, and that can come out really funny sometimes.

Aubrey loves to laugh. Whenever anyone who is around her laughs she will laugh too, even if she doesn't know what is funny. She is very ticklish and loves being startled as well. She is always very busy, never stopping moving. She walks while she drinks, eats, or picks up a toy. One exception is when she sits to read her books or even better, have them read to her. Her absolute favorite outing, other than walks, is to go to the library. She toddles up and down the rows of books saying, Book, Book, Book and pointing. Always generous, she pulls the books off the shelves and distributes them to any other kids who are in the area.

So, as you can see, Aubrey isn't a baby any more. Sometimes I miss those baby days, but then I remember the sleepless nights and the constant nursing, and am happy with having a toddler instead.

*Just so I can remember in the future, I am cataloguing them here.
Daddy, Mama, Hi, Bye-bye, That, Baby, Ball, Balloon, Hop (what a bunny does), Jump, Walk (as in put me down so I can walk), Doggy, Bunny, Horse, Hen, Duck, Birdie, Fish, Kitty, Nose, Mouth, Eye, Tummy, Trees, Bush (as in President), Yum, Yuck, Boo, Mess, Milk, Cheese, Spoon, Book, Shoes, Nice (for petting animals), Hug (when she gives one), Ut-Oh, Ow (as in I hurt myself), Brush, Poopies (yes, she tells me when she goes), Up please, All done, Thank you, Love you, Woof, Neigh, Quack, Baa

Homeschooling starts early: Government 101

2008-10-01T06:16:00.000-07:00

I had to teach her this one now because Bush is so much easier to say than McCain or Obama.

Camping

2008-09-23T04:22:00.000-07:00

We took a little camping trip this past weekend. The Washington and Jefferson National Forest is only about an hour and a half away, and has quite a few nice campgrounds. The one we chose was the closest to us called Elizabeth Furnace, named for the pig iron furnace site that it is built on. For Bill's birthday we got a new tent which was really nice, big enough for us and then some. It has a curtain down the middle so we could put Aubrey's pack n play on one side and we slept on the other. Aubrey did great--this was her first camping trip! It was a little cold--only 47 at night, but I bundled her up so much she could hardly move which was funny but it worked, she slept very well. The rest of the time she relished walking around the campground, riding in the backpack, eating tons of food, and getting filthy dirty. We went on a couple short hikes, we didn't really want to try one of our usual 4-6 milers with a 25+ pound baby on Bill's back.

Oh no! A bear in our campground!

Breakfast with the bear.

The fire tower we hiked to and climbed. Dexter refused to go up it and the height made Bill very nervous. It was metal with holes in so you could see all the way to the ground. That didn't make it seem very stable.

There were great views from the top.

Aubrey in the backpack.

Hanging out in the camp site.

Enjoying the view of the water.

Charlotte's Birthday Bash

2008-09-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

We attended Aubrey's friend Charlotte's birthday party yesterday. We had a lot of fun eating yummy food and to die for cake and watching the kids play. Charlotte was being so brave and walking a good 10 feet at a time and Aubrey was obsessed with playing with the balloons.

My two favorite people getting ready to party

Modeling new trouser jeans.

Gathering around C to watch her devour a cupcake.

Balloons!

Partiers

2008-09-04T16:19:00.000-07:00

Imitating Mommy putting on sunglasses

We've been pretty busy lately. Labor Day weekend came and went really quickly. Saturday was our last time at the pool for the season--Aubrey will be so sad not to go swimming a couple times a week now. She would get so excited when she saw the water and never wanted to get out! Monday we went to Richmond to visit our friends who recently moved down there at their new place. Their new neighborhood is very nice, lots of great shopping. We miss them already though. :(

Bill's birthday was on Tuesday. He had a stressful day at work, but then when he came home I greeted him with a yummy chocolate cake and the news that I had arranged for a babysitter and we were going out to dinner! We went to Ruth's Chris Steak House, they were having a two dine for a set price type deal. It still ended up being more than we ever spend on eating out, but we figured that Bill only has one 30th birthday and he did get some money for it from Gramma and his parents so we splurged. It was very good food and great service. You don't realize how bad the service is in lower price restaurants until you go to one where they obviously have had training. I also realized that this month Bill and I will have known each other for ten years! What? Are we really getting that old?

Our little baby is getting so big now, we really can't call her a baby anymore. It makes me wistful and kind of sad, but very proud at the same time. She is learning so much every day--yesterday she learned how to go all the way down the flights of stairs backwards and also back up while turning her push toy around so she doesn't get stuck in the corner anymore. She is very into imitation now, all my sounds and gestures get repeated. Yesterday evening before bed was the last time that I have nursed her--I think I am having a harder time weaning than she is at this point. She went to sleep for the night without being nursed for the first time in her life tonight and I am the one who is sad.

Charlotte and Aubrey playing in C's new house

A showing C what color she should paint the walls from a paint chip.

Aubrey and her farm animals

2008-09-02T11:16:00.000-07:00

Featured here are the duck, sheep, and horse.

Ticklish

2008-08-28T07:08:00.000-07:00

It is too hot out to wear jeans

2008-08-25T06:52:00.000-07:00

but I am doing it anyway. I just got a new pair on Saturday and they fit so well. All my pre-pregnancy jeans are way too big--all size 8s and 6s. Weirdly I am now a size 4 (or 28 at j.crew), at least on bottom. It is such a nice thing to have a pair of jeans that fit me with no saggy bottom or (as Hayley named it) crotch saggage. In the past few weeks, I bought two pairs of jeans from two different stores and tried on multiple pairs in other stores and in all of them I am a size four which is so strange to me since I have never worn that size. I think I was an eight when I was like 12 years old. So either I am shrinking or sizes are growing--or (most likely) both.

Anyway, I have to decide what to do with all my old clothes. I have so many suits from working, casual pants that are too big, etc. Probably what I should do is keep my favorites in the bigger sizes, just a few things, and then donate the rest. I realize there is a possibility that I will get bigger again now that I am weaning Aubrey and also with future pregnancies. There is also the sentimentality of many of these clothes--oh, this is the suit I was wearing when I interviewed for my job, this is the one I was wearing when I attended Reagan's funeral, this is what I was wearing when I found out I was pregnant, etc. Any thoughts? Like go for it Becky, get rid of everything that doesn't fit, you dont' need 5 saggy baggy suits. Or don't do it! You'll gain back all that weight eventually and do you want to buy all new clothes? Oh wait, that sounds like fun. ;)

hugs and snuggles

2008-08-21T06:14:00.000-07:00

recently Aubrey has become very lovey with her stuffed animals, picking them up and rocking them and hugging them. It is so cute. Maybe it is time to get her a doll. I haven't been trying to be a "progressive" mom and give her masculine toys to play with instead of gender stereotypical toys, but she does have a truck, a train, and a soccer ball. Yeah, I think it is time for a baby doll.

Big Girl (still)

2008-08-19T07:32:00.000-07:00

Aubrey had her one year checkup today. She was cute walking around the waiting room holding my hand and handing books and toys to the other kids there. Thankfully it was full of well-visit children, so hopefully we didn't catch any germs. There were two other moms there with four kids each and one other with two. They looked tired. ;)

Anyway, here are the stats:

Weight: 24 lbs. 5 oz. 90%
Height: 31" 95%
Head: 46.5 cm 90%

Which means she is only two inches and 3 pounds away from wearing Crewcuts.

I expect her to slow down in growing a bit now since her version of eating is take a few bites and throw the rest off the high chair onto the floor. She just wants to be exploring all the time--can't keep her still! The doctor was surprised that she has about a dozen words now, he was asking if she said mama or dada yet. I said, yes, and doggy, birdy, ut-oh, thank you, fish, ball, bye-bye, hi, kitty, and up. :) One of my favorite things now is when she wakes up in the morning and I come in to get her out of her crib she will give me a huge smile and a big hi! Sometimes when she is falling asleep she will practice her words, I'll hear her going through her whole vocabulary a few times before drifting off.

Happy Anniversary!

2008-08-14T09:10:00.001-07:00

My brother John and Sister-in-law Alisa. I can't believe it has been three years already! Best wishes for a wonderful year together. Love you!

I'd rather be...

2008-08-12T08:03:00.000-07:00

2008-08-08T12:04:00.001-07:00

Today was one of those wonderful days that comes to your mind when you think about being a stay at home mom but in reality don't come along as often as you like.

First of all the weather is perfect. Low 80s, low humidity, brilliant blue sky with puffy marshmallow clouds, and a breeze that keeps the grass and trees in constant motion. Adding all those things together, Aubrey and I decided to get out of the house. While she was taking her morning nap I packed up our backpack full of a yummy picnic lunch. After slathering up with sunscreen and grabbing a blanket to sit on we were out the door. Only a 10 minute drive away is one of the most beautiful parks that I have ever been to. Wide, rolling meadows, meandering streams, sun dappled woods, and herds of graceful shy deer are only a few reasons that I love Manassas National Battlefield park.

Aubrey and I were the only people in the part of the park we picked for our adventure. I parked the car and put her in the backpack and HEAVED it onto my back. Woah, okay, heavier than I thought, so we took a short hike to a shady spot under a juniper (cedar maybe?) tree. Aubrey enjoyed crawling around on the quilt, playing with my sunglasses and water bottle and I just lay on my back and gazed up at the tree and sky. The cicadas and the wind made enough noise to block out the distant traffic sounds so for all we knew we were all alone. I am a country girl at heart and having that time away from the hustle and bustle was so peaceful. We ate pasta salad and watermellon for lunch; then while Aubrey was climbing on me we saw a mommy and baby deer nearby. Aubrey actually spotted them first, pointing and saying "doggy." After they left, I put Aubrey back in the pack and took a little longer walk back to the car.

The tree we sat under.

Enjoying some water

Can you spot Aubrey on the blanket?
The view from our picnic spot. The stone wall is an old homestead.

Gazing up at a bird flying by.

After the park we went to the library where Aubrey enjoyed pulling books off the shelves, reading, and walking around. At one point she got down to crawl away as fast as she could, giggling all the way. She thinks it is so funny to play catch me if you can.

On the way home we stopped at Starbucks (okay, this country girl does love some things about the suburbs) and I drank some iced coffee and we shared a rice krispie treat while reading one of her books from the library. She then walked around some more while charming other customers with her big grins and coy dimples. Aubrey now loves walking without holding anything, she knows what a huge accomplishment it is and doesn't want to do much else!

The only thing that makes me sad about this day is that Aubrey won't have any memory of it. I appreciate now that she is a participant in day to day activities rather than a little blob I tote around. I am looking forward to many more days of fun with my little companion.

Walking!

2008-08-08T06:33:00.000-07:00

New Word

2008-08-04T13:56:00.000-07:00

Aubrey has a few words now, some of which are more discernable than others. "Buuh" is balloon, which isn't really even very close, but she has been consistently pointing at them and saying that so I guess that is as close as she can get. Isn't it cute? I love her little baby voice.

Speaking of voices...she just woke up from her nap and is hungry. Know how I know that? Her little baby voice coming over the monitor saying "yum."

Saturday evening we had a hailstorm

2008-08-04T07:21:00.000-07:00

It is very surreal to see ice balls raining out of the sky mid-summer. They weren't big enough to do any damage--only about blueberry to dime sized.

Party, Party.

2008-08-04T06:47:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful week of celebration we have had. We started with a family party in Connecticut as you already saw from the pictures I posted then we had a friends party here in Virginia yesterday. I am so overwhelmed with thankfulness and joy that so many gathered and marked Aubrey's first birthday with us. It has been so fun seeing everyone, enjoying catching up, laughing at the antics of the kids, and eating a lot of good food--especially cake! Everyone was so generous as well--Aubrey received so many fun new toys, books, and pretty much completed her late summer and fall wardrobes.

Aubrey decided to give us a special treat at her party yesterday--she walked across the entire living room! Yep, that's right, let go of Bill's hands and took off. We were all just staring at her with our mouths open. Here I was thinking late crawler would equal late walker, but it looks like I will have to rethink that.

Here are some pictures from yesterday's party:

How old are you? That's right! ONE!

Aubrey, Charlotte, Hayley, and Karis playing with balloons. Miraculously none of them popped.

Opening presents.

Everyone singing Happy Birthday (sorry, I know singing pictures are not flattering.) We had 14 adults and 5 kids in attendance!

Yummy cake and cupcakes.

sharing birthdays

2008-08-01T13:02:00.000-07:00

I was wondering if Aubrey shared a birthday with anyone famous and so upon googling it I found out she shares it with--Benito Mussolini! What! Okay, nevermind, I think I rather my daughter didn't share her birthday with an Italian dictator. Not many others of note except Clara Bow who was the "it" girl of the silent films.

I on the other hand share the day with Teddy Roosevelt, Nicolo Paganini, and James Cook (you know, the British sea captain and explorer who was the first to fend off scurvy by feeding lemons and sauerkraut to his sailors. He was also the first European in New Zealand.) I am in good company there.

How about you? Who do you share your day with? www.famousbirthdays.net

Birthday Party in Connecticut

2008-07-29T12:30:00.001-07:00

Eating watermellon!

My brother John, sister-in-law Alisa, and their new puppy Jamie

Eating dinner down by the lake

Opening presents with Aubrey's cousins Ellie and Noah.

Eating birthday cake, yum!

Four Generations of Blue Eyes

2008-07-29T12:23:00.000-07:00

Happy First Birthday, Aubrey!

2008-07-29T06:42:00.000-07:00

A year ago today our little princess made her debut. She was a sleepy little bundle then. Aubrey sure has changed over the course of the year! A lot has stayed the same though: loves to eat, loud, chubby cheeks, button nose, and no hair.

Now she is getting to be such a big girl. She has ten teeth, has taken a few steps, and eats all "grown-up" foods. Aubrey waves, claps, dances, and says bye-bye, hi, doggy, yum, thank you, daddy, mama, that, and yuck. She also loves to kick, roll, and throw balls. We have been enjoying every minute of being parents to our big girl with the big personality!

the gang

2008-07-23T11:49:00.000-07:00

Clockwise starting in lower left corner: Charlotte, Aubrey, Karis (crouching in toybox, you can hardly see her), Noah (sitting behind Peter), Peter, and Jocelyn who is sitting down front. Thanks to Kelly for the picture--it was hard getting a shot with all the kiddos in it because they were all in motion!

Aubrey's first sport

2008-07-20T11:34:00.000-07:00

We bought Aubrey a Nike soccer ball--not only does she like rolling it which is why we bought it, but she loves to kick it too. Maybe we have discovered the reason she is such a big girl--Women's U.S. Soccer Team 2028!

The picture of innocence?

2008-07-17T10:14:00.000-07:00

What was the question? Did I just stuff five goldfish crackers in my mouth? Does it look like it to you?

Silly Face

2008-07-17T09:10:00.000-07:00

2008-07-12T16:26:00.000-07:00

The three of us took a trip to the zoo today--Aubrey's first. We knew she probably would like seeing all the animals, since one of her favorite activities is playing with Dexter. We were right it was a hit! In the picture above she is pointing at a bear--Aubrey did a lot of pointing and squealing, doggy! She also really enjoyed watching some really giant Amazonian prehistoric looking fish swimming around, they were seriously huge, at least 7 feet long. Her absolute favorites were the meerkats whose antics sent her into gales of laughter. The other people at the zoo were having more fun watching her than the meerkats. It was in the 90s and very humid out so we were drenched in sweat pushing her stroller up and down the hills, but we really had so much fun. Next on the list is the Baltimore Aquarium--she will love it there based on how much she loved the fish and the sea lions at the National Zoo.

Eating and Sleeping

2008-07-11T08:23:00.000-07:00

Ah, so deceptively peaceful.

A ripe peach makes a huge mess, but a very happy baby!

summer mornings

2008-07-11T07:53:00.000-07:00

Every weekday morning it is my habit to take a 2-3 mile walk with Aubrey and Dexter. Since it has been so hot lately we take the walk right after breakfast so that we can get back around 9am which is when the humid air really starts to heat up. Walking around the neighborhoods I enjoy spying on other people's gardens. I haven't had much time or motivation to do anything with mine in so long it is nice to see what other people are doing with their yards. A couple days ago we got the Bradford Pear tree in our front yard trimmed and now it is letting a lot more light through so I may attempt to make the front look a little more presentable. Another benefit to walking so early in the morning is that we see a bunch of cute baby bunnies along the way. Aubrey likes to point at them and squeal and says Doggy! because every animal is a doggy to her at this age. This morning was also the first time that we heard the buzzing of the cicadas. No other sound captures the essence of the summer days where the humidity blurs the horizon and the heat ripples the air that sluggishly rises from the sidewalks. Life just slows down and you dream of watermellon, iced tea and the smell of sunscreen.

Summer Treat

2008-07-03T11:22:00.000-07:00

Cold!

Hmmm...should I try more?

mmmm...yep, yummy!

2008-07-03T09:35:00.000-07:00

Not sure if Aubrey thinks she is a dog or if Dexter thinks he is a person. Maybe a little of both.

Aubrey's Top Ten

2008-06-27T06:08:00.000-07:00

Foods

1. Cheese

2. Graham Crackers

3. Peas and Carrots

4. Blueberry Waffles

5. Yogurt

6. Macaroni and cheese

7. Applesauce with Cinnamon

8. Broccoli

9. Bagels

10. Watermellon

Activities

1. Walking holding someone's hand

2. Making funny faces and imitating funny noises

3. Swinging at the playground

4. Swimming in Pool

5. Pulling up to stand on everything

6. Crawling very fast while being chased by Mommy

7. Riding in stroller outside

8. Chasing Dexter around yelling Doggy in a very shrill voice

9. Being Tickled

10. Tearing up Magazines

Dislikes

1. Having to sit/play by herself

2. Being told no

3. Having something taken away

4. Daddy leaving for work

5. Getting dressed

6. Getting out of the bathtub

7. Pureed baby food

8. The noise the vaccuum makes

9. Doing the same old boring things

10. Getting in her car seat

Dat

2008-06-18T06:18:00.001-07:00

It amazes me how much curiosity babies have. Aubrey is constantly pointing at things and saying, "dat." It usually means "what is that" or "look at that." She points most of the time now--at balloons in the grocery store, at dogs when we are on our walks, and most of all she loves to find and point at airplanes or birds flying overhead. It is so cute, I can hear her doing it when I am driving, "I am sorry, honey, Mommy can't see what that is. Are you looking out the window at the puffy clouds or the green trees?" In the picture above I put a toy on my head for her to point at. "Dat!" Yes, mommy put a toy on her head, that is silly!

Yum

2008-06-16T04:35:00.001-07:00

We enjoyed a fun family outing to a farmer's market on Saturday morning. I was hoping the produce would be less expensive than the grocery store, but unfortunately that wasn't the case. It was, however, super fresh and yummy. Every day since then we have been enjoying fresh from the farm strawberries and cherries. I have made a few simple cucumber salads the way my Gramma used to. The best purchase, however, was the asparagus. There is an amazing difference between the fresh picked and store bought kind. It was spectacularly crisp, tender, and very flavorful. Now I can't wait until they have tomatoes and corn next month.

It comes with the territory

2008-06-13T12:21:00.000-07:00

I think I inherited the worry gene from my Dad. Or maybe that is just an excuse I use to explain my bad habit. Anyway, I was already calling the pediatrician when Aubrey wasn't crawling at 7 and a half months. "Is this okay? She doesn't even really roll that much and hates being on her tummy. Not once has she tried to get up on her knees!" Their response, try to get her to play on her tummy and if she still isn't crawling at her nine month checkup you can discuss it with the doctor. In other words they were rolling their eyes and mouthing "first-time mom" to the other receptionist. Still not crawling at 9 months. The doctor wasn't worried at all. Her muscle tone is fine, she just isn't motivated. "Well," I say, "when should I start worrying?" (as if I hadn't been for 2 months already) "If she isn't walking by 18 months," was the reply. What? I have to go through 9 more months of this, what if something is wrong with my baby gut-wrenching fear before you will do anything about it? Time went by and she started to love assisted walking more than anything and I finally resigned myself to the idea that maybe she wouldn't be a crawler, but maybe go right to walking. Then a bit over 10 months while we were on a weekend getaway at a friend's vacation house she scooched forward to get a snack that was about a foot out of reach. Then she did it again. You could almost see the little light bulb go off inside her head. Bill and I were baiting her with food all over the living room as she developed the funniest wounded soldier looking one leg dragging army crawl. A few hours later she got up to her knees for the first time. The next day she started crawling on all fours.

That was on Sunday. Now there is no stopping the girl. She crawls very proficiently and pulls up to standing. She walks holding our hands or her walker toy and will actually let go and stand alone for up to 30 seconds. Her new favorite thing is climbing over me while I am lying on the floor (a great game to play when you are tired and your baby is not). It amazes me that she is figuring this stuff out so quickly. She just had to do it all in her own time.

Now I can stop worrying about her not crawling and focus on keeping her out of trouble. Wait...what age are they supposed to be taking their first steps? I had better call the doctor!

Now we are in trouble

2008-06-10T07:48:00.000-07:00

I wasn't sure this day was ever going to come--Aubrey finally made up her mind to crawl!

Grandparents bring the coolest presents

2008-06-06T05:38:00.000-07:00

Aubrey loves to walk. She actually goes faster than this usually, but she was distracted by our computer while she was walking. And yes, that noise is her clicking her tongue. She hasn't figured out how to steer yet, so when she runs into the furniture she is stuck. Day one of play with this toy we had to hold her and the toy, by day three she was doing it on her own--fast learner!

Busy, Busy, Terribly Busy

2008-06-04T04:18:00.000-07:00

I love visits from family and with friends, but maybe I shouldn't have scheduled so much in such a short time. I can't catch up on my rest. I don't know if Aubrey is teething or just having a sleep regression (which I read often happens at this time in their lives) but she is waking a couple times a night. She can wake up and cry for 5-20 minutes and fall right back asleep, but by the time I figure out that nothing is wrong with her I am wide awake and it takes me a good hour to fall back asleep. Therefore for the past five nights I have slept from 11-2 and 3-5 when I used to be able to sleep 10-6. Apparently I am no longer operating under the special grace God provides for sleep deprived moms of newborns because my ability to function has been greatly reduced.

We had a great visit with my parents Saturday through Tuesday morning. Today I am hosting Bible study (7 moms and 7 toddlers/babies=mad chaos, but it is wonderful) then we are having some college friends over for dinner and game night. Friday night we are having other friends over for dinner. (now both these couples are childless so I imagine that they normally stay up much later than Bill and I do) First thing Saturday morning we are driving about 3 hours away to spend a 3 day weekend at other friends' lake house. phew. When will I pack for the trip? I have no idea. But it will be fun. Oh yeah, in there is our sixth wedding anniversary too! This side of all the activity part of me is dreading it, but I know I will love all the social time and will be so happy that I did it when it is all over.

Ten Months Old

2008-05-29T16:31:00.001-07:00

We celebrated today by going to Rita's for some mango italian ice--yum. I let Aubrey have a taste, but she didn't enjoy the coldness of it very much. She loves the balloon she got though!

I also thought this picture was funny. She was sitting and smiling at me when I pushed the button to take it. No sitting still for her!