Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Overheard At My House
Savannah, talking on her phone...
"Oh Barbara, I called to let you know that my blood pressure is broke! I'm gonna have to drive myself down to that doctor and tell him to fix it. I don't need no broke blood pressure. I call you later and we can go shopping. Okay, bye-bye."
"Oh Barbara, I called to let you know that my blood pressure is broke! I'm gonna have to drive myself down to that doctor and tell him to fix it. I don't need no broke blood pressure. I call you later and we can go shopping. Okay, bye-bye."
Monday, June 28, 2010
Brooklyn's 4 Month Stats
Brooklyn went for her checkup today and has grown!
She is now 25.5 inches long, and above the 90% for her height.
She weighs 13 pounds, 7 ounces, just under 50% for her weight.
She was, however, developmentally delayed, mostly in the area of her gross and fine motor skills. An early intervention specialist will be coming out to our house soon to meet with us and evaluate her needs. They think that she can catch up with some physical therapy, so we are praying that direction for our little sweetie, and we'd love your prayers, too!
She is now 25.5 inches long, and above the 90% for her height.
She weighs 13 pounds, 7 ounces, just under 50% for her weight.
She was, however, developmentally delayed, mostly in the area of her gross and fine motor skills. An early intervention specialist will be coming out to our house soon to meet with us and evaluate her needs. They think that she can catch up with some physical therapy, so we are praying that direction for our little sweetie, and we'd love your prayers, too!
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Date One
Well, time for Date One came before I knew it, and I planned a cute little picnic. And failed to factor in that it was 100 degrees. Literally. So, when I excitedly informed the hubby of the plan, he was slightly less than enthused. And if you know my hubby, you know that an outward display of disapproval is probably pretty bad. So, I scrambled for a new idea.
And what could be more fun than...
...a scavenger hunt?!
Darren got his first clue after we dropped the girls off at his parents' house.
He was a very successful clue guesser, by the way.
After a very yummy family-style dinner, he received this clue...
For some reason, in my head, I pictured it being cooler by this point, and it was still a crispy hot 97 degrees. But, we had fun.
And though I tried my very hardest, I will never be good at putt-putt. I was the loser.
So, we proceeded to the batting cages. Darren did quite well, hitting nearly every one. And I know that nobody will ever believe it without any photographic proof, but I batted also. And I impressed myself and hit 4 out of 16 pitches. Sad, I know, but just ask Katie... thats an improvement for me.
After we had our fun, Darren got his next clue...
...dessert! My favorite part of the date! Darren snapped this less-than-flattering picture of us enjoying a chocolate milkshake and outrageous oatmeal cookie dough ice cream. Yum!
And finally, all good things must come to an end sometime. The last clue...
And what could be more fun than...
...a scavenger hunt?!
Darren got his first clue after we dropped the girls off at his parents' house.
He was a very successful clue guesser, by the way.
After a very yummy family-style dinner, he received this clue...
For some reason, in my head, I pictured it being cooler by this point, and it was still a crispy hot 97 degrees. But, we had fun.
And though I tried my very hardest, I will never be good at putt-putt. I was the loser.
So, we proceeded to the batting cages. Darren did quite well, hitting nearly every one. And I know that nobody will ever believe it without any photographic proof, but I batted also. And I impressed myself and hit 4 out of 16 pitches. Sad, I know, but just ask Katie... thats an improvement for me.
After we had our fun, Darren got his next clue...
...dessert! My favorite part of the date! Darren snapped this less-than-flattering picture of us enjoying a chocolate milkshake and outrageous oatmeal cookie dough ice cream. Yum!
And finally, all good things must come to an end sometime. The last clue...
Friday, June 25, 2010
Four Months Old
Brooklyn is four months old today. I can't believe it. I thank God daily for this sweet little girl! She is such a delight.
Brooklyn loves to be held. She is my little cuddler. She loves nothing more than to be picked up and carried, or cuddled while Momma watches tv, reads, or does anything else! She will definitely be affectionate, which is more than fine with me. But... she is also very content on her own. She loves to lay in her bed and kick and chatter away at her mobile. She also loves to lay on a blanket and talk to her Momma or her sister. Her favorite place, besides being held, is without a doubt her bouncy seat. I was beginning to think that thing was a waste of money because Savannah wasn't a huge fan of it, but Brooklyn loves it. Every child is different!
Brooklyn loves to be held. She is my little cuddler. She loves nothing more than to be picked up and carried, or cuddled while Momma watches tv, reads, or does anything else! She will definitely be affectionate, which is more than fine with me. But... she is also very content on her own. She loves to lay in her bed and kick and chatter away at her mobile. She also loves to lay on a blanket and talk to her Momma or her sister. Her favorite place, besides being held, is without a doubt her bouncy seat. I was beginning to think that thing was a waste of money because Savannah wasn't a huge fan of it, but Brooklyn loves it. Every child is different!
Brooklyn continues to be a great nurser. I am very blessed by that! We still haven't tried cereal since she doesn't seem ready for it. Because she is a little bit delayed from being a preemie, we may keep waiting for now.
Brooklyn is also a good sleeper! This month, we finally got the hang of a routine. She is taking two long naps (usually 2 hours), one in the morning and one in the afternoon. She is definitely a night owl. She hates to be awake in the morning, and usually wants her nap after only being awake a little over an hour. But when it comes time for her to go to bed at night, she wants to party. I always try to get her to go to sleep around 8, but she usually doesn't settle down until around 10. But, I can't complain, because she is consistently sleeping through the night now (pinch me!). I can't hardly believe it. With Savannah, I got up through the night multiple times for nine months, until my friend Naomi convinced me to do sleep bootcamp. Finally, Savannah slept through the night. (Thank you, Naomi, for saving my sanity back then!) Brooklyn, on the other hand, just randomly started sleeping through the night, and hasn't stopped since! I didn't know babies could even do that. She sleeps from about 9:30 or 10 until about 8 am. I'm thinking about starting to wake her up earlier in order to try to bump her bedtime up earlier. Any suggestions, moms?!
Brooklyn also started rolling over this month. She can roll from her front to her back quite easily. One morning I went in her room and she was on her back (she normally sleeps on her tummy). Every morning since then, she has been on her back. So, she is a roley-poley. As far as her other motor skills, we are still working on getting her to hold her head up. She forgets to hold it up and it tends to kind of have a bobble-head effect. If she doesn't master it soon, they'll consider physical therapy. We'll see what they say at her well visit next week!
Also this month, this sweet girl has mastered social smiling and cooing. She has the cutest smile and smiles the most at her Momma. When I go get her out of bed in the mornings, as soon as she sees me, she breaks into a huge grin. It definitely makes getting up so worth it. In addition to smiling though, she took it one step further and added yet another skill to her baby resume... she laughed out loud. She has only done it twice, and believe me, I've tried a lot of silly things to try to get her to laugh again!
Time is flying by too fast, but I'm so thankful for Brooklyn's growth and progress! I can't wait to see what the next month brings...
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Fifty-Two Dating Challenge
My dearest blog readers, I am taking part in a challenge. And I challenge you to join me. Are you up for it?!
Darren and I are going to go on fifty-two dates in the next year. Yes, there are fifty-two weeks in a year. Yes, that is one date per week. Seems easy, right? 52 dates in 365 days? No big deal!
Well, if you had that thought, I can bet-my-bottom-dollar that you don't have two kids under the age of three. I have named it a dating challenge for a reason.
You see, we don't date very often. It just doesn't happen. The calendar fills up, the kids get sick, we get exhausted, and babysitters cost an un-stinkin-believable fortune these days. And, believe it or not (I know, its shocking), sometimes I can be crabby and annoying and maybe not very date-able.
But we should date. I'm getting kind of tired of starting sentences with, "Remember when we did such-and-such, when we were dating?"
So, I present… the challenge. Fifty-two dates in 365 days. An average of one per week. Here are the rules.
Rules:
A date is a minimum of two hours long.
No kids.
No cell phones. (No texting, calling, taking phone calls related to work or personal life, no mobile blogging, no facebook status updates, no email-checking. The ONLY exception is a call from the babysitter... in case there is an emergency of some sort. Ahem.)
No doing the same thing twice in one month. [What?! You didn't say this involved creativity!!!] The point of this challenge is not to have a weekly dinner at a place of your choosing. Its to date. And you don't always take your date to do the same thing. [Or if you did, I doubt it worked out well for you…]
The husband has to plan one date per month (I thought I'd let him off kind of easy on this one…)
Note: A date doesn't have to be expensive. You don't even have to leave home. You can cook dinner together and rent a movie so that you don't have to get a babysitter. But you must obey the rules…
Are you up for the challenge? I'm not completely sure I am, to be honest. But I'm going to try. And I'm going to blog it [hey, its my blog, and I can blog what I want!] to keep myself accountable. And I'd love for you to join me. So, if you'd like to, leave a comment on my post letting me know that you'll be joining my journey. And each time I post about a date, you can let me know what you did too! (Lets face it, I'm going to need ideas after a while!)
So here is to a fun, new year (and who cares if it’s the middle of the year… its never a bad time to make good changes)!
Darren and I are going to go on fifty-two dates in the next year. Yes, there are fifty-two weeks in a year. Yes, that is one date per week. Seems easy, right? 52 dates in 365 days? No big deal!
Well, if you had that thought, I can bet-my-bottom-dollar that you don't have two kids under the age of three. I have named it a dating challenge for a reason.
You see, we don't date very often. It just doesn't happen. The calendar fills up, the kids get sick, we get exhausted, and babysitters cost an un-stinkin-believable fortune these days. And, believe it or not (I know, its shocking), sometimes I can be crabby and annoying and maybe not very date-able.
But we should date. I'm getting kind of tired of starting sentences with, "Remember when we did such-and-such, when we were dating?"
So, I present… the challenge. Fifty-two dates in 365 days. An average of one per week. Here are the rules.
Rules:
A date is a minimum of two hours long.
No kids.
No cell phones. (No texting, calling, taking phone calls related to work or personal life, no mobile blogging, no facebook status updates, no email-checking. The ONLY exception is a call from the babysitter... in case there is an emergency of some sort. Ahem.)
No doing the same thing twice in one month. [What?! You didn't say this involved creativity!!!] The point of this challenge is not to have a weekly dinner at a place of your choosing. Its to date. And you don't always take your date to do the same thing. [Or if you did, I doubt it worked out well for you…]
The husband has to plan one date per month (I thought I'd let him off kind of easy on this one…)
Note: A date doesn't have to be expensive. You don't even have to leave home. You can cook dinner together and rent a movie so that you don't have to get a babysitter. But you must obey the rules…
Are you up for the challenge? I'm not completely sure I am, to be honest. But I'm going to try. And I'm going to blog it [hey, its my blog, and I can blog what I want!] to keep myself accountable. And I'd love for you to join me. So, if you'd like to, leave a comment on my post letting me know that you'll be joining my journey. And each time I post about a date, you can let me know what you did too! (Lets face it, I'm going to need ideas after a while!)
So here is to a fun, new year (and who cares if it’s the middle of the year… its never a bad time to make good changes)!
Monday, June 21, 2010
A Surprise...
Savannah has a surprise she would like to share with you... but its not quite ready yet.
Whats that you say? You'd like a hint?
Okaaaay. Here you go.
Whats that you say? You'd like a hint?
Okaaaay. Here you go.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Saturday, June 19, 2010
My Mini-Ballerina
Savannah got a promotion. She graduated from her "creative movements" dance class and is now in "preschool tap and ballet." I wanted to capture the memory of her first day in her new class. This was the reaction I got.
Lucky for me, she warms up to the camera fast.
The end-of-the-term recital should be... interesting.
Lucky for me, she warms up to the camera fast.
The end-of-the-term recital should be... interesting.
I love my tiny ballerina!
Friday, June 18, 2010
Sandbox Love
Savannah has a sandbox. Or, the new version of a sandbox, called a sand/water table. And she loves it. Especially because she can play in it while wearing a pink tutu. I mean, what activity isn't more fun in a pink tutu, anyway?!
Thursday, June 17, 2010
I Suppose I'm a Dummy...
On Monday, I took the GRE. I studied this book a lot. Perhaps that makes me a dummy. But I'd say I was better off than the guy beside me, who took a smoke break in the middle of the timed math section. Either that, or he was a genius that was already finished. At any rate, I managed to obtain the score I needed to apply to my school of choice. Fingers crossed, maybe they'll accept me!
But if they see this picture, they might not. Ahem.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
70-87-50
This past weekend, we celebrated birthdays.
Not one. Not two. But three.
My kneemom turned 70.
My grandpa Pat turned 87.
And my dad turned 50.
Not one. Not two. But three.
My kneemom turned 70.
My grandpa Pat turned 87.
And my dad turned 50.
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Not Me! Monday
I did not get in the shower with my glasses on this week. And when the water started hitting my glasses and I thought... what in the world... my next thought wasn't... haha! this would make a good not me monday post. Not me!
I have not gained weight using the rationale... but I'm nursing so I need more calories. Cake after dinner? Oh, its for the baby. Not me! (Diabetic diet, here we come again...as much as I despised you, you were effective.)
I did not go to the grocery store the other day by myself, and find myself rocking the grocery cart back and forth while I was looking at something because I subconsciously thought I must have a child in there that needed to be soothed. Not me!
I did not go to the bathroom alone the other day for one minute, and come out to find Savannah picking up her baby sister out of the bouncy seat. If this did happen, I definitely would have had a calm-and-collected presence of mind, and I wouldn't have yelled, "Savannah! No no no! Put her down right now!" The toddler, in fear for her life, wouldn't have immediately dropped her baby sister back into her seat. No, not me!
I did not totally forget that I had Sunday School breakfast this week and not take anything for anyone to eat. That would make me the most despised classmate. Thank goodness the girl for next week actually thought she was this week and brought breakfast. But for real, I'm a planner who forgets nothing. Not me!
I never get so tired of answering questions that I start ignoring them. "Momma, what is that man's name?" "Momma, are you a girl?" "Momma, can I eat marshmallows now?" "Momma, what color is that?" "Momma, can I color on the paper? On the table? On the wall? On the couch? Can I color on the..." Sigh. Not me.
My sweet girl did not inform me upon exiting church... hey! I didn't even hit nobody today! Mom, say "good job, savannah!" Not me.
What have you not done this week? I really want to know!
I have not gained weight using the rationale... but I'm nursing so I need more calories. Cake after dinner? Oh, its for the baby. Not me! (Diabetic diet, here we come again...as much as I despised you, you were effective.)
I did not go to the grocery store the other day by myself, and find myself rocking the grocery cart back and forth while I was looking at something because I subconsciously thought I must have a child in there that needed to be soothed. Not me!
I did not go to the bathroom alone the other day for one minute, and come out to find Savannah picking up her baby sister out of the bouncy seat. If this did happen, I definitely would have had a calm-and-collected presence of mind, and I wouldn't have yelled, "Savannah! No no no! Put her down right now!" The toddler, in fear for her life, wouldn't have immediately dropped her baby sister back into her seat. No, not me!
I did not totally forget that I had Sunday School breakfast this week and not take anything for anyone to eat. That would make me the most despised classmate. Thank goodness the girl for next week actually thought she was this week and brought breakfast. But for real, I'm a planner who forgets nothing. Not me!
I never get so tired of answering questions that I start ignoring them. "Momma, what is that man's name?" "Momma, are you a girl?" "Momma, can I eat marshmallows now?" "Momma, what color is that?" "Momma, can I color on the paper? On the table? On the wall? On the couch? Can I color on the..." Sigh. Not me.
My sweet girl did not inform me upon exiting church... hey! I didn't even hit nobody today! Mom, say "good job, savannah!" Not me.
What have you not done this week? I really want to know!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Smile Like the Sun...
You make me smile like the sun...fall out of bed...
Spin like a record... crazy on a Sunday night...
You make me dance like a fool...forget how to breathe...
Shine like gold...buzz like a bee...
I see the best of me inside your eyes...
You make me smile.
Sing like a bird...dizzy in my head...
Spin like a record... crazy on a Sunday night...
You make me dance like a fool...forget how to breathe...
Shine like gold...buzz like a bee...
I see the best of me inside your eyes...
You make me smile.
Oh, you make me smile.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
So good! So good! So good!
This past Sunday, we roadtripped it up north to see our Boston Red Sox play the Baltimore Orioles. Darren was slightly out of his comfort zone since he had never driven that far North before, but we had a fun time.
After getting off to a late start (my bad...I don't move fast in the morning) and stopping to grab a mocha frappe (650 calories, thank you very much) from McD's, we hit the road. There was a little bit of confusion when we stopped to get gas, however, as my husband realized he forgot to activate his permanent debit card and his temporary card expired. He did not, however, get the sympathy vote from the wife, since I have reminded him no less than 18 times in the past month to activate his card before his other one expired. Thank goodness he had a back-up credit card with him!
Nevertheless, we arrived quite early, paid a ridiculous parking fee, and entered the ballpark. Now, as you can imagine, they have security at Camden Yards to screen purses and bags. Since I have a small baby that I am nursing, I had to take my breastpump with me. It is normally very well disguised in a bag that looks like a purse. However, the security lady was quite confused. The conversation went like this:
Security lady: "What IS that?"
Me: "It is a breast pump."
Security lady: "A what?"
Me: "A breast pump. I have a three month old. I have to pump milk for her."
Security lady: "Where your baby is?"
Me: "At home with her grandmother. Thats why I have to pump."
Security lady: "Uhm okaaaay."
Awkward. Anyway, after finally entering the park, we had to stop for the typical tourist photo.
Then we headed down to the dugout to get some autographs. Gina even brought a red sharpie so that our favorite players could sign our hats. I was pretty pumped about meeting Jacoby Ellsbury until the security man informed us that the only day they don't have batting practice is Sunday. Rats. Maybe next time, Jacoby.
We ate awesome ballpark food, after which Emily had to have Aaron check her teeth before a photo could be snapped. He is going to get very good at that job.
Gina got the ballpark hot dog that she has been craving for months. Can I just say that Gina is amazing? She is really pregnant and endured the heat, walking, and hard chair without a complaint. And she isn't even really a Red Sox fan. She likes the Cubs. Boo!
It was 90 degrees. We were baking. And right about the time sweat started to roll down my back, the sky opened up and it poured the rain. Where were our umbrellas, you ask? In the car, of course! Oops.
It was a good game. The Red Sox scored two for an early lead, and then the Orioles came back to tie up the game.
We saw Kevin Youkalis...
Big Papi...
And the Orioles scored again. Uh-oh. It was rally cap time.
Boston came back and tied it up again, due to the hats, I'm sure. It was exciting. And then they went into extra innings. Varitek came in to the game and I was sure Boston had it in the bag...
But alas, in the 11th inning, Baltimore came back and broke their ten game losing streak. Thats right folks, the worst team in baseball beat one of the best, after losing their previous ten games. At the game we went to. Rats. And because we stayed for extra innings, we didn't have time to go eat at Cheesecake Factory. Rats again.
After getting off to a late start (my bad...I don't move fast in the morning) and stopping to grab a mocha frappe (650 calories, thank you very much) from McD's, we hit the road. There was a little bit of confusion when we stopped to get gas, however, as my husband realized he forgot to activate his permanent debit card and his temporary card expired. He did not, however, get the sympathy vote from the wife, since I have reminded him no less than 18 times in the past month to activate his card before his other one expired. Thank goodness he had a back-up credit card with him!
Nevertheless, we arrived quite early, paid a ridiculous parking fee, and entered the ballpark. Now, as you can imagine, they have security at Camden Yards to screen purses and bags. Since I have a small baby that I am nursing, I had to take my breastpump with me. It is normally very well disguised in a bag that looks like a purse. However, the security lady was quite confused. The conversation went like this:
Security lady: "What IS that?"
Me: "It is a breast pump."
Security lady: "A what?"
Me: "A breast pump. I have a three month old. I have to pump milk for her."
Security lady: "Where your baby is?"
Me: "At home with her grandmother. Thats why I have to pump."
Security lady: "Uhm okaaaay."
Awkward. Anyway, after finally entering the park, we had to stop for the typical tourist photo.
Then we headed down to the dugout to get some autographs. Gina even brought a red sharpie so that our favorite players could sign our hats. I was pretty pumped about meeting Jacoby Ellsbury until the security man informed us that the only day they don't have batting practice is Sunday. Rats. Maybe next time, Jacoby.
We ate awesome ballpark food, after which Emily had to have Aaron check her teeth before a photo could be snapped. He is going to get very good at that job.
Gina got the ballpark hot dog that she has been craving for months. Can I just say that Gina is amazing? She is really pregnant and endured the heat, walking, and hard chair without a complaint. And she isn't even really a Red Sox fan. She likes the Cubs. Boo!
It was 90 degrees. We were baking. And right about the time sweat started to roll down my back, the sky opened up and it poured the rain. Where were our umbrellas, you ask? In the car, of course! Oops.
It was a good game. The Red Sox scored two for an early lead, and then the Orioles came back to tie up the game.
We saw Kevin Youkalis...
(how anyone can hit a ball in that stance is beyond me)
Big Papi...
And the Orioles scored again. Uh-oh. It was rally cap time.
Boston came back and tied it up again, due to the hats, I'm sure. It was exciting. And then they went into extra innings. Varitek came in to the game and I was sure Boston had it in the bag...
But alas, in the 11th inning, Baltimore came back and broke their ten game losing streak. Thats right folks, the worst team in baseball beat one of the best, after losing their previous ten games. At the game we went to. Rats. And because we stayed for extra innings, we didn't have time to go eat at Cheesecake Factory. Rats again.
But... it was one of the most fun days I've ever had. Great friends, a good baseball game, lots of laughs (particularly at the very wasted guy seated in front of us), Jon's relationship trivia game on the way, Darren's... ahem... exciting driving...
The day was, as they would say in Boston...
...so good, so good, so good.
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