Momma 2 Beans

Buh-Bye Momma 2 Beans!!

2008-02-10T21:38:00.000-06:00

As Bean would say "Buh-Bye"!

This is my last post here at Momma 2 Beans...no tears need to be shed...I am moving over to MamaRazzi!!!!

Follow the trail of cookie crumbs (as I sit here and munch cookies!) over to MamaRazzi, my new bloggy home! Once you make it there please leave me a note and let me know you found me!!

BUH-BYE!

The BIG Bloggy Move!

2008-02-08T22:37:00.000-06:00

Here we go again! I know that I just moved into "Momma 2 Beans", but what can I say?!?!? I am a gal that likes change. So onward and upward...this blog is moooving! Hubs and I came up with an even better title, with an even cooler appearance...I am so excited!!! I have been working my tail off on the new blog site and will have it up and going by the Big Bloggy Move day, which is next Monday, Feb. 11th! So look for the link with the new blog announcement to come either late Sunday or early Monday!!!

I am not the only one in Bloggityville moving...check out other blogs moving here!

My Cup Runneth Over...

2008-02-06T21:54:00.000-06:00

Need I say more??

Breaking Out

2008-02-05T09:52:00.000-06:00

I broke out of "jail" last night!!! Okay, so staying home with the kiddos 24/7 isn't really "jail", but when one realizes that she hasn't been out of the house in a month and realizes that she mostly talks to 2 people under the age of 2 all day and realizes that she hasn't put on "real" clothes or make-up in that month spent at home...she begins to lose her sanity and daydream about life on the outside. Well sweet Hubs could tell I was going a little bit looney and decided we needed to go out for dinner. Just the 2 of us. Now I am a little neurotic about leaving my kids. I will not leave them with a babysitter (other than grandparents or another highly trusted adult) until the Bean can talk and tell me how things went...again, I am a little crazy. So my momma came up yesterday and stayed with the boys while we made a mad dash for Olive Garden, scarfed down some food and then rushed home so that I could feed Bub. I'm not going to lie to y'all...it was AWESOME! We moslty talked about the kids and kid stuff, but it was so nice to have some alone time with Hubs. We were out of the house for a total of 1 hour and 22 minutes (but who's counting!?!?) and it was exactly what I needed to recharge my batteries. I am a new Momma today!!! It was a great reminder for me that I am still a person and that I am still a wife. Somedays I feel like all I am is a source of food, comfort and a clean diaper. But last night I remembered how good it feels to go on a date, alone, with my husband.

**If you and your husband have not done this within the last month, I HIGHLY recommend doing so! You will feel MUCH better and be completely rejuvenated afterwards!

And Here We Are...

2008-02-03T13:43:00.000-06:00

This is the first Super Bowl Sunday that Hubs and I haven't attended or thrown a party for. Ever. In our entire relationship (which has been 8 1/2 years). We looked at each other this morning and realized that it will be just us. Which is sort of by choice...we decided to delay watching the game until we have Bean in bed for the night (Thank You TIVO!). And of course nobody wants to watch the game from 9pm-midnight! So it is just us...which is fine..and it will be nice and cozy and relaxing.

The last few days I have stepped back more than once to take in our house. We bought this house right after we graduated from college (we got married 1/2 way through our senior year). We were sooo excited about this house. It was a HUGE upgrade from our ghetto apartment ("ghetto" is an understatement!). Now this house has morphed into baby-land. There are gates on all of the stairwells, the fridge is coated in animal and letter magnets, our fireplace sports a protective gate, there are locks on the cabinets, bathroom doors are now kept permanently shut (the Bean likes to splash in the potty!)....so many little things have changed. It is amazing where we have come to.

I love it. I absolutely would not have it any other way. I love it.

New Jeans

2008-01-30T21:49:00.000-06:00

This week my mom came up to help me regain control of my house and my sanity! (Thanks Mom!). While she was here she was changing Bean's diaper and went to put his jeans back on him. As she was getting ready to button them up, he put his hand on hers and said "No No". My mom then realized that she could barely button his britches...they were too tight! Poor sweet little boy! I ran out today and bought the poor thing new jeans in the next bigger size. They fit him MUCH better!

THE Bag!

2008-01-28T22:21:00.000-06:00

OUTSIDE OF THE BAG INSIDE OF THE BAG

Yippeee! My new diaper bag is in!! And I LOVE it! It is about the same size as my current diaper bag, maybe even slightly larger. I had a great time tonight cleaning out the old bag and stocking the new bag. It is especially interesting to think about the fact that I am currently carrying 2 different sizes of diapers. Soon it will be 2 sippy cups, 2 snack cups, 2 sets of diapers (wait...hopefully we will be down to 1 set of diapers before too long!). I am going to need a carry on suitcase if we keep having kids!!

Da Boys!

2008-01-26T22:27:00.000-06:00

Bean is changing by the minute it seems! I find myself marveling at him and all of his new developments. Same thing goes for Bub. I am completely humbled by how miraculously the Lord is working in both of my sons. They are absolutely amazing. Here are a few examples of what I am talking about.

The Bean

In the above picture Bean is saying "Please". Although he doesn't verbally say the word, this is the "please" expression that is made when we request/remind him to say that magic word. It melts us every time and Bean gets what he wants.

Bean 's repertoire of animal noises grows daily. He is currently obsessed with being a lion. He has also learned how to hoot like an owl...we are still working on the traditional animals; cow, cat, pig, horse...but we sure do know exotic animals; elephant, lizard, lion, monkey.
Puzzles. The Bean has learned how to do simple, large-pieced, wooden puzzles!

And coloring...oh does he enjoy coloring! No more eating crayons (or at least not as frequently!)

Up and Down and Up and Down...the stairs that is! He has mastered flying up and down the stairs-ooooh my goodness is he fast at it too!

Anything and everything can be used as a hat. You name it and he has put it on his head as a hat; mixing bowls, socks, underwear, stuffed animals...and then he will parade around with said items on his head with a very proud expression.

The Bub

Sweet Bub is growing like a weed! He weighed 6lb 2oz last Monday at the pediatrician's office and today he weighed in at 6lb 9oz! WOO! HOO! He is supposed to gain about 1oz a day...we are ahead of schedule! :-)

Bub is starting to be awake a little bit more...not much more...he is now awake for 5-10 minutes after eating instead of falling asleep while eating.

He also turned his head from one side to the other while laying on his tummy! Yippee for "tummy time".

Did I mention that once Bub reaches 7lbs we can start letting him sleep 4-5 hours at night instead of waking him up every 3 hours!?!?! Come on 7lbs!!!!!

Bub is still sooo sweet and calm. I never would have guessed that it was possible to have an easier child than the Bean. But, Bub is so laid back and easy going....it is WONDERFUL!

There you have it! That is what is going on with the boys. Hubs has been back to work for the last week or so and I have been winging it on my own! My mom is coming back up next week, but I survived all by myself last week! I spend my day feeding the kiddos, playing with Bean and sleeping while Bean naps. I am also VERY proud to say that tonight was the first night Hubs and I ordered out for dinner. I have actually managed to cook most nights (I do have some wonderful neighbors that have brought us some fantastic meals! THANK YOU!). I have also managed to get a shower every single day (this alone is quite an accomplishment!). Well Bub is ready to munch and I believe he might have just filled up his teeny tiny diaper! Goodnight all!!!

Baby Bub's Birth Story: Part 2

2008-01-20T20:06:00.000-06:00

2:00am- We arrive at the new hospital and are admitted. Upon our arrival, I ask Hubs about the camera situation. He then tells me that our bestest friends in the whole wide world (seriously!) are on their way to the hospital with their digital camera for us. I feel so bad that they are up in the middle of the night driving a camera to us, but in the same breath I am sooo thankful that we will have pictures of our son being born!

2:30-4:00am- These next few hours are a little fuzzy for me. This is when I really REALLY started having lots of contractions that really REALLY hurt. After I was all hooked up to the monitors at the new hospital I began inquiring about pain medication. The nurse then tells me that I am not allowed to have any. WHAT!?!?!? I was shocked. She eventually tells me that I can have an epidural once I am 6cm. At this point I am only 4cm dilated. I made it to 6cm with Bean before I received my epidural but for whatever reason I was in MUCH more pain this time around than I was the first time. Poor sweet Hubs is trying everything he can to help me out. At the new hospital I was only allowed to have ice chips (at the old one I could actually drink water!). My poor mouth is sooo dry from huffing and puffing and panting and breathing...ice chips just weren't cutting it. I also was really really hot. I had Hubs get a wet washcloth and hold it on my face for me, then I could also drink the water out of it! Gross, I know, but I was desperate! Somewhere during this time I made it to 5cm...not 6cm yet! The pain became so intense I started throwing up. I tried explaining to the doctors and nurses that this baby was going to come soon and that I was in desperate need of my epidural (they were still trying to stop labor; therefore, no pain meds allowed). Ugh. I did manage to find a focal point (a small screw next to the bathroom door!) and breathe through contractions as much as possible. Also M & T showed up during this time with the camera!

4:30ish am- Around this time I was checked again and was FINALLY 6cm dilated!! Bring on the epidural! Hubs was told he had to leave the room (I was sooo ticked that he had to leave!!!) but I was far to anxious to have my epidural to fight too much. Hubs left and it was just my nurse, the nurse anesthetist and me. By now my contractions are giving me the sensation to push in order to relieve the pain. The nurse just tells me to hang on and not to push (yeah right!). So finally my epidural is all in place...Hubs is allowed back in...and I am still feeling the contractions. Now let's pause a minute here. Think back to a movie you have seen that has a labor & delivery scene in it. The woman is screaming her head off, sweating profusely and breathing like the Big Bad Wolf while words she would never dream of uttering are spewing out of her mouth....Yes, sad to say, that was me. My epidural was NOT working and I was absolutely out of control.

4:55am- The nurse checks me again and I am still 6cm dilated and my water breaks! Hubs immediately calls my mom (who is 45 minutes away at our house with Bean) and tells her to call a neighbor and head over to the hospital. The nurse panics and runs into the hall and literally screams for a doctor. By now I am pushing HARD with each contraction. They tell us that it will be another hour or 2 before I deliver because I'm still only 6ish cm. By now they are really telling me NOT to push. HA! Pushing was the only form of pain relief I had! So push I did!!

5:10am- The nurse checks me again and can tell that the baby is crowning. She immediately runs to the door and screams for a doctor. Within minutes nurses flood my room with delivery equipment and the doc. strolls in. I am really pushing now and feeling every bit of it. The doc comes over looks at me and says "He's crowning". Then turns and puts on 1 glove, turns back and says "There is his head".

5:19am- Turns away to put on the other glove and then when he turned back around my son was laying on the bed. My sweet little boy could not wait for anyone. He was ready to come out! And PRAISE THE LORD he was crying! He was whisked away to be checked over. I believe he scored an 8 on his APGAR. Finally they weighed him (they hadn't even brought in the scale yet!) and he was 5lb 11oz and was 17 3/4 inches long! Hubs was such a great advocate for me. He kept insisting that I get to hold him before he was taken to the NICU. They did let me hold him for a bit (his eyes were open!) and then Hubs held him then off he went.

Baby Bub spent about 9 hours in the Level 3 NICU. He did not require any breathing assistance. An IV was put in and he was given antibiotics and "food" through his IV. He was closely monitored for any breathing issues. After his brief stay in the Level 3 NICU he was transferred up to the Level 2 nursery (which was on the same floor as my post-partum room!). We spent a total of 6 days there while he was treated for being jaundice (2 rounds of photo therapy) and weaned off of his temperature controlled incubator. He also had to be able to eat from a bottle on his own. He was put on a feeding schedule that started with small feeds and gradually increased. He did great with it and he was discharged on Saturday January 12th. We finally were able to bring him home to meet his big brother!

After delivery I was able to get up and walk to the bathroom (which isn't supposed to happen if you have an epidural!) and received a grand total of 8 stitches! I was taken to my post-partum room then down to visit and hold Bub. My mom arrived at the hospital about 30 minutes after baby Bub arrived. She was able to go down and visit him but was not allowed to hold him because she had on nail polish! They were pretty picky about stuff in the NICU (as they should be!). Everyone had to scrub in up their elbows for 2 minutes before entering. Hubs and I were able to sleep on and off throughout the first day with lots of visits to Bub in between. My brother also showed up to meet his new nephew! I was discharged from the hospital after 48 hours. Thankfully the charge nurse let us squat in my room for a few extra days so we would not have to leave Bub. We did have to spend 1 night in a hotel before we brought him home.

And there you have it. The story of my sweet Baby Bub's arrival. We have been home for a little over a week and I would say things are going really well. I have weaned Bub off of his bottle addiction and have him nursing now :-) Thanks to my grandparents we have a baby scale to monitor his intake and weight gain. He is doing GREAT! Bean has been a great big brother too. He is very eager to share his toys (which he tosses into the cradle with Bub) and to share his Cheerios (which he tries to shove in Bub's mouth while I am holding him). The biggest challenge is that Bean does not understand why I am inaccessible while I am nursing Bub. This part of the day is quite frustrating for all of us, but we get through it! Bub is eating every 3 hours or so which is making for short sleeps at night and looong days. But I do think the transition from zero kids to 1 kid was FAR more challenging than the transition from 1 kid to 2 kids. I know that there is light at the end of the tunnel and that all of this "baby stuff" only lasts a matter of months. I can handle that :-)

So Many Wonderfuls

2008-01-18T20:26:00.000-06:00

As you can tell, I am taking my sweet time in typing out Bub's birth story. It is a long one and there are lots o' details that I don't want to forget or leave out...sorry if it is lengthy, but that's just the way it goes!!

There are so many wonderful things going on in our home right now. Aside from Bub being here with us, instead of in the hospital, Bean is growing and changing by the minute! After being away from Bean for so long I have a new appreciation for him. He is such a big boy now!

Yesterday I was the proud recipient of Bean's first real smooch!!! He actually (finally!!!) puckered up those sweet little lips and planted a big, wet, boogery, smooch right on me! YIPPEE!! It was absolutely amazing and it made my day! Now I get kisses periodically throughout the day along with his big, open-armed hugs....being a mom is so great!

While we were away Bean learned how to say "hi" (we have been TRYING to get him to say this for quite some time...the kid can make a dozen or so animal noises but he couldn't say "hi"...hmmm) and my mom taught him how to go down the stairs on his tummy. Another thing we have been struggling with that apparently just needed a little reinforcing from the Grandma.

All in all Bean is handling Bub's arrival wonderfully. He checks on Bub regularly and is very curious about this new little being. He likes to touch his head and hold his hand. He also is very generous about sharing Cheerios with him. So far I have been able to convince Bean that it is a better idea to give the "O's" to Mommy instead of Bub.

Today was the first day that Bean became frustrated with me, in regards to Bub. I was nursing Bub and poor Bean wanted me to read a book to him. After a mega-meltdown, Bean left the nursery (where I was invisibly tied to the glider to nurse Bub) and headed down the hall to his room, where he spent the next 15 minutes sitting on his floor reading books to himself (sometimes out loud). It was absolutely precious...and heartbreaking. If Bean were just a bit older I think I might be able to explain this all to him. Oh well!!

We are looking forward to the long weekend with Daddy and with my parents!!! :-) YIPEE!!

Baby Bub's Birth Story: Part 1

2008-01-17T21:26:00.001-06:00

Here's the scoop on Baby Bub's arrival. So sorry this is 2 weeks after the fact!!

Wednesday 1/2/08: I went to the doc for a routine Non-Stress Test. I was notified that it detected some contracting and I was monitored all day long. I was 1 cm dilated (which is "no big deal"). I was also given a preventative shot of Terbutaline with a prescription and sent home.

Friday 1/4/08: Went in for my follow up doc appointment and was still 1 cm dilated (and still was "no big deal"). I was sent home with these words from my doctor "I just wanted to check you out before the weekend. Things look fine and I'll see you next Wednesday". HA!

Saturday 1/5/08 6:00am: I wake up to Bean shouting "Mom, Mom, Mom". I roll over and ask Hubs if he would mind getting up with Bean today, I tell him I'm really tired and just want to snooze a bit more. Being the sweet man that he is, he says "No problem!" and hops out of bed to take care of Bean.

8:00am- I wake up because I am so uncomfortable. My hips hurt, my back hurts and I am just plain tired of laying down. I stumble downstairs to find Bean & Hubs. They are playing oh-so-nicely together. We sit around and watch Bean play for a bit and I even commented to Hubs "This will be such a nice weekend just the 3 of us." (We have had company or been gone for the last umpteen million weekends!).

9:00am- The Bean is ready for a nap and I gladly put him down in his bed and immediately go crawl back into mine. I even asked Hubs to join me for a quick morning nap, but he declined this offer (which he will later regret).

10:15am- Bean wakes up and I go get him. We head down to the basement to play with Da Da. All 3 of us sit around my computer and watch Bean play the alphabet game and watch "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" on UTube. I start to feel a little bit crampy around 10:45ish and pass Bean off to Hubs. We all head upstairs to play.

11:28am- I sit down to eat a bowl of Kix cereal (you know you have a toddler when...) and tell Hubs I think I'm having a contraction. I specifically asked him the time to the minute just so I can monitor any future contractions.

The monitoring begins and the contractions start coming every 5 minutes or so. They started off lasting only 10 seconds but rapidly they increased to lasting 30-45 seconds. I send Hubs & Bean off to Wal-Greens to fill my prescription for Terbutaline and I call the doctor that is on-call for my doc's office. He tells me to take the meds and wait an hour and if I'm still contracting to go to the ER.

12:10pm- Hubs returns with the meds and I take one. After 30 minutes nothing is changing (oh wait, I mean for the better...my contractions were getting stronger and closer together!). I called my mom and told her to get on the road. We sent Bean over to a neighbors, threw together a hospital bag (not THE hospital bag, mind you...we were under the impression things would be stopped and I was 100% convinced I would not be giving birth on this trip to the hospital).

1:00pm-We were admitted to Labor & Delivery. The nurses started giving me shots of Terbutaline every hour. They did this 4 times. This medicine did help slow the contractions and decreased their intensity. But they did not stop.

4:00pm- The nurses/doctor gave up on the Terbutaline and decided to start an IV of Magnesium Sulfate. My dosage started at 50 (not sure of what unit of measurement???). This did not make things better. I could feel the contractions more and they were definitely becoming more intense. I was "checked" and was 3cm dilated.

7:00pm- The dose on my drip was upped to 65. Still contracting...still getting more intense. I was told that we would have to stay in the hospital at least for the next 24 hours and maybe longer depending on how they could control the contractions. Their goal was to get me under 4 contractions in an hour.

11:oopm- I am still contracting...I am now dilated to 4cm and the doctor decided he needs to come in and see me.

1/6/08 12:00am- The doctor comes in and I am still 4cm. The decision is made to transfer us to a hospital that is about an hour away. The other hospital has a Level 3 NICU (the local hospital is only a Level 2). They decide to transfer me "in case" I deliver. I wasn't quite 34 weeks pregnant and it is pretty much standard policy to transfer anyone under the 34 week mark (I was 24 hours shy of it!!!!).

1:00-2:00am- I am in an ambulance for an hour. Bumping along and contracting the whole way. My Labor & Deliver nurse rode with me while Hubs followed in our car. While we are on our way my cell phone rings and it is another nurse from the local hospital...WE LEFT OUR CAMERA THERE!!!! My heart breaks and I tell her to call Hubs. Hubs makes a quick phone call and our dear DEAR friends get up in the middle of the night, drive over an hour to meet us at the new hospital and bring us their camera. I told Hubs at this point that we needed to have a camera there ASAP, I was convinced our son was arriving sooner than later and I did not want Hubs to turn around.

2:00am- We arrive at the new hospital and are admitted.

Baby Bub

2008-01-11T19:59:00.001-06:00

Welcome to the world baby Bub!!

Baby "Bub" was born on January 6, 2008 at 5:19am. He weighed 5lb 110z and was 17 3/4 inches long!

This is the short and sweet story about Baby Bub right now...more details will follow with a much more descriptive story.

Baby Bub arrived last Sunday (Jan. 6th) and was 6 weeks premature. We had to deliver our baby boy at a hospital outside of the town we live is more specialized in premature babies. Caleb was born breathing and crying!!! HOORAY! He was immediately checked over and after we each held him briefly, he was whisked away to the Level 3 NICU. He did not require any oxygen (PRAISE THE LORD!)!!! An IV was put into his head and he immediately started recieving nourishment and antibiotics through that. After about 6 hours he was transfered to the Level 2 nursery (which is a step in the right direction). He has been there ever since. We have been battling his bilirubin levels (he is a wee bit jaundice) and we have been working with him on learning how to suck, swallow and breathe when eating by mouth. He is improving with his feedings every day but they still can be a struggle. Today we expected him to come home, but unfortunately his bili levels were too high. He was placed back under the lights and is being monitored. We are really REALLY hoping to bring our new boy home tomorrow.

Hubs and I made a quick trip home this evening to see Bean. I had not been out of the hospital since last Saturday morning (another tale to tell!). It felt sooo good to hold my little boy (who is GIGANTIC compared to my Bub!!).

This time, all really IS well here! I will give you more details when I am not so exhausted and when I am home to stay...we are heading back to the hospital in an hour to be with Bub tonight.

All Is Well

2008-01-04T20:45:00.000-06:00

I had my follow up appointment today and no change is good change :-) Things are the same as they were 48 hours ago, minus any contractions. She said things look great. We are back on our normal doctor schedule now (once next week, then again in 2 weeks, then weekly!). Baby Bub is kicking and moving and growing :-) Now all I "get" to do is lay around and let him be!!

Nuh-est-ing

2008-01-03T22:49:00.000-06:00

After yesterday's events, my nesting instinct is in FULL swing! Bub's room has been ready for about a week or so. We painted, hung a wallpaper border, moved the crib & changing table in there and we even hung some decorations on the walls! Yesterday morning I started washing Bean's old clothes for Bub. Today I sat in my rocking chair and folded baby clothes and blankies....oh it was fun! It was so sweet to sit and remember each outfit on Bean and to marvel at how tiny the socks are and how tiny the onesies are...amazing! I finished that this evening and then I picked out Bub's outfits for coming home and for picture taking at the hospital. (The same friend that took Bean's pic's this fall will come to the hospital and take Bub's pictures!). This weekend Hubs and I are going to start putting things in a suitcase for the hospital. I already have my big list made, but now we are going to actually start gathering items from around the house and packing them!

I have a doctor appointment tomorrow afternoon...I will let y'all know how it goes!!!

Interesting Day...

2008-01-02T19:52:00.000-06:00

This morning I had a Non-Stress Test (NST) for Bub. They basically hook me up to 2 monitors, one to watch any "uterine activity" a.k.a. contractions and Bub's heartbeat. This was my second week of having one, and I will continue to have them weekly for the rest of the pregnancy. Soooo I take Bean with me to this appointment (that should last no longer than 30 minutes). We bundle up, drive to the doc's office, load Bean into the stroller and head in. We get all hooked up and listen to Bub thump away for 20 minutes while Bean watches a show on our portable DVD player (yes, I am that Mom who brought the DVD player along for a stinkin' doctor's appointment!). But in my defense, it was approaching nap time AND Bean is not nearly as enthralled with baby Bub's heartbeat as I am! Sooo the NST goes well, the nurse says we can leave and that she'll run it by the doc, but "it all looks good". So we head home. Bean screams the entire way (it is WAAAY past nap time). Half way home the doc's office calls and the nurse says, "I am so sorry to do this to you, but we need to you to come back in. You are having contractions and we need to check you out". Mmmm-kay....so I call Hubs who rushes home from work to be with Bean while I head back out to the doc's office. Upon being checked out we discover that I am 1.5 cm dilated! *This was at about 11am!* Sooo they sent me over to out-patient labor & delivery to monitor the contractions and Bub's heartbeat. I get all set up and they monitor me and monitor me and MONITOR ME (for HOURS!!!). During this span there is little to no "uterine activity"...which leads me and the nurses to believe that things have ceased. Around 1ish I was given a shot to stop any activity that is or was going on, and I was told that my doc will be by to check on me again and then I can head home. GREAT! I snoozed for a bit while I waited for my doc and before I knew it, it was 3pm! So I ring for a nurse and ask about the doc...well she got tied up and will be over "soon". She ends up arriving around 4:30. Checks me out, things are still the same (1.5cm dilated). So I am put on "not-really-bed rest". Which means that I have to take it super-duper easy, but my doc understands the demands of a 16 month old and is being realistic. I have to go back and see her again Friday to see how things are going. So that is where we are right now. I am 33 weeks and 2 days pregnant with Bub. I delivered Bean at 35 weeks 4 days. Hang on Bub!!! Just a few more weeks!!

All Was Merry!

2007-12-28T12:04:00.000-06:00

We had a fantastic Christmas! It was our year to spend Christmas with my side of the family, which is always fun for me! It's like pulling on your favorite sweatshirt...same tradition, cookies, food....ahhhh. Not that I don't love Hubs's fam & their traditions (because I really really do!) but there is just somethin' about going home for Christmas.

Bean made out like a bandit. I had no idea our car could hold so many toys!! Not sure where we will stick baby Bub next Christmas ;-) We had such a wonderful time with my mom, dad & brother. Bean had a chance to really bond with all of them and give each of them nicknames. My mom is now "Gaga", my dad is (and has always been) "Pop Pop" and my brother is "Bah-Boos" (Bubbles). My brother spent Saturday night blowing bubbles for Bean in the bathtub while my mom gave him a scrub down (Hubs & I were out celebrating our 4 year anniversary!). Soo for the rest of the trip he was "Bah-Boos". VERY CUTE!

We are back home now and back to blogging....I will fill you in on more tales as the weekend/week go on!

Good Day & Great Night!

2007-12-19T20:14:00.000-06:00

Today Bean and I went to the Children's Discovery Museum in town. We went there to celebrate Bean's first birthday and haven't been back since. What a difference just a few months makes! He was tall enough to play at the water table this time. And he enjoyed all of the stuff so much more now that he is an "experienced" walker. We spent 2 hours there (which in toddler time is equivalent to 5 years!). It was so much fun!! Plus, Bean fell asleep on the way home...

...but woke up as soon as we arrived home and immediately ran to his high chair exclaiming "din-nah?". So I made him lunch and hoped for a nap after that. Ha! Bean's 10 minute power nap on the way home was enough for him. I couldn't get that boy to take a nap for anything! He wouldn't even go down for the amazing Dada (who seems to have "the touch" lately!). So the Bean stayed up and played and played and played. Finally at 3:00 I was falling asleep at the wheel and had to take a nap, and thank the Lord, Bean agreed! We snoozed until 4:30!!!

Then comes the best part...I left at 5:15 to go get a hair cut ALL BY MYSELF! As I was leaving Bean waved and said "Buh-bye Momma!". Music to my ears! Getting my hair cut was such a luxury!! I love the gal that I go to and she always does a phenomenal job! I even got suckered into buying some new product for my super curly, crazy hair. After my hair cut, I went to the grocery store where I met my new favorite drink!! Move over Wild Cherry Pepsi, here comes Cherry Coke Zero!! OH MY GOSH! It is too good to be true! I am loving it!!! Plus, it has a little smidge of caffine in it which doesn't hurt anyone ;-)! AND the can is really cute too...the cherries have little "zeros" cut out of them to look like holes...so cute!

THE Pillow

2007-12-18T20:47:00.000-06:00

Bean has made his own decision regarding his personal "lovey". He is 100% attached to a blue, polka-dot pillow. He LOVES this thing! He lays on it to sleep, carries it around during the day, lays on it to watch TV, wants to hold it while I change his diaper....you get the picture. Well today he was giving me fits about taking an afternoon nap (the morning nap was only 1 hour long, which is not enough for the Bean to last an entire day on). So I was in no mood to continue our battle of him standing up in bed, throwing everything out of his bed, then yelling "MOOOOM". To which I took various forms of defense; ignoring him, going in and laying him down, giving him only his pillow and removing all other items....nothing was working. Soooo I gave up. I scooped up the Bean (with pillow in hand) and decided to let him play for a little bit and then try again. During our little play time, Bean waddled down to his bathroom and decided that his pillow might like to go swimming in the potty. Yup, that's right...the pillow was DUNKED in the potty. I didn't witness the grand baptism, but I did hear the splashes. I walk in to find Bean standing there pleased with himself, yet confused by the soggy, dripping pillow in his hands. Well now the pillow must go take dip in a larger body of water, the washing machine. Bean was less than thrilled. He was ticked. He threw his little body on the floor in the laundry room and pitched.a.fit. He stood in front of the washing machine crying for a good 5 minutes. Ugh. After he "moved on" and played for a bit, the sleepies started to take him over. I decided we would try nap time again. I grabbed a small orange pillow from his toy box and put it in bed with him. Now, I said he pitched a fit about THE Pillow being put into the washing machine, but oh my gosh did he pitch a fit about not having his beloved pillow at nap time. It didn't take me long to realize that there would not be another nap time today.

An hour or so later, the pillow emerged from the dryer. Cleaner than ever and super fluffy. Bean was so happy to be reunited with his favorite possession.

She's makin' a list...

2007-12-17T20:21:00.000-06:00

Things are going really well with "the growing of Caleb". He is quite a feisty little guy and is kicking far more than Christian ever did! I am starting to feel a little...ummm...anxious...with each passing week, as Christian arrived at 35 1/2 weeks!!! We just hit the 31 week mark....Oh boy! When I start to think about the fact that I might possibly only have 4 weeks left to get ready, I breathe a little quicker and immediately start making a list of stuff I need to do. For some reason I feel much better after I have made a list. Any kind of list will do; grocery, "to-do", Christmas shopping, cleaning, packing...you name it and I have a list for it!

Baby Bub at 30 weeks!

2007-12-12T21:11:00.000-06:00

We had our 30 week doc. appointment today!! Baby Bub looked very crunched, but good! He weighs an estimated 3lb 9oz. They kept telling me that he is smaller than Bean was he was the same gestation, but when I came home and checked my old notes, I had written down that Bean weighed an estimated 3lb 7oz at 30 weeks...hmmm....

Either way, Bub looked great and is doing perfectly! His kidneys were still slightly dilated but not to the point that she wanted to mess with referring us to anyone. She said "it's a boy thing", it apparently occurs much more in little boys.

This was our last chance to see Bub before the big arrival...that freaks me out a bit. I have been a little...ummm..."emotional" today about baby stuff so this was the icing on the cake. Definitely freaking out that he will be HERE so soon! Bean arrived when I was 35weeks 3 days....that's 5 weeks from now...oh my...I need to go to bed and sleep on that thought! :-)

**By the way, I was less than thrilled about the 1 and only sono pic she gave us today (we usually get a few "poses"). Even I am struggling to figure out exactly what each part is!

Christmas Card Bloopers!

2007-12-09T21:35:00.001-06:00

I have been dying to show y'all these pictures, but I wanted to wait until December when things are a lil more Christmas-ish. One day back in late November, I decided that we needed to take a picture of Bean for our Christmas card. They were on sale and I had to have my order in by some date at the end of November. So I decided to get a lil crafty and set up a make-shift studio in our family room for the big photo shoot. Here are some bloopers that didn't make the card with a glimpse of how "well" the photo shoot went. (We ended up using a completely different picture from a completely different day....oh well!)

To start things off, the garland made Bean's nose itch..
Then Kowe wanted to play tug-o-war with the garland, much to Bean's delight!

It was impossible to get Bean to actually sit down and STAY sitting...

Sooo I tried taking a picture of him laying down...which lasted an even shorter amount of time than trying to get him to sit.

This was almost THE ONE, but Kowe is looking at Bean and Bean is actually screaming...

I then resorted to Plan B: Candy Canes

So Plan B didn't work out so well...Kowe was really "focused" on the candy canes!

Much to her delight, Bean did share

Hope you enjoyed our Christmas Card Bloopers!!!

With a little bit of photo-shopping, this was the picture we ended up using (in black and white, with a fancy background and cropped...of course!)

Big Boy Bed: Night/Day1

2007-12-08T21:07:00.000-06:00

The Bean is officially in his "Big Boy Bed"! Hubs & his Dad re-arranged all of the nursery/big-boy furniture last night. Bean spent his first night in his bed. Let me give you the set-up before I give you all of the details.

The Room:
Bean's room now has his big boy bed (twin-size), a dresser, a set of drawers, my glider, and a small toy box. The bed is pushed into a corner with a bed rail attached to the side facing out into the room. On the floor next to his bed is a twin size inflatable mattress and the floor under the foot of his bed is lined in pillows. We purchased a video monitor for the big transition and it is mounted on the wall opposite of his bed so we have a clear view of him.

The First Night:
Last night we did our normal bedtime routine (bath, cup of water, pacie, pj's)...then it was time to put him into his new bed. We talked about it a little bit and had all of his bedtime gear in bed waiting for him (bear, pillow, blankie and extra pacie to hold on to). We laid him down, shut the door and snuck around the corner into our room to watch him on the monitor. He only stood up 1 time and Hubs went in and laid him back down...and that was it. He slept through the night!

1st Nap:
The first night was a success. Then came nap time this morning. I put him in his bed around 9:45 and he definitely had other plans. He stood up-I went in and laid him back down. We did this 4 or 5 times and then he LAUGHED at me! The Bean thought this was a game!!!! Grrrrr....after I firmly informed him that this was serious business he did lay down...then stood back up. Only now he would stand up, I would open the door, then he would immediately lay down, nuzzle into his pillow and say "Nigh-Nigh!". Goofball!!! 2 or 3 times of that and then he was down for the count! Not too bad....

2nd Nap:
Today was a 2-nap day (those are few and far between now). This was by far the easiest yet! We put him down, and he didn't move for 2 hours! YAY!

Waking Up:
He is doing really well about sitting in his bed when he wakes up and waiting for us to come get him. As soon as he stirs we run up to make sure we are there before he decides to plunge off into the piles of pillows. So far, so good!

On the Way...

2007-12-06T19:52:00.001-06:00

Part of my birthday present from my folks & my grand-folks was a new diaper bag! Not just any diaper bag, but a custom made/designed diaper bag from Peas & Carrots! It was so fun to go and pick out a bag and fabric. Plus, I got to put the pockets exactly where I wanted them, both on the inside and out! Now I will say that I lightly brushed over the fact that I got to pick out the fabric...this was no small task! She has some cool, and I mean coooool fabrics to choose from. I went there intending on getting something in the light blue/light green/light purple family. There were plenty of options from that pallet-polka dots, stripes, swirls, and any combination thereof. I decided on a stripe pattern that had stripes of different widths in the colors: light blue, bright blue, light green, lime green and purple. I then had the interior done in light blue. Ahhhh that decision was made.

Then as I was leaving I noticed a bag that was black & white swirls on the outside with a gorgeous deep red interior. Hmmm....I could not get that bag out of my mind. It was more sophisticated than my funky stripes and it might work better for an all-seasons bag.

The next day I called her and sheepishly asked if I could change my pregnant mind....and she was so sweet and said "Sure!". So I went with the black & white fabric with a purple interior and pocket on the outside...sophisticated with a little bit of funk! I can't wait to get it in January!!!!!

WFMW: Quick & Easy Dinner!

2007-12-05T10:41:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite quick dinners is Gyoza....ha ha! Gotcha! If you know me then you will laugh at that funny, FUNNY joke!

No, really, one of my favorite dinners to whip up at the last minute is Cheeseburger Chowder. This recipe comes from my Mom-in-law and is so yummy and easy and PERFECT for chilly winter days! I usually have most of the ingredients in the house and the best part is, if I'm missing something...it's no.big.deal!

Cheeseburger Chowder

1 lb ground beef or turkey
½ cup chopped celery
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup green pepper
3 tbsp flour
1 tsp salt
4 cups milk
2 beef bouillon cubes dissolved in 1 cup of water
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese (grated) *I sometimes use more!

Brown together the beef/turkey, celery, onion & green pepper. Add flour and stir for 3 minutes. Add salt, milk & bouillon. Cook until thick. Just before serving, add cheese and stir until it is melted.

For more quick, easy, last-minute dinner ideas head over to Rocks In My Dryer!

Cute Story! (Not about Bean!)

2007-12-05T10:35:00.000-06:00

I read this article this morning about Ellen De Generes requesting that Jenna Bush call her folks from her show...it's a really cute story! I am the same age as the Bush Twins (actually they are 4 days older!) and it made me realize that they are just 20-somethings who are much more "typical" than anyone would think. Just a cute story to start your day!

Nigh-Nigh & Owwies...

2007-12-03T20:11:00.000-06:00

2 Tales from "The Bean" for you today:

Nigh-Nigh
Bean is a special kiddo. He is not afraid to let you know when he is ready to go to bed or take a nap. He will gladly walk up to you and say "Nigh-Nigh Momma! Nigh-Nigh" and then head over to the stairs and crawl up to his room for a nap. It is amazing and I am so thankful for this new level of communication. Today he was ready to take his morning nap around 9ish (much earlier than usual). So we headed up and curled up in our glider together to read some books before his nap (our daily routine). I was in the middle of our third or fourth book when he took his hand, closed the book, took out his beloved pacie and proclaimed "No Mo! Nigh-Nigh Momma". I couldn't argue with that. I set the book down, smooched my little Bean, tucked him in and said "Nigh-Nigh". A record-breaking 3 hours and 45 minutes later, the Bean woke up ready for the afternoon!

Owwies
It seems that lately poor Bean has had perpetual owwies in his mouth. It started with these annoying molars that are absolutely killing the poor boy. Then a few days ago he fell on our kitchen floor (a regular occurrence that has come with walking/running) and split his lower lip. Today the poor boy fell again and split the already split-lip WIDE open and split open his upper gums as well. The bottom lip is split all the way from front to back and literally is gaping open. It freaked me out more than any other owwie has. Thankfully it occurred late enough in the day that Hubs was able to come home and helped me evaluate the situation (he upper teeth are fine and the bleeding did stop...I was really worried about loose teeth and the giant blood clots that kept coming out of his mouth!). I just feel AWFUL for him....a little Tylenol before bedtime tonight seemed to really help with the pain. :-( We'll see how it is tomorrow and maybe I'll get a picture for y'all!

Ole!

2007-12-02T21:25:00.000-06:00

Last week I celebrated the big 2-6. It was a great GREAT day! Part of my present from Hubs was not having to cook all day! Which was AWESOME! He got up and went to Mc D's and brought me home a bacon, egg & cheese bagel (YUM!). Then he brought me Chinese food for lunch and THEN we went to my fave restaurant for dinner. We rarely eat out, so this was a BIG treat for both of us!

Bean and I spent the day bumming around the house. We really didn't do anything super excited. Bean worked on cutting his bottom molars (one came through the next day, and the other one is still being worked on). These bottom molars have been a killer for the poor kid. He wants to chew on everything. Plus, he has been an absolute bear about it! Ugh....

When Hubs came home from work I got to open my present from him.....NEW COMPUTER GUTS!!! My computer has been slowly dying...freezing at random times...making crying noises while it is on...other various noises....and it was sloooooow. So Hubs bought me an entire NEW computer! Now I am zooming!!!! I absolutely love it and I love that he is awesome enough to be able to open up my old one, take everything out and put awesome, new, super-mega fast stuff into the case. He's so wonderful!

Then that night we went to Chevy's for dinner (which is where I have spent the majority of my birthday's over the last 10 years or so). Bean enjoyed watching them make tortillas, but was less than thrilled about sitting through the meal....oh well! Hubs made a new discovery from the Chevy's menu...FLAUTAS! Oh My Goodness! They were deeee-licious! I had my standard chicken quesadillas (which is the same thing I always order...it's my comfort food!). But next time I will definitely go out on a limb and get the flautas....wooo weee! Go try 'em! I willingly submitted myself to public humiliation all for the sake of entertaining The Bean. I let them sing Happy Birthday and bring out the free ice-cream (all for Bean, of course!). The one thing that I did want for Bean was the sombrero...and oh my goodness did he look stinkin' cute in it!

It was an awesome, AWESOME day. It was so fun to relax and take a day off of cleaning and cooking. And, it was great to spend the day with my 2 favorite-est people!

WFMW: Safe Stocking Holders

2007-11-27T22:04:00.000-06:00

I absolutley love all of the cute stocking holders that are out right now...EXCEPT for the fact that they all weigh a TON and would absolutely crush my sweet little Bean if he were to toddle over and yank a stocking down. Call me a paranoid Momma, but seriously, is it worth risking? So I have been trying to figure out something to use to hang up our stockings. My mom uses straight pins, but again, I am a paranoid Momma and I worry about him picking one up and eating it if it falls....

Here is what I have come up with: plastic outdoor light clips! You know the ones you can hook onto your gutter to hold up your outdoor lights!?!?! They work great to clip onto your mantle and then you even have a plastic hook to use for your stockings! And if Bean does yank it off, the clips are large and plastic and I don't think he could swallow one if he tried! Works for me! Head over to Rocks In My Dryer to find some other helpful hints!

Photo Meme!

2007-11-27T19:41:00.000-06:00

Anna over at Sincerely Anna tagged all of her readers for really cool meme. If you want to play, just answer the question in your head, google an image of it, then choose one of the pics from the first page of results. Let me know if you decide to play along and I will come check it out! ENJOY!

1. Age at next birthday (on Thursday!!!)

2. Place I’d like to travel:

3. Favorite place:

4. Favorite objects:

5. Favorite food:

6. Favorite color:

7. Nickname:

8. Place you were born:

Our Thanksgiving Extravagnaza!

2007-11-25T18:58:00.000-06:00

I realize that this post is about 3 days late, but I figured that y'all needed to hear how the BIG day went!

7:00am~ "MA MA!" Bean is awake and ready for breakfast...right on time!

7:10-8am~ Bean eats breakfast, I grab a quick shower, Hubs gets up to wipe out the oven from the oven cleaner that was left in overnight.

8am~ Hubs & I realize that "wiping" out the oven is no small task and that the "cleaner" is in fact not helping anything...grrrrr...

8:10~ Hubs is still wiping and I have moved on to making the dough for the rolls (it has to rise for 4 hours!)

8:20~ Dough made! Hubs is still working on cleaning the oven out for me.

8:30~I decide to start making the pie filling for the pumpkin pie.

8:32~ I realize I should probably roll out my pie crust before making the pie filling (which is already half made).

8:45~ I have successfully managed to roll out 1 pie crust (my crust dough is not cooperating)

8:55~ I give up on the dough I made ahead to "save time" and make a new batch for pie #2.

9:05~ Ahhh 2 pie crusts have been made...back to the pie filling.

9:07~ I go to use the microwave to soften up some butter and it.is.not.working!!!!

9:09~ Hubs runs in to rescue me...

9:15~...and fixes the microwave!

9:20-10:00~ The pies are baking!! HOORAY! I missed my goal of having the pies done by an hour...oh well! I decide that we will eat at 2 instead of 1 and we all will live!

10:00~ TURKEY IN THE OVEN!!!!

10:11~ I start working on side dishes....and after peeling a few potatoes I decide to run the garbage disposal (which is a great GREAT disposal)

10:13~ The water in the sink is swirling and bubbling...not draining and NOT disposing of the egg shells, potato peels and other various items like it should be...

10:15~ "HUBS!!!"

10:18~ Hubs messes with the disposal and unclogs it...and sprays potato-peely gross water all over the underneath of the kitchen sink and the kitchen floor....

10:40~ Kitchen is cleaned and I am back to making sides...stuffing, sweet potato casserole, macaroni & cheese, green bean casserole....

11:10~Time to flip the turkey. This task sounded easy enough when my Mom-in-law told me to do it...but now that the time has arrived I was less than confident in my turkey-flipping abilities...."HUBS!"

11:20~Turkey flipped! YAY!

***This is where I make all of the "stuff" and things bake and I run around doing last minute stuff***

1:45~ The turkey comes out! Yippeeee!! Looks great...smells great....and now it is time for the gravy (the one thing I was dreading making the most)

1:52~I have made the roux and it looks pretty darn good....I am trying to figure out how to get the fat off of the top of the turkey drippings and make my 3rd or 4th call to my Mom-in-law in less than 10 minutes...

1:58~ Gravy is done but there doesn't seem to be too much of it...Hubs glances over and thinks it looks too thin...I agree (and since this is his momma's recipe I take his word for it!) Soooo I add more flour-BIG mistake! My gravy is now the consistency of Cream of Wheat.

2:02~We sit down to eat. Bean is in his high chair. All is well...

2:05~Bean gets his first bite of "real" turkey. He puts it in his mouth, makes the sour face, take the turkey out and yells "Yuck!" and throws it on the floor! He proceeds to do this with every single thing I cooked!

2:10~Squirmy Bean (who ate his lunch an hour and half ago) wants out of the high chair.

2:13~ A Baby Einstein video is in....Bean is captivated...and I am enjoying my Thanksgiving meal!

2:45~ Meal is over....

2:50~ Bean is napping....

2:52~ ...and I am napping while me awesome Husband and bro & sis-in-law are doing the dishes!

Gobble Gobble

2007-11-21T21:23:00.000-06:00

Well tomorrow is the BIG day! I will be hostess-ing my first Thanksgiving in MY house! It is a huge rite of passage for me and I am excited and slightly nervous about the whole ordeal. The good part is that the only guests we are having are my brother-in-law and his wife...and maybe my brother too. I'm not too worried about the "eaters" being too judgemental...it will mostly be self-imposed! I have spent the last 3 days cleaning my house like crazy. And not just cleaning but cuh-leeeeening...almost like a pregnant woman who is in the beginning stages of psycho nesting :-) . Besides cleaning the house I have tried to plan tomorrows meal down to the minute. I started working on some stuff today but on my refrigerator is a time-table of tomorrows dishes and what I need to be doing when. One thing I am very thankful for is that my neighbors are going out of town so we get to use their oven! That will be a huge help!

I went ahead and set the table today. After I had all of our China & Crystal in place I realized the center looked a little empty. I tried candle sticks...better...then I started to get creative with different bowls and such from around the house. I finally decided that the turkey would serve as the perfect centerpiece. I was on the phone with my mom explaining this when the doorbell rang. There was a man there holding this beautiful arrangement for ME! It was from my mom & dad. They are so good to me and know how to make my day!! I am so thankful for both of them and I will miss them dearly tomorrow!

One Nap!?!?!?

2007-11-19T20:35:00.001-06:00

Oh boy...here we go! Bean has been hinting that he would really like to only take 1 nap a day. And I have been avoiding his hints like the plague! But today I was faced with the reality that this just might be happening. He would NOT take a morning nap today. He played in his crib and babbled on and on and on...then he started with the Mama's..."Mama? Mama? Mama?". He must know that is my weakness because I can not resist it when he so sweetly calls my name. I go in to rescue him and he is sitting in his crib, hugging his pillow and beams with joy when he sees me....no nap for him! He's pretty crabby about losing the pacie (which is a sleepy-time only thing!) and about getting a new diaper and clothes. So I do what every good Mom does, I get him all ready, take him downstairs and put on a Baby Einstein video while I deal with the shock that I am not going to get my usual morning break/shower/nap. 30 minutes later, Bean is standing and applauding Baby Van Gogh and asking "Moh?". Nope, no "moh" today...1 is plenty. It is now 11ish and poor Bean doesn't know what to do with himself...he's sleepy, but giddy and most of all HUNGRY! So an early lunch it is! I am about half way done with his lunch when the amazing Daddy walks in and is home for his lunch. I have to insert here that the Bean is in LOOOOVE with Daddy right now. He is by far Daddy's biggest fan and wants to be with Daddy all.of.the.time. So after lunch, a yawning and bleary eyed Bean staggers in to play with his Daddy. Meanwhile, I'm looking at the clock and panicking because my baby has been up for 5 hours and I'm afraid we are going to miss the sleepy zone and go straight to the too-tired-to-sleep zone. I did manage to get Hubs some lunch, take care of the dog and pry Bean away from his favorite person AND get Bean down for a nap! That little boy was asleep before his head hit the pillow....and he slept for 2 hours (which is a typical nap for him and he usually does this twice a day!).

There are 2 things about this that sadden me:
1) I got 1/2 of my usual "Mommy" time today.
2) My baby is growing into being a little boy...not a baby

Who knows how many naps he will take tomorrow....

What Am I Doing!?!?!? or not doing...

2007-11-15T16:18:00.000-06:00

We have company coming this weekend and then we have company for Thanksgiving next week. I have a list a mile long of things to do before this weekend/next Thursday and you know what I'm doing??? I'm cleaning out the closet in the current guest room/ soon-to-be nursery!! What is wrong with me!?!? That definitely is NOT a priority right now, but for some reason I feel like I HAVE to get it done. Nesting?

My Lizard

2007-11-14T23:32:00.001-06:00

So, he knows how to quack like a duck, hiss like a snake and bark like a dog....what's left?? Well let me tell you! My little boy can stick his tongue out like a lizard!! :-) I'm sure we will regret teaching him this (and then laughing uproariously when he does it) but it is oh so funny right now!

WFMW: Tub Paint Recipe

2007-11-13T22:14:00.001-06:00

Thanks to my dear friend Brooke (also the master-maker of the diaper cake!) I now have an awesome "recipe" for bathtub paint! It is super simple to make, although a few of the ingredients may not be in your cupboard and require a special trip to the store. Bean (1 year) had a FANTASTIC time painting in the tub. Plus, with Christmas right around the corner, it makes a great gift (ahem, Learning Patience, no need to make this...it's "taken care of"!) Happy Tub Painting!!!

Bathtub Finger Paint

1 envelope unflavored instant gelatin
1/4 cup hot water
1/2 cup cornstarch
3 Tbsp sugar
1 3/4 cups cold water
1/4 mild liquid dishwashing soap (I used clear)
food coloring

Dissolve one envelope of unflavored instant gelatin in 1/4 cup hot water and let it sit for 10 minutes. Combine 1/2 cup cornstarch, 3 tablespoons sugar and 1 3/4 cups cold water in a saucepan, and stir until cloudy and smooth. Cook the cornstarch mixture over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until thick. Reduce heat, add the gelatin mixture and 1/4 cup mild, liquid dishwashing soap, and stir until smooth. Let cool. Divide into smaller, airtight containers and add 1 drop of food coloring to each. Stir and head to the tub!

My Tips:
*The gelatin mixture will get goopy, it's okay, just scrape it out of the bowl
*I used a wire whisk for all of the mixing involved...worked better than a spoon!
*Baby food jars work great for storage
*We used a silicone pastry brush in the tub. It is easy to clean out after the bath is over, plus it doesn't hold moisture-no mildew!
*Bean did a taste test and survived...so I'm guessing it won't really do any damage if consumed in small quantities!
*It washes off tub walls BEAUTIFULLY! I even tested it and left it on overnight....washed right off! I have not tried it on tile...not sure how it will do on grout.

Ooops! I almost forgot...head over to Rocks In My Dryer for some more awesome tips!!

Diaper Cake!

2007-11-11T21:17:00.000-06:00

My good friend Brooke made a diaper cake for Bean for his 1/2 birthday last year. It was the cuuuutest thing in the entire world!! Did you catch the part that she made it!?!?! Bean had a terrific time tearing it apart after it served as our centerpiece in the dining room for at least a month. But finally I decided that I needed to actually use the diapers in the cake before he outgrew them.

Well my neighbor friend is going to have her baby tomorrow (oh the joy of a planned C-section)!!! I can't even imagine knowing the day ahead of time...I must admit that me and my plan-ahead-attitude are a teensy bit jealous. That aside, I decided to try and conquer making a diaper cake for her. After many attempts on the bottom layer (by far the most challenging) here is what I ended up with. If nothing else, it's a free stack o' diapers!

My New Best Friend!

2007-11-09T09:29:00.000-06:00

Taaaah Daaaah! Yesterday our new dishwasher was installed! Yippeeeee! I was so thrilled to get the call at 12:30pm that they were "on their way" with our new dishwasher (plus, Bean had just woken up from his nap so the timing was perfect!). They arrived and started working on taking the old one out...Bean was captivated! He sat on my lap in the middle of our kitchen floor the entire time watching their every move. I am confident that he could now install a dishwasher on his own! ;-)

After the new one was all ready to go we put every dirty dish we could find straight in the dishwasher! No pre-washing needed!!!! While I was loading our nasty dishes, Bean decided it was his job to immediately remove the dirty dishes from the dishwasher and put them on the floor. After I convinced him that was not how it worked he wandered off and left me and my new friend alone to get better acquainted. A few minutes later he toddled back over to us with an arm load of his plastic stacking cups. He proceeded to place them one at a time into the dishwasher!!!! I was so proud of him (and so was he!). I did agree with him that those cups needed a good run through the dishwasher so we loaded them in too. And guess what....EVERYTHING CAME OUT CLEAN!! I was and still am amazed!!

UPDATED ON BEAN: The diaper situation is improving...not all better yet, but getting there! I had to go buy more bananas yesterday because that is one of the only foods in the BRAT diet he will really eat! Bananas, applesauce, crackers & bread....that's about it.

Poor Bean

2007-11-07T20:37:00.000-06:00

Today has been an un-eventful, yet interesting, day. Poor Bean has had "dirty diapers" ALL DAY today! His little bum is so red and it makes us both cry during a diaper change (which has been necessary at least 10 times today!). My heart breaks for him and I wish I could just make it all better. Ugh. I did find out a "cure" from my Grandma today for such problems. She said that back-in-the-day she had the same problem with her youngest son. Her pediatrician told her to spread blackberry jam on crackers for him and that would take care of the problem. AND IT DID! Grandma did say that she's not sure if it really worked or if the timing was just right.

Today my pediatrician told me to feed Bean the following: bananas, rice, applesauce, bread/crackers and to only let him drink water and Pedialite. So far nothing has changed...I think we might have to try the blackberry jam on crackers ;-)

The Letter "D"

2007-11-06T21:24:00.001-06:00

Our day today seems to have revolved around things begining with the letter "D" .....

Dump truck, Ducks & Dogs: The 3 things that Bean is obsessed with right now. We had our first day of Mommy & Me time at the library today (we did this last Feb. when Bean was little). So we arrive and Bean immediately pulls out a touch and feel book about dogs (a book we happen to have at home too!). We spent a good 5 minutes reading and re-reading this book. THEN he finds a book about dump trucks, even better! After story time, the group sings interactive songs with the kiddos. The leader does not have a kiddo so she uses a stuffed-animal duck. Ohhhh my goodness! Bean eyed that duck like you would believe!! After song time the kids get to play with a basket of toys. As soon as I freed Bean from my grip, he made a beeline for that duck. I sat there and watched my little boy wander around the room in a state of bliss clutching the duck in one arm and the dump truck book in the other (all the time making quacking noises and zooming noises)!

Dishwasher: We went to Lowe's tonight and picked out our new dishwasher! YAY!!! Our current "dishwasher" (I use the term loosely) is horrible! We have to wash everything before we put it in and then the so-called "dishwasher" basically sanitizes them. Within 72 hours we will have a newly installed dishwasher in our kitchen!! YIPEEEE!

Daddy: Daddy (aka Hubs) got a last minute offer to head over the Illlini game tonight with some friends. We then rushed home from Lowes and got Daddy out the door and off to go cheer on his team! (Which means Mommy is home alone!! *insert big BIG grin from Mommy*)

Dirty Diapers: Gross I know, but when you have 6+ dirty diapers in one day, it is worth mentioning.

DONE: I am done doing the laundry from our trip. If you read that statement carefully you will notice that there is no mention of the baskets of clean laundry being folded and/or put away, simply done. I am also done cleaning our kitchen and family room (the 2 areas that the Tornado of Bean sweeps through daily leaving me with a disaster area by 7pm). I am also done with this post and done with my day....off to bed I go!

Home!

2007-11-04T19:36:00.000-06:00

We are finally back home from a family vacation. We left last Saturday morning and drove down to spend the day and night with my folks. It was great to spend a bit of time with them before we hopped on a plane Sunday morning and flew out to upstate New York with Bean.

How did he do on the plane you ask? He did GREAT! We had a 90 minute flight to Detroit then another 90 minute flight to our final destination. He was completely entertained for the entire first flight. He spent the first 10 minutes "zooming" as we taxied and took off (he says "mmmmmmm" when he zooms his cars around). Then he slept the ENTIRE next flight. It was fantastic!

We spent all of last week with Hubs's entire family. We stayed out in a BEAUTIFUL house on Lake Seneca. It was so gorgeous. We had a great time visiting with Hubs's extended family too! Bean even met his Great Great Grandma for the first time! It was very special.

After a week of fun we flew back to my spend the night with my parents before driving home this afternoon. I have sorted the laundry and threw together a chicken casserole for dinner (not nearly as impressive as it sounds). I am done with unpacking and cleaning...tomorrow will be here soon enough...I'm off to bed for now!

Autumn

2007-10-25T19:24:00.000-05:00

I have a friend that does photography work on the side, she is a full time teacher. She & I actually taught first grade together for a brief time. She is a wonderful teacher and an AWESOME photographer! She took a ton of pic's of Bean yesterday for me. He is wearing my grandpa's overalls from when he was a little boy! It melts my heart to see him in these! I am so excited that these overalls have been saved over the years...so special! Just wanted to share our autumn pic's!

WFMW: $20 Photo Book!

2007-10-24T10:34:00.000-05:00

For $19.99 you can get an AWESOME photo book from winkflash.com. Right now they are running a sale on hard (leather cover) bound photo books with UNLIMITED pages! Yes, that is right, UNLIMITED PAGES! Both of the books I have made have 100+ pages. I have done this deal twice with them and both times I have been really pleased with the outcome. It is a perfect (and cheap!) Christmas gift too! I highly recommend heading over there to check it out. The deal ends on Nov. 4th!

For other awesome ideas, head over to Rocks in my Dryer!

Website: http://www.winkflash.com/
Coupon Code: 93D8E74

*I have absolutely NO affiliation with winkflash.com, I am just a happy customer!

Choco-LOT

2007-10-23T20:06:00.000-05:00

The chocolate "issue" is in the process of being fixed. Brownies are in the oven as I type. Not just plain old brownies, mind you. They have chocolate chips in them and I made chocolate frosting...so it will be just like a cake, only better! YUM! I can not wait for the oven timer to beep!

I do need to clarify a little bit about this chocolate craving stuff. I have Gestational Diabetes so I am supposed to really watch what I eat and watch my blood sugar. With Bean it was really rough...my sugar levels would spike if I even looked at something sugary, but with Bub they really haven't been too bad. Not nearly as finicky as they were with Bean. Soo I am little more lenient about giving in to my cravings this time around.

*BEEEP* Oooooh! They are ready!! Wish I could share!

**UPDATE: Hubs just finished his "brownie" and said, "That was more like chocolate cake than a brownie" :-) Yes, dear it was.

All I Want...

2007-10-22T21:35:00.001-05:00

All I want is a huge piece of chocolate cake with yummy frosting...is that too much for a girl to ask for? I don't think Hubs is up for a late-night run to a bakery to find me a little *errr...BIG* slice of heaven. I think I'll have to settle for a glass of chocolate milk....but when my birthday comes around next month WATCH OUT!

This was our Groom's cake at our wedding...oh my it was fantastic! Chocolate & blackberry filling OH MY!

sigh

2007-10-21T22:46:00.000-05:00

YAY! I finally had the time and energy to redecorate this blog. I decided against the fall-ish stuff...I will definitely put up Christmas "decorations" though! Hope you like the purple-ness!!

Fluffy Bunny

2007-10-21T14:39:00.000-05:00

If you have ever played the game Fluffy Bunny then you know what is coming! I found Bean in the kitchen today eating marshmallows! Okay, so I didn't really "find" him. I was sitting on the couch watching him tote around a bag of marshmallows and curiously watching to see what he would do when discovered "what" was in the bag. It was absolutely hilarious! He started by dumping about 5 of them on the kitchen floor (which I had just swept thankfully!). He then picked one apart and analyzed it for a few minutes before attempting to eat it. After he tried one, there was no stopping him! He immediately tried to put an ENTIRE marshmallow into his mouth at once! It was like the Blue Man Group stunt...he stuck a whole one in his mouth, closed his mouth and then pulled the entire thing back out! GROSS! :-) If we continue along the path of him being able to put as many marshmallows in his mouth in correspondence to his age, we might have a Fluffy Bunny champ among us!

No More...

2007-10-19T21:32:00.000-05:00

I have made the executive decision that today was my last day of going to the gym. I'm only 23 weeks, but it is taking it's toll on me. I love working out, but lately (past 4 weeks) I come home so sore in my tummy-supporting muscles that it knocks me out for a few days! Today I feel like someone kicked me between the legs...I can barely walk! It's just not worth it to me, or to Bean! Plus, despite my best efforts, I have gained more weight with Bub so far than I did at the same time as Bean! Grrrr.... I'm sure exercising is and was helping, but I have had enough. I'm ready for a break. I'm hoping we can "suspend" our membership for a few months (very doubtful), as I will really REALLY want to go again after Bub's arrival and after I have healed. I'm fairly certain that if you relinquish your membership then you have to pay a fee if you rejoin within 1 year...BOO! We will see if they have a soft spot for pregnant ladies!

Baby Bub

2007-10-17T21:38:00.000-05:00

We had another sono today! It was fabulous! The purpose of this sono was to check on Bub's kidneys and to measure the chambers of his heart. All looked great! His kidneys were both in the normal range for size (which is awesome!). He had his hands up over his head and was wiggling away! We got to see an awesome view of his piggies. Both feet held perfectly still for a brief time and we could see all 10 toes and even see all of the bones in each tiny toe! It was sooo cool!

It is such a relief to see that little boy and to know he is doing just fine. It makes my heart ache to hold him and to see him. I was excited about Bean's arrival, but nothing like this. I know how amazing it all is now and I can not wait! I'm so anxious to meet Bub. We are now in our last 4 week wait until our next appointment. After that one we will go every 2 weeks (then every week once I hit 36 weeks-I didn't make it that far with Bean!). It is flyyyyying by!

More Than I Think

2007-10-14T20:43:00.000-05:00

This afternoon Bean woke up from a wonderfully LONG nap! I went upstairs and scooped him up, then; immediately brought him down to Da Da so that I could go grab a shower. Why didn't I shower while he was napping you ask? The answer is this, our bathroom shares an UN-insulated wall with Bean's room. If we do anything in our bathroom that involves water (sink, shower, toilet) Bean will wake up. During nap time and after 7pm our bathroom is out of order. I digress...back to the story. Bean is broken up about leaving his Momom to hang out with Da Da. But I do manage to dash upstairs and shower. When I return to the basement I can hear Bean and Da Da playing and giggling. I realize that they are playing with light dimming remote (it dims part of the lights in our basement) and so I flip on the big lights using the switch at the top of the stairs. Da Da then says "Oh, I can't control those lights. Who do think did that?". To which Bean screams excitedly "MOM-MOM-MOM-MOM!!!!!". I think he understands FAR more than I think he does!

GO ILLINI!

2007-10-10T10:24:00.000-05:00

We (especially Hubs) are die hard Illinois fans. Hubs was in Orange Krush (the student section for basketball) all through college. We even did Bean's room in an Illini theme!

We have been TRYING to get season basketball tickets for the last few years without much luck. The waiting list is hundreds of people long...they do a lottery-type drawing for so many season tickets a year and we always put our name in. This year, Hubs's name was drawn!!! WOO HOO! We are now the proud holders of season basketball tickets! YAY! And the best part is that the majority of the games are before Baby Bub is due! Now to find a babysitter....

*Bean is about 3 months old in this pic! Soooo sweet!

WFMW: Baby Bouncing

2007-10-09T21:18:00.000-05:00

When we had Bean, he was a snuggler. He wanted to be held, rocked, cuddled...all of the time! We discovered a great and comfortable way to keep him happy, bouncing! We purchased an inexpensive large exercise ball and bounced away! He loved it when he was itty bitty. Now the ball still roams our house and is used as an extra chair and Bean LOVES pushing it around (it's as big as he is!). You could also use it for...ummm...exercising?!?! :-) This is what worked for me! For other awesome ideas go check out Rocks In My Dryer!

Punkin Patch

2007-10-09T19:46:00.000-05:00

It has been sooo HOT here lately! We had planned on going to the pumpkin patch/apple orchard this weekend for quite some time. When this past weekend finally rolled around, it was 92 degrees outside!! We decided to tough it out and go anyway. It was a good decision. Bean had a GREAT time and absolutely loved the goats & chickens. (Which made me realize that we have got to get this kid to a zoo!). We melted our way out to the pumpkin patch, only to find ourselves surrounded with rotten, stinky pumpkins (they don't care for the hot weather either!). It was really unpleasant, but I did get some cute pic's of Bean in the pumpkin patch.

The best part of the entire day there was the apple cider slushes...oh my! They were absolutely amazing and worth every single penny! A great alternative to hot apple cider :-)

Faaancy!

2007-10-06T10:50:00.001-05:00

Last night we ate our dinner on our china. We hardly EVER use our beautiful china (anniversary, fancy dinners...) but last night was a rare night. We were out of dishes! Yup all of them were dirty (even the tiny desert plates!). I debated serving dinner in bowls, but I figured I might as well use 2 of the 12 extra plates sitting in our china cabinet! Did we dine on steak? or fancy Italian food? Nope. We had leftover pizza and quesadillas. AND water in our awesome Illini cups...now that is fiiiiine dining!

Fried Ice Cream

2007-10-04T21:14:00.000-05:00

I did it!!! Tonight I successfully made fried ice cream!! I never EVER thought I could master this at home, (it is soooo good in restaurants) but tonight I did it! And guess what...it.was.easy!! I am still amazed at how stinkin' easy it was! This recipe is NOT mine, I definitely found it online (and if I could remember where I found it, I would give them props). However, for the record: this is NOT my creation!

Fried Ice Cream

Make ice cream balls (fist size or smaller)
Freeze 'em for an hour

Meanwhile...
Beat 3 egg whites until frothy (next time I am going to add honey to this)
In a separate bowl: crunch up corn flakes and cinnamon (use common sense on how much you need...I don't have the recipe in front of me...you guys are smart)

Take frozen ice cream balls out of the freezer. Roll them in the egg whites, then completely cover them in corn flakes! Put them back in the freezer for 3 hours. *I just put them on a plate and didn't even cover them.

Heat up a pot of oil until it is 375. (I did not check the temp. I let it heat up for about 8 minutes and it was fine).

Drop your ice cream balls into the hot oil for 10-15 seconds, remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. SERVE IMMEDIATELY!

*I drizzled chocolate syrup over ours tonight! Caramel would be good too!!!

YUM YUM YUM!

It's a....

2007-10-03T18:50:00.000-05:00

BOY! I am so excited and I was soooo surprised! I had convinced myself we were having a girl!! It was so fun finding out that he is a HE! I will now be referring to him as Baby Bub, or just Bub. We are going back for another sono in 2 weeks because they could not get him in a position to check out the chambers of his heart and one of his kidneys is slightly dilated so they are going to check on that (anybody with experience or know anything about this???). They told us that it's no big deal and that it will probably clear up on its own.

It has been an awesome day! I'm going to go throw Big Brother Bean into the tub and then sit down with Hubs and eat pizza and watch TV!

WFMW: Big Boy Bed!

2007-10-03T08:43:00.000-05:00

This week Shannon over at Rocks In My Dryer has decided that this week instead of posting a tip we are all asking for advice! Here is what I'm seeking advice on: How do I transfer my 15 month old into a twin bed? How did you do it? What worked? What did NOT work?

The fact that he is going into a twin bed right now is not negotiable so please do not suggest purchasing another crib, this is not an option for us.

I can't wait to hear all of the sweet little tid bits of wisdom! Bring it on!

Changes

2007-09-30T11:06:00.000-05:00

With Bean in the house nothing is the same (nor will it EVER be!). Here are a few of the things that I he has done lately to "change" our house!

-Cereal belongs in Mom's shoes. Whenever I put on my shoes I get a nice crunch
-Measuring cups go in the potty. We now look before we go.
-Diapers are EVERYWHERE. Bean loves to carry *clean* diapers around and we find them all over the place.
-Junk mail all is forwarded to Bean. He feels quite important when we give him his own piece of mail.
-If you hear him saying "ah ah ah ah", he is waiting for you to respond with "ACHOO!".
-Dad's belts are some of the best toys in the world. He will carry a belt around until we take it away.
-Another favorite toy...a soup ladle
-Kowe's toys and food are more fascinating than any toy or snack we could provide him with.
-Once he steps foot outside, he wants to remain there. And he will let you know that is where he wants to be.
-And finally, no one can cheer for a football game alone, he will chime in no matter who is playing or who is cheering! GO ILLINI!

Fab Four!

2007-09-28T16:05:00.000-05:00

Woo Hoo! I'm such a dork and love doing stuff like this! Thanks for the tag Anna!

4 jobs I have held:
1.) Ice Cream Shop~ I started working at Gator's when I was 16 and worked there until the summer before I got married! It was the best summer job EVER!
2.) Resident Assistant- In college I was an RA for 2 years! So much fun!
3.) Best Buy- Yup, I worked in customer service for about 6 months. It was fun on the weekend when Hubs was working there too!
4.) Teacher- first grade!!

4 films I could watch again and again
1.) Steel Magnolias- My #1 favorite movie!
2.) Good Will Hunting
3.) Elf
4.) Father of the Bride 1 & 2

4 TV shows I watch
1.) ER
2.) The Office
3.) House
4.) Survivor

4 places I have lived:
1.) Belleville, IL
2.) Hudson, IA
3.) Champaign, IL
4.) Shorewood, IL

4 favorite foods:
1.) Fettuccine Alfredo
2.) Chinese Food
3.) Nacho cheese
4.) tater tots

4 websites I visit everyday:
1.) The Weather Chanel
2.) Craigslist-We are searching for a twin bed...got one you are trying to get rid of? Let me know!
3.) Gmail- I check my email compulsively!
4.) Our local newspaper

4 of my favorite colors:
1.) Cerulean (look in your kids crayon box...it's in there!)
2.) Purple
3.) Lime Green
4.) Yellow

4 places I’d like to be right now:
1.) Home alone cleaning like crazy
2.) In Aruba
3.) At the doc's office having our sono!
4.) In Texas with my sis-in-law hanging out

4 names I like but wouldn’t or couldn’t use myself:
1.) Corrine-I LOVE it but Hub's has vetoed it.
2.) Levi-Another veto...
3.) Mae- Doesn't work as a first or middle name for us
4.) Will-same as #3...just doesn't work!

Feel free to play along!! TAG! You're it! ;-)

I was gonna....

2007-09-28T08:01:00.001-05:00

I was debating taking down that last post last night while I was laying in bed. This is when I become sane again and remember all of the awesome things about being a momma. I lay in bed and think about the day with Bean and somehow, by the grace of God, only remember the giggles and joys of the day. I think about our huge giggle-fest before bedtime, our lovely afternoon spent running around the yard, our time at the park when he was so proud of himself for telling me that the mulch is yucky, watching him collapse on his daddy and watch a Baby E. video after a looooong morning...those are the things I treasure. That is why I do it again.every.single.day.

Where morning dawns and evening fades You call forth songs of joy!!!!!
Psalm 65:8

Fried

2007-09-27T22:33:00.000-05:00

I am fried. Literally, fried. I feel like every single day is Groundhog Day. Bean wakes up...play...breakfast...play...nap...play...lunch...play...nap...play...dinner...play...bath...bedtime. Every day is the same. Granted we do different things during "play" time; take walks, go to the park, go to the gym, watch a Baby Einstein, read books, play outside, play with friends....and yes, meal times are unique as well. But the pattern remains. I feel like I'm in a loop that never ends; however, I must say that I like the timing of this loop. Our days are very nicely scheduled and the timing of everything is perfect. I guess this is momma-hood. I'm not sure how to get out of my little funk, but I need to be yanked out of it. NOW!

Any ideas?

First-Last Date

2007-09-26T22:07:00.000-05:00

I have been intending to blog about this for a few weeks...

Before Bean was born, Hubs & I decided that we were going to start going on a date every weekend up until his birth. We made this decision in August and decided to start in September. Bean was DUE to arrive on October 8th. We had our first date planned out. We were going to go to Olive Garden for the amazing "Never Ending Pasta Bowl". For a pregnant momma, this sounded like a dream come true! The first Friday in September was quickly approaching and we were SO excited to start our little pre-baby dates...when I WENT INTO LABOR! Bean was born on the first Thursday of the month, needless to say, we did not make our "first-last date".

Soooo the week of Bean's birthday this year, I went to pick up Hubs for a quick lunch date. We have discovered that lunch dates work FAR better for us than dinner dates. Bean is awake & hungry, lunch is cheaper, and lunch is usually served much faster than dinner. Hubs & I head out for lunch and he takes us to Olive Garden for the Never Ending Pasta Bowl! It was the first Friday in September. While we were eating, we came to the realization that we were actually on our "first-last date". Granted, Bean was with us on the outside and now there is somebody else on the inside...but at least we finally made it on our "first-last date"!

WFMW: Birthday Reminders!

2007-09-26T14:29:00.000-05:00

I am a birthday fanatic! I love celebrating birthdays and I love sending cards to family and friends on their special day! It is hard for me to remember all of the date though. Even when I have them hand-written on my calendar, I occasionally overlook them or I don't notice until the day of! Here's my solution: photo calendars! My sister-in-law made me a calendar for Christmas last year that has a picture of the birthday boy/girl on their birthday! So now when I look at the calendar I see Grandma staring me in the face reminding me that her birthday is this month! It has worked GREAT! You can make your own calendar online using numerous different online photo places. (I like snapfish's calendars the best!)

For more great ideas go check out Rocks In My Dryer!

Apple*palooza!

2007-09-23T21:52:00.000-05:00

We went to my Aunt & Uncle's house to pick apples this weekend. It was so much fun! Bean had a great time playing with their big dogs. This child has NO fear of dogs what so ever (which I am happy about!). We had an awesome time at their house. The apple trees were magnificent and we came home with 10 galons of apples PLUS a grocery sack full! We have already made and eaten an entire apple cobbler! *The cobbler was shared with friends!!*

We have the apples now in buckets in our kitchen and Bean LOVES trotting over, grabbing an apple and then carrying it around to munch on. Believe it or not, he can actually sink his little toofies into them and get a bite! I was shocked the first time he did it, but he can and he LOVES it. Hooray for apples!

He's Back!

2007-09-21T21:47:00.000-05:00

YAY! Bean is back to his normal Beanie-self! WOO HOO! He (and all of the other kids in the neighborhood) have been passing around a fever. No other symptoms (other than excessive crabbiness!!). He ran a temp for a few days on and off and TODAY IS THE DAY! Thank the Lord that this fever is gone! He took 2 great naps and has been so much fun to hang out with. Just letting you all know the absolute joy we are experiencing over here...hooray for no more sickies!

Our First Date

2007-09-20T14:54:00.000-05:00

Today Bean and I had our first date. We went to the mall and had lunch. Just the 2 of us! I had hoped to meet a teacher friend there, but she wasn't feeling well, so it was just us! Bean dined on a grilled cheese sandwich, corn Chex, zesty tomato puffs & a banana cookie (not very nutritious...). I ate a soft pretzel with cheese (my high school lunch of choice!). I think I ate that every day while I was in high school. Even though I spend 99.9% of every day with Bean, it was kind of special to go and "eat out" just the two of us.

After we were done eating, we shopped. OH did we shop!! *insert a very Cheshire cat grin*. I spent a good portion of my maternity clothes budget today on some awesome deals from the maternity store in our mall. All of my clothes from Bean are summery and since I'm going to be pregnant all winter, I didn't think my gym shorts and ribbed tank tops would cut it this time around. We also bought Bean an adorable Illini jogging suit. We had so much fun! Yes, even Bean. He enjoyed grabbing...errr..."showing" me which clothes he liked :-). He was even supportive through the trying-on process. Each time I put on something new, he would applaud and grin from ear-to-ear (He will make some lucky lady a GREAT husband!).

We wrapped up our adventure with a trip to see Daddy at the office (I NEVER have my camera on me when we stop by! GRRRR!!!). After I told him who we were going to go see he wouldn't stop saying "dah dah dee dah dee dee dah dah".

It was an awesome day for both of us. A little time out of the house, and we both came home with some new threads! WOO HOO!

WFMW: What's NOT for Dinner

2007-09-19T06:30:00.000-05:00

Ugh...the daily decision of "What's for dinner?" is too much for us to handle. Yes, both of us get bogged down with this predicament. I don't want to make something Hubs doesn't like and Hubs usually "doesn't care" (except for when I do make the decision, the that's the one thing he doesn't want!). I know we aren't the only ones with this issue, so here is our solution; we make a list of ALL possible dinner options. Then we take turns crossing off 1 thing we DON'T want for dinner. Then whatever is left, is what I make. It works soooo well! We don't squabble over it, we simply come to a civil agreement. Give it a try! I promise it will work ;-)

L-A-U-N-D-R-Y!

2007-09-18T14:45:00.001-05:00

There was a time that I really really looked forward to laundry day....
~~~~~~~~~~~
When Hubs and I were first married (and even while we were in college). We would save up our dirty laundry and quarters until we literally had nothing left to wear. Then, on the next Saturday, I would truck 2 laundry bags packed full of dirty clothes and at least 1 laundry basket full to a laundromat. There was one in particular that I LOVED. They had TV's, good music, snacks and Wild Cherry Pepsi out of a fountain! I would hog 5-6 washers, and sit down and enjoy my day of laundry. What would I do for all of this time you ask? Ahhhh....grade papers (while I was student teaching), read, do homework, zone out...it was absolute bliss! Then after the laundry was done, this laundromat had HUGE tables for folding and HUGE racks to hang an entire closet full of clothes on. And all I could think about was how much I "couldn't wait" to have my own laundry room in my house....WHAT WAS I THINKING!?!?!?!?
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Back to reality where I now have a laundry room in my house, and it now takes me 6 days to do 2 loads of laundry. And putting it all away? Half of the newly washed clothes have been worn and are back in the dirty pile before I get it all put away! I have contemplated taking a day and leaving Bean with Hubs and hauling our laundry to a laundromat, but I can't rationalize spending the $$. So for now I will day-dream about the fun days at the laundromat and grind away at the ever growing pile in the bottom of the closet.

Barefoot & Pregnant

2007-09-16T19:04:00.000-05:00

Yup that's right...I'm pregnant and Bean is barefoot! At least that was the case today while Bean helped me scrub the kitchen floor. Bean usually takes a good 1.5-2 hour nap in the afternoon, but not today! Today he slept for a whopping 45 minutes! (I'm sure he knew it was Mommy & Daddy's big cleaning day and didn't want to miss the fun!). So right before Bean woke up, Hubs headed out to play a quick 9 holes of golf with our neighbor and I sat down to scrub the kitchen floor. And that's when Bean just knew he was missing out on all of the fun.

Scrubbing the floor with a toddling 12 month old looked something like this. I would spray the cleaner, he would grab the cleaner from me and examine it (and try to eat it, but after a few "yucky" reminders, that went by the wayside). Then I would grab the sponge and start scrubbing. Bean would then try to grab my sponge or try to stick his hands in my dirty rinse water. I ended up getting him a brand new sponge of his own, which he greatly enjoyed, and I also put Bean in charge of the paper towels. Which turned out like this:

New Baby Update

2007-09-14T22:01:00.000-05:00

I realized today that I haven't posted much about the state of the new baby. Things are going very well in my tummy. I have started feeling movement and even a few kicks. It's VERY cool to feel that again and it makes me all warm and fuzzy. THIS is what I will miss the most after the baby is born. The night after I had Bean I woke up sobbing because I thought I could feel him in my belly, but then when I touched my belly he wasn't there, which BLEW MY MIND! It absolutely freaked me out that he was out in the world and not safe and warm inside of me. Not to mention the fact that I was a huge ball of raging hormones! I crawled out of my hospital bed (at 2am) and waddled down to the nursery where they had Bean for monitoring (still sobbing) and begged for my baby to come back to my room with me....oh geez...this post is supposed to be about New Baby, not Bean!

Back to New Baby, things are great. I can eat food anytime (and all of the time!). I haven't gained any weight since my 10 week appointment, in fact I have lost 2lbs thanks to working out and watching my blood sugar. I have a normal doc. appointment next Wednesday and then the boy or girl sono on Oct. 3rd. I am counting the days until then! Overall, things are great!

Rockin' !!!

2007-09-12T14:42:00.000-05:00

Apparently I rock! Yup, that's what I've been told by Jen over at Learning Patience. This is my first blogger award and I'm completely excited! Thanks Jen!!

Now the heavy task of passing it along. I am a fairly new blogger and I don't follow very many blogs. The blogger that I feel is MOST deserving of this award is.......

Mary over at Owlhaven! She is an inspiration to me as a new momma. I love reading about her days filled with kids. She is a fantastic writer and an awesome momma. If you haven't checked out her blog, you are missing out! Sooo here you go Mary! Feel free to pass it along to another Rockin' Girl Blogger!

WFMW: Bum Print Pumpkins

2007-09-11T20:24:00.000-05:00

Sounds a little crazy doesn't it? If you have a small kiddo (probably under 1), a cute idea for a fall craft is to paint their little bum cheeks orange (PLEASE use paint that is safe for skin and that is washable) and then use it like a stamp to make "Bum Print Pumpkins". After stamping the "pumpkin" you will need to add your own embellishments (stem, leaves, pumpkin lines, etc.). We have a paint-your-own pottery place in town and this is a super easy and cute thing to do on a piece of pottery for a loved one. I wish I had a picture, but I do not...use your imagination! They turn out super cute! I promise!!

For more great ideas visit Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer!

Church Struggles...

2007-09-09T21:01:00.000-05:00

Soo here's the scoop. Our church has 2 services: 9am & 10:45. Here's the problem: Bean naps from 9-11:30 EVERY DAY! So we are faced with a dilemma weekly of how to make this work. Most weeks we skip out on church (yes, I know this is not good) and let Bean sleep. This makes our entire day much more pleasant and enjoyable for our family.

Today Bean sleeps in until 7:15 (typically he is up around 6am). With him sleeping in so late, he technically shouldn't go down for his nap until 10ish. This means we can make 9:00 church! YAY! Hubs and I take turns showering, feed Bean breakfast and are out the door by 8:40. We get him checked into the child care (Hubs has to drop him off to prevent the MEGA meltdown that comes with leaving mom). We made it through most of the church service and then our number came up. No big deal. I really don't mind being paged. We try to emphasize when we drop him off that WE DO NOT MIND. I would rather pick up a semi-fussy child 20 minutes into the service than get what I got today....which was a sobbing, hyperventilating, blotchy faced little boy who needed 10 minutes of Mommy time before he would even start to think about calming down...ugh. The lady says to me as I break myself in half to get through the window to grab my son, "We really didn't want to page you. I was hoping we could make it through the entire service". WHAT!!?!?!??! Oh I was not happy. But I got over it, calmed my baby down and we headed back for the last few minutes of the service.

One would hope this is the end of our church fiasco, but oh no, it is not...

We get home at 10:40 and assume that Bean drifting to sleep on the way home from church means that he is ready for a nap. We could not have been more wrong. I spent 30 minutes battling him. I would put him down, he would stand up, throw his pacies and SCREAM. We did this a few times, then I tried giving him a bottle (maybe he's hungry??). Well he guzzled the whole bottle and then continued to fight me. So I gave in and decided to forget about his morning nap. Grrrr.... After lunch and playing and playing and playing (and watching a Baby Einstein DVD) I decided to try the nap thing again...we only battled 2 rounds this time and eventually I won! He slept for an hour! ONLY 1 HOUR! After that I gave up. Hubs and I put on a dog and pony show for the rest of the evening and managed to maintain some level of sanity until 7pm when Bean was so sleepy he could no longer walk without tripping over his own feet. He did go down pretty quickly at 7, but has fussed a few times already.

I have decided that we may be taking a break from church for awhile. This was a long, hard, day. I would rather spend my Sunday praising the Lord in my own home with a happy baby and a happy husband (and a happy momma!).

Whew!

2007-09-08T21:53:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was Bean's birthday. We went and had his 1 year pictures taken in honor of this great event. And today I am sooo thankful that we had the pictures taken yesterday. This morning Bean was walking around our first level (it is kind of shaped like a donut so he can walk in circles from room to room). In front of our door is a tiny little patch of hard wood floor, then carpet, then linoleum in the kitchen, then carpet in the family room and dining room. Bean is making the lap around and he comes to the hard wood floor and loses his footing and falls flat on his face (it didn't help that he was holding a plastic spatula in one hand and a small wooden firetruck in the other...). I heard him fall, no, I SAW him fall. I ran to the poor little guy and scooped up a boy with a wide open mouth and no sound coming out. Finally he gasps for air and lets loose the biggest yell EVER! After he calmed down I had a chance to access the damage...a scrape above his left eye and a very black & blue cheek....I'm so glad we did the pictures yesterday. He looks so beat up now!

To My Bean

2007-09-07T20:47:00.000-05:00

My Bean turned 1 today! I am such a proud Momma and I can not believe that it has been a year! Part of my mind keeps flashing back to a year ago and remembering what we were doing that day and night. Then another part of my mind looks at this little boy walking around and wonders about birthdays to come. What will be doing 2 years from now? What about when he turns 16? or 26? (hmmm wonder how my mom feels....). It's so amazing. I am so blessed by him and I am so thankful for his sweet life. Happy Birthday Bean!

Wanna Get Pregnant?

2007-09-06T20:10:00.000-05:00

Let me know and I'll send you some water! Apparently IT is in the water. I am expecting in February. My next door neighbor is due in December. The lady behind me is due in November and then HER neighbor (across from me in the back) is due in April!! Sooo crazy! We are very close with our neighbors so this is super exciting for all of us (and we all already have kids!). Between our 4 houses and with new babies we will have a total of 12 kids all under the age of 8. (11 of them under 4). My other neighbor, who is not trying to conceive, keeps telling us that she hopes she doesn't catch "the pregnant". It's pretty silly. With these awesome blessings, I want you to know that it doesn't come without heartache. We have had numerous miscarriages between the 4 of us, trouble conceiving, invitro...the list goes on and on...but here we are! God is awesome. I am so blessed to have such wonderful Christian women living so close to me that are sharing the same life experiences. Did I mention we are all stay at home moms? Yup, it's awesome.

WFMW: We're Loyal to You...

2007-09-05T13:56:00.001-05:00

This week at Rocks in My Dryer, Shannon has come up with the great idea for all of us to share the name brands we are loyal to. Here are my top 10!

10.) Hanes Socks-LOVE THEM! and the color coded Hanes stitching on the bottom is sooo cute!

9.) Clorox- I love the bleach, but I also love their other cleaning products.

8.) Tostitos- I refuse to buy generic dipping chips. Tostitos are the best!

7.) Ragu- Another item I "splurge" for...GREAT sauce!

6.) Kraft Singles- Is there any other kind of processed cheese in a pre-wrapped square package?

5.) HUGGIES! - We started with Pampers, but I have since converted to Huggies- Bean gets a diaper rash with Pampers...all gone with Huggies!

4.) Pepsi-We LOVE Pepsi products around here: Mt.Dew for Hubs & Wild Cherry Pepsi for me!

3.) Country Crock- I grew up with it and it's what tastes like home.

2.) Cover Girl- Nobody can match my skin tone like Cover Girl!

......and the #1 brand is........

1.) BOUNTY! - I have tried numerous other brands of paper towels and there is none better than Bounty!!

We Survived

2007-09-04T15:26:00.000-05:00

Yes, we all survived last weekend. The party was awesome! We had close to 30 people show up and it was sooo much fun! I think Christian even had a pretty good time. A few of the highlights for him were getting to eat his first hot dog (very yummy!), he LOVED the frosting off of his birthday cake (he "shared" the cake with Kowe), he had a great time playing with the ribbons off of his packages (not really into opening the presents), and he enjoyed all of the attention.

I think my house is almost put back in order. I am still doing laundry like crazy, but it is coming along. Poor Hubs came down with a yucky 24 hour flu on Monday morning. So that definitely motivated all of our over-night guests to hit the road early. Not fun... But, he is doing much better today and seems to be fully recovered.

Ugh...Bean is waking up from a much too short nap...grrr....what are we going to do for the next 3 1/2 hours!?!?!?!? Hmmmm....

Finally a NEW post!

2007-08-30T09:41:00.000-05:00

Ahhhh....I finally am able to post! My computer has been very "broken" lately so I've been bumming hub's computer when I have time and he's not using it. So here I am, it's nap time for Bean, and amazingly I'm wide awake.

Actually, I am willing myself to be wide awake because I have sooo much cleaning to do today that there is no time for sleep. This weekend is Bean's 1st birthday party! We LOVE to entertain, so this was the perfect excuse to round up everybody for a par-tay. Tomorrow the weekend festivities kick off (which means my house has to be clean before I go to bed tonight!). My bro-in-law and his wife are coming tomorrow, then my bro is coming on Saturday. Then EVERYONE is coming on Sunday! I am absolutely psyched about this party. We are doing a family/kid party from 4:30-6:30 (dinner, cake, etc.) THEN around 8pm we are having a fire in our fire pit for the grown ups!! YAY!! Did I mention that I am absolutely psyched about this!?!?! Although I must admit that I am slightly disappointed that once again, I am not able to partake in consuming adult beverages this summer. I am counting on being free and clear next summer (I had better be!!!). But it will be fun to play hostess and enjoy being with family and friends.

On a completely different note, Bean is a walking machine! He walks across the room and from one object to the next...I LOVE IT! He can get up on one knee on his own, but he still has to pull up on something to get all the way up. He is also jabbering up a storm. He knows how to say "bah" when I hang up my phone or when Daddy goes to work in the morning. He can say "Da Da" & "Mom om om". He always nails the first "mom" but then it turns into "om om om". Very cute. He has just figured out how to play with his mouth and make noise...like this....Say "Ahhhhh" now take your finger and brush it up and down on your lips....you hear that noise?? That is what I hear all day! What is even funnier is that he cracks up if you do it to him with your finger. He will walk over to me going "Ahhhhhhh" while sticking his chin up at me as if to say "Do it Mommy! Make the funny noise.". Sooo silly!

Well I have officially procrastinated enough and I promise I won't be a stranger to blogging anymore. I am back ;-) !

Hooray for the 2nd Trimester!

2007-08-20T08:39:00.000-05:00

It is like someone has flipped a switch in me! I have been able to eat dinner for the last 3 consecutive nights without being sick to my stomach...AND I no longer need to nap during the day!! I am getting so much more done. Ahhh I am so thrilled to finally be out of the "red" zone and into the more enjoyable zone!

My Top 100

2007-08-18T22:12:00.000-05:00

Obviously this is not my 100th post at the new blog, but in my blog world, this is my 100th post! So I will follow in the footsteps of other amazing bloggers and do 100 things about me! Enjoy!

1. I am a lover of Jesus

2. That will always come first.

3. I met my husband in high school

4. I wouldn't label us as "high school sweethearts" but we did start dating at the begining of our senior year.

5. By the Grace of GOD we survived going to college an hour apart

6. (yeah, it doesn't sound far, but trust me...IT IS!)

7. We got married 2 days after Christmas

8. The date looked great on paper...not so great to do wedding stuff and Christmas stuff at the same time...

9. but it was gorgeous!

10. We have 2 kids...kind of

11. Bean is 10 months old

12 Sprout is still in my tummy

13. No, WE didn't plan on having our kids 16 months apart...

14. The Lord DID!

15. I love my husband SO much!

16. I especially love going shopping with him

17. Wal-Mart, Mall, Best Buy...you name it and I love going there with him.

18. I graduated from college with a degree in Elementary Education.

19. My first job was as a TA in kindergarten and first grade.

20. Part way through my first year I picked up a full time first grade job in that school.

21. I kept that job for the following school year too!

22. Then I got pregnant!!

23. It took us almost 2 years to get pregnant with Bean

24. I did not return to teaching the next year.

25. Being a stay at home Mom is my new job

26. and I love it!

27. But there are days that I just need my own space (who doesn't!)

28. And thankfully my Bean has a great Daddy to play with!

30. I enjoy cooking...

31. when I have time to make a meal.

32. It's not so fun when I have a "on the table by" deadline.

33. I am scared to try new recipes without a personal recommendation from someone who has eaten the dish.

34. But if it is something that is highly recommended I will give it a shot! Feel free to share your faves!

35. I haven't been to the movies in a year!

36. Before Bean we went to the movies every other week...

37. and had yummy popcorn...

38. and Wild Cherry Pepsi from the fountain (it is my FAVORITE drink!).

39. Corona with a lime is my second favorite drink.

40. I can't have either of my favorite beverages while I'm pregnant...

41. It's a bummer.

42. I enjoy cleaning the whole house in one day.

43. I hate it when this tasks spans over multiple days...

44. I just end up with a bigger mess in the end.

45. I despise taking out the trash (hooray for Hubs!)

46. It is one of my jobs to get the mail (I was gone for a week and when I came home Hubs had "left" all of the mail in the box for me!)

47. Getting mail is so much more fun when there is mail for me!

48. My dad knows this and sent me postcards from his weekly travels all through college.

49. I still have all of his postcards :-)

50. Let's back it up a bit...My first job was working at an ice cream shop

51. I had so much fun working there in the summers!

52. I ended up working there 6 summers in a row!

53. Eventually I was promoted to being a manager.

54. Hubs and I have thought about eventually opening up our own ice cream place (you know, when we are independently wealthy ;-) ).

55. I went to my Senior prom with Hubs.

56. I wish I remembered more from that evening...I remember a dance or 2...

57. and I remember driving my dad's new car there.

58. I was hoping we would get married at that point...

59. I had no clue that we actually would stick it out through college (1 hour apart!)

60. I enjoy scrapbooking...

61. and crocheting...

62. and cross stitching...

63. but I do not like to sew (especially when it comes to hemming Hubs's suit pants)...

64. that is MY mom's job! Thanks Mom!

65. We have a shih tzu named Kowe.

66. Her name is ewok backwards.

67. She really looks like a little ewok.

68. Kowe was our college graduation present to each other.

69. There are days now that I wish we didn't have a dog...

70. But I love her to pieces!

71. I do not like chocolate...

72. Except when I am pregnant.

73. I DO like a good piece of cake with yummy frosting anytime.

74. I ate an entire jar of pickles before noon last Sunday.

75. Yup, an ENTIRE jar!

76. They were absolutely delicious.

77. I have not ever broken a bone in my body...

78. Growing up I wanted to have a cast so badly! (a purple one...with all of my friends autographs on it)

79. I love shopping at Bed, Bath & Beyond.

80. I never really need anything from there but I always have a coupon...

81. Therefore I can rationalize any and all purchases!

82. I praise the Lord out loud when I am blessed with a good parking spot at Wal-Mart.

83. It happened today while it was raining and the college kids were all swarming to Wal-Mart...it was awesome.

84. Hmmm...what else....ooooh I know...I LOVE Chevy's salsa!

85. and their super thin, salty chips...YUM!

86. I became a Christian while sitting between Hubs & my sister-in-law.

87. We were at a church youth group "event".

88. I was 18 and I had no clue what was happening to me.

89. It was the most surreal and awesome experience of my life, and I am sooo glad that those 2 people were right next to me.

90. Don't know why I didn't mention this earlier in the countdown...

91. I hate shopping for jeans.

92. But I LOVE finding a great pair that actually fit!!

93. I love shopping for shirts...I could buy a million shirts and end up without pants!

94. I would like to travel to Japan with Hubs. (He lived there for 3 years).

95. I desperately want to go back to Aruba for one of our anniversaries!

96. I would also like to go on a cruise with our friends.

97. I keep a journal for both a of my kids.

98. They will receive it from me someday...not sure when.

99. I love having my own family.

100. Christmas is my favorite holiday! :-)

WHEW! There you have it! I hope it wasn't too painfully long! ENJOY!

W.A.L.K.I.N.G.

2007-08-18T19:02:00.000-05:00

Well Bean started walking today. He walked from Hubs to me (I was across the room). This journey took him around 6-7 steps to accomplish...and he did it! It was sooo cool! We kept spinning him around and then sending him back to the other parent. He was a walking fool! Then this evening Bean & I took a walk in the stroller. After we were done (he was playing with the stroller in the driveway) he walked from the front of the stroller to the back! It is sooo amazing! I will get pic's ASAP!

Oh yeah...he also popped 2 new teeth today! We are up to a grand total of 5 new teeth!

Definition of a Craving

2007-08-16T20:12:00.000-05:00

When I was pregnant with Bean I never experienced a "craving". Sure, occasionally something would sound really good, but nothing I "had to have right now or I will die". With this baby I have been getting night sickness (as opposed to morning sickness). At about 3pm my tummy starts to turn and I nauseated from that point until about 10am. Forget about me eating dinner. However, every so often something (just 1 thing) will sound soooo good to me during that nauseated period, that I have to have it. The other night it was a chocolate shake & fries (not very healthy...) and tonight it's a sub from Subway. It is amazing that nothing sounds good to me...absolutely NOTHING...except that one thing. I'm guessing this is what having a craving is all about...never ever did I experience this with Bean.

**All evidence continues to support my premonition that I am having a girl! Hubs is 100% convinced it is another boy....we shall see!

8 Things About our Marriage

2007-08-15T22:12:00.000-05:00

I was tagged by Anna over at Sincerely Anna for this super fun meme. I love talking about weddings so this was right up my alley! Thanks for sharing Anna!!

1. Where did you meet your husband? Ooohh, well we met in a 11th grade English class (American Lit). We did a project together and I specifically remember his Mom dropping him off to work on our project (ha ha!). We "met" again in Theater Lit our Senior year of High School and at that point we each broke off other relationships and started dating.

2.What was the first thing you said? I have no clue...something related to the project we worked on together I'm sure...

3. Where was your first date? First kiss? Our first date was to a James Bond movie. We kissed later that night in his car.

4. Long or short courtship? Ugh...loooong. We knew we wanted to get married after dating for about 6 months or so (but I was 18 and he was 19 and that just wasn't going to happen) So we dated all through college (4 years at different schools about an hour apart) and got married in December of our senior year in college.

5. Where were we engaged? Hubs proposed to me at the quad on the U of IL campus. It was gorgeous! He proposed with a piece of copper pipe that his grandfather had cut to use to propose to Hubs's grandma 50 years earlier. Hubs's dad also proposed to his mom with it. Later that evening at a nice Italian restaurant I got my "real" ring :-)

6. Where were we married? We were married at the church we met at in southern Illinois.

7. Where was the reception? The country club my folks belong to...very beautiful!

8. Where was your honeymoon? Ahhh...we spent 10 glorious days in Aruba! It was absolutely amazing! We flew out the morning after our wedding...it was sooo perfect!
Consider yourself TAGGED! Feel free to play along! Leave a link to your blog in my comments so that I can come read your story too!!

Super Daddy

2007-08-14T07:28:00.000-05:00

I love my Husband. Have I told you guys this? Because, I really really do.

He morphed into Super Daddy last night (a transformation that is awe inspiring and oh so natural for him). Christian woke up at 2am screaming his poor lil head off! So I went in, gave him a bottle and put him back down (as I do every night). However, last night he did not want to sleep. He continued to scream and scream and scream!!! So I went in again and tried to soothe him and as soon as he started to doze in my arms I laid him back down....and he screamed. Ugh. So I thought to myself, "Do I really want to positively reinforce this behavior?". Ummm No! So I crawled back in bed to let him work it out for a little while on his own. This is where the Super Daddy comes in. I immediately start to drift, despite the sobs being heard on the monitor. Nathan hops out of bed, and goes in to take care of his little boy. Now this is where the details get fuzzy on my part...I fell asleep...completely, 100% asleep! I then wake up at 6am to Hubs crawling back into bed. Sooo I ask him where he's been. He slept with Bean on the couch all night so that I could sleep!

What an awesome Super Daddy!

Kid at Heart

2007-08-11T15:34:00.001-05:00

We went to our local swimming pool as a family a week or so ago. They have a fantastic kiddie pool (slides, squirty stuff, spray toys...it's AWESOME!). Bean really enjoys playing in the kiddie pool and then going over to the big pool and swimming more with us. Hubs can only handle so much of the kiddie pool before he is ready to head over to the bigger one. Hubs also enjoys going off of the diving board. On this particular day, Bean and I were watching Hubs do his tricks off of the board (and clapping of course!). Hubs finishes up and swims over to us and asks me if I saw him talking to one of the kids in line with him. Here is their conversation:

Kid (to Hubs): "Aren't you a little big to be going off of the diving board?"
Hubs: "I guess I'm just a kid at heart."
Kid: "You know, some people just say that, I think you really mean it."

And that sums up Hubs in one statement! :-)

Dog Food IS Cheaper...

2007-08-09T15:32:00.000-05:00

Bean has been attempting to devour dog food at any and every opportunity. He loves it! It cracks me how he will crawl with such motivation to get to the dog food and gobble down as much as he can before I notice. Typically he will listen when I tell him it is "yucky" and then he drops it and claps because he knows he did the right thing. However, occasionally he will not listen to me and continues to consume as much as possible. In these situations I go over and scoop him up and continue to plead my case about dog food being "yucky". After this occurs, Kowe, rushes over to her bowl and will eat everything that is in her bowl (as if saying "I'd better eat this before he does!"). The whole scenario makes me chuckle.

You Know It's Been Too Long When...

2007-08-08T10:40:00.000-05:00

So I was all excited because today is Wednesday and I have this great "Works For Me Wednesday" idea, but then I logged into my blog and realized that I haven't posted since last Wednesday! Oops! This week has just gotten away from me...

I am back down at my mom's house again this week. Bean & I will be here until Friday. Bean has had fun playing down here this week. He has been able to spend time with his Pop Pop and Grandma. He has also decided to start saying "Da Da" this week (even though "da da" isn't here...).

Last Sunday we left our house to drive down here ("here" is about 2 1/2 hours away). Hubs packed us all up and was saying bye to Bean. After everything was ready we headed out. We were a little ways down the street when Bean said "Momma, Da Da bye-bye. Da Da bye-bye.". Now I'm not sure how much of it was just random babbles that happened to come together to form a very coherent sentence, but it was soooo cool! It absolutely melted me! He can definitely say Momma and Da Da and sometimes even bye-bye, but to put them all together at once?!?!?!? I'm waiting for a repeat performance ;-)

Works For Me: Taking It All In

2007-08-01T14:00:00.000-05:00

I am still a pretty new parent so my "advice" isn't so much that, but just what is working for me right now. When things get hectic or I start freaking out over the minor details in life, I try to remember that each moment with my son is fleeting and I need to step back and take it all in. I don't ever want to forget about him growing up. I want to remember what he looks like each day (even though I know this will not happen). But, I do want to absorb as much of him as I can each day without fretting. This is what is working for me right now and is what keeps me from losing my mind some days!

Don't forget to head over to Rocks In My Dryer for more parenting advice!

At My Parent's House

2007-07-31T10:36:00.001-05:00

I have been spending the past week at my mom & dad's house helping take care of things. My mom had surgery last week and is recovering. So I came down with Bean to take care of her and her house this week and then I will come back next week. It has been an adventure being down here the past few days. I love being at home and being with my parents (whom I love dearly) but it is so strange for me to be here and to be the "mom" and not the kid. I am so accustomed to coming here and having Mom take care of ME not the other way around. It is very fulfilling to be able to return the favors (even though we are comparing apples to oranges...years of taking care of me vs. days of me taking care of her).

Bean is having a great time down here. He has figured out how to maneuver his little walker. He can walk everywhere and even turn around and go back the other way! He has also started talking. He can say "mom mom mom" and "pop pop pop". He also will repeat words if they are said to him repeatedly (yesterday he was eating strawberries for lunch and I kept telling him they were "red" and eventually he looked at me, looked at the berries and said "Reh". VERY COOL! It is so fun to watch him on this journey!

New Blog!

2007-07-29T20:57:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Momma 2 Beans! On our new blog there are going to be a few changes from thenormalw8s. Change #1- our names. If you were familiar with our old blog, please refer to us by our new aliases on this blog. Me: Momma 2 Beans (Ann); Husband/Daddy: Hubs; kid #1: Bean; new baby: Sprout. Change #2- Our blog address is obviously different. If you made it here you were more than likely directed here from the old blog over at Wordpress. Change #3- The old posts are gone. I will not be copying my old posts over here, we are basically starting over. I figure I'm still a new enough blogger that it won't hurt anything to just start over.

I am super excited about this new blog and I am really looking forward to more bloggity fun!! Thanks for stopping by and I'm glad you found us!! Leave me a comment to let me know that you successfully made the voyage over here!

My Bio!

2007-07-29T10:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome! A little bit about me...I am a (Ann) Momma to 2 Beans. I am a 25 years old, stay at home momma. I graduated from college with an Elementary Ed. degree and taught first grade for a little bit, but then came Bean. Bean is our first born son who arrived in September of 2006. Bub is our new "bean" and is due Feb. 18, 2008. I have been married to Hubs since Dec. 2003. We met and started dating in High School and by the Grace of God survived the long distance thing through college. I love, love, LOVE my family and wouldn't dream of having life any other way!

I love dark chocolate, Wild Cherry Pepsi, Steel Magnolias, chinese food, scrapbooking and JESUS!

Email

2006-10-24T19:25:00.000-05:00

You may email me at ann.waite@gmail.com

Momma 2 Beans

Buh-Bye Momma 2 Beans!!

The BIG Bloggy Move!

My Cup Runneth Over...

Breaking Out

And Here We Are...

New Jeans

THE Bag!

Da Boys!

Baby Bub's Birth Story: Part 2

So Many Wonderfuls

Baby Bub's Birth Story: Part 1

Baby Bub

All Is Well

Nuh-est-ing

Interesting Day...

All Was Merry!

Good Day & Great Night!

THE Pillow

She's makin' a list...

Baby Bub at 30 weeks!

Christmas Card Bloopers!

Big Boy Bed: Night/Day1

On the Way...

WFMW: Quick & Easy Dinner!

Cute Story! (Not about Bean!)

Nigh-Nigh & Owwies...

Ole!

WFMW: Safe Stocking Holders

Photo Meme!

Our Thanksgiving Extravagnaza!

Gobble Gobble

One Nap!?!?!?

What Am I Doing!?!?!? or not doing...

My Lizard

WFMW: Tub Paint Recipe

Diaper Cake!

My New Best Friend!

Poor Bean

The Letter "D"

Home!

Autumn

WFMW: $20 Photo Book!

Choco-LOT

All I Want...

*sigh*

Fluffy Bunny

No More...

Baby Bub

More Than I Think

GO ILLINI!

WFMW: Baby Bouncing

Punkin Patch

Faaancy!

Fried Ice Cream

It's a....

WFMW: Big Boy Bed!

Changes

Fab Four!

I was gonna....

Fried

First-Last Date

WFMW: Birthday Reminders!

Apple*palooza!

He's Back!

Our First Date

WFMW: What's NOT for Dinner

L-A-U-N-D-R-Y!

Barefoot & Pregnant

New Baby Update

Rockin' !!!

WFMW: Bum Print Pumpkins

Church Struggles...

Whew!

To My Bean

Wanna Get Pregnant?

WFMW: We're Loyal to You...

We Survived

Finally a NEW post!

Hooray for the 2nd Trimester!

sigh