D.I.D

Dissociative Identity Disorder:  a psychiatric condition in which a person displays multiple distinct identities or personalities, known as alter egos.

Also Known As: Multiple Personality Disorder

Alternate Definition: toddlerhood.

Good Job

Things that have earned one of my girls a "good job" from me over recent days:

• Burping
• Pooping
• Not getting aforementioned poop on their clothes
• Napping
• Tooting
• Eating green beans
• Not eating dirt
• Not eating potpurri
• Closing a closet door
• Turning the page in a book
• Putting laundry in the hamper
• Remembering to say "Help, please" instead of screaming like a wild banshee when they needed something.
• Responding with"Woof!" when asked when a doggie says
• Locating her belly button

Things on the above list I'm also capable of:

• All of them

Number of "Good job"s I've gotten: 0

There is a serious lack of equality in this household.

Overheard

Yesterday after church Jamie went to the grocery store for me. Because I loathe the grocery store. So I made him a list and he did the shopping. After he got home, I realized I'd forgotten to plan anything for dinner. So he went back to the store to pick up something for us to eat and then came home and cooked it. As he cooked, I sat at the kitchen island and talked with him. "Sorry I stink at wifehood," I said. He replied, "It's alright. I'm pretty awesome at being a husband so we average out ok."

The man has never suffered from a lack of self-confidence!

Twenty-Nine

Jamie and I were talking last night and I asked him how he feels about being married to a 29-year-old. Twenty-nine. It sounds so old. He reminded me that 29 is not yet 30 (he's so wise). I told him I feel like 29 is a bigger deal than 30. This is the end of my 20s. The end of an era. Well, a decade really. Next year will be the beginning of a whole new era. I feel like in your 20s you become a grown-up. Finish college, get a real job, leave your first real job, get another real job, get laid off from that job, get yet another real job, get laid off again (maybe that's just me), get married, start a family, buy your first home. I mean, a decade ago I was a kid. And now I have kids.

Next year, when I turn 30, I feel like I'll be celebrating the beginning of a new phase of life. I can't wait to see what my 30s have in store! Thirty feels like the start of a new adventure. I won't be a new graduate, a newlywed or a new mom. I won't be "new" anymore. I'll have some experience under my belt. It's like graduating from Adult 101 and enrolling in Adult 201. Sophomore grown-up. I'll still have a lot to learn before I'm considered an upperclassmen, but I'll at least know my way around campus.

Thirty feels like the start of something new, but twenty-nine? For some reason, that feels like an ending. And as excited as I am to find out what this year holds for me, I feel a little sad about saying good-bye to my 20s. I guess I better live it up and make sure I finish up my 20s in style!

Anna's Bedtime

Update: Annnnnnd I'm a moron. It took me two weeks - TWO WEEKS - to realize we move the clocks BACK in the fall. When I pointed this out to Jamie he said, "Yeah I know but you seemed so convinced..."  By then I'd already adjust Anna's bedtime forward by 30 minutes and I just decided to move it back to 8 and we'd cross our fingers and hope she did ok come November 4th. And she did. We're up earlier than I'd like to be, but bedtime is no problem. Hopefully she'll start sleeping until 8 again soon! And we'll try this again in the spring when it actually makes sense!

This week Anna is going to bed at 8:00 PM.

Next week she'll be going to bed at 7:45.

The week after, 7:30.

And the week after that? 8:15.

Why the crazy moving around of our one-year-old's bedtime? Are we trying to punish her and ourselves by deliberately keeping her from a routine?

No, of course not.

Two weeks from now, on November 5th, Daylight Savings Time ends. Which means if we weren't being all crazy about her bedtime now, it would go like this:

This week, bed at 8. Next week, bed at 8. Week after that, bed at 7.

The clock on the wall might say 8, but her little internal clock would be saying 7 and we don't think she'll just adjust automatically once we explain Daylight Savings Time to her. Of course I'd have to have someone explain it to me first. Why do we do this?

Anyway, our hope is that by moving her bedtime up by 15 minutes for the next few weeks that Daylight Savings Time will be a lot easier to manage this time around. I'll be doing it in the morning, too. She usually sleeps about 12 hours at night, so I'll be getting her up at 8:00 this week, 7:45 next week, 7:30 the next, then 8:15 and then 8:00. We'll be a little more lenient on that end, though. I'm not planning on rousing her from a deep sleep just because the clock says so or leaving her crying in her bed half the morning because it's not officially time to get up.

I can't take credit for the idea; it was all my Mom's, but I thought it was brilliant when she shared it with me. I figured if I was grateful for the idea you might be too.

I'll let you know in a few weeks how well it worked!

I'm Exhausted

Not because I have two babies who take turns crying at night and keeping me awake (well I mean I AM exhausted from that. It's just not the exhaustion I'm currently speaking of).

I mean emotionally and intellectually exhausted.

Why? Because I can't eat anything anymore, let alone feed Anna anything, without worrying about what's going into our bodies and how we're getting it.

I've started reading nutrition labels. Let me warn you - that's a bad idea if you want to enjoy those delicious "fruit" snacks that actually contain nothing that could be considered fruit. I start to worry about Anna and Brooke's little brains and bodies. What am I putting in them??

So then I start researching. Annnnnnd enter exhaustion. There's SO MUCH to read! And I don't understand half of it. Alright, I say, we'll keep it simple. My kids will eat nothing but fruits, vegetables and whole grains. But wait! Make sure that produce is organic and locally grown! And don't be naive enough to think a package marked "Whole Grain" in the grocery store actually means the product is not full of chemicals.

Ah screw it, let's just make cookies. Bring on the chemicals, baby! I love me some chocolate chip cookies.

Hold up. Apparently the conditions the people growing my coffee beans, chocolate, and sugar cane are subjected to are horrific. Great. My kid's chemical-laden food destroying their brains was bad enough. But now our food is actually destroying the lives of children in third world countries.

Thankfully, there are people willing to offer an alternative! I go on blogs and read "Your chocolate/coffee/sugar/tennis shoes/clothing/electronics/etc. are being made by exploited workers in third world countries. Buy fair trade! You get your goods, they get compensated fairly. Everyone wins!" And I think "Yay! Something I care about - the developing world, people (especially children) living in horrific poverty and a very simple way for me to be a part of the solution."

Annd then I started reading again. I should know better. I start reading more about fair trade and find that it is at best a charity (and not a very good one) and at worst a marketing scheme that actually does long term damage in developing nations. Hardly a good solution.

Well, hello square one. Good to see you again.

Now I'm in the worst possible position. Just enough knowledge to not sleep at night with my belly full of my chocolaty, sugary, chemical-filled evening snack, in my foreign-made sheets and jammies. But not quite enough to know what to DO about it. And in the meantime, my children play with their probably lead-filled foreign-made toys while I do my research on my laptop, manufactured by exploited factory workers and miss out on the opportunity to partake in playtime and bond with my kiddos.

So here's where I've landed (admittedly not contentedly): I'm going to do my best. I'm going to buy the healthiest food we can afford and cut some corners so I'm not a slave to the kitchen. My kids are going to eat some processed foods because spending my life researching healthy alternatives and preparing them is just simply not feasible for me right now.

And we're going to continue to eat the yummiest coffee, sweets and chocolate we can find at the best prices while continuing to support charities that offer aid - real, documented, hand-up-not-a-hand-out kind of aid - to people in the developing world.

And I'm going to constantly be seeking ways that my life and the way I live it can lift people up instead of oppressing them. To do my best to stay heartbroken by the things that break the heart of God. To accept that I live in a fallen world, that life will never be perfect this side of Heaven, without becoming complacent.

We can't fix this world, because there is not easy, effortless, quick solution. But I'm not going to let that fact excuse me from trying.

Two Perfect

I don't frequently curse. Every now and then I may use a mild profanity when the timing is perfect and I know I can make Jamie laugh with a well-placed h-word or d-word.  I don't generally curse to express anger or frustration.

But last January, when those two lines appeared? Well, I might have let one slip. Maybe more than one. I might have been a little shocked. Ok, beyond a little a shocked. Completely and utterly shocked. Another baby? How could I be having another baby when my first baby is still a baby? I hadn't slept 8 straight hours in 5 full months! I was never going to sleep again!

For about 5 minutes, I freaked out. I laughed and cried at the same time like a maniac. I panicked about how Jamie would react when I told him. I started mentally listing all the reasons why having two babies so close together would be impossible. I couldn't do it.

And then I pulled myself together and decided since I was going to have another baby, I was going to be positive about it. And I committed myself to only focus on the good stuff for the rest of my pregnancy. Panicking and having meltdowns wasn't going to make it easier, so I would simply refuse to.

I didn't exactly obey my self-imposed optimism rule all the time. For the most part, I stayed positive, but I had a few sob fests, usually after Anna had had a particularly bad day. I would fall apart and ask Jamie, "How am I ever going to do this with two? I can't. We're hiring a nanny. I'm holding my sister hostage and forbidding her from leaving. I can't do this."

Just like the first time, my pregnancy flew by and before I knew it I was sitting in a hospital bed holding my perfect baby girl, still pretty convinced I could not handle being a mom of two babies only 12 months apart.

When Jamie brought Anna to the hospital to meet her little sister, she was a little off. Cranky, whiny. And she felt feverish. When we came home the next evening, she was still not quite herself and still felt hot. I was sitting on the couch, trying to nurse my newborn while my "big girl", who was still so very little, was crying and needed me. I felt so torn! I started crying myself. Was this what it was going to be like from now on? Never enough of me to go around? One girl would always be getting less of me than she needed? I was a little freaked out.

But here's what I've found: there are most definitely moments where I'm stretched thin. Usually they involve a nursing Brooke and a sobbing, tantrum-throwing Anna. But for the most part, having two has been such a blessing. I'm way more laidback about Brooke crying than I was with Anna (of course a lot of that has to do with the fact that she cries much less!) I will get to her and meet her needs as quickly as I can, but I've learned if she has to wait a minute, she'll be ok. I've learned to make the most of playtime with Anna. I might not be able to give her attention every waking moment, but I can make sure the time she does get is quality. And overall, I'm happier this way. I feel like I'm more focused. Playtime is playtime, and Anna gets 100% of me. When it's time to do housework, I have to give it my full attention or I won't accomlish anything. When it's time to feed Brooke, I sit down and focus on her and remind myself that this will pass all too quickly.

For right now, I feel like I'm the perfect amount of busy. Not overwhelmed, but just enough to make me not take for granted the time I do have.

But talk to me again in another few months when Brooke isn't sleeping 20 hours a day!

P.S. Blogger is saying I've used up all my storage space for photos, hence this photo-less post. That's also why I haven't posted a one-month update for Brooke. Pictures were taken, but I can't post them. I'll figure it out and get a post up soon, I hope!

Brooke's Birth Story

I joked with Jamie on Monday that Anna's birth story took me several posts to tell; I could tell Brooke's in two sentences. This little girl was in a hurry to get here! Here's how it happened:

We went to bed around 11 on Sunday night and I was having Braxton Hick's contractions, like I did most every night at bedtime. I didn't think anything of it because it wasn't at all unusual. Every contraction made me feel like I had to go to the bathroom, so I kept getting up. I wasn't looking at the clock or keeping track of how often I got up, but I would guess between 11pm and 2am, I probably got up 4 or 5 times. Maybe if I was timing it I would have noticed a pattern, but I wasn't.

At 2 I woke up with a particularly uncomfortable contraction, but it still didn't feel like the real thing, just a slightly more crampy Braxton Hick's. I was laying in bed, rubbing my belly, waiting for the discomfort to pass so I could get up more easily, go to the bathroom, and go back to sleep. And then my water broke. I gasped and grabbed Jamie's arm, startling him awake and told him, "My water just broke!" And then the fun began :)

He got out of bed, called his grandparents to come stay with Anna and threw a bag together for himself. I already had my bag packed (a lesson learned from Anna's early arrival - pack early!), but Jamie tossed in a few last minute items like our camera and then we were ready to go. Except that this whole time, while Jamie got us ready to go, I was just sitting in bed unsure what I should be doing. I finally snapped out of it, put some clothes on, went into Anna's room to give her a kiss goodbye (and you know totally break down and start bawling over how she wasn't my baby anymore) and then we were ready!

This whole time I was having contractions and I kept expecting them to get really painful, but they weren't. A couple of deep breaths was all I needed to get through each one. Once we were in the car, they started to get a little stronger, but I could still talk to Jamie through them. As long as I could squeeze his hand and take a deep,slow breath during each contraction I was fine. I tried timing a couple as we drove in case they asked me at the hospital how far apart they were coming. Within two minutes, I had three contractions. I decided that "less than a minute apart" was a good enough estimate.

Once we arrived, I asked Jamie to go inside, tell the registration desk we were there and ask them to come get me with a wheelchair. My water had already broken, my contractions were kinda weak but close together, and I had no idea how far along I might be. I didn't want to try walking in. I had one really strong and painful contraction while I waited. And let me tell you something, when you're waiting in your car having contractions it feels like those wheelchair people take FOREVER!
They got me registered and in a room quickly and asked if I felt ok to go into the bathroom and change into a gown. I did feel ok. Until I got in there. Then I quickly started feeling not ok! I had a very strong contraction, felt like the baby was coming NOW, sat down on the edge of the tub and could not move! Jamie called for the nurses who came in, helped me out to the bed and then helped me get changed. The midwife came in, checked me and said I was complete and the baby was coming! Two pushes later, Brooke was delivered, just 1 hour and 20 minutes after we woke up! Thank goodness we got there when we did or Jamie would've delivered her on the side of the road! After her arrival, Jamie and I were just looking at each other, laughing and going "What the heck just happened?"


Brooke did great. She had a little bit of trouble clearing her lungs and the pediatric nurse considered having a respiratory doctor have a look at her. But within a few minutes she was breathing really well on her own. I got sick after delivery and felt pretty crummy for a few hours, but nothing like what I went through with Anna! By 6am, we were both doing great and ready to move up to the mother/baby wing to recover. Brooke's official time of birth was 3:21am on Monday, and by 3:00pm on Tuesday we were ready to head home!

She's a super easy, content baby who hardly cries. She's such a wonderful addition to our family and we are really enjoying her!

In case you're wondering, her name is one we liked for Anna but we knew Anna's middle name would be Marie and our second daughter would have the middle name Ellyn (after Jamie's mom). We decided Brooke sounded better with Ellyn, so we decided to save it. After discussing every other possible name in the book, we went back to it. One thing I wasn't too sure about was that I liked Brooke, but didn't love the nickname Brookie. It's funny though now that she's here, I call her Brookie all the time. It's just her.

Thanks for reading my "2 sentences" that of course turned into a saga!

Brand new!



Getting acquainted





Meeting Anna



Happy Birthday to Me!

I'd like to start off by saying cake is good, but icing is awesome! Mommy was right - sugar is delicious. I had a great time on my birthday digging into my cake, opening presents and, once the sugar kicked in, going good and crazy and entertaining everyone.

Yum! Cake with blue icing!

 Now that I'm one, I'm doing all kinds of fun things! I started taking a few steps on my own and every day I get better and better at this walking stuff. By the time my little sister arrives, I might give up crawling altogether. I like to stop and do headstands from time to time. I bend over, but my hands and head on the floor and stick my tushy up in the air. Just like an olympic gymnast.

I also talk A LOT. I have a few words, although Mommy and Daddy are the only ones who understand me. I say "Ruff!" when someone asks me what a puppy says (I also say "Ruff!" if someone asks me what a kitty says...or a pig...or a cow...). I also like to find things on the floor, hold them up to show Mommy, say "Yuck!" and then put them in my mouth. Most of the time I just babble. I tell a lot of stories and will talk all day long. I like to tell secrets, too and will whisper to someone if they whisper to me. But I can be very loud, too!

I love being one!

My hair is getting long and I can finally wear bows. But of course, I pull them out as soon as Mommy puts them in. I put stuff on my head all day - toys, clothes, Mommy's sunglasses - and love for anyone watching to tell me I'm so pretty!

I come to Mommy and Daddy for snuggles now. I'll lay my head on their chest or shoulder and say "Ahh ahh". They tell me it's adorable :) Mommy thinks it's especially cute when I lay my head on her belly and snuggle with my baby sister.

I still love to eat, but only if I'm having what Mommy and Daddy are having. If they try to eat in front of me without sharing I get very angry!

By my next post, I'll be a big sister!

11 Months!

I'm 11 months old now! That means I'm only 1 month away from my first birthday! Can you believe it?!

Me and my elephant hit the road again for this month's celebration. Here we are in Waynesville, NC.

Me, Mommy and Daddy went up to the Smoky Mountains with my grandma and grandpa and Aunt Julie and Uncle Aron. We spent two nights in Gatlinburg, TN and one night in Waynesville. I liked the mountains, but did NOT like driving through them. The winding roads made me carsick for the very first time :( Being carsick is yucky! Mommy had to clean my clothes out in the river when we pulled over. But once we got done the yucky driving part, I had a great time! I swam in the hotel pool, went hiking in the mountains, and spent a lot if time with Grandma and Grandpa! Here's me and Daddy hiking:



Don't worry, we got my carrier adjusted so I wasn't hanging all the way down his back the whole time!



I'm not quite walking yet, but I can stand on my own and cruise on the furniture. I'm getting pretty close to taking those first steps! I like to rearrange the furniture by pushing chairs around the house. At my Great-Grandma Kerr's house, I always move her kitchen footstool across the kitchen. It looks better there, but she keeps moving it back.

 I'm also mimicking words. I try to say "yuck", "all done", and "oops". And I love to blow raspberries and give fishy kisses - I suck my cheeks in to make a fish face and then make a kissing noise.

I LOVE to wave. I wave to say "hi", "bye" and "night night". I also like to wave at my own reflection in the mirror. That pretty baby always waves back :)

I'm usually a happy, smiley girl and I can get pretty giggly! I'm very ticklish now, too. But when I'm tired I get very dramatic. I will cry bloody murder over the tiniest little bump. I'm just not happy when I'm tired!

One month from now I'll be celebrating my first birthday! Mommy says I'll get to eat cake and ice cream. I'm not sure what that's all about, but she makes it sound pretty exciting! I'll let you know what I think next month!

Just for fun, here's a video of me getting my exercise. I could do this all day long. And I scream when Mommy or Daddy makes me stop.

Summer 2013

Let me start by saying I have easy, easy pregnancies and really cannot complain at all. I feel absolutely fine and normal until I start to get a belly and then the last 8-10 weeks I have aches and pains, can't breathe well, get heartburn, etc. So really nothing compared to what other women deal with.

BUT, even an easy pregnancy has no-nos. And last night I got to thinking about all the things I am going to do next summer when I am (hopefully, fingers crossed, please dear God) NOT pregnant. For the first summer in three years. Here's what I've come up with:

1. Go to theme park or fair and ride every ride until I puke. Jamie and I were discussing plans for a visit to his parents' in Orlando next month and he suggested going to a Disney park. I voted for MGM because it has the best rides. Oh. Right. I can't do those.

2. Lay out and get tan. Not that a pregnant woman can't tan really. It's just that laying out is tricky when there's a watermelon in your belly. I have not worked out the logistics of where my two babies will be while I'm tanning. Please don't bother me with reality.

3. Drink margaritas. I'm not a big drinker, but I do LOVE the occasional frozen margarita in the summer. And I miss them. I went right from pregnant to nursing full time to pregnant again without ever satisfying that craving.

4. Go out on the lake - any lake will do. Last summer Jamie's uncle posted pictures of his family out on their boat swimming and jumping off rocks. It looked SO fun! I asked Jamie if we could go with them one time. Then I remembered that jumping off rocks is generally not recommended for expectant mothers. Next summer, we're so doing it even if I have to steal a boat from someone.

5. Lay on a blanket in our yard. Not that I can't do this now, but every time Anna and I go outside to relax and enjoy the warm weather, I realize I'm a little limited. I can't lay on my back or stomach. I have this strong desire to lay on my stomach on a blanket in the grass. Ahhhh.

6. Play tennis. When I was very young, I attended tennis camp one summer. All I remember is bouncing the ball on the racket, sweating. So for most of my life tennis = hot and boring. Then Jamie reintroduced me to it while we were dating and - surprise! - I like tennis! But for the last two years every time it's been nice enough outside to play, I've been knocked up. Next summer, my goal is to play a lot with Jamie and maybe even find a girlfriend who likes to play, too.

In the past I've written about my tendency to live for the future instead of in the moment. I may be indulging in that particular character flaw right now. But hey, a girl's got to have dreams, right?

The Scariest Thing I've Ever Seen

Jamie and I decided to take a trip to Whole Foods this weekend, just for kicks. The nearest one is a good 30 minutes away down closer to Atlanta. On our way home, Anna fell asleep in the back of the car and Jamie and I were having a conversation that turned out to be a little eerie in retrospect. See, the last several times I've taken a road trip I've passed ridiculous traffic going the other direction. Crazy accidents and stuff that had the other lanes backed up for miles and miles. But I never seem to hit it myself. Saturday this happened again, and Jamie and I were cruising along on 85 North checking out the traffic on 85 South, joking about my strange gift.

Then all the sudden just in front of use to the right, I saw a red Chevy Blazer do something cars aren't supposed to do in the highway. I'm not even sure what I saw exactly, just that my brain knew something wasn't right about the way that car just moved. And before I could figure out what I had just seen Jamie said, "That just happened!" He quickly pulled over onto the shoulder and got out to see what was going on while I called 911. As I talked to the operator, turned around in my seat and looking out the back windshield I started to put it together.

On the shoulder was a very large John Deere tractor. And the Blazer had obviously smashed into it. I had the following conversation with the 911 operator:
"What vehicles were involved in the accident?"
"A red SUV, maybe a Chevy Blazer and a tractor"
"You mean a tractor trailer?"
"No, a tractor. A John Deere. Like they use on farms."
"What is that doing on the highway?"
"I have no idea"

In retrospect, the tractor was obviously there to do some sort of landscaping work on the shoulder. It had backed up a bit too far, crossed into the far right lane of traffic and the Blazer's driver either didn't see it or didn't have time to stop before hitting it.

It was ugly. The tractor tire, you know that ones that are as tall as me? it was completely smashed in. The front of the Chevy was crumpled. All the glass in the tractor cabin and front windows of the car was shattered. This didn't occur to me at the time, but Jamie later said he was pretty nervous walking up to it that neither driver would be alive. After I got off the phone I waved Jamie back to the car and told him help was on the way and asked him if he wanted me to see if I could do anything. My thinking was I have been trained in first aid and CPR. Those certifications are expired, but at least I know something. I way overestimated the usefulness of basic first aid and seriously underestimated the seriousness of the accident. Once I walked up to the cars, I realized there was absolutely nothing we could do except tell the drivers help was coming and try to keep them calm.

It was awful. And scary. Both drivers were conscious, but obviously seriously injured (Jamie told me later that the tractor driver was not conscious when he walked up and it took several minutes for him to come to). I've never felt so helpless.

The 10  minutes or so that we waited for emergency personnel to respond felt like a lifetime. I think Jamie and I were both so relieved to be headed home. Unfortunately, we've looked online and tried to find something about the accident but haven't been able to. So we don't know how either victim is doing.

I told Jamie last night the more time that goes by, the more disturbed I am by the whole thing. I had never considered what you're supposed to do in that sort of situation. It had never occured to me how awful the time between an accident happening and help arriving must be for those involved.

I'm seriously considering just staying home from now on.

Anna Being Adorable

It took me seriously forever to get these darn things loaded on here, so you better enjoy them!!

We're using baby sign language with Anna, so when she's finished eating I'll ask if she's all done, sign "all done", and wait for her to sign it back. The other day I was saying and signing "all done" over and over and she wouldn't do it back. Finally she said, emphatically, "Ah duh!" Now she mimics us whenever we say it and it's freaking adorable. I also say "Yuck!" whenever she puts something she shouldn't be eating in her mouth. She's started trying to make the sound at the end of "Yuck". Also adorable :)

Someone's thinking about walking! This weekend she climbed under the kitchen table, pushed this chair out and brought it all the way across our sunroom.

He did turn her around. And then she sat on the floor and looked at him like "What? I brought it all the way over here. I'm not bringing it back, too."

10 Months

My 10th month has been a big one! I finally decided to start crawling, and once I got going there was no stopping me! I'm all over the place now and into EVERYTHING! But Mommy swears she's loving this new stage. I'm also pulling up, and one of my favorite new activities is to pull up on the windowsill and look out into our backyard. And sometimes bang my head repeatedly against the window, which has Daddy convinced I'm a total weirdo.

You'll have to forgive my Mommy for this picture. She forgot about pictures until late in the day and then the camera was dying. This is the only shot she got before it died.

I haven't ventured any steps on my own yet, but I'm cruising along the furniture. Maybe I'll try walking soon. We'll see.

Now that I can pull up, I usually stand up in my crib when I wake up until someone comes to get me. Mommy and Daddy had to lower the mattress so I'm safe!

I have yet another tooth, bringing my total to 5! I'm working on the 6th. These two have been a lot nicer to me than the last two.

Here I am being silly at Buford Dam today. We had a picnic and played. Daddy stuck my feet in the water, but it was way too cold for me!

I sleep now from about 8:30 at night to 7:30 in the morning. Once I started crawling, I also started waking up again for my middle-of-the-night bottle that I had given up. Now Mommy or Daddy bring me one around 6:00am and I drink it and go back to sleep for a couple hours. As long as I've had that bottle I wake up very happy in the morning! Sometimes I'll sit and have a chat with my elephant for a good half hour or so before wanting to get up. But if I wake up hungry, watch out! I am NOT happy.

I still love to eat any and everything, including my vegetables which is more than I can say for Daddy.

I'm still refusing to say Mama, but I do love to talk! I babble all day long and love to chat with my toys and stuffed animals.

I figured out my hands are good for more than just holding stuff. I wave bye-bye, clap and can use some baby sign language. I sign "more" and "all done", but I'm not always sure that's what I want. Sometimes I mix them up.

The cuteness around here is pretty much non-stop! Can you believe there's going to be two cute baby girls in this house in a few months?

9 Months!

I am 9 months old now!

I'm still not crawling, but don't think I'm staying still! I've perfected two styles - the steamroller and the scootch - that get me everywhere I need to go. Mostly to the tupperware cabinet and the potpurri bowl. Mommy and Daddy are constantly telling me I'm not supposed to eat potpurri.

I just started pulling up on the furniture, and I love to drum on the couch and ottoman. I've also started using my walker, but I can't figure out how to go forward, only backward.

I've started consistently sleeping through the night. Mommy and Daddy are soo happy! Sometimes I wake up super early and cry for a while, but I usually will go back to sleep until 7 or so.

I'm still eating any and everything (can you tell?).  I just love food! And I think feeding myself is the greatest.

I'm saying Da Da Da constantly. And even though I don't realize it's his name yet, I'm also seriously in love with my Dada right now! I cry every day when he leaves for work.

I'm 3/4 of the way to my first birthday! This year is flying by!

I get her up at 7:30, change her diaper and head out to the kitchen to feed her breakfast like we do every day. Except today she doesn't want to eat. She screams, clamps her mouth shut, turns her head away. So finally I get her down and put her on the floor to play like she does every morning. But today she doesn't want to play. She just wants me to hold her. She's not too concerned about the housework I'm trying to get done and how difficult holding her makes my chores. So I carry her around and do as much as I can until I run out of one-armed chores.

We sit on the floor and play except she doesn't really want to play, she wants to climb on me like a jungle gym. Pulling my hair and covering my clothes in drool and snot, whining the whole time.

At 9:00 I put her in the bath. She's happy for the first time today, splashing in the bubbles and playing with her duckies, so I decide to wipe up the grime in the bathroom. My back is turned for .3 seconds. She poops in the tub and I turn around just in time to catch her shoving a handful in her mouth. I stand there for several seconds holding her awkwardly, trying to figure out how to deal with this mess. I clean everything up, give her another bath and get her dressed. She cries the whole time.

We go into her room and I lay her on the changing table and grab her nasal aspirator. She's still getting over a cold and needs her nose cleaned out. She hates it and screams and tries to get away from me. It turns into a wrestling match I eventually give up on. Her boogers will just have to stay put for now.

I sit her on my lap in the glider and read her a book. She cries, still not over the trauma of the aspirator. I eventually give up and lay her down for her nap, still crying. She fusses for a while and then finally, finally, falls asleep.

I sit down on the couch and grab my laptop, already needing a break 2 hours into this day. As I sit here reading blogs and sipping orange juice, I feel the little one inside of me moving, starting her morning workout. And I think, "I can't wait for you to get here, little girl!"

And then I realize I've completely lost my mind.

Just Call Me Santa Claus

I'm a giver. I just try to spend my days making those around me happier. Which is why today as I sat in the dentist chair I thought, "You know, I bet dental hygienist don't usually have good stories to tell of their work day. Deborah's been cleaning my teeth for a couple years now, and I like her. I think I'll give her an interesting story to tell her family around the dinner table tonight."

As she finished scraping my teeth and switched to the oh so fun polishing brush, I stopped her and said, "I don't feel very good. Can I go use the restroom?" Of course she said yes and we both got up so she could show me to the bathroom. That's when I decided a pregnant girl feeling kind of sick isn't all that exciting of a story. So I decided I'd just pass out right there in the hallway.

Yeah, pretty embarrassing. I passed out cold. Thankfully Deborah was able to get behind and keep me from whacking my head on the ceramic tile floor. My rear end unfortunately did not fare so well. In case you were wondering, bruising your backside is kinda painful.

After several minutes of sitting on the floor while the entire staff hovered over me offering snacks and drinks, I was fine. I was able to get up and call Jamie who came to pick me up. I called later to check in with my OB and they said it was nothing to worry about. Probably just low blood sugar from not eating or a drop in my blood pressure. Either way, I'm fine now. But oh my goodness, that was embarrassing! At least Deborah and her co-workers had a good story to tell of the fainting pregnant chick at work today!

Sugar and Spice

Baby #2 is a girl! We are so excited to be welcoming another little princess into the family!

Also, I'm excited to be right this time. I'm 1 for 2. Which is 50%. Which is still failing. But it's better than 0%!

Jamie wasn't able to go with me to my ultrasound yesterday. Since today is tax day and he's a CPA, taking off yesterday would have been tough. I could have rescheduled my ultrasound for later in the week but, um I didn't want to wait. Instead, I had the technician seal our pictures in an envelope for Jamie and I to look at together when he got home.

At dinner, Jamie asked me if I had any guesses. I told him I was pretty certain it was a girl which made me pretty sure it was a boy. Because I was certain Anna was a boy and she's a girl. So I was assuming my intuition is faulty.

After dinner, we left Anna with Rebecca and went to Sonic to get some ice cream and open our envelope. As soon as I pulled the pictures out I saw the very first one was the "money shot" and was labeled "It's a girl!" Jamie somehow missed that. I said, "Awwww" He said, "Can you tell? Don't tell me!" I said, "Are you serious?" He said, "Yeah don't tell me. Let's just keep looking." I said, "No really. Look at the picture." He stared at it for several more seconds and then went "Oh! I didn't see that." Dork.

Jamie and I were both hoping for another girl. I wanted a girl for the practical purposes of being able to reuse everything and for the fun they'll get to have together being so close in age. Jamie stated his reason for wanting a girl in this way, "When you have one baby, you think she's perfect and you want all your other kids to be just like her. If it's a boy it would be less like her and so less perfect." Haha He's a little bit smitten with Anna.

It looks like we'll be battling it out over a girl name! Yay for tea parties, baby dolls, and pretty dresses!! And for not having to repaint the nursery!

8 Months

You may notice this post is a little late. You may also notice I'm not sitting in my nursery like I have been for all my other monthly posts. That's because when I turned 8 months old, I was in New Jersey meeting yet another new cousin! Every time Mommy brings me up there, there's more cousins to meet! Lucky for me I can't talk yet so there's no pressure to keep them all straight. Meeting 4 cousins in 4 months is a lot to take in!

Now that I'm 8 months old, I'm pretty much all grown up. At least I think I am. Which is why I refuse to nurse anymore. That's for babies, and I would much rather eat whatever Mommy's having. She's usually pretty generous and gives me a taste. I have yet to meet a food I don't like!

I haven't started crawling yet, but I'm trying to. I can get from a sitting position to up on all fours, but I can't quite get moving. I usually end up falling onto my belly. Or once in a while on my face. Which really hurts!

I have four teeth now, two on top and two on bottom. The top ones made me really cranky when they came in! But now that they're in, I'm back to my normal cheerful self.

Mommy and Daddy say I'm a drama queen, which is just silly. Does it make me a drama queen just because I cry and scream over the tiniest little bump or fall? Maybe they're right.

I'm so glad it's warmer out now and I can play outside! I love to sit in the front yard on a blanket and watch our neighbors walk by. I always look for someone I can charm with my smile. I also love playing with anything that rattles! If you put a new toy in my hands, I will shake it to see if it makes noise and get excited if it does!

Well, that's what I'm up to now that I'm a big 8-month-old! See you next month!

Anna's Baby Guesses

Apparently we're pretty desperate for entertainment around here. This evening, Rebecca and I wrote words and numbers on slips of paper and made Anna pick out of a bucket to make her official baby guesses. She picked the gender, birthday and time and weight.

Making her picks

Here's what she picked
Sex: boy
Birthday: September 10, 9:17AM
Weight: 7 lbs. 5 oz.
Lengths: uhh, we sorta forgot that one. We'll have to get that later!

I like it. Septmeber 10th is a good day, nice even number. Not too far past the due date, but a little late like I expect. Nice and tiny, which I'm happy about. And not in the middle of the night, which is kinda nice. I guess we'll have to wait until September to see how accurate she is! But I'm rooting for her.

Seven Months

How time flies! Anna is seven months old today! (and totally not in a photo shoot kinda mood)


This months she's...

Sitting up all by herself! She's pretty steady now, although she has taken a few tumbles and faceplants. She can sit for a long time and play with her toys.

Eating big girl food! She took to solids very quickly and is now eating 3 meals a day of cereal and vegetables. So far she has loved everything we've introduced her to. She gets really excited about trying finger foods, but hasn't quite gotten the hang of getting them in her mouth.

Absolutely loving it when I sing"Anna anna bo banna banana fanna fo fanna me my mo manna anna!" She thinks it's GREAT! And will stop crying to listen every time.

Travelling like a champ as always! This month it was up to New Jersey to meet Ezekiel! We're sooooo excited to have him home and can't wait to visit again!

Jumping like crazy! She has a Jumperoo and a Johnny Jumper and she goes crazy in both!

Making friends everywhere we go. She is quite the social butterfly and LOVES being out and about. She will smile and charm anyone who smiles or talks to her.

Getting very ticklish! She used to just wiggle and look at you like you were annoying her if you tried to tickle her. Now she's finally starting to giggle!

She's so much fun and this is a great stage! We're really enjoying this phase of parenting!

If One is Good...

...than two is better. Right?



It looks like Anna is going to be a big sister much sooner than we thought! We found out in January that we'll be welcoming number 2 this September. I'm 13 weeks tomorrow and so far everything looks great! We're pretty nervous about wrangling two little ones so close in age, but we're pretty excited, too! We definitely did not expect, after all we went through to have Anna, to get pregnant again so quickly. We are so blessed!

I'm totally, completely convinced it's a girl. Last weekend Jamie and I went to dinner and were talking about future plans. Without thinking I said something about "the girls". And a couple weeks ago when Becca and I went shopping I bought a new outfit for Anna. I couldn't choose between two sizes but decided to go with the smaller one rationalizing that "It'll fit Anna now and then next winter it'll be the right size for the new baby." I also already have her named. Of course, this means that it is without a doubt going to be a boy. Which might be a good thing since Jamie also already has her named and his name is different from mine. A boy's name we agree on. (If it's a girl, I will win.)

As crazy as it is, we're so excited to be taking this journey again! We can't wait to welcome this new little one next fall!

Sixth Months Old!

I'm sixth months old today! See how big I'm getting?


I'm doing all kinds of new things this month:
- I'm almost sitting up on my own. I can stay up for a few seconds, but Mommy has to stay close by, because I topple over.
- I have two teeth! They both came in this month within two weeks of each other. I was pretty unhappy about it!
- My love affair with squealing has tapered off a bit. My new love is blowing raspberries!
- I'm a total Mommy's girl. I don't mind if someone else holds me or plays with me as long as Mommy is out of sight. But if I can see her, I have to have her! Especially if I'm cranky.
- I'm big enough now to rough house with Daddy and I love it! I like to be tossed into the air and swung around. I have no fear!
- I had my first cold AND my first diaper rash this month. I didn't like that at all.
- I have a new roomie! My Aunt Becca moved in this month, and I think she's pretty great! She plays with me when Mommy's cooking dinner and sometimes she and I get to hang out together while Mommy and Daddy go out.
- I had my first bowl of rice cereal today! Most of it wound up ON me instead of IN me, but Mommy says I'll get it if we keep trying!

Can you believe how fast I'm growing up? I'm a whole half a year!

Perspective

Last night I walked out of the grocery store at 7:30. The wind hit me and I thought, "I HATE winter! I can't wait for spring weather."

It was about 48 degrees. I was wearing some soccer warm-up pants and a long sleeve t-shirt. No coat, no gloves, no hat because I didn't need them.

Complaining about temperatures below 50 and calling it "winter"...man, I love being a southerner!

Anna's First Beach Trip

Last week we took Anna to the beach.

Here's what I didn't bring with me:
- Anna's bathing suit
- Sunscreen for Anna
- Sunscreen for Jamie and me
- Any type of summer clothing for myself
- Towels
- A blanket
- Anna's hat and/or sunglasses
- Beach-appropriate footwear for myself

Here's what we did have:
- The three of us
- 80 degree weather
- Aqua blue water
So basically everything you really need.

Anna was not a fan. The water was a little too cold and when we stuck her feet in she screamed.


The sand felt funny and tasted even worse.

And getting her feet rinsed at the showers was terrible!

But she enjoyed lounging on the picnic table in the sun while we brushed her off and got her dressed.

And was quite happy once we put her back in her stroller and she could play with her feet again.


Anyway, I can't have a kid who hates the beach so I guess this summer we'll just have to make several trips until she loves it.

Romance At Its Finest

Tonight was date night. We passed a cemetary on our way to dinner and I asked Jamie, "You're not going to bury me when I die, right? What will you do with my body?" My thought was that I prefer to be cremated, but I wasn't sure we'd ever discussed it. And date night is a good time for serious, albeit morbid, heart-to-hearts.

Jamie responded, "Donate it to science."
Me: "But I don't want to be donated."
Jamie: "You'll be dead. It won't be your body anymore, it'll be mine." And then he laughed at the thought of owning a body.
Me: "Seriously."
Jamie: "I'm going to have you stuffed and mounted. I'll hang you above the fireplace. We've been looking for something to go there. I'll have them make your face like the wild animals people mount. In a snarl. Might make it awkward when I start dating again."
Me: "I hate you."

A few minutes later he hit himself in the face with the door as we left his grandparents. You know what they say about karma.

In case you were wondering...

Anna did have a 5 month birthday and we did take pictures. I haven't done a post yet because our computer has died AGAIN and I don't know how to put pictures on this here iPad. But it's coming soon! I promise.

Five Months

Little Miss Anna is five months old today! She's getting soo big! See?


This month she:
Celebrated her first Christmas! We had a great time celebrating with her and travelling all over the east coast.

Had her first trip on a plane, and did a whole lot better than I was expecting! I was pretty much expecting 3 hours of screaming, but she only cried for a few minutes on two separate occasions.

Got her first tooth! Sorta. It's there, I can feel it but you can't quite see it yet.

Discovered squealing and fell in love. She used to smile, babble or giggle when she was happy, cry when she was upset; now it's all squealing all the time. She squeals when she's happy, sad, angry, tired, bored, hungry...it apparently expresses all emotions.

Finally met her cousins! Biological and honorary.

Found her feet and fell in love again. She had noticed her toes before, but now she's really aware that they're great play things.

She's growing and changing so fast that I'm sure I missed something! She is more and more fun every day and we love her to pieces!!