Merry Christmas!

I'm a little behind in my blogging...a newborn will do that to you!

Until next time...Merry Christmas!

She rides!

Today the Daddyman and Moo went off on an adventure so Mommy could rest (blog on that one later). They came home with a shiny new tricycle! Moo got a really pretty pink & purple radio flyer! She helped Daddyman put it together and they went outside to ride it! She's such a big girl! She couldn't stop giving the Daddyman kisses and hugs!

Way to go Daddyman for once again being the biggest hero in the world to your daughter!

gone!

I'm very thankful to report that the "crud" has left the rainforest! Daddyman & Moo both suffered through it for 2 weeks! I'm even more thankful to report that I did not get sick!!! Moo has been able to go play with her friends, and that has improved her mood! She is, however, teething! Poor girl does not get a break!

Crud...

The rainforest has been sounding like the beach lately! Random noises, like barking seals, can be heard coming from 2 bedrooms! The Daddyman and Moo both have been diagnosed with "the crud". (Moo later got a croup diagnosis, and the meds are helping.) Praise God, that quite pregnant Mommy has not caught it.
Popsicles and juice have been mainstays in the rainforest feeding sessions, along with homemade chicken noodle soup. Lysol is the new scent of the rainforest, covering every surface in the house...daily (if not more often!).
I'm off to go climb a banana tree (peace & quiet or a lack of germs, which am I seeking?!?!)

Ah, Fall...almost!

I need to get my booty in gear and catch up on my blogging...that will come, eventually! Growing up in the Midwest I dreaded fall, and all that came with it. Was it that school was starting? The fact that it was going to get really cold, really fast? The many layers of clothing required to deal with that weather? The requirement of shoes on my feet? Probably all of that, and then some! Now that I live in my dream location (how many years did I say that I was going to move here?!) I do "miss" fall. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the heat and the ability to wear flip flops almost everyday! I miss picking apples and looking at the leaves, and definitely miss Buehler's cider & cider donuts! The smells in the stores as they have their fall sales (enticing you with fall candles and yummy treats.) Each year we take a trip back to visit family and get our "fall fix". It's always so pretty driving through the mountains, looking at all of the colors. The cool weather for the visit is enough for us. This year, we're not going. I'm too pregnant to make the trek up there. The hormones (and allure of temps below 90) are getting to me. So, my loyal followers that still live up there...please post pictures of the leaves! And enjoy some cider for me! (We have cider here, but it's so processed that it is NASTY!) You're always more than welcome to come visit, please bring some Buehler's cider & donuts with you! :)

Escape Artist

I've known that this day was coming, but I still wasn't prepared for it. Moo is very strong and has been a climber for months. Today she climbed out of her crib! I had put her in there this morning because she seemed like she needed a nap. Did our usual nap routine, and the screaming started after she was placed in the crib. I left and plopped down on my bed, waiting for the crying to stop. (On a bad day the crying lasts 90 seconds) She sounded more and more angry, and I was contemplating going in there...then it happened! THUD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I knew what had happened! The mommy in me got up (a difficult process in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy) but the medic in me said "wait!" The crying had lightened up! That meant that she was not hurt! (Praise God!!!!!) So I went to her room slowly to assess the damage. She was very happy to see me and was a little shocked at what had just happened. We cuddled in the rocker and read stories and talked (as the medic in me checked her out for ANY possible injury).
We are in the process of making her big girl room, but it's not ready quite yet. There are no curtains or blinds. No closet doors. Another round of paint needs to be applied. The carpets need to be cleaned, etc. I'm wondering if this was a one time deal and she'll stay in her crib? Or if our escape artist is going to do repeat performances.... And to top it all off, our gate at the top of the stairs is broken and I'm pretty darn sure that she can open her bedroom door! Stress, nah! (Did I forget to mention that the Daddyman isn't home today?!?!) (or that she's refusing sippy cups and diapers today?!) Today is exactly 2 weeks before her 2nd Birthday....Miss Independent has arrived!

Winnings!!

I NEVER win anything. Recently I won the 16 X 20 print from my BFF's blog contest. I also recently won the complete 7 disc season 2 set of Gossip Girl. But wait, there's more! I won 2 free tickets and a parking pass to Universal Orlando! We are busy figuring out what print we want made and planning our trip to Universal.
We are also in the process of converting the guest room into Moo's "big girl room". We decided that we will keep the girls in separate rooms. When they are older, if they want to share...we'll discuss then. Moo's room is going to be purple (her favorite color) with magenta bedding & window sheers. Minnie and Mickey accents will be all over the room. Our goal is to have the room painted & ready for her by the end of the weekend! We'll post pics when it is finished.

I want to win!

Another cool giveaway! 3 free cloth diapers! I don't have any "smaller" cloth diapers, as I started cd'ing when Moo was 8 months old. http://www.benspark.com/cloth-couture-diaper-giveaway.html/comment-page-1#comment-74631

Here's the cool company that is sponsoring the giveaway! http://hyenacart.com/clothcouturediapers/

big shoes to fill.....

my bff just posted her 100th blog! way to go Heff! (long story on the nickname....) she has an awesome giveaway going on. Her sponsor is giving away a large print of the winner's choice! If I win I will have Daddyman get a picture of Moo kissing my larger (and getting larger) belly! Molly LOVES to kiss her little sister, and kisses her many times a day!
Here's a link to her blog: http://jaycoxcircus.blogspot.com/ Don't compare my site to hers, mine will cry! I still have to figure out the settings on here and get some pictures up too!
Congrats on 100 posts and I can't wait to read the next 100 more!

A Thousand Words Thursday

I can't believe how much my little preemie has grown! She's almost 2 now and is trying to climb out of her crib. Amazing how quickly they grow up!

ticked off

I'm sitting here blogging instead of cleaning (isn't that how it usually goes?!) We have 2 cats, both STRICTLY indoor (only go outside to go to the vet, in their carriers). Somehow we have ticks in our house! The vet told me that Daddyman and I are bringing the ticks in with us on our shoes, um...gross!

It's gotten to the point where all of the natural remedies that I have tried are not working. I've resorted to bringing in the big guns...the bug guy! For those of you that have never had to deal with this...you have to get EVERYTHING off of the floor! Furniture is the only thing that can be on the floor. I look out across my living room at all of Moo's toys (that are permanently on the floor except for when she's asleep) and contemplate throwing them all out! All of the bins of baby gear need to be put up on the beds/dressers. The closets need to be cleaned out (well, the floors). And I continue to sit here typing...

to share, or not to share...that is the question

As my due date looms closer (ok, I still have 15+ weeks, God willing!) I have MANY thoughts racing thru my head. I've gotten a few items taken care of: borrowing a 2nd pack n play, got the 1st one replaced (recalled), got a double stroller (I <3 you Heff!), and have been promised some $ towards our convertible crib. As I was cleaning Moo's room today I was looking at the cute nursery decor and wondered if I should leave her room the nursery and let her have the guest room to herself? I was planning on having the girls share a room (baby will be with us in a bassinet for the first few months), but now I'm wondering if that's what I should do? We do have guests come visit us in our tropical location many times thruout the year. Should the girls share the larger room and convert the "nursery" into the guestroom? Should they have separate rooms?
Discuss....(P-L-E-A-S-E!!!)

weekend fun

So, this weekend was a busy one for us. Yesterday we got up and drove to Tampa. On the way down we stopped at Babies R Us to set up a registry. (Not really sure what the protocol is for 2nd baby...but Daddyman likes playing with the scan gun!) Moo was great! She sat in the cart for close to 90 minutes with no complaints! She loved picking out things for baby. We played with car seats, tested out pack n plays, looked at convertible cribs, and even some toys for the big sister! We could've spent much more time there, but we had to get going, because...
Moo's little cousin had his 1st Birthday party yesterday! We met up with the family to celebrate his big day. The cousins played (as best as a 12 month and 22 month old can). There was swimming, but Moo wanted nothing to do with the baby pool! She kept running over to the big pool, screaming "POOL" and pointing! Mommy did get into the the big pool with her and we had a blast.
After the party we stopped at IKEA on our way home. WOW! I can't wait to go back there, on a weekday when it's not packed. We got some new curtains for our living room and some storage bins too. We could've easily dropped lots of $ in there! We're making our list of "home improvements" for next time we go there.
Today was lower-key than expected. Moo took 2 good naps and I did a lot of water drinking and laying down. We did leave the house to go to the UF bookstore. Moo kept walking around saying "GOOOOOOOO GA" (go gators) and doing the Gator chomp! She found many stuffed Alberts and would hug as many as she could fit in her arms! She also found a UF rocking chair that I had to pry her out of. She seemed heartbroken that all of her "Albert friends" had to stay there and couldn't come home with her.

Here goes!

I've read so many great blogs recently that I feel compelled to start one. I haven't sat down and "written" in many years, so it might be weird at first...so, here goes!
Yesterday Daddyman and I had our 3rd ultrasound for our baby (we lost a baby between Moo and this one, hence the multiple ultrasounds) We decided that we wanted to know if we were going to have a son or a daughter. The tech was amazing! She described the measurements that she was taking, pointed out different structures in the brain (which Daddyman loved!) We saw all 4 chambers of the heart, and many other structures. Our DAUGHTER is perfect! She was VERY active so some of the measurements were taken out of order, but all measurements were made. She did a somersault for us! We were very relieved to know that she is healthy! Now our focus is on Mommy! Making sure that the rest of my pregnancy is healthy and that we do all that we can to help make it healthy: low sodium foods, exercise (not a problem as Moo is VERY VERY active!) and drinking 2 liters of water a day! (For those that don't know, I had severe pre-eclampsia with Moo and she was born 5 weeks early because of that.)
The exciting part is starting! We are starting to work on our baby registries! I'm not really sure what the protocol is for with baby showers and registries for a child that isn't your first, but there is some gear we need!
Watch out for my future blogs on having 2 children; sleeping situations, strollers, gear, etc.