I [Heart] Cranium!

I absolutely love Cranium! I don't think I've ever played a Cranium game that I didn't like. We have several that range over the different age groups. The kids love them and so do we. It's actually fun to play the kid's games with them. My love affair with Cranium started many years ago with the original adult game. Then it only got better from there when I bought the kid games for the after school care center I ran. The games were all awesome. Everyone I know who has ever played a Cranium game loves it. The games are well thought out, fun and have something for everyone from drama to art to general knowledge to language. I already thought Cranium was a great company that really had their act together, but today I found one more reason to love them. After many failed attempts to fix this part of our Balloon Lagoon game that Ryan broke I had a brain storm...maybe if I wrote them a letter they would send me a new one. I went to check out their web site. I was pleasantly surprised to find they list spare parts to all their games that you can order right off the website! I guess they do the most broken and/or lost pieces because they don't have all the pieces, but they had what I needed. They also don't charge a lot for the pieces. I'm impressed with their integrity. The piece I ordered only cost $.95! With shipping it would have worked out to like $3, but I don't think they gauged on shipping. I actually got free shipping because I ordered a new game that I wanted anyway to push my total over $25. So, yay for well run companies with integrity and great products!

**links are all to games we own and recommend- except of course the new game we haven't played that one yet :-)**

I'm Getting So Excited!

My Bible Study group is so great. They threw a surprise baby shower for me today. They had balloons, a beautiful cake, cups and plates with little ducks, pink forks and spoons and gifts for Sweet Pea. They are just the best.
Christina sent me an adorable smocked dress with ruffle bloomers. I got it last night. All the sweet clothes and adorable little baby things made me so excited. I can't wait to meet our new little girl(and dress her up)!

Good Knight

Should I be disturbed that my husband was highly disappointed that the good knight didn't "defeat" the bad knight in Little Einsteins? I admit that it was a little cheesy that the bad knight just turned good when they released the good knight from his tower prison, but do we really want sword fighting in a show aimed at preschoolers?

Uncle TJ's Visit

My brother, aka Uncle TJ, came up for the Pinewood Derby and because I needed him to help me with an errand. It was really cool of him to get up so early so he could get here for Zach's first race. I think it really made the Derby more special for Zach that TJ came. TJ was a huge help at the derby with Ryan. He put Ryan up on his shoulders so he could see the races. This left Jay free to take pictures and meant that I didn't have to kill myself trying to hold Ryan all day. He also watched Ryan when he was running around in the back of the room so I could sit because sitting is really nice when you are 9 months pregnant. The cutest thing all day was when he was bouncing Ryan on his knees like he was a horse. Ryan was bouncing all around saying, "Oh yeah! Oh yeah! Oh yeah!" Picture one of the kids on teen nick doing the Cabbage Patch and chanting- that's exactly what it sounded like. I have no idea where he got this 'Oh yeah!' saying and it was the first time he said it that I've heard. This became his mantra for the day...It's Zach's turn to race. Oh yeah! Oh yeah! ; Do you want to sit on Uncle TJ's shoulders? Oh yeah! Oh yeah! ; I got you a hot dog for lunch. Oh yeah! Oh yeah!; Do you want to ride with Daddy? Oh yeah! Oh yeah!... I believe I have said this before, but that boy cracks me up! I'm so glad TJ decided to come he was a real blessing to all of us.

We are the Champions...

Well, okay, Zach is the champion and Jay a little bit too. Zach's pack had their Pinewood Derby today. For those of you who don't know that is a wooden car race. Jay and Zach build the car together. Zach raced it today and he came in first in the Wolf/Bear division(2nd+3rd grade). He also set the all time speed record for the track. Then he beat his own record. Unfortunately his car choked under pressure and ran slower in the championship round. He was edged out of first place for the whole pack by a WeBeLo scout. They are older, so Zach didn't seem very disappointed...we won't talk about Jay's reaction. Zach has a way cool trophy in his room now. I'm sure he will show it to everyone that steps foot in our house. He told Jay later that this was the best day of his life. Pretty cool.

*I'll post pictures tomorrow...going to bed now.

The Last Square!!!

Take a look at that baby ticker people! We are on the last square. Almost there.
I had a check up today. The dreaded strep b one. Ick. But surprisingly not too bad. I seem to remember it being much worse last time. Measurements were very good. Heartbeat was good as well. So now we just do heartbeats and measurements until "D" Day.

Ludicrous

This is possibly the most ridiculous thing I have ever read. It practically makes the point of all those people fighting to have Merry Christmas instead of Happy Holidays on shopping bags. Where will it end?! It's a sad commentary on our society that a priest could be put in jail for saying Jesus existed in a parish newsletter or anywhere for that matter! I'm sorry, but that just makes me mad. I hope they throw the guy who is bringing the case to court in jail for stupidity and wasting everyone's time.

Random Thoughts

Well, as long as I am being random...

* Ryan loves M&Ms. He calls them emmas emmas emmas- I bring up M&Ms as a treat whenever I can so I can hear him say it. It's so adorable to hear the excited little "emmas, emmas, emmas!"

*Why are 90% of my maternity tops see through? This seems like a particularly bad time to have a see through shirt with me wearing nursing bras( which look pretty funny) because I don't need to buy a whole set of bigger regular bras.

*Should I really go out and buy bigger maternity shirts for the last month of my pregnancy because my tummy keeps sticking out?

*I can't wait to have a little girl.

*Ryan cracks me up.

*I have a great husband. He made dinner last night and has offered to make or bring home dinner several days this week to make my life easier. He has been so great about trying to make things easier for me while I'm pregnant.

*I want a new house. I don't want to move.

*I'm really glad my brother lives closer now. It's going to be great to see him more often.

*How do other people keep their houses so nice?

*Where do moms of toddlers find the time to paint and decorate?!

*Now I remember why I stopped buying fruit snacks. I brought home a pack of 10 last night and there are only 7 left and Zach doesn't even know about them yet. They are really good, but this could be an expensive habit! BTW- forget those character snacks...Welch's fruit snacks are where it's at!

*I have to go make Ryan's lunch. He wants "Peanutbutter and jelly on my bread."

26 Random Questions

I got this from Magnolia Mom. I don't usually do things like this, but this one seemed fun and I have not had too much to post about lately.

1. You have $10 and need to buy snacks at a gas station; what do you buy? Icee/Slurpee/whatever flavored ice drink they have and if it's Wawa a soft pretzel if not a Snickers-KING size (I don't so this often, I might as well have fun with it!)
2. If you had to be reincarnated as some sort of sea dwelling creature, what would you be?
I don't believe in reincarnation, but if I had a wish to be a sea creature I would be a dolphin. They are so cute, smart and fun.
3. Who's your favorite redhead?
Either the little red haired girl on Charlie brown(I'm sure she would have been nice to him if he ever talked to her) or Reba
4. What do you order when you're at a pancake house?
Depends on what I'm in the mood for that day. I can't remember the last time I ate at a pancake house...Friendly's or Bob Evans is about the closest I get.
5. Do you own any naughty toys?
My toys mostly behave themselves. Seriously, do a blindfold and feather that Erin gave me(I think as a semi-joke) in a honeymoon gift bag count? Do they still count if I totally forgot that I even have them until I cleaned the linen closet 2 days ago?
6. Have you made out with anyone on your link list?
Um...no, they are all females. Jay used to be on there when he kept a blog. I've made out with him a couple times.
7. Describe your favorite pair of underwear:
COTTON
8. Describe the last time you were injured:
Do all the aches and pains of pregnancy count?
9. Are there any odd things that make you feel comfortable?
Nothing makes me comfortable these days. The closest I get is when the baby actually removes her bottom from my ribs.
10. There was no number 10, so the person that comes up with the best question in my comments will earn the number 10 spot.
11. Tell me a weird story from your high school years:
Once I told my friends I finished my pot and they thought I had gone crazy. They all looked at me with these questioning looks that said, "Since when do you do drugs?!"
I was talking about an assignment for my pottery class that had taken me a long time. They alknewew about it, so I'm not sure why it was so confusing.
12. What is the wallpaper on your cell phone?
Flowers, but the choices were limited.
13. Soda?
Sprite
14. Flavor of pudding?
vanilla
15. What type of shirt are you wearing?
a maternity one that no longer covers my whole ginormous belly
16. Prescription medication?
None, except the prenatal vitamins
17. If you could use only one form of transportation for the rest of your life what would it be?
SUV- I can fit my whole family and drive in any weather.
18. How many people are on your links list?
You can count, can't you?
19. How many people on your links list do you know in real life?
If you can't figure that out I'll see if there is an opening in Zach's 2nd grade class for you.
20. What are you listening to right now?
The sound of Ryan eating his morning snack and the construction vehicles backing up.
21. Most recent movie you watched:
I watched Snow White and the Seven Dwarves with the boys yesterday.
22. Name 5 things you have with you at all times:
1. Sweet Pea
2. Ryan
3. cell phone
4. diapers, etc.
5. my purse(now ask my what's in my purse right now...that would be interesting)
23. Would you rather give or receive a foot massage?
receive, duh. What I would really like is a whole body massage.
24. Name a teacher you had the hots for:
Mr. Sprat- 12th grade stats
25. What is a saying that you use a lot?
Apparently, "Oh Man!" I wouldn't have known this except that Ryan keeps saying that and Jay says he gets it from me.
26. What's one piece of advice that you think should be passed on to every child?
Faith, Hope and Love are the greatest gifts you have. Don't give them up.

Update #10:
10. What is in your purse right now?
Keys, cell phone, hundreds of receipts, 2 tubes of Vaseline Lip Therapy Cherry, hand sanitizer, a squished Nutrigrain bar, checkbook, 2 pens, Neutrogena hand cream [things normally in my purse that don't happen to be there right now: a couple cars, a train, a sippy cup of juice, a snack for Ryan]

Rubbing the Sky

We have Cathedral ceilings in our living room. I used to love them until I found out how hard they are to paint and dust. So today I got out my Swiffer extendable handle duster and I was climbing on chairs and tables to get to the cobwebs that I have neglected for way too long. As I stood on the table reaching as high as I could Ryan asked, "What are you doing, mommy?" I answered, "Dusting." But I like Ryan's description better, "You rubbing the sky." Simple and sweet, but it made my day brighter just having him conjure that mental picture :-)

Pregnancy Update

Well let's see, I have a giant purple spot on the back of my right calf that turns out to be varicose veins(with what I think are spider veins as well, but that is unconfirmed by the doctor). Luckily it has stopped hurting for the most part. I've been trying to take it easy and not pick up Ryan as much. I think the extra 65 pound my body is not used to carrying had a lot to do with the spot developing. I think it was mostly due to the time I was in a huge hurry and ran(as much as a 6 month pregnant lady can run with a 30lb toddler in her arms) about 1/8th of a mile. It appeared right after that, but has been aggravated by carrying Ryan around and standing for long periods of time. Hopefully the ugly spot will go away on it's own in a couple months. I'm really glad it's not a summer pregnancy this time and I get to wear pants over it.
In more recent events I've been having annoying contractions just about every time I stand up. They are not painful at all. I am definitely not in labor and maybe not even close. I had these kind of contractions pretty regularly for at least a week before I had Ryan. They just annoy me this time because the contractions push on my already restricted bladder. So, just about every time I stand up it means, you guessed it, a trip to the bathroom with my legs squeezed together. Man I wish we had a bathroom on the main level- I have to go up or down stairs every time.
Other random complaints- I have not been sleeping well, the baby's bottom is pushing painfully into my ribs, I've been downing Tums like candy because the acid does not want to stay in my stomach- it much prefers my throat and I'M HUGE.
So the pregnancy is really great ;-) Seriously, we are very blessed to be having this baby and I know it. Everything that really matters has been such a blessing. We are so pleased to have this little girl on the way! All the temporary inconveniences are so worth the end result. I just need to keep my eyes on the prize for a few more weeks.

Belly Picture 34 weeks 4 days

34 weeks 4 days
It's big, but wonderful :-)



I've been wanting to take pictures for a while...I finally did it myself today. That is one big belly!

It's Friday!

::Doing the happy dance::

Friday, the last day of the work week...HA. There is no end to my work, but it is nice to have Jay home on the weekends. This weekend looks to be a relatively calm weekend. Jay's brother is supposed to visit tonight, Zach has a birthday party tomorrow night and choir on Sunday and of course there is church, but that my friends is CALM compared to most weekends. That's the way I'm liking things these days. It's amazing what an extra 35 pounds has done to my energy level. I know it's different than 35 pounds of just me. That would be distributed better and I wouldn't have trouble getting off of soft chairs, the floor, my bed, etc, etc, etc. It's all for a good cause and it will be over in less than a month and a half, so I'm just biding my time until then. Trying not to schedule more than one "event" a day.
Yesterday's event was Ryan's gymnastics class. I just love taking him to the gym. I'm going to miss it when someone else takes him just after the baby is born. It is so fun to watch him. He has developed so much in the little over one session we've done. It's getting a little harder to keep up with him with this belly, like when he runs to the other side of the bars I have to go around now. He is getting pretty good at listening(when I can get his attention), so I don't have to chase him that often. I think gymnastics is good for both of us. He seems to really love it and I love to watch him having so much fun and growing so much.

Cool Link

Wow, 3 posts in one day. When it rains it pours, huh?

I got this link from Christina's blog. It's fun for moms to check out with their kids(young and old).

http://www.bemboszoo.com/Bembo.swf

Ryan especially liked picking the letter to click next. He even guessed a few before we clicked because of the sounds.

**note**
You have to click on the letters for the cool part. Some people(who shall remain nameless) did not click on the letters and they told me it wasn't so cool. They thought it was much cooler once they clicked ;-)

Sweetness

Last night I was putting together a little 'People Who Love Me' scrapbook for Ryan. I thought it would be nice for him to have a concrete reminder of our love for when we are in the hospital and after his new sister comes. I was looking through my pictures to find some good ones and found this one of my parents. It's not fitting for the book, but it made me smile. I remember taking this picture. We were at a garden/zoo place in Europe. It had lots of cool old structures that I guess are part of the history of the park. Anyway, my parents were standing under this beautiful bridge I wanted to get a picture of them kissing, but I was just a little late. I love the way the picture turned out though. It reminds me that my parents still love each other. I know I'm lucky to have that. My parents are not only 'still together', but they really have affection for each other. Growing up I didn't appreciate this for what it was, but now I am really glad to have had such a great example for marriage. I hope some day someone gets an unposed picture of me and Jay that captures our love the way that this one captures my parent's love. I don't even know if my parents know about this picture. I know they didn't know I was taking it. I thought I would send it to them for Valentine's Day- I guess I ruined the surprise ;-)



Isn't it romantic?! I hope to be grossing my teenagers out like that someday ;-) Maybe I'll get lucky and my kids will appreciate their parent's love as something beautiful...ROFL, a mom can dream, can't she ;-)

40 Days...

seems pretty monumental. 40 days and 40 nights to go until Sweet Pea is due to join us. Let's hope it doesn't keep raining like this all 40 days! We are under a flood watch right now and it's no wonder. The rain is coming down in sheets. I couldn't sleep for about 3 hours last night because the wind and rain were making so much noise with our crappy windows. There were several times(usually when the wind was SHAKING OUR HOUSE) I wondered if we were having a hurricane! Then, just after I was finally able to fall asleep, Zach came knocking at our door. Needless to say I am t.i.r.e.d. Ryan seems to be little worse for the wear. Some fussiness, but over all he has been happily playing all morning. I can't believe anyone in this house slept well last night. Jay seemed in a fairly good mood this morning though, so maybe it was just me.

Waiting for nap time...

*****Update*****

Still not nap time :-(

When I looked in the back yard I saw Jay's big old gas grill in the yard on it's side. That was some strong wind!

Happy Day Off

Hm, what do you do to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. There are no presents, no fireworks, no ceremonies. It's just basically a day off school and work. I guess it's kind of like President's Day that way. Don't get me wrong, I think Martin Luther King Jr. was a great man who did great things for this country and his life is worth celebrating as are the lives of our founding fathers. It just seems like no one really celebrates MLK Jr. or the presidents on their holidays. They do provide a nice break and long weekend during a time when it seems very useful. I feel like I should do something, but I'm not sure what is fitting.

Thanks Dr. King for changing our country for the better and doing it in a peaceful way.

De-lurk! Please:-) **sticky post**

**This is a sticky post. It will stay at the top until the end of the weekend. Scroll down for more recent posts.**


It's de-lurking week! That means you(yes, you, if you are reading this, I'm talking to you) get to leave a comment just to let me know you are reading :-)

I know I'm a little late in the week to start this. I was debating whether or not I wanted to do it at all. Well, I'm letting curiosity get the best of me. I want to know who is reading, how you got here, if you read because you relate or for some other reason, if you have a blog...whatever you want to tell me I want to know. So leave a comment with as much or as little information as you want.

Chicken Cheerios for Breakfast

Yesterday I bought Fruit Loops because for some reason our family favorite, Frosted Cheerios, has been unattainable for the past couple weeks. This morning I asked Ryan what he wanted for breakfast. He was undecided until I got out the box of Fruit Loops. He started jumping up and down. I asked if he wanted Fruit Loops and held up the box. He said, "YES! Chicken Cheerios!" I wasn't sure what that meant until I looked at the box and it had Chicken Little on the front with Toucan Sam. I'm not sure which bird is the chicken he was referring to, but it was funny.

"Oooooh, wow!"

I am now convinced that with enough hype on my part I can make ANYTHING seem great to my 2 1/2 year old. Today I was able to get Ryan excited about a tote, bread and Mr. Potato Head with one sentence and all within about 30 seconds. I told Ryan I got something really cool for him while I was at the store. I sent out to bring in my loot from shopping. I bought a bunch of totes for storage and had put most of the stuff inside. So I take the stack of lids off of the tote that contained the surprise. One lid was attached, so it stayed on. As I did this Ryan had come over to help me. "Oh, wow!" Ryan exclaimed. My brother was over, we both stifled a laugh at his excitement over the tote. I told him the really cool thing is inside. I open the tote and Ryan pulled out the bread from inside, "Ohhhhhhhhh, bread!" The laughs were not stifled as much this time. Then I pulled out the bag with Mr. Potato Head and his bucket of parts. Even more excited, "Oooooo, Mr. Tato Head!!! Can I open?!" We opened it and Ryan had lots of fun making the whole Potato family. So much fun when I asked if he wanted pizza he said, "No, I playing tato head." the boy does not turn down pizza. He did decide he wanted pizza when he saw TJ and me eating ours.
Can I just say that Mr Potato Head is the perfect toy for 2 year olds?! The creativity is amazing. Ears in armpits, two sets of eyes, tongues on top of the head...these are not things an older kid would appreciate. At least my older kid, he looks at the picture, copies it and then he is done. Mr. Potato Head just isn't as fun without a little creativity :-)

Check up- almost 34 weeks

My check up went well today. Some of you know I had to take the 3 hour glucose tolerance test yesterday. Note to anyone who is taking the 1 hour test. DO NOT EAT before it! The doctor's notes said it was fine to eat before the 1 hour test...phooey. If you do eat make sure there is plenty of time before you go in for the test. I ate a nutrigrain bar about an hour before. I failed(just marginally, but close doesn't count) so I had to sit in the lab waiting room for 3 hours and get stuck 4 times. All because of a nutrigrain bar. Blah. Well, I passed my 3 hour test, so that's good. No gestational diabetes. The rest of the appointment was pretty routine. My belly is measuring 34 which is right on target. The baby is head down and her heartbeat is good. All my "symptoms" are "normal." I am the heaviest I've been in all my life, including the day I delivered Ryan. I guess throwing up everything for the whole first trimester does have its benefits ;-) I am glad I didn't have to go through that this time. There are lots of things about this pregnancy that are different. I could be wrong, but I don't remember being this ready to get the baby out last time.

So it's a bit rambly, but that's my post about where I am with this pregnancy and my appointment today :-)

Unprepared or Relaxed?

This is what my pregnancy calendar says today.

If you haven't purchased your baby's car seat and installed it facing
rearward in the backseat of your car yet, do it now. Your baby might come early,
and the hospital staff won't let you drive your baby home without one. And
there's nothing worse than watching from a hospital wheelchair as your partner
goes nuts trying to install it while he's parked in the fire lane.

Wow, I haven't even packed a bag yet. Am I just chill or am I totally irresponsible and unprepared?

I remember last time I went to the hospital to have a baby. Jay had to make 3 trips to the car to get all the stuff "the book" says you will need to the room. We didn't even use most of it. I was glad to have it ready early since Ryan did come before his due date, but not a month and a half before! There was plenty of time to get to the hospital though. It's not like I got the hospital and had the baby in 3 hours or something. I was there more than 24 hours before he came.
But I digress...
The car seat already?! It's not like I could easily get the thing in there with this big tummy, so Jay will be putting it in anyway. Besides, he has experience. Is there such a thing as being too prepared? I guess I'm more of a last minute person (some might say a procrastinator), but I really don't think this is necessary.

Playing Games

Ryan has been playing with this little flashlight I got for Christmas. It's amazing how fascinating a little beam of light can be to a toddler/kid. I remember having my own flashlight as a kid. I thought it was pretty cool too. Ryan decided that his little sister needed to discover the joy of light too. He put the light right on my tummy and low and behold- movement! She reacted to the light :-) So now that is Ryan's little game with his baby sister.

Slacker in Remission and the Big Boy Bed

Today during Ryan's nap I put batteries in the disc man and played some Mozart to Sweet Pea. Oddly enough Jay asked me if I had been playing music to the baby last night and I don't think he had read my blog. He proceeded to give me a guilt trip and apologize to my Sweet Pea that she wouldn't be smart! I promptly smacked him in the head for saying things that might damage Sweet Pea's self-esteem. Then I decided I really needed to get on this music thing. Hence the Mozart today. As per Jay's instruction when I was doing this with Ryan, I put one speaker on each side of my tummy so Sweet Pea could experience the stereo sound. She either loved it or hated it. She was kicking and dancing away. I've often wondered if kicks and such actually mean the baby likes something. I'm going to keep doing it because it's relaxing for me and just might be good for her:-)

On to Ryan's latest thing...
The big boy bed has been a success so far. Ryan has done really well most nights. Usually one of us will go up with him after stories and sing his songs. He gets in his bed and we give him a kiss and leave the room. Some nights he fusses a little, but leaving the door cracked has helped with that. When he wakes up he waits for us to come get him. I often hear him singing little songs to himself or calling "mommy, mommy, mommy" until I go get him. I love to stand outside his door for just a few seconds to hear his little songs. It's so sweet.

2nd Baby Slacker

I have been a total slacker with this pregnancy. No pregnancy yoga(though that didn't last long the first time either), no playing classical music to my belly every day, no taking extra care to eat healthy, no reading "What to Expect when You're Expecting" monthly(if not weekly). I feel really bad. It's not like I want to cheat this baby, but I just feel so busy all the time. You know too busy to exercise, too busy to look for that CD Player and the silly adapter so I can use it, too busy to make good food=eating whatever is handy...you get the gist. If this baby doesn't turn out as smart as Ryan I'm totally going to blame myself for failing to form those synapses when she was in-utero. In an effort to not totally fail my unborn child I suggested Baby Mozart when Ryan wanted to watch a movie this evening. He happily agreed. It's good to bring back an old favorite every now and then. I put on the surround sound and sat down right in what Jay calls the 'premium listening area'. I put up my feet and just chilled while the movie was on instead of picking up/doing dishes/ making dinner or otherwise using the time for general keeping up purposes. I was justly rewarded by 20 minutes of a dancing belly. It was the biggest movement and longest duration of any of Sweet Pea's dance parties. I think she liked it!

He's a Keeper

I guess I kind of knew that when I married him, but days like today really spotlight how wonderful my Jay is. He did the grocery shopping for me. Not one of those, "If you REALLY want me to" trips either. He went with no complaints, he even sort of volunteered AND took Zach with him. He only called me once from the store(he made a point to try to do it on his own) and managed to bring home good stuff! He was so thoughtful of what he bought- easy meals with most of the prep work done so I wouldn't have to be on my feet for long periods of time. He also bought some sweet pea scented bubble bath because he knows how much I enjoy a good bath these days and he 'knew it would make me smile' :-) How sweet is he?!

A Short Plug

Look what Erin made for Sweet Pea! Okay, it's really for me. Just like the one she designed for Ryan was really for me too:-) These adorable tees and many more are available now in Erin's e-store-Tale of a Baby Human Boutique.

33 Weeks Tomorrow

Tomorrow my pregnancy hits 33 weeks. That means 7 more weeks at the most! It's getting to the point where I realize this baby isn't just a funny moving bump, but she is going to be her own little person- SOON. Separate from her mommy. She will cry and laugh, well mostly just cry and poop at first, but eventually she will get cute little haircuts and play games with her brothers. It's almost like imagining your toddler as a teen. You know it's going to happen, but it doesn't quite seem real. I can't picture my little girl. Just typing my little girl makes me smile. What will she look like? Will she be a cuddler like Ryan? Will she want to ride horses like mommy? Will she love going to father/daughter dances and dancing on daddy's feet? Will she like girly things, be a Tom Boy or the perfect mix of frilly adventurer? Will she be smart, athletic, curious, dramatic? I can't wait to find out!

Name Experiments of a Toddler

Ryan has been experimenting with what he calls me. Frankly I don't know where half of the names come from. I know he gets Mom from when people refer to me as his mom. He has tried Jen, he knows now he shouldn't call me that, but every once in a while with a little impish glint in his eye he will try again. Then he started calling me dear, he got this one from Daddy. It's actually pretty cute. I wasn't sure at first if I should let him call me that, but then I thought, 'I call him little pet names, why shouldn't he be able to call me a pet name or two?' So, I usually respond to him with sweetie when he calls me dear so he will understand that it is a pet name. The latest experimental name is mama. I have no idea where that came from. I've never liked the idea of being called mama, but it's not so bad when he says it. I still prefer mommy over all these, but his experimenting is interesting. I hope he comes back to mommy in the end. I love being mommy :-)

Blogitty, Blog, Blog, Blog

My mom started a blog! I wanted to add the link to my list and I realized there are lots of blogs I read every day that I don't even have linked. So I updated my list a bit. Then blogger had a hard time republishing...grrr. So, if I missed you leave me a comment or e-mail me and I'll be sure to add you. So check out my side bar because there are some new links.

So Much Fun He Didn't Notice the Frostbite

Ryan got some new bath toys for Christmas. Among them were these "transportation" tub stickers. He calls them his 'cars and trucks and things that go' :-) You get them wet and they will stick to the side of the tub. He LOVES them. Bath time has taken on a life of its own. It's now an hour long and I have to drag him out of the tub. I warmed his water once during his bath today and it was still freezing cold by the time he got out. He didn't seem to care one little bit. He was having fun.

Speaking of bath time...Anyone have an idea when you stop using baby shampoo and what kind of shampoo you go to from there? Ryan still has his baby fine hair, so we are still using the baby stuff, but I've noticed he gets this fly away type stuff that won't be calmed with just a comb on the back of his head. I asked our hair stylist about it and she said it's from him sleeping on it.

I got out of bed for this?!

Some days are just not worth getting out of bed for. This has been one of those days. We were up late last night cleaning up yet another flood from our washing machine. Then we had to get up early this morning, Jay for work and me for Bible Study. It was so hard to get out of my nice comfy bed, especially since Ryan didn't seem to be awake. But I got up and got ready. Zach missed his bus which makes me late for my study. He is also upset since *I* didn't refill the pencil pouch he never gave me for school. It was a very dramatic morning (Zach is a very dramatic child). Then I got to lead a study on a somewhat controversial and hard to understand topic. I think that actually went fairly well, but I was nervous going in and worried that I was unclear or wrong during the discussion. Then I went to pick Ryan up from the childcare and found out that he had bumped his head. There was a huge knot forming and it is all discolored. He wouldn't stop crying even when I held him and this is highly unusual for him. He is a durable, crash and run kind of kid. Then the teacher said he had been yawning ever since he fell. He fell asleep in the car on the way home (about an hour or so before his nap time). So naturally I am worried about a concussion. I had to wake him up and make sure he was alert several times during his nap. He seems fine now, but I was a little stressed over the whole thing. He had a nice long nap. One good thing about it was after I checked on him a couple times I went and took a nap myself. I have been soooo tired lately. This of course means that I got NOTHING done around the house today. I'm going to try to take down the remainder of the Christmas stuff before my wonderful husband gets home with the dinner he offered to pick up when he heard about my morning.

**************Update***************
9:32 Ryan had finally stopped getting out of bed and/or crying. I'm so tired and worn out. Spent 20 minutes looking for Jay's books that got hidden by the boy's toy container. Then Jay went to a meeting and I have done everything (including the 1 1/2 hour bedtime process for Ryan) all by myself.

Hard. Day. Over. Looking forward to a new day tomorrow.

Big Boy Bed Update

Ryan has continued to choose sleeping in his big boy bed since New Years Eve. He has done fairly well. It took him less time to get comfortable last night, but it still took quite a while(and daddy coming in to take mommy's place) for him to go to sleep. It has not solved his waking in the middle of the night issues, but they are definitely not getting worse. Each night he has only cried once. I was happy to find that he stayed in his bed and cried just as he would have if he was in his crib. I was worried about him wondering around in a sleepy stupor. I padded the floor around his bed in case he falls out, but he has not fallen yet. Well, he did fall this morning because he lost his balance on the pillow used for the padding- maybe that wasn't such a good idea. Perhaps I should switch it for a blanket today. I think I'll feel better with at least some padding for now. He has woken up in a good mood both days despite being up later than usual. All in all I'd say the big boy bed has been a success so far.