Fun Podcasts

I was given an iPod Nano for Christmas (yay!!) and I have been listening to podcasts like crazy. They are really fun, super easy to download, and even better...free! You also don't have to have an mp3 player to listen to them, so just download iTunes for free and you can listen to the podcasts on your computer (and soon any mp3 player, not just Apple ones.) I am also noticing that you can download them straight from the website in most cases. Here are some of my favorites.

- Pregtastic - Each podcast is about an hour long. They talk about EVERYTHING pregnancy and postpartum related. It's been like having a bunch more pregnant friends to listen to and get ideas from. It's also been a great reminder to do things I forget about! The link I put up is to their blog which tells you what was talked about in every episode. Give it a look. I have really liked it!

- Pea in the Podcast - These are a good deal shorter, and are done mostly by week. There are a few specialized topics like pregnancy nutrition or labor preparation, but for the most part it's centered on week to week updates. It's fun to listen to, and though I like Pregtastic the best, this one is fun for a quick snippet.

- Mommy's milk and more - About what it seems like it'd be about. Mostly breastfeeding. I haven't listened to this one too much, so I will get back to you in a few months to let you know if it was super helpful for me!

- Potty Mouths - This podcast is devoted exclusively to elimination communication, or infant potty training. I have also not started this one yet, so I will get back with you on how helpful it is!

There are so many fun things out there to listen to. If you don't already, you should check them out!

Caramalized Garlic Chicken

I have made this recipe twice now and it's super yummy (just don't overcook the chicken!) It's even a big hit with Emma. I serve it with mashed potatoes and a veggie of some sort.

3 tsp olive oil
6 pressed cloves garlic
6 tsp brown sugar
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

- Heat oven 500 degrees. Line shallow roasting pan with foil and lightly grease with some olive oil.
- Heat 3 tsp oil in skillet until hot. Add garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes (don't let it burn..err on the side of caution.) Remove from heat and stir in brown sugar.
- Place chicken on prepared roasting pan and spread garlic mix evenly over the pieces.
- Bake 10-15 minutes or until fork tender.

Sorry bout that...

I was thumbing through my old blog posts and I realized this used to be a lot more interesting to read (although it wouldn't take much to be more interesting than what it is now!) I am sorry! So Now I will try to rectify that by posting interesting stuff! Stay tuned...

A Little Different This Time

This pregnancy is chugging right along, and I am now 5 months (and officially over halfway!) I really struggled before Emma was born about the concept of elimination communication (infant potty training,) and ultimately decided I wasn't ready to do it with her. But having gone through 2.5 years of diapers and some really really really FUN potty training, I am ready to bite the bullet and try it. I am doing lots of research on how to do it, and Brian is super supportive. I think it would have worked with Emma, and when I think at how much money we've spent on diapers I physically wince. That was $2000 we really really could have used these past few years! But now that I am more confident as a parent, I think I am ready to take it on. In addition to the infant potty training, I will also be using cloth diapers this time. I think we will use the cloth diapers for the first few months and then switch to the potty training. I am so thankful to have so many friends who have gone the cloth diaper route that I can ask for help! I am genuinely excited about trying these things out. Probably a little more excited than I should be! So any advice anyone wants to throw at me on either subject would be more than welcome. I am very new to both ideas!

Yay!

I am sure you have all given up on me, but this is worth noting! Emma seems to be potty trained for the day time!

She has several times off and on throughout the past month used the potty, but never consistently. We'd give her a sticker or something like that and make a really big deal out of it, but she really wasn't getting into it. Then yesterday afternoon out of nowhere she tells us she has to go potty. So we tell her to go ahead, thinking she was just pretending, and lo and behold she'd actually used it. We gave her stickers AND marshmallows and it was the marshmallows that have henceforth changed our lives. She wore big girl underwear the rest of the day and used the potty consistently with no accidents all in the name of marshmallows. And now that we know that she is fully capable, guess where the diapers are going? BYE BYE. She will still wear one at night, though I am open to suggestions on that one. But hey, that is a negligible amount compared to what we are paying now!! YAY!!!!!!

Yep. We are indeed.

Pregnant, that is. I am 7 weeks, as you can see by my ticker, and am headed to the first doctor visit on Friday to make sure it's a child and not an alien! We are very excited and once Emma figures out what it means, I am certain she'll be thrilled! The Lord has been gracious to us, and this was an answer to prayer. I have indeed been very sick this time, which came as a surprise since I was not sick at all with Emma. The upshot is that I haven't gained 10 pounds already like I did with Emma! =) Keep us in your prayers. We look forward to meeting this little one!

my sister is the coolest person in the whole wide world

seriously, she's great. there is no one as totally cool as she is. if i was half as good of a sister as she is, i would post more pictures of my child, her niece, so that she could see them all the time.

For what it's worth

I suppose one reason I have absented myself so much from the habit of blogging is because I am trying to keep my head down and run through all the craziness that's going on. I realize that that isn't helpful or really all that healthy, nonetheless I think it's what I have been doing. So I am here and now going to try to start doing this more faithfully again. I will be sad about all the lost memories from the last year, so I am going to start over and try again. Maybe, just maybe I will be consistent with it!

Brian is well into the swing of his second to last fall semester in law school, which we are thrilled about! His schedule is tough, but it's better because the courses he's taking he now gets to choose, so he's basically done with his core stuff. He is still working at Geneva teaching two classes, and he works the rest of the time at a real estate closing firm called Vine Law Group. He loves his job, and we are praying he will be able to transition into working there as a lawyer as soon as he passes the bar. He is set to be done with law school in December of next year, and he will hopefully take the Bar Exam in March. Then we will have to wait three or four agonizing months to know if he passed or not!

Emma is unbelievably grown up. She is wearing 3t pants, and talks in complete sentences. Her constant question is "What's that?" and she is constantly moving. She is quite the social butterfly, and everywhere we go she strikes up a conversation with everyone. She loves the playground, and she LOVES babies! If she sees one, she will stop what she's doing immediately and go look at it. She is always talking about baby Kyle and baby Elliot, and loves every opportunity to hold and see real babies. She got a puzzle a few days ago, and is getting very good at figuring it out. She also no longer uses a high chair but sits with us at the dinner table. While this is messy for the walls, she adores it! She is a great little helper, and is super sweet and loving. Her hair is really long now, and I guess at some point I should get it trimmed again, but I cannot bear to cut the curls. I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

I am doing well. I am finally finding ways to manage the stress of all the craziness, and am finally more content with how things are going. Since we are heading into fall I am getting very excited about cooler weather. I am having to fight the urge to bake all sorts of yummy and fattening things just because it's fall. I will be baking a few things soon, but I am trying to wait until I have somewhere to take them! I am going to a playgroup with Emma that I absolutely love, and it's been wonderful to make some new friends. It gives me lots to look forward to!

So now I will leave you with some pictures that span from about three or four months back to today. I am overdue!

Emma Funnies

Yes. It's been a while. And now for your enjoyment, a list of super cute things Emma has been saying or doing:

- If you ask Emma if she wants to do something, she will jump up and down and respond "Dokey Okey!!"

- My mom was at the pool with Emma, and she sat down in the water to cool off. Emma came over with a concerned look and said "You okay, Nonny? You okay?"

- If Emma wants something, she will come right up to you and very seriously say "Mommy, crackers please, okay?"

- Mom, Emma, and I were eating lunch the other day and I had some fries. Emma leans over to look at my plate and says "Mommy fries. Mommy bad!" I could not stop laughing. Apparently she has heard me berate myself for eating fries before, and now she has become my conscience!

She loves to "draw markers" and listen to Adventures in Odyssey. She calls pillows Pie-ohs, and she loves it when we sing to her. She is unbelievably precious, and all toddler. She wears us out! I am sure I will think of more, but be happy with this for now. I will really try to post more!

Made me giggle

Oh, and did you notice my ticker?!?! I FINALLY BROKE 140!!!!!!! I haven't seen the 130's since my first trimester with Emma!!!!!!!

So Funny

I have started kissing Emma's boo boos and telling her "all better!" when I am done. Since all this warm weather started and Emma acquired crocs that are just a little too big, she has gotten LOTS of boo boos! She has also started making up boo boos just to get attention and kisses, so sometimes I just ignore her. Sunday was one of those times. She "hurt" her hand and kept asking me to kiss and make all better. When I wouldn't, she shoved her hands to my lips, made a kissing noise, and said "All better!" I couldn't stop laughing.

On a different, but funny note, last night I was outside while all the neighborhood kids were playing in our yard. One of the girls, who is about 9, came up to me and asked very earnestly if I would tell her where babies come from. I almost fell out of my chair! When I regained a little composure I told her I was pretty sure that was an EXCELLENT question to ask her parents. She didn't seem put off by this, because she asked again! So I decided I would bring out water guns, and the problem was solved. At least things aren't dull around here!

This just might make me angrier than vaccines

Okay, maybe not angrier. But it definitely got my attention!!! You need to watch Who Killed The Electric Car. We got it off Netflix, and it's truly fascinating. And if you're like us and are spending killer amounts of money on gas lately with no choice, it's going to make you sit up and listen. So check it out!

Tagged

I was tagged by Liz, so here goes.

Here are the rules:
1. Link your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.


7 interesting, or perhaps not so interesting things about me:

1. I am deathly allergic to cats, yet all my life all I ever wanted was a cat. So when Brian and I got married, and a friend told us about a sweet stray they found, I jumped on the chance! It has actually helped my allergy, though when pollen gets bad, my reaction to Leo gets bad too. I cannot fight it all off!

2. I am TERRIFIED of heights. Just thinking about being up high makes me want to throw up or pass out, whichever comes first. This also ties into the fact that I have never flown. I am told you don't notice when you're in a plane, but I don't care. I think you all lie!

3. I want to see the entire world, from one end to the other. I cannot wait to be able to travel. I want to see beaches and mountains and landmarks and just all of it! France to Greece to China to Maine. I want to see the world!! (Yes, I know I will have to fly...maybe Brian can just knock me out. "I ain't gettin on no plane, sucka!")

4. I am teaching myself Italian. I have always wanted to learn this language, and since I cannot really take classes right now, I am teaching myself! It's going pretty well, too. I am mostly working on learning their grammar right now, but I really am enjoying it.

5. I am perfectly content to wait a while longer before having another kid. Things are absolute chaos around here between law school and moving and learning how to be a good mom to the one I already have. So while I pray that God does bless us with more, I am happy to wait on that a while!

6. I can drink a double shot of espresso before bed and it won't affect my sleep. It always take me an hour to fall asleep anyway, but coffee makes no difference whatsoever. Sometimes it makes me jumpy, but I can still sleep like a baby. Coke, on the other hand, will keep me hopping for HOURS. I don't drink it often, but when I do it's in moderation! (which is necessary anyway since it's SO bad for you!!)

7. I wanted to be a photographer for a long time, and still love to take pictures (though I don't have a great digital camera, so I don't take them too often.) I actually flirted with going to the Art Institute for photography, but a $60,000 per year major gets a bit pricey! And I have truly always always wanted to write. Children's stories, a newspaper or magazine column, anything. I love to write. But I am such a coward that I haven't done it! Maybe someday...

Well there you go. I hope it was enlightening!

I Hereby pronounce you TAGGED:
1. Brittny, Je Ne Sais Quoi
2. Dorothy, Dorothy's Web
3. Lynzi
4. Beth, Pearls Slipping Off A String
5. Anna
6. Sarah


Keep scrolling, by the way. I posted more below!

A much needed update

I have to agree with Jen when I say that it's easy to feel that if I haven't kept up in a while then I will have to catch everyone up. So rather than bother with that, since there isn't a whole lot to say anyway, I will just start with what's been going on lately. I cannot promise I'll do better at keeping up, but I will try!

Emma is growing up rapidly. She walks, talks, runs, plays. She is quite the little person. Her personality is becoming more and more defined each day, and it's been truly fascinating to watch. She talks all day, and every day it becomes clearer and clearer. She speaks in sentences now, albeit simple ones, and she makes her own word combinations. She truly "gets it," and the outcome is almost always comical. She asked for something from me the other day, and when I handed it to her she happily said "Taint tyou MUCH! (thank you much)" which is not something we taught her or say ourselves. She was already saying thank you, she just added her own little flair. She will also come to me very seriously and say "wlkdhoaiudthalosgi SHOE" or "hmmodsfaoierihf MOMMY" which we think is what she must hear when we're talking quickly (rather Charlie Brownish.) She also said "love you" to me the other night when I was putting her to bed. She is full of life and love, and she is also constantly getting into trouble!! She is rather willful, though I've found that with enough sleep she is much much less contrary for the sake of being contrary. We are soon to kick the high chair and the crib, and I am so sorry to see it all go, but it's nice to move on in many ways. I cannot believe it's been nearly 2 years!

Brian is very nearly done with his second year of law school! I never thought I would be saying that, it all seemed like it was taking so long, but here we are 2 years later. He intends to cram as many classes into his maymester as he can, and Lord willing he'll be finishing a semester early, in December of '09! Like always, he's working away, and he is really looking forward to seeing an end to all of this hard work. He cannot wait to start his new career in extremely boring (okay, boring to ME) areas of law! I am so thankful that he is willing to carry this load. It's not been an easy one, but we can see the light at the end of the tunnel now, albeit faintly.

I am just the same, I suppose. We are planning on moving into the house my parents are leaving once their house is finished, which should be sometime mid summer. So I have to learn to organize my chaos, and thankfully my sister in law has graciously offered to help me. I am afraid I'm a bit too scattered to figure it out on my own! The more the days go by, the more excited I am to be moving. It's time for something new, and I just hope I will be ready when it comes! Other than that, everything is as it's been. As for the weight loss, I hit a bit of a plateau, and then we all got the flu. Then I started watching my neighbor when she got off the bus, and then I wasn't able to go work out at the gym anymore. I am proud to say, though, that after two months of abysmal eating I am just where I was. So at least I didn't gain anything! I have started working out again, and if the Lord wills, I will drop the remaining weight. It's not so much about the jeans anymore as it is about being healthy, and now that I really know what that means, I hope to be able to stay healthy with the next baby (with which I am NOT pregnant...)

I will leave you with pictures of my monkey. She is so precious!!

YEAH BABY!!

I am OFFICIALLY back in my pre-Emma jeans!!! They are a little snug in places they did not used to be snug, and I cannot technically wear them in public yet, but they FIT!!!!!!! PROGRESS!!!

Pictures

There is another post below, so keep on scrolling!

My sleepy goose. She never sleeps on her back, so she must have passed out immediately!


Look at her crazy hair and curls! I know I need to cut it, but I don't want to lose the curls!


Taking bear friends for a stroll.


Daddy stealing "kefir hugs" (she always snuggles when she drinks her kefir in the morning!)








Destroying a bag of tissues while I was on the phone and too lazy to stop her.





All smiles with the Skip Bo cards.






Even happier with them on the floor!





Playing piano with Daddy.





Snuggling with daddy after a nap. So precious!!!

$19.99 to save my sanity

I have never loved the time change very much. Something about being forced to lose an hour of sleep in the spring makes me dream up wild government conspiracies and in general makes me cranky. Never did I ever in my wildest dreams realize just how bad the time change can be for a child! Especially one who is on a pretty tight sleeping schedule. Enter last Sunday. I was thinking it wouldn't be great, but Emma is resilient. She tends to bounce right on back from stuff like this. We should be all smiles by Monday, at the latest! Right? Wrong. I was lulled into thinking things were hunky dory on Sunday evening, but Monday was a whole different story. I put her down at her usual time and she proceeded to scream for the next two hours or so. I thought she was dying, and then I realized she really was just protesting bed time which she never does. This kept up every single night this week. Screaming for half an hour. Silence. Me silently doing a jig that she is asleep. SCREAM. Me shaking my head. So last night I went for a jog to escape the screaming, and when I got back Brian and I decided I would go to Target today and get some new blinds. And while they didn't have exactly what I was looking for, we ended up trying out these (only in a really cute brown):


This afternoon we put her down for a nap that she usually barely sleeps an hour for. Two hours later I purposefully slammed the front door so she would wake up! I was already in love with these drapes, but could they pass the ultimate test? Would they help knock her out at bed time? We did our usual routine, and before I threw her into her pjs I closed the blinds and then the shades. She immediately started sucking her thumb and happily said "night night" when I got her dressed and put her in her crib. And now she is sleeping soundly after maybe a nanosecond of crying and I am JUMPING UP AND DOWN! But quietly!

Parting is such sweet sorrow

Emma adores going to Nonny and Baba's house. The mere mention of such an outing makes a gloomy day better and turns a happy day into sheer ecstasy. She loves her Nonny and Baba. So today we went to visit and were there for several hours. We ate dinner and were letting her play when she ran in to the kitchen and worked very hard to get me to come with her. She was trying to open the door and was clearly ready to go home. I asked her if that was so and she emphatically squealed (her version of yes.) She was so ready to go, in fact, that when I told her that was fine but could she hang on one more minute she burst into tears! I was truly puzzled now, because I usually have to drag her away from there. So off to the car we went, and she happily complied with getting buckled in. We drove home and she sucked her thumb contentedly, meanwhile I was still trying to figure out what was up. I chocked it up to exhaustion and a long day, so when we got home, I got her pajamas on, grabbed bear friend and hoisted her in to bed. And then the tears came. She was looking around everywhere and crying piteously when it hit me. She was looking for her daddy. This has been happening more and more lately. She spends the last hour before bed time looking everywhere for daddy while I gently remind her he's bye bye and won't be home to see her tonight. And so she cries, not understanding why he can't be there and play with her. I explain as best I can, and in the end she is pacified when I remind her he will be there to wake her up tomorrow and to make her breakfast and give her big kisses. But she still looks for him a little more, and still cries a little bit when it's time to sleep. My heart breaks a little bit every time this occurs. I know what Brian is doing is so important to us, and I know there isn't any other way. But that's just it. I know. It's nearly impossible to convey this to a child who only knows her daddy isn't home tonight. So while we struggle through, I have to remember that this is for the best. I just hate that I cannot explain it to the littlest one who just misses her daddy. And more sadly, I know it breaks his heart in two not being able to be here. Two more years and we'll be home free. Until then, I'll be looking for a way to tell her that her daddy is doing it all for his girls, and he'll be home soon.

Ideas

Anyone know of some yummy, healthy places to eat around here? I would love to have somewhere to go out to eat that won't wreck my diet. So any ideas?

For What It's Worth...

Brian and Emma have had quite a horrendous case of the flu since last Saturday (yeah, it's been a LONG week.) I "slept" on the couch most of this week, and every night have been woken multiple times by one or all three of the other people in this house (I am counting the four legged furry one.) I have been expecting to get sick for days, knowing full well that without sleep I would never be able to fight it off. But curiously I haven't been very sick at all. On Sunday I started taking Wellness Formula once a day, and though I know I started to flirt with getting sick on Wednesday, and I know I am currently sick now, the symptoms are NOTHING to the severity of Brian and Emma's. I can barely tell I am sick, and were it not for the lack of sleep I bet I wouldn't have gotten anything at all. So for what it's worth, that stuff is WONDERFUL! And for those of you who spent time with us last week, I would recommend buying some. You don't want this flu! It never goes away! The only bummer is this is one of the few pills I own that explicitly says not to take it while pregnant or nursing, so be aware of that.