Tales from the Mothership

Day 3: The FINAL day

2011-12-03T11:10:00.001-05:00

No weight change this morning. Still 167.2lbs

Yesterday went a little better than Day 1. I was less lightheaded, although I did feel very tired by the middle of the day. Luckily, Russ was home, so I was able to lay on the couch to rest for about an hour. I followed the cleanse diet all the way up until the end of the night. I was at a Tastefully Simple tasting party. I did great while the party was going on, I only had a bit of soup to try. I did however taste some bread and chocolate pound cake. Granted these things are only sampling sizes, but I still cheated.

I don't feel bad about it. It was the first 'real' food I've eaten in 2 days. It was fabulous. :)

On to Day 3... the final day. Thank goodness. Hopefully this will be the easiest of them.

Day 2

2011-12-02T11:56:00.001-05:00

Starting: 169
Current: 167.2

I FINALLY broke 169lbs after months of sitting there.

The cleanse is hard. I constantly feel hungry and I've gotten light headed quite a few times. I'm going to stay strong to get through the rest of it.

I have a Tastefully Simple party to go to tonight, so I'm probably going to have a little tiny bit of food. Not going to eat a full meal though.

I'll update at the end of the day. :)

Day 1: Shakeology Cleanse

2011-12-01T12:57:00.001-05:00

I know I haven't been around much, but I'm doing a cleanse in order to rid my body of the nasties and hopefully break this 3 month plateau of no weight loss.

Basically, you drink 3 shakes a day. Plus fruit (I chose clematine and bananas), 1 small salad with fat free dressing, and green tea. Plus I'm drinking 16-32oz of water in between, can you say pee much? You can read more about Shakeology here.

I weighed in this morning and I'm right where I've been for the past who knows how many months. I've been eating a diet of about 1300 calories a day and doing cardio at least every other day if not every day. I started at 173lbs, I'm down to 169lbs.

My hopes is to lose 3lbs from this cleanse and keep them off and continue to lose until I hit my goal weight.

These are the mini goals I've set for myself as well as my long term goal.

165lbs by Christmas
160lbs by Alex's 1st birthday (12lbs under pre-pregnancy weight)
155lbs by February 1st (my weight at my wedding in 2006)

Long term goal: 150lbs by March 1st (anything beyond that is fabulous, but 150lbs is a good and healthy weight for my 5'6" medium frame)

I don't have a TON of weight to take off, but it's enough to have to work hard to get there. I'll be keeping a log of every day of the cleanse and how much weight I'm losing.

If you're interested in trying the cleanse yourself, it's about $45 for 3 days plus you get the shaker included. You have to find yourself a Beachbody Coach in your area to get it. I don't think you can order it online.

Night Update:

Today was a little hard. Especially because I'm alone for most of the day/night because of Russ's schedule this week. I've gotten light headed a few times due to the limited calories I've taken in today. I added it all up and it's just under 1000 calories for the whole day. To me, that's insane. Also, most of the calories were all liquid. I also feel tired. Probably because I've had no caffeine today. I did stick to the cleanse diet, so I'm proud of myself for that. I only hope I can stick to it for another 2 days. I have so much to get done for Olivia's party this weekend and I'm not sure I can run all day on under 1000 calories. I'm gonna try though, but if I get light headed again like I did today, I'm going to have to eat.

Hiatus

2011-11-08T20:26:00.000-05:00

Hi, remember me?

This my first time in a month visiting my little blog.

I miss everyone.

I need a break from writing, mainly because it was seriously cutting into my family and social life. I also was having a major case of writers block.

This is what you missed in the past month:

-My father in law got diagnosed with leukemia. He was put into a hospital cancer center and stayed there for chemotherapy for just about a month. He is in remission now but will be entering the hospital 5 more times to get remission drugs to help keep him healthy.

-My baby girl hit 9 months. She's growing and getting bigger every week. She was 18lbs 6 oz at her check up. She started crawling a couple days before that. She's constantly on the move now, so my life has gotten just a little bit more hectic.

-Olivia is doing very well in school. She comes home every day with new artwork. Her teachers say she's the crafter of the bunch. Definitely more like her daddy than me. She'll be turning 3 in a month. Holy crap. I cannot believe my baby will be 3. Seriously? Her party is planned for December 4th and she's having a fairytale princess theme. Oh, she's gonna love it.

-Halloween was pretty uneventful. Olivia was Dorothy and Alex was a cow. It rained and was cold. We ended up just going up a block and coming home. She got some candy, which she still hasn't eaten.

That's about it. It's been a crazy month. It's going to be a crazy couple of months coming up because of the holidays, Olivia's birthday, and Alex's 1st birthday.

I hope to keep blogging, but I'm not promising daily or even weekly posts for the next couple of months.

I miss you guys. :(

Oh, and here are some pictures of the girls. How can I update without some cute photos?


9 Months

Day 6: Low Angle

2011-10-06T16:37:00.000-04:00

This is a tree outside our building. I love living in the woods.

Day 5: High Angle

2011-10-05T16:12:00.001-04:00

This is one of my favorites I've shot of Olivia. She's about 15 months in this photo. She looks so little.

Day 4: Something Green

2011-10-04T16:30:00.000-04:00

In the spirit of October, here is my 'something green'.

BOO!

2 Little Girls

2011-10-03T23:33:00.002-04:00

Are you ready to meet the 2 sweetest little girls on the planet? No, seriously, are you?

This week's theme for Toddle Along Tuesday with Growing Up Geeky is Introductions.

*Olivia Kymberly*

Born: December 8, 2008 @ 12:42pm 8lbs 4oz 21.25inches

Likes:

-tutus

-"bunny" aka chocolate milk

-Disney Princesses

-reading books

-watching Mr Rogers Neighborhood

-going to school

-chicken nuggets

-being a goofball

Notice her front tooth...its chipped. That is a result of a face plant on a hardwood floor at her 2nd birthday party. Oh the fun that ensued.

*Alexandria Kay* (Alex)

Born: January 13, 2011 @ 12:39pm (3 minutes before her sister) 7lbs 5oz 20.25inches

Likes:

-pooping

-eating anything you put near her (this includes paper, food, stuffed animals, Barbies, bugs, etc)

-trying her darnedest to crawl

-sleeping

-cuddling with mummy or daddy

-stealing her sisters toys

-pulling hair

-pinching leaving bruises (OUCH!)

-laughing

-taking tubbies without her sister

Eating also includes stroller straps

These are my girls. I'm the luckiest mummy on the planet to have such adorable children come from my uterus. :)

Chillax-ing

Day 3: Clouds

2011-10-03T16:00:00.001-04:00

I'm going to cheat a little bit. It's a very overcast, rainy, gray day here in Pittsburgh. Makes for some ugly photos.

Clouds are a favorite of mine to photograph. Mainly because the possibilities are endless and they're fairly simple to shoot. Here are a few of my favorites I've taken in the past couple of months.

Sun setting (Fall)

Puffy clouds

Sun setting on the river (Summer)

Day 2: What I Wore Today

2011-10-02T17:03:00.001-04:00

I *heart* Target.

Day 1: Self Portrait

2011-10-01T22:20:00.000-04:00

I decided to do a photography challenge with some of my bloggy friends. I'm going to try my best to keep up. :)

Here is my self portrait:

My new 'do and my Nikon D5000. Unedited.

Review: Fooz Kids

2011-09-28T00:20:00.001-04:00

When I was contacted by Fooz Kids, I was excited to try their kid-friendly app out.

It was easy to install. Just download onto your computer and install. Ta-Da, you're done. Next, you can set up an account for your child. Since this was geared for Olivia *Alex hasn't quite gotten her track pad skills down* her user name is Princess Olivia, fitting, right? I am also able to select the content she can view that is age appropriate. Fooz Kids app makes this easy because it lets you select your child's age range and you can de-select the ones that aren't in that range.

I showed Olivia how to click on the different pictures and she was taken right to the website. She loves watching videos, playing games, and printing out coloring pages for later. This app makes it SO simple for her to "browse" the web.

It's also very nice that in order to exit the app, you have to put in a password. So, it's nice that I know she's only viewing what I want her to, and not accidentally deleting photos off our computer.

This app has also introduced her to a couple of new things as well. She's learned about Angelina the Ballerina and Barney. By far her favorite is Mr Roger's Neighborhood and Sesame Street.

This is a great app for parents of children ages 2 to 9 years old. It allows them to view the things they want, and gives you peace of mind that they're not deleting things off your hard drive by accident.

Here are a few photos of Olivia using the app:

If you're interested in trying out the Fooz Kids app, please contact me and I'll be glad to let you try it for free!

Tis the Season....

2011-09-27T23:53:00.001-04:00

Yeah, I know. It's not even Halloween and I'm already thinking about Christmas! I'm sorry, but I LOVE Christmas time.

I'm not kidding. I put up the decorations every year the day after Thanksgiving. While everyone else is going bananas of Black Friday deals, I'm at home listening to Christmas music putting up my tree and hanging the ornaments. I take everything down New Years Day.

There is nothing better than sitting in the living room at night and the only light is the lights on your tree. LOVE IT!

I'm already thinking about our Christmas cards. I LOVE TinyPrints. I ordered the BEST Mother's and Father's Day cards from them every year. I love how you can take your own photos and put them on high quality cards. I even love that they will address each envelope with the address you're sending them too. Definitely makes my life easier!

Here are a few of the cards I'm considering for our family Christmas card this year:

Blooming Blossoms: Winterberry

Melodic Swirls: Lightest Turquoise

Merry Love: Kiwi

Aren't these fabulous? Do you send out Christmas cards every year?

Consignment Scores

2011-09-25T22:51:00.000-04:00

This past Friday, I headed to one of the biggest consignment sales in Pittsburgh. The Just Between Friends sale. I won a pre-sale pass through a local website, so I was able to go before the sale started on Saturday. Basically, first dibs.

I don't normally hit up consignment sales because I really hate the crowds and I hardly ever find things I'm willing to buy. There are a ton around here during the fall and spring. I'm so glad I won this pass because I did REALLY well. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't have gone.

Here is the run down *with photos* of what I bought. (click on the photos to make them bigger)

Clockwise from left: (Alex's)

-Old Navy velour suit

-Little Sister long sleeved shirt (Gymboree), jeans (Gymboree), hooded sweater

-2 Carters footed pajamas, BRAND NEW Gymboree Gymmies

-Carters dress and sweater

-Baby Gap zip up hoodie and matching sweat pants

-Carters cupcake onesie

-Carters long sleeve onesie/pants set

-Gymboree shirt/leggings

-Crazy 8 shirt/pants

(Olivia's)

-Carters tunic/leggings, sweater and Old Navy jeans

-7 long sleeved shirts (Children's Place, 2 Gymboree, Disney Princess, Carters) and BRAND NEW pack of socks

-3 pairs of jammies

-fall jacket and hat/mitten set (Children's Place)

-pink boots, Roxy tennis shoes, BRAND NEW Janie and Jack dress shoes

-Disney Belle dress

-Peek a Block Incredi-Block ($8!!!)

-Barbie My Size Secret Throne ($15!!!)

-Disney Princess play heels

That's it! There are 2 Children's Place glitter belts and a pony purse not pictured because they're in the girl's room and they're sleeping. I think I did really well......in total I spent:

$177.50

I know it sounds like a lot of money, but if you look at the retail value of these items (granted, most are used) I would have spend well over $300 on everything. That princess chair alone was well over $80 new and the Incred-Block retails for $60!

I'm extremely pleased with my finds and Russ didn't kill me. :)

Life Gets in the Way of Blogging

2011-09-21T22:53:00.001-04:00

I'm busy.

It's my 2 weeks of working, plus Olivia going to school, Alex teething, both girls being sick, trying to be a good wife, etc etc.

I'm sorry I've been a bad blogger. I've been having a sort of writers block lately. I really have nothing, or at least I think I have nothing interesting to say.

I will say that tis the season for consignment sales and I'm heading to one of the biggest on Friday. Maybe I'll make a post about my findings.

I also have a review to post as soon as I find the time to actually sit down and review it.

I also have to catch up on Teen Mom.

Grey's Anatomy starts back up tomorrow. WEEE!

Thanks for reading this totally random post. :)

I'll leave you with a cute photo.

WW

2011-09-21T12:36:00.003-04:00

What? I didn't just poop in my highchair.

8 Months

2011-09-16T00:03:00.000-04:00

This is a couple of days late. Due to the large amounts of boogers that have been going on in my house, I haven't had time to sit and do a post.

Yep, both my girls have colds. Not only does poor Alex have a cold, she's also cutting her first tooth. It's so close to popping out and I know it's bothering her, but she's being a trooper and not as big a fuss-butt as her older sister was at the same age she got her first tooth.

My girl turned 8 months old on Tuesday. Seriously... I cannot believe its been 8 months. She's my little stinker bug. She's really becoming fun lately. She's got a big personality and she's always smiling or laughing.

She's definitely beefing up. In the past 2 months she's gained over 2lbs! She doesn't have an official weigh in until her 9 month check up, but I know she's over 17lbs from my scale at home. She's just fitting into 9 month clothes, which are still a little big on her right now. She's sitting up really well now on her own. We even put her in the big bath tub with Olivia tonight. Due to not having a non-skid tub, there was a lot of bum sliding on Alex's part. We'll stick to the whale tubby until she's bigger and less wobbly in the water.

She's working on crawling. She wants to move so badly. She can roll onto her belly and turn herself in 180 degree circles to get what she wants, but there is no forward movement yet. I predict it will be another month until she can actually crawl. Olivia crawled at 8.5 months. Alex has always been a half a month or so later than her big sister on milestones. *Which is fine by me, I want her to stay little for longer*

Obviously, no teeth yet. But, they're working their way on in. Oh, she'll look so freaking adorable with 2 bottom teeth! I love it.

I did the normal side by side comparison with the girls at the same age and this month it's amazing how much they look alike. What do you think? Definitely sisters. :)

Olivia is on the left. Alex the right.

Here are a couple other photos of Miss Alexandria on her 8 month birthday.

Love.Her.

School Days

2011-09-12T20:32:00.000-04:00

Today was Olivia's first day of her Great Start program. It's only for 2 year olds and it's a very small class. She's got 2 other girls and 1 boy. She's actually not the oldest, but the 2nd oldest. There are 2 December babies though. She'll go every Monday and Wednesday until June, for 2 hours a day.

She did awesome. She actually didn't even care that she was leaving me, she just waved and went in line up the steps with the teachers. Alex and I ran some errands and before I knew it I had to drive back and pick her up.

They made a picture with cut out kids from magazines in a schoolhouse with all their names on it. She pasted them on. They also read a Spot the Dog book, so they did a Bingo Dotter art page of a dog, but those are being hung in their classroom. They had a snack of Cheez Its and apple juice. They also played outside because it was a beautiful day. Her teachers said all of them did great and they're a great bunch!

She had to tell me about the pony she was playing with and that he was sleeping in the toy box and she would be able to play with him when she goes back on Wednesday. So cute! She said she had fun and she wants to go back. Hooray!

Alex was pretty happy to have some peace and quiet without her sister around. :)

A Word with Mr. Super Daddy

2011-09-11T08:00:00.000-04:00

Ok, so I'm supposed to write something about what its like having two little girls. Well it's 9pm, and it's coffee time again already, so let me take a sip and I'll continue.

Ahh, there we go.

I don't remember what it's like to not feel as if 9pm is late. That's one thing they don't tell you before having kids…that your caffeine intake will grow 10 fold. Heres one you always hear, (before the little one squirts out):

"OOOOHHH, get sleep while you can before the baby is born."

WTF?!? Babies sleep like 18 hours a day! They wake to do a twosie, then halfway through a bottle they start nodding off like your narcoleptic grandma drinking coffee and eating cake at a birthday party.

They start to become fun around 7 months old or so. They've started to sit up, and have good motor skills. You can now start to interact with them. It's fun finally being able to throw them in the air and watch their giggling quickly turn into screams as their noggin becomes target practice for ceiling fans. (but that's another story) Next they're a year old, and they're walking…and falling. All they do at one is fall face first into everything. They're so black and blue everywhere at one all the time. Now they're 2, and you want to throw yourself out of the window. Who ever invented the age of 2 is a total ass!

Really though, I love having girls. I think they're easier. I see boys at 2 and they're so mean. Well not all of them, just some. Olivia will be playing with something and a little boy will come over and hit whatever she's playing with out of her hands just for fun and run away. Leaving Olivia standing there saying 'thats not very nice' to herself. Girls are not as mean….Until they get older.

It's a very pink life I lead. I mean pink everywhere, like what the aftermath of a war between Disney Princess's and gay elf's would look like after cupcake grenades, Hello Kitty bio weapons, and a few glitter nukes. Why am I looking at a doll who's face down with the back of her pants pulled down below her butt? This definitely doesn't look like the Nerf gun, booger covered army men, creepy crawler covered TV, He-Man ripping off Skeletors head kinda house I grew up in.

But i love it. Wouldn't trade my girls or life for anything. There is something special about little girls. Ive told my wife this, I don't know what it is. I may never figure it out. When you see old people at the store, they always make a bigger fuss over little girls, than little boys. I love my little girls. Maybe its a protection thing that makes little girls special to their dads, I don't know. I love watching them grow and learn new things. I can't wait to see them grow up.

Tasty Thursday: Homemade Mac n Cheese

2011-09-07T22:44:00.003-04:00

*not mine, I needed a photo*

This is a recipe that's been changed a little. My mother used to make it for us growing up and it's my favorite macaroni and cheese. Definitely beats the box kind. Plus, my 2 year old loves it! All these measurements are a guess, I don't even use measuring cups. I've made it so many times that I just eye it.

1 box of macaroni noodles (or any type of noodle for that matter, I've used penne a few times)
1 block sharp cheddar cheese (cubed)
1 block mild cheddar cheese (cubed)
1 tablespoon flour
2 tablespoon butter
2 cups milk (I use 1 or 2%)
Dijon mustard
paprika
salt
pepper

1. Cook noodles to al dente.

2. In a saucepan, melt butter and add flour. It will look like a paste, if its too clumpy, add more butter, if its too runny, add more flour.

3. Stir in milk using a whisk. Make sure to add it slow. Heat, stirring frequently.

4. Add cheese, saving a few cubes for later. Stir frequently.

5. After cheese has melted, add salt, pepper, and mustard. Start little with the mustard and taste it, add more if you like a little more bite to your sauce.

6. Combine noodles and sauce into an oven safe bowl/casserole dish.

7. Put reserved cheese on top and sprinkle with paprika.

8. Bake @ 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until cheese is melted on top and it's bubbling.

9. Let set for 10 minutes before eating.

10. Enjoy! Makes awesome leftovers as well. :)

Giveaway: Scentsy

2011-09-07T00:00:00.000-04:00

Do you love a yummy smelling home? I love when I walk into a room where I have my Scentsy warmer on. It makes me feel happy inside. A few months ago, I won a giveaway for a warmer and bars. I've never tried Scentsy before, so I figured, why not? I will never go back to using candles again! I love my warmer (its a cupcake... I mean... seriously?!). I use it almost every single day. I usually will switch out the bars every couple of days. I also like it because it's safer than a burning candle, this is especially important because I have little ones around. Right now I'm burning Birthday Cake. It's so delicious smelling, it makes my house smell like I'm baking cake! So, here is your chance to win a couple of awesome things from Scentsy!

BUY IT:

You can purchase your own Scentsy goodies through my online party.

WIN IT:

One lucky reader will receive their choice of a Scentsy Plug-In Warmer and Scentsy bar. This is being provided by Jessica Patera, Scentsy Consultant.

HOW TO WIN:

Go through the Rafflecopter widget. Remember to come back daily to Tweet about this giveaway!

Super Cute!

2011-09-06T12:27:00.001-04:00

Head on over to a fellow momma blogger's page and enter her giveaway! She's giving away a headband from her Etsy shop!

Our Pregnancy Roadtrip and Beyond

The Day of Labor

2011-09-05T22:00:00.002-04:00

Since today is Labor Day, I thought it would be fitting if I chatted about my labor day. No, not the day I got to sleep in and not have to work, my actual labor.

I only got to experience it 1 time in my life. As you all know, Alex was breech and she was a scheduled c-section. Therefore, I never went into labor on my own. I'm extremely sad that I didn't get to go through what I did with Olivia. It was the most amazing experience I've ever had. Honestly, I loved being in labor. :)

When I found out we were expecting a baby for the first time, it was amazing. I was floating on air and I was so excited to be starting this new adventure in our lives. I had no idea what to expect. As the weeks and months scrambled by, I found myself in my last weeks of pregnancy. I was excited about the impending birth of our little Olivia. Little did I know that she was going to be just as stubborn as her mummy and decide to go past her due date. It made for some very long days.

I knew what labor looked like, you know, the sweaty lady, in pain, screaming at her husband and doctors. I always wondered if that would be me. I knew going into it that I was not even going to try to attempt a med-free birth. I was all about being in a hospital, hooked up to a pain pump, surrounded by blue sterile cloths everywhere. After 8 loooonng freaking days, 2 days before I was scheduled to evict my daughter from my uterus, I started labor on my own. It was very painless at first. I woke up that morning, feeling a very tight squeezing-like feeling in my belly. I figured since I never felt this before, and I was overdue, this had to be a real contraction. Hooray! The day went on, I was timing these not yet painful contractions. By 8pm, they were coming every 5 to 10 minutes. My doctor suggested I come to the hospital and get checked to see if this were the real deal. Turns out, you have to be nearly doubled over in pain, in labor, to get admitted. I was having real contractions, but they "weren't strong enough" to be admitted and I was sent home. I was livid, I cried. I cursed the stupid doctor who told me to go home and come back when I was in "much more pain".

So, I waddled my 8 day overdue butt back into our car and drove home. Little did I know that active labor was just around the corner. I came home to bleeding. Ew, really? After 10 long months of no period, mother nature makes me bleed? Come on.

I crawl into bed to get some sleep.....oh.....wait.....what....WHAT IS THIS?! Holy mother of Jupiter, that was painful! Then again. Again. Every 7 minutes.

This is painful.

Can I do this?

How long does this last?

Oh my God, I'm going to have a baby.

These were just thoughts that popped into my head within 30 seconds of having a real PAINFUL contraction. No, these were no period-like cramps. These felt like someone was sawing my pelvic in half with a hacksaw.

I had to get off the bed. It was entirely too uncomfortable to lay down like this. I propped myself up against the wall in my bedroom. I turned the lights out and just let it happen. I remember looking at the clock every time I would have a contraction, then I would doze off between them. Russ, like a typical man, fell asleep on the bed beside me. *He'll tell you otherwise, but I know what happened darn it!* 1am......2am.......3.......4am goes by. At this point, my contractions are nearly 4 minutes apart and I'm only getting a 2 minute break between them.

I wake Russ up. I told him we need to leave because this baby is coming today. She'd better be coming, or I'm going in after her.

I was not like those ladies on TV. I was calm. I never once screamed in pain as I was getting dressed to leave for the hospital. It was a cold December morning. The clock in the car said 4:58. I don't remember what was on the radio, because I turned it off. I needed silence in order to cope with this hacksaw-like pain. Russ was amazing. He got us safely to the hospital in record time for a Monday morning. He dropped me off in the lobby of the hospital while he went to park. Honestly, I think adrenaline kicked in because I don't remember feeling pain while I was waiting. Until of course, the on call nurse started asking me questions. Lady, I'm in labor, does it really matter when my last menstrual period was?!

I get into a triage room, it wasn't the same one I was in earlier that evening. This time, I didn't have to pee in a cup. I just had to get undressed and lay on the terribly uncomfortable table. I was hooked up to monitors, and wouldn't you know my contractions were measuring off the charts. Russ would kindly tell me I was getting ready to have another contraction when he saw the little line move upward. Thanks honey, I know this already. :)

Mr. Digging For Gold came in and check me. I screamed in his face. Dear Lord WHERE ARE THE DRUGS?! I was 5cms dilated. While I was being wheeled into my LDR room, I had a smile of accomplishment. I could not believe I made it 5cms without drugs. I seriously thought I would have caved at 2cms, begging for this pain to end.

In the end, I did get an epidural. It was fan-tab-ulous. Could I have pushed through the pain? I probably could have. Honestly, it wasn't THAT bad. Yes, it feels like your uterus is being split into two, but I dealt with it fine. I never took a class that taught me how to breathe or any kind of childbirth class. I just let my natural instinct take over and did it.

I'm sad I never got to experience that again with Alex. When I got pregnant with her, I told myself that I would try and go as long as I could without drugs to see if I could do it med-free. She had other plans. Stubborn just like her sister. I'm in trouble. :)

So, that's my labor day story. Hope you enjoyed yours. :)

Birthday Dinner and Fort Building

2011-08-30T13:40:00.002-04:00

Last week, I celebrated my 29th birthday. I'm going to enjoy my last year in my 20's. We decided to call the grandparents to watch the girls while we went out for a nice dinner. Since we skipped Russ's birthday dinner, this was for both of our birthdays. We decided on Springfield Grille, which was FABULOUS. Firstly, their special app was buffalo chicken dip. OMG seriously drooling thinking about how good this was. Then we had salad, I got a steak and crab cakes. For dessert I got a banana cheesecake. YUM. It was an awesome birthday dinner. We'll be going back there for sure!

Here are a couple photos from my birthday.

I also went out and bought Olivia a backpack for when she starts preschool on 9/12. I couldn't find anything small enough for a toddler, and what they did have was mainly boys themed things. I came across the Dora section of the toys and they had an actual Backpack backpack. It's even got a little Map in the side pocket. How cute! I bought it. She was so excited when I gave it to her, she had to wear it to bed that evening.

After dinner one night, I was mentioning to Russ about how Olivia is probably getting old enough to build forts in the living room. So, he went and got a bunch of sheets and blankets. He and Olivia built their first fort. She thought it was really cool. She brought in all kinds of toys and wanted to have a picnic in there with Alex and I. Alex was more interested in pulling the little blanket from the picnic out and eating it, which made Olivia mad. I had to explain to her that Alex is a baby and when she sees something she wants, she just grabs it. She doesn't have manners yet.

Olivia doing what she does best.... being a goofball. :)

So, we had a good last week. This week, I'm working, but Russ is off. I'm heading to the outlets on Thursday to get the girls fall clothes. SO exciting... I love shopping. Even when it's not for me.

Giveway Etsy Shop Gift Package!!!

2011-08-29T00:01:00.011-04:00

This giveaway is going to be super awesome! I have a bunch of really great gifts up for grabs! Here is what you can win!

The Loot:

$50 gift certificate to TwobyTwo Creations

My friend Joanne runs this Etsy shop and I've bought several things for Olivia from her throughout the years. She makes adorable clothing, pettiskirts, and hair accessories. She also has a boys line as well. You will not be disappointed if you get something special for the little girl or boy in your life. You can check out her shop here!

Headband

$25 gift certificate to Party Paper Scissors

I have not bought anything from this shop, but what I have seen, she's got some super cute personalized party decorations. Perfect for those 1st birthday or even 2nd and 3rd. :) You can check out her shop here!

$25 gift certificate to Twin Knits

She's got hand knitted hats, photography props, and other goodies in her shop! You can check out her shop here!

$17.95 gift certificate to Lil' LJ

Tears of joy are pretty common when you give these tees and bodysuits as gifts as recipients are touched by the personalization and thought that goes into a gift that fits them to a tee! Each adorable bodysuit or tee comes in a one-of-a-kind baby block box that is ready to gift!

All of Lil' LJ's personalization is free and we even offer custom designs for a nominal fee! Our shirts are high quality and are 100% cotton. Sizes start at 3/6 month and go up to 6T with both long and short sleeve styles offered. You can visit her shop here!

Blooming Bouquet from ChristieCreations: Making Gifts that Bloom

"Reduce Recycle Reuse" Kitchen Towel Blooming Bouquet: The flowers will "bloom" to reveal the following 9 items:

1 "Tree Hugger" Printed Kitchen Apron
2 "Tree Hugger" Printed Plush Kitchen Towels
2 "Reduce, Recycle, Reuse" Printed Plush Kitchen Towels
3 coordinating kitchen towels
1 Barrel Basket

ChristieCreations's Blooming Bouquets were developed as a practical alternative to the diaper cake and towel cake.

The flowers inside our Kitchen Towel Blooming Bouquets are actually kitchen basics. Kitchen towels, aprons, dishcloths, pot holders, and oven mitts are hand rolled to create a stunning one of a kind flower arrangement. We also have Baby Clothing Blooming Bouquets, Bath Towel Blooming Bouquets and Baby Onesie and Bib Cupcakes. You can visit her shop here!

$40 gift certificate to Flirt and Flutter Handcrafted Jewelry

While I love beading and hope to soon experiment more with lampwork beads and enameled copper jewelry, my current focus is on fingerprint jewelry - fine silver pendants that are replicas of your loved ones' fingerprints (or, in some cases, toeprints!) You can visit her shop here!

See? I told you I had some awesome prizes to giveaway! 1 lucky winner will win ALL of these awesome things!

I'll be using a new giveaway platform to enter the giveaway. It's super easy and it makes my life much easier. Good Luck!

Ends Friday 9/2! (Thank you, Lauren!)

Tasty Thursday w/ The How to Mommy

2011-08-25T16:41:00.003-04:00

Cheesy Turkey Meatloaf

1.5 to 2lbs ground turkey
1 cup milk
1 cup Italian style breadcrumbs
1 cup shredded cheese
2 eggs
salt
pepper
ketchup (gotta be Heinz)

1. Mix turkey, milk, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, and eggs together in a bowl
2. Fold cheese into mixture
3. Transfer into a greased loaf pan OR muffin pan (for mini loaves)
4. Top with ketchup (how ever much you'd like)
5. Bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour

Cut and serve with your favorite potatoes and veggies.

This recipe is so yummy. I make it at least once a month for my family. Olivia loves the mini-loaves. I also make it fun and make smiley faces with the ketchup on top of them. This is super easy for the busy mummy to make!

My Day of Birth

2011-08-24T00:02:00.002-04:00

Say What?

2011-08-24T00:00:00.001-04:00

As promised, I turned the tables around and let you ask me questions. Thanks for everyone who asked me something. :)

1. When are you going to get an Alex tat? I hope to get my Alex tattoo by October. It's just a matter of finding the time when I have off work so I don't have to work with a healing tattoo on my wrist.

2. How many tattoos do you have? How many of them match Russ's?

I have 4. My first is a tribal heart on my bicep. 2nd is Chinese script on my leg that means Love and Devotion (I got it in dedication to my relationship with Russ, I will not put his name on my body, so this is what I came up with) 3rd is my Harry Potter tattoo. It's Avada Kadavera across my back. 4th is Olivia and her birth date on my right wrist. Alex will go on my left.
Russ has Love and Devotion on his leg as well but his is in Egyptian hieroglyphics.

3. How do you feel about seeing Halloween decor in the stores in August? Christmas in October? Easter in February?

It honestly doesn't bother me. I'm a big Halloween freak, so it's fun to start seeing all the fun stuff at the end of August. Seeing Christmas stuff is fun too, but I can do without the Christmas music for 2 months.

4. What are three things on your "bucket list"?

1. To go to Hawaii. 2. To get my nose pierced. 3. To take my girls to Disneyworld

5. How many more babies (if any) do you see in your future?

None. This baby maker is close for business. :)

6. Even though you'll only be 29, is there anything you *must* do before 30?

I'd LOVE to go on a vacation sans children before my next birthday. Only time will tell though. If funds and time are available, we're outta here!

7. What was Olivia's initial reaction to a new baby at home? How does she feel now?

Olivia was not at all interested in Alex at the hospital. When we brought her home all she wanted to do is lay next to her. It was definitely an adjustment because she was sort of rough touching her and whatnot. She still gets a little over excited, so we have to remind her that Alex is still only a baby and cannot play like a big girl yet. But, she absolutely loves her little sister. She's always talking, singing, and playing with her.

8. What is the best thing about having two girls? Since you won't be having any more, do you think about having boys? (Or become jealous of cute baby boys, etc.)

I love having girls. I'm so happy that they get to grow up together and hopefully become close as children and adults. I actually always thought I'd have 2 girls. I'm not disappointed that we didn't get a boy.

9. What is one thing you wish you would have done more of before having kids?

I honestly can say that when we decided to start a family, we were both fully satisfied with our lives and where we were at that point. But, who wouldn't love some more sleep. Man, I miss getting good sleep or napping when I feel like it. :)

10. Are you having any more kids? When?

Nope, no more for us. We have permanent birth control. :)

11. Do you ever turn on the TV just for Alex?

I don't think I've ever have actually. She really doesn't watch TV anyways. She actually cried when Yo Gabba Gabba was on once. hahaha

12. When did you get married?

We got married February 18, 2006.

13. How many guys did you date before Russ?

I dated 1 other guy before I met Russ. It was in high school and lasted for about 15 months.

14. What has been your most embarrassing parenting moment?

When Olivia was only a couple days old, we had to venture out in snowy December weather for her weight check at the pedi's office. I figured we'd only be there for a couple minutes at most and the office was only 5 minutes from where we lived. Well, our car battery died from the cold weather and we were stuck at the office. Olivia was screaming because I didn't have a bottle for her or a diaper because she pooped. After that, I learned never to leave home unprepared...even if its only a 5 minute drive.

15. Is Olivia going to preschool this Fall?

Yes. She's enrolled in a 2 year old program called Great Starts. It's 2 days a week for 2 hours a day. She's very excited about it and talks about going to school several times a day. *Probably should have not told her she's going to school until that day*

16. If you had to pick what your girls were going to grow up to be based on their personalities so far what do you think they will be?

Olivia would be a comedian. She's such a little goofball. She's always saying off the wall things. The other day, she said to Russ while eating breakfast... "No pooping in the cereal!" She's silly.
I'm not sure about Alex. Her little personality is coming through every day, but not quite sure yet.

17. Are you right where you thought you'd be in life at this point or has the road taken you elsewhere?

I think I'm where I thought I'd be. I knew I'd want to be married and have 2 kids by the time I was 30... so I'm a year ahead of myself. I am not however where I'd like to be with my career. Being a massage therapist is a hard job and it doesn't make a lot of money. I wish I would have went to college for a degree. I will be going back to school eventually, probably when the girls are in school full time.

18. How did you meet your husband?

I met him at my after school job when I was 17. He was a cashier and so was I. At first I thought he was kind of a jerk because he would stand around talking to people rather than help me bag my grocery order I was ringing up. :/

19. Why do you prefer being a mummy over a mommy?

I never liked the word "mommy". I like how "mummy" rolls off your tongue. Plus its a lot easier for little ones to say because they say "mum mum" as their first words. Or maybe I'm just an English lady reincarnated. :)

20. Why did you want to become a massage therapist?

I actually just kind of got into it by chance. I graduated high school and was sitting around one day when I got a call from the school asking if I'd be interested in massage therapy education. I had nothing better to do, so I went down and checked it out. I really liked what I saw, so I enrolled the next day.

21. If you didn't have kids and were single what do you see yourself doing now?

Hmmmm, probably still living at my dad's house. Hahaha

22. Where do you see your family in 10 years?

Wow.. in 10 years I'll be 39. The girls will be 12 and 10. I hope that we'll be in our forever home and be enjoying yearly vacations. I also hope to have a different career.

23. How did you and Russ come up with the girls' names?

They both came from researching online. We'd write down names and compare notes and cross off the ones we didn't like. Olivia was on Russ's list, I looked at it and loved it instantly. Her middle name is a play off of my mother's name.
Alex was a bit more difficult. We could NOT decide this time. It took until a month before she was born to really set it in stone. Alexandria was on my list and Kay is my grandmother's name on my dad's side.

Things They Should Tell You Before You Get Pregnant

2011-08-21T16:17:00.003-04:00

Being a veteran mother, I know a little about being knocked up. I love when my first time momma friends get pregnant and ask for advice or what will happen. I definitely don't sugar coat being pregnant. Sure, its a wonderful thing, you're growing a baby inside of you, blah blah blah. There are certain things that I wish people would have told me before I got pregnant. Not that it would have made me not want to get pregnant, but it would have been nice to have some warning. So, here we go.

If you don't like needles, you'd better get used to them. Being pregnant, they stick you so many times and by the end of your pregnancy you would have probably given the doctors a pint of your blood. When you finally give birth to that beautiful baby, it's still not over and they'll stick you again afterwards.
You'd better learn to pee in a little cup, because that's what you'll be doing every month, sometimes multiple times a month for the next 8 months.
Feeling like death warmed over is a normal thing. It sucks, but you are not dying, you're just pregnant.
Your boobs are going to feel like they might fall off. Especially in the beginning. They won't.
Don't expect to be able to go #2 for months and months on a normal basis.
You will be a living, breathing furnace.
Being a furnace makes you sweat in places you've never even thought of before.
You will have large amounts of "stuff" coming out of your body. Yes, I went there.
Hemorrhoids
Stretch Marks
Horrible leg cramps or sciatica
Crazy, bitchy mood swings *pet animals beware*
Prepare to waddle like a giant penguin
No sleep for months *Oh heck, let's just say from 20 weeks until your baby is 2*

On to labor:

You will probably go overdue.
Being 4cm dilated does not mean you will go into labor the next day. It could be weeks.
Speaking of not going #2 for months, you might poop on the delivery table *you will not give this a blink of an eye because you're busy PUSHING A BABY out*
When your baby is finally ready to be delivered, it's gonna feel like you have to take a giant poop. *I'm seeing a poop pattern here*
The "ring of fire" does exist and is very real

Postpartum:

You will not believe how much blood you will see. It's like a horror film when you first go to the bathroom.
Ice packs are your friend

This is just my list of what I tell my soon to be mothers. It's not always pretty, but the end result is so worth it. So much so that after your baby is around 1 years old, you'll start contemplating having another one and going through this whole ordeal again.

Turning the Tables

2011-08-21T08:59:00.003-04:00

Since my birthday is in... 4 days! I thought I'd do something a little different. I'm turning the tables around, and giving you the power.

Ask me a question. Anything you'd like to know about me. I'll answer *almost* anything. Leave your question in the comments and I'll write a post on Wednesday answering your questions.

Go!

Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Program

2011-08-19T22:36:00.002-04:00

I apologize for my last entry. Things have been a bit hairy the past few days and I really needed to get that out. I'm not going to air my dirty laundry for everyone on the internet to read about, but maybe someday I'll be able to talk about it.

Sooooooo... what else is new?

Honestly, not a whole lot. I've been off work with the girls this week. We still have only 1 car, which has now been 2.5 months. I have to say, I don't know how people live with 1 car and a working parent who's at work. I hate being at home all.the.time. There is only so many nature walks you can do before it gets old. :) Hopefully, we'll be able to get our car back soon, or if it's too bad beyond repair, we'll get a new used car for work travel.

We've been in our new place for 3 weeks now. It's still weird sleeping in our room without Alex next to me. As much as I didn't like always waking up to her moving, snoring, crying, etc, I kinda miss her. Things around here are slowly getting done. Russ is on his "hell week" (6-12hour days) so not a whole lot has been getting done. I finished painting the shelves that we're going to put up in the girls rooms. I got some free paint from an internet promo in the spring. I wanted something that was different from the normal "girl" colors, so I picked a turquoise. It's pretty but it looks more like the Tiffany's box color than turquoise. So, once those go up, it's just a matter of organizing all of their stuff......which with 2 girls.... is a lot.

Our room needs to be organized as well. But, that's the last on my list. I'm alright living with boxes labeled "shoes" next to my bed for now.

That's about it. Nothing too exciting going on.

To You,

2011-08-19T15:51:00.003-04:00

To You,

You left me when I was 9 years old, and then left me again at 18. Now I'm leaving you. I will no longer be your scapegoat. You can treat me like I'm a bad person for over 15 years, but I will not let you make my children feel bad about themselves on your behalf.

I will not come crawling back like you love to see me do every.single.time. I will be strong and hold my ground for my children and my family. We don't need you or your toxic behavior in our lives. You left us, remember?

You are sick, and I hope you find the help you need in order to recover and live a happy life.

Tasty Thursday

2011-08-18T00:00:00.004-04:00

This is my first Tasty Thursday. :) I'll start off with one of my FAVORITE summer recipes.

Fresh Salsa

5-10 fresh tomatoes (depending on how much you want to make)
1-2 garlic cloves
1 onion
half a bunch of fresh cilantro
1 jalapeno pepper (seeded, unless you want extra kick then add the seeds)
lime
salt to taste

It's pretty simple. Dice the tomatoes. Mince garlic, onions, cilantro, and pepper. Add everything into bowl. Squeeze lime juice on top, add salt.

Stir.

Chill for a couple hours.

EAT!

I pair this with either Scoops or Touch of Lime Tostitos... DELISH! and healthy!

On a Lighter Note

2011-08-17T16:38:00.002-04:00

This is coming from someone who had Olivia in her crib from night 1 at home. She's only ever co-slept when she was a newborn and it was just easier to feed her when she woke up.

Alex is a whole new can of worms. She was in our room from the night she came home *due to not having a room of her own*. She slept with me when she was a newborn because she was so stuffed up and congested I had to prop her up so she could breathe.

Since we moved into our new place, I cannot get the girls to actually nap during nap time because someone (Olivia), likes to talk to her sister and keep her awake. It's best for both parties and ME if I separate them during nap time. Since Alex still isn't sleeping all night, I do like to catch a nap with her if I can.

I'll admit it. I love sleeping beside my little girl. She's so unbelievably cute, I can't stand it. Her little cheek is smooched because she sleeps on her belly. I enjoy waking up to her smiling at me and laughing.

Definitely makes my day brighter.

*I'll have to snap a picture someday with my phone*

Medicated

2011-08-16T23:26:00.002-04:00

As I posted earlier, I'm having a hard time being a *mostly* stay at home mum, being a good wife, and being myself. I struggle on a daily basis and I find myself screaming at either the kids, Russ, or at just an object that happens to piss me off at the moment. It's terrible.

Russ and I sat down and talked about it and both agreed its not a healthy thing for the girls to see me angry and upset all the time. Especially Olivia, who is picking up on these things. I've been on medication before. The last time I was on anything was after I had Olivia and I had a mild case of PPD. I was able to get through that and move on. Most of my problem is anxiety. I get so worked up, and when it explodes, I have a major panic attack. Thankfully, medication has helped in the past, and I called my doctor (OB) and got a prescription. She said I do have to follow up with my PCP to get it on a regular basis. So, I have an appointment later this week. I did start taking it over the weekend, so I'm on the road to feeling better.

I need to get mentally healthy for my girls and for my husband. I cannot take my aggravations out on them. I definitely don't want to send those kind of messages to Olivia. I can see her get frustrated with something and she'll flip out like I do. It's terrible, and I've been trying to help her find different ways to solve things other than getting mad and throwing her toy or whatever she's working on. Hopefully, my actions haven't left a permanent mark on her little mind.

My Day In Photos

2011-08-15T21:05:00.002-04:00

This is how Russ found Olivia. Mind you, it was 10:30PM and she was suppose to be in bed sleeping.

My sweet pea

Such a happy girl

Why, yes, that is Alex's hand down Olivia's shorts. I have a weird family. But I love them!

7 Months (a day late)

2011-08-14T22:27:00.002-04:00

Another month has gone by and my little girl is 7 months old. It seems like time is going a lot slower with Alex than Olivia's first year. I'm relishing the time I have alone with her and I love watching her learn and try new things.

This is what she's been up to:

can lift chest off the ground
started saying "da da" & "ga ga", along with various other baby babble
started to teeth (not a favorite of mine or hers)
has FINALLY started to eat solids (sweet potato, apples, bananas, carrots, and cereal are the ones we've done so far)
loves Gerber Puffs
can grab things and put them in her mouth (cannot pick things up with thumb/pointer yet)
sitting up unassisted
still wearing mostly 3-6, 6 months, but can fit into some 9 month clothing
fascinated by tags (just like Olivia)

I'm so mad I lost my monthly stickers somewhere in a box while we were moving. I'm sure I'll come across them soon, but I couldn't find them to get her 7 month photo. So, no sticker this time. :( But, it doesn't matter because she's still super cute without it.

Apology

2011-08-12T01:04:00.002-04:00

Just wanted to come on and say a quick 'I'm Sorry' to all my readers.

These past 2 weeks have been a big chaotic mess. Between moving, trying to make our new place a home, and poor little Alex teething, I've gotten little time to spend writing posts.

My mum is coming to visit for 2 weeks. She'll be arriving sometime on Friday evening. Hopefully, with her here, I can get the rest unpacked and start getting back into my routine.

Hope everyone is enjoying their week. :) Be back soon, I promise.

Getting Heavy

2011-08-07T23:32:00.002-04:00

I had a conversation about this last night at one of my mom's nights out. I said that I don't feel comfortable getting too personal on my blog, because anyone could read it. That said, I have something a bit personal to say.

I'm struggling. I'm stuggling as a mum of 2, as a wife, and as myself. I feel torn into 4 pieces a lot of the time. I really have no time to even think of doing something for myself anymore. Not only can I not take care of myself, I can't take care of my husband. My girls have run me into the ground, so to speak.

This move has really taken a toll on me. I'm sick and tired of looking at this mess of boxes and random stuff laying around that has a place, but has yet to be put there. It's a huge task even with 2 of us home to get anything done. Alex is a very very clingy baby. She doesn't like to be left alone. Olivia is a normal 2.5 year old, who wants/need attention and wants you to play with her. Along with the added potty-goings, we look at what we did during the day and it looks like nothing has gotten done.

By the time both girls are fed, bathed, jamm-ied, and put to bed, I'm plum exhausted. I don't want to look at a freaking box. I don't want to talk. I just want to sit on the couch and look at the wall and enjoy the silence. No screaming baby. No toddler asking the same question over and over and over again.

I'm tired. Sometimes, I just want to cry because I don't think I'm cut out to be a mother. I lose my patience on a daily basis. I find refuge in going to work for those 5 hours or even going across the street to the store.

My only hope is that this will eventually get easier. I'm afriad I'll be one of those mothers that take the keys to go to the store and never come back home because they'll loose their mind if they had to stay another minute.

I'm writing this because I need your support. Please tell me this does get better. I need something to hold on to, because I'm lost.

Did I Mention I Hate Moving?

2011-08-04T00:45:00.002-04:00

The move is ongoing. Tomorrow I have to go clean the old place and I'm turning in the keys. Then its on to unpacking and organizing the piles of boxes that have accumulated in my dining room.

It's been a long couple of days.

I'll be back to tell the stories of Olivia and Alex sharing a bedroom. :)

Hope everyone is having a good week!

Thirty One Giveaway Winner!

2011-08-01T20:55:00.002-04:00

I'm sorry, but since Russ isn't home with me at the moment, I cannot figure out how to take a darn screen shot with the Apple. :( So, you're just gonna have to trust me.

The winner of the Thermal Tote is........#27

Kirsten Cohick

Congrats, Kirsten! Please send Brittian an email so you can claim your prize.

The winner of the $10 gift certificate to use towards anything you'd like at Thirty One is.......#19

Christina Fulmer

Congrats, Christina! Please send Brittian an email to claim your prize!

Brittian can be reached at brittianflatt31@yahoo.com.

Thanks for all who entered! You really helped get the word out about her new business!

2011-07-30T23:33:00.002-04:00

Don't forget to check out my Thirty-One Gifts giveaway! Ends Monday 8pm EST.

Moving.

2011-07-28T16:04:00.003-04:00

We've signed a new lease and are moving next week. It's gonna be a long and tiring week. We still have to pack up the rest of our old place, which is hard when you're home alone all day with 2 children.

Anywoot, my mum gave me some cute ideas to integrate the girls room since they'll be sharing until we finally buy a house. I wanted to have something similar to what Olivia had/has above her bed right now. It's her name with a big pink O and it spells out Olivia Kymberly. I went searching and found something I really think is a neat idea, plus its a nice keepsakes for the girls when they get older. Here are the proofs that the seller has sent me.

I love them. If you're interested in getting one of your own, you can find her on Etsy. I can't wait to get them in the mail and put them in their new room.

I'm also getting a bookcase. Between the both of them, they have over 200 books. It's time to get some organization! I'm going to check out Joannes and see if I can make some initial bookends to separate their books.

We bought them some shelves for up high to put things they shouldn't be touching like the hospital birth stats footballs they both got as a gift when they were born. Plus both their piggy banks and other keepsakes.

I also want to pick up a table and chair set from IKEA. This will be put in the living room for coloring or lunch/breakfast. It will be nice once Alex is old enough to sit and enjoy it as well.

This post is kind of jumbled so I hope you can read it easily. haha :)

Kid Free Zones

2011-07-26T23:04:00.002-04:00

Lately, there has been a Kid-Free movement going on throughout our country. Meaning that if you have a child under the age of 6 (this can change from place to place), you cannot dine, shop, or vacation at their establishment.

Here is my 2 cents on the subject...

While I love my children dearly, I do agree with some of these "kid-free" zones. I remember before we had kids, we'd be out to dinner or to a movie and the obnoxious 5 year old across from us was throwing their food, having a tantrum, or running around the table. It was maddening. I came to enjoy the night out with my hubby, not to listen to your annoying kid.

Flash forward to after I became a mother. I still think other people's kids are annoying. For instance, I went to Target today to run in and pick up a few things for our upcoming move. I stopped in the baby section to see the new things coming out for fall. There were 2 grown women and 5 kids ranging in age of 3 to about 10. They were so loud, it was hard not to look over and give a side eye. The 3 year old was carrying on and her mother was threatening her with a Time Out or "I'll smack you right on your face!" The other kids were running around the department annoying the other customers. Seriously, can you not control your children? *No, I don't think kids should be banned from Target, that's Olivia and I's favorite place to go for popcorn*

I will be the first to say that my children are not perfect, and they can act up in public occasionally. *Alex is exempt because she's a baby and doesn't know any better* But, if Olivia is acting up, whining, crying about not getting this or that, etc, etc. You better believe we're leaving the store right then and there. Period. If we happen to be out at a restaurant and she acts out, Russ or I will take her outside until she calms down. I'll probably jinx myself, but we've been very lucky in the behavior in public places area. Olivia is a pretty well behaved little lady when we're out.....being at home is a completely different story.

I got off track for a moment. My basic feelings for this kid ban is that it's a good thing. If I want to go to a nice place for my anniversary, I definitely will not be taking my kids with us. The whole point is to enjoy being ALONE and having some some darn piece and quiet for the evening. I don't want to be around other people's kids. Therefore, I would chose a place that is more upscale and not kid-friendly. Same thing goes for adult only vacations. If we're taking the kids, we'll be going to kid-oriented things like Sesame Place or Disney World. I wouldn't take my kids to a tropical island with frilly drinks with little umbrella in them. However, I don't agree with banning children from grocery stores. I mean, really...more than half of the people who go shopping are stay at home moms.... which means, they have to take their kids. I personally leave the kiddos at home with Russ if I'm going full grocery shopping only because I can get it done faster. But, if we're out and we need a few things, they're coming with me!

Seriously though, you should not be taking your little kids out to a nice restaurant. We're not talking McDonald's or Olive Garden either.

I'm not a snob, nor am I a hater of children *ok, some peoples' kids get on my nerves*, but when I finally (maybe 1 or 2 days a month) get to have some adult time, I'd like it to be just that.... adult.

What are your feelings? Would you not go to an establishment because they have a kid-free policy?

GIVEAWAY - Thirty One Gifts

2011-07-25T09:00:00.001-04:00

I'd never heard of Thirty-One until a friend of mine at work started selling it. I flipped through the catalog and was in love. This was while I was pregnant with Alex, so I ordered a new diaper bag, big enough that I could put both girls things in. I also bought a matching wristlet wallet to match my new diaper bag. There products are of great quality and reasonably priced! I also get people asking me where I got my bag, so I always lead them to Thirty One.

A friend of mine in Olivia's play group has just started as a Thirty- One consultant. She's offering up a giveaway in hopes to get her name out there! She's the mother of 2 little girls, so help support a fellow momma! If you like awesome things, read on for what's up for grabs!

Win It:

1 lucky reader will receive the Thermal Tote *upon winning Brittian will contact you and you chose the pattern and embroidery (if you'd like it)*

PLUS
another lucky reader will receive a $10 gift certificate to used toward anything in Thirty-One's catalog

You can look at the Thirty One catalog here. The new Fall/Winter line is being launched TODAY!

Buy It:

You can buy your own Thermal Tote, or anything else your heart desires through Brittian. Here is her Thirty One website.

Entries:

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Extra Entries: (PLEASE LEAVE SEPARATE COMMENTS FOR EACH)

"Like" Tales from the Mothership on Facebook (gadget is on the left side)
Host a Book Party for Thirty One through Brittian ( 5 EXTRA entries) Parties booked before this giveaway do not count.
Host an online catalog party through Brittian ( 5 EXTRA entries)
Share this giveaway on Facebook saying "I just entered the Thirty One giveaway at Tales from the Mothership!"
Tweet about this giveaway, linking back to this giveaway
Post about this giveaway on your blog

To inquire about hosting a party, you can reach Brittian here.

Winners will be chosen at random via Random.org. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. Giveaway closes on August 1, 2011 @ 8pm EST. Winners will have 48 hours to contact myself or Brittain to claim your prize.

Lazy Sunday

2011-07-24T20:07:00.002-04:00

This will be a photo post of sorts. Mainly because I'm tired and I don't have anything interesting to talk about right now.

Tonight for dinner, I thought it would be fun to make purple pasta. I just used some blue/red food coloring and made our alfredo sauce purple. Olivia thought it was cool and ate almost her entire bowl! Score for mummy!

After dinner, we just hung out. Russ is on his last night shift, so he'll be home for the evenings all next week.

That's about it. Don't forget to stop back tomorrow to check out the Thirty-One Gifts giveaway!

Purple sauce!

It was tasty!

Chipped Cheese

My blue-eyed beauty

Getting better everyday!

Hangin' out in jammies

Sisters <3 *Olivia loves showing Alex things on PBS Kids*

The Start of Teething Hell

2011-07-23T16:18:00.002-04:00

I hate teething.

Olivia started teething at 6 months old and her first tooth didn't break through until the day after her 8 month-day. This was the start of the hellish ride called Teething. My poor baby had such a hard time getting her teeth in. It would be painful from beginning to end for her. Those stupid buggers would take a week or more to come in fully, then by the time she was done with one, another one would pop out. Thankfully, after she got her first 4, she seemed to get "used" to it, and getting a tooth wasn't nearly as traumatic for her. Not to say there weren't middle of the night crying/screaming from teeth after that though. She finally got her last 2nd molar this past winter. THANK GOODNESS she's done!

But, now.... Alex is starting this exciting, yet painful journey. Since around 2 months old, her mouth became like a runny faucet of drool. She likes to chomp down on anything that is soft. I thought.. "Hmmm, maybe she's going to be an early teether." I also thought.. "She's handling this pretty well if she's teething."

Yeah. Until last night. She went to bed like normal. Around midnight, she woke up screaming. I went in and scooped her up wondering why she was screaming. I thought maybe she might be hungry, so I gave her a bottle, that she sucked down, and put her back to bed. 30 minutes later, she screaming. This time, she's screaming like she's in pain. I tried putting her paci back in and putting on Violet, this only made it worse and she was screaming louder. She was so upset that she was just a mess. She did manage to fall asleep for another half hour after I calmed her down, but woke up crying again. I finally gave in and gave her Infant Motrin and some Ora-gel. She then fussed and wanted to eat AGAIN. So, after feeding her, she fell asleep. This was 3:30am.

In the meantime, she woke Olivia up from screaming so much.

It was a looonnngg night.

I can only hope/wish that getting teeth will be easier for Alex than it was for Olivia.

They sure are cute with just 2 teeth though. :)

Farewell

2011-07-22T15:48:00.002-04:00

Gary
Bubs
Bubs and Cheese
Gar-Mo
Business Man,

It's so sad to see you leave us.

I hope you're up in kitty heaven with your sister.

We will officially retire company tie because you're not here to wear it.

The world has lost a good business man.

We love you, Bub-a-reeno.

March 2002 - July 22, 2011

Heat Wave

2011-07-21T20:07:00.002-04:00

It's been really hot the past couple of day here in Pittsburgh. I like summer, I don't mind when its in the 80's, but when it climbs to 90 and above, it starts getting a bit uncomfortable to go outside and enjoy the weather.

The past 3 days its been over 90 with a heat index of 105 degrees. Our a/c has no shut off for going on 2 days. We live on the 2nd floor and our unit faces the sun. I close all the blinds/curtains but it doesn't help at all. Right now, its 83 degrees in here WITH the a/c on. I'm definitely grateful to have a/c on days like this though. I cannot imagine not having it.

Last night, I put a onesie on Alex to bed so she'd be more comfortable and she still woke up all sweaty. Olivia's room is always cold, so shorts/tee shirt is fine for her.

I love the sun shine and nice weather, but I've always been a fan of fall. Unfortunately, our fall is about 2 weeks and then it gets cold and snowy.

More Adventures in Potty Training Poop Talk

2011-07-20T17:04:00.003-04:00

Miss Olivia has been in undies full time for going on 3 weeks now. She's been doing great....sorta. She's still hesitant to poop on the potty, but she will if she can't hold it anymore.

The other day, while I was getting things ready to go out to a friend's house for dinner, she came running in and said "Mummy, I pooped." Ugh. Normally, if she poops in her undies, its not a big deal because she's got pretty formed poo. Not this time. OMG. Think peanut butter. I was NOT going to try and save those undies so I stripped her down, pitched the PB poo undies and got her dressed again. I'm really O-V-E-R cleaning up toddler poop. It's disgusting.

Also, while we were over at said friend's house, Alex decided to poo all up her back getting it on her legs, back, outfit and changing pad.

Needless to say, Monday I was knee deep in crap.

Overall, she's doing very well. She's been waking up dry every morning and peeing as soon as she wakes up (fighting me about it because she wants her milk/cereal). I haven't put a diaper on her during naps and she's not had an accident yet.

We're getting there..... thank goodness.

Photo Shoot Previews

2011-07-19T23:25:00.002-04:00

My friend Roxanne came over the other day and took Alex's 6 month photos. She got some really cute shots of Olivia as well. Here are some of the previews. If you're local and interested, visit her over at Allenbaugh Photography or her Facebook page.

I love these. I'm so blessed to have 2 beautiful little ladies in my life.

Busy Busy

2011-07-18T20:55:00.002-04:00

This past weekend has been one of those "go go go" weekends.

Friday we headed to the PPG Zoo and Aquarium. Olivia has never been there, so we were really excited to take her. I'm still kind of unsure if she's really "ready" yet. She was SO excited to see all the animals that she didn't want to actually look at them. She was uninterested in the fish, except for the polar bear. Alex, well, she just hung out in the stroller and took a couple of snoozes. I think we'll wait until next year to go again.

By the "a-ving-gos"

Feesh

Alex chillaxing

Stopping for some Dippin' Dots

On Saturday, we headed up north to my dad's and his girlfriend's camp. They own a nice modular camper thingy right along the river. They both have boats, but the pontoon is much more kid/baby friendly. We went out for a nice ride and came back had steak and potatoes on the grill. After dinner they had fireworks for some festival they have every year over there. We headed back home at 10:30. Both girls slept the whole way home. I love going up there, but its about an hour and a half drive. Middle of nowhere, really.

Holding her ears. One of those "things" kids do sometimes

Mid-Cheese pose

Love this photo. My girls love each other so much.

Sunday was nothing but laying around. We even went to get some ice cream. :) Hope everyone had a good weekend!

Giveaway WINNER

2011-07-18T20:47:00.005-04:00

Thank you to all who entered my 100 Followers Giveaway! We had 21 entries and lucky #18 was picked by random.org.

Congratulations to Nancy for winning your own Twinkle Twinkle Violet! Please email me at mummyyam@gmail.com within the next 24 hours!

100 Followers GIVEAWAY! CLOSED

2011-07-14T11:51:00.005-04:00

First of all, thank you to all my new followers for helping me hit 100! How awesome! I said when I hit 100 followers I'd do a fun giveaway, so here we go!

Being a mummy of 2 beautiful girls, I've tried almost everything on the baby market from bottles, to baby washes, to diapers. When I got pregnant with Alex, I wanted to get her something new because she'll mostly be using all hand-me-downs from Olivia over the next couple of years. I came across the LeapFrog Twinkle Twinkle Violet. I'll admit, I bought it because it was so freaking cute and I didn't care what it did. However, it's turned out to be one of my favorite soothers. I've been using it since Alex was born and she loves it.

Here are some of the awesome things I love about it.

It's got 2 time settings, 10 minutes and 20 minutes, which is great for when they're going to bed for the night or for naps. Most crib soothers out there only work for 5 minutes at a time and then you have to come in and start it over for them.
2 soothing settings, lullaby and environmental. We normally do the lullaby, but sometimes switch it up to the environmental.
It's adorable!
The blanket is removable if you don't want it on or need to wash it.
Her little star softly blinks while the music is playing. It's suppose to help baby fall asleep.
It's also not just for babies. My 2.5 year old likes to play with her. She's got another button on her that has little bedtime songs and games like counting sheep.

The Prize:

One person will win their own Twinkle Twinkle Scout or Violet (depending on which one you'd like)

How to Enter:

Mandatory - Follow my blog (Google Connect over on the sidebar) and leave me a comment telling me why you'd love to have your own Violet or Scout.

Extra entries: (leave separate comments for each one)

-Blog about this giveaway and copy the link in your comment
-Write about this giveaway on your Facebook page

This giveaway will end on Monday 7/18 at 8pm. Winner will be chosen at random by random.org. Comments will be counted from the bottom up.

GOOD LUCK!!

I was in no way compensated for this giveaway. All opinions are of my own.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-07-13T21:08:00.001-04:00

First picture with my new baby girl after a c-section = FAIL

6 Months

2011-07-13T16:31:00.004-04:00

Holy Cow. I cannot believe my little sweet pea is 6 months old. It just seems like we were headed to the hospital for my schedule c-section.

She's such an awesome, happy, smiley little girl. I'm not sure if its because Olivia is going though a terrible TERRIBLE stage right now, but I cannot remember he being so smiley as a baby. I'm probably mistaken though.

This is what Alex had been up to lately:

She's eating 5-6oz every 3 hours or so
She's sitting up on her own for a few minutes before she topples over
LOVES things with tags, links, crinkles, or lights
laughing at her big sister daily
has tried carrots, cereal, applesauce, sweet potatoes, and bananas and wants absolutely nothing to do with solid food
can roll back/belly, belly/back but she rarely flips herself off her belly
sleeping UNSWADDLED for a few weeks now *hoooooray*
wakes around 3am and 6am to eat
wakes up for the day around 9am *sometimes a little earlier*
naps for about 1.5-2 hours, 2 or 3 times a day
has a white spot/swollen gums on the bottom *could be weeks til it comes through though*
finally likes being in the swimming pool

Overall, she's a very happy and easy baby. If only she'd start sleeping all night long......

Here is a progression photo of the past 6 monthly photos:

Here is a side by side comparison of Olivia and Alex at the same age. Notice the weight difference. Olivia was 19lbs at 6 months, I'm guessing Alex is probably around 16lbs. *Her appointment is tomorrow*

93!

2011-07-12T20:17:00.001-04:00

Come on only a couple more until I hit 100! :)

14 more!

2011-07-11T19:47:00.002-04:00

Wow. 14 more people until I hit 100 followers!

If I make it to 100, I'm going to do a super fun giveaway and this time it will be open to EVERYONE! :)

So, if you like my bloggy, follow me! :)

Update: Potty Training/Shelter for my herd

2011-07-11T16:29:00.003-04:00

This is an update of 2 things that have been ongoing in our house for a couple of weeks.

Right now, Miss Olivia is in undies full time except for naps and bedtime. *I'm not ready to be cleaning pee up at 2am just yet* She is usually dry when she wakes up from a nap and will go pee right away. She's not, however, holding it all night. One step at a time, right?

We're having a little issue with pooping on the potty though. She's done it, so I know she can. She'd just prefer to wait until a diaper is adorned to her bum to let loose. *sigh* She'll hold it as long as she can. The other night, after 31 months, she finally pooped in the tubby. She freaked out and started screaming that it was going to get her. Bahaha, it was hilarious and gross all at the same time.

She also looks adorable running around with little undies on. Currently, she's wearing Disney Princess multi pack. :) She's doing so well, and we're very proud of her! *Who knew we'd be yelling and dancing when our child pees on the potty?*

Here's what's going on with an apartment. What a mess, I tell ya! After looking at 3 very unpromising places last week, we decided to see if there were ANY units on the bottom floor at our complex. Nothing available, but the bigger apartment that will be ready for August is actually being remodeled. New carpets, cabinetry, doors, etc. It's a little more than we pay now a month. So, we're staying here and moving when the place is finished. No word on when.

I swear if something goes wrong this time, I might vomit.

Oh, and one more tidbit. Miss Alex has a white spot on her bottom gum. Holy Moley Spicey Guacamoley! I can't believe the tooth is on the gummy horizon! I'll be sure to let you know when it pops out.

Sunday Yummies

2011-07-10T20:18:00.003-04:00

After being on Pinterest for an hour last night looking at all the pinned things, I came across a new recipe that looks AWESOME. I figured since Russ is home, I'd be able to go out, get the ingredients, and prepare dinner without having a 2.5 year old screaming at me and a 6 (almost!) month old crying at the same time. *hair pulling worthy I tell you*

I made Enchilada Lasagna. It was fairly easy to prep, it called for skillet cooked chicken, but since we have a grill, I made them that way. After shredding the chicken, it was easy as pie. Here is the recipe:

1lb chicken breast (cooked and cubed/shredded)
1 can cream of chicken (I used c/o mushroom because that's what I had in the cupboard)
1 can cream of celery
1/4 cup diced green chilis
1 1/2 cup sour cream (I used light sour cream)
4 (or more) cups Mexican blend shredded cheese
package of small flour tortillas

Extra:
tomatoes and shredded lettuce if you'd like to top it with something

Cook and shred chicken.

Mix soups, sour cream, and chilis into a bowl.

Get a bowl of water to dip the tortillas in to wet. Spoon cream mixture into the bottom of a glass casserole dish. Place wet tortillas in a line (I used 3). Spread cream mixture onto tortillas. Add chicken breast on top. Sprinkle cheese on top of chicken. Repeat layers. Top the entire casserole with a ton of cheese. *hence the 4 or MORE cups of cheese*

Bake @ 425 degrees for 20 minutes or until bubbling.

I let it sit for a few to set a little. Slice and serve!

It was delicious! Next time I will probably make some Spanish rice or refried beans to go along with it. Russ and I love Mexican food, so this was a hit! Definitely a "Make again" recipe.

For dessert, we finally unpacked our family Christmas gift from my in laws. It's a Black & Decker Arctic Twister. You put ice cream and toppings in it and it comes out like soft serve. It was pretty cool and Olivia liked watching it come out. It reminded me of Oreo poo though. :)

Oreo Poo

This was also very yummy. Definitely cheaper than going to the ice cream place down the road. Next time, less Oreos... I needed a glass of water with it!

More Management Drama

2011-07-07T13:49:00.003-04:00

So, we are moving.

We have to find a place by the 1st.

o.m.g.

Our management company sucks big time and are not willing to help us out by lowing a rent payment or anything for their mess up.

We're looking at 3 places today. I hope we find one we like. This sucks. :(

Wordless Wednesday

2011-07-06T21:34:00.001-04:00

4th Pictures & Toddle Along Tuesday

2011-07-04T20:32:00.003-04:00

I hope everyone had a great July 4th! We had a great time over a friend's house on the 3rd. A local community did their fireworks the day before the 4th, so we didn't see any on the actual holiday.

Olivia has never been able to stay up and watch the fireworks, so this was actually her first year! She's seen fireworks before but not for the holiday. We had a nice evening with friends. Cooked some yummy food. Had a dip in the pool. Saw some pretty fireworks. We didn't get home until 10:30pm and by the time I fed Alex and put her to bed, it was 11pm. Both girls were sleepy and kind of crabby all day today.

We went to the mall and got Alex's ears pierced. We did Olivia's at the same age. I couldn't imagine trying to get a 2 year old to sit and have it done. So, either you have to do it before they hit age 1 or get them done around 5 or 6 years old. She did fine. She was crabby to begin with and didn't like the girl putting the dot on her earlobe. After she calmed down, both girls did them at the same time. She screamed for about 10 seconds and was fine. We finished off with a well deserved bottle. :) They are so cute! I picked tiny little stars with a diamond in the middle since she's got such little ears. Olivia has just plain diamonds right now. *NO, they are not REAL diamonds, maybe when they turn 16 and learn to take care of things*

Anywho, here are some pictures from our day. Hope everyone has a great Tuesday! If you're stopping over from Toddle Along Tuesday, say HI!

My so yummy homemade salsa (I'll share the recipe this week sometime)

Olivia and Alex sporting their patriotic clothes

Getting ready to go swimming

Alex and Russ

Drool Action shot

Hanging out before the fireworks started

My pretty little girl with her ears pierced

Giveaway Winner

2011-07-04T12:25:00.004-04:00

Thank you for all who entered my little giveaway. I enjoyed reading your stories. For those of you that did not win, I'm offering a 20% discount for a 1 hour massage. Please shoot me an email if you're interested. :)

Anyways... the winner of the giveaway is:

Life with Pog and FLeC

Please email me at mummyyam@gmail.com to claim your prize and schedule a time/date for your massage! :)

Thanks again and I hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July!

Management: I Hate You

2011-07-02T16:57:00.002-04:00

Long story short:

End of May we couldn't find a house we liked enough to buy, so we decided to look around for a bigger apartment/house to rent for 1 or 2 years until we were ready to look again. Our complex is huge, like 600 units over a large amount of land. They have a bigger apartment available so we called to see if one was opening up on the bottom level so that Olivia and Alex could just go straight out into the grassy area to play whenever they wanted. (when Alex is walking of course) The leasing agent we were working with said there is on available come the 2nd week in August. Sweet!

Fast forward to this past week. Russ called to make sure everything was still on for our move. The leasing agent said she was mistaken and there was no bottom level unit available, but there was an entry level one. She said it had a balcony exactly like ours. So, after talking it over, we figured it wouldn't be that bad to move into an entry level. We stopped by the building on the way home last night and THERE ARE NO BALCONIES on any of the buildings. How incompetent is this lady? She's given us false information 3 different times. So, now we have 3 weeks until our lease expires. Russ is livid and is demanding something be done. It's the holiday weekend so there isn't anyone that can do anything over the weekend.

So, we wait.

I hate our management.

4th of July Fun Facts

2011-06-30T14:33:00.002-04:00

Click image to enlarge

Via: VA Home Loans

Stupid Blogger

2011-06-28T22:02:00.003-04:00

Apparently, I've had a few people tell me they couldn't comment on my posts. It seems to be a Blogger issue, so I've changed my comment format. I hope this works for everyone now. :)

It's Tuesday!

2011-06-27T23:05:00.002-04:00

Which means, its time for Toddle Along Tuesday! Hop on over to Growing Up Geeky and link up if you've got a mommy or pregnancy blog!

As for us, we had an enjoyable evening out at Wildwood Highlands. I love that Olivia is getting old enough to do a lot more things now. She played in the indoor gym with Grandpap and Daddy. Russ said she went all the way to the top, which is a first for her. They have outdoor kiddie rides, so she got to ride the Merry Go Round and the choo choo train. Russ and I took a spin on the Go-Karts. Alex took a nap at the end. :)

Seriously.. how cute are these 2 girls?

Giveaway Time (Local residents only)

2011-06-27T20:17:00.005-04:00

I've been thinking of an idea for a giveaway for about a week now. Someone suggested I giveaway something I love. So, I thought, the 2 things I love the most is massage and being a mummy. So, here is what you'll get!

The Prize:

1 hour massage (by me!) at your home

I am a legitimate massage therapist. I've been practicing since 2004 and am fully insured with liability insurance. I am qualified to do prenatal massage if you happen to be pregnant.

The Rules:

You have to live in the Pittsburgh area (Butler is fine as well)
You have to be a mummy or a mummy to be. It doesn't matter if your kids are 50 years old, you're still a mummy!

Relatives are not eligible. Sorry.

To Enter:

Leave me a comment telling me something funny your child(ren) do. Or, just say why you'd want a massage!

Optional:
Tell your local mummy friends about this contest on Facebook or Twitter! (extra entry, please make a different comment)

I'll leave this open until Sunday (7/3) and pick a winner on Monday the 4th. I'll be picking at random by random.org.

I want to hear some funny stories!

Return of the Woombie - Part DOH!

2011-06-25T15:20:00.002-04:00

We're going on Day 4 of Sleeping in the Woombie. The good news (well, great) is that her naps have gotten SO much better. She's sleeping at least an hour every time I put her down. Her normal BW (before woombie) was about 30-40 minutes. Yesterday, she slept for 2.5 hours for one of her naps. I thought I might have been in the Twilight Zone for a moment.

Ok, so the not so great news is that she's waking up at night. With her SwaddleMe, she would sleep pretty much all night except to eat around 6am, then she'd go back to sleep until 7:30-8. She's been waking about 2 times a night since we putt her in the Woombie. I try and comfort her, replace her paci and put on some music, but it just doesn't work all the time. So, she's been eating in the middle of the night for 3 nights.

My hopes are to try and just let her go free next week. I might need a stiff drink after its all over.

The Return of the Woombie

2011-06-22T15:07:00.004-04:00

I seriously think my baby is going to be swaddled until she's 5. *sigh*

After every effort on my part to break Alex out of her swaddling, I caved in *again* and swaddled her so I could get some sleep. She will fall asleep un-swaddled, on her own, and sleep for 4 hours or so. After that, it all goes downhill. She will wake up and fuss. I insert paci and turn on her Violet music. Rinse and repeat every hour or so.

I do not do well on very little sleep. I'm crabby and irritable. I pretty much have tried 3 different times to try and get rid of the swaddle. I'm weak and I cave by 3am when I'm tripping over baby toys to get to her crib.

We've been using SwaddleMe blankets since she was born. She's getting too big for them and I really don't want to buy the larger size. She looks like she's been stuffed into it every night. Apparently she's into that sort of confinement.

I bought a Woombie a couple of months ago to try it out because it seemed easier than the SwaddleMe. I'm the only one who can swaddle her or she will escape at some point in the night. Anyways, she didn't like that she could move in it, so we threw that in the back of the dresser. Well, it's time to revisit this Woombie. In my world, she will adjust to it, then it will make transitioning to being un-swaddled easier. *It's never that easy*

I've been putting her in the Woombie for naps today and I've gotten an extra 20 minutes of sleep out of her. She's a terrible napper. Terrible.

We'll see how it goes tonight.

By the way, this is ALL new to me. Olivia never took a pacifier OR swaddling. It's amazing how different my 2 babies are from each other.

I'm up for any helpful tips if anyone has had an easy transition.

Olivia and Alex laughing

2011-06-21T10:36:00.001-04:00

Belated Father's Day

2011-06-20T12:08:00.002-04:00

I'm really terrible at taking photos of Russ and I with the girls. I was trying to find photos of Russ and Olivia/Alex alone, but I only came across 3 photos of Russ/Alex together! I need to take more of them alone. We have a ton of Russ/Olivia pictures. Poor 2nd child is getting the short end of the stick already!

Anyways, we didn't really do much yesterday. Russ got a haircut and we went to a local beer emporium place that sells specialty hot dogs for lunch with his dad and brother. I went to the store and picked up some fresh delmonico steaks for dinner. Came home. Cooked. Russ ran out with Olivia to Target and picked up a bookcase that will match our new TV stand. Got the girls ready for bed. Picked up Bruster's for dessert. Russ went to bed because he's on daylight this week. Pretty low-key day.

He got a new coffee maker and a light that attaches to his grill for fall nights when it gets dark at 5pm. I think he made out pretty good.

He's the best daddy around!

Olivia - 6 weeks

Olivia - 7 months

Sesame Place - June 2010

Flying!

September 2010

Alex - 3 months

Alex - 4.5 months

Alex - 5 months

Idlewild - June 2011

My Weight Loss Journey

2011-06-16T14:55:00.005-04:00

In high school, I was always around the 150's. For my height, that's in the normal range. I always thought I was fat (how stupid teenage girls are). After I graduated, I packed on about 30lbs from 2000 to 2004. It was just living an unhealthy lifestyle. Russ and I ate at McDonald's and tons of other crappy places ALL the time. We got engaged in July 2004. I knew I had to get my butt into gear and start losing some weight for my wedding. I kind of slacked around for awhile and in August 2005 I started dieting/exercising for the first time in my life! I was 181lbs. I lost the first 10lbs doing very well eating and making sure I was getting at least 15mins of cardio a day. In October, I started having these horrible panic attacks. My anxiety levels were so bad that I could barely eat normally without feeling like I was going to throw up. My weight dropped to 165lbs by December. By the time our wedding rolled around in February 06, I was 154lbs. I started to feel better after the wedding was over and began to live my life as a married lady. I really liked how I looked, so I decided to push it a little further and began working out hard and eating healthy again. I dropped down to 145lbs by August 2007. This is where I stopped trying to lose and just wanted to maintain. I was so happy with my body at this point in my life.

That summer, I had another bout of anxiety and I ended up going on a medication called Zoloft. Well, even after going to the gym 4x a week and eating right, my weight just kept going up. I switched off that medication to another and I finally stopped gaining weight, but I was stuck at 168lbs. By this time, it was around February 2008. We decided that we would stop preventing pregnancy and just let it happen. In March, I got a positive pregnancy test! I gained more than 40lbs with Olivia. The day I gave birth to her, I was 211lbs. I lost weight throughout her whole 1st year. By her first birthday I was 170lbs, so I lost almost all of her baby weight. Fast forward to April 2010, Olivia was 16 months old and we were ready to start trying for another baby. Believe the doctors when they say "It's very easy to get pregnant the 2nd time". On Mother's Day, I found out we were expecting our 2nd baby. I was determined not to gain as much weight as I did with Olivia. Thankfully, Alex had the same idea and helped me out. I was SO sick for 2 months. I felt like death most days and it was the summer, so I barely got off the couch. I lost 3lbs in my 1st trimester. I ended up gaining about 21lbs with Alex. The day I left the hospital, I was 199lbs.

So, since having Miss Alex, I've been trying to get back to that great number of 145lbs. Right now, I'm 170lbs. I've lost 29lbs since leaving the hospital, 5 months ago. I know 145lbs is a lot to lose, so I would be HAPPY if I got to 154lbs like I was on my wedding day. As of right now, I have 16lbs to lose to get back to there. If I do, and I'm feeling confident that I can lose 9 more, I will.

Here are some pictures of me through my journey:

2004

Honeymoon

2007 - lowest weight ever

33 Weeks with Olivia

Olivia's 1st birthday

Right before I got pregnant with Alex

39 weeks with Alex

Last weekend (5 months postpartum)

5 Months

2011-06-13T16:08:00.002-04:00

Miss Alex is 5 months old today! Time sure is flying by! She's still a little peanut, but she's growing all the time. She's definitely finding her voice and has discovered screeching. She's also doing some full out belly laughs, especially at her big sister. We go to the doctor next month for her check up, she's got this month off. :)

Here is a 5 month comparison of Olivia and Alex. Such a difference. This will probably be the last month I can dress Alex in the same clothes as Olivia. The ones in the picture are pretty big on her, they're 6-9 and 6-12 months. Alex is still in 3-6 and 6 month. I'm pretty sure Olivia's 6 month picture she's in all 9 month clothing.

My babies are getting so big so fast!

Idlewild

2011-06-13T15:58:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was the annual USW Local picnic at Idlewild park. We went last year when Olivia was 18 months, she did alright, but this year was a lot better. She was able to go all day without a nap and didn't throw a fit. She went on more rides and was able to sit in the stroller while they were doing door prizes.

Alex stayed home with Gramma and Pappy. She'll be old enough to go with us next year. Here are some cute pictures of the day.

The day started out yucky with rain

But, it stopped shortly after and we were happy again!

Her favorite ride! She wanted to go back on all day.

Cute picture dispite my terrible hair-do

On the train with daddy

The Whip! My favorite ride as a kid

On Mr Roger's Neighborhood trolly ride

On the Merry Go Round

We had such a fun day. Exhausting, but so much fun. :)

Baby Food

2011-06-10T19:46:00.004-04:00

I finally got the things I needed to start making our own baby food. I've been researching different containers to freeze/store it in. I came across these at Target today:

They are perfect and CHEAP! They're actually on sale this week for $2.12. I'm sure if you looked hard enough you could find a coupon to go with them. I picked up 3 packs, so I have 24 mini pots to store food.

The process was pretty easy. I chose to make carrots. I did buy a bag of frozen, but you can use fresh if you have the time to cut them up. I just popped them into my steamer. I have this one. I steamed for about 15-20 minutes because they were frozen. I then took about half the bag and put it into my Magic Bullet with about 1/2-1 cup of water to blend.

I made sure there weren't any pieces that didn't get pureed and poured the mixture into the pots. Simple! Here is the final product.

I let them cool down, put the lids on and popped them into the freezer. I labeled them with a dry-erase marker, so it comes off easily.

Tada! It was so simple and inexpensive. I paid $1.09 for the bag of carrots. Those pots are $2.12, and hold 4oz, so I can get 2 servings out of 1 pot. Not including the price of the pots, I made 16 servings for about $.15/serving.

I'm going to make sweet potatoes, green beans, apples, bananas, and squash. I have a bunch of recipes for stage 2 foods as well.

If you just take the time to make your own, it's so much cheaper than buying store bought.

30 Months

2011-06-08T22:48:00.002-04:00

Really?

My baby girl is 30 months old. 2 1/2 years old.

*insert sad face*

It's amazing how fast she's growing up. I remember last summer at this time, and she's like a completely different toddler. She's saying 5-6 word sentences, her vocabulary is so big, I can't even list the words she says anymore.

Some new things she's been doing lately is saying the months of the year. She can tell me when her birthday is. She's put on her shoe (it was on the wrong foot, but hey, that's a step forward). She's slowly learning her pronouns. She still says "her" when she means "my". She said to me the other night "I danced with her sister to Wizard of Oz." I didn't know who she was talking about and she said "Alex-angie-a".

She's just growing into such a funny and polite little girl. She always says "please" and "thank you".

Last year

This year

See how fast it goes??

Fresh Air

2011-06-06T22:36:00.002-04:00

My weekend was spend sucking boogers out of both my children's noses. How fun is that? Seriously. How fun is that?!

Anywho, Russ is finally on his off week, so I went back to work. Thank goodness, because this momma needed a break from the babies. I love them to death, but dealing with 2 sick kiddos is NO fun. One of them is just a big crab butt who whines all day long and lets her snot run out of her nose before she'll let me wipe it off. The other is too small to realize that she's sick, she just knows she doesn't feel well, and it's a poopy day.

After I made dinner, we went outside for some fresh air. Who doesn't like some fresh spring (?) air when you're feeling crappy? Both girls were in good spirits and I snapped some cute photos. It's easy to catch some cute ones because I have 2 very cute subjects.

Sisters

This is Olivia's silly face

Miss Alex

Lovely Green

Feeling Grass

See what Alex is wearing? This is her day to day uniform. A onesie and a bib. My baby drools like a leaky faucet. Olivia never drooled like Alex does. Holy crap, sometimes we have to change her clothes 2 times a day from the wetness she produces. But, no teeth yet. I'm not holding my breath for them. Olivia's first tooth didn't pop out until a couple days after her 8 month mark.

That's about all that happened over at my house. Hope everyone had a good Monday. :)

Toddle Along Tuesday

2011-06-06T21:56:00.002-04:00

This is the very first Toddle Along Tuesday! Thanks for stopping by! If you haven't already, link up and meet some new mommas!

My Very First Fluff

2011-06-03T23:48:00.006-04:00

I've been going back and forth on whether or not to buy cloth swim diapers since Olivia was 6 months old. But, I'm lazy and she's been wearing Pampers Splashers for 2 summers. Now that I have a 2nd little one, I finally decided to spend the money on a swim diaper that I could just wash and reuse all summer long.

After searching and asking questions, I bought 2 Thirsties diaper covers, which can be used for a normal swim diaper. Of course I had to get the cutest colors.

I got the Lavender for Alexandria in a size SMALL. The raspberry is for Olivia in a size LARGE. Olivia's is kinda big on her, but the weight was 28-48lbs which is a huge range. She's about 30lbs right now so I wanted to make sure that if she did gain more weight this summer, it would still fit her. HOPEFULLY, this will be the last summer she needs a diaper of any kind!

That is a whole other post though. :)

No House for Us

2011-06-01T23:58:00.002-04:00

Well, it's June 1st and we've pretty much ran out of time looking for a house to buy. The owners of the house we put an offer on wanted 90 days to close. We don't have 90 days. We wanted to close in 30, but they didn't accept that.

After talking about it, we decided we're going to stay another year or 2 and save more money for a down payment. If we can save another $10K, we can increase our budget and look at newer, nicer houses. I didn't want to buy a house because we're in a crunch. I'd regret it sooner or later. I want to find a home I love and want to live in for years to come.

As for the tight squeeze of our apartment, we found out that our community has a "front to back" model. It's a more open floor plan and the 2nd bedroom is bigger. We decided to move to one of those come August. Russ and I are going to take the smaller room and the girls and all their junk can go into the bigger bedroom with more closet space. It's also on the ground level and we'll have a patio opening out into a nice piece of land so Olivia can run whenever she wants and we don't have to lug both of the down the steps and out the door.

I can't say I'm relieved. I'm so stressed out anymore, it's unbelievable. Being a mother of 2 has been a huge adjustment. Alex is still very dependent on me, so I barely have time to do anything other than take care of her. Add to the fact that she naps for 20 minute periods. I know this doesn't last forever. I'm trying my best to really enjoy every minute of her first year. I missed a lot with Olivia because I was always worried about something or another. Then I missed a chunk of her 2nd year due to being seriously sick with morning sickness and being a big whale on the couch all day.

I need to take some chill pills and calm the eff down.

2011-05-28T22:36:00.002-04:00

Everyone I know has told me that house hunting is not fun. I never really believed them because, how hard is it to find a house? There are 100's of them out there for sale.

I was SO wrong.

We're in month 3 of looking for a house. At this point, I'm ready to give up and find a nice sized box to live in. We've looked at house after house. It's either 1. too old 2. no backyard 3. needs too many updates/repairs 4. too expensive.

We've found 2 houses we liked enough to put an offer in, but we ultimately decided that their offers were not worth it for us. We have an offer in right now on a house in Hampton. This is the longest we've waited for a reply back. Our agent just told us they'd have an answer for us tomorrow.

I'm getting worried because we have to be out of our apartment by July 31st. If we close in mid June, that would be great. If we can get in 2 weeks early and paint, lay carpet, repair, etc.

If we don't find anything, I don't know what we're going to do. We can't stay here because Alex doesn't even have her own room. Our room is big enough for her crib, but I'd really like to get her out of our room.

Ugh. I just want this to be over. :(

4 Months

2011-05-15T23:36:00.002-04:00

I'm so terrible at updating. My life is pretty chaotic at the moment, so that's my excuse. :)

Miss Alexandria is 4 months old. Where did the time go? No, really... how the crap is she 4 months old already? Didn't I just have her?

She's doing very well. She's such a little peanut compared to Olivia though. I took her to her 4 month well visit at the pedi's yesterday. She's weighing in at 12lbs 8oz and 23.25inches long. (although, I'm not quite sure that's accurate. All her length measurements have been off since she was born. By MY measurements she's 24")

She's smiling all day long. She's rolled over a few times but still hates tummy time. Her favorite this is probably getting a bath. She's non-stop smiles and kicking in the water. I cannot wait to take her to the pool this month. The doctor said we could try cereal, and I did yesterday. She's not ready though. She looked at me like I was an alien and just spit everything out. I'll try again in a couple weeks and see how she does.

She's still wearing mostly 3 month clothing. At this rate, we're going to have to buy all new summer clothing for her. Olivia was in 9 and 12 month for the summer and there is NO way Alex is going to grow that fast to fit into them. I think she just takes after me, whereas Olivia took after Russ (big baby).

She got her 2 shots and her oral vaccination and did alright. We had a new MA at the office and she wasn't as quick as the normal nurse with the shots, so Alex new another one was coming and screamed. She calmed down after I picked her up, but she screamed about half the ride home until she fell asleep. We got home, I fed her, and she passed OUT for 3 hours. She slept from 7pm to 6:30am this morning. I'm figuring it's from the shots. She's still been waking to eat at night. She goes to bed around 7:30-8pm, wakes at 2:30 and 6:30, and wakes up for the day around 8:30. I'll be excited when she sleeps all night long. :)

Tomorrow is her follow up ultrasound for her hip. She sees the ortho doctor as well. Maybe we can chuck the harness in the trash. We'll see.

Other than Alex news, everything else is crazy around here. Olivia is just a handful anymore. "Terrible 2's" I suppose. Tantrums, hissy fits, you name it, she does it. I also went back to work 2 weeks ago, so I'm more exhausted now. Plus, we're still on the hunt for a house. We're on a timeline, so we NEED to find something by the end of the month to make sure we have enough time for closing and moving before our lease is up in August.

It's going to be a busy couple more months. *whew*

Postpartum: Going Bald

2011-04-25T23:09:00.002-04:00

Seriously. I think I'm going to go bald. The postpartum shed is terrible. I do remember it with Olivia, but I'm not entirely sure how long it lasted. This time it started around the time Alex turned 2 months old.

Not only am I shedding like a dog getting it's summer coat, but my hair is just gross. It's limp, greasy, and just plain ugly.

My hair is just one of the many things that are going on with my body postpartum.

I won't mention my teenager-like face and of course the extra flap of skin I'm sporting due to having a c-section this time.

I'll be happy when, oh.. Alex is a year old and my body is back to normal.

Mommy and Me Monday

2011-04-24T23:38:00.005-04:00

I really wanted to get a good shot with both my girls, but Olivia was too busy running around hopped up on Easter candy that it just didn't happen. Thankfully, Alex is only 3 months and she has no choice but to get her picture taken. :)

3 Months

2011-04-16T18:18:00.002-04:00

Miss Alex is 3 months old now. Time is flying by so much fast this time around. I feel like I just got to the hospital and went into pre-op to have my c-section. I wish time would slow down. I know it's only going to go fast with the spring and summer coming up.

My little peanut Alex is such a happy girl. She's always smiling and talking. She's doing so well sleeping in her crib. We've gotten a couple 10-12 hour stretches out of her so far. Occasionally she'll wake up in the middle of the night and want something to eat, but she goes right back down afterwards. She's also my little burrito. This child LOVES to be swaddled at bedtime. Olivia hated it. She'd be like Hudini and break free everytime I'd swaddle her. Alex just loves it though. She sleeps better when she's a burrito baby. Wonder how that will go when we have to transition her OUT of the swaddle.

No well-baby check up this month. She'll go at 4 months. She does however have yet another ultrasound on her hip and an appointment with the ortho doctor on Monday. I HOPE we can ditch this brace. She hates it. After a month, she still won't sleep in it and pretty much just hates being in it while she's awake. If he says she needs it another month, I'm going to ask for some other type of brace or SOMETHING. This thing is terrible. :(

As far as her height and weight, I'm gonna guess and say she's about 24" and 11+lbs. I put her in a 6 month outfit for pictures, I didn't think it would fit, but it did. Granted, it's still big, but it didn't look silly on her.

My friend Roxanne came over and photographed both girls for Easter and Alex's 3 month pictures. Here are some of the ones that turned out super cute.

If you're in the Pittsburgh area, she's really great to work with and reasonable. Plus all these pictures where taken in the comfort of my own home. :)

We're Home!

2011-04-13T20:31:00.003-04:00

I "successfully" traveled 862 miles with a 2 year old and a 3 month old alone. I say successfully because the ride back home was a hot mess. Alex screamed (and by screamed, I mean, full out sweaty meltdown) for at least 4 hours of the trip. She would scream and fall asleep for 20 minutes then wake up scream again. Rinse and Repeat. Olivia decided to poop right after we stopped to change diapers. The whole car stunk for miles. By the time the next rest stop came around, both of them were passed out, so I by-passed it and went straight home. But, I'm so proud of myself for doing it alone. Normally, Russ is with me. I've never driven that far alone, let alone with 2 young children.

Here are some cute pictures I caught during our trip:

Mum and Olivia putting flowers they picked in a vase

Playing around with some camera settings, I thought this turned out pretty

My big girl. She turned 28 months while we were down there

Gramma and her girls

Enjoying her first warm, sunny day

We had a lot of fun! We didn't even leave the house much. Olivia really enjoyed being outside. It's been so cold in Pittsburgh for so long that a 70* day is like Heaven. Olivia helped her Pap make pizza and we all dyed some Easter eggs.

I'm so glad I decided to go down. It was the perfect time because I'm still on leave until May and my mum is on medical leave, so she was home all day with us.

BBL

2011-04-07T21:15:00.002-04:00

I'm currently in North Carolina visiting my mum. I got down here on Tuesday and will be coming home either Sunday night or very early Monday morning.

The trip down went pretty well. Olivia does amazing traveling, so I knew I wouldn't have a problem with her. I left at 4:30am, so she slept until the sun came up. She's was very patient when we had to stop for me to feed Alex. The baby doesn't really enjoy her car seat, so we had some screaming sessions throughout the trip. I pretty much just stopped for gas, to stretch, or to feed Alex. I think I made pretty good time with 2 kids alone. Just a little over 8 hours. It was also horrible weather. It was pouring in Pittsburgh when I left, then it turned into sleet/freezing rain in West Virginia, and eventually snow in the mountains. It finally got nice out when we were just about over the North Carolina border. What a mess!

I'm so proud I did it myself though. I thought I was going to chicken out and not come, but I did it! Hooray! (see my Dora reference there?)

Anywho, my mum is enjoying seeing the girls. This is the first time she's met Alex since she was born. I know she'll have a hard time letting us leave to go back home.

Russ is missing them. He calls me and tells me he's bored. I guess when you don't have 2 children taking up your entire day, it would be boring. :)

I'll have an update and pictures when I get home. The computer is a dinosaur here and I don't want to overload it with my 4.5KB pictures.

Be Back Later.

Hi There!

2011-04-02T17:28:00.002-04:00

Welcome to Tales from the Mothership!

My name is Amy, and I'm 28, live in Pittsburgh, and have 2 awesomely, beautiful daughters.

Olivia - She's 2. She loves to talk. and talk. and talk. She's definitely our chatterbox. :)

Alexandria (Alex) - She's the newest addition to our family. She was born in January and she's just the cutest little thing around!

I should probably mention the man of the house. Russ and I have been together for 10 years (whew!) and married for 5. It's amazing how much your live can change when you have babies!

I really enjoy taking photos, even if I don't really know what I'm doing. I'm currently obsessed with finding good deals on the internet for just about anything. I also recently bought myself a NOOK, so I've picked up reading again.

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you come back!

Busy

2011-04-01T22:40:00.002-04:00

Having 2 children sure takes up a lot of time. If Alex isn't eating or being held, she's sleeping. *nice* Olivia on the other hand takes up the rest of my time. Thank GOODNESS they are both going to bed at 8pm now.

I need that time to myself. If I didn't have some peace and quiet at the end of the night, I think I'd go loony.

Speaking of loony, I'm driving myself and the girls down to NC to visit my mum. Alone. I'm actually not completely terrified as I thought I'd be. At least they are both confined to their car seats right? Actually, Olivia is a fantastic traveler. She's very content watching a movie/show, having snacks or napping. She gets a little fussy about an hour before we arrive. She's done the trip 3 times now. First time at 5 months, then 16 months, and then again at 21 months. She's very good at staying with me if we're in a public place or in the parking lot. I'm just a wee bit concerned with how Alex will handle it. As of now, she hates her car seat. She'll tolerate it if she's fed and tired. But, if she's hungry... watch out. Full out scream fest in the back seat. Thankfully, she calms down if we're moving, which doesn't help when you live off a highway that has 800 traffic lights. The trip is 95% highway driving, so I think we'll be good for having the car moving at all times.

I'm wondering how long it will take me. When Russ and I traveled there alone sans babies, it took us just under 7 hours. We stopped 1 time for gas and something to eat. When we had Olivia, it took us about 8 hours because we had to stop to feed/change her. Now, how is this going to work with 2 kids, a baby and a toddler, and just me? Guess we'll find out. I may be half bald by the time I arrive.

Abduction Brace

2011-03-22T23:52:00.005-04:00

Alex had her 2nd follow up appointment with the pediatric ortho doctor. He said everything looks great, but her left hip is still a little loose in the socket. He wants her to wear an abduction brace for a month and have another ultrasound/follow up.

Can I tell you how much this stupid thing SUCKS?!? My poor 2 month old baby is miserable in this contraption. She just looks so uncomfortable. It's not a full harness, but its hard plastic in the back. It lifts her bum up and spreads her legs out. Not only it is terrible for her, but I have to take it off every time I change her diaper.

We tried sleeping in it last night, but she woke up around 11:30pm, screaming. I took it off because I'm not going to torture her all night long. *or myself for that matter*

Thankfully, her doctor said if she can't sleep in it comfortably, to take it off. I'll keep working with her to keep it on longer. Today she wore it for about 5 hours total.

Not only is she dealing with this stupid brace, she came down with Olivia's cold and we're still dealing with her clogged tear duct in her right eye. What a rough start!

Olivia on the other hand came down with her first ear infection. We went to a play date on St Patty's Day and the following day she was coughing. It only got worse throughout the weekend. She had a fever and the cough was really phelmy. So, I called the pediatrician on Monday morning and was able to get her an appointment. Russ took her and they said her cough was a virus, but she had an ear infection in her left ear. She's not taking the pink amoxicillion, which she LOVES. She wants more every time she's done taking her dose.
She's barely eaten anything in the past 4 days. She'll pick at something, but nothing of value. She's wanted chicken nuggets the past 2 nights and she'll eat those. I'm not complaining, I'll take what I can get.

I just can't wait til everyone in this house is happy and healthy!

Smiles

2011-03-20T23:21:00.005-04:00

Alex has been socially smiling since right after she turned a month old. I haven't been able to get a good one with the camera. While Russ was out at the doctors and Olivia was napping, I decided to lay Alex down, naked (because she LOVES being naked), and try to get some good photos. Here are some cute ones from our "photo shoot".

2 Months

2011-03-16T00:40:00.002-04:00

Can you believe my little girl is 2 months old already? Time really does fly... even faster this time.

Here are Miss Alex's 2 month stats:

9lb 14oz (tiny peanut)
22.5 inches

She did really well with her shots. Cried for about a minute, then mummy picked her up and she was alright. :)

Next appointment is at 4 months!

ISO: A backyard

2011-03-05T13:08:00.003-05:00

The other day, I got a call from Russ telling me his parents and brother bought the girls a swing set. I was in the middle of trying to feed Olivia lunch and Alex was pooping in her swing, so I was a bit tied up to care about a swing set.

After he got home and showed me, I was amazed at how big this swing set is. It's marked as originally $1500, but my BIL works at Home Depot and saw it on clearance for $300! Here is the website picture:

Pretty awesome, huh? I figure I can make a sandbox under the clubhouse for them. I know Olivia will LOVE it, and Alex will too when she gets old enough.

Now, all we need is a backyard to put it in. For now, its sitting in my in laws basement.

I cannot wait to start house hunting in May. :D

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes

2011-03-02T10:34:00.002-05:00

Last Friday I took Alex to Children's to get an ultrasound done on her hips. This is standard procedure for babies who were born breech. Monday, Russ got a call from her pedi and she said one side looks fine but the other side is a little concerning. She may have hip dysplasia. She wanted us to get an appointment with a pedi ortho doctor to check things out and make sure there isn't anything wrong. If there is, she'll more than likely have to wear a Pavlik harness. Which seems to be uncomfortable for the babies, but its more of a pain for parents than it is for them.

Her appointment is on Monday, so we'll know more then. I'm not really worried about it. If she needs it to be corrected, I'd rather it happen now when she's a baby and not when she's a teenager or adult.

Mommy and Me Monday

2011-02-28T10:55:00.005-05:00

It's been a long time since I've done a Mommy and Me Monday post. This is Alex and I hanging out together on the couch watching the Oscars. :)

Hosted by Krystyn at Really, Are You Serious?

My Baby.... no longer a baby. :(

2011-02-27T15:47:00.004-05:00

This weekend we've been overhauling Olivia's room. I ordered her a new bedroom set off JCPenney's website. It was 50% off to begin with, then I found a 15% off code online and I got the entire set (twin bed, dresser/mirror, and nightstand) for just about $630. I saved over $1000 on it. Score.

Anyways, it was shipped to the store and ready for pick up on Thursday. Russ went and picked up my dad's truck, went to the store, picked up the furniture, then went to Mattress Discounters to get a twin mattress set. Long story short, it was just the 2 of us and I'm very sore from hauling boxes and her nursery furniture down our flight of steps. I probably shouldn't have be doing all that lifting being only 6 weeks postpartum after a c-section, but, we had no other choice.

We finally got everything put together and cleaned up yesterday. Don't ask me about our room, that's a complete disaster area. (Alex sleeps in our room, so Olivia's crib is being moved to there) She loves her new room. She's doing very well sleeping in such a huge bed. I went in to check on her (like I always do) last night before I went to sleep. I remember when she was a baby, looking in on her in her crib and thinking she looked so tiny in such a big area. Now, its the same thing. She looks so tiny in her twin bed. My baby is no longer a baby.

Here are some pictures of her new room. I cannot wait to buy a house so I can paint and decorate like I want. Renting sucks.

5 years and 2 kids later....

2011-02-18T23:39:00.002-05:00

Today was our 5 year wedding anniversary. It's weird to think that 5 years ago it was just us two and we were living it up in Las Vegas.

Now we've got 2 beautiful girls. :)

Today was pretty low-key. It was beautiful outside (a little windy, but I'll take it) so we decided to take the girls out for a walk. Russ pulled Olivia in the wagon, which she only stayed in for about 5 minutes and wanted to walk on her own. I wore Alex in the Ergo and she was nice and toasty and was sleeping the entire time. It was nice to enjoy the weather while we can as a family. I remember the last time we took a walk, it was just Olivia and she wasn't even 2 years old yet. She's becoming such a big girl lately.

After we came in, we cleaned up a bit. Russ's parent's came over to watch the girls while we went out to dinner. I actually got dressed up, put make up on, and wore my contacts for tonight. I actually felt like a normal 28 year old. :) We went to Willow, which was our first time going there. It was so cozy and dim-lit. The food was delicious. I got a strip steak with a horseradish crust, with some sort of potato/onion thing. Dessert was yummy as well. Chocolate molten cake with cinnamon ice cream. After that, we headed over to Target to pick up stuff for breakfast. We were dressed up, so that was funny.

Came home and got Olivia to bed and we watched the movie The Fourth Kind. It was alright. I don't believe it was real though.

That was our day. Pretty nice if you ask me. Oh, and I got some cute Tiffany earrings. I've been looking at them for awhile now and Russ remembered. I guess I'll keep him around. :)

1 Month

2011-02-14T23:26:00.003-05:00

It's been 1 month since Alex was born. I can't say it's been a piece of cake, but it's a lot easier than I thought it would be taking care of 2 children alone. Sure, I'm more tired than normal, but I was way more exhausted while I was pregnant taking care of a toddler. Plus, I can almost always take a 2 hour nap when Olivia goes down, if Miss Alex is nice enough to be sleeping at the same time.

Before Alex was born, I was so afraid I would miss my time alone with Olivia. I even cried a little in those last few weeks. It was no longer going to be just me and my little peanut anymore. While I don't get as much time to spend one on one with her, I can't imagine my life without both of them. I love having 2 daughters. I cannot wait until Alex is older and I can see them both interact with each other.

Alex has her 1 month check up tomorrow morning. I'll edit this post with her stats. I hope she's gaining enough weight. She's eating about 3-4oz every 2-3 hours. She's still only giving me about 4-5 hour stretches of sleep a night. I started Olivia on a bedtime schedule around 6 weeks old. She was sleeping through the night by 2 months old. However, Olivia was also a pound more at birth than Alex. I really do think weight has a lot to do with STTN. Bigger babies seem to sleep longer. It's just very different having such a tiny little girl. Olivia was 11lbs at a month old. 11 POUNDS! I think Alex is probably around 8.5lbs or so. I don't think Alex is going to be the chubby baby that Olivia was.

Tales from the Mothership

Day 3: The FINAL day

Day 2

Day 1: Shakeology Cleanse

Hiatus

Day 6: Low Angle

Day 5: High Angle

Day 4: Something Green

2 Little Girls

Day 3: Clouds

Day 2: What I Wore Today

Day 1: Self Portrait

Review: Fooz Kids

Tis the Season....

Consignment Scores

Life Gets in the Way of Blogging

WW

8 Months

School Days

A Word with Mr. Super Daddy

Tasty Thursday: Homemade Mac n Cheese

*Giveaway: Scentsy*

Super Cute!

The Day of Labor

Birthday Dinner and Fort Building

**Giveway** Etsy Shop Gift Package!!!

Tasty Thursday w/ The How to Mommy

My Day of Birth

Say What?

Things They Should Tell You Before You Get Pregnant

Turning the Tables

Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Program

To You,

Tasty Thursday

On a Lighter Note

Medicated

My Day In Photos

7 Months (a day late)

Apology

Getting Heavy

Did I Mention I Hate Moving?

Thirty One Giveaway Winner!

Moving.

Kid Free Zones

GIVEAWAY - Thirty One Gifts

Lazy Sunday

The Start of Teething Hell

Farewell

Heat Wave

More Adventures in Potty Training *Poop Talk*

Photo Shoot Previews

Busy Busy

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100 Followers GIVEAWAY! **CLOSED**

Wordless Wednesday

6 Months

93!

14 more!

Update: Potty Training/Shelter for my herd

Sunday Yummies

More Management Drama

Wordless Wednesday

4th Pictures & Toddle Along Tuesday

*Giveaway Winner*

Management: I Hate You

4th of July Fun Facts

Stupid Blogger

It's Tuesday!

*Giveaway Time* (Local residents only)

Return of the Woombie - Part DOH!

The Return of the Woombie

Olivia and Alex laughing

Belated Father's Day

My Weight Loss Journey

5 Months

Idlewild

Baby Food

30 Months

Fresh Air

Toddle Along Tuesday

Giveaway: Scentsy

Giveway Etsy Shop Gift Package!!!

More Adventures in Potty Training Poop Talk

100 Followers GIVEAWAY! CLOSED

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Giveaway Time (Local residents only)