Midwesternita

Graphic tees for a toddler? Check. {Polyvore Style}

2012-02-11T14:23:00.003-06:00

Yes, it's still February, and quite cold here in the Midwest, but I've got spring (and summer) on my mind. I'm sure I'm not alone in that.

I've been having fun looking at some spring clothes, mostly for Kirsten and Simon. Retail therapy for them is a little cheaper than splurging on myself, plus the clothes that are coming out for spring and summer are so cute. Plus they need them because they grow so damn quickly. Did you know I'm getting 3T things for Kirsten and 18-24 month items for Simon for this summer? Sheesh.

Sometimes I find myself doing a lot of Polyvore when I am having a shopping itch. You may remember I posted a few fantasy outfits for myself here. Today? It's all about the kids. I haven't been shopping yet, but I really want some of these things. We'll see!

I'm not a huge fan of graphic tees, I ordinarily go for simple things for my kids, without lots of adornment and writing or graphics. Sometimes, though, a graphic tee can be done adorably.

Here are are a few (budget friendly) ideas I'm lusting over for Kristen.

Graphic Tees for a Toddler Girl...Okay. by ericasuelea on polyvore.com

A few more... {Family Photos - Simon 6 Months, Kirsten 2 Years}

2012-02-10T07:13:00.000-06:00

Happy Me.

2012-02-06T15:19:00.000-06:00

I'm happy right now.

Sure, I have brief moments of complete stress, anxiety, and the like, but overall I'm really, really happy right now. For one, we booked a vacation. I'm beyond excited at an opportunity to get some R&R with my favorite man (i.e. Peter). More on that later.

Another thing that makes me ridiculously happy? Getting photos. Like, family type photos. We had some done for Simon's six month "birthday" and Kirsten's second birthday. I just saw this one posted by our photographer, it's all I've seen so far, but it makes me very anxious to see the rest.

I absolutely love my little family. This captures so much, I mean just look at Simon grabbing at his big sister! Ahhh, I love.

I hope you're happy today too!

Bits & Pieces :: iPad Photo Dump

2012-01-31T13:39:00.000-06:00

Captions are below photos...here are a few Bits & Pieces of my life lately.

Someone always loves staring at his daddy while he's supposed to be nursing. This has become part of our nightly bedtime routine, "Eat, Simon!" is what you'll hear from Peter about eighteen times while I'm feeding Simon before bed.

My cutie pie sporting her Dr. Seuss tee. Courtesy of Zulily (check it out if you're not a member, super cute things at reasonable prices).

Ava girl wearing the tutu my aunt gave Kirsten for her birthday.

Kirsten trying out our new lightweight stroller. Side note: I love this stroller, it's so much easier than our Chicco was and obviously easier than a double stroller when I just need to push one kid.

Mr. Blue Eyes loves to nap in the Moby. Unfortunately (even though he's still sleeping well at night) he doesn't love to nap. It's okay though, I do love me some Moby time.

Little miss in some of her birthday (or Christmas?) duds. I cannot even remember what she got for what, having a January 7th birthday means presents for like a month straight.

My babies.

Love love love having a little girl.

Also love love love having a little man. Who should not be able to stand on the couch yet.

Who also should not be able to do "So Big!" already.

Goodwill repurposed vase.

These two make me all sorts of happy. The best dogs ever.

Holy drool, batman!

Prouduct(s) of the Week - Makeup Remover & Facial Scrub.

2012-01-26T15:53:00.001-06:00

Linking up today with Aly and Tiffanie!

Here are two products I've recently tried that I'm loving so far. First is this facial cleanser. I needed a new scrub type cleanser, and found this one on soap.com for a pretty reasonable price. I'm not ordinarily into organic (though I should be more), but this is a very natural product with no sulfates or parabens. I don't know anything about those too things I just mentioned, other than I've seen in passing that they're not-so-bueno for your body.

Something extra cool about this stuff, is that it actually feels warm on your face. Awesome for a cold morning shower if you ask me. It also smells exactly like the house of one of my childhood friends whose mother was a massage therapist, so aromatic and earthy smelling.

Overall, I like. Click the photo for the link.

Next up are these facial cleansing towelettes (i.e. makeup wipes). I use them to remove eye makeup and just freshen up my face before going to bed because I loathe washing my face at night. Terrible, I know, but by the time it's actually time to go to bed? All I want to do is get my booty under the covers and go to sleep. I need to get better at that. Until I do become an expert nightly facewasher, these little numbers are quite handy.

What product(s) are you loving this week? Go link up with these girls and share what you love!

Guest Post: Brighten Up Your Winter

2012-01-25T13:49:00.003-06:00

I have a little bright spot for you today, including some lovely eye candy that is home decor. I'll leave you today with a guest post from Christina Johnson, who is a New York City real estate agent and free lance writer. Without further adieu, here she is...

* * * *

Christina Johnson works remotely for Elliman Prudential in the NYC Apartments and Rentals market. She is using her journalism major to combine what she loves most, writing and her career. Her specialties include home decor design and DIY home improvement projects.

Even though we are in the thick of winter, it’s not too soon to plan your summer interior decor. The thought of planning a beautiful new sunny space can be enough to chase those winter blues away! So lay out an idea board and get a jump start on your planning.

Before doing anything else, you'll need to define your style. What are you going for? How do you want the room to feel? Do you want it to feel fresh and new, formal and elegant, or rustic and comfortable? Defining your style is an important place to start, and it should be on your mind with every change that you make.

More modern styles focus on relatively simple shapes and just two or three dominant colors that don't necessarily contrast strongly with each other. Formal styles have more intricate shapes and designs, more colors, and a traditional appearance. The rustic look focuses on more organic shapes, a hand-made appearance, and a lot of wood.

One of the easiest ways to change the feel of a room is to paint it. This is a fairly cheap way to revolutionize a room, and it doesn't cost very much at all. Be sure to consider the lighting in the room before painting it. Bring some sunshine into your rooms by choosing a bright yellow, light greens and blue. Be a little more daring with choices like pink, peaches, and purple. Buy some sample bottles of paint colors you’re interested in & paint a few squares on different spots in the room you intend to paint. You can see how the colors look at different points of the day.

Pillows, blankets, and tablecloths are another easy way to make a significant change to the appearance of a room. More modern styles are best with just a few pillows in bright colors that are similar shades, while an eclectic style will feature more pillows with a mix up of colors and textures. Remember, modern style is all about simple shapes and subtle coloration.

Window dressings can also make a big difference. If you'd like to keep your privacy without blocking out the light, buy some thin linens and let the sunlight shine through them. This brings softness to the room that can be very comfortable and inviting, especially when the summer breeze is blowing through them. You can add some solid colored on top to add more texture and interest to your window treatments and it’ll help if you need to block out light at any time, especially in a bedroom.

Wall decor can do a lot to enhance a room. Take a look around you family room. If there is any area that looks barren and empty, odds are all it needs is a photo or a work of art on the wall. You don't need to spend a great deal of money on wall decor to enhance the room. There are plenty of prints available at low costs, or you could consider buying from a local artist.

Wall decor is an easy way to bring summer inside; add bright pops of color inspired by the bright palette outside of your door or bring in bold floral patterns. You could even put one of your child's best drawings in a nice frame.

Another simple and beautiful way to decorate for the summer is to bring nature inside! Clip some fresh flowers & place them in vases all around your home for a fresh smell and a classy touch to your decor.

As you can see, you don't have to break the bank to give your room a new spin. This helps keep things fresh and can brighten your mood.

In case you're wondering, you're right, this was a sponsored post. Occasionally I'll allow an individual or a company to sponsor a post here on Midwesternita. Only credible sources that I fit my niche will be posted.

My Vlog Debut!

2012-01-23T16:37:00.000-06:00

Hi friends! Simon and I finally got brave enough and tried our hands at a Vlog. Wait, do you capitalize vlog/Vlog? Not sure. Anyhow, here goes nothing!

We're linking up with Jess and Brittany for Messy Mom Mondays!

Sleeping :: Gray Area (Part Two, including a HAPPY ENDING)

2012-01-22T08:41:00.002-06:00

Coming to you today with part two (of two) of my sleeping posts. Here's part one.

* * *

Sleep training, cry it out, attachement parenting, cosleeping, dream feeds, schedules, feeding on demand, and the list goes on. These things are that often polarize moms, and have caused me quite a few headaches while trying to wrap my mind around them and where I fall on this oh-so-opinionated spectrum.

I get the concepts, and I understand the theory behind almost all of these. What amazes me, is that there are so many great mothers out there, and which of these theories these wonderful parents subscibe to isn't the factor behind the level of their greatness. What is behind a great parent is obviously the love they have for and show their children.

That being said, I happened to dive head first into a "method" (if you want to call it that) of parenting that I didn't really think I fit into before. Before what I'm not quite sure, maybe before having kids? Maybe before having Simon? Anyhow, I'm not 100% into any one method, in fact a lot of the things I do probably set me in the middle of a few of these methods.

Kirsten, as I've mentioned many times, was not a good sleeper. In fact, I'd venture to say she was a terrible one. I'm not going to get too high up on a soap box here, but let's just say it wasn't because we didn't try to teach her how to sleep. Looking back I can see areas that we maybe hindered her learning to sleep, but we did try. There would be weeks (maybe even a month or two at a time) where she'd sleep great.

But, then something would happen. A trip. A tooth. An ear infection. A new work schedule. Something that would throw her off, and we'd be back to freaking square one again with the whole waking up in the night thing. She is two now and she still wakes frequently. I'd say at least once or twice a week she'll cry in the middle of the night. We don't usually have to go in to calm her, she puts herself back to sleep after a few whines, but still.

So, when little Mr. Simon came along, I was all about having a baby who slept. We were tired. Once he weighed enough that I knew physiologically he could make it eight or so hours without needing food, I worked at getting him to go longer at night between feedings, and, it worked. He started sleeping eight to ten hours at night and it was blissful.

Then, though, the inevitable happened. Summer vacation was over, and maternity leave was over. I went back to work. The kids went back to daycare. They got ear infections. Sleep started sucking again. Those glorious, restful, peaceful, sleepy nights were over.

Eventually, the ear infections were resolved. Everyone was healthy. For a few days. Until, the teething set in. Simon wasn't interested in sleeping anywhere other than my arms or safely snuggled into me in the Moby wrap.

So, for a few ~~days~~ weeks that is how he napped. In the Moby. Friends, let's remember that he is not a little baby anymore. He's my twenty pound baby. At that point, I new I needed to do something. He needed sleep just as badly as I did.

I hastily jumped onto the Moms On Call bandwagon that was riding rampantly around blog-land as well as Twitter. I'm usually not one to read parenting books, let alone pay for an online seminar about how to take care of your child. But, I did it, and I'm here to tell you that it's one of the best choices I've made in getting Simon to sleep. And no, in case anyone is wondering, Moms On Call has no idea who I am and they've not endorsed this post, it's all just my opinions and reflections on the whole ordeal that is babies-sleeping-or-not-sleeping.

Basically, Moms On Call is a scheduling method. I was (and still am) breastfeeding, and felt very comfortable with my supply so that wasn't a concern of mine when jumping into a somewhat rigid schedule. I wouldn't have wanted to do a schedule from day one, I know that on demand breastfeeding really gets a mother's supply ready to help her baby grow and thrive. Plus, as I mentioned, my kid is huge so I wasn't at all concerned about his nourishment. He was getting plenty.

This method does involve crying, and I hate that. I can't imagine any mother who likes letting her baby cry, but we had to do it. In the end, he really didn't cry that much. At the time it felt like ages but looking back I know it was okay for us.

I've thought about how much Kirsten has cried in her lifetime because she's woken up, that alone is a lot more in total crying hours than we had to endure to get Simon sleeping well with the Moms On Call method/schedule.

One thing I liked but hated that the Moms On Call ladies said is that while obviously you don't want to sleep train while a child is sick, that teething does not count as sickness. Did you get that? Teething does not count as sickness, according to them.

That was hard for me to take, because that is one area that is so hard for me. On one hand, I don't want my baby to be crying in pain from teething. On the other hand, they seriously are teething for like two years, off and on. I think we know in our mommy hearts if they're really in serious pain, and in those cases I obviously wouldn't leave any baby of mine to cry in their crib.

It took two nights of letting him fuss/cry to transform my attached baby who previously refused to sleep more than twenty or thirty minutes (unless he was in our arms) into a good sleeper.

Yes, a good sleeper. Now, we lay him down for bed awake and he lays there happily for just a minute or two (and quietly, no crying) until he drifts off to sleep for eleven hours! Eleven magnificent hours of sleep. This has worked, I'm proud that we figured out what we needed to figure out. Our family is getting some much needed rest, and that is a very good thing for all of us.

So, my friends, that is the oh-so-very-happy ending to our sleep story.

Please, Don't Feel Sorry For Me.

2012-01-17T10:17:00.000-06:00

Sometimes, when I tell people about my work/school/home situation, I get reactions that really irk me. I know, I know, none of these people are intentionally trying to be rude or hurt my feelings, but I can't help but feel ~~slightly~~ completely annoyed when these situations arise. I immediately want to go over the top and give way more detail than necessary to prove that no one needs to feel sorry for me, and I certainly don't need their sympathetic look and the, "awww," that came along with it.

The people I'm talking about are usually ones who I don't know very well, for instance someone who knew me as a kid who I see at the grocery store, or a long lost second cousin whose in town visiting, or a former classmate I run into downtown (yes, we live in our hometown where Peter and I both went to high school).

I've shared with you how I am now working part time, and going back to school to become a principal, and usually when I run into any of these sorts of people the conversation lends itself to life updates, which for me usually include both of those things.

Now, maybe you have left a comment too, about this fact here on the 'ol blog. Something along the lines of, "Oh, going back to school? That's so much work!" Or maybe this, "You must be so busy! How do you handle everything?" Or some even go as far as questioning my mothering instincts by saying, "So you're not going to be with your kids very much, are you, when you're a principal?"

Please, if you have said something, like these things, don't feel bad. Don't worry your pretty little heart one bit, because I've been there too. I remember when my older cousin had her two little boys and she was working full time that I'd often times find myself feeling sorry for her. I would come home from college for breaks and I'd take every chance I could get to babysit her boys or just hangout with them for awhile while she was at work. I love those little boys (who are more like nephews than just "my cousin's kids"), and was happy to do it. But? I admit I felt really sorry for my cousin (their mom). I just didn't think it was fair or right that I got to hang out with her sweet little boys all day (sometimes all week) while she was working and missing them.

While I know none of the comments or looks I receive are aimed at upsetting me, they sometimes do. I want to reply, "I'm doing this FOR my kids!" I've always dreamed of being a SAHM, but it just doesn't work for our family. We've been so fortunate to make it work that I can be home with them part time, and I'm beyond thankful for that. Along with that, though, comes my graduate work. I'm okay with this. In fact, since I knew that being a SAHM full time wasn't a realistic option for us I have embraced this choice and I'm extremely excited about my coursework and about becoming a principal. But you bet your bottom dollar that my family is still way higher on my priority list than anything else, and it will always be that way.

I love my classes, and I love teaching. Who else gets to go to work dressed like a pirate? Or spend my days seeing kids learn to read? That's my favorite part of my current job. Yes, I would rather be home reading to my own kids, but since I'm not, I (as I've said eighty times in this post) I'm embracing what I am doing and making it the best for me and those around me.

I know my kids are in amazing hands, they're either with my mom or our in-home daycare (who is a high school friend of ours and used to be the secretary for my husband's family business before she had her own children). It is good for Kirsten and Simon to be at daycare and play with friends as well as learn other rules. As much as I hate it, being around some different germs there is probably going to be good for them in the long run as well. And, as far as being at Grandma's house a few days here and there? That never hurt anyone either.

For me, it's about time management and being present. I'm not perfect at this, but I'm trying really hard. When I'm home with my kids, it's all them. There's no attempting to read my oh-so-exciting leadership books or edit papers or reply to posts while we're together. Sure, at nap time and occasionally after they go to bed I do work on some graduate things, but I've decided to be intentional about using my part time schedule (and daycare options) to tackle my graduate work.

For instance, I'm only teaching Thursdays and Fridays this quarter, so today (Tuesday) the kids went to daycare. They haven't been there since before Christmas, and I have quite a bit of reading to do, so they're going to spend the day there. I can get so much accomplished in one day of being home without them, so that when they do come home I can be totally, 100% mommy (and wife). This works for me. It's working so well, it's another way I feel extremely blessed and thankful.

So, ~~if you're still reading~~ if you have a friend who is in similar shoes as me right now, please don't unintentionally make them feel patronized by shooting any sympathetic looks, unless they really do need them. Just know that they are doing what is best for them and for their family, and that by doing so doesn't make them any less of a mom than anyone else. We all over our children, everyone from students to SAHM's, and everyone else in between.

Bits & Pieces

2012-01-16T13:40:00.000-06:00

Hot Cocoa. Did you know that the majority of random people who visit this blog end up here simply because of hot cocoa. For real, makes me feel like such an accomplished blogger.

Too Much Vino. After a few too many drinks my husband shared with one of my cousin that I have a blog. To which this cousin replied, "You're a mommy blogger?!" Yep. I am. Thanks, hubby, for spilling the beans.

~~Anonymous~~. Along those same lines (as above) and as I posted about just a few days ago, I just want to reiterate that I do not think I'm anonymous. I do realize this is the world wide web, and that what I put out here may very well be found by people I know and people who know me. I don't share things on here that I wouldn't share with people in my life, and really it's not that big of a deal when someone new finds out about my blog, I guess it's more that I do not want to advertise or promote this place. Make sense? Good.

Laundry Lovies. Thanks to Jess and Brittany's link up about Messy Moms I found many posts in my Google Reader about my blog friends fessing up to their messy houses. Man that was good for my confidence, I love knowing how messy you guys all are! So, this fits right in, because the other night (this was a first) I was too tired to put away the laundry that was on our bed, so we slept in the bed with clean laundry piled all over it. Peter said he woke up snuggling with some of it. Ah, life!

Piss. Kirsten was all about kisses the other day, actually the chocolate Hershey variety as well as the "mwah" type, but she was mixing up her 'k' sound with a 'p' sound. It made for a pretty funny conversation and lots of mommy laughs.

{In The Closet} Not Coming Out Anytime Soon.

2012-01-10T23:07:00.003-06:00

I am a Closet Blogger.

Do you know what this is? Perhaps you're one yourself? You see, I'm a Closet Blogger in the sense that you all (my numerous and wonderful readers) are not people whom I've met in person. You're not my coworkers, you're not my neighbors, you're not my family members, in fact I don't know who many of you are.

Now, there are a select few of you out there who I do know, but let's be honest, if you are someone I know in person you should feel very damn honored to be on this list of readers. I can count on two hands (and maybe a couple of toes) the people in my life I've shared my blog with. My sister and a few very close friends. And maybe one or two of you who also have blogs that I comment on. If you have a blog, you get it.

Being a Closet Blogger was an intentional choice I made a couple of years ago when I started this blog. I had a blog before, just after Peter and I were married and I kept at it for a couple of years, before stopping right before Kirsten was born.

That was cruel, I know, to leave all of my readers (I actually had quite a few more followers back then) hanging and just disappear into thin air. But, I had to do that. I felt like I had too many details and too much personal information out here where anyone could see it.

Another reason I quit before was because I wasn't into it, in some ways. I loved blogging about random things, things that made me happy. Decorating, cooking, my dogs, shopping, and teaching were a few things I'd write about. I loved that I could do something like post a photo of my closet, before and after organization, and I'd get many comments on it. Talk about some reward for something that no one else will notice, probably not even your husband.

But, after I had started that blog I realized that I didn't necessarily want my coworkers (some of them) to know about my closet organization (or lack thereof). Or my ridiculous impulse purchase of designer jeans. Or my bucket list. Or whatever. There were just some things I wanted to write about but felt held back, because (sometimes for no specific reason) I just didn't want certain people who I see everyday to read.

Then there was pregnancy, labor, and breastfeeding. Honestly? I didn't want my grandma or my father reading about some of those things. You know, those things. But, I love telling you all about it, because it's such a wonderful way to vent, share, and learn.

Now I get to the issue of you all. Because, some of you have become really great friends of mine. I have yet to meet any blog friends in person, but there are several of you out there in cyberspace who I talk with daily, via comments, Twitter, or email that I really, really hope I get to meet someday.

Other people, people who aren't bloggers, think this is strange, and rightly so. It's hard to understand, sometimes even for me, to comprehend how I can have a relationship with someone on the other side of the country, or even in a whole different country (even if it is only Canada, ha, but you know what I mean) whom I've never met.

I don't want to have to explain myself, so I don't. I'm just here, in my space. With my readers. I honestly feel no constraints as to what I can write about, and that's what I love about blogging.

So tell me, am I the only Closet Blogger?

Bonus points if any of you remember me from my old blog. Anyone gotta guess?

Two Years Old.

2012-01-07T07:11:00.000-06:00

Happiest of happy birthdays to my sweet little girl today! It's official, my first baby is now a two-year-old. As I write this, I'm sitting on the couch snuggling with her little brother and her two favorite bulldogs, while she is still snuggled cozily in bed with her daddy.

Later today we're heading to an indoor water park, and next weekend we'll celebrate with her big family party.

It's been the best two years of my life, knowing you, little one. I can't even begin to imagine what joy the next two years having you in our lives will bring.

Two Years Ago :: Just Us

2012-01-04T22:02:00.000-06:00

Two years.

Two years ago, it was just us. The two of us, and the dogs. Looking back at these photos now I can see exactly how we felt at the time. Happy, excited, anxious, and in love. We thought we knew how much we'd love our child, but nothing could have prepared us for the love we'd feel when she arrived.

It's been an amazing two years for us as parents, it's also fun to remember the journey before our parenting journey began.

Here are some photos of me quite pregnant with Kirsten (who at that time we didn't know would be a Kirsten), taken around the thirty-second week of my pregnancy.

There's Gonna Be A Party.

2012-01-02T13:56:00.000-06:00

In just five short days, Kirsten is going to turn two-years-old! We haven't been quite sure what the festivities would include, or when they'd take place, but we finally decided that her party is going to be the weekend after her birthday. We'll spend her actual birthday (next Saturday, January 7th) celebrating with just our little family. So, this morning I threw together this little invite to email to our family and just a few friends.

I've got some last minute party planning to do! This isn't going to be over the top (like her first birthday party was last year), but mostly about featuring a few things she loves and more importantly the people she loves and who all love her lots!

I will be back soon with a update to this post as well. Happy Monday, friends!

Sleeping :: Gray Area.

2011-12-28T08:02:00.000-06:00

I'm coming to you all this morning in a state of semi-alertness, after a long and very unrestful night. Well, after many long and unrestful nights actually.

Simon has decided that sleeping is quite frankly, for the birds. It's very hard to get him to go to fall asleep at night, he will not fall asleep on his own, he'll lay for a few minutes and then cry. It's not a fuss either, it's a full blown cry. I cannot handle that. So, we rock him, hold him, and he'll fall asleep. We put him down, sound asleep, and twenty minutes later we hear the sweet little sound of his voice. Or his ordinarily sweet voice, except when he needs to be sleeping. It hasn't always been like this, though. I tried really hard from the beginning to have him awake after feeding, and fall asleep on his own. He was great at it. Was being the key word there.

Let's review a little. About the time he was ten or twelve weeks old I jumped on the Moms On Call bandwagon (thank you Twitter and Blogland) and believe it or not, Simon started sleeping eight to ten hours, all night long. I was ecstatic. Kirsten was not a good sleeper (still isn't, that's another post for another day). I wanted to tell the world, "My baby is sleeping through the night!" I mean really, I think I told the gas station attendant. I told the grocery store boy helping me carry my bags to the car. I somehow figured out a way to pop that little tidbit into the conversation I had with the lady on the street walking her dog. I was in a state of bliss. At that point Kirsten was sleeping well too, which meant Peter and I were sleeping all night long.

That lasted a few glorious weeks, and then the little man got Thrush. Goodbye restful nights! Okay, so he pretty quickly got over the Thrush (thank goodness), but wasn't sleeping well. Give it a week or so, he got a cold. Then, an ear infection. Shortly after his antibiotics were gone he started teething and before we knew it two little teeth popped through on the bottom. Obviously, teeth coming in equals poor sleeping.

So, that brings us to last week, just after the teeth, when we took him in for this three week post-ear infection check. The damn infection is still there. So, they put him on Azithromycin (Z pack) to try and get the ear infection cleared up. Our doctor gave us the go ahead to try Ibuprofen (we had much better luck with that for Kirsten than Tylenol), which resulted in a little better sleep for a few nights. But, not really. I mean better sleep means he slept for four hours or so by himself.

So friends, I'm desperate. I'm tired. Peter's tired. For goodness sake Simon has to be tired, right? We all need some sleep. I've tried many methods with Kirsten, and some with Simon but I'm really asking for any input you might have. What worked/works for you? Simon's five months old, a super happy and cheerful baby, very easy going. He's currently nursing four times during the day (every four hours or so, but not on a rigid schedule), and then usually once during the night. No solids yet. He sleeps in the office, in a pack and play with a white noise machine. Eventually we want them to share a bedroom, and have it all set up and ready to go. I'm idealistically waiting until he's sleeping through the night consistently (ha) to put him in there.

I don't mind a little crying and sleep training, but I'm not good at a rigid schedule. He's my baby, and I do love to rock him and hold him. I can't handle letting him cry at night if there is any sliver of a doubt in my mind that he may be in pain (from teeth or sickness).

I realize why God made babies so darn precious and sweet, because there's no way you can hold a grudge against something this adorable, no matter how freaking tired you are. Simon, we love you more than words can say, and honestly I'd be okay if I had to wake up every night for the rest of your eighteen years you'll be living here. But really, I'll probably be a more fun momma if you do let me get some sleep...soon.

Next Year.

2011-12-20T08:27:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I find myself getting anxious about next year, meaning the next school year. I've been so blessed to be able to work part-time this school year, and I'm loving my schedule. It's enough time to get out of the house and be around others, but I also get to spend more time with Kirsten and Simon than I did last year. Even with taking my graduate classes (which meet every Wednesday night), I have so much more time with my family than I did last year when I was working full time. So, for the most part, things are going super in that department. I still think I'd prefer to be home full-time, but since I'm not, I try and make the best of my current situation.

Even as wonderful as it is now, I find myself jumping to next year with some apprehension. My ideal year next year would be a mirror image of this year. Working part-time (two or three days a week), with my one night of classes, and then spending the other two days with Kirsten and Simon. The problem is, I don't know for sure that next year will look like this.

There's a possibility I'll take a new job (as a principal) next year. I'm not counting on it, but after this spring semester I'll have my evaluator's license and will be legally able to work as a principal or assistant principal. Of course, a few things would have to happen in order for that. For example there'd have to be an opening in a district I'm interested in, I'd have to apply, I'd have to get an offer, etc. But? In reality it is very possible.

For those reasons, I'm somewhat hoping there are no openings I'm interested in. Then, I won't be faced with that temptation. I know that I want to be a principal, my first semester of coursework has proved to me that the decision I made to begin this journey is absolutely the correct thing for me and my family. I am very much looking forward to being a principal one day. My hope though, is that I can get one more year while my kids are so young "at home" with them (even if it is only part time "at home").

I struggle with finding the contentment in that, I oftentimes find myself jumping ahead to what the next step for myself (and my family) will be. I have to consciously tell myself to stop thinking and worrying sometimes, and to be present in the moment and enjoy my little life right now. Because honestly? It's perfect, I wouldn't want it any other way.

Sometimes, I need to remind myself that the following words may be a pretty good motto:

Source: byebyechubbydays.tumblr.com via Erica on Pinterest

Or maybe this is a better set of words to live by. I think combining the two is going to be my mantra.

Source: cinsarah.blogspot.com via Erica on Pinterest

Bits & Pieces

2011-12-19T09:02:00.001-06:00

It's True. I flicked someone off this morning. I've never in my life done that (in a serious, pissed off way). I was on my way to work and it's a little slippery and some idiot went through a yield sign and pulled out right in front of me. I felt so bad for doing it I had to call my husband and confess right away.

Christmas Crazies. I'm relishing a little quiet time here in my classroom before the kids get here. They're going to be bouncing off the walls with excitement this week, and yes, we go until THURSDAY. Thankfully with my part-time schedule I only work Monday through Wednesday this quarter, so I still get a couple full days before Christmas this weekend.

Infertility. I read Amy's post today and it really hit home, in an auntie and sisterly sort of way. I love how she writes, and I know my sister (who went through IF) shares so many of those exact same feelings. I'm saying prayers for Amy that's for sure, I hope she gets a little miracle soon!

Tequila. I made these cranberry margaritas for a little get together over the weekend. I ordinarily hate any hard liquor (I'm more of a wine or beer girl), but they were so good. I also have never ordered a margarita on the rocks, but that's how I made them, and I was a million times better than any margarita I've ever had (aside from one that rocked my world on our honeymoon to Jamaica). They were good though, and oh so festive with some cranberries and lime wedges floating amongst the ice cubes.

Source: ezrapoundcake.com via Erica on Pinterest

Tennis Shoes with Khakis. When did I become that person? I cannot believe it, but I am wearing some khaki colored Pumas with my khaki pants today. I never ever want to be this person. I'll blame it on the fact that I desperately need to find some easy to wear and pair work shoes. I'm struggling, any ideas?

Smells of the Season. My mom always used to have a pot of this simmering on the stove during the holidays. So easy and it smells a million times better than any Christmas candle. I put a few orange slices, some cloves, and some cinnamon sticks in with a little water and let simmer away.

Source: make-it-do.com via Erica on Pinterest

Bits & Pieces :: Currently

2011-12-15T09:25:00.002-06:00

I'm linking up with Jenn for her "Currently" link up over at Perfectly Imperfect today. Go check out her blog, she just got married and is such a sweet girl.

Here we go, these are my "currents".

current book(s)

Here Comes Santa Claus by Gene Autry

current playlist

Pandora: Classical Christmas, Michale Buble Holiday, or Justin Beiber Holiday

current color

Black and gray (our family color scheme for Christmas Eve)

current drink

Coffee, coffee, and more coffee. Preferably Dunkin' Donuts original brew, made by my husband.

current food

Cheeseburgers. So weird, I never used to love them, but I swear it's a breastfeeding craving. Is that possible? Someone tell me it is.

current favorite show

current needs

I have been blessed with all I need. Really not trying to be cheesy, but it's true.

current triumph(s)

Successfully completing my first semester of graduate school and making it to five months (next week) of breastfeeding with Simon.

current bane(s) of my existence

Getting the clean laundry put away. Getting sleep. Getting my baby to sleep through his 4:00 milk cravings.

current celebrity crush

No, I don't have a crush on Gloria. I mean she's gorgeous and all, not to mention hilarious and I love her accent, but Peter's sitting here with me and since I can't think of one (go figure), he picked Gloria from Modern Family. Thanks honey, since I'm so much like Gloria. *Sigh*

current #1 blessing

Can I pick two? You all know their names.

current indulgence

Otis Spunkmeyer cookies.

current outfit

Umm...yoga pants and a nursing cami, with a sweatshirt thrown over. Oh, and the days I go to work, a sweater dress, leggings, and boots.

current excitement

Christmas with our almost two-year-old. I cannot wait to celebrate with her this year.

current mood

Tired. Is tired a mood?

current favorite holiday decoration

Our tree. Duh.

current #1 item on your wishlist

A tropical vacation with my husband with a white sand beach, blue water, and a few full nights of sleep. I'm so excited that this is really going to happen soon. Can't freaking wait, we haven't been on a vacation since our honeymoon.

current new year's resolution

To make my life (our lives) a little more fabulous. You know, do up birthdays and special events more. I basically just want to celebrate life more.

Gallery Wall: How (NOT) To and How To.

2011-12-13T08:41:00.002-06:00

Happy Tuesday, friends!

I've been working hard at getting our gallery wall up in our living room. I shared with you about my intentional decorating plan, and I'm really getting there. I started with the living room, and my goal for is to have it done by New Years.

Here's my living room list:

~~Ikea Shelf for Toys/Books~~

Get Rid of Rubbermaid Tote FILLED with Toys

~~Gallery Wall~~

Window Treatments (we have a long, rectangular bay window and I'm completely stumped about how to do it...ideas?)

Find Sign for Above Opening

~~Canvas for Gallery Wall~~

Clock (purchased but not up)

To do our wall, I tried using this method, involving wax paper. Total fail, please don't try at home. Waste of time and wax paper.

Finally, in order to get it done, Peter had to step in to up the game a little. Thankfully he's good at stuff like this, even if he does it with a bit of a scowl on his face. Okay, so maybe the scowl only comes when I whip out the camera to photograph him doing this (he knows that means he'll end up on here). Since my main tool for measuring and leveling when hanging things is my arm, his method works a lot better. Regardless, he helped out and got the frames and canvas up. Score!

After that point, I hate to admit that it looked like this for quite some time.

But now, here is the finished project. Ta da!

Here are the free printables I used (click the image for the website with download).

I hope to be back soon with full living room reveal! Also, I'm so so so close to getting my classroom's project funded over on DonorsChoose. If you're interested in giving just a couple of dollars, check out this link for more information.

Christmas Trees and Christmas Cousins.

2011-12-12T09:04:00.001-06:00

Happy Monday friends!

We had a great weekend, we got our Christmas tree cut down (thanks to Daddy and Kirsten for doing the hard work, while I got to stay in Daddy's warm truck with the baby).

After getting the lights and everything up, Kirsten officially fell in love with the tree. We've had our other decorations up for awhile but haven't had a chance to get the real tree until this weekend.

On Sunday evening we did a little Christmas photo shoot at my parent's house, the grandkids got all dressed up in their Christmas outfits so my mom and dad could have a good picture for their Christmas cards. I just love my little nephews! Wyatt is up to 8 pounds and Colton is up to 6 pounds now.

I was also busy working on some things around the house over the weekend, stay tuned tomorrow for a little update on this!

(Not) A Giveaway.

2011-12-09T14:59:00.000-06:00

A fun part of the blog world is the enormous amount of giveaways. I don't enter many, but if there's something really exciting or up my alley I go ahead and enter. I almost always enter the Pioneer Woman's fab giveaways for KitchenAid mixers and LeCruset accessories, but I don't win. I enter my blog friends giveaways, but again, I never win. In fact, I can remember only ONE giveaway that I've ever won, which is fine. That was awesome, by the way, it was for some super cute little hair-ties from Marie a few years ago.

Christmas seems to be the time that people focus on giveaways, because, after all Christmas is about giving. I think it's great, sure it's a way for most people to get more followers or more hits on their blog, but in the end it's nice for all involved. The giver gets more attention to their little slice of cyber space, and the winner gets a pretty sweet gift.

This, folks, is my very first involvement in hosting any type of giving here on this little old blog. I'm doing it a little differently. I wish the kind people at KitchenAid or LeCruset would give me things to give to you all, but they've never heard of me. So I'm asking a little differently.

Here's my request. If, and only if, you are looking for a way to donate this Christmas season, please check out this link. It's a project I created through an organization that helps teachers get "dream" projects funded. The goal is for my students to get a color printer and some ink for our classroom. It's not a grand project, but it's a simple something that would really brighten up some of the projects that my kids do.

Right now, many corporations have agreed to match any donations to the project. Whatever you'd give will be matched. I'd be humbled if even just one of you out there in cyberspace decided to give to my students, and any amount would be more than appreciated.

If you are going to donate, or share this on Facebook or Twitter (which would be all kinds of awesome), please do so soon because the matching funds are limited, once the slotted amount is gone, the matching is over. Of course, your donations are still helpful at any point, but we may as well get the matched funds if possible. Here's the link to my project. I also included the link to a friend's project below mine.

My friend Lindsay's project link is here!

Three on Thursday.

2011-12-08T09:31:00.001-06:00

First up this week is Mandy over at House of Rose. I love reading her blog because she's very relatable, and she has amazing taste. Her latest nursery project? I loved. She has three little boys (who are probably the cutest boys in the world, really, go see for yourself), and her youngest two are very similar in age to Kirsten and Simon.

Next up, Miss Shannon over at Life After I Dew. Shannon is also very relatable (anyone sensing a theme)? And she also has a daughter who is just a little younger than Kirsten (another theme, anyone?) Shannon's so cute, has a wonderful sense of style, and is good for quite a few laughs most days. She features a link up every week called "So What Wednesday" that I love reading, and when I'm on my game, participating in. Check her out.

Last (but of course not least) is Chelsea over at Hello Miss Chelsea. I love reading her blog, she's a single girl who bravely bought her first house last year and has been documenting her decorating and updating progress, plus so many other things. She is adorable, and always has cute clothes and outfits. I love her home-style too. She's good for lots of smiles and laughs too, I promise!

* * *

If YOU were picking Three on Thursday, who would they be?

Out-take.

2011-12-05T12:45:00.001-06:00

We tried a little photo shoot last night, you know for the old Christmas card that I need to order and get ready to send out. I am not a photographer, so these are just plain jane point-and-shoot photos, but they do have the candid feeling I wanted to create. We have lots of great (professional) photos that I love from Simon's newborn photo shoot, but I really wanted something more recent to use on our Christmas card. I'm still not 100% sure what photo and/or card we're going with, I have a few different sellers on Etsy I'm narrowing it down between. Until I get my mind made up, I'll leave you with a cute little out-take from what we were up to last night.

Has anyone else still not picked out their card? I hope I'm not alone!

Three on Thursday.

2011-12-01T06:00:00.005-06:00

I have several blogs I check religiously. I love blogs for many reasons. These three all have a few things in common, to me.

Each of these ladies has a little girl (or two, like Katie at Modern-Day Family) who are adorable and similar in age to Kirsten. The writers themselves are all close to my own age. They're all hilarious, seriously they make me laugh at my computer screen like an idiot ~~sometimes~~ often. They're all real and honest. I'd love to meet them each in person one day.

Go check 'em out for yourself, oh, and pop back next Thursday for three more blogs/bloggers I love, cause you know there are plenty of you.

Oh, and please go check out my guest post ("Pumping for Dummies") over at the Poop Whisperer today!

Vintage Memories.

2011-11-29T08:24:00.000-06:00

My childhood Christmas memories are some of the ones I cherish most, as I'm sure most of you do as well. So many things stand out, and I remember the details like they were yesterday.

Do any of you recognize this photo?

It was our childhood Advent calendar (my mom got it from Avon), the one we grew up counting down the days until Santa Claus would come. My sister and I would anxiously await our turn to move "Santa Mouse", as my dad affectionately named him. That name has stuck, twenty five plus years later.

I'm so happy this was handed down to me and my own little family. Even though it's not December yet, Kirsten has definitely noticed Santa Mouse and she enjoys playing with him. I hope many years down the road she and Simon look back just as fondly on the memory of this season, and all of the details that make it so fun.

While I love having this calendar at our house, I was a little sad when I put it up that my sister didn't have one too. I guess we both can't have it, or maybe we could if we rotated yearly, but that seems a little silly. After thinking a little more I hopped on Ebay to see if by chance someone had cleaned out their Christmas decor and was trying to sell the same one.

To my surprise, I found several exact replicas. Many dated 1987 or 1986 ( I was born in '85, my sister in '84). What surprised me even more, though, was that many of them, like this one, were going for over $70!

I'd love to buy one for Kari and her boys, but that's a little more than we're planning to spend on gifts for each other this year (maybe because we're both spending lots on all the little ones). The thought of selling my own did cross my mind initially, I mean that money could go a long way towards Christmas gifts.

After thinking more, though, I decided there was no way I wanted to sell mine. Even though I was (pleasantly) shocked at their value, even that high sticker price wasn't worth selling it. Santa Mouse and his little calendar house will be staying right where they belong, at our house.

Thankful: Meeting Baby Cousins

2011-11-28T08:28:00.000-06:00

With so many things to be thankful for in my life, it's hard to write a post singling out just a specific few things. I'm overwhelmingly thankful for all the blessings in my life, big and small. This year I think these two little munchkins (along with my own two little munchkins of course) top my list of what I'm thankful for.

Wyatt (left) and Colton (right) snuggled into the bouncer at Grandma's.

Kirsten and Simon got to finally meet their cousins, and Kirsten was so excited. I've never seen her so excited about something. The cutest thing, to me, is that she loves both of them. I thought after she had held the first baby she'd maybe be over it. I couldn't have been more wrong. She held Wyatt for awhile (saying, "Hiiiiiii!" over and over to him), then said, "All done," and immediately pointed to Colton. She wasn't happy until she had her other baby cousin in her arms!

Kirsten with her Auntie Kari and baby Wyatt.

Simon got to "hold" the twins too! He was so happy.

It was all good, until he decided to try and eat poor little Colton's head!

This little boy is SO cute. I had to include it because he's so wide awake. I don't have a single picture of Colton while he's awake, sleepy little buddy is too busy sleeping and growing for any of this awake business. Here's Wyatt looking adorable.

My Life in Silly Photos

2011-11-23T09:11:00.004-06:00

The last time I imported photos from my camera I noticed a ridiculous amount of silly, goofy pictures. Here they are for you to laugh at. Captions are above each photo.

Go ahead, laugh away. It's Pirate Day here at school, we're kicking off our pirate-themed reading month. I had to add this silly photo in quick when I got here this morning!

What, you don't allow your child to wear only her baby brother's bib, his pacifier, and her sweet little Christmas headband that Katie made her last year? For the record, my stubborn little almost-one-year-old wouldn't wear that thing for a second last Christmas, so I'm pretty stoked she found it and ~~became obsessed~~ likes it this year.

Oh, and this rubber maid tote? Her favorite place to ~~do her business~~ hang out.

Said rubber maid tote is even better when Mommy heeds the toddler's demands of placing the baby in it with her.

Okay this one isn't so silly, but makes my mommy-heart and doggy-lover-heart all mushy and gushy. My baby girls. This wasn't posed either, I swear. Ava girl loves Kristen, and vice-versa.

Not posed here either, I found George snuggling with Elmo on the living room floor. You can't make this stuff up, folks.

Simo (pronounced "Sime-oh") is a stylin' little dude! Rockin' his purple, floral, oversized sunnies.

Last but not least, where's ~~Waldo~~ Kirsten? Also, someday I promise I will sort through the rest of these toys, and place them strategically in the new storage cubbies/furniture we got. But for now? They are just fabulous where they are. And that enormous box is still in our living room.

Four months old!

2011-11-20T10:43:00.001-06:00

Our little man is quickly becoming not-so-little. He's growing so quickly and changing daily at this point. My sister (who has been up at the hospital for a long time with her babies) hadn't seen us in awhile, when we did see her yesterday she couldn't stop saying how big Simon was and how much he'd changed. It had only been ten days!

Simon did great at his four-month check up. He's 17 pounds and 8 ounces! He's in a size 3 diaper, but 4s are best overnight. Most clothes are 6-9 months, or even 6-12 months. He smiles all the time, and he has the best chuckle when his daddy tickles his tummy. I need to get this on video.

He is rolling both ways, but still sleeps on his back, I haven't found him on his tummy yet anyhow. He's nursing (or taking a bottle when at daycare or with my mom) 4-6 times a day. When he takes a bottle he'll gladly and quickly guzzle down 6 ounces, so I'm thinking about upping it to 7 ounce servings. How the heck I'll keep up pumping that much, I'm not sure. I'll do it though! He seems to be over the thrush, thank goodness, and is back to eating normally.

His sleep isn't so great, although we're working on it again, as of last night. He was doing really well a month or so ago, but recently has been waking a few times during the night. I'm hoping tonight goes smoothly and we're back to sleeping through the night! I let him cry three times, going in and soothing/giving his binky at each interval, then I fed him after he cried the third "session". They were 6, 8, and 10 minute sessions. It is SO hard, but we both need sleep!

Simon has been such a blessing, he lights up our lives so much. I absolutely love having such a squishy, mushy baby to kiss and hug. Kirsten loves him so much too, she loves bringing him pacifiers, toys, and blankies. She adores going in and saying, "Hi!" when he wakes from his naps, and he's the first thing she comes to find when she wakes up in the morning. The love is mutual, Simon lights up when he sees his big sister. He'll just stare at her, reach for her hands and face, and smile.

Bits & Pieces

2011-11-17T21:03:00.001-06:00

Twins. They're doing pretty well! They're both still in the NICU, and we don't have a date yet when they'll be coming home, but they are healthy and that's what counts. They still have their feeding tubes, but they are taking most of their feedings by mouth. They're both out of the incubator and in regular cribs now maintaining their temps just fine. Here they are yesterday (on their one week birthday), Colton's on the left and Wyatt's on the right.

Travel. This happens to me all the time, I think I find an awesome travel deal, I mean it includes a great flight price, it's totally all inclusive, a four-star hotel, etc. But then? After I get all freaking excited and tell Peter I'm going to book it? Only then do I realize the hotel is not on the beach. Seriously, what is the point of going to a tropical paradise (and paying an arm and a leg) for a hotel that is not on the beach? I don't get it.

Slings. I loved this sling when Simon was a newborn. Now, though? I'm not quite sure how to use it. I watched a few Youtube videos and checked the website but I just can't get it right. This was us trying to use it at the hospital visiting the babies. At least he's cute, right? Even when he's crammed into a piece of fabric his mama doesn't know how to use.

Funny Kids. Today I played the Justin Bieber holiday station on Pandora for some of my students while they were working on something. One of my little second grade girls told me, "This sounds just like a girl, so I know it's Justin Bieber!" I died laughing inside. (See also: How to Make 2nd Graders Think You're the Best Teacher in the World.)

Mug. I bought a new mug the other day, and it honestly makes me so happy to drink out of it. Sadly enough it's just a simple, brown and teal clay mug, but it makes me all warm and cozy when sipping my coffee from it. I'm usually a travel mug type of girl while at work, but I'd highly reccommend you all go try a real, old fashioned mug pronto.

Apple Fans. What can we say, Apple fans don't fall far from the Apple tree. (Yes, she's wearing a bathing suit. Don't ask. And yes, that's a huge, gigantic, enormous ~~box~~ house behind them that's been in our living room for almost an entire month.)

Water. I also bought a new water tumbler recently. I know, how exciting is my life?! A new mug AND a new water cup? It's holiday-ish and I'm happy when I drink from it. Do you know how much better I am at drinking enough water to hydrate ~~an army~~ two people when I have a cute item to drink that water from? Much better. Also, maybe it's just me, but ice water tastes so much better through a straw.

Perfect.

2011-11-11T22:52:00.000-06:00

I'm very proud to introduce my twin nephews! Colton is on the left, he was 3 pounds and 14 ounces, and Wyatt, on the right, was 5 pounds and 11 ounces.

They were born on Wednesday at just over 35 weeks via c-section. They decided to deliver early because of the babies' size difference. They are still in the NICU, but really doing well. We are praying they won't have to be there long and can come home soon! They have been eating on their own, but they do have feeding tubes to supplement what they take by mouth to be sure they're getting plenty.

I honestly just can't believe they're here, and they're so dang perfect. Kirsten, Simon, and I were there (along with my parents) when they were born, but the hospital they're at is over an hour away from our house so I haven't gotten to see them since! Peter and I are going up tomorrow to see them, I can't wait to hold them again!

Thank you for all the sweet words, thoughts, and most of all prayers throughout my sister's pregnancy, by taking a look at the two sweet baby boys below you can see for yourself the good that they did!

A double blessing. :)

My (not so) Dirty Little Secret.

2011-11-07T15:59:00.001-06:00

We do have a little secret at our house. In fact, we've had this little secret for a few months now. This secret has made our home a much better, happier, and relaxed place.

So, what is the wonderful secret, you ask? The secret is actually a person, and her name is Juli (aka the cleaning lady). Friends, this has been one of the best decisions I've made as a wife, as a mother, and as a homeowner.

A friend and I were talking one day and she mentioned how she'd considered sending her two kids to a a babysitter (she's a SAHM) for a few hours a week so she could clean the house while they were gone, because honestly, it's pointless to try and clean with a ~~tornado~~ toddler in your presence. Then, an even brighter idea occurred to her. Why should she pay someone to spend time with her kids, so that she could clean? Why shouldn't she cut to the chase, and just pay someone to clean her house instead? Bingo!

After this conversation, I did what anyone would; I got that lady's number and gave her a call. We've tried twice a week and more recently switched to once a week. The woman we found really is reasonable in price, and the work she does? Ah-ma-zing. Also, when I say reasonable, I mean it. We're on a budget, but this has become a sacred budgeted amount because it is such a help to our family. This is one thing that has immensely decreased my mommy/wife anxiety level, and I'll take any help I can in that arena. Seriously the anxiety increase I've felt since having kids? Crazy.

Every week in two little hours she cleans my house. She mops the hardwood floors in the entryway, kitchen, and dining room. She also mops the mud room and bathrooms. She vacuums hallways living rooms, our room, the office, and the kids' room. She dusts. She cleans every window. She vacuums the furniture. She makes the beds and the crib. She folds any clothes that are left out. She cleans the kitchen from top to bottom. She cleans the mirrors, the toilets, and the showers/tubs. She does any dishes that are out, and unloads the dishwasher if it's full. Juli's also been known to clean the crayon off the walls/doors/fridge/windows/toilet seat (although thankfully that's a phase that Kirsten is done with now). She's organized/straightened the pantry. She's washed our bedding. She's washed the crib bedding. She's washed the dogs' bedding. My favorite? She picks everything up, every last little toy.

She does all of this in two hours. I could go on and on. It would take me days to get this all done, and by the time I did? The things I did first would be all ruined and messy again at that point.

See this? The clean patio doors, with all the little ridges where that are oh-so-hard to get cleaned? Clean.

And this? She vacuums the couches, folds the blankets, and places then oh-so-neatly over the arms.

How about the sweet little place she left one of Kirsten's eight million babies? (Note, she cleaned up the rest of the toys, just left one out there.)

Oh, and this, the icky ledges in the shower? Don't even get me started on the clean toilets and sinks. Not my jobs anymore.

She sets things out so nicely and puts everything in it's place.

She even cleaned the microwave. Really? Doesn't get much better than that to open your previously spaghetti-sauce-splattered microwave to find it sparkly and shiny, when you weren't the one who had to clean it.

Now, if only I could get this little cleaning lady to do as good of a job as Juli, then I'd really be set!

*Disclaimer* If you come to my house more than two hours after Juli's been there, and Kirsten has been awake in those two hours? Then don't be alarmed it the fantastic cleaning-lady-induced-results have disappeared already. I swear, it's worth it for the hour or so that the house does stay clean!

{Fantasy Looks} Just a little wishin'...

2011-11-06T13:36:00.001-06:00

I'm really trying hard to stick to our budget, so instead of doing real shopping, I've fulfilled that craving by doing a little fantasy shopping and creating. Here are some duds and accessories I'd looooove to have in my closet at the moment.

(Adult) Lunch Date.
I'd love to have an occasion or lunch date to wear the first outfit. Maybe I should have made another set titled, "Not-so-adult Lunch Date" that would fit more of my current style! A girl can always dream, right?

Lunch Date by ericasuelea featuring zipper jeans

New Years Eve.
I'm also really hoping we make some fun NYE plans this year, it'd be so fun to get all dressed up and go out to enjoy the evening with friends or just a date with my husband!

New Years Eve by ericasuelea featuring a faux fur jacket

Sabado.

The third outfit is probably the most likely of any of them, although I'm really trying not to buy any clothes for the rest of this season. We'll see how long I make it! Anyhow, here are some of my current fantasy looks.

Sabado. by ericasuelea featuring wedge boots

Always In Threes.

2011-11-04T23:32:00.000-05:00

Bad things tend to occur in threes, or so the saying goes. Lately, in my life, it's been medical crap. Here's the three.

1. Thrush. On Thursday I had a gut feeling that something was going on with Simon. He was nursing fine during the day, but at night or his early morning feeding he was being extremely fidgety and having a hard time falling back asleep after he was done eating.

Our babysitter mentioned that he was also fidgety while taking bottles from her, which he usually sucks down like a little champ. He was finishing the bottle and getting plenty of milk, but it was just taking forever.

I noticed a few white spots on the inside of his cheeks, but nothing on his tongue and the spots I did see really weren't concerning. It's so hard to know when to call, when go go in, or when to just wait it out and see what happens. When he woke up two or three times from naps screaming (which is very hard to hear from such a happy little guy who quite literally never cries), my momma-heart knew something was up.

I was right. We went to the doctor and now have some Nystatin (for him AND me, even though I'm knock-on-wood feeling okay so far), and hopefully we'll kick this. Kirsten and I both got thrush when she was almost six-months-old, and that was the end of breast feeding for us. I tried a few days to get rid of it, but we were both just miserable and couldn't seem beat it. I'm really hoping and praying we can beat it this time.

2. Ear infection? This time it was Kirsten. She's been sleeping like crap, not napping very long, and just not feeling well. That same gut feeling I had about Simon? I thought I had it about her ears too. This time, though, my instincts weren't so accurate.

Oh well, I'll take the urgent care co-pay along with some peace of mind that my little girls' ears are not infected. Just a virus, I'm sure one of many that are to come. 'Tis the season!

3. Mastitis. Wait, what? Thrush and mastitis? Actually, no. It's not me who has mastitis, it's my sister. My sister who is not breast feeding. My sister who actually hasn't even had her babies yet and is still pregnant.

Crazy cakes to me. Have any of you heard of this, mastitis in pregnancy? Poor thing, that is so not fun. I lucked out and never experienced it with Kirsten, but have had it once so far with Simon. Ouchy!

The sucky thing is, from what I've read and my doctor said the best thing you can do (besides antibiotics and warm compresses or hot showers) is to nurse frequently and/or pump a lot. My poor sister has no babies to nurse! I told her she could borrow Simon, although she didn't think that was very funny. :)

Here's to hoping that her little bumps in this pregnancy road even out a little, I'm praying for a smoother ride for the remainder of her pregnancy. She's 34 and a half weeks, by the way, and I'm so happy she and the twins have made it this far!

So What Wednesday

2011-11-02T07:42:00.004-05:00

If you've never been to Shannon's blog (Life After I Dew), head over and check it out. I love her fresh and uncut sense of humor, not to mention the fact that her sweet little girl KP is pretty close in age to my own little lady.

Every Wednesday she features a link up called "So What Wednesday", where participants can ~~vent~~ list things that they're saying so what to. This week has turned out to be a perfect one for me to participate in. So, here goes.

So what if:

- The blanket Simon sleeps with every night hasn't been washed in two weeks.

- Simon sleeps with a blanket over him even though everyone (and their brother) says not to use blankets with your children.

- My dog is still wearing his Iowa jersey from the game on Saturday. It was a terrrrrible loss and George is being punished. Poor George, I know it's not his fault, I imagine he could have even played better than our beloved Hawkeyes did.

- My child ate a string cheese, some crackers, and a granola bar for dinner last night. It was a beautiful night and mama needed some play-at-the-park-because-work-sucked-time with her sweet little girl. It was going to get dark quick so we needed a quick "meal" that Kirsten could eat on the stroller ride to the park.

- I feed my little man way too much caffeine. I ordinarily have one cup of coffee every morning. Yesterday? Morning coffee, lunch soda, afternoon coffee, and dinner soda. Bad Mommy!

- Our toddler wakes up in our bed every morning. We happen to like it that way, since she goes down in her own bed really well and sleeps there for the first part of the night. I especially am a fan since her daddy is the one who gets out of bed every night (usually around 3:00AM to bring her to our bed), and then I get plenty of cuddle time with her. Girlfriend doesn't like to sleep on her own.

- Several times a week I laugh until I honestly cry while looking at a picture I took of my brother-in-law using the Photo Booth app. I so would love to show you all but my sister might kill me. It is so freaking funny.

- I may (or may not) have jumped the gun on staying home from work this morning with my little girl whose not feeling so great. She keeps saying her tummy hurts (or pointing to her tummy saying, "Owie!" with the saddest little face). It's so hard to know when to stay home and/or when to keep them home from daycare.

- I'm jealous of a few of my coworkers who have recently gotten new SUVs. It's the sixth-grader sort of jealousy, like the kind when my friends just got brand new Starter Jackets and I WANT ONE TOO!

- I think my kid makes the cutest elephant in the world.

A Little Elephant Loves a Peanut.

2011-11-01T08:26:00.000-05:00

We had a fabulous Halloween, as I hope you all did as well!

My little elephant definitely had fun, but the peanut was a little more undecided. He enjoyed the snuggles from everyone we trick-or-treated to, but he decided sleeping was a better option. The elephant? She trick-or-treated like the best of 'em. Little wagon and all! Such a fun fun night.

Bits & Pieces

2011-10-30T18:10:00.000-05:00

The Dress.

Kirsten's Christmas dress has been picked out, purchased, and is on it's way to our house. I'm so excited for Christmas this year, I know it's early, but I can't help but look forward to how magical it's going to be for Kirsten. I found the perfect dress (for a pretty perfect price) on Zulily. If you're not signed up for Zulily yet, go do it. I'm not crazy about "deal" sites, but this one is way more than worth it and very hassle-free.

Itty Bitty Sophie.

Simon is loving this teether right now. Kirsten was never lucky enough to have a Sophie in her life, but her little brother was lucky to be gifted such a thing by my very good friend Steph. I hadn't seen this version of the infamous giraffe, but it's perfect for his little hands right now. The website says it's vanilla flavored too, I think I'm going to have to try it myself to see, ha!

New Love.

I love soda, but I hate the taste of diet soda. Well, until recently I did. I usually am a Coke or Pepsi kind of girl, and I absolutely cannot stand the taste of the diet variety of either of them. Coke Zero is a little more drinkable, but I'd still rather have regular. I recently tried Diet Dr. Pepper, and friends, it tastes the same as it's calorie-ridden counterpart. I'm serious, you cannot even taste the ~~chemicals~~ dietness about it. Sidenote: I've always been partial to the fact drinking diet soda is not a good thing, being that it's so full of artificial crap, but I'm choosing to plead "ignorance is bliss" on this one.

Cradle Cap.

Eww. Seriously, I thought this was a newborn issue? Apparently not, according to my three-month-old's poor little head. Dr. Google has given me a few different pieces of advice about what to do (or not to do), but I'd rather hear from real people (that's you guys) about what does and doesn't work. Any tips? In all honesty I'm a bit afraid to do anything, for fear of the ~~self-destruct buttons~~ soft spots.

Three Months, Ten Days.

Here are my munchkins at the exact same age. What do ya think?

"Happy" Halloween!

2011-10-28T09:33:00.000-05:00

My aunt and uncle grew some huge pumpkins this year. So, clearly, the logical thing to do with such a large pumpkin is to put your baby inside of it.

Simon is clearly not so impressed with this idea.

The next most logical thing to do is, you know, to put your toddler in the pumpkin for another picture. She was a bit of a better sport.

We had a good night list night. Complete with white chicken chili and homemade pumpkin bars. Throw in a little Auntie Kari and Uncle Clint time? You've got a very happy Kirsten.

Smelling The Leaves.

2011-10-25T15:08:00.001-05:00

Driving home last night the distinct smell of burning leaves lingered in the crisp fall air. In fact, that scent lingered it's little way in through the vents in my car, and pretty soon the whole car smelled of autumn. I love that smell.

One minute, I was driving my mundane commute, and the next I was eight-years-old again, jumping into a pile of freshly raked leaves with my sister. A minute later I was riding in our family car, listening to Gary Doplhin and Ed Podolak announce the Iowa football game over the radio. Before I know it I was out in my childhood driveway, shooting a a few hoops in the cool night air and playing one last game of h-o-r-s-e with my dad before it's time to call it a night. The next? I'm dressed in my goofy Halloween costume looking at the beautiful first-flakes-of-the-season floating down from the sky.

It's changing for me, as I no longer have only my own childhood memories to become engulfed in when smelling the leaves, but also those I'm making everyday with my little girl. I absolutely love adding new bits of life to my nostalgia repertoire. Each year that passes gives more memories and occasions that I look forward to getting lost in whenever I have an opportunity to smell the leaves.

So tell me, where are you taken to when you smell the leaves?

Bits & Pieces

2011-10-23T14:02:00.002-05:00

Tiny Toms. Kirsten's getting a brand new pair in the mail this week, all thanks to their great customer service. She's had a pair for a few months, but after they got a little wet on a rainy day the heel on one of the shoes bent severely and will not bend back to it's regular shape. All it took was for me to send one email with photos of the "evidence", and a few days later I received notice that we were getting a complimentary replacement pair in the mail. I love when (big) companies have great customer service, it reminds me of the wonderful service we get shopping at all of the little mom and pop stores we have right here in my little town.

A Pretty Dress. Kirsten was a flower girl this weekend! Here she was last week one day trying on her "pretty dress". Of course she needed her brother's boy-colored binky and his bathtub for the photo. The wedding was so fun and she was a great little flower girl!

Pregnancy. I love love love hearing that a friend is expecting. It makes me so happy, I seriously always cry, and am on a cloud nine the rest of the day after hearing great news like this. I got to experience that last week, yay!

Living Room. You may have read this post a few weeks ago. Just checking in with a quick update. We've got a gallery wall up (there are even photos in the frames that I have pictured below now) and some new toy storage shelves. I'm so excited the way this room is coming together. On my mind now? Window treatments, and a few more wall accent pieces. Also pillows and throws for the couches. Getting there!

Twins. Still cooking! My sister's had a few bouts of contractions here and there, but nothing that's sent her to the hospital yet. She's having at least two NST's each week, and seeing her doctor weekly. We're so excited to meet the twins, but glad they're in where they're safe and sound for the time being. Any prayers for my sister's comfort and the babies are always appreciated. A pregnancy with twins (especially at the end) seems to be some serious business, especially when some complications arise.

Girly.I harnessed my inner Pioneer Woman and sported a super flowy, feminine top to work on casual Friday last week. A little out of my style zone, but I loved it. Oh, and I wore it with my new boots. Score!

Halloween. It's coming! Kirsten's going to be a sweet little elephant and her baby brother is going to be a peanut. Yes, a peanut. I cannot wait! We're going to carve their pumpkins this week sometime too, so fun!

Little People Eating.

2011-10-19T20:06:00.003-05:00

Toddlers are hard. That’s not news to anyone, let alone those of you who also have the privilege of living with one of these strong-willed little people. I’ve heard before that toddlers do everything 110%. The love that hard, and they fight hard.

Kirsten is no less strong-willed than any other toddler I’ve ever met. She is absolutely a lover, the sweetest little girl I’ve ever met. But? She knows what she wants, and she knows when she wants it (read: RIGHT NOW).

We have many battles throughout the day; this toy, that game, this TV show, those shoes, and other things like this. Peter and I have worked so hard at being proactive in managing these battles, trying to pick and choose, let us win and let her win.

One battle that we’ve chosen not to fight with her is the battle that takes place in her highchair. I’ve been extremely intentional in “teaching” her to eat. Now, I may have also been blessed with a good eater (since heaven knows she’s not a good sleeper), but I do believe it’s also a result of her environment and how we’ve approached eating and food since she started eating.

One reason I was so intentional about this is that I love to eat. I love food. There are hardly any foods that I don’t eat, and even fewer that I actually don’t like. In fact, I can’t think of one at the moment. Black licorice, maybe. But, I digress. I married a picky eater, and then had his children. I do not want my children to be picky. And? For the record, I’ve been a good influence on my picky husband. Tomatoes, seafood, spicy food, and coffee are just a few of the things I’ve influenced him to like over the years that we’ve known each other. I know, who doesn’t like coffee?! The point is, I wanted my kids to grow up to enjoy food, to eat healthy, and to not be picky.

Since the beginning, Kirsten has literally eaten what we eat. There are not two mealtimes at our house. We all eat the same meal, at the same time, all together at the same dinner table, or at our island. This is so important to me; I want this to continue as long as she’s living at home.

In the beginning, I’d steam and puree (and freeze sometimes) the vegetables, fruits, and even meats that we were eating. Seasonal and local things are what I strive to prepare for my family. She wouldn’t always love the baby food I’d give the first time, but I’d try it again the next day, and the next. Since I knew it was likely she wouldn’t love something the first time she tried it, I’d only do a tablespoon at a time, until she’d learned to like whatever the food was. This way I didn’t feel so frustrated with wasting food (and precious time preparing that food).

As she grew out of the baby food phase we just continued this. She literally eats whatever we are having for dinner, even if it includes onions, somewhat spicy ingredients, salmon, peppers, recipes that include sauces that don’t scream “toddler” (like hollandaise or Worcestershire), and salsa are just a few examples.

I’ve also strived to instill a sense of balance and moderation in her eating habits. We eat healthy; most meals include the basic food groups. I try and have a veggie, lots of whole grains, dairy, fruit, and the like. That doesn’t mean that we don’t also indulge. It’s uncommon to have an evening that no Oreos are consumed for dessert, or that Kirsten and Daddy don’t enjoy a bowl of ice cream together. As I said, I like food, that definitely includes snacks and treats that aren’t so healthy. We do let Kirsten partake in these goodies as well, just in moderation as we normally do.

In the end, my theory (and this is just following my instincts, I've not read any literature on toddler/children eating) is that if I provide my kids with a variety of healthy and tasty foods, they'll eat what they need. If she doesn't want to eat something, we don't force her. We may encourage her, but forced eating doesn't occur (and won't occur) at our house.

So far, it’s working for us. I hope it will work the same way with Simon; I’m planning to go at it the same way. As I said, toddlers are hard, and I’m SO happy that eating and mealtime do not have to be battles at our house.

Things Kirsten's Obsessed With

2011-10-18T16:13:00.001-05:00

1. Bubbles. She loves bubbles, mostly because George loves them too. Or maybe he hates them. You be the judge, watch the thirty second video and see for yourself. Kirsten comes up to us over and over again making a blowing noise and saying, "Bub!" We've been trained very well to know that this means she wants bubbles, and (in true toddler fashion) she wants them now!

2. Watching the dogs go nuts when Daddy plays with the laser. She'll beg for me to do it too, but that's a "Daddy-only" game. (Otherwise I'd be doing it all.day.long.)

2. Going "boing" on Grandma and Grandpa's bed. This involves my dad bouncing her up and down, up and down, over and over again. Grandma also has made this a "Grandpa-only" game, otherwise she'd be doing it all.day.long.

3. Barney. I don't love Barney, but I put up with it once a day because she loves it so much. Peter and I have all the songs memorized, parent points for us!

4. The piggies at her Auntie Kari's house.

5. Her Auntie's belly. Anytime my sister's name is mentioned Kirsten sticks out her own belly and rubs it. She also loves to hold up two fingers whenever she hears the word "twins".

6. Feeding the dogs. For this reason, the pocket door to the mud room (where George and Ava's bowls are) stays closed 98% of the time.

7. Purses. Preferably ones full of cell phones, wallets, chap stick, and gum.

8. Animal sounds. She's been doing them forever, but they never get old to her.

9. Parks and playing outside.

10. Her Easter Bunny cup. What? It's almost Halloween? You mean your children aren't using Easter tableware?

Breast Feeding: Take Two.

2011-10-12T11:19:00.001-05:00

It's funny how some things really can hit you like a truck, at the most random times. I mean I'm deep in raising my second baby, I mean we've already passed by the newborn stage. How did that happen? Even though Simon's almost three months old, and I successfully nurtured and raised Kirsten out of her baby stage, I still find myself really analyzing and thinking about the things I'm doing for Simon at this point.

One of those things, that I spend a lot of time doing, is feeding him. I am nursing Simon, and it's going super for us so far (knock on wood). Kirsten was breast fed until she was six-months-old, when she and I both got thrush and it was too miserable to fight it. After "we" were diagnosed, I continued for just a couple of days before giving up. However, I am so happy that we made it that far. I'm totally not against formula feeding, Kirsten thrived after spending the second six months of her life drinking formula.

I do however, feel that breast feeding is right for me, for us. I love that I am providing everything my little man needs. And by the evidence of his chubby cheeks and his 97th percentile statistics, he's doing pretty well.

Now that I'm only working part time (or will be when I start back to work tomorrow), I won't have to spend nearly as much time pumping either. My work is supportive, in a way, but there really just isn't a good place to do it. With Kirsten I spent hours sitting in a dark supply closet that had a door without a lock. I'd sit on a stool with my back against the door, so that if someone ignored my huge sign on the outside, they'd still not really be able to open the door.

This time? That's not going to happen. I'm advocating for myself and will find a better place. I also know, this time around, that I need to pump more often. With Kirsten I'd pump twice, or maybe three times on a good day. I think I'll have to do it every two hours this time, my little guy eats a lot. I don't want to be staying up super late, or getting up in the night to pump now that he's finally sleeping through the night. That's a whole different post for a different day, but, yes he is a good sleeper!

Another blessing this time around, is that breast feeding in the beginning wasn't nearly as miserable as it was with Kirsten. I mean it hurt, and yes it was still the kind of hurt that makes you fear taking showers and putting on a bra, heaven forbid the latching on that the little barracuda does. But? It only lasted a few weeks. With Kirsten I was still having toe-curling pain after three months.

Confidence is a lot different this time around too. I mean, I still have moments where I wonder if I'm doing the right thing, or if he's getting enough. Those moments, though, occur much less frequently than they did the first time around. I understand that he will get enough, that my body is designed to do just that, give my baby what he needs. Whatever he takes out, will be replaced. And, it'll be replaced soon. For some reason last time I always though it took hours to produce more, not so much.

With Kirsten I had a few nights when she was a month old or so that I gave in and gave her a bottle of formula, just because I thought she was so hungry and not getting enough from me. I was wrong, she didn't need that formula I gave her. Although I don't regret it, it's not like it hurt her or anything, and it did make me feel better at the time. Now though? I understand that the hungrier your baby is, they more you nurse them.

And, those are my thoughts on breast feeding, the second time around. Here's to hoping we keep going strong even amidst this going-back-to-work-business that'll be starting tomorrow!

Starting Over.

2011-10-09T10:32:00.001-05:00

We moved into our house two-and-a-half years ago. I was newly pregnant with Kirsten then, so new in fact our families didn't even know yet when helping move us in. That made the suggestive, "ooooh-this-would-make-a-great-nursery" type comments a little hard to take without cracking a smile. It is the second house we've owned, and the second house we've remodeled.

After being pregnant and completely remodeling the house, I'll be completely honest in saying that I haven't really gotten my decorate on. Between tearing down (terrible) wallpaper off of every-freaking-square-inch of the walls in this house, to cleaning up the messes made by huge remodeling projects, and then throw in being pregnant with and having two babies, I think I've banked enough excuses to make it up until now.

Don't get me wrong, we've got some things up, but it is not how I want my house. I've put things up that I have, sometimes in random places none-the-less, so it's not like we've got bare walls. It's just, the photos aren't exactly where I want them, and in the exact frames, or with the other photos that look good with them. There are things on shelves that I like, but they've mostly been just set out, not really in a thoughtful way. A few rooms are really almost done, like the hallway bathroom and the kitchen.

Now, that I'm done with this pregnancy business, and we're mostly done with the remodeling, I'm going to go at it and get our house set up how I want it. I'm excited about it, and I'll be sure and post room by room as I go. I'm going to be strategic and do one room at a time. Well, I'm starting with two actually, first up will be the nursery and the living room.

Here are some before (like completely before we did a thing to the house) pictures. We didn't live like this for long, the first thing we did was remove all the wallpaper, retexture the walls, and paint. Oh, and remove the hideous light fixtures and window treatments. From there we slowly made our way into tearing out the old flooring, taking down walls, putting in new doors, gutting bathrooms and the kitchen, etc.

I'll leave you with the photos, and hopefully be updating really soon to show the updated and newly redecorated rooms.

Yes, there was a chalkboard built in. I'm not talking cutesy Pinterest inspired chalkboards either. We do still have the chalkboard in storage, I'm thinking of upcycling it for the kids' art area.

Oh, yes, and the shuffle board court (is it a court?) painted into the floor in the basement.

Guest room downstairs.

Dining room.

Basement wall paper stripes.

I'm serious folks, you can't make this stuff up.

Living room...with some wonderful ~~doilies~~ curtains on the bay window.

Office.

Nursery.

Metallic wallpaper in the hall bath.

Hall bath.

Textured wallpaper.

Master bathroom, which is still in the process of being remodeled. We ripped everything out, so far have the tile floor done, a new vanity, and new toilet. Waiting on the shower and tiled wall in the shower.

Dining room chandelier.

Thing One & Thing Two - A Dr. Seuss (Twins) Baby Shower

2011-09-27T21:42:00.001-05:00

Many of you know that my sister, Kari, is pregnant with twin boys. I am still a little in shock about the whole twin thing, but at the same time am so ready to meet my little nephews. Kari's due date is December 12th, but since she's having twins her doctor would like her to deliver between 36 and 38 weeks. That means we should have some new babies in time for Thanksgiving!

Kari and her husband have had a long journey to get to this point, with infertility issues and then losing a son last summer. We would obviously have loved to shower Kari and her babies no matter what, but she and her husband are so deserving of some true happiness and blessings, and they've definitely received that. I am so thankful that she is pregnant and healthy, and that both boys are too!

I hosted the shower at my house, which was a bit of a daunting task being that we've got a new baby and a very busy toddler at our house, but I was so happy to do it for my sister. I had wonderful help from my aunts and mother, and even a sweet blog friend (Ashley) who offered to send some adorable decorations she'd used at her son's first birthday party. Everything turned out great, and Kari had a great time.

Here are some details...

The Inspiration (i.e. Onsies my mom made).

The Bay Window.

This is where we displayed the gifts. Sorry for the bad lighting, I'm no pro at photography with my little old point-and-shoot. You can see, though, that it was a perfectly gorgeous fall day. These were the gifts there before any of the guests arrived. The window (and floor below) was brimming with sweet (and adorable) gifts for the boys.

The Dining Room.

Dr. Seuss Cupcakes.

The Cat in the Hat Cupcake.

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Marshmallows

Stars Upon Thars Cupcake.

Lemon Poppyseed Muffins with Lemon Icing

One Fish, Two Fish Cupcake.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Blue Icing

The Spread.

Mixed fresh fruit.

Muffin Melts (a la Pioneer Woman)

Mini Pancakes on a Stick (with Green Eggs for the display)

Apple Upside Down Cake

Red Cranberry Juice and Blue Kool-Aid

My Cuties.

Bits & Pieces - Kids' Nursery/Room & Baby Shower Sneak Peek

2011-09-26T05:12:00.004-05:00

- Nursery Update. The kids' room is getting there. I'm waiting on some of the crib bedding still. I am really hoping to get a full debut up in the next few days! Here's a little glimpse.

- Daddies & Daughters: Anyone who has a daughter (and a husband who your daughter has wrapped around her pretty little finger), go here and read this list (email it to Daddy at work too). Do it now.

- Thing One, Thing Two Baby Shower: Over the weekend we showered my sister Kari and her two little boys who are expected around Thanksgiving. The shower was at my house and we all had so much fun. Here's a little peek, I'll have a full post coming later this week. And? Matching baby boy things are so cute, she received so many little matching outfits.

- Lunch: Kirsten and I made these for lunch the other day. Everyday she's becoming more of a little girl. I mean, how is she big enough to help me make freaking lunch already? I love it, but it really blows me away. Anyhow, it was one of those random lunches that gets thrown together, but it ended up turning out deliciously. Directions: mix up tuna salad, spread on top of a sandwich "thin" or English muffin, top with fresh spinach, top with your favorite cheese, then put under the broiler for 3-5 minutes.

- Poor Puppy. Pretty sure that our Ava-girl has ear mites. Hopefully she'll get to the vet soon so we can be sure. Poor girl has some dang itchy ears. So gross and I feel so sorry for her!

What They Wore Wednesday.

2011-09-20T23:01:00.001-05:00

I've thought about doing What I Wore Wednesday (hosted each week by the Pleated Poppy), but honestly, you all don't want to see my yoga pants and nursing tanks.

I gave in and decided to participate this week, using my more fahionable counterparts (i.e. Kirsten and Simon) as the subjects. I'm only partly kidding on my attire, I do get dressed up once in awhile, but for now I think I'll just showcase my little people. Go check out the Pleated Poppy to see what everyone else is wearing, and or to link yourself (or your little people) up!

Okay, so Simon buddy is up first. I ordinarily don't prefer wordy clothing for either of my kids, but sometimes I've found a few that they just have to wear. This set came as a gift when Simon was born, and since the saying is so true, I had to put him in it. I do love the little blue and white striped pants, and of course the little man in the pants. And yes, we call him Simon-pants, but I don't have a clue why. Did I include the word pants enough in that paragraph for you?

Simon's wearing a little Carters outfit.

Kirsten was just a little more difficult to photograph for this edition of WIWW. This little hat is new, I've never gotten into the newsboy hats, but this one has the cutest floral print on the inside and just enough detail for you to see it. Here's Kirsten with her WIWW debut...

Hat, pink shirt, ivory hoodie, camel cords are all from Old Navy. Shoes are Tiny Toms. Balloon was from her auntie and was (shortly after this photo-shoot) killed by the dog.

Here's one other look Kirsten sported this week, that I was able to get some photos of. It's a bit of a random outfit, but she was looking too sweet not to try. You can see she's upset in one of the photos, she had a bit of a fit because she wanted her shoes on in the pictures. After the shoes got on, of course, she thought it was prime time to head outside. Ah, life with a toddler!

Tee is Under Armour (who knew they made that in *pink* and for such little ones?!) Shorts are Old Navy. Same Tiny Toms as above.

Showering My Nephews.

2011-09-19T21:39:00.000-05:00

This weekend I'll be busy. I won't be watching my beloved Iowa Hawkeyes (well, I won't be watching live anyhow, you can bet I'll watch it at some point). For me to miss an Iowa game? It takes a good reason. This weekend, I have two very good reasons to be missing the game. Those reasons, are my twin nephews. They're not here yet, and hopefully won't be until right around Thanksgiving time, but they're nice and comfy-cozy in my sister's tummy. I am so excited for these little boys, I absolutely can't wait to meet them and for my sister and her husband to bring their two little boys home.

I'll be hosting the shower at my house, with lots of help of course. Our theme is Dr. Seuss, more specifically Thing One and Thing Two. It's going to be fabulous!

Here's a little teaser, this is the invite we sent out a few weeks ago. This Etsy seller was a delight to work with in getting the invites made up. The poetry, though, is courtesy of yours truly. I know, I know, I'm soooooo talented. Anyhow, stay tuned next week for some more shower details! Here is where I've logged much of my inspiration for the shower.

Thank you to everyone who left a note after yesterday's introduction, and if you weren't brave enough yesterday, I'll give one more shout out to please delurk. Pretty please! I'd love to know who my readers are and where you blog at so I can read along. Please and thanks!

Introduction.

2011-09-18T19:40:00.001-05:00

A few days ago my friend Katie over at Loves of Life did a little introduction post. Even though she's been blogging forever, and I have been reading her for a few years, it was still really nice to read that post. I started thinking about it, and I don't think I've done anything like that. So, since imitation is the most sincere form of flattery and all, I hope she doesn't mind. Head over and check her out though, she's real, hilarious, and adorable. Not to mention her gorgeous little chica is just a few months younger than mine.

Okay, back to my introduction. So yes, my name is Erica, and I obviously live in the Midwest. I was born and raised here, and am very happy about that. I left for college, to go to one of our state's large universities, and when I graduated (with an elementary education degree) there was a job opening in a town about thirty miles from my hometown. I applied, interviewed a few days later, was offered the job, and started teaching there the next fall. I taught in a dual-language (Spanish) kindergarten room for the first three years, and the past two years I've taught Title 1, which is basically reading and math help for children who are behind or ahead and need a challenge.

My husband (Peter) and I started dating our senior year of high school. We had the time of our lives that year. I honestly loved high school and my best friends are all people I've known since childhood. Unfortunately Peter and I are the only ones out of our close friends who moved back "home", but we're counting on some of them to start moving back any day now. We've met some new great friends too, at college and throughout the last several years. Okay, back to the story. So yes, we started dating in high school, graduated, and moved onto college in different cities.

I stayed and graduated in four years. Peter went to a few different colleges, and then decided to join the United States Army. This was a tough decision, I wasn't all for it (obviously we were at war), but I supported him 100%. I am very proud of him, but it wasn't easy by any means. I am very thankful we're not at that point in our lives anymore. I do thank God every night for having him not only out of war, but laying right next to me in our own home. After serving in the Army for three and a half years (including a fifteen month deployment to Iraq that postponed our wedding twice), Peter was honorably discharged and moved back to our hometown a few months before we got married, which was in June of 2008. Shortly before the wedding George (our first American Bulldog) came into our lives. He is truly a blessing, I love him more than I ever imagined I'd love an animal. We got Ava (our girly girl American Bulldog) the winter after our wedding.

After we got married we enjoyed a few months of wedded bliss before finding out we were pregnant with our daughter Kirsten! Pregnancy was no treat, I was super sick, and labor wasn't any better. We contemplated if we'd ever have any more children, even though we'd always thought we wanted three our four kids. When Kirsten turned about eight months old we changed our minds, we thought, let's just do it, try and get pregnant and get through it. We were used to being up at night (Kirsten was not a good sleeper), used to diapers, used to being on a schedule that is at the control of a nursing baby, etc. We were blessed to get pregnant then, and a few months later Simon came along. They are eighteen months apart and we're in the thick of raising two babies (okay, one baby and one toddler) at the moment.

Life is so busy, but so wonderful. It overwhelms me several times each day, the emotion and amazement I have at being the mother of these two precious children, and a wife to someone who I truly admire and love. While it's definitely not all rainbows and butterflies, I do feel extremely blessed and am thankful for that everyday.

I love to write and be inspired, and the blogging community fits that nitch perfectly for me, so I blog. I am also on Twitter, and Pinterest, and all of those wonderful other internet things. If I'm not following you on those, leave me a comment or request to follow me and I'll add you.

Now that you all know way more about me than you need to, tell me something, who are you? Have you been reading long? Are you on Twitter? Do I know you in real life? My statistics tell me there are local people reading this little old blog and I'd love to know who you are, I honestly didn't know anyone (other than my sister) that I know in real life read this. So, if you'd be so kind to take a minute and leave a comment telling me a little about yourself (whoever you are and wherever you're from), I'd appreciate it. Don't be shy, introduce yourself!

And, it's very nice to meet you all.

Dear Sophie (i.e. Dear Kirsten and Simon).

2011-09-15T08:57:00.000-05:00

Have you seen this Google Chrome commercial? If you've not seen it yet, grab a box of tissues quick and hit play.

Recently I made Kirsten and Simon their very own Gmail account, and I've been having so much fun sending them photos, videos, and just notes about their lives. I know some people document all of this through their blog, and I do some here as well, but I really loved this idea (and bawled) the first time I saw this commercial.

Have any of you done this? If you have, do you have any plans on when you're going to let your child "check" the messages? I'm picturing Kirsten's wedding day or the day before Simon plays in a big game. While I don't want the time to pass quickly (obviously) I'm already looking forward to reading the messages with them someday.

Bits & Pieces

2011-09-14T05:06:00.005-05:00

Return address stamps. I've been wanting one of these for some time now, so I figure with birth announcements going out soon (I hope) and upcoming Christmas cards there's no time like the present to bite the bullet and get one. If you ~~give a damn~~ have a minute go check out my Pinterest board with several options and tell me which you like! I want one with all of our names, but I don't love those designs. Anyhow, I'm getting one and excited about it.

Siblings. This is a pic of my husband and his little sister at a wedding over the weekend. How much do they look alike? I mean, for being a pre-teen girl and an adult man!

Siblings. Check out my cutie-patooties. The first is one from our photo session when Simon was two(ish) weeks old. Second shot is recent. Note, we have a pacifier thief on our hands. Good thing Simon doesn't really care!

Dryer bars. I bought one of these because I had a coupon, and I love it. Every time I put a load of clothes in the dryer I catch myself going to grab a dyer sheet (which for some reason I always got annoyed by). Now I don't have to throw it in! It's supposed to last for four months too. I'm guessing the way we go through laundry it won't last quite that long, but I'm definitely happy with the purchase.

Spinach. We hardly ever eat lettuce at our house, I don't see the point. Instead, I buy fresh (and nutrient packed) spinach. I use the spinach instead whenever we'd use lettuce, like on salads, cold meat sandwiches, hamburgers, etc. The other night we had BLST's for dinner. Peter doesn't eat tomatoes (which is a sin being that they're locally grown and delicious at this time of the year), so he had a BS for dinner. It's pathetic how funny I found this.

Well, if this wasn't the most random post I've ever written, I'm not sure what is. Anyhow, that's all folks!

{Fabulously Fall} - Looks I Love.

2011-09-12T08:45:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Fabulously Fall, episode two! Please link up and share your favorite fall looks, the linky tools are at the bottom of this post. Next week I'll have another Fabulously Fall link up on Monday.

I had a lot of fun writing this post, I actually used it as a way to somewhat get an idea of some go to outfits for the season and upcoming cold weather. I had a garage sale last week and literally cleaned out my closet, both clothes and shoes. So, I need some new garb. I have lots of classic staples featured in several of these outfits, but am also looking to do some shopping to update my wardrobe.

Here are some looks I'm loving for this season. And, thanks to Pinterest not working at the moment, I'm having a hard time embedding and giving credit where credit is due. So for now, low-res images of pretty clothes will have to suffice. Here goes.

Look #1 - It's still warm enough for shorts here, sometimes, so I really love this look and the pretty cardigan to put on in the chilly mornings.

Look #2 - I'm loving all things glittery for my nails this fall. Love this look.

Look #3 - More glittery, neutralish nails. This is Butter London by All Hail McQueen.

Look #4 - Leggings, boots, and cardis. This is me for the majority of Saturdays in the fall and winter. I do need to update my tanks/shirts to wear underneath and am hoping to invest in a new pair of boots for this winter. I have suede tan boots that are my go to, but I need another pair to love. What are your favorite boots?

Look #5 - Red? I don't do, usually. I do love this look, especially that necklace. I think I love the necklace even more with the boatneck shirt, that neckline and necklace together is looking good to me. Do you wear red? Have any other colors that you don't do?

Look #6 - Mustard Yellow Cord Toms. These babies will be showing up to my door any day now. And? I'm excited. There might be some sweet little purple, sparkly Tiny Toms showing up with them.

So, those are just a few looks I'm loving for the fall, I'd love to see what you're thinking! Here's the linky tools. Happy Monday friends, I hope you're all having a Fabulous Fall!

Simon's Birth Announcement

2011-09-06T05:05:00.002-05:00

{source}

Simon's birth announcements are ready! Well, by ready I mean I have the file. Now, it's onto printing, addressing, stamping, and sending. Let's hope they get out this week. Regardless of when they get sent, I'm uber in love with the design, not to mention the sweet little boy who they're in honor of.

I also love the stamps that the post office has right now, they were perfect for our little boy's birth announcements. Have you all seen these adorable Disney/Pixar stamps?

{source}

Don't forget to link up with my Fabulously Fall post from yesterday! Next Monday's Fabulously Fall link up will be "Favorite Fall Looks".

(Link Up!) Fabulously Fall - Football.

2011-09-05T09:35:00.001-05:00

I'll be hosting link ups each Monday with different (fabulous) fall posts! I'd be glad to have you join in, today's link up (which will be up all week) is all about football. Keep reading for more info, and please come back and link up! Next week's Fabulously Fall link up will be featuring favorite looks for fall, and you can interpret that however you want!

* * * * * *

College football is here! We are huge Iowa Hawkeye fans at our house, and we had one heck of a win over the weekend. Although there was a rain delay (I've never seen this before), our Hawkeyes had no problem with rain or the wet field. We stayed home all day and hung out as our little family, and it was fabulous. We've been busy to the max lately, so it was a very nice change of pace. I had an autumn candle burning, we ate yummy football food, and did plenty of playing and cuddling with our babes. And dogs.

What do you do to celebrate football? Do you go to the games? Do you like college or professional? Watch at home? Who is your team? Go ahead and share photos from games, or really any and all things football. Recipes, snacks, drinks, clothing, pets, children, scores, traditions, etc. If you had a Fabulously Fall Football weekend yourself, go ahead and link up! Linky information is at the bottom of this post.

The moral of this ~~story~~ post is that our very first weekend of Hawkeye football as a family of four was wonderful. Our future little Hawkeye and Hawkeye cheerleader make our lives so much fun!

And yes, we're those ~~vain~~ parents who think our son will be the star quarterback or tight end, and our daughter will be in uniform cheering him on from the sidelines.

Here are some photos from our Fabulously Football Saturday!

Ava girl sporting ~~her~~ Kirsten's old Hawkeye shirt.

Geroge in his (yes, legitimately his) Iowa jersey.

Proud fans. We're definitely brainwashing them, but that's the point of being a parent, right? Kirsten loooooves cheering for the Hawkeyes and waving her pom-poms.

Ooo...look who joined in the family photo?!

Our tired (almost) twenty-month-old after an entire day of football watching (and lots of playing hard with her daddy).

Drinking from Mama's huge cup. It is just water, I promise. In twenty years when she's a student at Iowa, then she can enjoy something else from such a cup.

* * * * *

Link up and show us your Fabulously Fall (Football) weekend!

Photo Dump - Catching Up.

2011-09-02T13:59:00.002-05:00

Hi hi friends! I'm a very MIA blogger lately, but I've made time to pop in with some pictures and to say hi. I am reading everyone's blogs, but it's hard to find time to comment. Reading while nursing is easy, typing while nursing is not-so-much-easy! I hope you are all great, and that you enjoy my random little photo dump to try and catch up! Captions are below each photo...

Super baby!

His car seat makes him sleep. Honestly, he naps in there and sleeps in it at nights. Judge me if you wish, but if it makes him sleep eight hours at night, it's where he's going to sleep. All that being said, I'm going to really start working on sleep training (my own variation of many methods) within the next week or so. I hope we can make it work! On that note, anyone else care to fess up letting their babies sleep in weird places?! Anyone? Beuller?

Kirsten has been loving art lately. She really enjoys coloring, and funny enough she also enjoys cleaning up her coloring messes! Mommy learned this one the hard way (I know, I should have known better), but it's not wise to leave crayons out while she's playing by herself.

Simon loves his little taggy blankie that my mom made him, but his sister loves his blankie even more. She has a pink one that my mom made her, but she prefers to have both hers and Simon's before bed. Good thing he doesn't really care!

Kirsten gave Simon a bottle! She was SO excited, she loves to give her babies bottles, so she jumped at the chance when I offered to let her give Simon one. He doesn't get many bottles, he's a wonderful little nurser, but he takes a bottle just fine when he needs to.

Kirsten, just being cute. I'm hearing the "pop" sound from the Bubblegum song in my head right now.

Kirsten is in love with her dogs. I mean she always has been, but lately it's been up a notch (or several notches). George obviously doesn't mind!

Smiles! Simon started really smiling around four weeks, he is so dang precious when he's in a smiley mood. Love him. He was one-month-old in this photo.

My kids. :)

Simon in a sweet little MudPie outfit, this one was taken just last weekend, he's getting big so fast!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Changing gears...

One of my best friends from high school got married last weekend, and several of our good friends made it home (Peter and I live in our hometown, but most of our friends haven't moved back). We had SO much fun, it was great. I apologize if you can tell that I've had too much to drink in a few of the photos, but we had FUN. I'll blame it on the fact that one of the signature drinks was Firefly and lemonade, yum! My parents kept Simon and Kirsten stayed overnight with her cousins so it was a great night for Mommy and Daddy to unwind and relax with friends!

Rehearsal dinner, Peter and I.

Rehearsal, my good friend Steph who was home from D.C.

Reception (gorgeous night), Peter and I. This is where our reception was too!

Some of the boys. I let Peter wear a polo - oops - guess he should have worn a tie too!

Some of my best friends. Waiting to leave the dance, heading to town for more fun!

See, I told you we had too much to drink!

My bestie Christina rocking out on some ~~air~~ leg guitar action.

More fun with my girls! Seriously this night was good for my soul, I miss my friends so much and cherish the times when they're all home at the same time!

Things Pinterest Loves.

2011-08-22T11:22:00.000-05:00

I'm sure you've all heard of Pinterest by now, and if you haven't (or you haven't given in yet), then ~~you're living under a blogger rock~~ just go ahead and skip this little post. I gave it my best effort to stay away as long as I could, we all know none of us need another online "thing" to take up our time, but I finally did sign up a couple of months ago and I love all of the inspiration I've found. Inspiration via Pinterest comes in various forms (recipes, outfit ideas, kid ideas, decorating, and so many more). If you're on, and I'm not following you, please leave a comment or click the link above to follow me!

While so many things on the site are very unique and original, I have noticed some...hmm...trends. So, I'll close with my list, entitled "Things Pinterest Loves."

1. S'mores anything.
2. Nutella anything.
3. Polyvore.
4. Red Velvet Cake anything.
5. Essie, OPI, and Chanel nail color.
6. Chalkboard paint on anything.
7. Huts on the ocean.
8. Amazing laundry rooms.
9. To "Keep Calm and _____."
10. Halloween.
11. Chevron anything.
12. Braids.

What have you noticed that Pinterest loves? Did I miss anything?

Newborn and Family Photos {Sneak Peek.}

2011-08-18T13:14:00.000-05:00

Sturgis.

2011-08-16T13:22:00.000-05:00

Yep. You read that title correctly, Sturgis, as in, the huge motorcycle rally held out in Sturgis, South Dakota. Last Thursday, Peter packed up his (saddle)bags and headed out West. He returned home safe and sound (thank you God, He must have been listening to my crazy-worried-wife-prayers) on Sunday evening.

You all probably know from my blog title that I live in the Midwest, but our midwestern town is nowhere near South Dakota. It was a ten hour ride for them, one way. I think it's crazy, but, it's something he really wanted to do. So, I was as supportive as I could be about it. I think it's important for husbands and wives to be supportive of each other's interests, even if they're not shared. That being said, I'm so not a motorcycle person. The idea of it scares the heck out of me, but I also know that Peter's very responsible and always wears a helmet. I also know that he'll always support my hobbies and things that are important to me, so I want to do the same for him. ~~Plus now he owes me a four-day weekend away with my friends, while he stays home with the kids.~~ I kid, I kid.

I'm very thankful that my family was around and helped out while Peter was gone, because honestly, being a single mom to a newborn and a (somewhat crazy) one-and-a-half year old was a bit of a daunting task. My sister stayed over on Friday night, since her husband was out of town too, and we all enjoyed our little slumber party (especially Kirsten!)

Here's my little diaper-only clad babe with her daddy before he took off...

Chalk Love.

2011-08-10T15:27:00.001-05:00

Tan baby legs.

Decorating the driveway.

And doing a little dancing.

After a sweet comment (coming from someone who takes very pretty pictures herself) encouraged me to enter this photo, I headed over to The Paper Mama's blog to enter this last photo in the "Whatever" photo challenge. Head over to check it out!

The Story of Our Little Man's Arrival.

2011-08-09T23:14:00.001-05:00

Ten days past our due date, we finally headed to the hospital to have a baby. I was induced at 7:00am on a Tuesday morning, although our little boy would take awhile to join us and his birthday was the next day, a Wednesday. Here are some photos from that morning, shortly after they started the induction.

Labor was a slow process for me, just like it was for Kirsten. I was in active labor for 18 hours before our little boy was delivered. They monitored the baby very closely the entire time, and he was a champ. His heart rate remained strong throughout the whole time. Even though I was having consistent (and intense) contractions every minute and a half or two, I was very slow to dilate and the baby's head was extremely slow in coming down. In fact, his head didn't truly come down until I was dilated to a 9 or a 10.

After a long day of laboring, our little man was finally born at 12:55am the following day, July 20th. He was 9 pounds and 8 ounces, and 20.5 inches long. It was a little scary at first, as he wasn't crying very much, and his color was not good (to say the least). Peter said he looked like a smurf, he was so blue. They gave him oxygen and put him under the heat right away, and after several minutes he did start to cry a little more, and his color improved. Thankfully everything was okay, he was just a little slow adjusting to the cold outside world I guess. He'd had a long, hard day just like his momma! Here he is just after delivery and our first picture with him.

Throughout the labor and delivery Peter and I were the only ones at the hospital, Kirsten stayed with my parents. Since Simon was born in the middle of the night we didn't have anyone come visit until the next morning. We were so ready to see Kirsten by the time they did come! Here are a few photos of Kirsten meeting her little brother, it was definitely love at first sight.

We stayed at the hospital Wednesday and Thursday nights, and on Friday we brought our little boy home! Here we are, just about to head out the door and start life as a family of four.

We are all doing so well, life is so good right now! Granted, I'm exhausted, and it hasn't been all rainbows and butterflies, but in the grand skeem of things we are all just beyond happy. We've been so blessed, we have two beautiful and healthy children who are ours to raise and love. Although labor wasn't any treat, I have had a great recovery and am feeling almost completely back to normal. Simon's an amazing little nurser and he was almost 11 pounds already at his two week appointment. He sleeps 4-6 hour stretches at night, and really only cries when hungry/tired/wet. Kirsten is a super big sister, she had a couple of tough days adjusting when we came home, but overall she's doing great. Peter is such a good daddy, I'm a lucky wife and my kids are lucky to have him as a father too. George and Ava (our dogs) are just fine, in fact I think George rolled his eyes at us when we came in with Simon, as in he was thinking, "They got another one of those?!"

Thank you again for all the kind thoughts and prayers, it's so humbling to be cared about by friends, most of whom I've never met. I hope to be back to blogging and Twitter a little more regularly soon, I miss keeping up with all of you, but I've really just been soaking in my new role in life as a mommy to two little ones!

Hi, I'm...

2011-07-20T12:51:00.001-05:00

Simon is here!

After a long labor our healthy baby boy joined the world at 12:55 this morning (July 20th), weighing 9 pounds and 8 ounces. He and I are doing great, and his big sister (as well as his mommy and daddy) love him dearly. I cannot express how thankful I am for all of the prayers and comments from sweet blog and Twitter friends!

(Somewhat) Silent Sunday.

2011-07-17T11:07:00.001-05:00

I'll preface this the way I do all phone conversations (as of late)... No, I'm not in labor and no there is no baby news! Just a few cute pics of my girl.

Her daddy has a love for unhealthy cereal. To his defense he usually eats it as a snack, and not breakfast, but regardless of when he was eating it, he left the box out in the living room. Kirsten was very happy to find it when she woke up from her nap.

A little (or maybe a lot) of love for George.

Our big girl having some water to wash down all that Cookie Crisp she just enjoyed.

And finally, a little Ava/Kirsten couch time while watching some Sesame Street.

I hope you're all enjoying your Sundays!

Just a Little Venting. And an update at the bottom.

2011-07-15T13:44:00.004-05:00

I hate Tums. I love Tums. I hate Tums. I go like this, over and over again. They make me gag and feel nauseous afterwards, but they also provide immediate relief and save me from the heartburn that's driving me absolutely nuts.
The pelvic pain is ridiculous. Each day I think it can't get any more intense, then the next day always proves me wrong.
Insomnia. I can't fall asleep at night, and after waking to use the bathroom I can never get back to sleep. My best sleep seems to be in the mornings, thankfully Kirsten's been sleeping pretty late so I get some good rest then too.
I keep seeing all of these cute, sweet, squishy babies on other blogs and Twitter. I want mine! I want to hold him and kiss him and see who he looks like. I want to dress him in the sweet little boy things we have all washed and ready for him.
I know people mean the best, and I am really good at smiling and nodding and over all just being polite. But? In all honesty, I'm tired of being polite. Spicy food, bumpy rides, long walks, jumping jacks, exercise balls, the inevitable "doing what got you into this situation will get you out of it", etc. Trust me, we've tried everything. This little man is just not ready to come out, and it has nothing to do with what I am or am not doing. Don't feel bad if you've suggested something to me, I'm more talking about the strangers at the grocery store.
My hospital bag is packed and by the door. Every time I get ready, I now have to get my makeup, deodorant, toothbrush, and all of those goods out of the bag. I'm tired of putting on deodorant in the foyer.
Speaking of getting ready, these three tops that still fit are sure getting old. Not to mention wearing yoga pants daily. Only slightly kidding on this one, I do have a few more things but nothing feels comfortable at this point.

And for a little update, I've had two appointments this week being monitored and also had a Non Stress Test. The baby is doing super, his little heartbeat is great and everything with me is just fine. I really don't want to be induced, but my doctor has said I can be next Tuesday if nothing happens before then. Please pray with me that it happens before freaking Tuesday.

I went into labor naturally with Kirsten, but ended up being on Pitocin for a long time (like 30+ hours) because I wasn't making progress as far as thinning or dilating. I don't want to have it again. I want my body and Mother Nature to do the work, and I'm hopeful that will lead to a much better labor experience than I had last time. If I am induced we'll start with Cytotec rather than Pitocin, which is my doctor's recommendation. We are going with a different doctor this time, we had a midwife with Kirsten.

So friends, those are the details as I know them. I so appreciate all the sweet words via Twitter, email, and comments. I really hope to be back very soon with some baby news, but in the meantime I'm just doing all I can to be patient. The most important thing is that we've been blessed with a healthy baby (even if he prefers to hang out in my uterus), and I am lucky to also be very healthy at this point.

County Fair.

2011-07-13T21:51:00.000-05:00

We're trying to continue and enjoy our summer, even if there is just one (main) thing on our minds. In efforts to soak up every sweet minute of Kirsten being our only child, and us being a family of three, we headed out to the county fair this evening for some delicious, down home food, and of course for the entertainment. Kirsten loves the animals, and seeing lots of friends out and about. See for yourself below, but she especially liked the carousel!

Hope to be back with some baby news soon!

The Due Date.

2011-07-11T08:59:00.004-05:00

This past Saturday was our baby's due date. You know, the date I've been telling people and thinking over and over in my head for the past nine months. So, did I expect to spend The Due Date the way I did? No way. But, all in all, it was really a great day.

We all woke up, and since it was a Saturday Peter was off and we all got to be lazy together. We hung out and played in our big bed (which Kirsten loves), and then got ready and headed down to the Farmer's Market. Bought some yummy things (read fresh strawberry jam, cinnamon rolls, and muffins) and ran an errand or two. Then, we headed home and packed Daddy up to take off.

Yes, you read that right "to take off". I sent him 200 miles away on The Due Date to attend one of his best friend's weddings. We'd been going back and forth for weeks on whether or not he should attend, and when it came down to it, I wanted him to go. I'd hate to miss a wedding of such a good friend, so why should he? Plus, if I started having contractions, he could be home in three hours. After my marathon labor with Kirsten (almost forty hours of active labor), if I my labor with this baby were three hours or less, I'm pretty sure I would have been happy.

In the end though, the day went great. Kirsten and I hung out with my parents all day, they helped chase her around and make meals for us, then she stayed overnight with them and I headed to a wedding here in town with some of my best friends from high school.

L to R: Steph (BM in the wedding, dress was actually more coral but looks very pink here), myself, and Meg.

So, even though I spent The Due Date without my husband, it was one of the most relaxing and best days I've had in several weeks. Mostly, because I didn't want to go into labor. I was able to catch up with good friends and enjoy a beautiful summer wedding without that constant thought of "when will the baby come" lingering over my head.

(Now though, for the record, that lingering feeling is back. Come on baby!)

***

Here are a few more pictures of me at forty weeks. Ignore then unmade bed please, and the closets without doors, we're in the never ending remodeling/updating process and our bedroom is currently on the hit list. Oh, and lastly, pretty please don't notice the ugly pink carpet. This is the last room to be done and I can't wait to get rid of it's pink, 80's ugliness!

This dress? I had to show you just because I was laughing so hard at what a freaking blimp I looked like. I tried it on and couldn't get a certain song by the Beatles out of my head.

18 Months Ago.

2011-07-07T14:34:00.000-05:00

Eighteen months ago we were blessed with the most amazing gift. Looking back at our hospital pictures of her makes me smile so big and get a bittersweet lump in my throat.

The time she's been in our lives has flown by, much like I expected it to. It has been the best.

Now, looking at these pictures makes me so anxious to meet her baby brother. Will he look like her? Will he also be a carbon copy of his daddy?

There are so many unknowns about the new baby, but one thing I know is that Kirsten will be the sweetest big sister. She loves people, and I know she's going to love her little brother.

I'm so thankful for this little girl, I love her so much and I can't wait to see her in action as a big sister.

Happy Fourth!

2011-07-03T10:03:00.000-05:00

Pregnancy Update - 39 Weeks

2011-06-30T14:15:00.002-05:00

As of today I'm 38 weeks and 5 days, but who's counting?
I had an appointment this morning and the baby's heartbeat was good, my blood pressure was good, basically all of those things they check are good.
Not very much progress as far as dilation (although a little), so I'm really trying not to get my hopes up to go into labor anytime soon. I have to remind myself of a statistic I read recently, that the average mother goes 40 weeks and 3 days in their second pregnancy. Why does it seem like everyone has their baby at 38 weeks? Or, everyone but me?!
Please ignore the spots in the photos, and please tell me, how do mirrors get dirty so quickly?
The baby is head down (or was this morning) but he is still very high. My doctor is a little concerned, because he is still so high and also very active, that he could flip and become breech. I'm (obviously) hoping that doesn't happen, I really don't want a c-section or a version.
I'm so glad it's summer vacation and I'm not working, I am running quickly out of things that fit. Nothing is long enough! I broke out some of my nursing tanks to wear around the house since they actually fit over this belly.
I'll keep the blog and my Twitter updated as anything happens...more soon I hope!

Bits & Pieces - Still Waiting...

2011-06-22T14:33:00.000-05:00

I've been super busy lately, loving summertime but on the go very frequently and too exhausted to do much else when we're not on the go! This little bits & pieces update will have to suffice until I get some major blogging mojo back...
***
I'm 37 weeks (and 5 days) pregnant. I'm getting very anxious to meet this baby, but trying to remain realistic. Kirsten came at 40 weeks and 6 days so really, the chances of him coming early are slim to none. He's healthy and doing great though, and I'm ~~focusing~~ trying to focus on that (and not the immense amount of pain I'm feeling at this point).
***
Kirsten had swimming lessons all last week, she is a little fish and absolutely loved it. We do a a parent/infant/toddler class so it was fun to get in the water with her. I did several days, Peter came and did it one night when my back was really bothering me. Highlights include getting to dress her in her cute little swimming suits (which I have way too many of), watching her lay down on her tummy and "swim", and floating my pregnant self around in the pool which feels oh-so-good.
***
Nursery things are coming along, the bedding is taking longer than expected so I'm not sure if I'll be able to do a reveal before the baby gets here. Since he'll be sleeping in our room for a few weeks (months?) anyhow, it's not a big deal. I'm loving the progress though!
***
I'm getting really tired of hearing the same things from strangers or people making small talk. I'm anxious for this belly to be gone so not everyone says the same freaking thing to me all the time! When are you due? Do you have everything ready? Do you know what you're having? Do you have a name picked out? You're going to be super busy! What's Kirsten going to think of the baby?
***
One word, Pinterest. I gave in a week ago or so and am totally addicted. I'm way late to the party, so all of you who have left the party already, please come back and play!
***
It was our third anniversary yesterday, we had a nice day but are going to go out to celebrate this weekend. I'm really looking forward to a yummy dinner out and just spending a relaxing evening with Peter. I was going to say I'm looking forward to getting all dressed up and cute, but the truth is hardly anything fits me anymore so it may be a bit of a challenge!

Summer Time.

2011-06-15T06:52:00.003-05:00

My parents live right on the main street in our little town. We were there for a parade recently, and Kirsten loved all the action. I mean parades attract strollers and dogs, and, well, kids and puppies are a couple of this girl's favorite things.

These pictures just scream "summer" to me (lawn chairs, sunglasses, daddies and little girls strolling hand-in-hand) and - I love it.

Pregnancy Update - 36 Weeks

2011-06-11T17:50:00.000-05:00

- Baby has decided to sit or put some sort of pressure on my sciatic nerve. My back hurts. It runs down into my leg a little too, but it's mostly just my lower back. My doctor was on vacation all of this past week so I didn't see him, but I think I'm going to call on Monday. I doubt much can be done, but I'm desperate it hurts so badly.

- I've gained 14 pounds so far. Considering Kirsten was 9 pounds 3 ounces at birth, I'm really wondering how big this baby is going to be.

- I was always measuring 3 to 4 weeks ahead with Kirsten, with this baby I'm always measuring exactly on the week that I'm on. Think that means baby brother will be smaller? And easier to push out? Maybe wishful thinking, but I think all pregnant women have some wishful thinking. Especially at this point.

- I'm pretty sure the baby flipped back around and is now head down, my doctor showed me how to feel his little head and I'm pretty sure I know what I'm feeling. Very much hoping I'm right and he's not breech still!

- No labor signs yet. Braxton Hicks contractions come and go but nothing really indicative that anythings going to happen soon. I have appointments every Friday from here on out.

Shared Nursery Details - Sneak Peek.

2011-06-08T13:45:00.001-05:00

The nursery is coming along! Here's what I finished last night. Not sure if they'll hang on the wall or be placed on a shelf, so I'll show them to you straight from our kitchen island. Honestly, I had tears in my eyes last night looking at them. The tears weren't from the frames or the prints, but the words to the song. I love the pinkish/red frame the most, it's so so so true.

Ta da!

Thanks to my brother-in-law for doing the prints, Hobby Lobby for some super cheap (although somewhat banged up) frames, and my local Wal-Mart for the aqua spray paint. I'm looooving the aqua.

Bits & Pieces - SUMMER Style.

2011-06-02T11:16:00.001-05:00

It's summer vacation around these parts and I couldn't be much happier. Life is so good. Here's a little bits and pieces style update!

Home. I am loving being home with Kirsten. Seriously it makes me sad that I'm not home with her all the time, and all I've missed out on this past year, but I'm just soaking it all in rather than dwelling on what I can't change. Also? I'm so thankful and feeling so blessed that when fall rolls around I'll only have to be away from her (and her little brother) half as much as I have the past year. I am so so happy about that.

Baby Boy. Pregnancy is going well, my back is hurting and the heartburn is so dang annoying, but other than the little aches and pains (okay sometimes I whine like they're big pains) I'm doing great. I had my 34 week appointment today and baby's heartbeat and my blood pressure are all good. The baby had been head down but my doctor wasn't quite sure this morning, and I'm pretty sure I felt him flip yesterday. It's not too late for him to turn back around, so let's hope he does!

The nursery. Ah the nursery. I am not moving very quickly in this category and I need to get my butt in gear. I think one day next week Kirsten may go to Grandma's and mama is going to stay home and work all day and get it done. That can happen, right? I really ~~think~~ hope it can.

A stroller. I finally made up my mind and ordered a double stroller. I had a much more expensive one that I really loved, and everyone who has it seems to love, but I just couldn't talk myself into spending so much. We with with a Kolcraft stroller, I really love it (online) and the review are great. It's scheduled to arrive on our porch steps today! It has basically everything I wanted in my dream stroller (the City Select) except that it isn't intended to be used as a single stroller. The seats are interchangeable and can face a million different ways, which is what I really liked.

A Picnic

2011-05-24T11:08:00.001-05:00

We had a lovely little picnic last weekend. When we were getting ready to go, I asked Kirsten to go get her shoes for her daddy to put on her. She walked off down the hallway to her room, and I heard her in her closet getting shoes. Lately she's had two pairs she wears all the time, little pink Nikes for when she's running around a lot (daycare shoes) and some comfy pink sandal type shoes, so I figured she'd come out with either of those. Nope. Check out the little photo roll below to see what our girl wanted to wear on our picnic. How could I say no to this cuteness? And, you should have seen how proud of herself she was walking around on our wood floors hearing the "click" as she walked.

Oh, and to add to it, these were her daddy's boots when he was little. I'd die to see a picture of him in them.

And a few mommy-and-me pics just for fun.

I Like To Call This One...

2011-05-23T08:32:00.000-05:00

... "No, Mom. I didn't just give the dogs the entire new box of Cracked Pepper and Olive Oil Triscuits. I would never do anything that. I would especially never do that and then flash you this big, beautiful smile!"

{Kirsten's cutsie-pie little seersucker shirt is from Jennifer over at Braylabees.}

George! Get Out of the...

2011-05-20T10:02:00.001-05:00

Peter and I have a running joke (okay maybe I partially hope it comes true someday) that I'll write numerous best-selling children's books someday, and they'll all feature our American Bulldog, George.

The first book ~~and the favorite of kids and dog lovers everywhere~~ will be titled "Get Out of the Way, George!" He is always in the way, he loves to be right where we are. That's cute and all, don't get me wrong, but don't forget he weighs over 100 pounds.

The other night, we George added a new book to the future series. This one, obviously, will be titled "Get Out of the Tub, George!"

Can You Write Like a First Grader? - Link Up

2011-05-17T16:11:00.002-05:00

Being that I'm in an all-things-summer-vacation state of mind, I recently did an activity at school recently where I had my first graders make a list. We've worked a lot on writing for different purposes and audiences, and making lists is one thing we've practiced a lot. The lists were entitled "Ten Things I Want to Do this Summer".

I decided to make my own list, just to keep in check with what I really want to do this summer. Will all of these things happen? No, most likely not. But, just like I explained to my students, these lists were to include their dreams and any ideas that they'd love to do if they could.

Now, I'm inviting you to share too, by attempting to host my very first ever link up. I'm anxious to see what you all want to do this summer, if you could do whatever you wanted. Below is where you can link up if you'd like to share your summer list...

Now, onto my list. Here are Ten Things I Want To Do This Summer.

1. Go the the beach with my little family. Not sure which beach (we've got a very limited selection here in Iowa), but I want to see my little girl playing in the sand and the waves. Oh, and my hunky husband in his swimming shorts too.

2. Host a barbecue. I want to use so many of the cute things outdoor entertaining things I've picked up over the years. Maybe Memorial Day? Maybe my birthday? Maybe my brother-in-law's thirtieth birthday? See, there are many opportunities for this hypothetical event.

3. Have a baby.

4. Take Kirsten to see fireworks on the Fourth of July. We didn't get this done last summer, not that she cared at five-months-old, but I did. This summer? We'll be seeing them.

5. Indulge in a Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy (or several). Obviously this will occur after event number 3 on my list.

6. Get a tan. Seriously, I was one of those kids/teenagers who was always so tan. Life as an adult? Not so tan. I'm over it and ready to get back to my younger, bronzer self. I think pool days with my little girl will help that fact. I'm planning that Kirsten and I will have many afternoons where we drop the baby off with Grandma, and head to the pool for some girl time.

7. Not get frustrated with breast feeding. Seriously this is one of the things I'm both looking forward to and dreading about the new baby. I remember so clearly how difficult (and painful) it was in the beginning, and I'm hoping this time around I can enjoy more of that rather than spending so much time frustrated and upset.

8. Go on long walks with my two kiddos. Two kids? Oh my goodness sometimes it just feels so real and close, like now!

9. Take Kirsten to pick strawberries. This is a memory I cherish from being a kid, I love going to do this. Also while we're on these lines? Drink blackberry sun-tea (like my grandma always made) and eat some of those strawberries we pick with half and half poured over them (like my grandma and grandpa always did).

10. Cherish the heck out of my time off, after all, summer vacation is the best perk of being a teacher!

Friday Bits & Pieces.

2011-05-13T12:11:00.000-05:00

- The new nursery is coming along! I hope to do an update soon, after a full weekend of working on it maybe. Looks like rain all weekend so that may happen!

- I had my 32 week appointment yesterday afternoon. Everything is looking good and baby's head is down, let's hope he stays that way for the next several weeks!

- I used my OPI Pandamonium Pink last night. Next going for a more summery color, but not quite ready to break out my hot pinks and corals yet.

- Eight days of school left. EIGHT DAYS people!

- I'm looking for a maternity swimsuit. Any ideas? Remember I'll only be pregnant for about a month this summer so I don't want to spend a lot.

- I made this cute little announcement for my sister. She is going to get Twinkies to give out to some of their friends and co-workers to announce they're pregnancy (and double good news) and will be attaching a little note with some ribbon. She's already gotten something else printed for that (shucks) but I had fun playing around and creating this anyway. She might use this to email friends and family who are too far away to get a real Twinkie!

- I crave ice like crazy. I heard via Twitter and Dr. Google that this can be a sign of low hemoglobin and anemia, but my levels are completely normal. I guess I just like to eat ice! Another major craving has been for Cookie Dough Tornados (they're like DQ Blizzards, only from our little local ice cream place). So yum.

Weeeee!

2011-05-10T14:19:00.000-05:00

I so wish this hadn't turned out blurry. Regardless of the blurriness, I think it's evident that this little girl is having fun with her auntie.

Mother's Day 2011

2011-05-09T10:07:00.000-05:00

We had a wonderful weekend. Seriously it was great, nothing extraordinary but just fun, relaxing, and special over all.

First up, my sweet little girl and her handsome daddy. These two? I love.

Kirsten got me an iPod Nano, I am so excited! For the record, her daddy got her ready for bed the night before. Can you tell? I like to call the large photo on the left, "HERE MOM!"

My sweet chica and I after having brunch with my family. My sister spilled the beans to our grandma and aunt that we're very close with during brunch, so exciting!

Just stopping to smell the ~~roses~~ flowers. When we tell her to smell the flowers, she stands straight up and sniffs over and over again. We die laughing, and then do it all over again. Besides, what's cuter than a baby (in baby espadrilles) smelling spring flowers?

Midwesternita

Graphic tees for a toddler? Check. {Polyvore Style}

A few more... {Family Photos - Simon 6 Months, Kirsten 2 Years}

Happy Me.

Bits & Pieces :: iPad Photo Dump

Prouduct(s) of the Week - Makeup Remover & Facial Scrub.

Guest Post: Brighten Up Your Winter

My Vlog Debut!

Sleeping :: Gray Area (Part Two, including a HAPPY ENDING)

Please, Don't Feel Sorry For Me.

Bits & Pieces

{In The Closet} Not Coming Out Anytime Soon.

Two Years Old.

Two Years Ago :: Just Us

There's Gonna Be A Party.

Sleeping :: Gray Area.

Next Year.

Bits & Pieces

Bits & Pieces :: Currently

Gallery Wall: How (NOT) To and How To.

Christmas Trees and Christmas Cousins.

(Not) A Giveaway.

Three on Thursday.

Out-take.

Three on Thursday.

Vintage Memories.

Thankful: Meeting Baby Cousins

My Life in Silly Photos

Four months old!

Bits & Pieces

Perfect.

My (not so) Dirty Little Secret.

{Fantasy Looks} Just a little wishin'...

Always In Threes.

So What Wednesday

A Little Elephant Loves a Peanut.

Bits & Pieces

"Happy" Halloween!

Smelling The Leaves.

Bits & Pieces

Little People Eating.

Things Kirsten's Obsessed With

Breast Feeding: Take Two.

Starting Over.

Thing One & Thing Two - A Dr. Seuss (Twins) Baby Shower

Bits & Pieces - Kids' Nursery/Room & Baby Shower Sneak Peek

What *They* Wore Wednesday.

Showering My Nephews.

Introduction.

Dear Sophie (i.e. Dear Kirsten and Simon).

Bits & Pieces

{Fabulously Fall} - Looks I Love.

Simon's Birth Announcement

(Link Up!) Fabulously Fall - Football.

Photo Dump - Catching Up.

Things Pinterest Loves.

Newborn and Family Photos {Sneak Peek.}

Sturgis.

Chalk Love.

The Story of Our Little Man's Arrival.

Hi, I'm...

(Somewhat) Silent Sunday.

Just a Little Venting. And an update at the bottom.

County Fair.

The Due Date.

18 Months Ago.

Happy Fourth!

Pregnancy Update - 39 Weeks

Bits & Pieces - Still Waiting...

Summer Time.

Pregnancy Update - 36 Weeks

Shared Nursery Details - Sneak Peek.

Bits & Pieces - SUMMER Style.

A Picnic

I Like To Call This One...

George! Get Out of the...

Can You Write Like a First Grader? - Link Up

Friday Bits & Pieces.

Weeeee!

Mother's Day 2011

What They Wore Wednesday.