Saturday, January 30, 2010

More... Hope for Haiti

I just downloaded the iTunes album from the Hope for Haiti Now telethon, and it is FABULOUS. My boy JT gives me goosebumps with his rendition of Hallalujah with Matt Morris, and Jennifer Hudson's Let It Be is another one to write home about...the album is only $7.99, well worth it in my opinion and the best part is, its for a GREAT cause.

Bring on LOVE day...

Avery & Olivia have their outfits, and they are ALL set. If you are wondering where I found this adorable shirt, check out www.ifyousaysew.com

5:30am...

Is NOT a good wake up time for me, and honestly it isn't a good wake up time for Olivia either, the poor thing has been waking up super early all week and she is a hot mess by 8am, so since we were both home today we ended up putting her down for a nap around 9am, and she is still out for the count, of course that is going to wreck the afternoon nap schedule, but so be it, the child needs her rest. She is still wheezing and coughing, if we weren't having a blizzard right now I would likely consider taking her back to the Doctor to get her lungs checked, but that looks like it will have to wait until Monday if she is still feeling crappy.

The Deep End - have you all been watching it? I kinda dig it...and I am a big fan of the time slot, that means 3 solid hours of drama on Thursday Nights, I happen to think it compliments Private Practice and Grey's Anatomy.

Avery cracked her head against the end table yesterday afternoon, before I could even pick her up it was already bruised and she had a dent, which has since turned into a huge egg. Take a look at the little trouble maker's forehead.(above) Speaking of the little trouble maker, I caught her climbing my night side table, and using the basket that sits on the ledge as her stepping stool. If she isn't her father's daughter...good gracious.

Brad is heading to Charlotte on Tuesday for his National Sales Meeting and will be back late on Friday, so that means lots of quality Girl Time, for me and my little sweet cumquat's.

And guess what folks? My main man Michael Buble is coming to Richmond on July 6th...tickets go on sale on Friday, anyone else interested in joining us for the evening? We saw him in concert in Charlottesville and it was worth every penny, he's such a charmer.

Friday, January 29, 2010

Oh Woe Is Me...

Commence the Pity Party for Leigh...I am now sick, Olivia is a wheezing mess, and Avery is still coughing up thick, yucky mucus. And to add to the reasons I am slipping into a deep depression, we likely aren't going to have our Annual Maggiano's dinner tomorrow night...

But on the bright side, I had a wonderful surprise phone call last night from my homeslice Dana..it was so great to hear her voice I almost jumped through the phone to give her a big ol' hug. It was so great to catch up with her for a few minutes.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Shucks

Well, so much for wishful thinking...LaLa didn't dodge the bullet. TCH called yesterday around 3pm, our little sweet cheeks had a fever of 102 and a rash was starting on her chest/stomach. So Brad turned into SuperDad, called the Doctor's Office on the way to pick up Olivia, got her an appointment and took her right away, so I met them there after having my windshield replaced at work. Sure enough Olivia had an ear infection, but her lungs were in the "so far so good" camp, but after hearing her last night and this morning I am thinking she is just a day away from her own breathing treatments, the poor thing. So both girls are at my Parents House today, Avery seems to be on the mend, her personality is back, she is climbing the stairs like a crazy little girl, but Olivia is down for the count and just wants her Momma.

I felt horrible leaving her this morning, she asked me to stay home with her several times, told me she was sick, and even tried to block the door at my Parents house this morning so I couldn't leave, tore something fierce at my heartstrings. Just like my girl Natalie Imbruglia said, I am TORN...I just want to be home with the girls when they are sick, they need their Momma, but with the Manila Peeps in town I have a lot of pressure to be at work, what is a girl to do?

Tonight I have a work event, dinner at Comfort and then a Basketball Game at VCU . I hate having to miss bed-time with them, but I am counting on our Friday Night Event being cancelled due to the impending snow storm, so I feel the need to at least hang out with them once. I will be however FURIOUS if our Annual Maggiano's Dinner is cancelled on Saturday Night. I have been looking forward to it for 12 months, if Mother Nature ruins my binge fest at Maggianos...she is going to get it.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Buying us some time...

Brad talked to the Director at TCH about our concerns, regarding Avery moving up to the Toddler room, and ta-da, she doesn't have to move...just yet. We are going to re-evaluate again around her birthday, and then make the decision when we feel ready. I was very relieved to hear how important it is to them to ensure the parents are comfortable.

On a side note, when I dropped Olivia off this morning, I noticied that there are a few other babies out sick with RSV, so I guess that solves the mystery of where Avery picked it up...poor thing. And Olivia woke up coughing this morning, lets hope she avoids it...but not likely.

Monday, January 25, 2010

Sick Baby Girl


Here is our little darling doing her last breathing treatment of the day...doesn't she just look awful. Her eyes are basically swollen shut, when she coughs she chokes, she struggles to breath and when she tries to swallow she chokes on her mucus...lovely isn't it? My heart is aching for her, I wish I could take away her pain. And tonight she is burning up, lets hope that Motrin brings her fever down. She wanted nothing to do with dinner, but thankfully drank her bottle before bed tonight...after Olivia becoming dehydrated after her first bout of Bronchitis I am super anal about wet diapers and making sure they are getting enough liquid.



Brad has decided he is going to stay home with her tomorrow, we don't want to wear out our welcome with my Parents considering there is a strong chance that Avery will be out of school all week and that Olivia will be next on the RSV hit list...I hate that I can't stay home with her and cuddle with her all day, I hate that I have to go work and go against everything my heart is telling me to do...

A look back...

It feels like e-ons ago that some of these photo's were taken, but thats because I have been such a bad photo-uploader...I promise to get better, I really do.

So first of all I can start with Olivia's Half Birthday Celebration...

Yes, we had cupcakes...and lots of them.



And yes, the chocolate frosting was quite messy...




Then we have the beautiful, super fragrant flowers that Brad bought home for me on Friday afternoon, what a great husband he is...



And last but not least we have Olivia's 3rd Haircut...which of course we didn't capture in action, but we attempted to capture the finished product. Too bad you can't really tell from this shot that the nice lady at Pigtails n' Crewcuts took off 2-3 inches.


Rotten Stinkin' Virus

That's right folks, sweet baby Avery has Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV),  I took her to the Doc this morning, they tested her, and ta-da....a big fat positive for RSV, and the little darling has a double ear infection as well, so while I hate that she also has a double ear infection, at least she can have meds for that, since they don't treat RSV with anti-biotics. She is home with my Parents today and likely will be there most of the week. They say she can go back to "school" when she is fever free for 24 hours, but with how crappy she feels I am thinking she will spend the majority of the week with my Parents.

So the little darling is on breathing treatments every four hours for the next few days, the good news is, the breathing treatment at the Doctor's Office seemed to help open her up a bit, so hopefully that helps her start to feel better. And we are keeping an eye on her diapers, because the last few haven't been very wet, if at all, so that isn't a good sign.

On a side note, she weighs 24lbs...I am taking bets, think she will get to 25lbs before her 1 year check up on February 26th?

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Monday Already?

Urgh - I can't believe its already Sunday Night and I am preparing for another week, this weekend flew by and I could use another few days with my sweet darlings. Speaking of my sweet darlings, poor Avery is under the weather, her eyes are watering, she has a nasty cough, her nose is running like a faucet, what a mess. And she isn't sleeping well, she is crying out left and right all throughout the night. I am hoping to get an appointment for her tomorrow morning with Dr. S and then she will spend the day with my parents.

I had such great intentions of actually posting a picture this weekend, I feel so bad that all I have done is blab for the last few weeks, but I haven't had a spare second to take any photographs let alone upload them. Actually that is a little bit of a fib, I did take a picture of the beautiful flowers that Brad brought home to me on Friday evening to cheer me up, but I haven't had a chance to upload them yet.

So you know how I travel to Manila for work? Well, the folks that work for me there are actually here this week, they are going to spend the week with us in Richmond and immerse themselves in our culture and the Capital One way of life.

I have done "well" on my diet for the last 3 weeks, however this weekend I fell off the wagon a bit, but tomorrow its back on and the rest of the week, outside of dinner on Wednesday and dinner on Friday I should be good to go. I am 10lbs lighter than I was on January 4th and I have only hit the gym once so far.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Where do YOU shop?

Kelly's Korner has started back up the "Show us your life" blog posts every Friday and this week its all about where you shop. So here goes nothing...please keep in mind I am overweight, paying out the wazoo for daycare and at this point in my life could care less if I wore the same pair of jeans every single day of the week. If I were to have responded to a blog like this a few years ago my answers would be very different, so I am going to go ahead and answer it in the present tense and also go back a few years just for fun.

Where I shop today?

Target - without a doubt that store is a little peace of heaven, from clothes to home goods, its a one stop shopping mecca for me these days.

TJ Maxx - but I don't get there very often and it really is hit or miss

Baby Gap - clearly not for me...

Etsy.com - I love finding things for the house, clothes for the girls and even shopping for party invites on etsy.com

Where I used to shop? And where I hope to shop again one day...

Ann Taylor and Ann Taylor Loft

JCrew

Ralph Lauren


Banana Republic

That about sums it up, not a very fun or exciting post I know, but heck it is what it is :)

Friday, January 22, 2010

Duh...Perspective

So I have spent the majority of the day sad, upset and sick to my stomach over a personal situation and now that I am at home, sitting on the couch with Brad watching Hope for Haiti Now I am smacked in the face with what really matters, and how fortunate I really am. I shouldn't be blogging about how sad I am that friendships have changed, I should be blogging about how thankful I am that my loved ones have their health, and are safe. Good gracious, would someone give this girl a little perspective or what? I have refrained from blogging about Haiti, mostly because I haven't been able to wrap my head around it, I haven't wanted to sit down and really let it sink in for fear that it would paralyze me for a few days...but there is no avoiding it tonight.

I was moved to tears several times while watching the teleathon, the man that waited infront of a collasped building for 6 days because he knew his wife was under the rubble...they found her alive, and he was there to greet her...how is that for true love? And the fact that when they found her, she was singing about how thankful she was to be alive...how uplifting is that? And the children, oh man, the children....the footage was terrifying, but Brad has been giving me some insight from his customers that are on the ground there, and most of the time after he reads me an email I have to wipe away the tears, its horrible, beyond the horror we are seeing on TV. And Brad's company donated a lot of suppliers and had a lot of trouble connecting with an agency/organization that would actually take it from them, sad isn't it? The Red Cross wouldn't take it, Doctors without Boarders wouldn't take it...I mean really? They are just trying to help...

Tough Mommy Day

So yesterday was a tough one for me. For the last two weeks I have felt great about daycare, sure I wish that Avery was sleeping better and yes I wish that Olivia's lead teacher was actually teaching (she has been off two out of the three weeks), but in general, I have felt great, I haven't worried about the girls the way I did at Donna's house and actually I love the infant ladies and would marry them if I could...but yesterday when I picked Avery up they informed me that she was going to be graduating to the Toddler Room. It felt like a truck hit me, I started tearing up, she isn't ready, she isn't walking, she isn't napping in her crib there, and the Toddlers nap on cots, I just worry its more of what they need, not what Avery needs, BUT the infant ladies I love so dearly really think this is best for her. We took a tour of the Toddler room yesterday and I am just not ready for her to be a Toddler, for several different reasons. The infant ladies could see my concerns and suggested we express our concerns to the Director, so Brad is calling her today, I can't do it, I cried the whole way home, I just didn't think I could get through the conversation.

I hate daycare, its a necessary evil, but I just want my girls to be happy, loved and cared for at daycare when I can't be with them. Is that too much to ask?

And then on top of that, I got an email this morning that just crushed me, I almost threw up, I feel horrible...

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Make new friends....but keep the old...

One is silver
the other is gold
I am not the boldest blogger out there, sometimes I blog to chronicle the lives of my little ones, my marriage and just our day to day family adventures, and other times I feel the need to blog to get it out. Do you know what I mean? I happen to be a quick little typer and find myself wanting to journal here rather than write in my old school journal, partially because its easier and partially because I would like to hear your thoughts.
Friendships change, I know that, I am not naive, I know things don't stay the same forever, and as we move and grow up, friendships take more work than they did in the past. It was easy when I lived with my closest friends at JMU, no effort was needed to keep that friendship fire burning, but its a different time, our lives are very different and I get that, I really do. But it just makes me sad. I pride myself on putting a lot into my friendships, I would hope my friends would agree, but I find myself having to pull back a little in order to save my sanity. You can only put in so much effort, only to have it not reciprocated before you start to resent your friends and frankly get a little annoyed...who am I kidding, a lot annoyed.
I am a busy girl, I work full-time, operate as a single parent 1-3 nights a week, raise two small children, plan parties and attempt to foster and build long lasting friendships. And honestly I wouldn't have it any other way. I don't want to stop doing any of that stuff, I like being busy, I like having to multi-task.
You are probably wondering where I am going with all of this, because frankly, I myself am a little lost, but let me see if I can clear it up for you and myself.
I stopped at Target this afternoon and ran into a friend of a close friend, we chatted for a few minutes and she asked if I had spoken to or seen said friend recently, I said no, she quickly answered that she hadn't either. I was saddened by that news. I was holding out hope that they were still very close friends, that they still kept in touch and hung out, because frankly I have been worried about our friend. Worried that her friendships have taken such a backseat in her life that she has lost touch with those that were once closest to her. And from the surface, without digging deep, that appears to be what has happened. I am sad, for myself because at times I feel like I have lost a close friend, and while I know that sounds super dramatic, and that I haven't lost her, sometimes I feel like I have. But at the end of the day I am the most sad for her. I want her to be able to balance being a Mom and being a friend because I worry that when our children hit middle school and want nothing to do with us she is going to wake up and realize that her friends have gone out and made new great friends.
I have been very fortunate that I have made some great friends since moving to Richmond, some of which are my dear neighbors who I hold very close to my heart. I know that our friendships are easy, we see each other every few days, and in the warm weather we see each other almost every day, that helps, but that isn't the critical piece to our friendship, yes we live across the street from each other, BUT we also keep in touch via the phone and e-mail daily. Just like Jules and Ellie from Cougartown. I love having that relationship with my neighbors, I love being able to just walk into their houses and grab a glass of water, plop down on their couch and have a chat. I wish all of my close friends lived next door! How great would that be?
But that isn't real life, I get it. I am just sad. I miss high school, where you saw your close friends every single day. I miss college, where I lived with my close friends and spent almost every waking hour together. Don't get me wrong, I have great friends, many of which put in a TON of effort to keep that friendship fire burning, and for those I am forever grateful, I just wish there was more time in the day to focus on friendship for those that can't seem to fit it into the 24 hours that currently exist in the day.

Little Miss Trouble Maker is....


turning one...

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Too cool for school?

Nah, the girls are not too cool for school, but Avery does happen to be too cool for naps. The poor thing just can't settle down at school. She did okay with naps the first week, but its been downhill since then, most days she maxes out at 15 minutes, and that really isn't enough for my sweet 11 month old darling. So what is a girl to do?


And we are trying to introduce cow's milk to her at dinner in her sippy cup, but she isn't having it, she would much rather have water, in fact she literally turned up her nose at the milk tonight, I am hoping it just takes a little getting used to, because Olivia transitioned to cow's milk and a sippy cup with a quickness.




How about that Bachelor? Jake, Jake, Jake....I have to say, I am a bit disappointed in my girl Ali. She was crossing the finish line when the show ended last week, but last night she put herself back in the pack and slipped from the pedestal I had put her on. She is just a trouble maker, likes to stir the pot if you will, and I have no patience for that. And I happen to feel sorry for Vienna, just because she looks like a Fraggle doesn't mean the girls have to be so hateful towards her. I mean really! Ella's date made me an Ella Fan, and while I still think Corrie is a beautiful girl, she was mean on stage.

I can't wait to catch up on 24, I am a HUGE Jack Bauer fan, he gets me all hot and bothered and just seeing it waiting for me on the DVR menu is giving me heart palpitations, but Brad is traveling, so I have to wait for him. I am super duper pumped for The Deep End premiere on Thursday Night, its going to be a fabulous night for drama...ABC all the way.

My Parents are having a great time in Florida and my Mom has been sending Flip Video's to the girls, its adorable! Olivia loves to watch them.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Happy Half Birthday Lala!

We had a fun filled weekend, full of friends, pizza, cupcakes and an evening tour of Richmond, several times over.


That's right folks, I tried to take my dear friends Kristen and Kori to a cute restaurant downtown and turns out the wait was almost an hour, we were starving and decided that we didn't want to wait, so we set out in search of an alternative dining establishment, only to turn our evening into a scene straight out of National Lampoon's European Vacation...I think we saw Big Ben about 47 times in an attempt to get out of the city. I really need to get out more, I can honestly say I felt rusty, I didn't know how to find anything in my very own city and I have never felt that way before. Good Gracious. And then we finally made our way to the Southside, to a restaurant close to the movie theater because we intended on seeing It's Complicated, but the service was so slow we ended up missing the movie, sometimes the best laid plans just don't work out so well...but we still had a great time, thank goodness for great friends who spend their hard earned money to fly down here for a weekend to spend quality time with me and my darling family.



Sunday Night we celebrated Olivia's Half Birthday, a tradition we started when she hit the 6 month mark and we intend to keep it up. I love making them feel special on their Half Birthday, everyone at work seems to think its a bit nutso to celebrate their half birthdays, but I happen to love it, and after this year its confirmed, Olivia loves it too. And Olivia set the menu...Pizza and Cupcakes. Our neighbors joined in the fun, it was super casual and I am always up for some QT with the "peeps from my hood". And for the record, it's totally NOT about presents and to ensure the girls get that, presents aren't even allowed, its just about fun.

I did happen to laugh my face off while watching You Tube video's with Kristen, this one is in my top five, so I invite you all to check it out and prepare to laugh until you cry, just wait for the A$% smacks...hilarious.

Kristen and Kori flew home this afternoon after lunch and some shopping at Stoney Point, talk about a beautiful day to spend shopping outside with great friends! Brad took the girls to the airport while I had some minor toe surgery, so far so good, not much pain, but I am curious to see how it goes this week with trying to wear real shoes, the last time I had surgery I was able to wear flip flops, not so much right now.

School is still going well for the girls. Avery isn't napping well, usually only 20 minutes a day, which is NOT enough for her, but it is what it is.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Where have I been?

Hiding from the kitchen...which also means hiding from my computer. I have been dieting my face off, I wish I was dieting my hips, waist, buttocks, thighs, chubby arms and double chin off, but for now, I am just going to diet my face off, and that means, staying away from the kitchen, and frankly not even coming downstairs after putting the girls to bed. So that means no computer for me, because even coming downstairs to snatch it up is a risk to the diet. I am doing everything in my power to stay away from after dinner snacks and that means I go right to bed after the girls are down, read a little and watch some trashy TV, sounds like a little piece of heaven doesn't it?

As for the reading...what is it that I am reading you ask? Well, I would be happy to tell you. I am reading True Compass by Edward Moore Kennedy (Teddy). The best part of me owning this book is that Brad's Parents gave it to me for Christmas, that just shows you how much they love me, they spent their money purchasing a book written by a Kennedy. But Mom T did joke that next she was going to get me Going Rogue, the Sarah Palin book...I told her that would be fine since I would likely be up for a Comedy after this one - HA. I crack myself up.

And the trashy TV, The Bachelor is back and cheesier than ever. On the Wings of Love, good lord, I laughed out loud when that song started playing while Jake was on a date with Ali, my front-runner. Usually I have a few favorites, but this season Ali is really my only favorite, I hope some of the others grow on me because if Ali gets the boot I won't be able to go the distance. And I have started to watch The Secret Life of the American Teenager on ABC Family. First of all, all that show talks about is S-E-X, its insane. I have no idea how or why they have a show all about sex on ABC Family, but note to self, don't watch ABC Family with your Family, unless your Family is filled with adults. Good Gracious!

Work is work, frankly its kicking my behind these days, how in the world is it only Wednesday? I swear it should be Friday!

I am super duper excited about the weekend, my good friends Kristen and Kori are flying down from Boston on Saturday morning and I can hardly wait. I haven't seen them since we were at home in May and I can't wait to have some much needed girl time. Saturday Night is girls night, we will likely tear up the town and have dinner and drinks out and may if we are feeling wild and crazy, wait for it, wait for it....we just might see a movie. Sunday we are having a little Half Birthday Celebration for Olivia, which means her favorites, Pizza and Cupcakes! Delish. And they will head back to Boston late Monday afternoon.

Brad is in DC tonight, so that means I am on Riley duty. The last few nights he has slept pretty well, if he gets me up tonight I am going to Furious with a capital F. And what was that you said? Oh, you wanted to know how Avery was sleeping? Thank you for asking. She is a pro, sleeping through the night (knocking on wood as I type), but waking at 6am for the day, so the days are longer than normal, but I will take it, she will adjust as her body allows her to stay up past 7pm. Still no walking and no talking, despite the fact that Lois at daycare is convinced Avery repeats everything she says to her, I doubt it. I am one of those parents that doesn't count it as a word unless I can clearly make it out, none of this guessing crap, I have to hear it and know what it is as clear as day before it makes it into the baby book.

And Avery's Birthday prep is underway, her paper products arrived yesterday, if you every need to order solid color paper products I have the best website, super cheap and great selection, I love it so much I would marry it if I could...honestly, there are a lot of websites I love that much.

You know those super cutie patutie Holiday Shirts I had for the girls, the ones with the O and A on them? Well I purchased them here, and she is running a special on Valentine's Day Shirts. They are $12 and adorable. I have already put in my order for the girls.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

2009 at a long, strange glance

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before? Gave my sweet daughter Olivia a little sister...traveled to Manila twice.


2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? No, I sure didn't, I broke it in March and yes I have already made several for 2010, so far so good.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Yes, actually several...

4. Did anyone close to you die? Not anyone close to me, but Brad lost a Fraternity Brother in March

5. What countries did you visit? Philippines and Japan


6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009? A positive body image

7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? February 24th - Avery's Birthday

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Becoming a Mom....again.


9. What was your biggest failure? Not losing the weight I had hoped


10. Did you suffer illness or injury? I was actually "sick" for over a month after getting back from Manila, very annoying.

11. What was the best thing you bought? My Kitchen-Aid Mixer, its changed my baking life.


12. Whose behavior merited celebration? The whole country...the Presidential Inauguration was inspiring on so many levels


13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Tiger, Tiger Woods Ya'll...


14. Where did most of your money go? To daycare expenses


15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Bringing Avery home from the hospital, probably the best day of the year.

16. What song will always remind you of 2009? "It won't be like this for long" by Darius Rucker

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: (a) happier or sadder? (b) thinner or fatter? (c) richer or poorer? I am happier, and I weigh just about the same, which should make me sadder...

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Working out...and eating better.


19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Eating...HA. And not being thankful for all of life's blessings


20. How did you spend Christmas? Christmas Eve and Morning at our house and Christmas Dinner at my Parents house.

21. Did you fall in love in 2009? Yes, I sure did...with Sweet Avery.

22. What was your favorite TV program? Friday Night Lights


23. Do you hate anyone now that you did not hate this time last year? Nope, and I am pretty sure I am over hating people in general...

24. What was the best book you read? "Such a Pretty Fat" by Jen Lancaster and The Noticer by Andy Andrews


25. What was your greatest musical discovery? Say Hey, by Michael Franti, it just puts me in the best mood.


26. What did you want and get? A beautiful baby girl


27. What did you want and not get? A picture perfect labor, delivery and recovery...

28. What was your favorite film of this year? The Blind Side

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 30, and did ABSOLUTELY nothing. I did however have a 1 week old, so I guess that is a good excuse to do nothing and sit on my recently violated bum.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Losing the overweight 5th grader I have been carrying around on my waist

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009? Comfy and Classic...but I did break out the leggings once and happened to love them.

32. What kept you sane? Trashy TV, and listening to my girls laugh

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Michelle Obama

34. What political issue stirred you the most? Does that passing of Ted Kennedy count?

35. Who did you miss? All of my close friends from home...

36. Who was the best new person you met? I met so many wonderful ladies that I became friends with in 2008, but didn't get to meet until 2009 (My March Mommies)

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009? That perspective is critical...

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year? "It won't be like this for long" by Darius Rucker

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Gender Reveal Party

It's genius isn't it? What a great idea for a party, now if only we could make up our minds as to if we are going to have a third or not...

So this is how it works, and feel free to steal the idea, I think its fabulous. You invite family and friends over to a party, ask them to dress in the color they suspect the baby will be, and then during the party, the Mom and Dad adjust their clothing to reveal the gender. Of course you decorate in pink and blue and have a table where the guests can guess Baby Names, or give suggestions to make it fun for everyone. I happen to love the idea. BUT here is the major flaw in us executing on this...IF we have a third we have seriously talked about not finding out the gender, I know, catch your breath, hold on to your seats, I really did just type that. Yup, Leigh Garfield Turner just said she might be okay with a surprise like that, Type A personality and all...but since this is all just hypothetical talk we don't have to really think about it for quite some time, if ever.

But speaking of IF we have a third, part of me would just like to make a decision now, if we decide two is enough for us and our family is complete I would just love to start purging all of this baby stuff that has taken residence in our house, my parents house, our garage, etc, you get the picture, its a lot of stuff and it takes up a lot of space...but we've decided that even if we have a third there are a lot of things we have that we won't/don't need, so when we have our Yard Sale this spring we are likely to start the purging process.

Everyone has been up here for a few hours, Olivia even stayed up late talking in her crib, so I was shocked to hear from her at 6:30am, but it was Avery's 5am wake-up call that really crumbled my cookie. I have promised myself and the girls that when they are teenagers and sleeping in until noon, I won't be that annoying parent that nags them to get up, we'll see if that actually works, but for now I am going to embrace the option to sleep in when they are still sleeping.

Brad is going to that Baby Shower I was telling you all about the other day, its today at 1pm. He knows one other guy that is going to be there and is already hoping he can sneak out after only 30-45 minutes. HA. Talk about an uncomfortable situation for a dude. Olivia and I are going on our Weekly Grocery Shopping trip this morning just as soon as Brad rises and shines, its a balmy 19 degrees outside this morning so we will likely bundle up to resemble Randy from the Christmas Story.

And while we are on the subject of babies...I want to throw a big Congratulations out there to my dear friend "M" who shared with me some good news on Friday afternoon. They are expecting a bundle of joy Mid-July. I am thrilled for them, and just know she is going to be a fabulous Momma!

Saturday, January 9, 2010

A Strange Disease?

So we had a wonderful date night last night despite the frigid temperatures and the horrible parking, which in turn required us to interface with those frigid temperatures for several blocks, and mind you, I was wearing a dress...with boots, but without tights, so I had some bare skin and it didn't feel very good. We spent about 45 minutes at the Art Gallery checking out Bernard's work and then walked to Bistro 27 for dinner with Alex and Kristen, we had a blast, laughed our faces off and enjoyed a delicious meal, not to mention a fabulous glass of bubbly for me!

So we got home around 10:30pm, apparently the girls had both been in bed since 7pm, which is about an hour early for Olivia, but the poor thing just isn't napping well at TCH, so I guess that means bedtime will have to adjust, which of course you've probably figured out that means she gets up at 6:30am because she is an 11-12 hour sleeper at night. Its not like we are sleeping in though, Avery gets up between 5:50am and 6am, so at least we're already up.

But anyways, back to the purpose of my post, when I finally crawled into bed after hacking up my replacement lung, I realized my glands were super swollen, my arms were killing me, like I could barely lift them, yet they were restless and my face hurt, strange huh? And then my hands felt like they were swelling up a bit...all very strange, and it lasted throughout the night. And then this morning at 5:55am when Avery got up, I didn't think I would be able to lift her due to the arm issues, so Brad got up with her, bless his heart (don't forget when he was out of town this week he got good sleep and I slept like crap). So I slept in and he spent the morning playing with the girls, but my arms are still acting up...thank goodness my gland pain has decreased I was ready to call the CDC on myself.

Friday, January 8, 2010

Whooppsss

So coughed up my last lung yesterday and ended up sleeping in the guest bedroom so Brad could get some sleep, but it was his night with Avery, to enforce the no bottle during the night resolution. So it sounded to me that all went well during the night and then around 5:55am I hear Avery screaming her face off, I can't quite figure out why she is screaming, maybe Brad is making her bottle, who knows, so I finally get up and Brad is still in bed, her door is still closed, so I go into our bedroom and ask him "Ummmmm, honey, 5:57am isn't the time to let her cry it out, that is the GOOD MORNING cry" so needless to say the morning didn't start out so great, BUT at least we had a small win with Night 2 of no bottle. WAHOO.

Brad and I are going out tonight, our first date night of 2010 and we are going to his Uncle's Art Gallery opening and then to dinner. I am looking forward to it but have been having a small panic attack about dinner and what to do, do I order the healthiest thing I can find or use this as my cheat meal of the week? Decisions, Decisions! I guess it will depend on where we go and if anything healthy appeals to me...we will likely hit a restaurant downtown, Carytown or the Fan. YUM.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

I did it, I did it, I did it

I let her cry it out and while it wasn't peaceful, quiet or easy, it kinda worked and the bonus is, her wailing didn't wake up Olivia. Of course I am talking about my darling daughter Avery, you know, the little sweetheart I birthed 10 months ago, the same one that can't seem to get her act together and sleep through the night, the same one that just needs to put a sock in it and shut her peepers...yeah, that's the one.

We have been battling with Avery for months now, she doesn't "need" to eat during the night but its been the only thing that will shut her up and put her back to sleep when she wakes up screaming her little face off. And we are at the point now where we need to start weaning her off of formula and moving her towards cow's milk, we are thinking we might switch the entire family to organic milk to avoid the hormones, but still TBD. When she gets a bottle during the night she is consuming almost 36oz of Formula a day, which is WAY too much. The lil Porker. So we are working to cut out the night-time bottle AND we are cutting her bottles back to 4oz each, which alone will bring her down to 24oz. And of course we are making these changes all at once, the same week she started a new school, no easing our way into these changes, we're going to get er' done. So far so good. She did wake up last night at 10:25pm (which is odd) and I had to go in, I rubbed her tummy and hit "Glowie" (Glow-Worm) about 47 times until she was in the lullaby zone.

She woke again around 1:30am, but I didn't even get out of bed, yes, I sat up, turned on the light, disturbed Riley who was sleeping soundly next to me, and waited for her to stop crying, it was only about 45 minutes...just kidding, it was really only about 10 minutes. HA. But it felt like 45 minutes, it wasn't fun, but I know it is a necessary evil, she just wasn't taking care of business on her own. And then another cry at 3:30am and a small cry at 4:45am, and then up for the day around 6am. I am hoping this is a step in the right direction, that we are making progress and a step closer to eliminating the middle of the night bottle.

Drop off this morning wasn't pretty, Olivia fell apart, and Miss Carolyn wasn't there today to save the day, but Da-Da-Da-Dora came through, and they put Dora on to distract her. I peeked back through the window after I dropped her stuff on and she was sitting on Miss Gina's lap, and the tears had ceased, but she didn't look all that happy. Poor thing! I can't wait to see her tonight. I hope she slept better, a 20 minute nap like yesterday is just not enough for her, I hope naps start to improve.

Guess what...my days of being a single Mom are over for the week - WOOT WOOT! Brad will be home tonight!

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Diet Day 3

So 3 pounds down and I am on a roll...time to go solo...rolling in my 5.0 with my rag-top down so my hair can blow...can you name that tune?

My plan of attack involves eating right and working out as much as possible, but the "as much as possible" isn't so much right this second because the minute I exert myself I begin to cough up the one lung I have left in my chest. The other one is still laying on the Family Room floor...awful. So I worked out on Monday afternoon and paid for it for the rest of the night, I couldn't even talk without hacking my face off. So when I saw the Doctor this afternoon she told me to put the working out on hold until the cough is gone. And seriously, what is the deal with coughs? Why are they ten times worse in the evenings? I mean really! Give a girl a break, oh sleep, how I miss you.

So anyways, back to the eating right part...

Monday - brought my yogurt, lunch and snacks, all healthy of course. And made "Southern Oven Fried Chicken", from the Weight Watchers Cookbook, (Thanks Lisa!)

Tuesday - Oatmeal for breakfast, soup for lunch, lots of healthy snacks and a Lean Pocket for dinner.

Wednesday - brought my breakfast, lunch and snacks, again, all healthy. Had an Organic Burrito for lunch, only 300 Calories, da-da-dalish. And for dinner, another Lean Pocket.

See? On a roll...going solo...you know the rest.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Day of Yuck

Reasons why my day was filled with yuck:
  • Olivia didn't want to stay at school and I cried all the way home
  • I kinda feel worse, health wise, I thought I was getting better until last night and my cough was out of control last night, and the congestion is still insane, so I basically feel like crap.
  • I can't seem to sleep, I get about 5-6 hours every single night and its strange, I am not tired during the day, but I know its hurting my patience level.
  • Avery woke up at 6am
  • I had to write my Self-Appraisal for work today, I absolutely hate writing about what I have done all year
  • I had to give 360 feedback to several co-workers today, some of which I can't stand, and I had serious trouble finding a single strength to talk about, I should have just declined their feedback.
  • I am dieting and didn't go to the gym, the guilt is insane.
  • I was starving all day...
  • And tons of other stuff I don't feel like getting into...

But tomorrow is a new day. Brad is out of town so I am going to take some Tylenol PM and hit the hay, maybe that will help me recharge a bit.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Even Little Girls Don't Cry...

That's right folks, not a single tear was shed by any of the Turner Girls this morning. And I have to admit that I was likely the one that reached the "almost" mark just as I was kissing Olivia on the head goodbye. But if you pay close attention you will notice I said "this morning", I shed a few tonight as I was tucking her in, telling her how proud I was of her, I know she doesn't know what that means, but I will always tell her that, I think its critical for a child to know how proud their parents are of them.


We took pictures before we left the house this morning and Olivia was wired, dancing all over the place, we didn't get a single stand-still and smile for Mommy shot, but at least she was excited. And of course Avery couldn't sit still. Drop off went well, I took Avery into her room, filled out the daily form on how she ate, slept, etc and put all of her stuff in her crib and cubbies, the girl has like 4 cubbies, their storage is impressive, I am kinda jealous...no kinda about it, I AM jealous. I was giving Avery one last hug telling her "bye bye" and she thought she would be cute and wave "bye bye" to the nice ladies who love on her all day, cute right? Too bad she should have been waving to me. I gave her a smooch and off I went. We checked in on her after dropping Olivia off and she was sitting in the table stealing toys for other kids waiting for someone to feed her...sounds like our little one!

So while I was dropping Avery in the Infant Room Brad walked Olivia down to her room, which his tricky, because they are in the 2A room until about 8:30am so there was a bit of a transition there, which all the kids seem to be used to, I guess its probably easier on them than it is on me, but I was worried about how she would deal with two rooms in such a short period of time, but from what I hear from my other friends its normal to have those transitions because of staff and headcount, etc. So we accompanied her to the 2B room when it was time, sat on the ABC rug with her while they went through the letter, color and shape of the week, she was engaged and answering the questions Miss Carolyn had for her, it was great to see her respond so quickly. The letter of the week is M, so they were talking about what words start with the letter M and Miss Carolyn said "Money, do you all know what Money is?" and Olivia blurted out "Mommy and Daddy have Money" - clever isn't she? HA. I laughed. We ended up saying our goodbyes while they were still reading "The M Book" and besides not wanting to give us a hug and a kiss she did great. I was prepared for a fit and some serious tears, but she was a-okay. What a big girl.
Speaking of her being a big girl. She smashed Avery's head into the hardwoods at my parents house over the weekend, so I told her she needed to be gentle with Avery because she was just a baby, she looked at me with her big browns and said "I'm still a baby too" it about broke my heart. I just looked at her as the tears started to form and said "I know sweetie" and then I just let it go. What do you say to that?
Does this look like enough luggage for a weekend away? Sure does to me, but guess what? That is my daily pile of stuff to lug out to the car. 6 bags in total: My work bag, my purse, my lunch bag, my gym bag, Avery's school bag and Olivia's backpack. Seriously, I need to condense, but how?
I hit the gym around 4pm and was home by 5:30 to pick up the girls. Brad and I went together and Avery was happy to see me but she almost jumped out of my arms to get to Brad, she was bouncing around with excitement when she saw him. I think we have a Daddy's girl on our hands with her. We got her dressed, got her report, which was glowing, they said she was an angel, but wasn't a fan of having her diaper changed. HA. She only slept for an hour total, two 30 minute cat-naps, which is less than half of what she usually does, so we were prepared for a battle tonight, but she was great. We then went to pick Olivia up, she was jumping around singing the Itsy Bitsy Spider and having a great time, she ran over to get her Backpack, stuffed her baby in it and was ready to go, they said she had a fabulous day, fit right in and was very out going, and even slept for an hour. She did manage to spill her cup twice today, which was to be expected since she is still using a Sippie Cup at home, something for us to work on I guess.

We'll see how tomorrow goes, I am prepared for a battle, as all the Mom's who have come before me have said the first day is usually one of the best since its new and exciting, the whole "oh, we are going to do this everyday thing" hits they on day two and they aren't as thrilled. Fingers crossed our girls are the exception to that rule.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Big Girls Don't Cry

So I am dreading the First Day of School tomorrow, I get teary eyed just thinking about it and I know I am going to be a mess tomorrow. I am so worried about how Olivia is going to adjust, she has no idea how her world is going to change, and today when I was changing her diaper she told me how much she missed her friends, and she has been talking about Ava non-stop for the last two days. (Ava was her best friend at Donna's house). I know she is going to adjust, it will just take time, but I just hate knowing that its going to blindside her tomorrow, I wish I could prepare her and let her know that everything is going to be okay, but at this age its hard to prepare and have it sink in. We have driven by TCH (The Children's House) several times over the last two weeks to remind her, but I just don't think its sinking in.

For the most part Avery will be fine. Actually, prior to yesterday I wasn't worried about her at all, but my old HS Principal and his "lady-friend" came to visit my parents and Avery froze and almost started crying when they approached her. She scurried across the floor and climbed into my lap as quick as her "four" legs would take her. I was shocked, she has never acted like that before, so now I am a bit worried her stranger anxiety is kicking in just as she starts at TCH.

I have been running around the house getting all their stuff together, figuring out which "baby" and which crib toys to bring for the girls to make sure they are comfortable and secure. And I have to prepare all of Avery's food for the day, which is going to be a big change.

Brad is traveling Tuesday through Thursday this week, which isn't going to help with the adjustment to TCH, but not much we can do about that.

I am now addicted to The Real World DC, I love seeing the city! Its so cool to see all the places I know and love. And their house is amazing. I am not sure how I feel about the roommates yet, they seem a bit young...but maybe they will grow on me. Kinda like the trash on The Jersey Shore, seriously, that show makes me laugh. I can't even watch that show without my jaw hitting the floor at least once.

And the big D (diet, not divorce, and not Dallas) starts tomorrow. I have already started packing my lunch and snacks, its all about preparation, its when I have to do things rush-style that I fall off the wagon.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Ta-Da

The play-area is now approaching completed status. There isn't much more we can do with this space without some extra funding, so for now it will stay the way it is, and by the way it is, I don't mean as clean as it is now. The girls will have it torn apart in 15 seconds flat, but for now I am going to admire my hard work and enjoy how organized it is. I do have an internal debate going on with one of the pieces, so I would love some advice, feel free to weigh in with your thoughts.

We moved the "kitchen" table down a few feet towards the deck door to give the play-area more room and we relocated the "kids table" to the corner by the deck door (no photo of that, its basically blocked by the "adult table" so it doesn't look all that swell, but it works and there is space, so there it will remain. And we shifted the bench from the deck wall to the kitchen wall under the counter, while it isn't ideal, its necessary, so again, there it will remain. Its ironic though that Land of Nod managed to send me a catalog focused on organizing on the day I took this project on...convenient huh? Someday...maybe.

First things first, take a look at our Family Room just after the carpets were cleaned and I took all the Christmas decorations down, it looks huge doesn't it? Too bad only 1/4 of the furniture was actually in there at the time the photo was taken. Can you imagine what I would do with all that extra space.
View from the bench


Now the bench area...


Now opposite of the toy kitchen...

I love this storage bin, but I could use about 31 more of them...



And finally, my internal debate, I love glass cabinets, I love the look, but I hate the look of clutter when the contents are a mess and will likely remain a mess. If I could only clean it up I wouldn't care, and maybe I can, but for now I am wondering if I should hang something inside to block out the clutter, maybe like fun wallpaper or scrapbook paper? Do people do that or am I just making it up in my head?



And another big announcement...Avery got her first pair of shoes today. We were going to get them for her for her Birthday (February 24th), but since she is starting to stand more on her own we decided we need to get her used to the extra weight on her feet, so we took advantage of the Stride Rite Winter Clearance event...and seriously, Stride Rite Clearance is like Target Full Price X Four. I just don't get it, but I remain loyal for the early walking stage, I am bought into their system and can't seem to break it. But you better believe I am going to order miss Extra Wide feet a cute pair of Nike's I found on legit clearance online.

And this is what happens when Avery wakes up from a nap long before Olivia...I dress her and Brad alike and make them pose for pictures. Ha! Just kidding, but its not a terrible idea, the striped sweaters just happened to work out. Speaking of the sweater Avery is wearing. We went to breakfast this morning, both girls are wearing the same sweater, Olivia is clearly a "she" and some lady asked me how old my son was...meaning Avery. Are you kidding me? I just said "SHE is 10 months old, I know its hard to tell sometimes". But what I felt like saying was "You saw us come in, she was wearing a pink hat, a pink jacket and clearly my older daughter is wearing the same sweater, do you think its a unisex sweater with a hot pink stripe in it?" But I didn't.



Yes folks, that is indeed Riley's toy in my darling daughter's mouth...and I sure did continue to let her chew on it until I got a great shot. Mom of the Year!


Swiper No Swiping

You bet your bottom dollar Olivia cracks me up every single day, but some days are even funnier than others. I wish I could capture her on video 24 hours a day and edit it down to single moments so I could replay them over and over again, she is a funny girl. And sure some of them are the "had to be there" moments, but this one should still translate into types words and be funny, we shall see what you think though.

Backstory: Olivia is now Dora The Explorer's #1 fan, she has replaced Barney with Dora and I do a little touchdown dance every single day to thank my lucky stars we have broadened our TV horizons. So she happens to love Swiper The Fox, a character on Dora for all you non-watchers out there...he "swipes" things and you have to say "Swiper no swiping" when he does it to get him to stop. Well she has started to use that in her everyday vocabulary. Yesterday Avery took a toy from her and I heard "Swiper no swiping", then it was Brad's turn to take something away from her and she said "Swiper no swiping". Very funny, right? Okay, maybe this is one of those "had to be there" type situations, but stay with me, I think it gets better from there.

So last night, we put her to bed around 8pm, and at 9:30pm she was still talking, she started yelling out to me, so I went upstairs, she was just laying there with a big smile on her face and said "I wanna play with Swiper Mommy, he's right over there". And she pointed to the door area of her room, then she said "Oh no, now he's in my bed", and with that Brad came upstairs because I couldn't help but giggle and he heard me over the monitor. So Brad is crouching down telling her that Swiper isn't in her bed anymore and she said "I know, Swiper is in Daddy's nose". Brad and I both laughed until we cried. Funny? I sure think so.

And onto Avery...her newest thing is gritting her teeth and I happen to think its anything but funny and would like to slap her darling little face into next week each and every time she does it, it kills me, nails on a chalk board, chewing on tin foil, all of those things that make you cringe. Horrible.

Oh boy

I know that I had asked for some perspective in 2010, but I wasn't hoping it would smack me in the face so harshly. While I don't know this family, I am moved to tears each and every time I read one of their blog posts. And it looks like the end is near for CJ (Charlotte Jennie), she has battled this brain tumor for almost a year (almost, exactly a year, how freaky) and her parents have made "peace" with her passing. Please pray for them as they say goodbye to their darling little girl. I can't even begin to imagine the pain they are going through and you better believe each and everyday I read this blog I hug my girls a wee bit tighter. As I type this I am feeding Avery some breakfast and with each and every bite she takes she makes a new sound and I can't imagine not hearing those sounds anymore, to never hear my daughter's sweet voices again...

Friday, January 1, 2010

Day 366 of 2009

If I didn't feel like death warmed over it would be the first day of the rest of my life, but for now I am holding onto the last day of my previous life for a little while longer, no point in starting the New Year feeling like doo-doo, so I am going to continue to pretend its 2009 until it suits to me ring in 2010. Sound good? M-kay.

I forgot to mention a few days ago that one of our dear friends, The Butners are expecting their second child late May, we are thrilled for them and can't wait to see Ford take on the role of Big Brother. We hope to make it down to Wilmington to visit them before Lil Butner makes his/her way into the World, but if not before, we will be sure to plan a trip this summer. And another bit of exciting news to share, one of Brad's Frat Brothers got engaged last night while onstage at an Emmet Swimming Concert in Arlington, Congrats to Tristan and Katie.

As for my day, I spent the day putting away more decorations, all of them are down now and just a few are still waiting for their trip to the storage space, the rest have already made their way there. Olivia wanted pizza for lunch, so we all dined on some yummy-goodness from Sal's before the girls attempted to nap, or should I say before Avery attempted to nap. Brad and I had hoped to spend a solid two hours together, watching a movie in bed since we haven't had much time together the last week or so with all the running around, but no such luck, Avery had other plans for us.

I forgot to mention that a part of my NYR (New Years Resolutions) I am going to plan my meals out and only shop for those items when I hit the grocery store. So far I have this coming weeks meals planned, which is actually going to be pretty easy since Brad is traveling for two nights. I will be sure to blog about the recipes I try and how they turn out. This week all three are from the Weight Watchers Cookbook my friend Lisa and her handsome son Owen sent me on Christmas Eve.

I can't believe we are down to the final two days of "Holiday Break", where has the time gone? I know that work is going to hit me in the face Monday morning so I am going to savor the last few days of peace and quiet (if that is even possible in a house with a 2.5 year old and a 10 month old)