Girl got skills

We've got the next Lebron James on our hands.

Hanging from the rim. Just another day. Nothing to see here.

Like father, like daugther I suppose.

I'm not worried if basketball doesn't work out for her though. She always has back up dancing to fall back on. Maybe by the time that materializes she will wear pants while getting her groove on.



I had an all night long dream last night that my u/s showed that I was in fact growing a hot dog. I asked my midwife if she could confirm that blues and trucks and trains were in our future and she told me to wipe the ultrasound gel off of my stomach, mix it with my own urine (???), and if it fizzed it was definitely a boy.

It fizzed.

Since this is highly scientific I can probably just skip my anatomy scan on Monday.

How far along: 18 weeks

Total weight gain: 121.2lbs, up 8 1/2lbs. Yes folks, that's a 2.5lb weight gain in one mere week. The baby book wasn't lying when they said that last week baby packs on the pounds. I'm on a weird trend...huge weight gain one week and then I lose some of it the next week.

Maternity Clothes: I'm still living in the Bella Band. All of my pants and jeans still fit, although there's no way that I can get that zipper up.

Best moment this week: We had a fabulous weekend with Parker. She gets so bored just sitting at home so we are always out and about to keep her entertained. The week was clouded by a chipped tooth compliments of Sam's Club Pub Mix (fixed now so I no longer look like a hillbily) and getting hit in the cheek by a baseball sized rock from the lawnmower that was 30 feet away. Note to self: never be outside when the lawnmower is running.

Movement: lots of it

Food Cravings: Eskimo Kisses ice cream. It's vanilla ice cream with shaved coconut and dark chocolate chunks. It's only sold in three locations in Michigan and one of them is very close to my office. If you've never tried it you must scope it out.

Sleep: I'm slowly getting back to my later bedtime--1030pm now.

Milestones: Baby can hear me talking, the bones are hardening and it's about 5 1/2 inches long

Girl or boy: I will know on Monday what's a cookin :)

Random: Heartburn is here and it's come a lot early than it did with Parker. I can't wait to start designing the nursery next week!

18 Month Recap

I almost cried when Parker turned 18 months. Now when people ask how old she is I can say 1 1/2. Heartbreaking!

Parker loves caring for her baby dolls. She puts them in their baby crib, feeds them bottles and food, strolls them around (while making sure to tell them "sit...sit!"), puts soap on a washcloth and bathes them during bath time, and gives them kisses complete with the "muah" sound.

She's putting two words together like it's her job and associating things with who they belong to. Last night we drove off with my cell phone on the hood of my car (pregnancy brain much?)and our neighbors from across the street found it two blocks away. When they brought it back and handed it to Kris, Parker grabbed it from his hand and shouted "nommy's shone!" Yes dear, your "nommy" almost demolished her cell phone. Much like the time I dropped my cell phone in a full cup of beer. But that story is for another day.

Parker loves getting "daddy's shoes" and "nommy's shoes" and helping us put them on. She knows where her chin and knees are and dips her food, like zuchinni fries dipped into spaghetti sauce. She's graduated from her high chair and now rocks the booster seat like a big girl. Let me tell you, the booster seat makes meals much more enjoyable in our house. No more acting like the highchair is an electric chair.

Animal sounds Parker makes now include pig, cat, monkey, bee, and a wicked lion growl with a clawing paw gesture and all. She's trying her hardest to jump and it's like the cutest thing in the world. She likes to wipe things up that spill or get dirty with towels. And while she's done this for a while, I keep forgetting to mention that she loves sorting things. She will get all of her tea set pieces and put them together. Same thing extra food in our downstairs pantry...all the soups get placed together, all the BBQ sauces, etc. New words are:

-sill-a = silly. When we do something funny she lets us know..."nommy silla"
-nommy = mommy. Tear. Up until this month I was known only as mama.
-hop = Annie's Organic Cheddar Bunnies. I ask Parker if she wants her bunnies and she say "hop." I take that as a clear sign that she won't spill the bunnies on the floor for Syd to devour. They are in this snack eating business together.
-halp = help
-toes
-keet = treat, for dog treats. I have no clue where she picked this up from. The other day she was freaking out in the laundry room and kept saying keet over and over and over. Come to find out that meant dog treats--we keep them in the laundry room. She knows things...Once again, her and Syd have some sort of agreement going on
-bubbos = bubbles. Loads of fun when litte miss stubborn pants wants to do it all herself. Bubble spillage all around.
-strawbur = strawberries. Parker ate an entire pound last month. At once.
-eye
-coat
-strozer = stroller
-sat = sit
-hoffie = coffee. Parker helps Kris make it every day.
-hum on = come on. She says it to Syd, her daycare friends, me and Kris...

We've known this from the get go, but little Parker definitely has a mind of her own and once she gets an idea in her mind, you better let her have at it. I'm a huge believer in you have to pick you battles, and when her stubborn side kicks in (which is always, but sometimes it goes into overdrive) you gotta let her have at it. If it happens at the zoo and she wants to push her huge wagon all by herself, so be it. Or if she wants to put on her own shoes even though it's taking a million years, so be it. If no ones being harmed then I'm not about to create a tantrum.

The biggest news of all is that our crib has been put to good use the past couple of days--and during the night at that! More to come. Until then, happy weekend y'all!

17 Weeks

Don't mind the cell phone pic. My DSLR's SD card is currently on the fritz.

How far along: 17 weeks

Total weight gain: 118.6lbs, up 6lbs. Slow and steady...let's hope it says like that

Maternity Clothes: I'm really going to need to find some solid maternity pants for work. I am still wearing my Belly Band with my pants unbuttoned and unzipped but I can tell that's not going to last too much longer. Unfortunately maternity clothes designers hate long legged pregnant people so I'll have a blast trying to find pants. Leggings and dresses may be my entire work wardrobe. Dress codes are made to be broken, right?

Best moment this week: Kris getting home from France!

Movement: all the time :)

Food Cravings: hard boiled eggs. OMG are the delicious.

Sleep: I'm slowly getting back to my later sleep ways. My 9pm bedtime has been replaced with 10pm/1030pm

Milestones: baby is the size of a baked potato and will be packing on the pounds this week. All I hear is that I should indulge when I go out to one of my favorite restaurants for lunch today.

Girl or boy: gah! I have no clue now. I am dying, DYING you hear, for the anatomy scan. Come on April 30th.

Random: Braxton Hicks contractions are back (they started around 11w, which is like the earliest they appear). I never had them with Parker so this is all new to me. Maybe these fake contractions will prepare me and make my med-free delivery easier. Wishful thinking....I'm also feeling bouts of nausea, usually first thing in the morning and when I wake in the middle of the night to pee or because of Parker. Unacceptable.

Lending a helping hand

An essential ingredient in chocolate chip cookies is flour, as Parker is well aware.

I don't sift flour. Apparently with Parker helping I don't need to.

Parker also helped getting the flour all over me. And Kris. And the breakfast nook table which isn't all that close to the counter. And the floor. And all over Syndey.

The cookies turned out amazing, but baking them was by far the best part :)

Long departure musings

I'd like to think that Kris and I are pretty much equals--we both work, both change diapers and give baths to the little miss, both whip up tasty eats that have a 50/50 chance of ending up in Parker's mouth. However, after this week I've noticed that things aren't quite as equal as I previously thought.

Some particular husband up and left me and the babes to play in France. I call it play, he calls it work. Same difference. For an entire week I've been left to do it all which entails: getting Parker and I both ready in the morning, her off to school and me to work, dealing with mutual fund cost basis, SEP contribution limits, and the tax filing deadline for 8 odd hours (hello people, this deadline didn't just sneak up on us out of the blue. It's the same year after freaking year), chasing Parker around the daycare playground, coming home and walking through the sub with Parker and wagon in tow until she decides at the bottom of the hill in the next cul-de-sac over that she is DONE with the wagon and demands to be carried back home, whip up something easy and edible while Parker asks for "more kee" aka cheese (she's definitely my daughter), feed and take out the dog who then runs off to chase someone walking down our street as I run with Parker trying to catch her, change diapers, take out the trash, pick up the house, unload and reload the dishwasher as I try to make sure Parker doesn't let the plates meet the hard ceramic floor, get Parker's food, milk and water ready for school the next day, wash, dry and put away clothes including poopy cloth diaper laundry all while simultaneously playing with Parker so that I don't have to encounter tantrums which she has mastered. Oh, and the bulk of this takes place from 530pm to 930pm.

I need some coffee.

I don't know how single moms do it. Props to all you ladies. I took the day off on Wednesday to stay home and take a much needed break. Parker and I spent the day shopping, playing outside, and relaxing. It was glorious. I don't think that I really realized how much Kris actually does until he went to beret wearing land. He does the dishes, the diaper laundry, takes out the trash, and lets Sydney out and so on and so on. Oh yeah, he also finishes basements and demolishes bathrooms which all = pulling more weight around here than his counterpart. I think that I'll keep him around ;)

Parker agrees.

15 and 16 Weeks

Both weeks in one since I never posted last week. Tisk tisk.

The bump looks bigger with a shirt over it. I need to get a good picture from the side at the end of the day--it's shocking how much I grow throughout the day.

I ask Parker where my baby is and she points to my belly.

Parker gives the baby lots of kisses too.

How far along: 16 weeks

Total weight gain: 119.6, up 7lbs. I'm pretty sure the scale lied to me this morning. I was up 4.5lbs at my midwife appointment on Friday so a 2 1/2lb gain over the weekend seems high. Though it was Easter weekend...damn bunny and all the delicious chocolate you bring.

Maternity Clothes: Based on how big my stomach is already I'll need to buy some new shirts stat

Best moment this week: Hearing the hearbeat at my midwife appointment!

Movement: not too much this week

Food Cravings: thanks to my coworker, Crunch Crisp bars

Sleep: Still trying to get around 9 to 10 hours each night

Milestones: Baby can yawn, is about 4 to 5 inches long, and weighs 3oz

Girl or boy: I have no clue. The baby's heartbeat was 138bpm on Friday and that's considered low according to the Old Wives Tales. I was sure that Parker's was always in the 150s and above but nope, at the same time Parker's heartbeat was 144bpm. Not that any of this accurately predicts gender but I'm looking for anything since I'm dying to know!

Random: I'm taking the day off tomorrow to hang with the babe. Hoping for fabulous weather so we can frolic outside.

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

How far along: 15 weeks

Total weight gain: 117.4, up 5lbs. I'm on the exact same weight gain streak still as I was with Parker--weird.

Maternity Clothes: I think that I'll be in maternity pants soon. I'm currently rocking my work pants completley unbuttoned and unzippered, held up only by the fabulous belly band.

Best moment this week: I'm feeling a lot better. I even tackled painting Parker and #2's bathroom this past weekend. Pics to come of the super bright orange room.

Movement: a little bit here and there this week. I usually feel baby move when I'm laying in bed for the night. Another night owl is on our way.

Food Cravings: Not too many cravings this week. I did make a huge batch of my famous chocolate chip cookies which will inevitebly end up as poundage on my thighs.

Sleep: I need a little less sleep now, but still around 9 hours each night

Milestones: eyelashes and eyebrows are growing. The head now rests on the neck. The eyes are still shut but baby can now sense light.

Girl or boy: I'm still feeling boy

Random: Looking forward to my midwife appointment next week!

Easter Recap

The Elmo bunny visited us on Sunday.

Something was wrong with the Easter Bunny this year...he was laying Elmo-eggs.

Spoon, fork, bowl, plate--check. Now where is my food???

I thought Parker would be pumped for Elmopalooza but she was more interested in playing with her new booster seat which apparently doubles as a toy. Two in one deal. She also loved her wagon we bought her for Easter. We toted her around at the zoo on Easter Day and that was cool with her as long as she had a snack. Once the snack was gone she wanted to get out and push/pull it all by herself in typical Parker fashion.

Speaking of fashion, check out the pigtails that girl is rockin.  It's what all the cool kids are doing at school.

Hoppy Easter!

Baby Bedding Bug

The baby bedding bug has bit. I was innocently flipping through the PBK catalog when I saw these bad boys:













ELEPHANTS! I'm obsessed. And with that, I've decided to run with an elephant themed nursey.
































wall decal, name art, we love you a ton, coolest mobile ever, light switch cover, elephant alphabet

As soon as I find out what's a cookin I'm going to do some major Etsy damage.

Mamarazzi

Oversized sunglasses can only hide you so much from the mamarazzi.

Pictures compliments of our early March summer. I, like an idiot, thought "summer" was here to stay so I packed up Parker's winter gear and stored it away. Dumb. Last night on our walk we were decked out in gloves, hats, and warm coats.

We've made the outside fun with a bunch of gear in addition to your normal sidewalk chalk and bubbles:


























bob, giraffe ride on, radio flyer wagon, water table, hoops

So of course Parker always wants to go "owside" and play with "bubus" aka bubbles or "wawa" (water table) or go in the "strow-zer" (stroller) for a walk which lasts to the end of the block before she wants to get out and push it herself--or else. I wonder where she gets her stubborness from. It couldn't be from me ;) And don't get me wrong--I love being outside, just not so much when it's in the low 40s.

Our next big "owside" purchase is a swing set. I check out swing sets in yards like I used to check out designer jeans and handbags. I find one that I think will be perfect for Parker but then I find one even better and my search continues. I better get on it because spring like weather is a comin' this week!