Changing Compass

7 months, not quite 8

2011-12-22T11:03:00.000-05:00

There are so many things to love about Liam! He has completed our family, although I will say it is amazing how different parenting a second child is, compared to the first. We are no longer "green" parents, worrying over the smallest detail or sound. Not fussing over developmental milestones, and allowing him to be who he is, at his own pace.

Some things I am especially enjoying about the wonderful age of 7 months...

1) Rolls and dimples everywhere...knuckle dimples, wrist rolls, double chin, buddha belly, chubby thighs...I love them all.
2) How his eyes light up when his sister (or one of the cats) walks into the room.
3) His head of thick curly brown hair...it's totally adorable, and earns him compliments everywhere we go.
4) How he holds his own bottle, and the little sighs and contented groans he makes when he drinks his milk.
5) Nursing no longer is painful (but those teeth are bound to show up soon)
6) Speaking of no teeth, I know the days of gummy smiles are numbered, but oh, how I enjoy them.
7) The babbling, and occasional sounds of ma-ma, ba-ba, and da-da that we hear. I don't think he really correlates them to anything yet, but I sense he understands what we mean when we say them.
8) The high-pitched squeals when he's excited about something...they can occasionally be ear-piercing, but they are his way of communicating right now.
9) His eyebrows are so expressive.
10) He's a tummy sleeper, and can finally do this safely.
11) He's close to soldier crawling, but right now can only spin around on his belly. He usually does this in order to see what his sister is doing. He gets frustrated that he can't do more yet.
12) Emerson can elicit big belly laughs from him like no one else. It's a joy to see them interact.
13) Learning to slash in the bathtub.
14) Watching his mind work as I do sign language, sing him songs, read a book or play patty-cake...he's soaking it all in silently.
15) I love to let him sleep on my shoulder after the last feeding of the night. Milky breath, baby snores, and the smell of baby shampoo. I could stay there all night.
16) I'm so glad that his baseline disposition is that of happy boy, much like his sister was a happy baby girl. He's an easy-going little guy, as long as the milk delivery is kept on schedule.
17) I am so thankful he is a healthy, robust little boy. I worried we wouldn't get here 7 months ago when we were sitting in the NICU with a 5 lb baby.

I love this kid, and wish his babyhood wasn't flying by so quickly. I really am trying to remember to take time to enjoy this period, rather than tiredly slog through another day. It's just another day closer to a first birthday, a first day of kindergarten and a hundred other firsts.

Age 4, not quite 5

2011-12-19T21:39:00.001-05:00

Emerson will turn 5 in February, and I must say, I can't believe how fast the time has gone. I have enjoyed age 4, with all the stubbornness, growth spurts, sweetness and sass. This girlie has got quite a personality and charms everyone she meets (then yaks their ear off).

Things I love about Emerson at age 4:
1) We must "pinky promise" a lot these days.
2) Her sense of humor, and the oodles of giggles that erupt from her regularly.
3) Her vivid imagination, and eye for details (she completely recreated the dentist's office the evening of her appointment, and replayed the visit word for word in the living room!)
4) How she skips everywhere we go now.
5) That she seems to have finally conquered the thumb-sucking habit, and she is immensely proud of this.
6) She is on the cusp of becoming a reader...she loves to copy words down, asks how to spell everything, and enjoys practicing writing.
7) She has wrapped and unwrapped various gifts for virtually every family member at least 3 times. No telling what's inside.
8) She loves to help Mom in the kitchen, which usually means a mess will ensue.
9) She still wants to hold my hand, and occasionally will tell me, "I want to hold your hand forever"...love.
10) She seems to have friends all over Chapel Hill, as it I don't think we can go anywhere in this town without someone yelling out, "Emerson!" (and then, "oh, Hi Emerson's Mommy")
11) She routinely tells us, "OK, here are your choices..." or, "OK, guys, here's the deal". I find this hilarious.
12) She is an amazingly loving big sister, often kissing Liam's head and telling him how much she loves him.
13) Her fashion sense by far surpasses her mother's. (and man, can this girl accessorize!)
14) She still must have her blankie to sleep.
15) She has a wonderfully compassionate and giving spirit, often thinking of others.
16) She has memorized countless Christmas carols, and belts them out in the car.
17) She will finally talk to people on the phone...much to everyone's joy.
18) Her "r's" still sound like "w's", and honestly, I will be sad when she can pronounce them the right way.
19) She loves to play opposites, rhyming words or I Spy....any time, any where.
20) She has been drawing family portraits, which usually include her in pigtails, and Liam in a Santa suit.

I love this girl, and am so thankful for the joy she has brought to our lives.

December Happenings

2011-12-07T21:41:00.001-05:00

We're only a week into this month, and it already feels rather full. Last weekend, we went to Hillsborough to the annual Holiday Parade. Such a cute little town, and fun to watch the marching bands and fire trucks go down the street. I wore Liam in a baby carrier, and he took in the sights. We took some food to our friends who adopted a newborn boy (cute as a little button) a few weeks ago. They looked tired, but so full of joy. It was a lovely thing to see. Em had a birthday party at the Little Gym on Sunday, and hung out with her new little bestie girlfriend, Katie. I got some cute pics of them together and Katie's family invited Emerson over for a playdate...her first! We put up the tree & Christmas decorations over the weekend, and blasted Christmas music to help get us in the mood. It's been unseasonably warm here, so it's hard to feel holiday-ish when you can wear shorts. I pulled out the Advent calendar that I made a few years back, and Em has been enjoying opening a tin each morning...she is so amazed when the events match up with what we're doing that day...how totally cool is that?! We're going to see Disney on Ice (Tangled) soon, and we will begin doing some holiday baking this week for a cookie exchange at church on Sunday. Em and I were making a mental list of the things we want to bake over the next few weeks...carmel corn, chex mix, butter cut-out cookies. We're trying a new cookie recipe for the exchange...peanut butter reindeer cookies, thanks to Pintrest (my newest time-suck!). Liam is scooting around the floor on his tummy, and somehow makes it from one side of the room to the other without rolling or crawling....it's sorta like a slow-motion slug, but way cuter. He still hasn't popped a tooth yet, but is definitely teething. Em was playing beauty shop with him tonight, and he was very tolerant. He's back upstairs in his crib at night now, and it's going pretty well. I need to get going on sewing his Christmas stocking...it will be here before we know it!

Swing Into Fall

2011-11-07T22:08:00.001-05:00

The weather over the weekend was really lovely, and I think the foliage is about at its peak right now. It's a great time to be outside, even if the temps are a little brisk. Keith took Em to church on Sunday, and then they went out to lunch with some buddies. Liam and I stayed home to chill out, and Liam took a mega-nap that morning. We were able to take a 2 mile walk once he woke up, and everyone wanted to be outside together in the afternoon. It was a great day to enjoy the backyard playset, and we pulled out the baby swing for Liam. I'm not sure he knew what to make of it, but Emerson sure enjoyed having her brother swing next to her. She's finally mastered the art of pumping on the swings within the past 6 months, and loves to take that swing as high as it will go!

The Child of the Week

2011-11-07T21:56:00.001-05:00

Emerson's class has 2 big things going on all year. Each week, a different kid is designated "the child of the week", and last week was Em's turn. Families are encouraged to bring in photos for the bulletin board, and the kiddos fill out a little info sheet to share tidbits about themselves with the class. They can bring in their favorite book & toy to share, and parents are invited to come in to read to the class. Keith got to go on Wednesday to read Harold & the Purple Crayon, which Em specifically requested. She took her My Little Pony in on Friday to share. We snapped a few photos of the bulletin board while we attended the class Halloween party on Monday. Em realllllllly enjoyed being the center of attention all week, and pointed out to us that she got to sit in the chair of honor, right next to the teacher's rocking chair all week long.

The other event that goes on all year is Brody. Brody is the class mascot, and is a stuffed dog who gets to go home for a week with each child. There's a journal that accompanies him on the home visit, and the families are encouraged to document "what he does" while he visits you. You can include photos, journal entries, and art to tell the story. Em's turn for Brody is mid-January, and we'll have to see what kind of fun stuff we can cook up while he's our houseguest!

Trick-or-Treat

2011-11-07T21:48:00.000-05:00

This year, it was cold & rainy on Halloween, so we decided to try something new. Instead of walking around our cold, wet, dark neighborhood (which by the way has no sidewalks or streetlights, so trick-or-treating is a little challenging even in the best of weather conditions), we headed over to University Mall in Chapel Hill for indoor trick-or-treating. It was actually kinda nice! Shop owners were all dressed up, lots of families were there, it was fun to people-watch & check out the creative costumes some kids wore. Liam was super stimulated by all the noise & commotion, but stayed calm. This was definitely a nice alternative, and something we'll keep in mind in the future if the weather doesn't cooperate on 10/31.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-05T13:12:00.001-05:00

This year, we decided to throw a neighborhood Halloween party. We held it on the 29th, and ended up with about 30 people running around our backyard! The weather was rainy in the morning, which sent a little panic through my spine, as I envisioned all those people holed up in our house. The rain tapered off & the deck dried out enough that we could still hold it outside. It was a little chilly, but we had hot cider to keep tummys warm. Em & I had been busy making cut-out cookies & cupcakes all week, and they were very much appreciated by all the parents & kids. You can never go wrong with Gram's butter cookie recipe. We also did candy corn rice krispie treats, witch's brew punch, a carmel apple station with all sorts of toppings, and cupcakes decorated like mummies & skeletons. We decorated the deck, and played games. The party was really fun, and we've been nominated to make this an annual event.

Fall Fun

2011-11-05T12:53:00.001-05:00

We tried a new place this year for pumpkins, and it had a corn maze. Em had fun leading us through by following the alphabet, tied in various spots in the maze to stalks of corn. There were a few farm animals for petting/feeding, a hayride and lots of photo ops. Em picked a pumpkin, and then she & Dad did the carving honors this year. Em wanted nuttin' to do with pumpkin guts.

Full of Hot Air

2011-11-05T12:45:00.001-05:00

We finally made it to the annual Hot Air Balloon Festival in Statesville NC in October. We've tried to go to this with our friends, Fred/Lennie/Joanne, for years, but either the weather didn't cooperate or something came up that prevented us from going. Not this year, by gum! It was a beautiful Fall day in NC, and we got there just in time to see scores of balloons lifting into the sky for the mass afternoon ascent. It was so cool! We got to watch several balloons inflate, including one called the Purple People-eater. What a hoot!

Crazy Kids...

2011-10-20T21:06:00.000-05:00

Keith & Em decided to camp out in a tent last weekend. It got down to the low 50's that night, and eventually they got cold & came inside. They watched movies on the iPad & ate popcorn in the tent. Not exactly roughing it, but memories are made of this.

Slow down, growing boy...

2011-10-20T21:03:00.001-05:00

Liam is changing so fast. He's eating fruits & veggies, his mop of curly hair is totally adorable, he's squealing & belly-laughing at his sister, trying to sit on his own, playing & watching the world with big eyes lined with long, dark lashes. Sigh...

Good Times in Hoosierland

2011-10-20T20:59:00.001-05:00

We took a trip back home to Indiana the first week of October. Got to spend the weekend with my bestie in Cincinnati & check out their cool new digs downtown. Em got the spend some quality time with her buddy Sophie, we did an adult date night out to dinner & to see Contagion (where's my damn alcohol gel?!), spent some great family time with the Garretts walking around the river front...so cool. We headed over the Indiana & saw Keith's parents, grandparents, aunt/uncle, and brother/family. Had to make a stop at the Pizza Shack in Tipton, of course. We headed to my hometown, Logansport, for a few days with my Dad...hit Mr. Happy Burger for a pork tenderloin, snapped a pic of Emerson in the Happy Trolley & played at Spencer Park for a while. Em got a tour of my cousin's dairy farm & we visited some relatives on my Dad's side. Then, on the North Manchester for Manchester College's (soon to be Manchester University?! So not right) Homecoming, where I got to have lunch with a dear old friend who is making some exciting life changes & getting ready to sojourn to Nepal at the end of the year. Ran into my favorite professor & his wife, and got to say hello. They are the epitome of what I want to be when I grow up...adventurous, daring & just darn nice people. We got to celebrate my Mom's 60th birthday while we were there...scoring a corgi cake for my mama was a highlight of the day! We spent time with my Gram, aunt/uncle & brother, who all got to meet Liam for the first time.

It's always good to go home...

I love this boy...

2011-09-07T22:00:00.002-05:00

Grateful...

2011-09-04T19:27:00.002-05:00

--for my father-in-law's successful aortic repair done this week. He's home, comfortable and doing well.

--for dodging Hurricane Irene.

--for a really great photo session with Emerson & Liam yesterday. Photos turned out so cute!

--for wonderful neighbors & family who helped us get through our childcare drought last month.

--for my friend, Jen, even though we don't get to see each other often enough. I think about her daily.

--for flexibility at work, and coworkers who didn't care that my 4 yr old was camped out with an iPad outside my office all day on Friday.

--for a husband who pitches in, stays up late, gets up early and makes our babies laugh.

--that my thyroid nodule was benign and it's almost gone now.

--for a three day weekend with nothing to do & nowhere we have to be.

Behind...

2011-08-22T19:56:00.003-05:00

Oh, *sigh*....as my Mama pointed out, I am behind in my blog posting & photo updating. The truth is that our little boy is not nearly as well-documented photographically speaking as Emerson was at this age. He is as cute as a little button...filling out in all the right rolly-polly places and crazy wavy hair. He's started wearing his hair thin on the sides & back a little from rolling around in his sleep (I assume), but we've also seen him tugging on his hair on the sides as well. He smiles at his sister when she comes around to aggravate, er, talk to him. He's a chatty little guy who likes to make eye contact & talk you up. He's enjoying chewing on his hands as well as any piece of cloth that comes within reach (washcloth during bath time, your shirt during burps, bibs or blankets). He's spent the past 2 days (last Friday and today) at the daycare for some transitional time, and then starts full time on Sept 1. Keith and I are splitting days until then as we've been unsuccessful in finding any other alternatives this week and next. Public school starts this week, so babysitters are trying to enjoy their last few days of freedom.

Meanwhile, big sister is taking private swim lessons and is really gaining confidence in the water. We are working hard to break the thumb-sucking habit with the help of a product called Malvo-stop. One of my coworkers is married to a dentist, and she recommended this. It tastes horrible and you paint it on the thumbnail. I did this for the first time while Em slept, and she woke up crying that night at 1am (but went back to sleep without intervention) and then told me in the morning she "had a bad dream and her thumb tasted DISGUSTING!" I didn't fess up and have been painting this stuff on after she falls asleep for the past week or so. She is stubborn, and trying to figure out how to suck that darn thumb without tasting the stuff. Surprisingly, she hasn't asked how that nasty taste got on her thumb, but did suggest that it might help her quit sucking. I mentioned a Thumbalina fairy who sprinkles stuff on thumbs in the middle of the night, and she pondered that one for a while. We are also (poor kid) worked hard on staying dry at night. She's been dry the past 3 nights in undies instead of a Pull-up. This requires my getting her up after Liam's last bottle and when Liam wakes up at 4-5 am to eat. So far, it's working!! She is so proud of herself in the morning.

Em started in her new classroom at the beginning of August (4-5 yr olds). I signed up to be the Library helper for her class, and bring a ton of books in each week that support the theme they are studying. There is a real focus on learning letters, reading & spelling. I really think she'll be in good shape this time next year when kindergarten rolls around (*sob!*). Now that I'm back to work, we're establishing an evening routine in which Liam is put to bed by 745-800, and Em has 30 minutes of total parental attention. We've been playing board games, reading, doing flashcards, etc. She eats it up, and her behavior has improved considerably.

Seriously Sweet Sleeping Baby Boy

2011-07-28T14:21:00.002-05:00

Summer Updates

2011-07-23T12:28:00.003-05:00

1. We're going to sign Em up for private swimming lessons soon (I know, summer is 2/3 over!) in an effort to get her swimming independently. Group lessons just haven't cut it.

2. Liam caught his first cold, courtesy of big sister, who had it last week. *sigh* There is nothing very effective you can do for such little guys when they are sick. Good news is Em is finally old enough to get cold meds!

3. I'm trying to figure out the nusing/pumping schedule for when I go back to work in a week. I have a general idea of how this will work, but it all really depends upon the sleep schedule Liam settles into. He's been sleeping in his crib for the past week, and that's working well. He usually gets his last bottle around 9p and then wakes up once around 2-3am (although this morning was 430!!) I'll breastfeed around 6-630 when he wakes up again.

4. We are in a quandry about childcare come August. Liam's daycare spot doesn't open up until the end of the month. Judy is coming the 2nd week of August, but otherwise, it's probably going to be a lot of working from home/taking Liam to work for Keith and me. Hoping our neighborhood sitter can cover a few days before she goes back to school. This is making my transition back to work mighty stressful!

5. We had a successful trip to Myrtle Beach last week. We stayed at a Hampton Inn, which was nice in that 1) it was oceanfront & had 9 pools 2) free breakfast 3) fridge in the room for breastmilk & lunch items 4) seafood for dinner nightly 5) met up with an old from of Keith's from Tipton & her family for dinner one night 6) Mama got to take a long walk on the beach alone (well, almost alone...had a sleeping baby in the Bjorn)

6. We are in the process of refinancing our mortgage, and getting a *really* low interest rate. It will knock off several hundred dollars per month on the bill, save us thousands in interest, and we'll pay the house off faster. A win-win-win! (Thanks to Keith for researching & executing!)

7. We're trying to get back into some of our family routines (Saturday library trips, etc), as the past 3 months of complete chaos has really thrown Em for a loop. Behavior is turning ugly, and we need to get her back on track. Kids really do thrive on routine and having some predictability to their lives!

8. Em came out the bathroom the other night and told me a kid at school shoved a piece of candle up her nose. That seemed a bit odd. I asked her who did it, and she said she couldn't remember. We have a candle in the bathroom, so I asked her if she just shoved a candle piece up her nose, and that I wouldn't be mad if she did. So, she fessed up and we spent the next 10 minutes trying to figure out how to get the darn thing out. When I asked her why she did it, she said she wanted to smell it, and "it got to close". We had a nice chat about not putting anything up our nose again. *sigh*

9. I've been consigning & donating maternity clothes, kid stuff and am feeling the need to purge! Perhaps this is due to the large amount of baby STUFF that's all over the house these days.

10. The big to-do list I had to get accomplished during my maternity leave is mostly sitting undone. Drat! I can say that my boy has doubled his birth weight in 10 weeks and grown about 4 inches in length, so I guess I got something done!

Ch-ch-changes...

2011-07-10T12:24:00.003-05:00

With the addition of a new little person to the family, lots of changes have been going on around here. The reduction of parental sleeping hours is just one of many! We are finally beginning to get into a bit of a schedule, with Liam *usually* only waking up once in the middle of the night after his last evening feed around 11pm. Some nights go better than others, but it is glorious bliss when he decides to snooze until 4am! I've been trying to have him take an afternoon nap in his crib so that we can begin that transition to nighttime sleep in his bedroom when I go back to work in early August. I'll be returning to work full time, but changes are on the horizon, as I found out my supervisor will have left by the time I return. It's been nice to not have to think about work for the summer, but reality will hit full-swing come August, as it's one of the busiest times of the school year.

Emerson will be transitioning to the 4 yr old classroom tomorrow. It's her last year at the preschool before kindergarten. I can't think about life this time next year, as we'll be buying school supplies for our girl, and gearing her up for her first school bus ride. I'm sure I'll be sobbing on the corner as the bus drives away. Who gave this kid permission to grow up?!

Liam is working hard to lift his head & shoulders up, do little "push-up's", and has rolled from front to back several times now (I think just to prove how much he hates tummy time). He is cooing, smiling and chatting us up on a regular basis. He's started swatting & kicking at toys, and enjoys our morning walks.

I've been taking 3 mile walks on a daily basis for the past several weeks in an attempt to get back into shape (and back into my work clothes). I've joined Weight Watchers online to shed the last few unwanted pounds. I'm considering joining the Durham YMCA, which is only 2 blocks from work. I discovered they offer lunch time exercise classes, which would work very well for my schedule.

Summer if flying by, and August will be here before we know it.

Photo Card

2011-06-20T11:42:00.001-05:00

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Emmy-isms

2011-06-06T21:19:00.003-05:00

--"Sun-scream" instead of sunscreen

--she says "is" instead of "if", as in "is you give a cat a cupcake"

--she asked Keith if she could begin wearing her dance costumes to school since dance class is over for the year.....um, no.

--somehow, she has incorporated the word "like" into her daily vocabulary...like, valley-girl style. Not sure how this has happened, since neither of her parents talk like this.

--"fine, whatever"....I'm sure this will be really irritating when she's 13.

--she told the dentist today she was using fuzzy socks on her hands in order to stop sucking her thumb. She told me on the way to the dentist that she covered her hand with her blankie and squeezed it tight behind her back during naptime so she wouldn't suck her thumb. Habits are hard to break!

--Her teachers told us they overhead her talking with other kids in class about the "salami" in Japan

--"Liam weally, weally loves me!"

Things I Don't Want to Forget...

2011-05-16T18:32:00.002-05:00

--Emerson's excitement about being a big sister..."I'll do it, because I'm the BIG SISTER!"

--Liam and Emerson cooing back and forth to each other

--Liam's first bath....went something like this: Emerson seeing Liam naked for the first time, identifying his belly, asking about his umbilical stump, and then looking further south and asking, "what's THAT!?". I told her he had little boy parts, said that was where the pee pee came out, and right on cue...a fountain erupted all over the mirror (cue shrieking & surprised little girl!)

--the little sighs and grunts Liam makes when eating & breastfeeding

--what a great Dad Keith is, even when sleep-deprived

--how much Ed & Judy did for us the first 2 weeks of Liam's life

--how grateful we are that Liam is okay, after a scary week in the hospital

--how wonderful it is to have neighbors, friends and church family who care for us

--that work is willing to be flexible about my return to work date

--that in the end, all those damn shots, procedures and $$ were worth it to have our little boy

And then there were four...

2011-05-16T18:30:00.001-05:00

He is here!

2011-05-15T18:13:00.002-05:00

Liam Heaston Stouder was born via c-section on Tuesday, 5/3/11 at 10:20 pm. My water broke at 330 am on 5/3, almost 2 1/2 weeks before my actual due date. Quite a surprise in the wee small hours of the morning. Because I wasn't having contractions, the doctor said we could stay home & rest for a while, and come in to the hospital when we were ready. We didn't have anything packed for the hospital, and luckily no contractions started. We were able to rest, pack, and get Emerson off to school that morning. We arranged for a neighbor to pick her up from school, and Keith notified his parents to begin their trek up from Florida to stay with Em. We went to the hospital around 1030 that morning...still no contractions. They admitted me, and told me to start walking, in hopes that would trigger labor. After 12 hours of walking, I was only having a few small contractions...nothing major. They hooked me up to the monitor, and noticed that Liam's heart rate dropped after a contraction (not good). They repositioned me, and monitored. The decision was made to begin a pitocin drip, and monitor the baby closely to see if he tolerated more contractions...thinking maybe his cord was kinked and this would resolve. After about 1.5 hrs on pitocin, I was only having minimal contractions, and the babe wasn't liking them very much. The doctor didn't think it was a good idea to continue with labor, and recommended a c-section. So, I began the prep for surgery, with some relief not to have to continue on with contractions! During the section, it was discovered that Liam's cord was double-knotted! It was truly a good thing that my water broke early, and the course of his delivery happened as it did. Had I gone into labor on my own, we could have been looking at an emergency. I did miss being able to hold Liam right after his delivery, and in fact didn't get to hold him at all until the next day. After my post-op recovery, I was wheeled back to my room, and shortly afterward a pediatrics resident came in to tell us that they needed to take Liam to the NICU because his blood sugar was 19. That is scary low! I wasn't able to see him until around noon on 5/4, as my spinal anesthesia didn't wear off for a while, and I wasn't able to walk. Keith wheeled me to the NICU, and I saw our bitty baby hooked up to IV's and swaddled tightly. He only weighed 5 lb, 6 oz....a lot smaller than his 7 lb, 2 oz big sister! I stayed in the hospital until Saturday, but Liam didn't come home until the following Tuesday. He spent his first week of life in the NICU.

Keith and I marveled at the tiny babies in the NICU, many of whom spend months there. I could only imagine the fatigue those parents feel, and noticed that some nurses complained about parents who didn't come in for long stretches. So many of those babies have such significant medical issues...we felt truly blessed to have one of the bigger, healthier babies in the nursery. It was a joy to walk out with him on Tuesday!

We are monitoring Liam's blood sugars several times a day, and so far, they have all been normal. He's on a tiny dose of medication to help keep his sugars up, and he's eating like a champ. We are encouraged that this is likely something he will grow out of, and that this is not an uncommon thing with babies. He tolerates the heel sticks surprisingly well, although I joke with Keith that he may end up with an aversion to anyone touching his feet forever. Poor little guy!

We're enjoying getting to know Liam, watching Emerson morph into a wonderful big sister, and redefining ourselves as a family of four. Life is good!

Kid Conversations...

2011-04-28T19:53:00.002-05:00

Last night, Em and I had a conversation that went something like this:

Em: When baby brother comes home from the hospital, I will push him in the swing on the play set.

Mom: Oh, baby brother won't be able to swing on the play set for a while.

Em: Why not?

Mom: When baby brother comes home, he will be very small. He won't be able to do much except cry, eat, sleep and poop.

Em: That's it? How small will he be anyway?

Mom demonstrates how small & says: He will be very fragile. That means we have to be extra careful with him.

Em: Oh, like a Christmas ornament?

Mom: Exactly!

Monday Roundup

2011-04-11T20:15:00.003-05:00

Things have been busy at the House of S, as we prepare for the arrival of kidlet #2 in less than 5 weeks. Squeezing in lots of quality time with the big girl, getting organized, and generally taking care of business! Some highlights & things to catch you up...

1) Em is super into letters, spelling, sounding out words and practicing her writing skills. Every car trip now includes practice on her Doodleboard, usually with Mom writing a simple word (cat, car, dog, sheep) and Em sounding it out. She is so proud of herself!

2) Baby boy is flipped the wrong way...head is up, butt is down. He's got a couple weeks to figure this out, as I'm told babies are usually stuck in their final place around 36 weeks or so. No flip = C-section for me. We'll see!

3) Em has her dance recital coming up the first weekend in June. The theme is "Where the Wild Things Are". We checked the book out from the library so she understands the theme, and she has a little image of what she's to be. I'm looking forward to seeing the costumes, and it is fun to see the instructor begin incorporating elements of the routine into the usual classes. Em has now begun "putting on dance shows" in the living room, complete with multiple "costume changes" and passing out of refreshments for the audience.

4) We took a quick weekend trip to the coast 2 weeks ago, staying with church friends at Bald Head Island. Definitely want to go back, as it's very underdeveloped, quiet, and has lots of nature preserves to explore. No cars allowed on the island!

5) Last weekend was spent in DC, visiting all of the Stouders. Em got the hang with both cousins, and I think the earliest she fell asleep was 1030 or 1100 pm. She had a ball, and we were able to get some family photos done. I took the opportunity to get some maternity shots done as well. Got a few cute ones...will post once I have the disc.

6) Em's imagination is going wild! She loves to "write books" and tell us stories. The stories often include things like volcanos with "hot laba", trips to China, baby snatchers and of course, her old (imaginary) pal Olivia, who I'm convinced is Em's evil alter-ego. She's a naughty girl! It's really funny to listen to Em ramble and see where the story goes.

7) This past weekend we took it easy, since we'd been out of town the previous 2 weekends. Saturday was our usual dance class, errand day. Keith went & got the taxes done...Em and I went & got our toes done. Seemed like a good deal to me. We explored a new restaurant in Durham on Friday night, and went to the NC Museum of Natural Science in Raleigh on Sunday afternoon. Admission was free, and the place was really neat! Fun times!

8) Keith is working hard to finish his big database project for his class at UNC this semester. It's worth 50% of his final grade, and is due in a little over 2 weeks. He's got a final exam as well, and it's crunch time! He's doing really well, and is enjoying the instructor and course very much. No class during the summer session since we'll be sleep deprived & have our hands full at home!

9) The warm weather has brought pretty significant swelling in my hands & feet. My toes resemble stuffed sausages, and 90% of my shoes no longer fit. I can't get my wedding rings off, so hopefully I don't develop a purple digit which requires getting them cut off. 5 more weeks, 5 more weeks!

10) The pollen count has skyrocketed this past week...everything is a lovely shade of yellow-green, thanks to all the pines surrounding the house. Poor Em is sniffly-goopy-drippy, and wants nothing more than to be playing outside in this nicer weather. Generic Zyrtec & Rhinocort nasal spray are keeping her functional & happy, so we'll just hang on for the next couple weeks until this stuff clears out!

Is it wrong?

2011-03-22T20:26:00.002-05:00

Does it make me a bad Mom that I don't correct Em when she says, "lellow" instead of yellow, or "callapiller" instead of catapiller? She's growing up so fast, and I sometimes cling to these little verbal foibles as proof that she's not totally there yet.

Funny 4 yr old

2011-03-12T20:54:00.003-05:00

Tonight, as we were driving around doing errands, I was commenting to Keith that I was at the point in my pregnancy (which I had completely forgotten about from the first time around with Em) that my baby belly was getting high enough that it was pressing up into my xyphoid process (you know, that little piece of bone at the bottom of your rib cage at the base of the sternum) and was rather uncomfortable. Emerson pipes up from the backseat, "maybe that's why Dad should have the baby in his belly". We laughed so hard, and then explained to her that only girls could grow babies in their tummies, and boys weren't made to do that. She thought for a moment, and then said, "Hey! I'm a girl!! I could grow baby brother in MY tummy!"

I so love that she was trying to find a solution to my discomfort. She learned something exciting about being a girl tonight, and probably totally freaked her Daddy out in the process. (He may have mentioned that she could grow a baby in her tummy when she was 44)

Disney Birthday!

2011-02-26T12:40:00.003-05:00

Emerson turned 4 on February 8, and we celebrated in style at Disney World! We spent 4 days there, staying at the Wilderness Lodge, which I have to highly recommend. It was close to the Magic Kingdom, and you took a quick 10 minute boat ride over to the park. We spent one day at the Animal Kingdom, and all the rest of our time at the Magic Kingdom. This was truly the perfect age for Em to experience the Disney magic. She's at the peak of her princess fascination, and we had breakfast with the Princesses in the Cinderella Castle on her birthday. Keith's parents joined us on that day to help celebrate, and Em had a ball riding the Teacups with Nana and watching Papaw shoot at Zurg on the Buzz Lightyear ride. There was so much to see & do, lots of walking, very short lines (thankfully!) and mostly good weather.

While in Florida, we got to see Keith's grandparents, and my Grandma as well. Em was able to swim a few times, we took long walks, chilled a little, and tried to recover from our time at Disney.

This trip was Em's last hurrah as an only child. The last birthday where every last bit of attention was focused exclusively toward her. I think I took over 500 photos of this trip, so hopefully she remembers something of it!

3 months

2011-02-02T20:49:00.002-05:00

We're down to the last 3 months....last 3 months of being pregnant, last 3 months of being a family of 3, last 3 months of Emerson being an only child. In 3 short months we get to meet our boy, and our lives will change forever. Emerson will become a big sister, and the dynamic of our family with change and morph. I want to slow down these last 3 months, and let our girl enjoy her remaining time as the single child under our roof. To play Go Fish, and rub her feet and snuggle in bed with her after finishing story time at night. To bask in the "easiness" of having an almost-four-year-old, before it all becomes more complicated. To enjoy these last months of the last pregnancy I will carry, and relish the flipping & flopping going on in my belly. To giggle when Em tells me there's a baby in her belly too, and it's kicking & moving around in there. I don't want these last 3 months to fly by too quickly, even though I am anxious to see the face of our son, and the face of our daughter when she meets her brother for the first time. That moment when she becomes a big sister, and she holds him in her little arms. The first time we are together as a family of four. I'm torn between wanting time to slow down, and looking forward to what is yet to come.

January Fly-by

2011-01-29T21:01:00.002-05:00

Wow...it's the end of January already, how did that happen? We've had a busy month...at work, at home, with family & friends. Emerson turns 4 in ten days. Good God! My baby is all grown up. *sign, sob, sniff* We're having a little party at school on Friday for her birthday and are looking forward to some amazing birthday adventures this year.

I've been off my nausea meds for the past 4 days, and am feeling pretty good here at 24 weeks along. This pregnancy is flying by as well, and we'll have a bouncing baby boy here before we know it. He's doing lots of bouncing on my bladder these days, and Keith felt him move for the first time this morning (while I was sleeping!). He's an active little booger! We've pretty much decided on a name for him, and just like we did with Emerson, we'll keep it to ourselves until he arrives. We've got some things to do to prepare for another baby in the house, but I'm feeling very little stress about it (right now). We just found out on Friday that he'll be able to attend the same little in-home daycare that Emerson did, and we are so, so happy about that.

We've had a sort of crummy week with a sick little girl, heavy work schedules, 2 grandparents in the ICU and lots to do around the house. Em's on the mend, and both grandparents are now out of the hospital, thankfully. I finished my third (and final) week of Admissions at work, so now can focus on all the other things I need to get accomplished. I'm finally moving forward with a clinic position at Breast Cancer Survivor Clinic at Duke. Looking forward to my first days in clinic in early March. I'll do that intermittently when the NP needs clinic coverage, and as the program expands, will increase to a one day/week position, which is a requirement of being on faculty at the PA Program. I've been without a clinic assignment since the end of Sept 2010, so look forward to interacting with patients again.

We went to the Durham Museum of Life & Science on MLK Day, as we were all on vacation that day. Had lots of fun exploring, and I was able to snap some cool photos in the Butterfly House with my new telephoto camera lens. I got a new camera bag today to stow all my camera gear, and look forward to taking lots of photos over Em's birthday.

Wintertime fun!

2011-01-02T15:41:00.003-05:00

We had some snow the day after Christmas...about 4-5 inches. We'd purchased a sled, boots and snow pants for Emerson on clearance last year in hopes of using it all this year. She was thrilled to break everything in! She giggled the entire time Keith pulled her on the sled. We all took turns with her on a big hill in the neighborhood. We made a tiny snowman on the deck, and our outside Kitty ate all the embellishments off of him (much to Em's dismay!). Overall, it's been a great vacation week around here!

A New Year: 2011

2010-12-30T14:06:00.003-05:00

I took a look back at my New Year post from last year, and these were the things on my to-do list for 2010...

A few things I'd like to cross off my list this year:

--get pregnant/stay pregnant (check)

--run the Flying Pig 5K with Jen in early May (didn't do because of #1 above)

--paint what needs painted in the house and finish reorganizing rooms/furniture (check)

--focus on better diet, ie: try to drink more water, eat more fruits & veggies, etc (still trying, but doing better)

--transition Emmy into a big girl room, with a big girl bed (check)

--read more for fun (check...amazing what you can do when you stop bringing work home with you!)

So, again, I have some overall goals for 2011 that would be lovely to accomplish. We'll see what 2011 has in store for us!

--deliver a healthy baby boy in May, and help Em with the transition to big sister

--breastfeed for what seems a reasonable length of time, and not feel (too) guilty when I'm ready to be done

--join Weight Watchers post-pregnancy

--plan to enter a Turkey Trot in 2011, and run the whole thing

--continue to focus on maintaining a reasonable work/home balance

--take an online photography course to really learn how to use my camera

--dedicate time on a regular basis to nurture my relationship with Keith (this will become even more challenging come May)

Friends & loved ones, here's hoping for a wonderful 2011 for you!

Merry Christmas Memories

2010-12-25T18:33:00.002-05:00

Dear Santa...

2010-12-14T14:54:00.003-05:00

Dear Santa,

I would like a

1. My little pony

2. Candy necklace

3. Cinderella Barbie

Emerson

Christmas Cookie Baking with Grammy!

2010-12-14T14:48:00.003-05:00

My Mom came down for a visit, and "the girls" had a cookie baking & decorating afternoon yesterday. We doubled the recipe, but forgot to double the flour. It was the cookie bake-a-thon that almost wasn't! Em had a ball with her Grammy.

From the mouth of a 3 yr old...

2010-12-04T14:04:00.002-05:00

Upon spying a house with smoke coming out of the chimney, "Hey look, that house has a tailpipe!"

"When I grow up, I was to be a girl fireman!"

When asked if she was excited about finding out whether she would have a baby brother or sister (when I have my ultrasound in a few weeks), "Nope, I'll find out later."

Big Girl Room

2010-11-28T18:33:00.003-05:00

Em's big girl room came together this weekend, with the help of Keith and Grandpa, who was visiting from Indiana. She was very excited about sleeping in her new bed, with the girly sheets & bed linens. Lots of very cool touches in this room!

Fall Leaves

2010-11-22T20:48:00.003-05:00

Two weekends ago, we did a little leaf raking in order to make a nice, large pile for Emerson to jump. She'd been pining away for a leaf pile, but not enough leaves had fallen yet. Finally, we had a dry spell, and nice weather. She got her little rake and helped Daddy (most of the time using the rake backwards, but it's the thought that counts, right?!). She was ecstatic to finally get to jump into a leaf pile!

My new favorite photo of Emerson

2010-11-10T19:46:00.000-05:00

Guess Who's Becoming a Big Sister?

2010-11-09T19:48:00.002-05:00

Our family is growing, and Emerson will become a big sister in May 2011!

"Olivia's Dead"

2010-11-06T12:35:00.002-05:00

As we were driving down the road last night, heading to Panera Bread for dinner, followed by grocery shopping at Kroger, Emerson piped up from the backseat with this doosie..."Olivia's dead". Followed by dead silence in the car. Olivia, by the way, is Emerson's imaginary sister whom she's talked about for the last year. She literally mentions her daily. From what I can gather, she lives across the street at 8008 XX Road, she's either older or younger than Emerson (some days she's 2, some days she's 43 and drives...who knew?!). It's unclear who her parents are, and why she doesn't live with us. Olivia gets blamed for mishaps & misbehavior and is included in most of the silly conversations shared about the happenings at school.

Needless to say, we were a little taken aback to hear she was no longer with us. After a period of silence, we finally asked Em what happened. She explained that Olivia was out walking her dog and got "squooshed by a car". We asked her how she found out about this accident, and she mentioned that Olivia was at school today crying, and told her about it. "She's dead, but she'll be better on Monday...don't worry guys."

Thank goodness! Keith and I talked about it later, and were a little relieved that Em doesn't yet grasp the concept of death. We've seen dead squirrels "squooshed by a car" on our morning walks, so I suppose this is where the idea came from last night. We are also not totally ready to have this conversation with her, as we haven't figured out how we want to present it to her yet. I want to be honest, but not go into great detail about things. I don't want to use any of the explanations like, "sleeping" or "gone to Heaven". I think being honest & sticking to simple explanations is probably the best route.

Anyone out there have any great ideas about broaching this topic when the time comes?

Halloween Fun!

2010-10-31T20:13:00.002-05:00

We carved our pumpkins last weekend, and Emmy decided pumpkin guts were not for her. She did like eating the pumpkin seeds that Keith toasted! We did trick-or-treating tonight, and Em got to walk around the neighborhood with the girls from across the street (her big girl buddies). It was so fun hearing her chatter excitedly with them, telling stories, cracking jokes, and just being silly & having a good time. Keith manned the homefront, handing out candy to the masses. We had taken a family walk earlier, scoping out the houses with great front porch decor. There were some really neat jack-o-lanterns out there tonight! Em decided her legs were getting tired, and she had enough candy, so we headed home after about an hour. She was impressed with her loot, and got to hand out some candy to neighbor kids who stopped by later. It was a fun night!

Pumpkin Season!

2010-10-10T18:31:00.001-05:00

One of THOSE Moms...

2010-09-26T19:39:00.003-05:00

Yes, I'll admit it, I'm one of THOSE Moms....you know, the ones the uber-on-top-of-it-Moms sort of shake theirs heads at while exchanging knowing glances. I'm the Mom who shows up to a play date without bringing snacks or drinks (I did feed her en route to said play date, but failed to plan ahead for what she'd be like after an hour of running around in 90 degree heat). I'm the Mom who heads out to the local park with the family and totally fails to have a change of clothes available when the kiddo has an episode of diarrhea on top of the climbing equipment (not a pretty scene driving home, let me assure you). I'm the Mom who forgets to pay the correct amount for daycare (the fee was reduced months ago, when Em aged up) and so is carrying a balance, much to the Director's dismay. I'm the Mom who's kid is covered in scars, because she can't figure out a way to get her to stop picking her scabs. I'm the Mom who lets her kid watch too many movies because sometimes, I just need some peace. It's days like these that I can really beat myself up for not planning ahead more, being better organized, or having more energy for being creative with the kid. When I really want to throw a guilt-trip party, I start adding up the hours she spends in daycare each week....oh, Lordy, it's really hard to go there.

Overall though, Emerson doesn't seem the least bit affected by my mothering gaffes. She's happy, energetic, creative, and lovable. She tells me I'm a "good Mama" and pats my shoulder affectionately. She laughs at my silly jokes, asks me to sing her night-night songs, and draws me lovely family portraits. She holds my hand regularly, whispers secrets in my ear and snuggles close on the couch. She's my kitchen helper, my morning walk partner and tells me I have cute underwear when I'm getting dressed. She cracks me up, breaks my heart and thoroughly amazes me in the span of a few short seconds.

I'll have to come to peace with occasionally dropping the ball big-time, but it's nice to know I have an automatic "pass" from the one person who matters the most.

What We've Been Up To...

2010-09-13T20:05:00.001-05:00

Recent Stuff

2010-08-23T19:43:00.002-05:00

There's a lot of talk around here about princesses & Cinderella. I found a beat up Cinderella dress (see above) at a kid's consignment sale for $2. Brought it home, repaired the ripped out seams, and it's now on my child daily. We checked out the Disney Cinderella DVD from the library over the weekend, and I've seen it about 5 times in 2 days. I'm just about Cinderella'd out. Little does Em know that she'll be eating breakfast with Cindy at her castle in Florida on her 4th birthday. She is aware that we're going to the big "D" but hasn't a clue what's there. Should be buckets of fun. I'll be sure to charge my camera battery the night before!!

Em has been working hard on her letters, and writing her name. Here's a sample from this weekend. She was on a card-making kick, and we mailed off 3 cards on Saturday to various relatives. One of my coworkers gave us 3 big bags of art supplies today (cleared out just days after her own daughter left for college...how's that for efficiency??). I have a feeling we'll have many creative moments around here with all that cool stuff!

L&L's

2010-08-14T12:53:00.002-05:00

Loves:

--That my bestie, Jen, flew down for a (too short) Girl's Visit recently. Very fun to hang with her, and I wish she lived closer so we could do it more often.

--Em finished her swimming lessons this morning. After 5-10 minutes of persuasion, she got into the pool and loved it.

--Seeing Eat, Pray, Love with an old college buddy tonight.

--Em is starting dance classes in early September...she is thrilled.

--Going as a family to see The Wiggles tomorrow afternoon in Raleigh. Em doesn't know what we're doing yet, only that we're going on a "field trip".

--Slowly getting organized around here...reframing photos, etc.

--Got my proposal approved and will present at the national PA Educators Association conference in Baltimore in October. Co-presenting another with a coworker.

--making a point to run each Saturday & Sunday morning for the past 4-6 weeks. Feeling better, but not there yet

--making a batch of strawberries & cream ice cream today!

Loathes:

--being overwhelmed with the amount of "stuff" that needs done at home & work. Feel like taking a couple days off work to address the home stuff, but it's a really busy time @ work, and would be hard to do that

--flea bites, especially since the cats haven't stepped foot outdoors for 2 summers now!

--looking for another clinic assignment for 1 day/week, and not having much luck

--the extra 15 lbs I'm carrying around

--how darn hot it's been all summer (although it's only about 80 right now!)

Blueberries

2010-08-03T19:37:00.002-05:00

Em and I went to a blueberry farm in Hillsborough weekend before last. The previous weekend was my initial choice to go picking, but it thunderstormed when the day arrived. So, last weekend was 100 degrees, and insane mama loaded up her kiddo and headed out. Lordy, it was hot & we were soaked with sweat within 5 minutes of arrival. I managed to snap some photos of Em before she was totally sweaty & miserable. I picked 4 lbs, and we hit a gas station on the way home to get a Popsicle.

Emmy-isms

2010-08-03T19:33:00.003-05:00

The other day, Keith was on the floor of the living room shirtless, doing sit-ups. As he's aged, let's just say he's become a bit hairier on the chest & abdomen (and elsewhere, but we won't talk about that today). Emmy hopped down off the couch and crouched beside him, commenting, "Daddy has a moustache on his belly!".

Progress!

2010-08-03T17:18:00.005-05:00

Emmy has finished 3 weeks of swimming lessons at the Sportsplex in Hillsborough. Week 1 was a disaster, as she cried hysterically and refused to get into the pool. She finally agreed to do it at the very end of the lesson...once. When she got out, she grabbed my leg and pointed to the instructor (a very nice, but very loud & large man) and said, "I don't like him!". She had her heart set on a "girl" instructor, and really didn't want anything to do with a male instructor. The next lesson, she was able to hook up with a nice, high school aged female instructor, and got into the pool after about 15 minutes of crying and saying she didn't want to go into the water. Keith threatened to just GO HOME, and she decided the water wasn't so bad. She did an okay job, but frequently came running over to us for reassurance. The 3rd lesson was this past Saturday. We arrived to find out that Miss Maureen was working with another group of kids, and Em's instructor would be Mr. Tyler...uh-oh, another new face and a BOY! The tears started flowing immediately, but the instructor was great...he was already in the pool, and in an effort to win Em over began tossing a pink ball back & forth with her. He inched her closer to the edge of the pool, and then asked her to sit down, practice her kicks & splash him in the face. Music to a 3 year old's ears! After that, she was hooked. It was like someone flipped a switch on this kid! She didn't come over to us at all, in fact, barely even looked at us for the entire lesson. She was totally focused, anticipating her next turn, watching the other kids. She did a fantastic job this week! Here's a little video Keith caught of her first solo swim!

L&L

2010-07-16T20:58:00.002-05:00

Loves:
--Got home from a week of visiting family & friends in Indiana & Ohio last week...always so good to see everyone, but never enough time with anyone! Swinging on the porch swing with my 93 yr old Gram & my 3 yr old girl was pretty sweet!
--My best buddy is coming to NC for a quick visit in a couple weeks...girl time! Yay!
--Found a great pair of shoes at the Discount Shoes store in Asheville this week.
--Going to the Kids Exchange Sale at the State Fairgrounds this week...it's like one huge yard sale with only kids stuff...bargain hunter's paradise!
--Picking blueberries this weekend
--Swinging with Emerson on the new playset
--Watching the fat cats take turns sleeping in the shoe box I brought back from Asheville...comical.
--Got my Happy Burgery tenderloin and Sycamore ice cream fix while in Indiana. Also my A&W rootbeer in a frosted mug. Delish! (No, weight loss was not acheived while on vacation!)
--Our farm share this summer...goodies delivered to our back door weekly. Love it.
--That Keith and I are seeing Mary Chapin Carpenter in concert on Sunday...love her!

Loathes:
--Haven't started another knitting project since finishing Em's scarf...can't decide what to do next, and at this point, will probably have to relearn everything!
--How busy & stressful work is right now. Lots going on, too little time to finish projects...sigh.
--The bad attitude Em has these days. Very bossy, mean, and sassy. Not responding to the "1, 2, 3...timeout" so much these days (starts counting me when I count her...irritating!). But, alas, she is bipolar and a really sweet doll 5 minutes later.
--Weight gain and not fitting into my clothes
--Fertility treatments.
--How hard it is to fit exercise back into my life.
--That Lilith Fair in Raleigh was cancelled...rat bastards!

By the way, vacation photos are posted on our Flickr photo account...check them out!

Play set is Here!

2010-06-18T20:06:00.002-05:00

We came home today from work/school to find a brand new play set installed in the back yard. It took 2 men literally all day to put this together, and we were so glad we didn't attempt this ourselves. We had a squealing-giggling-happy little girl tonight! We decided to grill dinner, as it was one of the few days this week with no humidity and temps below 90. Felt great!

Scarf is Done & Girlbaby is Happy!

2010-06-13T18:47:00.001-05:00

How Dad Entertains the Kid When the Power Goes Out

2010-06-13T18:46:00.002-05:00

First Project Knitted!

2010-06-12T22:03:00.003-05:00

My first knitting project was this lovely dish cloth, which I promptly mailed to my Mama with a bar of goatmilk soap! Am finishing up Em's pink scarf (need to go get a crochet hook to add the fringe tomorrow). She's terribly excited to model it for a photoshoot!

Scenes from the Zoo

2010-06-01T19:16:00.003-05:00

Car Talk

2010-06-01T19:11:00.002-05:00

On the way home today, I told Emerson that I was making homemade pizza for dinner, and invited her to help me in the kitchen. Normally, she would enthusiastically say, "YES!". Not tonight. She tried to let me down easy by first telling me that she was my friend, but that she wasn't going to help cook tonight. She explained, "I'm not a good cooker, but I am a good singer and a good counter. And tonight, Mom, I just want to play with my toys when I get home, okay?"

Right-o, kid. Right-o.

Did you know?

2010-05-29T09:14:00.003-05:00

E: Mommy, did you know that "catel-pillars" turn into butterflies?

M: Wow! That's so neat!

E: Yes, first they are a catel-pillar, then they go into a raccoon, and then they turn into a butterfly!

L&L's

2010-05-26T20:05:00.003-05:00

Loves:

Having my Mom here for a visit last week...had a great time, and Emmy was in heaven with her Grammy!

Finishing my first knitting project (a dishcloth). Turned out pretty well! Emmy picked out some cute pink yarn, and I'm starting a scarf for her.

Planting lots of perennials in the flower beds & things are looking good!

Getting a proposal finalized to submit for a national conference presentation with a coworker...hope it gets accepted!

Our CSA...lots of great veggies and other yumminess delivered to our door each week.

Finding a fabulous Dora the Explorer Dream House at a consignment shop & getting a great deal (and Emmy's face when she plays with it!)

Giving Emmy some big-girl responsibilities & seeing how well she handles them.

Finding out Emmy will be in a new classroom in June with her buddy Becky.

Having an old friend from college spend the night recently when she came into town.

Seeing Wicked recently at the DPAP with my hubs.

Scoring 2-for-1 tickets to Lillith Fair in August for me and my bestie!

Loathes:

Slugs & deer terrorizing our new plants! Damn you!

Bad weather delaying Mom's first flight in 12 years! Southwest saves the day!

Pulling a tick off my leg...gross.

Weight gain.

Pimples @ 34.

Cats pooping on rugs...repeatedly. OK, I get it, you're hungry and don't like the new diet.

Cats puking up hairballs on new chairs...seriously, can't you just jump down first?

A letter from Honda about 2 recalls on the van...Saturday in the shop coming up. Good thing Keith has an iPad to keep him company.

Wait lists for summer Saturday swim lessons (say that 3 times fast).

She Did It!

2010-05-26T20:03:00.002-05:00

Reflections on Motherhood

2010-05-12T20:22:00.003-05:00

I know, Mother's Day was a few days ago, this post is a tad late. Oh well. I've been thinking about motherhood, and how it's changed me over the past 3 years. How the giggle of our little girl makes me smile, and I can never tire of watching her peaceful face while she sleeps (and sucks her little thumb). This sweet girl, who talks of "happy monsters" and cries for her Daddy if she sees a bug in her room. This silly girl, who stumbles through her day with skinned knees dressed in Cinderella band-aids. This girly-girl, who wants to wear a dress everyday so she can be a ballerina. Miss Stubborn, who says, "I can do it myself!", and she can. I try so hard not to get exasperated with her when she asks me 15 questions in a row while I drive, all starting with, "Hey Mom?". Such a smart girl, who reads in bed every night and knows more Spanish than her Mommy & Daddy combined. I'm so proud of the little girl she is becoming...independent, but still will hold my hand & snuggle close. She's trying hard to write her name, and is almost there (she already can write M-O-M)! Some days, she seems so big, so old, I want to cry for the baby that is no more...then she puts her thumb in her mouth and I am assured that she's not so grown up yet. Motherhood is a strange mixture of impatience & boatloads of patience, exhaustion & exultation, fear and fierce love. Some days it makes you crazy, but I count my blessings every day that I get to experience this.

Happy Birthday, Keith!

2010-05-05T18:53:00.002-05:00

Today is Keith's big 4-0! We celebrated by going to dinner at Mama Dip's restaurant, which features traditional Southern cooking...ie, it's not terribly healthy for you! Keith wanted fried chicken legs, mashed pot & gravy and fried okra. We had a cherry pie at home, which is his favorite dessert. Emerson helped him blow out his candle as we sang Happy Birthday to her Daddy.

Tired of Bad News

2010-05-02T14:38:00.002-05:00

Recently, I decided to keep my iPod in the car, and keep it plugged in and on shuffle. I'm rediscovering music I hadn't listened to in a while, and I always marvel at how music can transport you back to a different time in life. My usual routine was to listen to NPR in the car on my morning & evening commutes to catch the news. I find that I don't miss the news. There was so much BAD news going on...even on NPR, which at times seems to sink to the level of the tabloids and report of things like Tiger Woods' poor life choices, etc. I rarely watch the evening news anymore for the same reasons...who wants to hear about another car bomb, oil spill, child abuse case, home foreclosure or whatever. Call me a bird sticking her head in the sand, but I'm tired of bad news and what feels like the public's thirst for it. What celebrity has recently broken up with a long-term partner, who found out their spouse was cheating, who got plastic surgery, gag, gag, gag.

I have enough stress and issues going on in my own life to read about the downfall of someone else's. I think it's sad that we're all becoming so immune to hearing about death, crime and ghastly acts that we don't even react to it anymore. Everything is so over-reported now that we're just inundated with information, and I for one am stepping back, disconnecting a bit, and opting not to give a shit.

I'd rather watch my daughter run through the sprinkler, listen to some long-lost music, and enjoy the beginning of summer. I'd rather use the time I spent reading on-line blogs & news pages to write a note to my 93 yr old Gram. I've been too caught up in the monotony of my daily life to enjoy what's in front of me, and foster relationships with neighbors, friends and family members. Enough.

April Updates

2010-04-19T20:53:00.002-05:00

We hit the Outer Banks the first week in April. Rented a beach house in Corolla with our friends, the Garretts & the Schlundts...6 adults, 5 girls between the ages of 8 and 18 months. The girls had a ball! Emerson discovered a new fascination with Barbies, and learned to put her face underwater & hold her breath. She is totally ready for big-girl swimming lessons this summer. The Easter Bunny brought her an adorable pair of Dora swim goggles, which she now wears in the bathtub while practicing her flips & dives. We did a wild horse tour on the beach, which was awesome! We had a 70 yr old tour guide who was quite a character...I think he yelled, "Hi Baby!" out the window as we drove past a woman on the beach. Ah yes, good times! We did see a variety of wild horses though, and got pretty good photos!

We had family visitors this week. Keith's parents drove up from Florida and stayed a few nights with us, and then we were joined by Keith's sister & her family this weekend. Lots of fun watching the little cousins play together, and getting all caught up. We took the girls to get photos taken together @ JCP, and I got a few of Emerson for her 3 yr portraits. Needless to say, it was difficult to get the kid to crack a smile. Bribery by fruit snacks all the way.

We're looking forward to a visit from my Mom in May. I'm planning some adventures for us while she's here. Emerson is wondering, "Why does everyone want to come to OUR house to visit?". I told her it was because of her, and she giggled. She fell asleep tonight in her little blue ballet dress (with cute little filmy tutu attached). We're planning to sign up her for basic dance classes this August, and look forward to the little recital next June.

Busy month with work projects, MD appointments, and family visits!

Conversations with Our 3 Year Old...

2010-03-31T19:25:00.002-05:00

Em has a classmate who welcomed a new baby brother to the family a few weeks ago. Evidently, Baby Ryan paid the class a visit this week. Em came home and told us about baby Ryan, and how tiny he was, etc. At one point, she stopped, and exclaimed, "Mommy! He didn't have any teeth!" (pronounced teef) Isn't is funny what she observes?

She's having a party at school tomorrow, complete with an egg hunt. She's terribly excited, and told me that everyone was dressing up in their Halloween costumes and the Easter Bunny would throw candy at them. Ummm...sounds like an interesting party!

When we joke around with her, she'll say, "No way, silly goose!".

When she gets mad about something, she tells me "I'm not your friend anymore! Only Daddy is my friend!". I'll remember that kiddo when you need to go shopping for your first bra!

She is beginning to dress herself in the mornings, and then calls us when she's ready to come downstairs. The first morning of this new experiment, Keith went upstairs to check on her. She was sitting on her bed when Keith opened the door, and she hollered at him, "Daddy! I'm not dressed yet, come back later!".

As we were walking into the grocery store this evening, she told me she was "growing up, cause I'm getting taller!" Then she waved at a grumpy-looking lady driving by in the parking lot who broke out into a smile & waved back. Em said, "I just waved at that lady, cause I was being friendly". Cracked me up.

Here's the Poop

2010-03-27T11:26:00.003-05:00

Emerson has been officially potty-trained for a couple months now, and man, it is so wonderful! We have occasional accidents when we don't make it to the potty in time, but overall, she's dry the vast majority of the time. Like many other three year old kids, she's a bit obsessed with poop. We've had to draw some limits on when it's appropriate to talk about poop (the middle of church, or in the grocery store checkout...not such a good idea), and told her she can only do so if she's in the restroom. Well, it seems every-freaking-where we go, the kid tells us she has to go potty. Wonderful! I take her, go into the stall with her to help, and invariably she announces that she's gotta go POOP! (Then she whispers, "Mommy, can I say poop?" When I tell her yes, because we're in the restroom, she starts belting out, "POOP, POOP, POOP! I've gotta go POOP!". I'm sure everyone else in the restroom is thoroughly relieved to know this...no pun intended. She insists, "Mommy, give me some privacy!". Not easy to do in a small stall. So, I turn my back while she sings her poop song & does her business. Mind you, this is not my idea of a good time. I feel fairly well acquainted with most of the restrooms in Chapel Hill & Durham now, and anyone who knows my dislike of public restrooms will understand my dismay about this. The kid's GI tract functions like a well-oiled machine. Geriatric men everywhere would kill for this girl's regularity!

Doggy's Back!

2010-03-20T12:52:00.002-05:00

About 9 months ago, Emmy brought her doggy to me with tears in her eyes. One eye had fallen off, and there were 2 holes in the seams. This ol' dog has seen better days. He was once a beloved plaything of Em's Grammy. He's been patched & repaired many times over. Today, I finally found a few minutes to pull out the sewing kit, locate a new pair of buttons for his eyes, and fix him up. Emerson was very sweet while the operation was taking place. She kept a tight hold on him, whispering, "I'm right here, it's okay, you're going to be just fine." She's napping with him this afternoon....good as new!

Playground Fun!

2010-03-20T12:43:00.002-05:00

It's supposed to hit 77 today, and it is really gorgeous outside! Flowers & trees are blooming, and the sun is shining! We hit the park this morning before running errands. These photos really capture Emerson's personality...dance outfit, pink sparkly leggings, socks that don't match, and black dress shoes. Of course, she's got braids in her hair, and a blue stamp on her arm. She absolutely loves to swing at the park, but was intrigued by the softball & baseball (and rugby!) practice going on in the adjacent fields. We walked over to check it out, while Keith had visions of future coaching days.

Bellybuttons & Tailpipes

2010-03-12T20:27:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, Em had to stay home from school due to some tummy troubles. Oh, how I despise tummy troubles. It makes for way too much laundry. Anyway, despite her troubles, she really felt fine and was her usual happy self. We did some painting on her art easel, and she abruptly stopped painting, poked her belly out, and told me, "I have a baby sister in my belly!". Oh? Really? "Yes, and she is growing bigger and bigger, and in one week, she's going to come out of my belly button!". Wow! Where the heck is she getting this? We haven't said a word to her about trying for another babe, and certainly haven't had any talks yet about babies/how they come into the world. So interesting what kids pick up on their own!!

We met Keith out for lunch, and while walking in the parking lot, she paused beside an SUV and pointed at the tailpipe, asking what it was. I told her it was the tailpipe, and she said, "that's where smoke comes out.". Yep, you're right. We kept walking, and she pointed out the tailpipe on each car we passed. Suddenly, she exclaimed, "Daddy has a tailpipe!" Uuuuummmmm...yes, Daddy's car has a tailpipe too. "No, DADDY has a tailpipe!". Yes, you're right kiddo, he sure does! Good God...this is classic blackmail material here!

Artsy Fartsy

2010-03-06T20:39:00.002-05:00

Em is all about art these days. She loves watercoloring, and probably asks to paint about 5 times a day. She has a little art table, stocked with paper, markers, stamps, crayons, daubers, stencils, stickers, scissors and glue. She loves to create, and isn't afraid to get messy in the process. About a year ago, I found an art easel, but just hadn't found the right place to set it up. I pulled it out today, and got her all set up with tempra paints, spill-proof cups, and big roll of paper. She was in heaven!

Overheard in a Target Restroom...

2010-03-02T19:41:00.002-05:00

Mommy: You need to come inside with me while I go to the restroom.

Em: Ok, I'll stand RIGHT HERE, and I'm not taking ANYTHING OFF!

Mommy: Sounds good.

Em: Mommy, you need to sit down when you go pee-pee.

Mommy: Mmmm-hmmm.

Em: Mommy, that's a GOOD pee-pee!

Mommy: Mmmm-hmmm.

Em: Good job, Mommy! (clapping hands)

Mommy: Thanks, Em.

Em: Mommy! Why did you use your foot to flush the potty?!

God, how I love having every move I make narrated for all the world to hear while in the Target restroom! There were a few other ladies in stalls around us (snickering, I'm sure), and as we walked out, I realized the outer door to the restroom was stuck open, so everyone standing in nearby checkout lanes probably also heard my girl's booming voice!

Embarking

2010-02-23T21:30:00.003-05:00

We're ready to embark on a journey this week...we're starting IVF treatment. Plans are underway to begin the medications on Thursday, and we're approaching this very relaxed and hopeful. I'm surprising myself by how unstressed I've been (minus some aggravation with my new insurance/pharmacy plan). I've not been scouring the internet for information & statistics, not reading the IVF discussion boards, not thinking about it 24/7. It certainly doesn't reflect a lack of desire or interest, but rather a need to not let this take over our lives. Don't get me wrong...the schedule & commitment required to do IVF is intense (and somewhat overwhelming). It requires lots-o-drugs, close monitoring with ultrasounds and labs, time away from work, and precise scheduling. It involves emotional and financial investment, and a knowledge that you can do everything right, and still walk away unsuccessful. It necessitates putting a lot of trust in the providers & technicians at the clinic . You've got to check your modesty/pride at the door, and have a healthy sense of humor.

I'm so thankful that we have the opportunity to do this, and fully realize that even if things don't turn out the way we hoped, our lives are already richly blessed by raising & loving Emerson. Interestingly, she asked me if I had a baby in my belly last weekend (nope, just pudgy around the middle...thanks for noticing!). She asked Keith the same thing, as she patted his belly while sitting next to him on the couch. She knows nothing of our attempts to get pregnant again, but seems to have a babies on the brain as well!

L&L

2010-02-18T23:10:00.002-05:00

Loves:

--dark chocolate truffles from Trader Joe's...must buy more this weekend!

--listening to Em sing in the back seat, she has such a sweet little voice.

--getting big projects crossed off my to-do list @ work

--my new Sony A230 camera...love, love, love it! (just need to learn how to REALLY use it)

--playing Wii bowling with Em & Keith

--planning our beach getaway with college friends

--that the temps might hit 50 this weekend

--that a new nail place opened 5 minutes from our house, and they were offering 30% off this week!

Loathes:

--That Emmy's new favorite words are puke, booty and poop.

--Emmy's current phase of "Dad ONLY"...I'm feeling a little disgruntled about it

--that my van is going back to the body shop tomorrow to fix a very loud, rattly windshield...wonder how many weeks it will take them to fix it?

--that my kitties are getting old, and starting to show their age

--that I've gained weight and pants are feeling snug.

--that I felt overwhelmed today after our IVF class by the drugs/schedule/cost/chance it all won't work

--That 6 months ago, I could run 3 miles very easily, and now running less than one makes me so sore I can barely walk for days....ridiculous!!

Birthday Girl!

2010-02-08T20:00:00.002-05:00

Today is Emerson's third birthday! Wow, she's changed so much in the past year! Big milestones included transitioning to a big girl bed, mastering potty training, expanding vocabulary (both English and Spanish), counting to 29 (after that comes twenty-ten), traveling to California, Florida, Indiana, Virginia, Tennessee and Ohio (yes, she has a frequent flyer mile account on Southwest!), drawing rudimentary people/faces, becoming obsessed with all things sparkly/pink/fancy/related to princesses, tumbling class, growing long hair & insisting on chopping it off again, probable dog allergy, multiple URI's which necessitated nebulizer treatments, one ER visit and total insistence that she is a "big girl now". She is such a character, and growing into her big personality.

I baked & decorated a kitty cat cake for her birthday, and she got a little shy when we sang Happy Birthday to her. Her Grandpa Loehmer came down for the weekend to help celebrate, and gave her a baby doll. She hasn't parted with that for the past 2 days. We have her a pink vacuum cleaner, and she wears her tutu & tiara while she sweeps. Love it!

Wonder what the next year has in store for her? Happy Birthday, Emmy!

Upstairs Reveal

2010-01-31T21:04:00.001-05:00

We're still working on finishing touches upstairs (touch up paint, trim, hang photos, etc), but here is a taste of what things look like now at our place!

Things to Do on a Snowy Weekend

2010-01-31T14:06:00.005-05:00

It was cold and blustery yesterday, so we stayed in, and got busy! Keith was a cleaning machine while I slept in until 930...wahoo! After a trip outside to attempt to clean off the cars, and watch Em's lips turn blue as she tried to make a snow angel (note to self, must by this kid some approriate snow gear), we made hot chocolate and warmed up. I made homemade mac & cheese, crock-pot meatballs and a batch of chocolate chip cookies...yep, that's the ticket! We hung some new B&W photos in the stairway, which look awesome! Last night, Keith came down with some GI nastiness (Em's had a mild case of it since Tuesday), and he's been in bed all day, feeling feverish and crampy. I'm keeping my distance, and bringing the occasional glass of Sprite. Em and I went outside this morning, where at least it wasn't so cold. We got another inch or so of snow overnight, but the temps were so cold overnight that everything is sort of hard & crunchy. The roads are pure slickness, and I predict a snow day tomorrow. I'm sure Em's school will be closed, and probably the PA school will be as well. I think we'll break out the Wii tonight, as I'm tired of watching Eloise, and the Tinkerbell movie just doesn't sound appealing to me! We've done cutting & pasting, play-doh, and made a batch of pancakes & sausage for breakfast today. Not sure what we'll do tomorrow!! Maybe hibernate!

Snow Day

2010-01-30T14:24:00.005-05:00

We got 6 inches of snow last night, and it's still spitting a wintry mix today...looks pretty, but we aren't going to be able to go anywhere for a while!!! We explored the snow a bit this morning, and Emmy got wet/cold/miserable, so we came in for some hot chocolate.

Almost Three...Sigh

2010-01-24T14:44:00.003-05:00

Em's birthday is coming up very soon, and she'll be three. Not sure where the past 3 years have gone, because it really does seem like yesterday we were celebrating milestones like rolling, crawling, talking and walking. Now, she never stops moving, speaking or letting us know her opinion. She's wonderfully independent, smart and curious (and at times, exhausting). Today's milestones are transitioning to a big-girl bed, potty-training successfully, and learning Spanish. She's also begun to ask questions about when she'll be getting a baby brother or sister, or telling us stories which include said sibling. We've been trying for 2 years to have another baby, and aren't sure whether that will become a reality. We have an upcoming appointment with a fertility doc, but fear the risk of twins almost more than the risk of not having another child. We have lots to discuss with the doc, and the decision to move forward with fertility treatments remains unmade at this point.

Overall, life with an almost three year old is getting easier in many ways, and in some ways harder. A trip to the grocery store is almost incomplete if she doesn't poke her head out of the race car cart and yell, "Mommy, I've got to go poop RIGHT NOW!", and I race around the store trying to locate the bathroom. She asks a lot of questions, and surprises us by what she already knows. She likes to be a helper in the kitchen and when we do major house cleaning. She'll be thrilled with the pretend vacuum cleaner she's getting for her birthday. Pink, of course!

We plan to take her to the Build-a-Bear store on her birthday weekend, and will probably take her to get some pictures taken as well. I want to get some of her in the ever-present tiaras, fairy wings and tu-tu's that she's sporting these days.

I can't help but think how lucky we are to have this little girl. Lucky because she was our miracle baby after so much heartache, but also lucky because she has made our lives fuller, richer, happier and definitely more sparkly! She's such an easy kid, filled with a wonderful sense of humor, compassion for others, and utterly overflowing with charm.

Movin' On Up!

2010-01-19T20:11:00.003-05:00

We got Emmy a toddler bed this weekend, and she was so excited to have a "big girl bed"! Dad put it together, just in time for her afternoon nap!

Wearing her "Gobbles"!

2010-01-12T21:24:00.002-05:00

A New Year

2010-01-04T20:09:00.003-05:00

I'm still having a hard time believing 2009 is gone, and left to ponder how one indicates 2010 in shorthand...0-10? 10? aught-ten? I'm confused. I haven't made any resolutions for this year yet, which is unusual for me. I normally have a small list of things to accomplish, but feel like I haven't had time to process my goals and prioritize.

A few things I'd like to cross off my list this year:

--get pregnant/stay pregnant

--run the Flying Pig 5K with Jen in early May

--paint what needs painted in the house and finish reorganizing rooms/furniture

--focus on better diet, ie: try to drink more water, eat more fruits & veggies, etc

--transition Emmy into a big girl room, with a big girl bed

--read more for fun

I wouldn't exactly call those resolutions, just my To Do List for 2010.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T19:31:00.002-05:00

L&L

2009-12-16T19:28:00.003-05:00

Loves:

--Doing the advent calendar every morning with Emerson. She gets so excited to open up the little tin!

--Listening to Emerson attempt to sing Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, Jingle Bells, and assorted other holiday tunes.

--How excited Em is when she sees Christmas lights as we drive home at night.

--That my friend, Jen, sent me an awesome link to get a personalized video message from Santa emailed to Em...she flipped! (and it was free...yahoo!)

--That our babe is finally feeling better today after a week & a half of the yuckies (and Keith and I can finally resume normal work schedules!)

--How awesome the upstairs turned out after the remodeling project that would not die.

--That we get some time off work for the holidays...can't wait for a break!

--That I work with a truly great bunch of people, whom I really enjoy!

--That we scored a sitter and get to attend a party this weekend sans toddler!

--How sweetly Emerson told me today, "Mommy, I love you so much!". Made my heart sing.

Loathes:

--Ridiculous dumb-ass drivers who are maniacs in the parking lots this time of year. Seriously people!

--How we have no back up if Emmy gets sick, and how far away our families are!

--That I woke up with what looked like pink-eye this morning...oh, thank you, daycare germs!

--That my Mom isn't able to come down for a holiday visit...the cooking class together will have to wait. Boo!

--How totally addicted to the movie, "Annie", our child has become. Although it is adorable when she walks around singing, "You're never fully dressed, UGH, you're never fully dressed, UGH, you're never fully dressed without a smile!"

--How I walk around all day with Annie songs rattling around my brain.

--That we couldn't get a real Christmas tree this year...the little 3 foot fake one just isn't cutting it for me!

--That there are seriously not enough hours in the day to get things done around here. I am contemplating taking a week off in January just to paint, clean, sort, and shop for furniture.

Sleepy Baby

2009-12-14T19:41:00.000-05:00

Ho, Ho, Ho!

2009-12-13T22:05:00.002-05:00

Santa: Have you been a good girl this year?

Em: Yes!

S: Do you know what you'd like for Christmas?

E: Presents.

S: What kind of presents?

E: Red presents.

S: Anything else?

E: Candy necklaces.

S: I'll do my best.

Decorating & Disney on Ice

2009-12-12T13:36:00.003-05:00

Holiday Time

2009-12-08T20:32:00.003-05:00

We've been busy little beavers around here, and trying to squeeze in some holiday preparations in our "free time". Last weekend, Emmy and I did some cookie baking. We did M&M shortbread cookies, as well as Peanut Butter Blossoms...Em thought it was so cool to push the Hershey's Kiss in the middle! Keith hung the Christmas lights on the front porch, and Em was delighted to see the twinkling lights as we pulled into the driveway Monday evening. We've been doing an advent calendar to count down to Christmas. I made it last year, and it's got a bunch of little metal tins velcro-ed to a big board. Emmy either finds a candy treat inside, or a fun holiday activity. Saturday's activity was attending the Hillsborough Christmas Parade. It was a rainy morning, but it tapered to a light mist by parade time. It was still bitter cold (a brisk 35 degrees, with blowing winds!). Em insisted on taking a backpack to stash all the candy she was planning to scoop up. She was successful in her candy-finding endeavors, and was totally thrilled to see Santa & Mrs. Claus in a horse-drawn carriage at the end of the parade. She kept saying, "I LOVE SANTA!" all the way back to the car. Little does she know we've made reservations for this Sunday morning at the Carolina Inn for a breakfast with Santa. They also have a gingerbread decorating contest going on (super fancy houses, I'm sure!!), so we'll be walking around the Inn checking out the entries. We're planning to put up a simple tree this weekend, and the interior decorations will be going up as well. Keith and Em made paper snowflakes and cottonball adorned snowmen tonight as I was making dinner. They hung their creations on the windows to winterize the joint.

I'm in the midst of reorganizing all of the framed photos in our home...we've repainted the hallway upstairs, as well as the stairway. I've purchased a bunch of matching black frames, and think they'll look great over the stairs!

I'm organizing a Call Back Day at work for Friday, and need to cook a large crockpot of meatballs on Thursday evening for our holiday party...this week is flying by quickly!

Hope your holiday prep is going well, and you're able to enjoy some of the festivities, rather than sprinting through them!!

Things to Do This Week

2009-11-24T20:09:00.008-05:00

We all get a 4-day weekend around here, and I've been thinking of what I'd like to accomplish during that time...

--~~bake Thanksgiving ham (no turkey this year!) and all the trimmings~~
--~~make annual chocolate chip holiday pie...so good, it doesn't last long!~~
--~~make a batch of Gram's Christmas cookies, and decorate with Emerson~~ (okay, so we did chocolate chip instead!)
--~~convince Emerson that sleeping in is what you're supposed to do when no one has to go to school/work!~~
--~~if weather cooperates, play at the park with Em~~
--paint trim upstairs, ~~and decorate the upstairs bathroom~~
--~~work on Christmas lists~~
--~~organize craft room/Em's play room~~
--take a bubble bath
--~~do some Black Friday shopping!~~
--figure out which photos to print for new frames on the stairway
--watch a movie with Keith (Thank you, Red Box!)

What do you think? Can I squeeze it all in???
Happy Thanksgiving to all of our friends & family, near or far. Love to all!

L&L

2009-11-18T20:01:00.002-05:00

Loves:

--The way Emerson say "I need some buzz-ert" instead of dessert. So very cute.
--My short, no fuss, done in less than 5 minutes, cutie-pie haircut.
--The new shoes I bought in Portland...LaNaturalistas. The most I've ever spent on shoes in my life, but so, so worth every penny.
--The new Kathy Reichs book I'm reading (206 Bones). Really enjoy her books!
--That Keith brought me home Stam's chocolate truffles the other night, for no apparent reason. Yum!
--That Keith had the (?) foresight to change our auto insurance deductible to $100 about a year or so ago. That's paid off in spades this month!
--Listening to Em recite the Pledge of Allegiance at the dinner table.
--Enjoying music by a (new to me) group, the Avett Brothers...very nice.
--That instead of a turkey this year, we all voted for ham at Thanksgiving. So much easier for me!
--That next week is a 3 day week!
--That Emmy and I finally tracked down an H1N1 vaccine for the both of us. Too bad she has to get a 2nd dose in 3 more weeks.
--That Em is moving to a classroom in December with older kids, and hopefully some of the regression we've seen will improve.
--That Em took a 3 hr nap on Saturday, and I got some major power-cleaning done (visualize bleach water and toothbrush on shower grout!).

Loathes:

--That Keith's car won't be ready for yet another week, and I won't be able to take mine to the body shop until after Thanksgiving!
--That the contractor is STILL at our house...even though he's doing a lovely job, I'm ready to have my house back in order.
--That Em appears perfectly content to hide in the corner & poop in her pants....grrrr!
--That poor Amos is going bald again...not sure what's up, as I don't see any fleas on him. He's looking a little mangey these days.
--That my skin is reverting to adolescent behavior. Pimples in your 30's suck!
--That the weather is supposed to be rainy for the rest of the week & weekend.
--That our child is spending so much time in daycare.
--That we're probably going to have to do IVF to have another child. Luckily my insurance offers a very low cost option for this because I am a Duke employee. But still...

Portland & Stuff

2009-11-16T20:10:00.002-05:00

The first week of November was spent in Portland, OR at a PA Educators conference. The conference was literally one of the best educational sessions I've ever attended. I went a few days early to attend a Basic Skills Workshop for new faculty members, which focused on teaching skills like developing a syllabus, writing learning objectives, crafting test questions, and the in's & out's of academic life. There really is a science behind this stuff, and they are skills to be practiced and honed! Writing test questions isn't easy! Once the actual conference started, there were many sessions focusing on Clinical Coordinators, and I came home invigorated and filled with new ideas!

I took the computer video camera, and was able to Skype with Keith & Emerson while I was away. Emerson took a look at me on the computer monitor, and promptly asked me "Mommy...where's your feet?". She was very concerned, and insisted I show her they were still attached to me. She and Keith did great the week I was gone! They were definitely ready to have Mommy home by Saturday though, and I was surely ready to be home!

Some of the faculty members went out for dinner each night while in Portland...I had the pleasure of sushi, Greek, Moraccan, Chinese, Indian, and delish regional food! I'd never had Moraccan, and it was quite an experience. There was even a belly dancer! She was actually really great, and our waitress told us she won all the regional dancing contests. She gave me a dancing tutorial while my dinner buddies shot video and snapped pics. Oh lord...that's gonna come back to haunt me at some point!

Work is getting very busy. We've entered into the Admissions season, and had our first batch of interviews last week. It's quite a process, but really neat to see how this all transpires behind the scenes. I'm doing more teaching of small groups, and was asked to be a Physical Diagnosis instructor next year. That's the class where students learn how to do physical exams. They practice on each other during the first semester, and in the second semester go over to the hospital and see real patients.

Emmy and I did a free trial class at The Little Gym in Durham on Saturday. It was a tumbling class mixed with creative movement & music. The Saturday class is a little packed, but Em loved it! The class was 60 minutes in length, and she was so tired afterward that she could barely walk to the car. I thought she'd fall asleep right on the sidewalk! She took a 3+ hour nap that afternoon! I got so much housecleaning done while she slept...it was amazing!

Our home improvements are dragging on...hopefully this will be the final week. We had a 2-3 week delay due to waiting for stair parts to come in. Sigh. It will be worth it in the end, but this Fall has been a real mess.

This past Thursday, I walked outside to leave for work and found a tree on my car! Yep! Another tree! Couldn't believe our rotten luck. Much less damage than was done to Keith's car last month, but still...what are the odds?? We're hiring an arborist to come check out our trees, and will take down the ones that are dead or dying. We have such dense trees around our house, it's really hard to tell what's healthy or not. Ugh...this has turned into a really expensive Fall!

October Fun

2009-11-01T21:42:00.002-05:00

Em had a great October (well, minus the week or two of sickness, Amoxicillin and nebulizer machines)! We went on a family leaf hunt around the neighborhood to find the brightest colored leaves, and then ironed them between wax paper & hung on the window. She likes eating dinner and looking at the leaves. She had a class party on Friday, and decided to dress as a cheerleader. So very cute. We headed to DC this weekend so Em and her cousin could trick-or treat together. The girls stayed up until 11pm on Friday night, they were so excited to see each other! (This made for some crankiness about 10am on Saturday!) Emmy was a ballerina for Halloween, and Abby was a pink unicorn. They had a ball pushing doorbells between a few raindrops. The Fall color is at it's peak around here right now, but I think the rain is bringing down the leaves a bit early. Bummer...this is totally my favorite time of year!

L & L

2009-10-24T13:52:00.002-05:00

I'm stealing a great post idea from my friend, Jen's, blog. Loves and Loathes are a quick way to list what's tickling your fancy or getting under your skin at the moment...here's my list:

Loves:
--That Emerson is doing a great job staying dry in her big girl undies!
--That the upstairs is turning out so well, and the construction is almost done!
--That my job is going well, and I absolutely LOVE what I'm doing now.
--That Keith is challenged in his work, and is taking on new initiatives which interest him.
--That Fall, my favorite season, is in full swing & the color is fantastic right now.
--That Amos responded so nicely to a course of prednisone...poor kitty had a nasty rash.
--That we made $330 at our yard sale last weekend, and donated what was left to the local PTA Trift Store....love clearing out stuff!
--That I finally found a decent pair of jeans (at Coldwater Creek...check out the city jeans, gals!).
--That Em is sleeping through the night again after being sick for 2 weeks.
-- That Em gets to go trick-or-treating with her cousin, Abby this year (dressed as a ballerina, so she says).
--That our little stray outside cat is warming up to us, and is friendly now.

Loathes:
--That the construction has taken so long, and the house has been a pit for over a month now.
--That the construction went seriously over budget.
--That Em hasn't yet mastered the fine art of pooping in the potty.
--That Emerson is now the oldest in her class, and seems to be regressing a bit in behavior & language (lots of baby-talk going on).
--That I've been coughing for two weeks.
--That I haven't run since August, and feel like a slug.
--That we haven't been able to sell the Saturn, and the Honda is in the shop due to a wayward tree.
--That I haven't scrapped the first page of Em's life! Am thinking of going digital, because Stampin' Up has a new digi package that looks usable!

Updates

2009-10-24T13:40:00.003-05:00

We've been the house of sickness for the past two weeks. I took Em to the pediatrician on Monday when I heard wheezing and she was running a fever of 102. Seems we have the reactive airway again, and our old friend, the nebulizer, has come out to play once more. She's on amoxicillin, and seems to be doing better, but the cough is lingering. I had the same cough, and then developed flu-like symptoms on Wednesday at work. By the time I got home, there wasn't a spot on my body that wasn't aching. I went to bed at 7pm and slept 12 hours...woke up to help Keith get Emmy ready for school, then slept another 5 hours. Between Emmy and I, I only made it to work one day this week! Good grief! Keith has mild cold symptoms, and so far, has managed to stay fairly healthy.

We headed out this morning to a local kid's store to do a Halloween craft project, and then visited the Durham police dept who were set up outside. Em got an ID card made, complete with vitals, photo and fingerprint. She's so proud of it, and gave the officer a high five when they were done.

Em got school pictures done last week, and the proofs are in. Let's just say that they aren't the most flattering shots of Em, and I doubt we'll be ordering any of these beauties! She seems to think if she sticks her little bucky teeth out onto her lip, that constitutes a smile. So attractive! The other poses included a mistrusting frown, and a hammy, head-tilt fake smile. Wow...that photographer really gets the kids to act/look natural!

We're still trying to finish up the remodeling...waiting for new stair parts to come in (new newels, balusters and railings). There are several minor things that need finished up, and I don't think the contractor plans to come over to do them until the stairs are here. Ugh. We are painting the bathroom, and it looks fabulous! We should be using it this week for the first time. The new wood floors look so nice!

I've signed Emerson up for a free tumbling/dance class at the Little Gym in early November. We'll see if she likes it enough to pursue signing up for more. I'm looking forward to seeing how she does!

Not a good way to start the day

2009-10-19T15:07:00.002-05:00

Keith got a new car not too long ago. Unfortunately, a big, dead tree decided to come down for a closer look. Can't believe we didn't hear the commotion in the middle of the night. I found this scene when I went out to feed the cat in the morning. Ugh! Car is in the shop with around $9000 in repairs being done....not enough to total the car, since we'd only had it 7 weeks.

Just a Typical Day in the Neighborhood

2009-10-19T15:05:00.002-05:00

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-19T14:53:00.002-05:00

We visited a local pumpkin patch recently, and were really impressed by the fun things to do at this family farm! Hill Ridge Farm was a great place to spend the afternoon. We took a train ride, fed the farm animals & fish, jumped on the inflatables, snacked on fresh kettle corn, played in a "silo" of dried corn, and took a hayride through the woods to find our perfect pumpkins. Emmy wore herself out, and is still talking about it 2 weeks later!

Happy Anniversary!

2009-10-11T21:09:00.003-05:00

Six years ago today (okay,tomorrow...10/12), Keith and I got married in a cute little mansion in the woods, surrounded by October color. We've had lots of laughs, tears, joys & sorrows in that time. Life is definitely better with this guy by my side. Happy Anniversary, honey....love you!

What we're up to...

2009-09-18T19:29:00.004-05:00

Been a busy week at our house. Last week, we went to Ohio & Indiana to visit family and friends. It's always good to go back home, see what's changed in our hometowns, visit with grandparents, parents, and other assorted family members. We spent some quality time with the Garretts in Cincinnati, and went on a totally fun Segway tour of Eden Park. Absolutely a hoot! Chad took some video on his iphone, if you'd like to see what we did.

Emerson had an itinerary for the trip...she wanted to go to the Nature Center with Sophie (check), bake cookies with Grammy (sorta check...she ate cookies baked by Grammy), go to the park & swing (check), and eat corn on the cob & tomatoes with Grandpa (check). She also got to try an elephant ear at the Tipton Pork Festival, have a taste of Sycamore ice cream, and got some handmade necklaces from Uncle Josh to add to her expanding stash of bling. In other words, Em had a blast.

Since we've been home, life's been a little chaotic, or so it's felt. We are in the midst of an upstairs bathroom overhaul, and will also be replacing all the old nasty carpet that upstairs with hardwoods. The hardwoods have been sitting in boxes in our living room for 2 months (all 30 of them!). We've ordered the new bathroom vanity, and I chose the countertop and tile this week. I've still got to pick up a new light fixture and shower faucets. I believe the contractor will start demo work next week. It's going to be very messy around here for a while. He assures us it won't take more than a week, and I suppose that means it will take two. It will sure be worth it when it's all finished, but the process will be a pain.

In preparation for all the work upstairs, we've been sorting through our junk, and are making a huge pile of stuff to sell at an upcoming yard sale. I am trying to organize a neighborhood-wide sale, in order to get lots of bargain shoppers. I'm tired of looking at this stuff!

Emerson has started doing some funny stuff....she sits in the backseat of the van with a little doodle pad and pretends to be a waitress, asking, "what do you want, Mommy?", and "what do you like Daddy?". She diligently writes our orders down, or tells us that she doesn't have "x", but instead we can have "y". We played this game for much of our ride home from Indiana. For some reason, she has decided to try out a new laughing style...it's this deep, goofy laugh that just sort of cracks me up. No idea why she's doing that. She is starting to sing song tunes, but substitute different words. She made us both laugh this week when we heard her talking to her stuffed animals in bed one night. She was chatting, and suddenly said, "I don't think that's a very good idea". Not sure what her elephant was plotting, but obviously, Em was concerned.

It promises to be a rainy weekend here...perfect weather for a trip to the library, and maybe bake a batch of cookies or muffins. I've just signed up to be a library helper for Emerson's class, and will pick up books according to the topic they are covering that week. I'm excited to be able to participate in some way with her class!

Tres Chic!

2009-09-01T19:19:00.003-05:00

A while back, I purchased a cute little sewing kit off of Etsy. It included precut/measured fabrics, thread, elastic, and step-by-step instructions for creating a darling little dress. Well, time went by, and Emmy grew more...and by the time I finished it became a cute little shirt! (Okay, so I'm not skilled at hemming, and it probably took a couple inches off the length too!) Emmy loved it, and I think it turned out pretty adorable. What do you think?

I did it!!!

2009-08-23T19:33:00.002-05:00

After months of training, I competed in my first (and maybe last) sprint triathlon on Saturday morning. My sister-in-law, Stacy, came down to do it with me, and we were cheered on by most of the Stouder family. I probably swallowed a gallon of water (and snorted another half-gallon up my nose) during the swim due to all the people kicking, splashing, and otherwise getting in my way. I pedaled along on my bike, coming in at the tail end of the bikers because of my slow swim, and because I didn't have a speedy road bike (note to self: if I ever do this again, rent a road bike!!). After hopping off my bike, the legs were rather jello-like, but I ran all of my 5K except for one hill. I finished in 1:54, third from last of the women. But dammit...I finished, and I didn't finish last!!! Thanks to Stacy for sweating with me, and to the Stouders for cheering me on. Felt good to cross the finish line with family yelling for me.