tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23278581365684504812023-11-16T06:25:59.937-05:00Bill's Baby MamaM.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16455702302302741057noreply@blogger.comBlogger73125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2327858136568450481.post-825601433606522122012-12-15T19:00:00.001-05:002012-12-19T09:44:50.231-05:00ReflectionIt has been a long time since I have written on this blog, for many reasons. But after what happened yesterday in Newtown, CT, I feel like I need to get everything I am feeling on the inside out of me somehow.<br />
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I am a mother. I have two babies. Babies that I grew from nothing into tiny miracles inside my body. When they were born, I wanted to somehow keep a piece of them inside me forever, thinking that it might somehow keep them safe from the big bad world. Every breath, every smile, every heartbeat, and every tear that comes from them also comes from me, and to me, as their mother. I feel love for them that I could never put into words, that I can hardly comprehend. I want them to have every dream come true, and I want them to experience every happiness. But, even on the best days I feel scared for them, for the things that I know can find them in this world. They are my heart, my soul, my breath, my life, and my future. They are my world and my everything. They are every good, kind, sweet, loving expression of humanism you could ever hope for. They are perfect. They are beautiful. They are innocent. My girls are just like your children, and I am sure you as parents feel the same way I do.<br />
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What happened yesterday to those children, families, teachers, administrators, and community members is horrific. I watched it unfold from the very first news report and sobbed alone in my living room for hours, unable to turn it off. I allowed myself to give into the grief, to feel the emotions that came to me as a parent. I buried my face in the sweet, soft folds of my babies' necks, breathed in their innocence and peace. I found strength in their bliss and happiness. I laughed through my tears as they played and went on, pure and untouched by this tragedy. And I felt the surge of a mother's love and fierce need to protect, as my beautiful 2 year old ran a finger down my cheek and asked "why mommy crying?"<br />
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My answer to her was, "because I love you so much and I am so grateful to be your mommy."<br />
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I can never begin to imagine what it must feel like to experience the kind of loss that is resonating through that town right now. To be a mother, father, grandparent, sister, brother, or friend to one of those victims. All I can do is pray for them and hope that somewhere, somehow, peace can exist in their lives again someday.<br />
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Last night as I gazed at the Christmas stockings hanging over our fireplace and read the names of my daughters embroidered on those stockings, I felt a fresh wave of grief for those families that will never again fill a Christmas stocking for their child. Who have piles of lovingly wrapped gifts that will never be opened. Who have little clothes and books and toys and photos and memories and love scattered all over their homes and hearts that in an instant went from causing joy and smiles to bringing unthinkable pain and sorrow. Who must somehow find a way to go on after having their hearts explode inside them and their world shattered into a million pieces. I can't fathom what they feel today. I hope I never have to.<br />
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Someday my babies will want to walk away from me. They will want to play alone, go to school, to friend's houses, movie theaters, malls and parks. They will want to learn to drive. They will want to travel, to get on an airplane without me and go to another city, another country, and experience life. And as painful as it is, I will have to let them. I will have to trust them with my heart as they make their own choices and decisions, as they write their own stories. I will be proud of them. But every second they are away from me, until my last breath, I will fear for them. Being a parent is constant joy and constant sorrow all at the same time. It is wonderful and beautiful and terrifying. It is so much more than I ever anticipated.<br />
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All I can do for those families in Connecticut is pray and put love into the universe. I can hug and kiss my babies. I can remind myself that even the worst moments I have as a parent are moments to be grateful for, because there are so many parents that would give anything for those moments to be returned to them. I can take deeper breaths and find more patience with my daughters when they need me to. I can remember to be in the moment with them. And I can remember that with life also comes death, with joy also comes sorrow, and with hope also comes fear. Yesterday reminded me to never take for granted the blessings that are in my life. To never take for granted the sticky kisses and hugs from my girls, the sound of their laughter and joy, the feel of their breath on my neck. Today I am so thankful to be a mother, to have been chosen for this gift of unconditional love from my babies, and to be able to recognize how truly miraculous they are. I will hold them close as long as I can, and when I have to let them go, my heart will go with them. My thoughts and prayers are with those families whose hearts have left them forever.<br />
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<br />M.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16455702302302741057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2327858136568450481.post-85410627872158411412012-06-18T14:01:00.002-04:002012-06-18T14:01:33.443-04:00I Was Cleaner When I Was Camping.Since having my second child, things have gone to hell in a handbasket regarding personal grooming and maintenance. Sads all around for me. Keeping both of these girls clean, dry, fed, and clothed is seriously the most full-time job ever. I don't have time to read, eat, pee, or breathe, so I offer this post as an explanation of why it is that you practically can't see my eyes because my eyebrows are so out of control.<br />
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Having two children means this:<br />
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1. you will shower once a week if you are lucky. also, rubbing yourself with a baby wipe will start to constitute "showering." fortunately for me, I only go places where there are other, equally as unshowered, moms who don't care or notice my earthy odor and greasy hair. thanks ladies.<br />
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2. manis and pedis are not even in my reality at all. I can't get to a salon, and if CC even THINKS I am getting the nail polishes out, they immediately become hers and she squirrels them away into her playtent with all the other stuff that used to be mine which is now hers. including my cell phone most of the time, so if I never call you back, now you know why.<br />
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3. you will wear the same outfit every day because it is easily accessible on the floor next to the bed, or because you slept in it to save time getting dressed. you will change only when hubby makes a judgy remark about how "that shirt is really getting a workout, don't you think?"<br />
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4. you will spend all you money on things that promise to entertain your older, more demanding child, rather than on wax, hair dye, stylists, nail polish, and new clothes. it will be worth it if even one of those things keeps her out of the bathroom long enough for you to pee by yourself. trust me.<br />
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I love my girls, but seriously, this is getting ridiculous. It is summer and I need me some pretty toes! Perhaps it is time to start interviewing babysitters...<br />
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<i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"As long as Mommy still brushes my hair, I'm cool. At least one of us should look good!"</span></b></i></div>
<br />M.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16455702302302741057noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2327858136568450481.post-70922946141720022512012-06-14T15:23:00.002-04:002012-06-14T15:25:25.486-04:00Do-Over!So I suck. I know. I tried to so hard to be a good blogger, but alas, I totally stopped and totally have absolutely no good excuse for it. But, it has come to my attention recently that people have still been checking my blog and hoping for new posts, so we are going to be attempting a DO-OVER! Yes, just like in mini golf! What this means is that I will be posting again, and trying hard not to suck as bad as I did last time.<br />
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If you are a silent blog reader, keep checking back, because you are getting a sneak peek at the do-over. If, and only if, I can manage to post at a somewhat respectable rate of 3 posts per week (setting goals is important!), then I will start posting them to facebook again, and try to build my readership back up. Bill says this blog and writing in general was a good outlet for me and made me less crazy in the head. so, we'll see if he is right! Because the thing is, now I have TWO children and they are trying to kill me slowly.</div>
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Here are a few things that are going on around here that you can expect to hear about in the near future:</div>
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1. My new baby who is 2 1/2 months old. She is awesome. Although not as good at sleeping as I would like. We're working on it...</div>
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2. CC's 2 year molars are coming in. KILL ME NOW.</div>
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3. I got a new car this week. It is completely rad.</div>
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4. Game of Thrones. I still have to watch the season finale. Then we can discuss.</div>
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5. Also Teen Mom, and True Blood. You know me. You know things like this never change!</div>
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love you guys. thanks for sticking with me :)</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><i>"Just because my mom is a lazy blogger does not mean I am turning down my diva dial. DIVA 4 LIFE."</i></b></span></div>
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<br /></div>M.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16455702302302741057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2327858136568450481.post-7369831194177859012011-12-23T14:50:00.000-05:002011-12-23T14:50:51.991-05:00Pregnancy Update - 26 Weeks!This weekly updating is starting to stress me out, as we have rounded the corner and are now more than halfway to our due date of March 30! Holy cow. That means soon my world will be completely rocked AGAIN by a tiny morsel of sweetness who has not yet learned the beauty of sleeping for long periods of time. This is something that CC mastered by like 8 weeks, so hopefully, this new one will follow in her big sister's footsteps. We were encouraged at our last ultrasound when she fell asleep near the end and refused to wake up again and move for a measurement no matter how many times the tech poked and prodded her. That's my girl. Let her sleep!<br />
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So our last update was at 20 weeks, and this week I am 26 weeks! So sorry if you were checking all the time hoping for an update. I have sleeping and eating to do, and CC keeps trying to break the computer.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">Size of Baby</span>: This week TheBump says she is the size of an eggplant. Meh. Eggplant is kind of gross if you ask me, but the color IS lovely, so I guess we'll go with it. And, come to think of it, I do occasionally enjoy a helping of eggplant parm, but that may be more about the cheese and breading than anything else. Now I am thinking a trip to the Olive Garden is in order...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzfARdeia4nZTzB-soaZqRaTRioV0RnQ7CkQcJGSJaoQczBZv4a3gaKwfevtCcC5m4W2yQc-xNBxwmEAK81DDFioXb7nyEpvoG0YUxsoYRs3QlrfepsX2VJgmLCn1yyBCwjFFCbsiNyQ/s1600/eggplant-parm-1024x768.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzfARdeia4nZTzB-soaZqRaTRioV0RnQ7CkQcJGSJaoQczBZv4a3gaKwfevtCcC5m4W2yQc-xNBxwmEAK81DDFioXb7nyEpvoG0YUxsoYRs3QlrfepsX2VJgmLCn1yyBCwjFFCbsiNyQ/s320/eggplant-parm-1024x768.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><b>"would someone please come over to my house and make this for me?"</b></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">Symptoms and Other Random Pregnancy Tidbits</span>: I want to die from heartburn. I know I said I wouldn't talk about it anymore, but it makes me want to cry. UGH. I drink so much milk it is ridiculous, and avoid acidic foods like the plague. But it still tries to kill me every day. Also, my ribs hurt. And I can't breathe very well. And my back feels like it is going to give out any second from hauling CC around. I feel like I did last time at around 8 months pregnant. The trouble is, I am only 6 months pregnant so I guess it is going to be a LONG 3rd trimester!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I have been craving chocolate milkshakes, which I think is more of a heartburn thing and less of a pregnancy craving thing, but we'll go with it. I am also totally overdoing it on peppermint anything, somewhat because of the holiday season, but mostly because I know that once this baby comes and I am nursing again, it is adios peppermint for awhile. It kills your milk supply. Look it up.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Since we are headed into Christmas weekend, I will wish you all a very merry holiday and leave you with a list of some things I hope to share in the next couple weeks. I am trying hard to push myself to keep up with this blog better, so maybe a little accountability won't hurt? MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">Upcoming Blog Posts</span></b>:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">our recent trip to California where I drank my weight in horchata</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">CC's newest attitude problems</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">my obsession with The Hunger Games</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">some new recipes that I am making repeatedly because they are so TASTY</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">a tour of CC's closet, which is shamefully out-of-control. THANK GOD we're having another girl!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>M.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16455702302302741057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2327858136568450481.post-75321883906694046562011-11-15T11:41:00.002-05:002011-11-15T12:05:42.153-05:00Pregnancy Update - 20 Weeks!I realize I am about five days late posting this. Sorry. Let's all blame CC. She's the troublemaker of the house anyway. So you get TWO preggy updates this week instead of just one! You are welcome, as I know this makes everyone's day.<br />
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Baby C is halfway cooked!! And boy, is she a mover and a shaker! She still seems to have plenty of room for her womb acrobatics and when she is awake, she takes full advantage of all that space. I think she must realize that she is growing fast and soon she won't be able to move around very much at all. I'm enjoying this part because she can't quite deliver major kicks to my major organs, but I can still feel her moving. Its a big win for everyone!<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">Size of Baby</span>: This week she is a cantaloupe! Which is ridiculous, since it is most definitely not melon season here in New Hampshire. Although we have been in the middle of a semi-heat wave, which is weird because it is two weeks from Thanksgiving...<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I sort of feel that it is silly to compare her to a cantaloupe since it is fall, so we are going to go with a more appropriate and localized food here:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Acorn squash. It is freaking delicious. And these days, I am all about EATING. So, go buy one of these and scoop out the middle, and then fill it with nuts and butter and brown sugar and maybe some chopped apples. Then roast it up and eat with a spoon. NOM. And try to forget that I just compared it to MY BABY while you are chomping away.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">Pregnancy Cravings and Other Relevant Stuff</span>: The other day Bill was all, "<i>when did you get so PREGNANT</i>?" Really Bill? Where have you been? I take that to mean that my belly continues to grow and look more grande by the minute. I am definitely wearing maternity shirts now, although some of them are big and silly looking, but not as silly as how I look whilst wearing non-maternity shirts. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The cravings are weird this time around. I like steak and all, but I have almost never cooked it at home and in the last few weeks I have made it every week. I have steak in my fridge right now as a matter of fact. I pan-fry two ribeye steaks and then whip up a little whiskey cream sauce in the pan with all the steaky bits and juices. If Bill is being courteous to me that day I let him have one of the steaks. I also make garlic sauteed spinach with them and eat ALL OF IT. Again, this is not the norm for me. I could eat that garlic spinach ALL DAY LONG. So good. The trick here is to use lots of garlic and olive oil. Obviously.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I am also having a scandalous love affair with the mint hot chocolate from Dunkin Donuts. It caused me to break-up with the salted caramel mocha from Starbucks. Luckily, the minty love from DD is much cheaper, so I don't think Bill will be too mad.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One last thing about being pregnant that I found amusing this past week. I went up to UNH to meet up with some family friends who were taking a tour and we had lunch at the dining hall. Let me just tell you that showing up at a college campus with a baby, while visibly pregnant, totally made me feel like Teen Mom. People were staring and I assume I looked like some kind of cautionary tale illustrating what happens when you do too many kegstands at a frat party during Homecoming. It was a good moment for me, since I love Teen Mom and I assumed the stares were because I look young and sassy enough to still be a nineteen-year old college freshman, rather than a haggard, preggy, mom type who got lost on her way to the dorm where her oldest child lives. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The all-you-can-eat dining hall setup was pretty sweet too.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">See you Friday for Week 21!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEfkq-7ZhaF5Uk7fRGiCLXIBXoS_4Lu2pHQ3VewhvNaytJ94XfoFAS6Ehbt3_KucK7Hkj76a576xQgS976VOBBnjttGiItwGnKDMxIuwPuwzZ6dLts0fzAJWW7QS_jRd76SuD0GwPXRQ/s1600/IMG_2576.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEfkq-7ZhaF5Uk7fRGiCLXIBXoS_4Lu2pHQ3VewhvNaytJ94XfoFAS6Ehbt3_KucK7Hkj76a576xQgS976VOBBnjttGiItwGnKDMxIuwPuwzZ6dLts0fzAJWW7QS_jRd76SuD0GwPXRQ/s320/IMG_2576.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><b>"which way to Grandpa Bob's house? he'll give me some candy. plus he has a sweet hot tub."</b></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>M.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16455702302302741057noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2327858136568450481.post-81156898363439663922011-11-07T08:14:00.002-05:002011-11-07T09:31:56.595-05:00Never Doubt A Mother's Intuition!As many of you found out over the weekend via my facebook page, we discovered on Friday that we are having a BABY GIRL! My dad lasted until Saturday morning. So now the world gets to know!<br />
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I have to say that I never doubted that it would be another girl. So much so that I may have bought new girl stuff that is way too small for CC in previous weeks. I thought GIRL for the following reasons.<br />
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1. Death sickness for many, many weeks of early pregnancy. I was so so so sick. I know you all know this. They say that girls make you sicker than boys. I was just as sick with CC. And everything else about the pregnancy felt exactly the same. So I said early on that it must be another girl and that my daughters start out their tiny lives by trying to drive me insane. I assume it will get worse as they get older...<br />
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2. Dreams and life visions. I just never was able to get my head around the idea of a boy. I could not see myself with a boy, I could not think of boy names, I could not visualize our life with a boy in it. I think this was my inner self telling me not to bother because I was full of estrogen. It was always very easy to visualize girls and girl stuff and girl names. This all might be total crap, but it definitely is part of why I thought both of my babies were girls before knowing for sure.<br />
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3. The hairline test. I found this business online where I get all of my important information. Check it out. It works LIKE MAGIC! However, it only works if you already have one child. Sorry first timers!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.whattoexpect.com/blogs/mylittlemonkeys/baby-gender-prediction-ive-found-the-secret"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">Secret Gender Prediction Trick!</span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Bill reacted to the news of another baby girl with the following statement. <i>"OH MY GOD. I have to pay for two weddings. And mow the lawn for the rest of my life."</i> Bill tends to be slightly dramatic and had to sit down in the ultrasound room, then made a big deal of googling adoption websites and talking about what country could provide him with the largest boys to help him with yardwork and roofing. I told him to stop being sexist and just teach our daughters how to do that crap.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Anyway, we are totally thrilled, and I am especially excited because not only do I get to keep and reuse all of my adorable baby girl clothes ( and you KNOW there are SO MANY!!), because these two will be in opposite sizes in opposite seasons I also get to buy NEW STUFF! I have already started. You know this. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Thanks for all the excitement and well wishes!! We could not be happier!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>M.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16455702302302741057noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2327858136568450481.post-76496341661911598562011-11-04T11:21:00.001-04:002011-11-04T11:27:32.251-04:00Pregnancy Update - 19 Weeks!Ahhhh. This is the nice time in pregnancy. The baby is still small enough to not be causing any major discomfort to my inner self, I can eat mad amounts of food and not feel bad about it, I look pregnant but not orca fat, and people like to do nice things for me, like carry things up and down the stairs so I don't "strain myself." Too bad CC does not exercise this same concern for my well-being and sanity when she wants to be carried up and down the stairs all freaking day long!<br />
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This past week, little Baby C. has been kicking like crazy!!! It is awesome to finally be at this point; it was my favorite thing last time and I have a feeling it will be again. I could spend hours poking at my belly looking for little feet and kicks. I just love feeling that baby grooving around in there!<br />
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So this week we have...<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">Size of Baby</span>: a mango!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj58ezov4Im65lkjQPoZVTUgvQybetnv77AKkHBuvHKe0-BM6tkIwoncBZd-tqeB0NwTtlcrmZz9uFR86xVNUiYJBy3Vekx1Szq4jsrSFDzvJcmP1zL_muPVvP2x7XLTO6XbTuNM5FFsw/s1600/272331757_528d4a5a8c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj58ezov4Im65lkjQPoZVTUgvQybetnv77AKkHBuvHKe0-BM6tkIwoncBZd-tqeB0NwTtlcrmZz9uFR86xVNUiYJBy3Vekx1Szq4jsrSFDzvJcmP1zL_muPVvP2x7XLTO6XbTuNM5FFsw/s320/272331757_528d4a5a8c.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><b>"ummmm. maybe not this Mango? although, a J.Lo baby would be cool because then we would be RICH."</b></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirEAsQjipsgNSt6re0EgQFgclkJSLHdAkBJiguN6lpYALBB7uv9UbQBRWGlp3HejSfaa5ipoYO7g-yr97EbgAelYk9jgyRNju26-VUq0TYLxNmu6VjA1n2L5dDr2Ugc2qaJQp4x3AFHA/s1600/IMG_8907.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirEAsQjipsgNSt6re0EgQFgclkJSLHdAkBJiguN6lpYALBB7uv9UbQBRWGlp3HejSfaa5ipoYO7g-yr97EbgAelYk9jgyRNju26-VUq0TYLxNmu6VjA1n2L5dDr2Ugc2qaJQp4x3AFHA/s320/IMG_8907.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><b>"those look delicious, but since I'm pregnant..."</b></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7A_WJ6Yrva0snHb21uvNE3C_Rs-GafMTrbvUatF0cD8hqKsifczi4u1dXH8SEI9MLrTJbpcSSdeWtgJsM9Oroufc-wbqfOEvj3YEGDhQU_xIubkBb-iiwWREcmqg_Tw4zLvef1JA7uA/s1600/african-mangos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7A_WJ6Yrva0snHb21uvNE3C_Rs-GafMTrbvUatF0cD8hqKsifczi4u1dXH8SEI9MLrTJbpcSSdeWtgJsM9Oroufc-wbqfOEvj3YEGDhQU_xIubkBb-iiwWREcmqg_Tw4zLvef1JA7uA/s1600/african-mangos.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><b>"there we go! delicious mango baby!"</b></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sorry. That was a serious mango digression! Anyway, baby is growing like crazy, kicking like crazy, and generally getting bigger and squishier and cuter every day! I am starting to be very curious about how different or similar this baby will be to CC. I also hope this one sleeps like she does. Let's all hope for that okay?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">Size of Belly</span>: I feel silly updating this every week so from now on, no more of this. Obviously I am getting bigger. And will continue to do so until I can't hoist myself out of bed or walk without waddling like a sow. Good times.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">My Symptoms and Cravings</span>: I still have heartburn. We'll call this a given at this point and stop talking about it. Just do me a big favor and enjoy all your yummy treats and delicious water and tangy cranberry juice that you get to have whenever you want without fear of fiery retribution. The one thing that is especially difficult is that it is winter and the air is super dry in our house, and I wake up feeling SO THIRSTY I MUST DRINK WATER RIGHT NOW, but then I chug half a bottle of water seeking relief from my dry dry mouth and then I want to cry because the water tries to kill me with devil fire. No one is winning here. Except maybe CC, but she usually wins.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In terms of cravings, this past week I got it into my head that I really wanted some Cherry Coke, and I could not rest until I had a case of it in my house. I made a special trip to the store with my cart-hating child and everything. It is delicious, and obviously full of healthy vitamins and minerals. Also I have been craving eggs, which is weird because at the beginning of both pregnancies they grossed me out to the point where I would gag thinking about them. I think it has something to do with knowing that the baby comes from an egg and at that point still kind of resembles an egg. Extra gag. Anyway, now they are yummy and I dig them. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sometime very soon we are going in for our ultrasound!!! However, it seems that my father does not want to know the sex of his grandchild, so I may not be able to reveal it here. Take it up with him. Bill and I are operating under the belief that he won't be able to handle the suspense and that at some point he will beg to know, especially since we will know! We'll see though. He can be a stubborn guy for sure. Love you Daddy!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In a side note, my new little nephew Colin was born yesterday to Bill's sister and her husband, and we are going to meet him later today!! Since we have to be at the hospital anyway...(wink!). I am so excited to have this little guy here finally (although probably not as excited as my SIL!), and hopefully he will be good training for CC in terms of learning to share all the attention. Right?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">See you next week for the halftime show!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>M.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16455702302302741057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2327858136568450481.post-17892624337171824162011-11-01T16:25:00.000-04:002011-11-01T16:25:06.636-04:00Happy Halloween!When I was pregnant with CC, we referred to her as "Squid." So obviously when I saw this costume, it was a no brainer. The extra humiliation factor is totally a bonus for me.<br />
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</b></i></span></div>M.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16455702302302741057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2327858136568450481.post-66634305828169899652011-10-28T11:25:00.000-04:002011-10-28T11:25:54.120-04:00Pregnancy Update - 18 Weeks!We are closing in on halfway cooked! It feels like this pregnancy is going very fast now that I am not sick all day, and I am definitely feeling the reality of how our life will be changing very soon. Also, Caroline is teething her molars and is in a foul mood 90% of the time, so I get nervous thinking about dealing with two crabby babies at once! However, as I am not the first person to ever embark on this adventure, I am sure I will survive.<br />
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Let's get to the baby talk!<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">Size of Baby</span>: A sweet potato!! Perfect for fall. Also perfect because I found a killer recipe for some <a href="http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/breads/maple-glazed-sweet-potato-bread/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">sweet potato bread</span></a> that I want to make this weekend. Yum....<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgurMjDgbEZ7yXBTgSAlWCx78Ozko6lRPgEtuT362oIVX0ATjrBClYGiKTDnZYq0pktzrZN6sk0LlA7nCzdhwwPoISq5AZh56zYFBaWhfQJvARac7JOcfqflSJ1wbq0e9DGAP5AS3q08A/s1600/Maple-Glazed-Sweet-Potato-Bread-410x273.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgurMjDgbEZ7yXBTgSAlWCx78Ozko6lRPgEtuT362oIVX0ATjrBClYGiKTDnZYq0pktzrZN6sk0LlA7nCzdhwwPoISq5AZh56zYFBaWhfQJvARac7JOcfqflSJ1wbq0e9DGAP5AS3q08A/s320/Maple-Glazed-Sweet-Potato-Bread-410x273.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><b>"Mmmmmmmm... I die."</b></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Speaking of sweet potatoes, I make this <a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/10/soul-sweet-taters-step-by-step-recipe/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">mashed sweet potato casserole</span></a> every year at Thanksgiving and it is so TASTY. However, I only add about half the sugar it calls for, and I add shredded coconut to the topping. I highly suggest that you make this right quick. Gotta love <a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">The Pioneer Woman</span></a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">Size of Belly</span>: Growing every day! There is no hiding this bad boy now! Here is a photo from last weekend when we took our annual trek to L.L. Bean. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMfvelugsXXbkuQm-KUvGzCIHMgMMtyyrYI5XBc6p3OjSMSg-1nAZpb4xWT4Np67IH1F0BlGn-IGOqCQJ1ElmQg-oWFEYhzdkbBxJH3nJ5rfZ-yvFfWbahsCGQ9GNSQOlBa2LQ9Vy-aQ/s1600/IMG_2501.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMfvelugsXXbkuQm-KUvGzCIHMgMMtyyrYI5XBc6p3OjSMSg-1nAZpb4xWT4Np67IH1F0BlGn-IGOqCQJ1ElmQg-oWFEYhzdkbBxJH3nJ5rfZ-yvFfWbahsCGQ9GNSQOlBa2LQ9Vy-aQ/s320/IMG_2501.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><b>"perhaps I should invest in a maternity sweater, no?"</b></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Actually our trip to Bean's was really fun, I got <a href="http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/61229?feat=594-GN1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">this sweater</span></a>, which is not maternity but I love it so much and am practically living in it right now. I got the peacock blue, men's small, and it fits great and will fit after the pregnancy as well. CC got some adorable Smartwool socks, and a <a href="http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/57005?feat=3161-GN2"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">pair of slippers</span></a>, which she hates wearing. No surprise there.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The highlight of the day occurred when I took CC into the viewing bubble in the trout aquarium and she FREAKED OUT because a giant, menacing trout stared her right in the face. I tried not to laugh because she was legit scared of the thing, but it was pretty funny. After that, she wanted nothing to do with trouts or aquariums.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">My Symptoms and Cravings</span>: UGH. Heartburn all over the place. Also, last time I was pregnant I got that whole "mask of pregnancy" thing that looks like patchy sun damage all over your face, which has a fancy name (melasma) that I can never remember without googling it. It turns out that if you have olive-toned skin you actually get it worse than fair-skinned people (whatever, I get a better tan than they do), and I found that when I was pregnant in the summer with CC it was way worse, which was a shame because I had a really nice tan. The speckles showed up this time right around the same time my pregnancy test popped up positive, so if you were on your game, you could actually tell I was pregnant from day one. They are better now that my tan has faded, but I don't think they are going anywhere anytime soon! Bummer. So in conclusion. NO. I don't have patchy sun damage and YES. I wear sunscreen every day. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My cravings are staying pretty consistent and have been under control this week. I still have a THING for sugar, but the truth is, I have always had a THING for sugar, and now I just get to use pregnancy as an excuse. Its awesome. Bill says no more Pixi Stix though. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So not much else to report except that last night when I was at work, I went to braid my hair at the beginning of my shift and when I reached my arms back, I felt a solid kick right to the center of my belly! It was crazy, considering I have not felt any other movement up until this point. I was so excited to finally get a little "what's up Momma!" from my little love in there!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0rCgqNWeMe1pchZstF9Ihb27niHpRq6ctP-QEuAnyncyn-lm4K-lZV3k2dEN80DLZeYINk9PettnfUh-dEixuu_UOREHXCExJg2SRJriLQxe1WzacpwzITvgOPybnmJP_n0iE8oxW1A/s1600/IMG_2517.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0rCgqNWeMe1pchZstF9Ihb27niHpRq6ctP-QEuAnyncyn-lm4K-lZV3k2dEN80DLZeYINk9PettnfUh-dEixuu_UOREHXCExJg2SRJriLQxe1WzacpwzITvgOPybnmJP_n0iE8oxW1A/s320/IMG_2517.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><b>"Let's just add this sweet horse to the list of things to be filed under MINE. Since I heard I am expected to share with this new being in my house, I figure it is never too early to establish some clear boundaries."</b></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>M.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16455702302302741057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2327858136568450481.post-75907296379748101192011-10-25T11:17:00.000-04:002011-10-25T11:17:06.165-04:00Indian SummerA few weeks ago, over Columbus Day Weekend, it was in the 80's here in New Hampshire! It was awesome. We took CC to the beach and I made her wear one of my favorite summer dresses so I could take some lovely pictures of her. However you can imagine, knowing CC, that things did not work out in my favor. She was sopping wet before I even got the camera out of the case. I think these are cute anyway, even if they are not the perfect pictures I imagined! She had the time of her life, and it was a great way to say farewell to summertime!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjytg3DKNGnCJE1gaQ9BlvFiMbv7_gIXTGdBVpU_xkcBmzPeA63rcNpI7uxACtsEY8y6XsC4psvNmhS_LXNrr1vbknfj8f9jH7REpyf0sNkB2Qssbzb6MqAxeRop0pqPX7VD9VrI8XKFw/s1600/IMG_2479.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjytg3DKNGnCJE1gaQ9BlvFiMbv7_gIXTGdBVpU_xkcBmzPeA63rcNpI7uxACtsEY8y6XsC4psvNmhS_LXNrr1vbknfj8f9jH7REpyf0sNkB2Qssbzb6MqAxeRop0pqPX7VD9VrI8XKFw/s320/IMG_2479.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"this'll teach Mommy what happens when she doesn't let me wear my bathing suit!"</span></b></i></div>M.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16455702302302741057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2327858136568450481.post-5744123261303473642011-10-21T09:19:00.000-04:002011-10-21T09:19:14.813-04:00Pregnancy Update - 17 Weeks!So it took a little longer than it should have, but I finally feel like I am in my 2nd trimester and actually enjoying pregnancy. And, since I am waging an effective war on my heartburn and seem to be over the all-freaking-day-long sickness, I am eating again!! Holla!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-NdJ53-8mmRzDWhkhoYafoJsLVmLN4A6jSXL0SoY9GXvMFYKJIoC_UCe8GS4h2Yk9Vb8xWLoPLm4U8v2XjEUuM6uvB-h6y9f-MFh8vWzQtN8YWgWBZXYIVFBtq_dC2dGbFKH2UGkQtA/s1600/300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-NdJ53-8mmRzDWhkhoYafoJsLVmLN4A6jSXL0SoY9GXvMFYKJIoC_UCe8GS4h2Yk9Vb8xWLoPLm4U8v2XjEUuM6uvB-h6y9f-MFh8vWzQtN8YWgWBZXYIVFBtq_dC2dGbFKH2UGkQtA/s1600/300.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"hello my friend. thank you for being my BFF for the next five months."</span></b></i></div><br />
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And now that I CAN eat, let me just assure you that I am definitely making up for lost time! NOM NOM NOM...<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">Size of Baby</span>: A large onion! Obviously vidalia, because they are delicious. And, I could not decide which of these onion items I wanted more, so here are two baby onions for your viewing pleasure.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7BDDUC68wA53cEcHm1akkPONqOpomC1G539erxXAkoTiIbShMPkD1LE6WLZl3RGwU6_PaGdC7nNemCEeHo04fHLqayYZsSxOHANiDpyLlLUpIUdw6XHed7Ok5S0x2o0SBhRUhlO29Xg/s1600/10663.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7BDDUC68wA53cEcHm1akkPONqOpomC1G539erxXAkoTiIbShMPkD1LE6WLZl3RGwU6_PaGdC7nNemCEeHo04fHLqayYZsSxOHANiDpyLlLUpIUdw6XHed7Ok5S0x2o0SBhRUhlO29Xg/s1600/10663.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHOs6hVFxvWzTu0H_lKCrQiGxAhOaw_f3BDVclbUUfzlO9W-lNd4tsaUFD5nDVoGO0AkFqXkHkGxxNpCfT9sZM-2OsRSxfeKuQluSwYKdhejQcuJYWXcbx0nvEX95f9unBI3Cd1kSEag/s1600/funyuns-original.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHOs6hVFxvWzTu0H_lKCrQiGxAhOaw_f3BDVclbUUfzlO9W-lNd4tsaUFD5nDVoGO0AkFqXkHkGxxNpCfT9sZM-2OsRSxfeKuQluSwYKdhejQcuJYWXcbx0nvEX95f9unBI3Cd1kSEag/s320/funyuns-original.gif" width="229" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Baby onion two ways! And both scrumptious!"</span></b></i></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">Size of Belly</span>: round and obvious! I love it. I love looking pregnant and not fat, and I love the attention that comes from being pregnant, and all the cooing and questions from strangers. Usually CC gets all the attention, so this is fun for me and a good lesson for her to learn. Right? I do not love uninvited belly rubs from people I don't know, but I'm not really big enough yet for people to feel that draw to touch me. I do love when people I know pat my belly, so feel free to get in there if you see me!<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">My Cravings</span>: CHEESECAKE. Grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches. Chocolate croissants. Soups of any kind, but especially those full of lentils, beans, and pasta. Chocolate ice cream treats. Thai food and Indian food. And my crowning craving moment of the week occurred on Sunday night when I laid awake in bed for an hour, then went downstairs at 11:15 pm to inform Bill that I NEEDED a burger and fries. Unfortunately, we live in NH and nothing is open that late. So I had to go online to the Friendly's website (I totes love Friendly's) and stare at pictures of burgers and fries. Then we decided to go to dinner there on Monday night, and I made a grilled cheese and went back to bed. Disappointed. So I am guessing the baby wants MEAT! That burger, when I finally got it, was the BEST THING EVER.<br />
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I am getting super anxious to find out the sex of this baby. Like, way more than I was with CC. I just feel like I am on hold with planning and clothes sorting and nursery details and I just REALLY want to get all that stuff taken care of! But, just a few more weeks and we will have our answer! Keep your fingers crossed that Baby C keeps his/her legs UNcrossed! ha!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3CcjD7IBrdIhpIaekKuQcS_DaHO6eiLKxdWKNZY0KlkZ38zzPgg4ZYL77rCm0Cu_j0mR0AWiUttI3VAShyphenhyphen1FDvTBn5K_8rPzYsnGH-2fmrfbFwwqQA1bqq2mwUvleH4qZGiJUsnYndQ/s1600/IMG_7278.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3CcjD7IBrdIhpIaekKuQcS_DaHO6eiLKxdWKNZY0KlkZ38zzPgg4ZYL77rCm0Cu_j0mR0AWiUttI3VAShyphenhyphen1FDvTBn5K_8rPzYsnGH-2fmrfbFwwqQA1bqq2mwUvleH4qZGiJUsnYndQ/s320/IMG_7278.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><b>"Ummm. HI. Remember me? Star of this blog? Cutest thing ever? Ringing any bells? Ugh. Babies. I'm already over this whole thing. It better not touch my stuff. And that includes my cats."</b></i></span></div>M.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16455702302302741057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2327858136568450481.post-88294147699534116252011-10-19T10:59:00.001-04:002011-10-19T11:02:28.948-04:00Cribs. Unfortunately, Not the MTV Kind.Okay. I have just made a purchase.<br />
<br />
Things are happening now. They are real. REAL.<br />
<br />
I bought another crib. (breathebreathebreathe.)<br />
<br />
Now, I know that the baby is not due until the end of March. It is definitely still kind of early to be worrying about a crib. CC still has her queen size bed in her room, for crawling, jumping, general laying and lolling about, and for me to lie on while she takes all her books off the shelf for. the. 500th. time. TODAY. (digression. but really. doesn't it ever get old kid?)<br />
<br />
<i>(As an aside, I feel like I need to express my sadness over having to get rid of the queen bed. I used it every day when CC was nursing, because I found it much more comfortable to lay back in bed and breastfeed her rather than sit up in the rocker, especially at night. Then I just had to pop her back in the crib and if I was too tired to walk across the hall, I could just sleep in her room! She never took to side-lying nursing, and we never co-slept, but that bed saved my life. I'll miss you my friend.)</i><br />
<br />
I have to admit that I kind of assumed I would use the same crib for both children, because by the time the second kid came along, CC would be in a big girl bed. But that does not seem to be the case now does it? (stop laughing Dad.) CC is still in her crib and seems quite content, she can't escape from it, and it doesn't take up a lot of room. So it stays.<br />
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And now its twin is en route to my house. I went ahead and ordered it because as some of you might know, I am not as easygoing as I pretend to be, and the thought of having cribs that did not match was keeping me up at night. And, this particular crib is hard to find now. I did find it finally, at <a href="http://www.albeebaby.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">Albee Baby</span></a>, with free shipping and a 10% off code, which brought the price down to $157.00. Which is CHEAP for a crib! Bill and I were given CC's crib as a gift by my brother and SIL, and we are so grateful, but we felt that hitting them up for a second crib would be rude. You know? (Love you guys!)<br />
<br />
Anyway, the crib is this, the <a href="http://www.albeebaby.com/davinci-reagan-4-in-1-crib-white.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">DaVinci Reagan crib in Pure White</span></a> (which is actually cream colored, a detail they neglected to mention in the description, but at this point I'm over it). I love it. It is pretty and classic, but still has a little interest in the curves. It also has a small footprint and doesn't jut way out into the room. Here is a lovely image of it in CC's room!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8IQOM-k4xrFzTRs7ISrtTHf2vmNHdHZG2S22QUT8iypvRbMNJCWcIRzyTVUInJO-AYllOicPv-LHQLBO1ylV3Uy1auS1V44zg7wbVr4wwcbELCI7eZCv6Zh9B5GtiG3E8ZIxjvS0u5g/s1600/IMG_3277.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8IQOM-k4xrFzTRs7ISrtTHf2vmNHdHZG2S22QUT8iypvRbMNJCWcIRzyTVUInJO-AYllOicPv-LHQLBO1ylV3Uy1auS1V44zg7wbVr4wwcbELCI7eZCv6Zh9B5GtiG3E8ZIxjvS0u5g/s320/IMG_3277.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"her room never, ever looks like this now. sigh."</span></b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When it arrives, my beloved queen bed will be going to live at Bill's parents house, and we will be starting a little nursery makeover! That part I am very excited about, especially once we know if I will need more pink owl and bird stuff, or if we will be looking for some more blue and brown things to make things a little more boy-friendly! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Any guesses on the gender? I have a DEFINITE feeling, but I am keeping it to myself (except for a few of you that I have told personally). But, I am curious to know what you guys are thinking! See you on Friday for our 17 week update!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>P.S. think lots of happy labor thoughts for Emily over at<a href="http://www.dailygarnish.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;"> Daily Garnish</span></a>! She is currently in labor in Seattle and getting ready to meet her baby boy! Good luck! Follow her<a href="http://twitter.com/#!/dailygarnish"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;"> Twitter</span></a> feed for labor updates!</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEjnSR3a6F7p4SmfSNDAuT-iBknMv_xX4IJxhfcTbwX_aT0zteSCVttwWOVGPWOChvL_6vuJo53g9f4xU4ZAIZV2GNgw1v90oxo4Puk1tQFlHTH1lqKX4xNxHrcNiIRrRWjNQfGbyEpQ/s1600/IMG_7400.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEjnSR3a6F7p4SmfSNDAuT-iBknMv_xX4IJxhfcTbwX_aT0zteSCVttwWOVGPWOChvL_6vuJo53g9f4xU4ZAIZV2GNgw1v90oxo4Puk1tQFlHTH1lqKX4xNxHrcNiIRrRWjNQfGbyEpQ/s320/IMG_7400.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><b>"Girl? Boy? Who cares. I'm still convinced this whole thing is going to ruin my life. Also this muffin has no butter on it. Consider this an official complaint about how the service is slacking around here."</b></i></span></div>M.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16455702302302741057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2327858136568450481.post-46228479942091807082011-10-17T10:10:00.000-04:002011-10-17T10:10:41.270-04:00Little Miss TroubleThe last time you heard an update about CC's behavior, she was about 10 months old, and was up to some pretty feisty shenanigans. Things have only gotten worse since she turned one. It turns out the sweet, sleepy, cuddly, quiet little bird I brought home from the hospital a year ago has exploded into a toddler full of attitude and sass. Let's pretend for a minute that this shocks any of us who know my child personally. Here are just a few of the awesome things we deal with on a daily basis.<br />
<br />
1. Extreme bib hatred. She just can't deal. She sees that bib coming and FREAKS OUT, grabs it with both hands and fights me off like I am coming at her with a chainsaw. If I do manage to get it on, it ruins her entire meal, and she can't focus until the hateful thing is removed from her neck. So now she eats naked most of the time. Hopefully this won't carry over into her teenage years, because that would be uncomfortable in a high school setting, yes?<br />
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2. Irritation with hair ornaments. She has a ton of hair and it all hangs in her eyes. But try to put a barrette or a ponytail holder in her hair and two seconds later she is eating it or throwing it out the car window. But Bill says NO to cutting her hair.<br />
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3. Communicating "all done." When CC is done eating she smiles nicely then quickly sweeps everything off her tray onto the floor before I even know what happened. Apparently this is her version of signing.<br />
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4. Being told NO(!) in regard to pens, scissors, the computer, knives, remotes, phones, and keys. This goes over poorly every single time. She finds these items to be most intriguing and if you take them away or move them so she can't reach them, WATCH OUT.<br />
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5. Shopping cart aversion. She has decided she hates the shopping cart. She used to love it. Now it is considered a torture device that keeps her from wreaking havoc on the baking aisle at Hannaford. So now we have to grocery shop as a family and Bill is in charge of chasing her around the store, whilst I fill our cart with healthy foods with ice cream treats hidden underneath. Having Bill around makes it difficult to buy things I normally manage to sneak by him, like boxes of Twix bars that remind me of my youth, Pixie Stix, and bacon.<br />
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So you can imagine that things are not as easy as they used to be, but they certainly are a lot more interesting!! And, fun. The girl cracks me up all the time, and it is worth whatever grief she is giving me at any given moment because I just love her so much. I just cannot imagine how life will be with another little one around at the same time! Does anyone have a baby I can borrow for a couple hours to see if I can actually do this?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2grtagqM-meIm1nt0hx4DzY_t5YdPIBHa4pIFh6WEZSjJg20Qy5BMmL1UaD-912gPLa-ymJ7EzYfvJjqWjDz_aIQyRxBKhqsVdNWcoF2hyDULBbe8DD_FeHRLVGO5yOEUDGEwPU5pfg/s1600/IMG_7347.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2grtagqM-meIm1nt0hx4DzY_t5YdPIBHa4pIFh6WEZSjJg20Qy5BMmL1UaD-912gPLa-ymJ7EzYfvJjqWjDz_aIQyRxBKhqsVdNWcoF2hyDULBbe8DD_FeHRLVGO5yOEUDGEwPU5pfg/s320/IMG_7347.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><b>"KEEP. THAT. BIB. AWAY."</b></i></span></div>M.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16455702302302741057noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2327858136568450481.post-55537280770199266272011-10-14T10:35:00.000-04:002011-10-14T10:35:10.887-04:00Pregnancy Update - 16 Weeks!Here we go again! Things are just ticking right along with this baby cooking adventure, and as the days fly by and I get bigger and rounder, the reality is starting to set in that, yes indeed, another one is definitely coming! And soon! It is going to be March before we know it, and I really, really, really, hope I am as ready to do this as I think I am.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">Size of Baby</span>: an avocado! Bill says apples and avocados are the same size, but he thinks food comparisons are silly anyway. However, there are only so many checklists out there for me to look at. So yes, the baby is an avocado (but bigger than an apple), and now I am thinking about guacamole, and now I REALLY want a carne asada burrito. Like bad.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg604VtBlLNs9xvh6Rr43MRSHSJOZ23W6BKpOjjBESzWndmyDX45srXlVd4LQaT8f5WEDemTaSN_KSQeunIbRSeJ8bshk8iWq53iCldYR06DQU33cTv7O0-baESmpge_IuiAVW0dX6WLQ/s1600/chia_avocado_baby.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg604VtBlLNs9xvh6Rr43MRSHSJOZ23W6BKpOjjBESzWndmyDX45srXlVd4LQaT8f5WEDemTaSN_KSQeunIbRSeJ8bshk8iWq53iCldYR06DQU33cTv7O0-baESmpge_IuiAVW0dX6WLQ/s1600/chia_avocado_baby.gif" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><b>"Avocado babies are always happy because we are delicious! And full of healthy fats!"</b></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">My Symptoms</span>: ugh. Still nauseous. I'm so sick of this. I mean, I'm glad I don't throw up everyday, but the mornings are still rough. If I can just get up and eat something I feel okay, and I am usually okay for the rest of the day, but it makes getting out of bed in the morning pretty much my least favorite thing ever. At least I have a happy, chatty little girl waiting for me every morning! Also, the heartburn is in full effect. Zantac twice a day or else I die. And I know that lots more fun pregnancy symptoms are just around the corner! I am looking forward to the good ones, like feeling the baby move and seeing CC put her hands on my gigantic belly!<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">Size of Belly</span>: Growing steadily! And, someone noticed it at the market yesterday and asked how far along I am! This means I can stop asking Bill 85 times a day if I look fat or pregnant, and he will probably be thrilled with this development.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">My Cravings</span>: Still benign, and tending towards things that are not going to give me heartburn or make me feel like yacking. Definitely sugar and cereal, and I am still all over the decaf mochas. I maybe bought myself a flourless chocolate cake yesterday and hid it from Bill. And I am definitely heading into Thai and Indian food territory as those things sound delicious and I think I might actually be able to keep them down if I eat them later in the day!<br />
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Bill keeps asking when the sick feelings are going to stop. He thinks we are having a boy because he doesn't remember me being sick for this long last time, but I think he just blocked it all out because I definitely was! In the next few weeks we will know for sure what we are having, although I am not telling the exact date of our appointment because I can't take that kind of pressure from you people!!<br />
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We also have a consult coming up with one of the doctors at our practice (I usually see the midwives) to discuss my candidacy for a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean). This is exciting because I don't know much about how it will work or how good my chances are at success, but I would love any input or advice from any of you that have done it!<br />
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Another week down. See you next time for another truly awesome food graphic representing the size of Baby C!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpI73lKtcX7LJGxo0Xwh-E9COdepLJ7dFhT-CIDk2z7jeZ6xgFmRtMIBQfOL3RMIMwKjb0pJr_qC3XTrIi6uOPVIcqixdU38xQ_tiGNotfabeRV5XyuEIKJHFp7nQ-nkjRDWCwLel5hQ/s1600/IMG_7427.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpI73lKtcX7LJGxo0Xwh-E9COdepLJ7dFhT-CIDk2z7jeZ6xgFmRtMIBQfOL3RMIMwKjb0pJr_qC3XTrIi6uOPVIcqixdU38xQ_tiGNotfabeRV5XyuEIKJHFp7nQ-nkjRDWCwLel5hQ/s320/IMG_7427.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><b>"I'm just here to express my displeasure at the fact that I am not featured in this blog post at all. I mean, how are you people even still reading? All this baby talk is enough to make a girl think about moving out. Maybe the cats and I will get our own place..."</b></i></span></div>M.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16455702302302741057noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2327858136568450481.post-51094088315691616112011-10-13T08:16:00.001-04:002011-10-13T09:57:48.276-04:00The Big One.This is about a month late, but I think CC will forgive me!<br />
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September 14, 2011<br />
<br />
Dear Caroline,<br />
<br />
I cannot believe we are here at this point where I write you your one-year letter. You are amazing. You are sassy, sweet, bright, charming, and bold. You laugh and smile and explore and demand and throw fits, and it is all so unbelievably beautiful. To say that this has been the best year of my life is so obvious, and cannot possibly encompass the depth of emotion that I have in looking back on the last twelve months. I am so proud of you. I am so grateful to be your mommy. And now that you are a toddler, I miss your babyhood desperately but am so thrilled everyday to watch you grow. You are so tremendous in your being and so much more than I ever dared to dream you could be.<br />
<br />
Our first meeting was nothing like I expected it would be. You were a few hours old, and you were a tiny bundle of blankets with dark hair peeking out. You looked so comfortable in your daddy's arms that I almost hated to take you away. But the second they handed you to me, I knew you were mine. We loved each other immediately and you filled my heart in places I never knew it was empty. You were so tiny, and delicate, and beautiful, and even though it wasn't what I expected, it was perfect.<br />
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Now you are strong, sturdy, and so full of personality. You are still beautiful of course, but in a more complete way. Your spirit is just so full of life that it seems to spill out of you and touch everything and everyone around you. I feel so blessed to be the one to feel the most of it!<br />
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You have learned so much this year. You can walk and dance, you give kisses and snuggles, you say "cat," "cracker," "mama," "dada," "hi," and "book." You can point to kitties, cars, pacis, your lovey, the stairs, and yourself whenever asked. You can do "hands up," "so big," and "shake your booty!" Teaching you things is so much fun, especially when you finally learn to do them on command!<br />
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You can feed yourself, play with the cats and their string toys, and turn your music boxes on and off all by yourself. Sometimes I can't believe you are the same tiny little bird I brought home from the hospital, who slept all the time and hardly every made a sound. Life is so amazing.<br />
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So, to you, my darling girl, Happy Birthday. I can't wait to see what the next year brings us as you become a big sister, and continue to grow and play and laugh your way through life. Thank you for bringing me along for the ride! I love you! -Mommy<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><i>HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAROLINE!</i></b></span></div>M.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16455702302302741057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2327858136568450481.post-87627708807407030672011-10-11T11:02:00.002-04:002011-10-11T11:05:24.216-04:00One Of Many Sneaky Ways I Make My Kid (and Husband!) Eat Healthy Food.Since the new baby is the size of an apple currently, I thought I would share with you one of CC's favorite foods! See, girl loves her some pancakes. Like, an insane amount. And, for a long time I was just whipping up the Bisquik (I know its not organic. But, it's delicious!!), flipping those pancakes, and feeding her til she burst. However, in recent weeks, CC has been on sort of a strike when it comes to eating healthy items such as veggies and fruits besides mandarin oranges and grapefruit slices. So I found<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;"> <a href="http://www.thesouthernbellebaby.com/2010/10/apple-pancakes.html">this apple pancake recipe</a> </span>and got to cooking! I figured that since I have apples coming out of my ears here in NH, and I can't convince CC to eat them on their own (although she does enjoy the kind that come in the little cup in juice), this was a sneaky way to make her eat fresh apples. I make a whole batch and then microwave them for a few days until they are gone.<br />
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I have also tricked her into eating zucchini, banana, carrot, and sweet potato using this same recipe. But not all at once, as that would be gross.<br />
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It is worth noting that I have tried sneaking these items into the Bisquik, but CC is a Bisquik purist and won't stand for it. Very similar to how she refused to eat infant cereal made with anything except tap water. My little foodie.<br />
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An additional fun fact regarding these pancakes is that Bill, whom we all know has an "allergy" to fruit (unless it is baked in a pie, which apparently makes it non-allergenic), came into the kitchen and snacked on a few of these while remarking how delicious they were. You can imagine my glee when I informed him that they were chock full of fruit! He responded by adding extra syrup.<br />
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<u><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Southern Style Apple Pancakes!</span></b></u><br />
<b>1 Cup flour</b><br />
<b>1/4 Cup sugar</b><br />
<b>1 egg</b><br />
<b>1 Cup milk</b><br />
<b>1 1/2 tsp. baking powder</b><br />
<b>1/2 tsp. salt</b><br />
<b>1 tsp. vanilla</b><br />
<b>1 large apple, peeled and grated</b><br />
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<b>mix and cook on the griddle! make sure you butter that pan, because that makes them even better! obviously.</b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH-ON84Fa3Gle8jWIl7e1mx9MQMK7hPm5f5dggY1W19f8wXlWWfZjbZe1uLBNWFGSkDC2IENwJGwLcY_CH6bxOJldYkrCMX9y5UKo14xYJ1y1LggeV5qr1hMizBfJFAkJ9S6r3oZ-Dtg/s1600/IMG_7352.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH-ON84Fa3Gle8jWIl7e1mx9MQMK7hPm5f5dggY1W19f8wXlWWfZjbZe1uLBNWFGSkDC2IENwJGwLcY_CH6bxOJldYkrCMX9y5UKo14xYJ1y1LggeV5qr1hMizBfJFAkJ9S6r3oZ-Dtg/s320/IMG_7352.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><i>"What's that you say? Apple? I don't believe it."</i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNhyphenhyphenOC0wl8ZMCXY-j0Uay8owos8o-wWBXuxpKGd78ZPnUwEKt2ikntAZywU7P1YnmwX3BMj93_3lNz6ywhlIaXKSfMXMxEQjqwhoYzK1-VEUhHfuZENLxMQgTugIqy0eHdDsoX6R2CSA/s1600/IMG_7353.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNhyphenhyphenOC0wl8ZMCXY-j0Uay8owos8o-wWBXuxpKGd78ZPnUwEKt2ikntAZywU7P1YnmwX3BMj93_3lNz6ywhlIaXKSfMXMxEQjqwhoYzK1-VEUhHfuZENLxMQgTugIqy0eHdDsoX6R2CSA/s320/IMG_7353.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><b>"Whatev. These things are so delicious, I might actually eat some before I toss them on the floor for the cats!"</b></i></span></div><b><br />
</b>M.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16455702302302741057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2327858136568450481.post-65992369355350934282011-10-07T12:12:00.004-04:002011-10-07T12:24:40.279-04:00Pregnancy Update - 15 Weeks!So I am 15 weeks pregnant today! I am hoping to do a weekly update about this madness every Friday, but you all know how it goes when I say I am going to do something like that, so let's just take it one week at a time okay? Anyway, here are a few relevant facts regarding my baby cooking status.<br />
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</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">Size of Baby</span>: an apple! (appropriate for fall in NH, although less so since I am cooking apple cakes today. kind of creepy actually...)<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><img height="150" src="http://images.neopets.com/pets/happy/chia_apple_baby.gif" width="150" /><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><b>"actual photo of Baby C. ultrasounds are so impressive these days!"</b></i></span><br />
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</div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">My Symptoms</span>: still slightly nauseous in the morning, but I haven't yacked in a week and I actually ate breakfast today!!! things are definitely on the upswing (fingers crossed). I am still pretty tired, but not feeling like I want to lie on the floor of wherever I happen to be and close my eyes. Also the heartburn is starting up again, which was so bad with CC that I had to take Zantac like clockwork or I would feel like I wanted to die. So I stocked up on the stuff and am getting ready to wage war against the heartburn!</div><div><br />
</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">Size of Belly</span>: I have had a little belly since about 8 weeks with this baby, although in all honesty most of that is probably due to the fact that I never lost all my baby weight the first time around. So I guess we would call that a gut. Also, depending on how much I puked in a given day the belly would come and go. These days, I definitely look pregnant, although not enough for strangers to feel comfortable asking. They probably just think I eat a lot of cake. AND THEY WOULD BE CORRECT!</div><div><br />
</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">My Cravings</span>: I have really not been that hungry, mostly because puking every day for 2 1/2 months makes you a little wary of food. I never really craved anything with CC except ice cream, so I am curious to see what happens this time around. If I had to say, I would identify that I have been craving decaf cafe mochas, tomato and mozzarella with balsamic, minestrone soup (Olive Garden, holla!), chocolate cake, and noodles. Anyone want to meet for lunch at the OG or my local Thai restaurant?</div><div><br />
</div><div>So, there you have it! Fun facts about Baby #2. We don't have a nickname yet (you will remember that we referred to CC as "Squid" for the majority of my last pregnancy), but we have a few ideas we are kicking around. Bill says I can't refer to the baby as "Mocha," or "CakeFace." So we'll let you know.</div><div><br />
</div><div>CC does not really seem to have any idea that her world is going to be changing in a big way in a few months, but I am sure she will start to wonder when we set up another crib in her room! We'll let you know how that goes!</div><div><br />
</div><div>Thanks for all the well-wishes and for being along for the ride with us! </div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjYW71ukRwk5mTWOKKCz9YPvkjFKumjOGTXuq-GvkI15neIKXH-37xL0tx3IkkDwm5ZJOYZQ-XuZzIa7CKizASurOKLd4PN-VhiCRIV_nHr-loTPns48ul94IMTe4MJplxBymhLvBMWQ/s1600/IMG_7374.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjYW71ukRwk5mTWOKKCz9YPvkjFKumjOGTXuq-GvkI15neIKXH-37xL0tx3IkkDwm5ZJOYZQ-XuZzIa7CKizASurOKLd4PN-VhiCRIV_nHr-loTPns48ul94IMTe4MJplxBymhLvBMWQ/s320/IMG_7374.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><i>"Baby? What baby? How can they possibly do better than THIS sassiness? I mean, have you seen my side pony?"</i></b></span></div>M.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16455702302302741057noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2327858136568450481.post-39057726429576780232011-10-03T13:08:00.001-04:002011-10-03T13:12:02.423-04:00Let's Try This Again Shall We?It has been a long time since I wrote anything, and in that time much has happened. I am going to try to get back into the blogging thing, but I have to be honest with myself that it is harder than I thought! Anyway, here is a random update of things around here. Stay tuned for much more on all these riveting topics!<br />
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1. I am PREGNANT! Oh yes. Baby #2 is officially on the way, I am 14 weeks, and have been horribly, disgustingly, obnoxiously sick. Yacking everyday SUCKS. Blegh. Ick. I had really bad sickness with CC too, but I thought it had to do with the progesterone I was taking (more on that when I share CC's birth story, something I never got around to). Anyway, I am feeling a little more like myself again in the last few days, so I am hoping I can blog during naptime, instead of lying on the couch watching all my glorious new tv shows.<br />
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2. CC turned one. It turns out that she HATES hats. We discovered this while trying to take obligitory pictures of her in her party hat, all of which show her looking like she's dying. Which is sad for her since we live in NH and she will have to wear hats all winter long. I have her one-year letter to share, as well as some updates about all the new stuff she can do. Like walk, and destroy the living room in less than 5 minutes. Kill me.<br />
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3. We have to trade in my car to make room for Baby #2. Just WAIT until you see the ride we picked out. You'll die.<br />
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4. New seasons of EVERYTHING started on television! Thank goodness. I have so much to say about all the awesome new stuff I am watching, and over the summer I discovered a fantastic new HBO show that I can't rave enough about. CC still doesn't watch tv, but occasionally I find stuff on the DVR I did not record, and it makes me suspicious...<br />
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5. I got a Nook. I may need help with this thing.<br />
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6. I am having to cook a lot, since CC eats lots of regular food now. I may share some recipes that I have had success in getting her to eat. If I could just get her to cook, that would be perfect.<br />
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7. Mini Boden released their fall line. Swoon. I can't take it. Neither can my credit card.<br />
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8. I got a part-time job. Getting back to my roots. Not using any of my expensive advanced degrees, but, I'm having fun and I get to talk to adults once a week. Plus, no daycare! Win.<br />
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9. Bill and I are planning a little getaway before the baby gets here. I am pretty excited to get a weekend off from CC. Not that I don't love her, but girl gets up early.<br />
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10. And finally. Did I mention that I am pregnant? You should expect a ton on this subject because I did not blog my first pregnancy, and I kind of regret it. So I feel I should overcompensate this time around.<br />
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It's great to see you all again!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>"Just when I thought Mommy had finally gotten the message that I'm in charge, she pulls this crap!? I have my own feelings on what's been going on around here, thankyouverymuch."</i></span></b></div>M.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16455702302302741057noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2327858136568450481.post-35227160421288388222011-07-11T09:50:00.000-04:002011-07-11T09:50:07.664-04:00CAUSE I"M LEAVIN' ON A JETPLANE!We are headed west tomorrow for a little visit to San Diego! This will be the 4th trip CC has made to Cali, and let me just tell you, it is much easer to fly with a 2 month old than with a 10 month old. When she was tiny she just slept on the Boppy the whole time, but as she got bigger she slept less and less, and by the last time we flew I couldn't even hold my mini bottle of wine because she was so wiggly.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4pOUJA1FdrsaOhCCMxgsHLJwSnc8ktC05bDlcaC-yFrhSFxfRw2rXXs34xNb-Fk47e_FWa8-9ijOx4_rOuxRLjhuUu0lxa0jacAaYk9p4vq1ryebgkX5Ws9ZSGOlh5x52luJElZ-How/s1600/IMG_6775.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4pOUJA1FdrsaOhCCMxgsHLJwSnc8ktC05bDlcaC-yFrhSFxfRw2rXXs34xNb-Fk47e_FWa8-9ijOx4_rOuxRLjhuUu0lxa0jacAaYk9p4vq1ryebgkX5Ws9ZSGOlh5x52luJElZ-How/s320/IMG_6775.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><b>"I am so ready. Let's hit the road! Cali, here I come!"</b></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><b><br />
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This time Grandpa Bob has procured our tickets using his ridiculous amount of frequent flyer miles, and so he actually bought CC her very own seat! I am psyched about this for a few reasons, the least of which being that maybe she will get seated away from me and someone else will have to entertain her for the 6 hour flight and I can read in peace and eat all her snacks. Also, now I can bring the car seat on board and use it to restrain her so I don't spend the entire flight in fear of losing altitude and her flying through the air like an olive at one of our family Christmas dinners.<br />
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San Diego is awesome and I suggest to each and every one of you that you go there immediately. Here are are few things we are looking forward to over the next two weeks!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRxxFAxp3zFjCCu5qE2HDnkC0GoonjW8ZW5Nrf4gFhEPYgChui5r4uOyqs4R5eh_uGK1d_qmi3-wsyZ-B03GYFaNbaSfbolvDIDlSrV8rD1TQhUP_9TcyLo1BIbEFJ-mdqfDY7jvXYxw/s1600/IMG_5778.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRxxFAxp3zFjCCu5qE2HDnkC0GoonjW8ZW5Nrf4gFhEPYgChui5r4uOyqs4R5eh_uGK1d_qmi3-wsyZ-B03GYFaNbaSfbolvDIDlSrV8rD1TQhUP_9TcyLo1BIbEFJ-mdqfDY7jvXYxw/s320/IMG_5778.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"I'll still be able to check Facebook right?"</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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1. Eating our weight in carne asada burritos. Mexican food in Cali is the real deal. In New England, it makes me depressed so I don't bother.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU8q4t_6yMRTGlZTRraK26sg6EqkstREHpV3e_aeMyCVK9xPzkShH9ZQmy959YjDGoH7gvBoIJ0-AifxALZTBPnzzXpi5ByOAJ2n2BW1Fs5NxJCGM2GBTky3n9SUTgM27xzx_IDzzARw/s1600/IMG_6079.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU8q4t_6yMRTGlZTRraK26sg6EqkstREHpV3e_aeMyCVK9xPzkShH9ZQmy959YjDGoH7gvBoIJ0-AifxALZTBPnzzXpi5ByOAJ2n2BW1Fs5NxJCGM2GBTky3n9SUTgM27xzx_IDzzARw/s320/IMG_6079.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"I don't know papagayo. She mentions mexican food and this is the picture she goes for? I'm mortified."</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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2. Going to the Wild Animal Park and The San Diego Zoo! CC has already been to the zoo, but I think she might like it better this time around. Also, the last time I went to the Wild Animal Park I was pregnant and distracted by the frozen slushie stand. WHICH WAS CLOSED. So this time I am getting my slushie.<br />
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3. Meeting my squishy!!! I cannot wait to finally get my hands on my little nephew. I only hope I can cram all his toes into my mouth at the same time.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4BTOTMUzgU2beWaZs3Cn6uKfXMcinrdgKBYSJ9MAXTe7-yWc3T9uUAR9IPbZOTJLwCqcCC7sZrWJXT8LYK-0CjoYWf39OpuL_UUOJ3vdxru4rFzDL5jBDzTPRSWblIrm1hlPvVTsc4Q/s1600/squishy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4BTOTMUzgU2beWaZs3Cn6uKfXMcinrdgKBYSJ9MAXTe7-yWc3T9uUAR9IPbZOTJLwCqcCC7sZrWJXT8LYK-0CjoYWf39OpuL_UUOJ3vdxru4rFzDL5jBDzTPRSWblIrm1hlPvVTsc4Q/s320/squishy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Watch out CC. There's a new cutest baby ever in town."</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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4. Spending some quality pool time with my SIL and CC. CC loves pools and she has a little floaty she can ride around in! She is psyched. So am I. Since we will be hands-free in the pool this time, I can hold a cocktail.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSX4gE4XndVAid7nKs-Zwi9Nx1eIhQ4JgJ47DcaUQVld-pmdb852yPAxkmc4Zxq3VCW4zjtpcnhUdrsSqGMAKGoTva2BRZmYRcVbAM-IG6Nrx2KukPT4me0r9DoOLRTb6VXzmprl9_SA/s1600/IMG_3130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSX4gE4XndVAid7nKs-Zwi9Nx1eIhQ4JgJ47DcaUQVld-pmdb852yPAxkmc4Zxq3VCW4zjtpcnhUdrsSqGMAKGoTva2BRZmYRcVbAM-IG6Nrx2KukPT4me0r9DoOLRTb6VXzmprl9_SA/s320/IMG_3130.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Stock photo. Gets the point across nicely if you ignore the fact that I am pregnant in this picture."</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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5. Snuggling my bestie's new baby girl!!! I cannot wait to get a real live look at the little pouty face on this adorable baby.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Currently awaiting permission to post photo of ridiculously gorgeous baby girl."</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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6. Taking CC to Tijuana. Just kidding everyone. Let's be serious. CC is more of a Cabo kind of girl.<br />
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7. Driving around in my parent's two seater convertible. Without my child. Obviously.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><img alt="bmw z3 roadster" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvyaY5-HVIgDxcTVdM4xnKSbJ_UECq_kq3LK2tYtwxI9rLc-W9mBTTyIwW1gN7Wg0CFAU8mNPE2Ey0VO5jkSZKJkOlIV715wZDyiekg7FsaZY1jkEi_Y2RAAyQcfLmBKfsKRDCN3rD7wKA/s400/bmw_z33.jpg" style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 11px;" width="490" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"This will surely elevate my MILF status."</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></div>8. Shopping! I love to shop and have not bought very many new clothes since I had my baby. I happen to have a birthday coming up and am super excited to let my mom buy me some new goodies that maybe will actually fit me, rather than requiring me to walk around holding my breath and using a hair elastic to keep my pants closed. I will not be buying anything for CC. Please see below to understand why.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDLhwey0tc9BYtE_zxR-dy8BnpMUWupfsIXmgb0-Z3RDyNJ4kAoWF_QQ4AJGcta3N9tuPkhLKWQc9xRkQ78xefsFp5T_D0AuUrW0I-vP9T2MjJBFYBJMxbn_kGeYfkzJpuQraLzHQdcQ/s1600/IMG_3299.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDLhwey0tc9BYtE_zxR-dy8BnpMUWupfsIXmgb0-Z3RDyNJ4kAoWF_QQ4AJGcta3N9tuPkhLKWQc9xRkQ78xefsFp5T_D0AuUrW0I-vP9T2MjJBFYBJMxbn_kGeYfkzJpuQraLzHQdcQ/s320/IMG_3299.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"This was taken before she was born. It is much worse now. I just can't help myself"</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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I will make every effort to write blog posts when I am gone, but on the real, that might be a bit too much to expect from myself. I will however promise to take lots of pictures and tell you all about our trip when we get home. Catch you all on the flipside!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjir3cLteW9btb2YeHzJGBU2CJ3SycyNkPygtNOoASN8E-fT9d1QSH_RCtXPf5nTMs01ktuK001Tuv_Eapykk-unDtfLdzv5qBRSCJ5P6tYAGwZ4C5KT2B5hfMnGh3YK2xVDnsQDW4Lw/s1600/IMG_5939.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjir3cLteW9btb2YeHzJGBU2CJ3SycyNkPygtNOoASN8E-fT9d1QSH_RCtXPf5nTMs01ktuK001Tuv_Eapykk-unDtfLdzv5qBRSCJ5P6tYAGwZ4C5KT2B5hfMnGh3YK2xVDnsQDW4Lw/s320/IMG_5939.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"What do you mean Uncle Mason isn't coming? That is ridiculous! I'm not going if he's not going."</span></i></b></div>M.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16455702302302741057noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2327858136568450481.post-86887230740427744412011-07-05T10:10:00.000-04:002011-07-05T10:10:49.803-04:00Postcard From Vacationland. Wish You Were Here!We are still on vacation in Maine, but I thought I should just check in and swear that I have not disappeared off the face of the earth. CC is having a blast here and we are taking lots of cute pictures, having fun on the beach, going on plenty of walks, and visiting with old friends and new babies!<br />
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I have also discovered that we have Showtime on our Direct TV service here so I got to watch some new Weeds. Super sweet. When I get out to Cali in another week or so I fully plan to catch up on the whole season by shamelessly commandeering my mom and dad's awesome cable package. So life is also good in t.v. land. I know you were worried about that.<br />
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We hope you all had a happy 4th of July, unfortunately it was crazy foggy here so we did not get to see any fireworks, but we had a great time anyway. I will share some pictures when I get home and locate my camera cable! Until then, here is a peek at what we have been up to!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_sVcu9vCsa7D8Kq7AmV0yWaobaxtDp0_5Ubz_GjzZl3DtaTMrsVt8F4j1-BH-OnBASDLpl880eCkW9Jdcrqa2xOwOHNTOPUbyq-f82FAp1245OsbksgFo0Bh1Nx-2U4YiNfsgq2Sd3A/s1600/IMG_6459.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_sVcu9vCsa7D8Kq7AmV0yWaobaxtDp0_5Ubz_GjzZl3DtaTMrsVt8F4j1-BH-OnBASDLpl880eCkW9Jdcrqa2xOwOHNTOPUbyq-f82FAp1245OsbksgFo0Bh1Nx-2U4YiNfsgq2Sd3A/s320/IMG_6459.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUnBeXGes8HUkHaCSX1yto7SD43iBq-dH_Ny8xg9Pw1Nz_Zp1vrPCHXeCUyLyGJt5OX9f67-RWxkyg-uQMTuqtS_9ZSCkrywXCITkAP6WS9M6unzHYvWi1Q0fPJc48IyxGU0aHL8y2JA/s1600/IMG_6487.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUnBeXGes8HUkHaCSX1yto7SD43iBq-dH_Ny8xg9Pw1Nz_Zp1vrPCHXeCUyLyGJt5OX9f67-RWxkyg-uQMTuqtS_9ZSCkrywXCITkAP6WS9M6unzHYvWi1Q0fPJc48IyxGU0aHL8y2JA/s320/IMG_6487.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkVJQt0Odd-gyoVhpgEH26y9dcJryBLSkNKf7uMN2kXpsm-Y8yufzuKwhoOi9GZ-43YcmTZocZS4Rj_Z-4PG4vUoz6Qs6SEntJlP8_25obS7rADf8ReKsAQf3Ae1WcnXekEWTctYMXKQ/s1600/IMG_6523.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkVJQt0Odd-gyoVhpgEH26y9dcJryBLSkNKf7uMN2kXpsm-Y8yufzuKwhoOi9GZ-43YcmTZocZS4Rj_Z-4PG4vUoz6Qs6SEntJlP8_25obS7rADf8ReKsAQf3Ae1WcnXekEWTctYMXKQ/s320/IMG_6523.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>M.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16455702302302741057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2327858136568450481.post-69527088027233751202011-06-30T08:45:00.002-04:002011-06-30T08:49:27.105-04:00What Do I Do With This Madness?It seems that CC has been reading my blog and to get back at me for sharing all her secrets with the internet, she is SUPER into her newest trick.<br />
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Standing in the crib.<br />
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It was cute. WAS. I admit, I snapped a few pictures, told her how adorbs she was, picked her up, gave her a snuggle, and squealed, "LOOK HOW BIG AND SMART YOU ARE!!!" (kisskisshughugsnuggle)<br />
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What a freaking mistake that was.<br />
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Now she stands in her crib the very second I put her in it. Tired? Eye rubbing? Red sleepyface? Yes to all this. These used to be the signs that meant it was time to put her to bed. And I was so spoiled. My child slept great whenever I put her down. I didn't have to bribe her in any way. She sleeps almost 12 hours a night and I could just lay her down and she would go right to sleep. But now she is a practicing diva. So that means, she can be so tired her eyes are closed, but she still stands right up and screams at me. And to top it all off, she tosses her paci and lovey out on PURPOSE so she has the excuse to scream louder. This is fun for everyone.<br />
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Even the cats are over it.<br />
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So now we have trouble. Diva babies usually are. CC is nothing if not determined and absolute in what she wants to do at any moment. However, she is also tired and cranky and she doesn't want to admit that she is to blame. So I think my only option here is to put Crisco on the crib rails and get a video monitor. Mommy always wins.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizBJ3UMjYZKtnwoZdaQzelh18hbaSLJmCfXw5E_WAwpk05RLuwWcKZ_3zslhIfuRo5SR9oUPXTY3hnFHhgp7AFoAQtausVs88JmVIwKl0UR-R5H7yGKMDM4iejFjEsWBeuPknE4RemzA/s1600/IMG_6426.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizBJ3UMjYZKtnwoZdaQzelh18hbaSLJmCfXw5E_WAwpk05RLuwWcKZ_3zslhIfuRo5SR9oUPXTY3hnFHhgp7AFoAQtausVs88JmVIwKl0UR-R5H7yGKMDM4iejFjEsWBeuPknE4RemzA/s320/IMG_6426.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Who's laughing now?"</span></b></i></div>M.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16455702302302741057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2327858136568450481.post-8486614018222989142011-06-24T14:48:00.000-04:002011-06-24T14:48:49.171-04:00Is Anyone Ever Ready?I know this may sound like a "poor me" post, but the truth is, I am feeling super sad about turning down the job I was offered yesterday. I know in my heart that I am not ready for full-time daycare for CC; I am not ready to hand her over for 40 hours a week to a stranger and then drive away. I know this. I do. But I am devastated over missing out on the kind of opportunity I would have had with this job. The people I met during the interview process were amazing. The school was a perfect fit. And, the feeling of being chosen after a year at home as the best candidate, even when they knew I wasn't sure, was amazing. I would have kicked butt next year if I had taken the job. I would have continued to hone my classroom guidance skills, I would have helped kids in so many ways, and I would have contributed everything I had to making my year there one that left a lasting impression on the school and the students. But I said no. It was such an incredibly difficult decision that I don't know if I am ever going to feel 100% sure that I did the right thing.<br />
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I did not make this decision all on my own. Obviously there was a great deal of discussion on the homefront, but the truth is that what really started to sway me is the number of working moms I talked to that told me they would quit their jobs if they could to stay home with their babies. I am so lucky to have this option available to me. I know that. And I am in awe of those moms who go back to work whatever the reason. You are braver than I am, and I know that you struggled with your decision as much as I struggled with mine.<br />
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Some of you know that we worked hard to have CC. It was a long process to get her here and I always said I wanted to stay home with her as long as I possibly could, because I didn't go through everything I did to have her only to miss out on her babyhood. And I have the privilege now to do just that. But I never anticipated that I would feel as though something else were missing from my life because I am not working. I am worried that the longer I stay out of the field, the harder it will be to get back in, I worry that I am sacrificing part of myself in order to be everything to my child. And, I worry that CC is missing out on her own experiences away from me because I want to be with her. But I believe that I made the right choice yesterday. I just did not expect to feel so much loss from making that decision.<br />
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I know CC is still just a tiny bird and that there are so many years ahead of us where she will be out on her own, learning and growing into herself without me there to soak it all in. I know that this time is a gift and that I am incredibly fortunate to be able to stay home with her. I know all this and I know that right now the best thing for all of us is for me to be home with her. Closing a door is always sad, and always makes me think about what could have been. This time I guess I'll just never know.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj95HJa9ebPNwW69-xq4IQQHBELeoSlHLg8_QMGumXm3vCa3nn4gnFrIuXOHrf_4XU5iEK7D5kqrHBkWSWz_kAO40TMWKoj4jx42iOAZUt3ba51-v4yqq2ZCXZIcsvu4wN3uaPH4GJ_8Q/s1600/IMG_6508.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj95HJa9ebPNwW69-xq4IQQHBELeoSlHLg8_QMGumXm3vCa3nn4gnFrIuXOHrf_4XU5iEK7D5kqrHBkWSWz_kAO40TMWKoj4jx42iOAZUt3ba51-v4yqq2ZCXZIcsvu4wN3uaPH4GJ_8Q/s320/IMG_6508.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>M.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16455702302302741057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2327858136568450481.post-10557743427014660342011-06-22T08:27:00.000-04:002011-06-22T08:27:26.224-04:00Let's Talk About My Addiction. And Then Rationalize It.It may be clear to you that I am a t.v. junkie. I mean, come on, I have a baby. I don't go to the movies. In fact, the last movie I saw in a theater was Shrek 4 when I was pregnant. Lame. And, going out to dinner is pretty much non-existent. I DO eat a lot of take-out, but that is not like when I used to go to nice restaurants and order three courses and pricey drinks and gaze at my baby-daddy through the glow of candlelight and sangria.<br />
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So, my source of entertainment these days is pretty much all t.v. all the time. I don't usually have it on during the day because I don't want CC to be like me, but once she's in bed, BAM. Television. I love you.<br />
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Summertime is a bad season for t.v watchers like myself. Pretty much every decent show is on summer vacation, and it makes me miss when Beverly Hills 90210 used to run a summer season where everyone worked at the Beach Club and got into trouble and Kelly stole Dylan from Brenda. Now that was some quality stuff. But, don't worry, I DVR old episodes of 90210 on Soapnet. How's that for some serious t.v. lingo?<br />
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This summer, I am watching the following shows, in addition to my current line-up of Auction Hunters, American Pickers, Pawn Stars, anything having to do with the Kardashian family, and Design Inc (I am borderline obsessed with Sarah Richardson). So if you want in, set your DVR and then we can talk about all that is good in t.v. land!<br />
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<a href="http://storibook-weddings.oxygen.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">TORI AND DEAN sTORIbook Weddings</span></a>: I am a huge fan of Tori and Dean. I am sure that does not surprise any of you.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #898989; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px;"><a href="http://viamediablog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Tori_Dean_Wedding_Show_Coming_To_Oxygen_sTORIbook_Weddings_.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #97512d; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-2979 alignnone" height="226" src="http://viamediablog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Tori_Dean_Wedding_Show_Coming_To_Oxygen_sTORIbook_Weddings_.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Tori_Dean_Wedding_Show_Coming_To_Oxygen_sTORIbook_Weddings_" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"These two just make my whole day brighter."</span></span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br />
<a href="http://www.hbo.com/true-blood/index.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">TRUE BLOOD</span></a>: Obviously. We have talked about this before. The new season starts Sunday!! Love it.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><img class="prod_image_selector" id="prodImage" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41zznyf6C-L._SL500_AA300_.jpg" /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">"I wish I were a vampire." </span></span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br />
</span></span></b></i></div><br />
<a href="http://animal.discovery.com/tv/finding-bigfoot/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">FINDING BIGFOOT</span></a>: Yes. Oh yes. I am a BELIEVER. Like, I am totally convinced that there are Bigfoots and Yetis and I can't wait until they prove it so I can be first in line for when they breed Teacup Yetis for pets. For the record, I also believe in the Loch Ness Monster, ghosts, and UFO's.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/25/Smalfut.jpg" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="File:Smalfut.jpg" height="267" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/25/Smalfut.jpg" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: url(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/Checker-16x16.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: repeat repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; vertical-align: middle;" width="238" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Obvious proof that Bigfoot exists."</span></span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><a href="http://www.mtv.com/shows/teen_mom/season_2/series.jhtml"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">TEEN MOM</span></a>: The original cast is back this summer! I am so excited. Don't judge me. I can't wait to see what Maci has been up to, although if you read trashy magazines, you know that she sometimes parties with Snookie. And they say getting pregnant at 16 is a bag thing!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><a href="http://judgmentalobserver.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/leah-in-steering-wheel.jpg" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(255, 60, 0); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #515151; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="size-medium wp-image-1460" height="300" src="http://judgmentalobserver.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/leah-in-steering-wheel.jpg?w=223&h=300" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Leah-in-steering-wheel" width="223" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"THIS is why I watch this crap."</span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span></b></i></div><br />
<a href="http://www.hbo.com/entourage/index.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">ENTOURAGE</span></a>: Final season of this show! I love HBO programming. They always take it one step too far and I love it. I especially appreciated the addition of Sasha Grey last season.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><img class="prod_image_selector" id="prodImage" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51rG7QCq%2B2L._SL500_AA300_.jpg" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">"Yes to all of this please."</span></span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><i><br />
</i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><i><br />
</i></b></span></div><a href="http://abc.go.com/shows/the-bachelorette"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">THE BACHELORETT</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">E</span>: I know you are all vomming in your mouth a little right now, but let me tell you, that is NOTHING compared to Bill's reaction when he realizes it is Monday night and this show is on. He usually makes me watch it Tuesday morning, which I do because I love him. Marriage is all about compromise. Although I have to admit, I am getting a little sick of Ashley whining about Bentley all the time. I mean, COME ON. Show the girl the footage of him being a complete yuckface so she can move on already! It doesn't matter anyway though because I read <a href="http://realitysteve.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">Reality Steve</span></a> and I totally already know who wins. If you can call securing a relationship with a girl with that kind of baggage "winning."<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, san-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><img alt=""12 Contestants of Bachelorette Ashley Hebert"" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-11845" height="200" src="http://www.greatnewmovies.com/wp-content/uploads/12-Contestants-of-Bachelorette-Ashley-Hebert-300x200.jpg" title="12 Contestants of Bachelorette Ashley Hebert" width="300" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">"Seriously annoying. But I'll watch it anyway."</span></span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br />
</span></span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br />
</span></span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">P.S. I think it is important to note here that if I were still a Showtime subscriber, I would obviously be watching Weeds, but sadly I have to wait for it to go to DVD so I can Netflix it. So nobody better tell me what happens this season.</span></span></span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><br />
</span></span></span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><img class="prod_image_selector" id="prodImage" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51w5LJ2EsLL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" style="cursor: pointer;" /></span></span></span></span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"I love this chick."</span></span></span></i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-PsYEh0L6QR8Lz4if9sVeXjkC_pDUPhlwKLyNPNKfrvrcjXVgLVWypOEKCMswe6Cc2XtyBnGQb-ZPb1ZgLTTv3PMbWJJJvYqApIt1fxX6SVQwz3Own4dJvP49TuhKG6-IQs3jQReCxg/s1600/IMG_6534.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-PsYEh0L6QR8Lz4if9sVeXjkC_pDUPhlwKLyNPNKfrvrcjXVgLVWypOEKCMswe6Cc2XtyBnGQb-ZPb1ZgLTTv3PMbWJJJvYqApIt1fxX6SVQwz3Own4dJvP49TuhKG6-IQs3jQReCxg/s320/IMG_6534.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"I am thinking I might be adopted? Because I would NEVER watch any of this junk. What garbage. Give me NatGeo anyday."</span></span></span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br />
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</i></b></span></span></div>M.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16455702302302741057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2327858136568450481.post-84212003429933689472011-06-17T08:41:00.001-04:002011-06-17T08:42:37.641-04:00CC's Secrets.I am a little worried that because my child is adorable, some of you think she is also perfect and charming all the time. No. Let me assure you that she is most definitely quite the little diva when things are not the way she likes them. I can admit that I am very lucky when it comes to things like sleeping (through the night), holding her own bottle (more facebook time for Mommy), eating new things (and smearing them all over her face), and riding in shopping carts (thank goodness, we might have to break up otherwise). But, there are moments when CC's world crumbles around her and she freaks out and lays face down on the floor and screams. Here are some examples of such moments.<br />
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1. Getting her face wiped after eating. CC thinks this is some kind of torture. She sees that wet towel coming at her and she immediately throws up her (food covered) hands in a defensive maneuver that leads to a bigger mess (think yogurt and mandarin oranges in the hair). She also turns beet red and shrieks, then tries to turn her face into the high chair and kicks her feet at me. This happens every time she needs her face wiped. Not sure what's going on here.<br />
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2. Diaper changes. This did not used to be a problem. However, in the last month or so, CC has decided that when she is laying on her back, the ONLY place she wants to be is on her belly. So she rolls over. Then I flip her back. Then she rolls over again. Then I flip her back and try to hold her down, but she has superhuman baby strength and we end up in a ridiculous wrestling match where I try to keep her feet out of the dirty diaper and try to keep her from plummeting to the floor, while also trying to wipe her behind and put a diaper on her while she is upside down and grabbing the diaper and throwing it across the room. The only thing that distracts her is the light up forehead thermometer, but she usually whacks herself in the face with it and ends up screaming anyway.<br />
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3. Having the car keys taken away. Did this at Target yesterday when she set the car alarm off while we were still in the parking lot. She screamed at me pretty much the entire time we were in the store. WHAT IS IT WITH BABIES AND CAR KEYS???<br />
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4. Riding in the Ergo for more than ten minutes. CC has always had an aversion to baby carriers, which I am trying hard to rectify, but she seems to think they were all invented with the sole purpose of restraining her and ruining her life. She is cool with the Ergo for a little bit, but inevitably it always ends up with her deciding she has had enough, arching as far back as possible to try to fling herself out of it, and again, turning beet red and screaming in my face, while kicking me in the side and pinching my arms. So you can understand why she almost always rides in the shopping cart.<br />
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Don't worry, I love that little bird more than anything, and she also does many, many cute adorable lovely baby things, but I thought you might appreciate this little glimpse into the mind of Miss Thang. She is a diva baby of the highest caliber.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZkaUAW6tHbC1EHLn9utOGCBzwm1EKFl8oa6eNjGoN3FmUq3DINdyiLgbkxGuPMiK9Plf8keVpMEaJVr4OGqNPik5e2QBqfnDYl2bz3rdrC9SBJwAZscu0LuKQn0BMFttdJKn6Kn0coQ/s1600/IMG_6547.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZkaUAW6tHbC1EHLn9utOGCBzwm1EKFl8oa6eNjGoN3FmUq3DINdyiLgbkxGuPMiK9Plf8keVpMEaJVr4OGqNPik5e2QBqfnDYl2bz3rdrC9SBJwAZscu0LuKQn0BMFttdJKn6Kn0coQ/s320/IMG_6547.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"I really don't believe that these revelations come as a surprise to any of you. And, when I figure out how to type, I will be getting my revenge with a little post all about Mommy."</span></i></b></div>M.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16455702302302741057noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2327858136568450481.post-61713551231850146982011-06-16T15:07:00.001-04:002011-06-16T15:16:34.331-04:00Random Musings On A Thursday Afternoon.Wow. Fail.<br />
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So I did not post every day this week, but I swear I'm not lazy. I have been super productive procuring a jogging stroller, going to a job interview, and sanding the walls in my office where the previous owners did an abysmal job of patching over some improperly installed drywall screws. Now lets take a moment to examine each of these things.<br />
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One. The jogging stroller. If you know me at all, you are laughing hysterically right now, and remembering the one time I DID run (from the cops in the park at night when I was in high school). However, I was sweetly offered this one for free from one of Bill's cousins, so dammit, I am going to jog. Or at least walk fast. Anything to get the baby jiggle off my butt permanently. My other stroller has a snack container where I hide treats for myself, so I am hoping this one keeps me from snacking on naughty foods when I am supposed to be getting my jog on. I'll let you know how it goes if I don't die first.<br />
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Two. The job interview. This is very stressful for me. I am not 100% sure I want to go back to work full-time yet. I would prefer a part-time position, but I have not been called yet for those interviews. So today I went and interviewed for a full-time position that sounds great, and I think I rocked the interview (because they couldn't see that I had a hair elastic keeping my pre-baby pants closed), but I don't know what to say if they call and offer me a second interview. I don't want to leave my baby. But, I would like to be contributing financially around here and have money to spend on Ebay and Etsy without Bill giving me the side-eye every time a package shows up in the mail. What's a girl to do?<br />
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And three. The wall. I hate the people that used to own the house. WHY they did some of things in here is beyond me. I wish they would have just left it all alone, because if I have to fix things, I would rather NOT rip out the crap job they did and then have to rip out the crap job that existed in the first place. I prefer to just do things once, thank you very much. Oh well, soon I will be ready to paint and then I can do an actual decorating post and show you a room in my house that is actually finished!<br />
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So that's where we are at this week. Riveting stuff, right?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghmdeewSQFTRvFN1XrffWtyByYCc4t2y1qQdlI5pF-hGtrpflVErWST-Dr5sRf4Jt_Kf2PHslzs0v3F4uRa2b18bfTcctnx5dsAPl_bTOpfuj_ZpG_8kiJV7kJUl4qg0FmbrzuyuUhag/s1600/IMG_6590.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghmdeewSQFTRvFN1XrffWtyByYCc4t2y1qQdlI5pF-hGtrpflVErWST-Dr5sRf4Jt_Kf2PHslzs0v3F4uRa2b18bfTcctnx5dsAPl_bTOpfuj_ZpG_8kiJV7kJUl4qg0FmbrzuyuUhag/s320/IMG_6590.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">CC the Jogging Drill Instructor.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"I said RUN woman! Don't make me get medieval up in here."</span></i></b></div>M.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16455702302302741057noreply@blogger.com0