Showing posts with label Holidays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Holidays. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

22 Week Update


I forgot to take a picture! :{ I owe you one. I will take one tonight.

How far along?
I am 22 weeks and 5 days, 121 days to go!


Baby is the size of...
a spaghetti squash?  Or, in my book, a large squash.


My sister suggested that I take photos and give updates with the item compared to the baby. I really liked it; but, at this point in time, I have no idea where I would find a spaghetti squash. At the local farmer's market?

Symptoms:
I still feel about the same. The under-side of my tummy is feeling lots of pressure lately. I think that Olive is pushing down sometimes; but then, sometimes it just seems like my stomach muscles can't carry this big ole' uterus of mine! haha. I had to lie down for a while the other night, because it was so uncomfortable.

I asked my doctor about my veins popping out like crazy! She said that it was the increased blood flow and that the older I get, the more susceptible I am to it, since my vein walls get weaker. Good to know - I just hope to avoid spider veins or varicose veins. It is bad enough that I am one of the 50% of women who get stretch marks. :{

Anything New?
Well, I had a doctor's appointment last Friday. It was pretty basic. Olive's heartbeat was loud and clear! She kept kicking at the monitor again though. I tell you, this one is going to be feisty! I can't imagine her being more feisty than Lucy; but, I think it's going to happen!

I will be going in for my gestational diabetes check next month. I don't think I have much to be concerned about; however, one of the indicators is having diabetes in the family, which I do. So, I always have to be prepared. If so, we can handle it. They also mentioned having a RhoGAM shot and/or screening. I wasn't too sure what that was and it was mentioned with such little importance that I didn't bother asking.

Well, I got a call from the doctor's office to set up an appointment and they mentioned getting a shot. I asked what the shot was for and the scheduler told me that it was better that I talk to a nurse about it. The nurse was busy and is supposed to call me back. Naturally, I googled it. It is a precaution, apparently because I have a negative blood type.

Basically, what I understood, is that when the mother is negative and the father is positive, the fetus can inherit the positive from the father. Problems can arise when the fetus's blood has the positive factor and the mother's blood does not. If our bloods were to ever mix somehow, which I guess is somewhat common, my body could start attacking the baby's blood, and essentially the baby, as a "foreign object."

Now, my first question is, "Well, why don't we take Heath's blood and see if it is positive and if we even need to worry." But, I am sure that they can't simply just take my word for it that Heath is the father. They have to take precaution because of the baby...which makes sense I guess.

Overall, my doctor made it seem like not a big deal at all. And, my co-worker who has three children said that she got the shot with her children and no big deal. So, I'm not going to fret quite yet. It is something that I literally can't control. I know my doctor will do what is best for Olive and me.

If you want to read more about this whole RhoGAM and blood type thing, go here: http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancycomplications/rhfactor.html. I admit. I am still a little fuzzy on it all.

I will definitely ask the nurse why I didn't have to do anything with Lucy, and now I do...hmmm...

New With Heath?
Well, he gave me the best Mother's Day weekend ever! :) He was so sweet and spoiled me like crazy! :)  I appreciate him so much as a husband and a daddy. I woke up Sunday morning to breakfast croissants! Yay! :) Soooo delicious! As you know, they got me in trouble with Lucy, weight wise. I had to give them up. :( But, an occasional one or two, here and there won't hurt...too bad. :)

Lucy and him also gave me an awesome present and picked up Chinese food for me, for supper. It was delicious. I think I ate all but one Crab Rangoon on my own. Oops! Mmm...I'm making myself hungry.

Anyway, he has been really good about taking the helm with Lucy. He gets up with her in the middle of the night for me. Granted, she does go to his side of the bed and I don't even wake up sometimes. And, he often ends up just putting her in bed with us. :[ But, I appreciate it, even if I wake up to her wheezing in my ear. He has informed me that our bed allows room for one more...which worries me and my future rest. Heath, Lucy, Olive, and me, in a queen-sized bed? Oh boy!

With Lucy?
It seems like in the past week, she has just grown up so much! She is getting so big, not only physically. She is talking so much and is so smart! I literally cried the other day because she just amazes me. Yes - I think this time it was the hormones. haha.

We are in the middle of week 2 of no binkie and I think I can officially say, without jinxing myself, it is gone (knock on wood, just in case). I don't think we will turn back now. :) Also, in Lucy news, she went potty on the big girl potty again!! :)

After changing her diaper, I just decided to leave it off. I thought if I let her run around the house naked (since it is hot out), that she will either pee on the floor or tell us when she has to go. Her telling us has been our biggest issue. To be honest, Heath and I didn't think that she would just pee on the floor. We were kind of right. She went pee a little in her booster seat and immediately panicked and told me that she needed a diaper. I took her to the potty and she didn't want to go. It was about 20 minutes later and she told Heath that she had to go and went! :) We were really proud. It looks like being naked in the evenings will become "a thing" until she starts telling us on her own.

The checklist is getting done! We have 18 more weeks!

Anything else?
How could there possible be? This is the longest post ever, right? Well, there is more!  My sister got Olive her first "official" gift.


 How cute is that?! The blacked-out area is our last name. I absolutely LOVE this onesie. I can't wait until she is here and can wear it. :)

By the way, how unbelievable tired do I look in this photo?

Well, that is all for today. Have a good week. We will be going to the zoo next week; so, the days can't go fast enough for me. I'm so excited! :)

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Valentine's Day Boxes 2012

Happy Day of Love, everyone! :)

I have always gotten excited over the big V-day, if you will. I think since it is so close to my birthday that it's always been special to me. Plus, I loved getting to deliver little envelopes to every one's little mail boxes.  Speaking of which, we made ours! I asked Heath, "Are you going to make Valentine's Day boxes with us?"

His response? "Well, I don't want to break tradition."

I had to laugh. I could tell her wanted to.

So, here they are. For Lucy, I kept my cute, little house Kleenex box from Christmas. For me, Heath kept a regular Kleenex box.





For himself, Heath saved a Welch's fruit snacks box. He never uses the Kleenex box opening anyway...


Heath worked on his, while Lucy and I did hers. I let her pick out all the patterns, colors, stickers, everything. I just helped her glue and tape. She put on all the stickers by herself though, and colored it! :) She had a blast.


Heath was done next. He wrapped his in white and added some cute letters from the newspaper.


The spot for putting in valentines was on top.


And, he even included a little picture of us that we had cut out from our wedding invitations.


I loved it Heath; but, your circle cutting leaves a bit to be desired. :)

I was in a rut and couldn't decide what to do. So, I decided to turn my Kleenex box inside out.


The shiny inside looked a lot prettier!


I then covered the top and bottom rim with satiny, maroon ribbon - also from our wedding invitations. Then, I added a few stickers, here and there.


We had a great time and had wonderful pieces to show for it!


I hope that we have started a tradition that we will continue for years to come! Again, Happy Valentine's Day! I hope you have a love-filled day!

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Too Late?

So, is it too late to talk about Christmas? And, share our photos?

Well, if it is, sorry. I am awful about gathering pictures from our camera. But, I finally got a whole bunch - including Christmas! Here they are...

We started our kick-off to Christmas by going to see...who else, but Santa Claus?


Lucy had her new Christmas dress on.


She did alright. No tears! :) She was more interested in the candy canes than anything else. I just wish 'binkie' hadn't been in the picture. :{

It was a fun family night.

In early December, Lucy got her letter from Santa Claus. She was pretty excited to get mail, but otherwise oblivious about the content. However, when she gets older I think she will enjoy seeing these letters, marking her year's milestones and 'what to work on.'


We filled most of our evenings reading Christmas stories in front of the Christmas tree. Lucy loved reading 'Charlie Brown's Christmas' and 'Twas' the Night Before Christmas.' She even has two Hallmark books that her Mimi and Grandpa recorded for her.

I'll admit, by the end I was begging to read something other than Charlie Brown. I love it; but, boy, does it get old. Thirty nights of reading it is a lot! Good grief! ;)


We, again, spent Christmas Eve as a family. We made sure to take another family photo in front of the Christmas tree.


Once we got home, Lucy loved opening her stocking. She got a lot of goodies and some more, small books!


We left the camera out all night and Santa took a picture of the presents he left under the tree! Doesn't this photos just seem warm? :)


The next morning, Lucy was in a sleepy daze. She tried out her new recliner while we opened other gifts.

It was a wonderful holiday season. I am sad that it is again so far away. However, each year with Lucy is so exciting and new! I know we have many great years to come...

Now, onto Valentines! :)

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Christmas Tree

We have had our Christmas tree up since the Sunday after Thanksgiving. It took everything I had to not go get it earlier though. "Go get it?" you ask?

Yes. We kill trees. Christmas trees, to be exact - of the pine persuasion.

I don't feel bad either. Have you ever read that book, "A Wish to be a Christmas Tree"? It is what they were planted for. It is what they want. It's their time to shine! The tree that doesn't get to be a Christmas tree is the sad one...see he's crying...



Anyway, on with it. Heath and I have always had a real Christmas tree. Heath, my dad, and I would go to the patch every year and pick it out. Then, we would bring it home. Heath and dad would watch football while I decorated. It was a lovely tradition. Last year, it included Lucy. And, as time changes all things, this year my dad was in Texas. Heath, Lucy and I decided to continue our "real tree" tradition. Going to pick it out and bringing it home is half the fun! It is a tradition we hope Lucy gets excited about year to year.

Oh, remind me to tell you about some of the funny stories from Christmas tree traditions past.

This year, we didn't have my dad's truck. We decided, like the Griswolds, we could strap that baby to the roof of our SUV. Why not? They have twine. (Is anyone thinking about the Mayhem commercial right now?)

Once at the farm and freezing our buns off, we decided on a 7 foot beauty. If you ask me, it looks taller though. Heath and I asked each other several times, "Will this work?" We were referring to the car of course. The tree farm...guy, for lack of a better title, suggested trying to put it IN the SUV. Okay...laying the seats down...hmm....okay...let's try it!  And, this is what happened to Lucy.


The needles would touch her arm occasionally. She was sure to let us know all about it. It was a little invasive, space wise. However, I was more concerned with the overwhelming pine smell that filled the car. It was crazy! Sneezing ensued.

I had to laugh. We always manage to get ourselves into these types of situations. It just wouldn't be our family tradition is something like this didn't happen.

And, remembering that in my freezing, numb state, I forgot to get a family picture, we took one. The tree was horizontal this time; but, it worked.

Lucy loved the day. She even liked helping Heath clean up needles, during "installation."


Approximately six hours later, we had the finished product.


I've never seen a Christmas tree more proud!

I hope your tree is up and that you had a wonderful time decorating! Our family did. Continue with your Happy Holidays! :)

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Cabin Fever

I am not one to complain about the cold. I would much rather be cold than hot. It is so much easier to wrap up in a blanket, than it is to shake a heat headache and be all sweaty, without exercising.

I am not one to complain about the snow. I still get snow days, as an adult! It is so beautiful (until it gets all dirty along the side of the roads). And, for the holiday season, it is a must!

However, this year I am kind of getting sick of it - for the first time.....I think ever. I am not even sure why. I thought originally that it must be because we keep getting tastes of good weather and then it's cold again.  No....that isn't right....this is the Midwest; I should be used to that by now! Perhaps it is because I never leave the house. No...that isn't it either; I leave the house every single day and am hardly there sometimes! Hmmm, what is it?

It must be Lucy. I just keep thinking of all the fun things that I want to do with Lucy and you know what? Most of that is not inside the house.  There is only so much you can do in the house before you just want to bust out.

So, I decided to indulge my yearnings for spring, believe the groundhog, and wish for spring to be right around the corner.  Here are ten things that I can't wait to do this spring, in no particular order:

1) Plant flowers
The snow piled up so high on my mums that they died. :( So, I'm going to give winter a glare and a fist shake, tell him that he can't keep me down, and plant some more.  How do you like me now?  Side note: I thought long and hard, way harder than I should have, about if winter was a he or she just now. Mother nature? Jack Frost? Hmmmm....as you can see I settled on Jack. Anyway...

2) Hang up Lucy's Swing
She got a swing for her birthday (thanks Grandma!) and I can't wait to push her in it. She loves the one at daycare; so, I'm excited to spend evenings in the backyard pushing her.

3) Cook-Out
Heath and I enjoy cooking out, even sometimes the healthy stuff!  Yes - there is such thing, like grilled chicken. I'm sure Lucy will enjoy it too.

4) Open-Up the House
I know I just mentioned getting out of the house.  But, sometimes you just have chores to do! So, if I have to be in the house, at least I can open up the window, enjoy the fresh air, and watch the curtains blowing in the breeze.

5) Go for Walks/Runs
As I mentioned yesterday, I am starting to really enjoy running. I am looking forward to running outside several times a week and not depending on mother nature to set my warm or cold schedule.  Also, Lucy got a wagon for her birthday (thanks Abuelo!). We were able to take her out once this year already and she loved it. I can't wait to take her out again. I think we will be making lots of trips around town in it.

6) Spring Clean
I know what you are thinking, "Who wants to clean?" Alright, so it's less about the cleaning and more about the organizing. I thoroughly enjoy organizing things. I'm a freak. I envy those people on HGTV that come into people's homes and organize all of their stuff!  I do not envy, however, the organizers on Hoarders. Yuck.  I am looking forward to 'remodeling' our basement into a playroom, organizing everything, and putting it all back! Yay!  That includes cleaning out the closets and medicine cabinets. :)

7) Go Fly a Kite
No, not get out of town; but, actually fly a kite. Lucy got a kite for her birthday. I used to fly a kite every Easter with my family, when I was little. I am excited to do it again, and especially with Lucy. I imagine she'll be mesmerized.

8) Introduce Lucy to New Animals
Now that Lucy is older, she can appreciate things more. She will enjoy going to my mom's house to see the animals (cows, horses, chickens, cats). My grandparents even have a rabbit on their farm for her to meet. And, of course, she can see that not all dogs (or 'Chicos' as she calls them, because of our chihuahua named Chico) are chihuahuas and rat terriers. There are such things as big 'Chicos' too. Also, before it gets too hot, I want to take her to the zoo. She would just love that.

9) Get Jazzed up about Rain & Tornadoes
I, like many others, am petrified of the horrific capabilities of a tornado. I can't imagine the destruction. And, the only real tornado I've seen was like an EF1, or something pathetic.  So, I really am incapable of imagining it. However, I love a good storm. I've loved thunder, lightning, and rain for as long as I can remember. I think it's calming and I love sleeping while it rains. I also love the adrenaline rush of a good tornadic storm. And, you are right; "tornadic" doesn't sound like a word; but, it is one because the weather people drive me nuts with it! That and football announcers saying 'trickeration'. WTH?   

10) Easter!
This is kind of the kick-off to spring, in like a lion! It will be a lot of fun to dye eggs with Lucy and have her be able to somewhat collect them. Perhaps she will have more fun throwing plastic eggs and eating the real ones! Either way, anytime we get together with family is a good time!

By the way...at work today I saw a high schooler visiting, because of a special event. She must be yearning for spring as much as I!  She had shorts on today - not gym shorts like..."I just got done working out or I'm too cool to wear real pants because I'm so athletic."  They were like kahki Daisy Duke's!  Someone needs to calm down their excitment. It is still 32 degrees out and their is still snow on the ground, honey!

Anyway, happy 'winter to spring transition' everyone! What are you excited to do this spring?

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Halloween on TV

Tomorrow is officially October! Yes, that means that I get to bust out all of my Halloween decorations and rediscover last year's clearance items that I forgot about - one of the best feelings!

Not only does Halloween mark the down hill race to Christmas, but is also surrounded by non-other than.....great television! I love all of those family-friendly, corny Halloween shows! I cannot wait. I basically watch ABC Family and Disney for a month straight. Every year, I type up a Halloween TV Schedule - not that my life revolves around television. I then put one schedule on the fridge and one on the coffee table, near the remote of course! If I am ever up for a good fright or am just channel surfing, I know exactly where to go.

This year, I decided to share the wealth.....or rather, the schedule. :) I added more than just the usual 'kiddy' movies this year. That way, I can include some of my husband's or our visitor's interest -or better yet, yours! You will find a list below. You will also find the cute versions that I made, below; you may decide to hang it on your fridge!

You'll notice that I only have up until the 13th of October. Well, Disney and ABC Family have not yet confirmed their schedules; so, there will be more to come. This will get you started! Also, please pay special attention to the colors on the schedule. If you don't know about a movie, I recommend googling it first or reading about it on IMDB.com.

I cannot wait until Lucy is old enough to watch the family shows with me!

Orange - Rated 'G' and very kid friendly
Green - Rated 'PG' or 'PG13' and discretion is advised
Purple - Adults or Teens Only

Friday, October 1
6 pm – Ghost Whisperer (Series) (ION-W)
7 pm – Ghost Whisperer (Series) (ION-W)
7 pm – Horror of Dracula (1958) (TCM)
8:30 pm – Brides of Dracula (1960) (TCM)

Saturday, October 2
9:10 am – Ghost (TBS)
11 am – Misery (TNT)
Noon – Scooby Doo and the Legend of the Vampire (TOON)
2 pm – The Forgotten (KXVO)
3:30 pm – Scooby-Doo in Where’s My Mummy? (TOON)
5 pm – Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins (TOON)
6 pm – Children of the Corn (SyFy)7 pm – Beetlejuice (TOON)
7 pm – The Terror (KXVO)

Sunday, October 3
9 am – Scooby-Doo and the Goblin King (TOON)
11 am – The Haunting (TNT)
3 pm – Scooby-Doo and the Samurai Sword (TOON)
4:30 pm – Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo (TOON)
6 pm – Beetlejuice (TOON)
9:15 pm – To Kill a Mockingbird (TCM)


Monday, October 4
6 pm – Ghost Whisperer (Series) (ION-W)
7 pm – Ghost Whisperer (Series) (ION-W)

7 pm – Halloweentown (DISNEY)
10 pm – Halloweentown (DISNEY)


Tuesday, October 5
6 pm – Ghost Whisperer (Series) (ION-W)
7 pm – Ghost Whisperer (Series) (ION-W)
7 pm – Halloweentown 2: Kalabar’s Revenge (DISNEY)
7 pm – Now You See Me (TOON)

7 pm – Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1932) (TCM)
7 pm – 15 Unforgettable Hollywood Tragedies (E!)

10 pm – Halloweentown 2: Kalabar’s Revenge (DISNEY)

Wednesday, October 6
6 pm – Ghost Whisperer (Series) (ION-W)
7 pm – Ghost Whisperer (Series) (ION-W)
7 pm – Halloweentown High (DISNEY)
10 pm – Halloweentown High (DISNEY)


Thursday, October 7
6 pm – Ghost Whisperer (Series) (ION-W)
7 pm – Ghost Whisperer (Series) (ION-W)
7 pm – Return to Halloween Town (DISNEY)
9 pm – Alien (TCM)
10 pm – Return to Halloween Town (DISNEY)

Friday, October 8
5 pm – Children of the Corn (SyFy)
6 pm – Ghost Whisperer (Series) (ION-W)
7 pm – Ghost Whisperer (Series) (ION-W)
7 pm – Aliens (AMC)
7 pm – Plague of the Zombies (1966) (TCM)
8 pm – The Lost Boys (VH1)
8:45 pm – The Devil’s Bride (1968) (TCM)
10 pm – Alien 3 (AMC)


Saturday, October 9
11 am – Sky High (ABC FAM)
11:30 am – Stephen King’s ‘Graveyard Shift’ (AMC)
Noon- Never Cry Werewolf (SyFy)
1:30 pm – Pet Sematary (AMC)
3:30 pm – The Shining (AMC)
5 pm – The Lost Boys (VH1)
7 pm – Elvira’s Movie Macabre (KXVO)
7 pm – Strangers on a Train (TCM)

7 pm – Shrek (TOON)
7 pm – Cujo (AMC)
9 pm – Sleepwalkers (AMC)
11 pm – Pet Sematary (AMC)

Sunday, October 10
9 am – Shrek (TOON)
11:30 am – The Skeleton Key (SyFy)
12:30 pm – Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (USA)
3:30 pm – Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (USA)

3:30 pm – 100 Feet (SyFy)
6:30 pm – Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (USA)
8 pm – Trick & Treats with Martha Stewart (HALMRK)
8 pm – Cold Creek Manor (SyFy)
10 pm – Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (USA)

Monday, October 11
6 pm – Ghost Whisperer (Series) (ION-W)
6 pm – Ghost Whisperer (Series) (SyFy)
7 pm – Ghost Whisperer (Series) (ION-W)
7 pm – Ghost Whisperer (Series) (SyFy)
7 pm – Night at the Museum (FX)
7 pm – The Incredibles (DISNEY)
7 pm – Kids of Killers (E!)
8 pm – Ghost Whisperer (Series) (SyFy)
9 pm – Ghost Whisperer (Series) (SyFy)

10 pm – The Incredibles (DISNEY)
11 pm – Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995) (FX)

Tuesday, October 12
6 pm – Ghost Whisperer (Series) (ION-W)
7 pm – Ghost Whisperer (Series) (ION-W)
7 pm – Shutter (FX)
7 pm – Casper Meets Wendy (DISNEY)
10 pm – Casper Meets Wendy (DISNEY)


Wednesday, October 13
6 pm – Ghost Whisperer (Series) (ION-W)
6 pm – Ghost Hunters (SyFy)
7 pm – Ghost Whisperer (Series) (ION-W)
7 pm – Ghost Hunters (SyFy)
7 pm – 20 Most Horrifying Hollywood Murders (E!)
7 pm – The Little Vampire (DISNEY)
10 pm – The Little Vampire (DISNEY)
10 pm – Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (USA)


I highly recommend all of the Halloweentown movies on Disney Channel for the whole family! Also, for the adults, I recommend Skeleton Key on SyFy.

Don't worry about those other Disney, Halloween favorites; they are coming up on the next schedule. Hocus Pocus and Twitches will undoubtedly be on before Halloween.

Enjoy!