Happy 2nd Birthday, Logan!
You are officially a Big Boy now! I think back to when you were born in the hospital, still to this day, the most significant day of my life, & I am thrilled with what a wonderful little person you've grown up to be so far. You are Mr. Independent, insisting you do things by yourself. You will even start school in a few weeks. You got your first tricycle & will have your first Big Birthday party. You are accomplishing so much & we are so proud of you.
We've watched you grow, learning to dance, run around in circles & chase Buddha. Your vocabulary has increased dramatically from saying "Ack" for duck to a multitude of words & now just forming sentences. Your confidence has grown so much that we've watched you go down the big twisty slide all by yourself & gone on outdoor adventures with your friends. The difference between One & Two is amazing.
You are such a good kid, always wanting to help us out. You help me pick up your toys & you help your Dad build & fix stuff around the house. Your sense of humor is adorable & your laugh is contagious. You are a smart kid, too, leaning your colors, reading books to yourself & counting "two, three, two, three, two, three". You're one of the sweetest boys we know, freely giving hugs to everyone you love.
We love you so much Logan, words can not express. Our life with you is wonderful & we can't imagine not being your parents. From the beginning of the day with you handing me my glasses in bed, to blowing kisses & saying "Love" at night, the joy & happiness you bring our family is unmeasurable. You are so special to us.
We hope you have a fabulous birthday with many more exciting adventures to come in this year of being Two! We love you with every fiber of our being.
Mommy & Daddy
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Playgroup mayhem
Well, we had a fun time this morning. It was super hectic, but it all worked out OK. I called photographer friend last night to switch our workout time. We were going to the gym after dinner & at this point, it's out of the question. So, we did our thing early this morning after I dropped Bill off at work.
On a super cute note, Logan & Little M (photographer friends daughter) are pretty much going to get married. When they see each other, they have big, long hugs & the hold hands as we walk to & from the parking lot. It's the cutest thing ever!
Anyway, after the workout I drove home as fast as I could so I could get the kitchen cleaned up (it never happened last night) & make the muffins for playgroup. I was getting the muffins together just as everyone started to arrive. The kids had a blast, the muffins were OK (not sweet enough for me) & Logan only sat on timeout once (it's usually twice - for throwing toys or hitting or something that wasn't acceptable). The living room looks like a bomb went off in the toy box & Logan's bed is almost broken. They were all jumping on his bed (all five of them at once) & bent the bed frame underneath.
It's going to be complete madness here this weekend when we have 17 kids running around doing the same thing for Logan's birthday party. Fun times!!
Well, we had a fun time this morning. It was super hectic, but it all worked out OK. I called photographer friend last night to switch our workout time. We were going to the gym after dinner & at this point, it's out of the question. So, we did our thing early this morning after I dropped Bill off at work.
On a super cute note, Logan & Little M (photographer friends daughter) are pretty much going to get married. When they see each other, they have big, long hugs & the hold hands as we walk to & from the parking lot. It's the cutest thing ever!
Anyway, after the workout I drove home as fast as I could so I could get the kitchen cleaned up (it never happened last night) & make the muffins for playgroup. I was getting the muffins together just as everyone started to arrive. The kids had a blast, the muffins were OK (not sweet enough for me) & Logan only sat on timeout once (it's usually twice - for throwing toys or hitting or something that wasn't acceptable). The living room looks like a bomb went off in the toy box & Logan's bed is almost broken. They were all jumping on his bed (all five of them at once) & bent the bed frame underneath.
It's going to be complete madness here this weekend when we have 17 kids running around doing the same thing for Logan's birthday party. Fun times!!
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
It's here
After feeling nauseas all day & all night for three to three & a half weeks straight, I'm now camping out in the bathroom. I haven't made meal plans for the week because the thought of food just makes me want to gag, so I'm not up for making dinner anymore. It's back to the basics for us for a while.
I felt terrible all yesterday afternoon & all last night. I slept when Logan took his nap (from 1:00-4:30), just so I could be unconscious & not have to deal with it. I woke up feeling gross & it got progressively worse throughout the night, eventually making me make a b-line for the bathroom at dinner. That's when I knew I was sick enough to take the zofran.
I've been holding on to that bottle of pills like Linus holding his blanket. I take them everywhere with me to be prepared & they give me a sense of security, knowing that if I get sick, everything will be alright because I have them. It's actually kind of stupid.
So, my nights are shot now. I'm pretty good in the morning, good enough to keep working out. I drink my breakfast (carnation instant breakfast) because I can't eat. I workout, come home, eat some toast & fruit & do whatever we're doing for that day. Come nap time, I begin to feel gross & it's a downward spiral from there. The hard part is staying hydrated because I can hardly drink anything right now. So, I'm already behind the ball on that one.
We were supposed to go out for Date Night tonight, but it looks like we might take Logan over to play with his friends while we come back home. I still have to get the house clean & make muffins for playgroup tomorrow & it seems like there aren't enough hours in the day to get it all done. I find myself taking frequent breaks so I don't run out of steam.
But, oddly enough, things are still easier this time around. I know what to expect & I know what's happening to me. I have a bunch of people that I can call if I need help with Logan (the calls & emails offering help have already started). I'm not scared & I don't see myself going into a depression like I did last time. As paranoid as I was about getting sick, I'm optimistic that everything will be OK. Yeah, I feel like crap, but I can deal with it.
After feeling nauseas all day & all night for three to three & a half weeks straight, I'm now camping out in the bathroom. I haven't made meal plans for the week because the thought of food just makes me want to gag, so I'm not up for making dinner anymore. It's back to the basics for us for a while.
I felt terrible all yesterday afternoon & all last night. I slept when Logan took his nap (from 1:00-4:30), just so I could be unconscious & not have to deal with it. I woke up feeling gross & it got progressively worse throughout the night, eventually making me make a b-line for the bathroom at dinner. That's when I knew I was sick enough to take the zofran.
I've been holding on to that bottle of pills like Linus holding his blanket. I take them everywhere with me to be prepared & they give me a sense of security, knowing that if I get sick, everything will be alright because I have them. It's actually kind of stupid.
So, my nights are shot now. I'm pretty good in the morning, good enough to keep working out. I drink my breakfast (carnation instant breakfast) because I can't eat. I workout, come home, eat some toast & fruit & do whatever we're doing for that day. Come nap time, I begin to feel gross & it's a downward spiral from there. The hard part is staying hydrated because I can hardly drink anything right now. So, I'm already behind the ball on that one.
We were supposed to go out for Date Night tonight, but it looks like we might take Logan over to play with his friends while we come back home. I still have to get the house clean & make muffins for playgroup tomorrow & it seems like there aren't enough hours in the day to get it all done. I find myself taking frequent breaks so I don't run out of steam.
But, oddly enough, things are still easier this time around. I know what to expect & I know what's happening to me. I have a bunch of people that I can call if I need help with Logan (the calls & emails offering help have already started). I'm not scared & I don't see myself going into a depression like I did last time. As paranoid as I was about getting sick, I'm optimistic that everything will be OK. Yeah, I feel like crap, but I can deal with it.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Italian night
One of the activities in The Club that I really enjoy being a part of is the Cooking Club. There are two MOMS Club chapters in our town & we've always had a combined chapter cooking club. The Other Side was responsible for organizing & hosting, but they could never get their act together. An event would be organized & either the day before (or in one case, a few hours before) they would cancel because everyone on their side flaked out. It was really irritating. After months of begging & nagging our co-presidents (one of them being photographer friend) to split & have our own Cooking Club, we finally did. Saturday night was the first "Our Side Only" Cooking Club & it went off without a hitch.
When the split was organized, we had 17 people sign up for the new Cooking Club. I was thrilled! Even if we had half of the attendance, it would still be successful. And that's exactly what happened - 8 people were able to attend this month. Our Cooking Club coordinator gave us the theme of Italian food for Saturday night & I got crackin' on my recipe search. At first I was going to make a tiramisu layer cake until I looked over the ingredients & saw that I would have to buy a whole lot of liquor. If I can't drink it, then I'm not buying it. So, I decided to go with a caprese salad. Sure, it was the easy way out, but it was light & refreshing & exactly what I was craving.
I got to the hosts house (which was beautiful!) & we lined up our dishes on her buffet table. There was prosciutto & cheese pinwheels in puff pastry, chicken florentine, pesto gnocchi, garden salad, meatballs, tortellini soup & brownies (I totally should have made desert). We a had a lot of fun eating, laughing & just enjoying the night out. Everyone was drinking wine (I had orange juice) & probably telling the group things they wouldn't have said otherwise - like how they weren't attracted to their husband, their plans for getting liposuction & bragging about discipline techniques (all of this actually came from one person). It was still a good night out, though.
The next event is scheduled in two weeks & I'm signed up to host in April. Hopefully we'll have the house by then (because that's a whole different post!)
One of the activities in The Club that I really enjoy being a part of is the Cooking Club. There are two MOMS Club chapters in our town & we've always had a combined chapter cooking club. The Other Side was responsible for organizing & hosting, but they could never get their act together. An event would be organized & either the day before (or in one case, a few hours before) they would cancel because everyone on their side flaked out. It was really irritating. After months of begging & nagging our co-presidents (one of them being photographer friend) to split & have our own Cooking Club, we finally did. Saturday night was the first "Our Side Only" Cooking Club & it went off without a hitch.
When the split was organized, we had 17 people sign up for the new Cooking Club. I was thrilled! Even if we had half of the attendance, it would still be successful. And that's exactly what happened - 8 people were able to attend this month. Our Cooking Club coordinator gave us the theme of Italian food for Saturday night & I got crackin' on my recipe search. At first I was going to make a tiramisu layer cake until I looked over the ingredients & saw that I would have to buy a whole lot of liquor. If I can't drink it, then I'm not buying it. So, I decided to go with a caprese salad. Sure, it was the easy way out, but it was light & refreshing & exactly what I was craving.
I got to the hosts house (which was beautiful!) & we lined up our dishes on her buffet table. There was prosciutto & cheese pinwheels in puff pastry, chicken florentine, pesto gnocchi, garden salad, meatballs, tortellini soup & brownies (I totally should have made desert). We a had a lot of fun eating, laughing & just enjoying the night out. Everyone was drinking wine (I had orange juice) & probably telling the group things they wouldn't have said otherwise - like how they weren't attracted to their husband, their plans for getting liposuction & bragging about discipline techniques (all of this actually came from one person). It was still a good night out, though.
The next event is scheduled in two weeks & I'm signed up to host in April. Hopefully we'll have the house by then (because that's a whole different post!)
Sunday, January 27, 2008
It reminds me of getting ready for college
This weekend our town had a pre-school fair that all of our MOMS Club friends went to. Some of our little friends are a tad older than Logan & ready to go to pre-school, but we decided to go so we could be familiar with the different schools & options available to us when we're ready. I'm so glad we went.
We walked through the door to a room filled with parents & kids doing activities at all of the schools lined up in booths. It was a little overwhelming & a bit of a sensory overload. We sifted through the booths to find non-faith based schools. This is the only thing I know I want in a pre-school right now. Since Logan isn't baptized, we don't read the Bible or pray & the only reason Logan knows "Jesus Christ" is from me stepping on his match box cars, I'd rather not have him indoctrinated when he doesn't really understand what religion is all about.
We found a few non-faith based schools & were given information packets on the curriculum & tuition fees. First, let me say that I had no clue how expensive pre-school could be. Holy crap. Some schools have tuition fees of close to $700 a month! Unless we win the lottery or Bill lands a miracle account or I decide that the stay-at-home mom thing isn't for me (fat chance), we will not be sending Logan to those schools. There are some other options we can look into, one of them being a co-op pre-school. I think this is a fantastic idea. It's a great way for the parents to be involved in their child's education process & get to know teachers, classmates & other parents on a very close level. I'm not sure how it would work for us since I would have to find a sitter for the baby on a regular basis, though.
So, we met representatives from potential schools, listened to them talk about "core curriculum" & were invited to attend tours or sit in on a class one day. I think after we narrow down our choices to a few, we'll go check them out to see if they would be a good fit for Logan. This totally reminds me of when we were in high school looking for potential colleges to attend. Seriously. And this is just for pre-school.
It's comforting to know we have a while to make our decision since Logan is just starting pre-school prep next month. This will give me a chance to see how he does in a class setting with teachers in a structured routine. I'll pick the brains of my friends who are sending their kids to pre-school this next year to get their opinions & see what it's been like for them, too.
I just can't believe we're doing this already.
This weekend our town had a pre-school fair that all of our MOMS Club friends went to. Some of our little friends are a tad older than Logan & ready to go to pre-school, but we decided to go so we could be familiar with the different schools & options available to us when we're ready. I'm so glad we went.
We walked through the door to a room filled with parents & kids doing activities at all of the schools lined up in booths. It was a little overwhelming & a bit of a sensory overload. We sifted through the booths to find non-faith based schools. This is the only thing I know I want in a pre-school right now. Since Logan isn't baptized, we don't read the Bible or pray & the only reason Logan knows "Jesus Christ" is from me stepping on his match box cars, I'd rather not have him indoctrinated when he doesn't really understand what religion is all about.
We found a few non-faith based schools & were given information packets on the curriculum & tuition fees. First, let me say that I had no clue how expensive pre-school could be. Holy crap. Some schools have tuition fees of close to $700 a month! Unless we win the lottery or Bill lands a miracle account or I decide that the stay-at-home mom thing isn't for me (fat chance), we will not be sending Logan to those schools. There are some other options we can look into, one of them being a co-op pre-school. I think this is a fantastic idea. It's a great way for the parents to be involved in their child's education process & get to know teachers, classmates & other parents on a very close level. I'm not sure how it would work for us since I would have to find a sitter for the baby on a regular basis, though.
So, we met representatives from potential schools, listened to them talk about "core curriculum" & were invited to attend tours or sit in on a class one day. I think after we narrow down our choices to a few, we'll go check them out to see if they would be a good fit for Logan. This totally reminds me of when we were in high school looking for potential colleges to attend. Seriously. And this is just for pre-school.
It's comforting to know we have a while to make our decision since Logan is just starting pre-school prep next month. This will give me a chance to see how he does in a class setting with teachers in a structured routine. I'll pick the brains of my friends who are sending their kids to pre-school this next year to get their opinions & see what it's been like for them, too.
I just can't believe we're doing this already.
Friday, January 25, 2008
The funniest part about being sick
When I was sick in the first pregnancy with Logan, we were living in an apartment while we waited for our new house to finish being built. We had two bathrooms, one in the master bedroom & one off the second bedroom. The dogs stayed in the second bathroom while we were gone during the day (it was pretty much like their own room) & during pregnancy, it had a distinct dog smell. That meant that when I felt sick, I only used our master bathroom.
When our house was built, we had two & a half bathrooms. There was the master bath, the second bath & a half bath on the main floor. I mainly used two bathrooms while sick (the master & the half bath). I soon discovered how nice it was to have a designated "sick" bathroom & declared the half bath as my own. Nobody else could use it but me. It was great.
In the house we're in now, we have one & a half bathrooms. When I found out that my insurance company was being stingy with the medication, I freaked out & cleaned the bathroom by our bedrooms spotless. When preparing to get sick, I wanted a bathroom where I could sleep on the floor if I needed to (yeah, it gets that bad). The only problem was that my designated "sick" bathroom is the most used bathroom in the house. It's the family bathroom with the only tub/shower in the house. It's kind of hard to kick everyone else out of it.
So, I only required one rule from everyone when it came to my sick bathroom. No Pooping. If you had to poop, use the bathroom downstairs. We thought it was pretty funny & Bill was very supportive about it, even making himself a reminder:
Yes, we live in a house with a "No Pooping!" sign on our bathroom door. We've yet to have any company since it's been posted, but we're hosting playgroup next week & then there's Logan's birthday party next weekend. I think I'll have to take the sign down & give the rule a break for those two days. However, the sign has totally helped Bill follow this one bathroom rule & it will be reposted once we aren't hosting playgroup or having parties.
If things work out & we do move into our new house, we will have three & a half bathrooms. I will be able to take over two bathrooms & claim them to be my sick bathrooms if I want. Which I totally will. And we won't need the "No Pooping!" signs for them.
When I was sick in the first pregnancy with Logan, we were living in an apartment while we waited for our new house to finish being built. We had two bathrooms, one in the master bedroom & one off the second bedroom. The dogs stayed in the second bathroom while we were gone during the day (it was pretty much like their own room) & during pregnancy, it had a distinct dog smell. That meant that when I felt sick, I only used our master bathroom.
When our house was built, we had two & a half bathrooms. There was the master bath, the second bath & a half bath on the main floor. I mainly used two bathrooms while sick (the master & the half bath). I soon discovered how nice it was to have a designated "sick" bathroom & declared the half bath as my own. Nobody else could use it but me. It was great.
In the house we're in now, we have one & a half bathrooms. When I found out that my insurance company was being stingy with the medication, I freaked out & cleaned the bathroom by our bedrooms spotless. When preparing to get sick, I wanted a bathroom where I could sleep on the floor if I needed to (yeah, it gets that bad). The only problem was that my designated "sick" bathroom is the most used bathroom in the house. It's the family bathroom with the only tub/shower in the house. It's kind of hard to kick everyone else out of it.
So, I only required one rule from everyone when it came to my sick bathroom. No Pooping. If you had to poop, use the bathroom downstairs. We thought it was pretty funny & Bill was very supportive about it, even making himself a reminder:
Yes, we live in a house with a "No Pooping!" sign on our bathroom door. We've yet to have any company since it's been posted, but we're hosting playgroup next week & then there's Logan's birthday party next weekend. I think I'll have to take the sign down & give the rule a break for those two days. However, the sign has totally helped Bill follow this one bathroom rule & it will be reposted once we aren't hosting playgroup or having parties.If things work out & we do move into our new house, we will have three & a half bathrooms. I will be able to take over two bathrooms & claim them to be my sick bathrooms if I want. Which I totally will. And we won't need the "No Pooping!" signs for them.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
We think we found our new home
This last weekend we stopped by a house that looked like a good fit. 4 bedrooms, 3 1/2 bathrooms, finished basement & a huge play set already in the backyard. The base of the house is really good, it's exactly what our family needs & there are only a few minor cosmetic cons. After we walked through the house, we began to sign papers to get started. We didn't (or I didn't) think things would work out, so I didn't have my hopes up.
Tonight we got the call that we got the house.
I was shocked beyond belief. I really didn't think this would follow through & my immediate reaction was cold feet. I thought, Is this the house we really want or should we wait for something better? To be honest, we're getting quite the bang for our buck & we're really not going to find anything better.
Sunday night we're going to meet with the Realtor to do some final negotiations to figure out a final price & a move in date. If everything goes our way, we may be in a new house in the next two weeks or so. Unbelievable, really.
This last weekend we stopped by a house that looked like a good fit. 4 bedrooms, 3 1/2 bathrooms, finished basement & a huge play set already in the backyard. The base of the house is really good, it's exactly what our family needs & there are only a few minor cosmetic cons. After we walked through the house, we began to sign papers to get started. We didn't (or I didn't) think things would work out, so I didn't have my hopes up.
Tonight we got the call that we got the house.
I was shocked beyond belief. I really didn't think this would follow through & my immediate reaction was cold feet. I thought, Is this the house we really want or should we wait for something better? To be honest, we're getting quite the bang for our buck & we're really not going to find anything better.
Sunday night we're going to meet with the Realtor to do some final negotiations to figure out a final price & a move in date. If everything goes our way, we may be in a new house in the next two weeks or so. Unbelievable, really.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Sometimes I find myself wondering
When Logan is acting up & practically spending the day in time-out, I find myself wondering - what in the hell am I doing pregnant? This isn't going to be easy by any means (not that I thought it would be).
This morning we went to playgroup where we had a lot of fun & Logan got to run around like a wild banshee with his friends. As we were getting ready to leave, he had a massive meltdown & ended up in timeout for hitting me. Then we went to the grocery store where he whined the entire time. Old ladies were giving me dirty looks as I tried to pacify him with samples of popcorn that ended up being dropped behind us like the trail of breadcrumbs in Hansel & Gretel. He was a grump when he woke up from his nap & he was a grump when Bill got him ready for bed. I don't know what the kids deal was today, but it sucked. And then I thought, Crap. I'm going to have to deal with TWO kids like this. What was I thinking?
And the kicker? I hear that three years old is worse than the Terrible Two's.
He was happy a few times today, like at playgroup & when I came home from the gym to see him "vacuuming" the carpet while watching his cartoons with Bill. The cutest was when I was getting ready to go to the gym & was getting dressed in the bedroom. He pointed to my stomach & said "Baby". I was so surprised & it melted my heart. Then he followed that up with pointing to the marks my ever-shrinking jeans made on my stomach & said "color". Thanks kid, but I wish that was marker & I was coloring on myself - I'm just bloated.
When Logan is acting up & practically spending the day in time-out, I find myself wondering - what in the hell am I doing pregnant? This isn't going to be easy by any means (not that I thought it would be).
This morning we went to playgroup where we had a lot of fun & Logan got to run around like a wild banshee with his friends. As we were getting ready to leave, he had a massive meltdown & ended up in timeout for hitting me. Then we went to the grocery store where he whined the entire time. Old ladies were giving me dirty looks as I tried to pacify him with samples of popcorn that ended up being dropped behind us like the trail of breadcrumbs in Hansel & Gretel. He was a grump when he woke up from his nap & he was a grump when Bill got him ready for bed. I don't know what the kids deal was today, but it sucked. And then I thought, Crap. I'm going to have to deal with TWO kids like this. What was I thinking?
And the kicker? I hear that three years old is worse than the Terrible Two's.
He was happy a few times today, like at playgroup & when I came home from the gym to see him "vacuuming" the carpet while watching his cartoons with Bill. The cutest was when I was getting ready to go to the gym & was getting dressed in the bedroom. He pointed to my stomach & said "Baby". I was so surprised & it melted my heart. Then he followed that up with pointing to the marks my ever-shrinking jeans made on my stomach & said "color". Thanks kid, but I wish that was marker & I was coloring on myself - I'm just bloated.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
This is mind boggling
Why is it that when I'm pregnant, I take more medications than I do when I'm not pregnant? Isn't this supposed to be a time to lay off the pills? And, I'm only 5 weeks pregnant! How is this happening already?! I don't take medications to begin with. Bill always tells me, "Well, if you have a headache, go take a Tylenol", to which I respond by moaning & keeping myself firmly planted on the couch - sans pills.
Here's the lovely list of medicated conditions I'm already experiencing (& it makes me feel like a senior citizen to be falling apart like this):
Anyway, time to swallow the hot garbage pill, then my sleeping & heartburn pills. Good night.
Why is it that when I'm pregnant, I take more medications than I do when I'm not pregnant? Isn't this supposed to be a time to lay off the pills? And, I'm only 5 weeks pregnant! How is this happening already?! I don't take medications to begin with. Bill always tells me, "Well, if you have a headache, go take a Tylenol", to which I respond by moaning & keeping myself firmly planted on the couch - sans pills.
Here's the lovely list of medicated conditions I'm already experiencing (& it makes me feel like a senior citizen to be falling apart like this):
- Hyperemesis - Zofran (this I have, but I'm waiting to take until I'm actually living in the bathroom due to insurance being difficult)
- Insomnia/late night nausea - Unisom
- Heartburn/acid reflux - Prilosec
- Constipation - Colace ( for when I start Zofran. TMI, but too bad. It is what it is & that's what happens when you take Zofran. Or when you're pregnant, for that matter)
- Headaches - Tylenol (I'm also holding off on this until my brain explodes because I don't want to take all of these medications)
- Prenatal - Duh (I'm calling this a medication because it tastes like HOT GARBAGE & it's almost too much to keep down)
Anyway, time to swallow the hot garbage pill, then my sleeping & heartburn pills. Good night.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Cheese!
Logan & I had a lot of fun taking pictures using the self-timer. Why I never thought about this before is beyond me, but Logan LOVES to take pictures this way. We took "hugging" pictures this afternoon before I got dinner ready. He thought it was the most exciting thing ever. We even took "belly button" pictures, which is really me at 5 weeks in the pregnancy. Logan still doesn't have a clue what's going on so I told him we're taking pictures of my belly button (thus that's why he's sticking his finger in it). When I get more of a baby belly, I'm sure he'll understand a little bit more (but not much).
This picture is just too cute. I love it!
Logan & I had a lot of fun taking pictures using the self-timer. Why I never thought about this before is beyond me, but Logan LOVES to take pictures this way. We took "hugging" pictures this afternoon before I got dinner ready. He thought it was the most exciting thing ever. We even took "belly button" pictures, which is really me at 5 weeks in the pregnancy. Logan still doesn't have a clue what's going on so I told him we're taking pictures of my belly button (thus that's why he's sticking his finger in it). When I get more of a baby belly, I'm sure he'll understand a little bit more (but not much).
This picture is just too cute. I love it!
The official 5 weeks pregnant belly shot
Sunday, January 20, 2008
On the hunt
We've officially begun looking for a new house. I've been looking for a house since the first day we moved in, but now we're ready for & need to find a new house. We are so picky that I think it's going to take a while!
We're looking for a bigger house that has plenty of room for Logan to play, for us to comfortably host playgroup & a kitchen & dinning room big enough for tasting & dinner parties. It's a tough find in our small town, the part of town that we want to stay in & especially with the budget we want to stay within. We've found a few houses that fit that criteria & saw one tis weekend. I wasn't 100% sold. For being a new remodel, it was still really rough around the edges & the more I think about it, the more I don't think that's the house for us. I'm going to keep looking every day & possibly drive around my friends neighborhoods while we're out & about.
I hope we find the perfect house soon, as in before it gets hot at the end of the spring, so we can move comfortably. I can't believe I'm going to endure another move during pregnancy, but it sure as hell beats living here.
We've officially begun looking for a new house. I've been looking for a house since the first day we moved in, but now we're ready for & need to find a new house. We are so picky that I think it's going to take a while!
We're looking for a bigger house that has plenty of room for Logan to play, for us to comfortably host playgroup & a kitchen & dinning room big enough for tasting & dinner parties. It's a tough find in our small town, the part of town that we want to stay in & especially with the budget we want to stay within. We've found a few houses that fit that criteria & saw one tis weekend. I wasn't 100% sold. For being a new remodel, it was still really rough around the edges & the more I think about it, the more I don't think that's the house for us. I'm going to keep looking every day & possibly drive around my friends neighborhoods while we're out & about.
I hope we find the perfect house soon, as in before it gets hot at the end of the spring, so we can move comfortably. I can't believe I'm going to endure another move during pregnancy, but it sure as hell beats living here.
Friday, January 18, 2008
First appointment
Yesterday morning I had my first appointment with the OBGYN's office. This was just an intake appointment were they ask you every question under the sun & take blood. Unlike my first appointment when I was pregnant with Logan, I did not meet the Doctor & I did not have an ultrasound (bummer!).
The intake nurse was super nice, giving Logan toys & a blue sucker to keep him entertained during our appointment. The purpose of the intake is to answer any questions, solve any problems & help the soon-to-be mom with anything they need. This is a great service & very different from the HMO environment I had previously experienced. The intake nurse had hyperemesis with her two pregnancies & knew exactly how I was feeling. We laughed about worrying about being sick & worrying about not being sick at the same time. She felt the exact same way. She made sure that the nurses would get the pre-auth approved for my zofran.
She also asked about stress & insomnia, where I explained that the in-laws were the source of this stress. I told her a little bit about what I went through after Logan was born (making me cry, of course) & how I was worried about going through all of that again. She was sympathetic, even tearing up a bit herself, saying that she doesn't doubt that there would be increased anxiety in a second pregnancy after the experiences I had with my first. Stating that she felt so touched, she offered a listening ear whenever I needed it. If I ever had to cry, vent or worry, all I had to do was giver her a call. I thought that was really nice & sweet of her.
After the appointment with her, I had my blood drawn - with Logan on my lap & screaming "BLUE! BLUE!" because I took his blue sucker away. After he calmed down, he was very interested in what was going on & the nurse even let him hold a vile of blood (this was super gross, but I wasn't going to say anything because I had a needle in my arm with my head turned the other way). It was actually very helpful to have him on my lap as a distraction. His hugs made the draw a little better.
After that we headed to the financial office to talk about the upcoming bills. The financial clerk had already figured out what the 9 months of care would cost & figured out a budget for us. This was awesome! Our insurance this time is very different (& more expensive), so it's great to be this prepared already. She also said that the clinic will give us a free 3-D ultrasound at around 29 weeks, which was a nice little surprise. Logan was good & made a trail of cracker crumbs all over her entire office. She was understanding, saying that it wasn't a problem (it really was a huge mess).
After we left, I got a call from one of the nurses working on getting my medication. She said that she was on the phone all morning with my insurance company fighting them about it. Apparently, they were being very difficult but she was able to get the approval. I got a 30 pill supply & she said that if I need more, she got the limit lifted to 90. This was a HUGE weight lifted off my shoulders. I picked up my prescription last night, feeling like I can relax a little bit more. Now we'll see what week 6-7 will bring because that's when I predict HG will start to slap me upside the head for worrying about not being sick.
At least I'm 100% prepared for it now.
Yesterday morning I had my first appointment with the OBGYN's office. This was just an intake appointment were they ask you every question under the sun & take blood. Unlike my first appointment when I was pregnant with Logan, I did not meet the Doctor & I did not have an ultrasound (bummer!).
The intake nurse was super nice, giving Logan toys & a blue sucker to keep him entertained during our appointment. The purpose of the intake is to answer any questions, solve any problems & help the soon-to-be mom with anything they need. This is a great service & very different from the HMO environment I had previously experienced. The intake nurse had hyperemesis with her two pregnancies & knew exactly how I was feeling. We laughed about worrying about being sick & worrying about not being sick at the same time. She felt the exact same way. She made sure that the nurses would get the pre-auth approved for my zofran.
She also asked about stress & insomnia, where I explained that the in-laws were the source of this stress. I told her a little bit about what I went through after Logan was born (making me cry, of course) & how I was worried about going through all of that again. She was sympathetic, even tearing up a bit herself, saying that she doesn't doubt that there would be increased anxiety in a second pregnancy after the experiences I had with my first. Stating that she felt so touched, she offered a listening ear whenever I needed it. If I ever had to cry, vent or worry, all I had to do was giver her a call. I thought that was really nice & sweet of her.
After the appointment with her, I had my blood drawn - with Logan on my lap & screaming "BLUE! BLUE!" because I took his blue sucker away. After he calmed down, he was very interested in what was going on & the nurse even let him hold a vile of blood (this was super gross, but I wasn't going to say anything because I had a needle in my arm with my head turned the other way). It was actually very helpful to have him on my lap as a distraction. His hugs made the draw a little better.
After that we headed to the financial office to talk about the upcoming bills. The financial clerk had already figured out what the 9 months of care would cost & figured out a budget for us. This was awesome! Our insurance this time is very different (& more expensive), so it's great to be this prepared already. She also said that the clinic will give us a free 3-D ultrasound at around 29 weeks, which was a nice little surprise. Logan was good & made a trail of cracker crumbs all over her entire office. She was understanding, saying that it wasn't a problem (it really was a huge mess).
After we left, I got a call from one of the nurses working on getting my medication. She said that she was on the phone all morning with my insurance company fighting them about it. Apparently, they were being very difficult but she was able to get the approval. I got a 30 pill supply & she said that if I need more, she got the limit lifted to 90. This was a HUGE weight lifted off my shoulders. I picked up my prescription last night, feeling like I can relax a little bit more. Now we'll see what week 6-7 will bring because that's when I predict HG will start to slap me upside the head for worrying about not being sick.
At least I'm 100% prepared for it now.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Hugs
I think Logan's favorite thing to do right now is to hug everyone. It's really cute. He's been giving us random hugs & kisses at home with increasing frequency, but now it's escalated to a new level & he's hugging everyone he knows.
It started yesterday morning when I went to go pick him up from the gym daycare. I had a great workout & he had been in there for about an hour & a half. I walk in to see him sitting in a little chair watching TV with some other kids. He jumped up excitedly & ran to give me a hug. "Maddy!", he screamed happily at the top of his lungs. He now calls me "Maddy" rather than "Mommy". I know he can say mommy since he's said it before, but I'm guessing "Maddy" is a mix of Mommy & Daddy. I get his coat & he runs off to give hugs good-bye to the girls working in the daycare. They thought it was too cute (which he was).
Then while at playgroup this morning, the moms were all sitting around chatting in the living room while the kids were running around & playing. Out of nowhere, Logan goes over to each mom with his arms outstretched, "hugs". It was adorable & they we all very happy to give him a big hug.
His new obsession with hugs & kisses is just melt your heart cute. I hope he keeps it up for a while, because I'll miss it when it's over.
I think Logan's favorite thing to do right now is to hug everyone. It's really cute. He's been giving us random hugs & kisses at home with increasing frequency, but now it's escalated to a new level & he's hugging everyone he knows.
It started yesterday morning when I went to go pick him up from the gym daycare. I had a great workout & he had been in there for about an hour & a half. I walk in to see him sitting in a little chair watching TV with some other kids. He jumped up excitedly & ran to give me a hug. "Maddy!", he screamed happily at the top of his lungs. He now calls me "Maddy" rather than "Mommy". I know he can say mommy since he's said it before, but I'm guessing "Maddy" is a mix of Mommy & Daddy. I get his coat & he runs off to give hugs good-bye to the girls working in the daycare. They thought it was too cute (which he was).
Then while at playgroup this morning, the moms were all sitting around chatting in the living room while the kids were running around & playing. Out of nowhere, Logan goes over to each mom with his arms outstretched, "hugs". It was adorable & they we all very happy to give him a big hug.
His new obsession with hugs & kisses is just melt your heart cute. I hope he keeps it up for a while, because I'll miss it when it's over.
Monday, January 14, 2008
I feel like screaming right now
No matter how prepared I try to get or how on top of things I try to be, I always get screwed by stupid insurance companies. ALWAYS. I woke up this morning feeling a little sick again & called the Doctors office to make sure they could get the prescription faxed over. They decided to give me the lowest dose available & increase it when it no longer worked. Whatever. As long as I had something.
I go to the pharmacy to pick it up & find out that my insurance will only cover 9 pills a month. 9 freakin' pills! This is after I had called to verify benefits when we got the insurance to make sure this medication is covered. NOBODY told me about a 9 pill limit. That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard in my entire life. That would last me a few days - less than a week.
So, my efforts in trying to prepare for HG are thwarted. My goal of fighting the battle before it got out of control was a waste of time. When I asked if I could get what I needed so I didn't have to suffer, hoping I didn't have to prove how sick I was by becoming dehydrated, starving & eventually admitted to urgent care - it was all useless. Now I will have to prove, yet again, how bad HG can get, all the while trying to take care of a 2 year old.
Once I get sick, drop weight & become debilitated, the insurance company has "criteria" that I have to meet. I have to try 2 other medications (that I tried with Logan & they didn't work) before they will approve zofran. Basically, they want me to be on the edge of death again before they will do anything that will really help me out. I hate insurance companies. I really, really, really hate them.
Well, here's to hoping it doesn't get worse & if it does - THANK GOD I have so many friends to help me take care of Logan.
No matter how prepared I try to get or how on top of things I try to be, I always get screwed by stupid insurance companies. ALWAYS. I woke up this morning feeling a little sick again & called the Doctors office to make sure they could get the prescription faxed over. They decided to give me the lowest dose available & increase it when it no longer worked. Whatever. As long as I had something.
I go to the pharmacy to pick it up & find out that my insurance will only cover 9 pills a month. 9 freakin' pills! This is after I had called to verify benefits when we got the insurance to make sure this medication is covered. NOBODY told me about a 9 pill limit. That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard in my entire life. That would last me a few days - less than a week.
So, my efforts in trying to prepare for HG are thwarted. My goal of fighting the battle before it got out of control was a waste of time. When I asked if I could get what I needed so I didn't have to suffer, hoping I didn't have to prove how sick I was by becoming dehydrated, starving & eventually admitted to urgent care - it was all useless. Now I will have to prove, yet again, how bad HG can get, all the while trying to take care of a 2 year old.
Once I get sick, drop weight & become debilitated, the insurance company has "criteria" that I have to meet. I have to try 2 other medications (that I tried with Logan & they didn't work) before they will approve zofran. Basically, they want me to be on the edge of death again before they will do anything that will really help me out. I hate insurance companies. I really, really, really hate them.
Well, here's to hoping it doesn't get worse & if it does - THANK GOD I have so many friends to help me take care of Logan.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Bring on the paranoia
I'm an obsessive worry-wart with one child, why would I expect things to be any different with two? I remember the positive pregnancy test with Logan, thinking that "this is the first day of worrying for the rest of my life". Now it's doubled.
Friday I was feeling OK & trying to get my prescription filled before things got out of control. For some reason, it never got faxed to the pharmacy. No worries, I was feeling OK. Then late Friday night, I started to feel the early signs of HG. Tightness in the jaw, increased salivation & feeling like I was going to hurl at any minute. I tried my best to be well, as I knew that if I started getting sick, I wouldn't be able to stop. Getting to sleep that night was difficult since I couldn't relax enough to drift away.
Saturday morning I woke up feeling better. I was a little nauseated but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle. This was comparable to regular morning sickness. We had a few appointments to look at some new houses, now that we will have to move this summer (yea!). Bill picked up a few over-the-counter medications for me to tide me over until the clinic opened on Monday. All day I had been feeling really gross & was just waiting to be sick at any minute. Then, late Saturday night, I felt this tingling rush throughout my body. A rush, a wave, it's difficult to explain, but immediately afterward I felt better & was no longer nauseous. My first thought was that I lost the baby, but I tried not to think about it & went to bed.
This morning I woke up feeling great. I worked out with photographer friend for a couple of hours, feeling a little sick at times, but it was nothing. I ate like a horse when I got home, took a nap, did some shopping later in the day (where I felt a little sick again, but not really) & finished Logan's birthday party invitations. I was so worried about not feeling sick that I took another pregnancy test. It was still positive. It's so odd how being violently ill is a comfortable feeling because I know the pregnancy is strong. I'm not so confident this time.
I just can't shake that feeling from Saturday night & I can't wrap my mind around not feeling sick anymore. It's just not sitting right with me. There are no other signs of a miscarriage, just not feeling sick like I was. In fact, it's almost safe to say that I don't feel sick at all. I went back & read my journal from the first pregnancy & things were OK in week 4-5, then took a turn for the worse at week 6-7. That's when it got really bad & I thought I was dying.
I go in for my initial prenatal exam later this week. They'll do some blood work & I'll let them know what happened & how I'm worried to the point of my brain blowing smoke out my ears, like every other pregnant mother. But I hope this is just me & my obsessive crazy mind.
I'm an obsessive worry-wart with one child, why would I expect things to be any different with two? I remember the positive pregnancy test with Logan, thinking that "this is the first day of worrying for the rest of my life". Now it's doubled.
Friday I was feeling OK & trying to get my prescription filled before things got out of control. For some reason, it never got faxed to the pharmacy. No worries, I was feeling OK. Then late Friday night, I started to feel the early signs of HG. Tightness in the jaw, increased salivation & feeling like I was going to hurl at any minute. I tried my best to be well, as I knew that if I started getting sick, I wouldn't be able to stop. Getting to sleep that night was difficult since I couldn't relax enough to drift away.
Saturday morning I woke up feeling better. I was a little nauseated but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle. This was comparable to regular morning sickness. We had a few appointments to look at some new houses, now that we will have to move this summer (yea!). Bill picked up a few over-the-counter medications for me to tide me over until the clinic opened on Monday. All day I had been feeling really gross & was just waiting to be sick at any minute. Then, late Saturday night, I felt this tingling rush throughout my body. A rush, a wave, it's difficult to explain, but immediately afterward I felt better & was no longer nauseous. My first thought was that I lost the baby, but I tried not to think about it & went to bed.
This morning I woke up feeling great. I worked out with photographer friend for a couple of hours, feeling a little sick at times, but it was nothing. I ate like a horse when I got home, took a nap, did some shopping later in the day (where I felt a little sick again, but not really) & finished Logan's birthday party invitations. I was so worried about not feeling sick that I took another pregnancy test. It was still positive. It's so odd how being violently ill is a comfortable feeling because I know the pregnancy is strong. I'm not so confident this time.
I just can't shake that feeling from Saturday night & I can't wrap my mind around not feeling sick anymore. It's just not sitting right with me. There are no other signs of a miscarriage, just not feeling sick like I was. In fact, it's almost safe to say that I don't feel sick at all. I went back & read my journal from the first pregnancy & things were OK in week 4-5, then took a turn for the worse at week 6-7. That's when it got really bad & I thought I was dying.
I go in for my initial prenatal exam later this week. They'll do some blood work & I'll let them know what happened & how I'm worried to the point of my brain blowing smoke out my ears, like every other pregnant mother. But I hope this is just me & my obsessive crazy mind.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
I don't have to wait any longer
I was supposed to start my cycle tomorrow. I had been feeling kind of gross the last couple of days. Not super sick, I haven't thrown up, but at the end of the day from lunch to dinner, I feel a little nauseous. It started when I ate a tuna sandwich & thought the tarter sauce might have been bad, then it happened last night & today at lunch & I just knew. It was dejavu.I took the test while Bill was at work & Logan was running around with Buddha. I just couldn't wait. I had to know NOW. After waiting for the test to take, I came out of the bathroom to tell Logan to stop hitting Buddha, turned back around & saw the result.
Pregnant.
I was ecstatic! I could have jumped for joy. I called Bill right away with the news & then told him that I can't keep my mouth shut about this. After I got off the phone, I called my sisters & my friends. I've been on the phone for the last two hours, blabbing away.
Tomorrow morning I'll call the OBGYN (again) to get in for another appointment & get the prescription ASAP. I've already calculated the estimated due date to be September 20th, so we'll see if they concur. I also might switch or change the blog because it's no longer just Logan & me & I'm no longer a first time stay at home mom. YEA!
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Just say the magic word
This afternoon I went in for my annual exam (TMI, I know) & to form a plan of attack when I finally get a positive pregnancy test. It's no secret that I'm scared to death to be sick with HG again, but after months of consideration, I decided that 9 months of hell was worth years of happiness with a new member of our family. So, I wanted to make sure I could get what I needed immediately, unlike last time where I begged for stronger medication for weeks.
The clinic was referred to me by both of my good friends & it was a really nice place with nice people working there. The CA brought me back into an exam room to do the initial paperwork & get my vitals. When I told her about the purpose for my visit, she responded with, "Well, you never know. Every pregnancy is different. You could be just fine this next time". Comments like that make me want to smack people upside the head. Really. I know that there is little research out there on HG & some health care professionals are in the dark about it's seriousness, but this is something I have to plan for & hope to God by some miracle I escape it's devastating effects. When someone is on a situation where they think they are going to lose the baby because they are starving or they think THEY are going to die because they are starving or the thought of medical termination pops up because death really seems like a reality, crackers & ginger ale aren't going to cut it.
A little fact that I found on subsequent pregnancies & the recurrence of hyperemesis:
If you have had severe HG more than once, you have a very high probability of having HG again. Recent research by the HER Foundation finds over half of women (about 2/3rds) will have HG in every pregnancy. Your chances are greater if you have a relative with a history of HG, especially a sister. Health professionals often underestimate the recurrence rate of HG.
Yeah. So, I'm planning for the worst & hoping for the best.
The nurse who did my exam was super nice. We talked more about the medications & I think she could tell how freaking nervous I was that she would say that I would have to wait. That was a big fear for me. That I would have to lose so many pounds, be debilitated for weeks & re-hydrated again before they would take me seriously. But, that's not the case. She said that as soon as I get sick, call the office & have them get the medication. If there was anyone who gave me problems about it, she would take care of it. All I had to say was the magic word - Zofran.
I cannot explain what a huge relief this is. Now, I'm actually looking forward to pregnancy because the wonder drug that saved my life last time will be readily available as soon as I need it, which if it's anything like last time, will be week 6-7. With Logan, I didn't get zofran until week 17 (?). That's 10 plus weeks of not being able to eat anything, drink anything or do anything. I have hope that I will actually live like a normal pregnant woman this time. Now all I have to wait for is the pregnancy.
This afternoon I went in for my annual exam (TMI, I know) & to form a plan of attack when I finally get a positive pregnancy test. It's no secret that I'm scared to death to be sick with HG again, but after months of consideration, I decided that 9 months of hell was worth years of happiness with a new member of our family. So, I wanted to make sure I could get what I needed immediately, unlike last time where I begged for stronger medication for weeks.
The clinic was referred to me by both of my good friends & it was a really nice place with nice people working there. The CA brought me back into an exam room to do the initial paperwork & get my vitals. When I told her about the purpose for my visit, she responded with, "Well, you never know. Every pregnancy is different. You could be just fine this next time". Comments like that make me want to smack people upside the head. Really. I know that there is little research out there on HG & some health care professionals are in the dark about it's seriousness, but this is something I have to plan for & hope to God by some miracle I escape it's devastating effects. When someone is on a situation where they think they are going to lose the baby because they are starving or they think THEY are going to die because they are starving or the thought of medical termination pops up because death really seems like a reality, crackers & ginger ale aren't going to cut it.
A little fact that I found on subsequent pregnancies & the recurrence of hyperemesis:
If you have had severe HG more than once, you have a very high probability of having HG again. Recent research by the HER Foundation finds over half of women (about 2/3rds) will have HG in every pregnancy. Your chances are greater if you have a relative with a history of HG, especially a sister. Health professionals often underestimate the recurrence rate of HG.
Yeah. So, I'm planning for the worst & hoping for the best.
The nurse who did my exam was super nice. We talked more about the medications & I think she could tell how freaking nervous I was that she would say that I would have to wait. That was a big fear for me. That I would have to lose so many pounds, be debilitated for weeks & re-hydrated again before they would take me seriously. But, that's not the case. She said that as soon as I get sick, call the office & have them get the medication. If there was anyone who gave me problems about it, she would take care of it. All I had to say was the magic word - Zofran.
I cannot explain what a huge relief this is. Now, I'm actually looking forward to pregnancy because the wonder drug that saved my life last time will be readily available as soon as I need it, which if it's anything like last time, will be week 6-7. With Logan, I didn't get zofran until week 17 (?). That's 10 plus weeks of not being able to eat anything, drink anything or do anything. I have hope that I will actually live like a normal pregnant woman this time. Now all I have to wait for is the pregnancy.
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Vote for Logan!
No, Logan is not running against Clinton or Obama in the electoral race, although I bet he would win the public vote because of his style, cute smile & his determination to implement healthcare reform. Photographer friend is having a photo competition on her website this month & the winner will be featured on the front page of her site (along with winning some prints).
I have to admit, he has some stiff competition. While being the biased mother that I am, claiming my son to be the most adorable boy on the face of the Earth, some of the other pictures are making me take it down a notch. My second vote goes to #2 (the red maternity, which I think is massage friend, but I'm not certain). Regardless, photographer friend takes some amazing pictures & they all look wonderful.
So, I'm putting this out to friends & family & everyone else in the world who reads the blog. Vote for Logan! He's #7 in his fauxhawk & Hawaiian shirt. You know - the cool, stylish one.
No, Logan is not running against Clinton or Obama in the electoral race, although I bet he would win the public vote because of his style, cute smile & his determination to implement healthcare reform. Photographer friend is having a photo competition on her website this month & the winner will be featured on the front page of her site (along with winning some prints).
I have to admit, he has some stiff competition. While being the biased mother that I am, claiming my son to be the most adorable boy on the face of the Earth, some of the other pictures are making me take it down a notch. My second vote goes to #2 (the red maternity, which I think is massage friend, but I'm not certain). Regardless, photographer friend takes some amazing pictures & they all look wonderful.
So, I'm putting this out to friends & family & everyone else in the world who reads the blog. Vote for Logan! He's #7 in his fauxhawk & Hawaiian shirt. You know - the cool, stylish one.
Monday, January 07, 2008
Preparing for The Big 2
Now that all of the holidays are out of the way, it's time to start planning Logan's 2nd birthday party. I've been thinking about it for a while now & had a really hard time coming to a decision on what to do. I want to do it at home because it's just easier (& cheaper) that way, but our house is microscopic compared to all of our friends homes. It's really difficult to host playgroup (even though we do anyway) because it feels like everyone is sitting or running on top of each other.
So, then I started thinking about taking the party elsewhere. There was the bounce house option, local pool, tot gym, the farm & last but not least, Chuck E. Cheese. I was not a fan of any of these places for various reasons, but mainly - the cost. I do not want to spend hundreds of dollars on a 2 year olds birthday party. That just seems ridiculous & we could use that money for other things (like moving). I eventually made the decision to have it at home, no matter how crowded it would be.
I made the invitation list & we have about 15 kids on there (plus both of their parents). I'll make cupcakes rather than a cake & a table full of appetizers & brunch items. We're going to have a snowman themed party where we'll drink hot chocolate with marshmallows (or coffee for the parents) & the gift bags will be snowman-making kits (which will be super cute & I can make them very inexpensively). Then after about an hour of eating & feeling squished, we'll all head out to a nearby park to go sledding & build snowmen. This is the only time that I've ever prayed for snow. Otherwise, I'll be screwed.
So...let the party planning begin!
Now that all of the holidays are out of the way, it's time to start planning Logan's 2nd birthday party. I've been thinking about it for a while now & had a really hard time coming to a decision on what to do. I want to do it at home because it's just easier (& cheaper) that way, but our house is microscopic compared to all of our friends homes. It's really difficult to host playgroup (even though we do anyway) because it feels like everyone is sitting or running on top of each other.
So, then I started thinking about taking the party elsewhere. There was the bounce house option, local pool, tot gym, the farm & last but not least, Chuck E. Cheese. I was not a fan of any of these places for various reasons, but mainly - the cost. I do not want to spend hundreds of dollars on a 2 year olds birthday party. That just seems ridiculous & we could use that money for other things (like moving). I eventually made the decision to have it at home, no matter how crowded it would be.
I made the invitation list & we have about 15 kids on there (plus both of their parents). I'll make cupcakes rather than a cake & a table full of appetizers & brunch items. We're going to have a snowman themed party where we'll drink hot chocolate with marshmallows (or coffee for the parents) & the gift bags will be snowman-making kits (which will be super cute & I can make them very inexpensively). Then after about an hour of eating & feeling squished, we'll all head out to a nearby park to go sledding & build snowmen. This is the only time that I've ever prayed for snow. Otherwise, I'll be screwed.
So...let the party planning begin!
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Early Education
This morning began registration for classes through the Parks & Rec department. Ever since we joined The Club, we've heard about the kids getting enrolled for all sorts of fun lessons & classes; swimming lessons, pre-school prep, art classes, gymnastics, ballet, cheer leading & farming, just to name a few. Logan is now old enough to start going to some of these classes.
After dropping Bill off at work, we came home & I started calling in to register. These classes fill up very fast & the line was busy. I got through a few times only to get a recording from the operator, "Your call cannot be completed at this time. Please try again later". One of the registration locations is just down the street from us, so I got Logan's coat on, threw on a hat & out the door we went - in our pajamas.
We got there & stood in line with a bunch of other moms & kids in their pajamas. They were all like us; tried to register some other way & couldn't get through. Standing in line with impatient kids, we all talked about & hoped that the classes we wanted to enroll in weren't filling up as we waited. After a 15 or 20 minute wait, we were finally able to register. It was really easy & we were able to get into all of the classes that we wanted.
Mid February, Logan will start his pre-school prep class: This class will direct your child’s attention to games, crafts, and stories while providing a positive “first time way away from Mom and Dad” experience. Although Logan hangs out at the gym daycare almost every day for 2 hour blocks, I thought this would be a great class for him. It's a structured learning environment where he will get to do all sorts of fun stuff. Considering he listens to instruction from others better than from me, he should have a great time.
At the end of March, he will start his swimming lessons: Parent participation class for children who are walking. Designed to introduce the child to deep water and to the wading pool at (name of pool) and shallow end at (name of another pool) while introducing beginning swimming skills. After Christmas vacation with swimming at the hotel pool, Bill & I knew that we had to get Logan in swimming lessons soon. He was already trying to swim on his own, kicking his legs & doing front strokes while Bill held him up in the water. The boy will be thrilled to learn how to swim (or so I hope).
I can't believe Logan is going to start "school". This is just insane. My baby is going to have teachers! And schools days! He's going to make new friends & have fun learning new things. This is happening all to fast.
This morning began registration for classes through the Parks & Rec department. Ever since we joined The Club, we've heard about the kids getting enrolled for all sorts of fun lessons & classes; swimming lessons, pre-school prep, art classes, gymnastics, ballet, cheer leading & farming, just to name a few. Logan is now old enough to start going to some of these classes.
After dropping Bill off at work, we came home & I started calling in to register. These classes fill up very fast & the line was busy. I got through a few times only to get a recording from the operator, "Your call cannot be completed at this time. Please try again later". One of the registration locations is just down the street from us, so I got Logan's coat on, threw on a hat & out the door we went - in our pajamas.
We got there & stood in line with a bunch of other moms & kids in their pajamas. They were all like us; tried to register some other way & couldn't get through. Standing in line with impatient kids, we all talked about & hoped that the classes we wanted to enroll in weren't filling up as we waited. After a 15 or 20 minute wait, we were finally able to register. It was really easy & we were able to get into all of the classes that we wanted.
Mid February, Logan will start his pre-school prep class: This class will direct your child’s attention to games, crafts, and stories while providing a positive “first time way away from Mom and Dad” experience. Although Logan hangs out at the gym daycare almost every day for 2 hour blocks, I thought this would be a great class for him. It's a structured learning environment where he will get to do all sorts of fun stuff. Considering he listens to instruction from others better than from me, he should have a great time.
At the end of March, he will start his swimming lessons: Parent participation class for children who are walking. Designed to introduce the child to deep water and to the wading pool at (name of pool) and shallow end at (name of another pool) while introducing beginning swimming skills. After Christmas vacation with swimming at the hotel pool, Bill & I knew that we had to get Logan in swimming lessons soon. He was already trying to swim on his own, kicking his legs & doing front strokes while Bill held him up in the water. The boy will be thrilled to learn how to swim (or so I hope).
I can't believe Logan is going to start "school". This is just insane. My baby is going to have teachers! And schools days! He's going to make new friends & have fun learning new things. This is happening all to fast.
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Now all I need is a toque
Shortly after the holidays Bill announced that he was done cooking for the family. He was stuck in a rut & wasn't really into it anymore. After cooking for us for almost 10 years, he has now passed the torch on to me. I am more than happy to take on this responsibility & would have been the family cook a while ago, but Bill was still enjoying it. It was fun while it lasted.
Now the new year will bring us all sorts of delicious food. For the last few days I've been looking for recipes online, in my cookbooks & new food magazines. Needless to say, I'm very excited. I've found some really great things to try this week & I hope they all turn out. Tonight we're having turkey chili (where I had to make my own chili powder because it has garlic in it - had to make it without for Logan) & roasted root vegetables. For the rest of the week we're having: pasta with homemade tomato sauce (minus the garlic again), chicken tacos & chicken pomodoro. Yum!
My baking services have also been requested for Bill's dude's night out this week where I think I'm making the Molten Lava Cakes I made for us on New Year's Eve. They were awesome. I emailed him saying that if they were going to do potlucks, I would be more than happy to cater a few dishes if they were willing to chip in a few bucks to cover the cost of the ingredients. The New Year also brings the new & improved Cooking Club for MOMS Club. It used to be combined with another chapter, but they were total flakes & let it fall apart. Now it's exclusive to our chapter & we had 17 people sign up. So, now every month I'll get back into cooking & tasting parties & hopefully get back on the cooking competition wagon (& maybe actually win something this year).
It's a good thing I'm working out a ton & back to my gym rat lifestyle this month. Not like I'm going to be cooking unhealthy, fating crap anyway, but still. At least I don't have to worry about my pants not fitting & I won't feel guilty. And the most humorous aspect of me cooking like this & taking over the family meals...if it weren't for Bill's cooking in the beginning of our marriage, I would have starved to death. If he didn't cook, I ate whatever came out of a can. My how times have changed!
Shortly after the holidays Bill announced that he was done cooking for the family. He was stuck in a rut & wasn't really into it anymore. After cooking for us for almost 10 years, he has now passed the torch on to me. I am more than happy to take on this responsibility & would have been the family cook a while ago, but Bill was still enjoying it. It was fun while it lasted.
Now the new year will bring us all sorts of delicious food. For the last few days I've been looking for recipes online, in my cookbooks & new food magazines. Needless to say, I'm very excited. I've found some really great things to try this week & I hope they all turn out. Tonight we're having turkey chili (where I had to make my own chili powder because it has garlic in it - had to make it without for Logan) & roasted root vegetables. For the rest of the week we're having: pasta with homemade tomato sauce (minus the garlic again), chicken tacos & chicken pomodoro. Yum!
My baking services have also been requested for Bill's dude's night out this week where I think I'm making the Molten Lava Cakes I made for us on New Year's Eve. They were awesome. I emailed him saying that if they were going to do potlucks, I would be more than happy to cater a few dishes if they were willing to chip in a few bucks to cover the cost of the ingredients. The New Year also brings the new & improved Cooking Club for MOMS Club. It used to be combined with another chapter, but they were total flakes & let it fall apart. Now it's exclusive to our chapter & we had 17 people sign up. So, now every month I'll get back into cooking & tasting parties & hopefully get back on the cooking competition wagon (& maybe actually win something this year).
It's a good thing I'm working out a ton & back to my gym rat lifestyle this month. Not like I'm going to be cooking unhealthy, fating crap anyway, but still. At least I don't have to worry about my pants not fitting & I won't feel guilty. And the most humorous aspect of me cooking like this & taking over the family meals...if it weren't for Bill's cooking in the beginning of our marriage, I would have starved to death. If he didn't cook, I ate whatever came out of a can. My how times have changed!
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