Tomorrow is the big day!

Ok… tomorrow… FINALLY!!  I probably won’t post anything until I get home later in the week, so wish us all luck!

Little ears

We’re always trying to correct Katie so she says nice things instead of mean or bad things. She took to saying ‘stupid’ after watching Spongebob, and we told her she can’t watch that show anymore because she says things she shouldn’t.

Well, I just said ‘damn’ while talking to Daddy. And from the next room I hear Katie saying, “Mommy can’t watch Spongebob anymore… she said damn instead of darn.”

Damn darn kid.

Majesty or Ted?

Katie seems to think the new baby will be a girl.  I asked her what we should name it, and she said ‘Majesty’.  I asked ‘what if it is a boy?’ 

Her answer? 

‘Ted.’

Maternity Clothes

So, of course a few months back I gave away ALL of my maternity clothes!  And now I’m prego again.  I certainly don’t have it in my budget to buy all new clothes!  I was lucky enought the second time around to get a huge bag from a friend of mine. 

This time, I found someone on craigslist.com who wanted to sell some of her clothes for $75.  We emailed back and forth and I asked if maybe I could do it in trade (scrapbooking/stamping items), since I was low on funds.   She ended up just giving them to me.  Whoo hoo! They are moving cross country this week and we made the switch yesterday.  I offered to make her a scrapbook album for her kids and she said not to worry, that she’d rather see the clothes go to someone who needs them than have someone buy them for cheap and re-sell them (apparently someone offered her only $30 and was going to re-sell on ebay).  She also said maybe if I have the time, I could make her a book and she would pay me.  Awesome. 

The Big Guy Upstairs is clearly looking out for us.

ps… Major tip of the day for parents on a budget… if you have a service to offer in lieu of money, it doesn’t hurt to ask to buy something in trade!

Oops, I did it again…

As if we didn’t have our hands full enough with Katie and Grant, God has blessed us with a third pregnancy!  Looks like we will be having Baby #3 in late March, early April.  

This should complete our little family, and we are looking forward to the many years of raising these wonderful children.

Mom ticketed for spanking toddler

Has anyone else heard this ‘story’? 

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=8809383&ch=4226713&src=news

This Mercedes woman sounds like an idiot to me.  Give it up… if my kid kept running towards a crowd and didn’t listen to me, then she’d get a swat on the butt too.  A ticket? Gimme a break.

Summer Activities

Now that we are more settled in our new place and baby is on a schedule, I’m ready to get Katie into some summer activities.   She loves being around other kids, and certainly loves to perform.  Just last night at Target, she held court in the accessory department with a crowd of about 5 watching her sing into a little microphone and dance around.  As she ended each song, she would shout ‘HEY HEY!’ and then bow.  People walking by would clap and say she should be on American Idol.  My little performer.  Andrew suggested we put out a little hat for tips.

I signed her up for a ‘Storytelling, Singing & Dancing’ class that starts in 2 weeks - a few days after we get back from our vacation.  It is for one hour each week for 5 weeks.  This girl LOVES to sing and dance, so I think it will be perfect for her.  Also, I lucked out and the classes are held about one block from my house, so we can walk to and from (thus saving gas and parking fees.)  If you are from California, you know we drive EVERYWHERE, so walking the block will be a new experience for us (and GREAT excersise!)

Once those classes are over, I enrolled her (just this morning!) in swimming lessons.  It would have been nice to get them before the vacation, but that is okay.  She’ll still have one on one time with both me and Andrew in the pool/lake this coming week.  She is like a little fish already and LOVES to be in the water, and can get around pretty good with just her floatie jacket on.

What are your kids doing this summer?

The Girl Who Cries Wolf

Ever since Katie was about 6 months old, she has had this shrill scream.  Well it has turned into a scream for attention for the most minute things, such as not being able to reach something, or not getting something she wants and happens SEVERAL.TIMES.DAILY.  I have learned to tune it out, as I can’t come running everytime she can’t reach a darn crayon.  I knew at some point, she would actually BE hurt or something would be wrong and it’s not the crayon.  That day is today.

I was on the phone trying to do some business, and I heard her getting frustrated with the Swiffer.  She had been trying to help me clean the floor, and so I was letting her go to town.  The phone rang, and I was talking for about a minute when I heard her getting frustrated and yelling.  The yell, surprise, surprise, turned into THE SCREAM.  I let it go on as I was on the phone and just walked away, so I could actually hear the person on the other end.  The scream progressed longer than usual, so when I went to check on her, I see that her finger is caught in the hole at the swivel base of the Swiffer.  OOPS!  I got off the phone real quick, and got that little finger out of the hole.  Katie was now in hysterics.  I ran her finger under cold water then carried her to the couch to hug on her while she was sobbing.  Once the sobs dwindled down, I tried to explain the whole ‘crying wolf’ thing to her… that from now on, if she wants Mommy to come to her when she is hurt, she must save ‘the scream’ for those times only.

Who knows if she’ll actually understand.

Milestones

Katie turned three this weekend!  We had some friends and family over on Saturday and had a ‘Build Your Own Sundae’ party for her, complete with an Ice Cream Cone pinata!    Sunday, we went to an old friend’s house to celebrate his daughter’s second birthday.  Katie made some new friends and had a lot of fun at both parties.

My little Grant is 6 months already.  That boy loves to eat his toes, roll over and giggle with Mommy.  He is so content and happy.  If I didn’t go check on him during his nap, he would just lay(lie?) there eating his toes until he realized that he is hungry for real food.   We introduced him to baby food last month and he is loving it (though not the green beans so much!)  He sticks his thumb in his mouth between bites. 

He’s not really cross-eyed… just in this picture! LOL

 

Gripe of the moment

Newsflash!

The large stall at the end of the ladies restroom is NOT, I repeat, NOT for you to go hide and take a crap in.  This stall is intended for the following:

1. People with handicaps
2. Moms who need to use the changing table
3. Moms who need to take all of their kids/stroller into the stall with them.

When there are FIVE or more smaller stalls available, PLEASE use one of them.  You are not invisible, hiding way in the back.  We know you’re there.  You only piss us off for making us wait while we have a toddler who is potty training and is about to pee her pants.

It’s ok to poo in the bathroom… we won’t think less of you.  Everyone poops.

Five months and growing!

My baby boy is 5 months old today!  Do you see those little creases on his thighs!?  LOVE EM!

• He rolls over all of the time now… it is so fun to watch. 
• I’m looking forward to feeding him baby food.  I’ve tried rice cereal a few times but he wasn’t very impressed with it.
• He loves his big sister and watches her every move.  Even if it means losing the bottle and getting whiplash as she darts around the room dancing.

I’m so blessed to be able to stay at home and take care of them and watch them grow.  It may mean we have NO money to buy ’things’, but it is sure worth it!

Overheard at dinner…

Katie was being a stinker at dinner.  This is the conversation that followed.

Daddy: Katie, you’re a candidate to go to bed early tonight.
Katie: I’m NOT a CANADA!

Her middle name is Grace

I should have known that would jinx her from the start.  She is always tripping over herself. 

Yesterday, she stepped on a pillow and slid onto her butt, falling into the baby’s swing in the process.  Then she gets up, looks sternly at the baby, and says, ‘Watch where you’re going, BABY!’

What’s New

Well, the funeral is over.  It was a very nice service and I got to see many loved ones.  Back to normal life, I guess!  Here is my current to do list:

1. Reschedule dental appointments.  Yuck.
2. Get this house back into shape.  After first being sick, then spending time scanning photos and making boards for the funeral, I really need to catch up!
3. Call my friend and wish her a happy birthday.  I almost forgot with all of the drama going on!
4. Post some more Stampin’ Up! rubber stamp sets on Ebay.  I am really cutting down my collection.  It’s so overwhelming when you have too many supplies, and limited time to make something!  I already got rid of 50 sets last summer, and I have about 30 more that are ready to go.
5. Start on the scrapbook for my friend’s wedding present.
6. Call Subway and report their bathroom door.  We stopped by to take Katie to the bathroom last night, and when I opened the door it slammed on her head and she has a giant goose egg on her temple!
7. Finish my book… I’ve been reading it forever!
8. Actually use my Grocery Game list.  I signed up and right after my grandpa passed away, and I have yet to go through my coupons and print a list to shop with.
9. Go to a new restaurant and use my buy 1 get 1 free meal… I just got my new Entertainment Guide and there are so many restaurants around here I didn’t know about!
10. Scrub the cradle crap off baby’s head.  I’ve done this a few times with baby oil and a tooth brush, but it keeps coming back.

So there you go.  Nothing too exciting, but life goes on as usual.

Skid-skid mark!

Any of you with kids 2-6 know the little song Elmo sings at the end of Elmo’s World.  He inserts the theme word into the Jingle Bells music and repeats just that word for the whole song. 

So, we are potty training, and Katie went to the bathroom all by herself.

Me:  Yay!  Let me wipe your butt.

K: I already did.

Me: Let me do it so you don’t get skidmarks on your pretty new underwear.

K: Okay Mom. 

and then…

K: Skid-Skid Mark!  Skid-Skid Mark! Skid Skid Skid Skid MARRRRRRRRRRRRRKKKKKKKKKKKK! (to the above named tune)

I about busted a gut.

Hip-hip-HOORAY!

I woke up this morning in shock.

It was 6am and I realized that both kids slept the entire night though!  It was a revelation that made the skies open up and angel sing HALLELUJAH! 

I was even able to take a shower before they both got up.  (I usually have to wait until the baby is napping, then take Katie in the bathroom with me and lock the door so she won’t go messing with him.)

Grape Milk

This morning when I was feeding the baby, Katie decided to get into the fridge(a big no-no) and pour the remainder of the milk into the grape juice pitcher.  My friends suggested I have her drink it as her punishment. 

Of course, when I did just that, she got a big smile on her face and said YUM.  Gross.

I’m a boy.

‘I’m a girl and I’m so beautiful,
I wear a dress and I’m not a boy.
Mommy’s a boy and Julie’s a girl.’

This is the song my daughter just sang to me.

Ever since we had the baby, she has been going through an identity crisis.  At any given moment she will blurt out, ‘I’m a boy!’  I then have to explain that she is indeed a girl.  The first time she was around when I was changing his diaper, this was our conversation:

K: He has poop!

Me: That isn’t poop, that is his penis and that is how he goes potty.

K: I have a pea-nuts too!

Me: No, you have a vagina – that’s how girls go potty.

K: I have a gi-na.

Me: Yes

K: I’m a boy.

And so every day, all day long she tells me ‘I’m a boy’. 

Me: If you’re a boy, then I can throw away your princess shoes and your pretty dresses because you won’t need them.

K: I’m a girl.

And everytime I change him, she says ‘He has a pea-nuts again.’ And I tell her that it is attached and it’s not going anywhere.

Disneyland is dead when it rains!

Well, we dug out the ol’ Annual Passport and drove down to Disneyland today for Grant’s first visit!  It had rained pretty good last night, so it was nice and wet, and most everyone had rain gear on.  Andrew had the baby in the carrier and I walked with Katie.  It was just a little misty by the time we got in, but we had a great time.  Of course some of our favorites were closed (Jungle Cruise, Small World and the Carousel), but we went on some we haven’t done in awhile (Storybook Village and Dumbo).

Also, I took Katie on the Matterhorn for the first time! It was great for me, since over the last year I was pregnant and couldn’t go on it!  She had a good time, and likes to retell how she screamed when she saw the ‘Snow Monster’.  Still not quite tall enough for Big Thunder Mountain.  Maybe next year…. this kid is growing like a weed.  Only 2 1/2 and almost 39″ tall!  One more inch to go!

Three hours was enough for us, then back home for lunch and a nap.

On the mend

Well, here is the lowdown.  Grant & Katie were sick all last week.  Finally, on Friday morning, I took them to their pediatrician.  They both got breathing treatments, then I was told Grant needed a chest xray.  I left and took Katie to my father in law’s.  Luckily for me, my hubby had already been sent home from work because HE was sick, so I called him to have him come look after the girl.

The chest xray came back and the dr said no pneumonnia.  Whew!  BUT, he wanted to get Grant admitted at the hospital, so he could get care over the weekend (he wanted to avoid us having to sit in the ER over the weekend!) The dr called the hospital to get a bed reserved for Grant, but by 5, still no bed available.  Since his office was closing, we were sent to the ER to wait until his bed was ready.  Andrew showed up at the hospital about 6:30, and by 7:00 we were finally upstairs.

After doing some blood tests, they determined that he had RSV.  They used suction for his nose and did breathing treatements every 4 hours. We stayed until Tuesday morning.  The nursing staff was wonderful, and we ended up with some really nice roommates while we were there.  As usual, the hospital food sucked.  I ended up with this weird thing for breakfast… it was a brick of egg.  Gross. 

Katie ended up going to my mom’s where she had her breathing treatments.  (She has bronchiolitis.)

We are all back at home now – it was so nice to sleep in my own bed!  I am going back & forth between both kids doing the treatments and trying to get my house up to speed.  10 loads of laundry to be exact.  I’m about halfway done and it is 4:30.