Big Tree

The internet was down, so I hope to publish about Thanksgiving still. We'll see. Today is the first day of Advent, so we worked on getting the house Christmasified. Allyssa woke up from her nap to see the tree all put together and lit (we'd been working on it since Friday, so the fact that something was going on in the corner, she knew, but she didn't think anything of it, probably partly due to the fact that the baby gate keeps her out of that corner right now). She walked up to the gate and smiled and looked big eyed at the tree and said, "Big Tree." She probably said "Big Tree" a million times. She just looked and looked. The tree is quite bright. It has 3600 lights on it. That is 36 strands. I strung them all. It took 3 days of nap times. David assembled the tree and hung most of the ornaments. It looks wonderful. Big Tree.
We also got out Allyssa's wooden nativity set (thanks Grandma and Grandpa). She loved playing with it. After supper we lit an Advent candle and gave her Mary, Joseph, and a donkey to play with while we did a short devotion. She thought that was too great. She loved the candle and when it blew out she said "Uh-oh." She wasn't ready for it to be blown out. She kept telling us "Uh-oh" about the candle after supper. Then, she loaded all the pieces from her nativity onto her booster seat because she couldn't see them well enough on the table (we did devos at the table). After a little bit I moved the pieces to the area beside the tree and turned the lights back on. Allyssa happily played there most of the evening. Big tree.

Doctor Appointment

Today I actually got to see my doctor. I am 21.4 weeks along and had yet to see her because everytime I went, she had to deliver a baby (I saw the other doctor in the office and the nurse practitioner every time until today). Things looked good. She said that my hip might bother me the whole time; stretches might help, but not likely; and when my uterus moves wherever it is moving (it is supposed to move at this point in pregnancy) in the next couple of weeks, it might make my hip quit hurting. I have to pee in a cup all day long and have blood taken tomorrow to set up a base line for all my numbers so that later on they can track everything well and make sure I stay healthy. I also am only waiting 2 weeks between this appointment and the next because 22 weeks is when trouble started with Allyssa. Dr. Hunter wants to keep a close eye on this pregnancy (probably more so than if I'd been her patient last pregnancy because she only has what I tell her to help her out, but hey she saved my life, so I'm not complaining or argueing although I don't like the people who take blood in her office, they are rotten). I'm very pleased with Dr. Hunter because (if you've been around me this past week, I'm sure you've noticed) I am very aware that 22 weeks is approaching. I know that things were very different with my first pregnancy, but that doesn't mean that 22 weeks isn't approaching. The good news is that I feel wonderful compared to my first pregnancy. Hooray! Oh and does anyone want to trade me places tomorrow. I'd be glad to let the horrible nurse stab your arm 4 times and get no blood out because he's an idiot. 4 times!! Give me a break!

Nervousness

I am nervous today because I'm returning my Bum Genius diapers to their manufacturer to be exchanged for ones that have functioning laundry tabs so that that the velcro doesn't stick to everything and his brother in the wash (if they don't think that I should get an exchange, I'll be charged with shipping them back to me and I won't get replacements). I waited to send them off until I got my new cloth diapers in. I figured I might as well buy new ones since we are having a second child. I didn't buy Bum Genius this time. I bought Happy Heinys. After a couple of weeks of using Happy Heinys I do have some comments about each type of diaper:

Bum Genius:
The velcro is little and can easily be undone by my daughter.
They clean easily with no staining.
The inserts are easy to get in and don't pop out.
The adjustable snaps work well.

Happy Heinys:
The velcro is big and my daughter has not figured out how to undo it.
They clean easily with no staining.
The inserts aren't as easy to get in and they will sneak out a little because there is no stopper.
The adjustable snaps pop undone when inserting the inserts and when putting the diaper on the child.

Each diaper has at least one con and some pros. I am happy with my purchases but I hope that these 24 diapers get me through the rest of my children's diapering years.

Baby Gate for the Tree

I ordered it online because it was $50 less expensive that way. Way to go Amazon! I also got free shipping! I love Amazon. Now, it just has to get here. I hope that it fits around the tree. Our tree is huge! We got it at 75% off a few years ago at Target's after Christmas sale. It is much bigger than I expected. It is very pretty and I can't wait to decorate it on Nov. 30th. Our neighbor has a lighted wreath up already. Poor guy; he's totally going to miss out on the fun on the first day of Advent. Allyssa is big enough this year that she'll totally see how exciting and fun this is! I'm a little worried of course though because she's big enough to see how tatally fun and exciting this is. That's why we got a baby gate.

The countdown is on

Grandma and Papa are coming for a visit over Thanksgiving week. Oh yes! I'm really excited because mom said she'd clean my silverwear tray in the silverwear drawer for me. Yes, it is one of those tasks that I never find important enough to do to actually do it. It needs to be done though, and who better to do it than a house guest? If I was at her house and she wanted her silverwear tray taken out of the drawer emptied, wiped out, put back in the drawer and re-filled with silverwear, I'd be happy to do it. So bring on the grandparents!! Tuesday they get to watch Allyssa all morning. Hooray! I'm excited about this because the mom who usually watches Allyssa when I have to go to town can't because she's out of town. Also, I get to cook Thanksgiving dinner. You'll never in a million years guess what we are having. I'll give you a hint, you won't be eating it at your Thanksgiving meal. Okay, now that I've got you really wondering...fajitas!!!! That's right! What? Is that unThanksgivingish?? Well, I'm sure the pioneers would have loved some guacamole at their meal. And guess what happens Saturday...all the fall decorations come down. Why is that exciting? Because Sunday is the first day of Advent, duh. That means 3000 Christmas lights are going up at our house, and that's just the tree!! Note to self: Really get on the ball about buying that baby gate thing that goes around a Christmas tree...times a wastin'!

I'm gonna get one of those signs

that say "No trucks beyond this point" and put it on either side of my house. Stupid trucks making lots of noise waking up my daughter from her nap tick me off.

To my mom...

...who laughed at me while I dug a formerly clean diaper out of the toilet...
My daughter tired to learn to potty on the toilet. It worked for 8 days. 8 wonderful, mommy proud days. Then she got sick and potty training went out the window and clean diapers, sadly, went in the toilet. Now that Allyssa thinks she's allowed in the bathroom, when I've got clean diapers on the couch to be stuffed (cloth diapers for those of you who are confused), she steals one and runs off to the bathroom. I try to strip her and put her on the toilet, but she'd cry once she got up there. So off she'd go and I'd put a clean diaper on her and clean the pee off the floor. I bought a little potty chair today thinking maybe it would save me. A chair is much lower and she can sit on it herself. She wasn't a fan. Stupid chair. There were only two options at the store, green or pink. I picked green so that future children could use it and not think it is girly. Calling my mom, I told her that I didn't think Allyssa liked it because the seat is hard plastic and cold unlike her potty seat on the big toilet with is soft and cushy. She actually asked to sit on the soft and cushy one, but still didn't pee in the potty.

Well Mom, you'll be here in less than a week. I'll let you get the diapers out of the toilet. :) And if you could teach her to sit on the little potty chair and actually pee in it, I'd be very pleased. Have fun with that....

Note to self: Leave town next week without Allyssa. Hahahahaha.

This week

Allyssa has been sick. She has bronchiolitis or something like that. I think it means that it isn't full blown bronchitis. Anyways, she got it because of her allergy to the smoke from the sugar cane burning. Poor baby doesn't do well with that. We try to keep her inside when it smells like the whole valley is bar-b-queing, but it seeps through the windows and walls. She gets a cough and runny nose right away, and this time it just kept getting worse. She's been quite crabby this week. Who wouldn't be? A friend of mine has a couple of kids who were also sick this week, and she said that her kids are taking extra naps. Allyssa doesn't do that. She takes the same amount of naps and they might even run short because coughing will wake her. She wants to run around and play, but then she feels bad and no toys make her happy but napping is not a good solution either. Oh well...it is getting better. She hasn't had a fever in a little over 24 hours. She is coughing much less, but her cough still sounds horrible and you can still hear her breathe.

Other than that, nothing new. It got cold this morning. It was 41 when we got up. Allyssa got to wear tights for the first time ever to church! She looked so darn cute. I took a picture, but of course I don't have it off the camera yet, so you'll have to wait.

Potty Training: Not all roses

Today is a thorn day. She asked Daddy to take her potty this morning, but didn't want to stay on the toilet and promptly pooped in her diaper as soon as he put it on her. Then this afternoon she asked me to take her potty and she wouldn't let me put her on the seat and then refused to put her diaper back on. After 10 annoying minutes (I hate bathrooms), I finally fanagled enough to get the diaper back on her. Oh well. Tomorrow is a new day.

Stupid Sugar Cane

Allyssa is allergic to the smoke produced by the harvest of sugar cane. (When they harvest it, they burn the fields making it smell like the whole valley is bar-b-queing.) She gets a cough and a runny nose and doesn't feel well at all. Stupid Sugar Cane. They need to come up with a new way of harvesting it.

4 times!

Today Allyssa peed in the potty 4 times!!!! The last time was so cute. I went to the bathroom (not her's a different one) and at first she cried, then she realized that she needed to go too, so she tottled off to her bathroom and patted on the potty seat until Daddy got her ready to go. She must have thought, "Oh yeah, Mommy, me too!"

Another Potty Update

Allyssa peed 3 times in the toilet today!!! Two of those times, she told us she needed to go!!

Potty Training Update

Allyssa has been such a big girl. We started training on Monday. Every day since then she's either pooped or peed in the toilet at least once. Yesterday it was twice! AND the second time she told Daddy she needed to go and then actually went! Today, she's already gone to the potty and she actually walked to the potty and asked to sit on it before she went! What a big girl!

Snack Time Problems

Today was the second day in a row that Allyssa's daddy has come home 10 minutes before snack time to eat a brownie in front of Allyssa. This is the second day in a row that Allyssa has not eaten a snack at snack time. This is the second day in a row that I have to find another time of day to make supper. I do not like Allyssa's daddy having lunch meetings that puts him home 10 minutes before snack time.

Toilets and Voting

Haha. That's funny. Okay, but really, Allyssa peed in the toilet today, and I voted. Together, we are very productive.

Time Change Is Stupid

In talking with my sister today, I was reminded that not everyone agrees with this fact. She doesn't. She doesn't have children who are born yet. I must say, when you do, Cristy, you'll share my opinion. That is why I call it a fact. Allyssa wanted lunch early. I gave in at 11:15 and she ate what she could before falling asleep eating. Poor girl. She doesn't do that normally. She slept very well for her nap. Then had a fun day, but still got hungry and tired before supper and bedtime. We gave in a put her to bed 15 minutes early. Poor girl was so tired. Hopefully it will get easier tomorrow. Seriously though, I could do without time change. I understand that some events need daylight. I don't understand why this is an issue. Just schedule those events during daylight hours. Works for me. If I could, I'd operate on one time the whole year. Really I would. Unfortunatly, life doesn't work that way. Too bad I don't live in one of those areas that doesn't change time. I know that those areas exist, but I don't know where they are. Maybe I should find out before I wish myself there.

POOP

Today I started putting Allyssa on a potty seat on the toilet. She loves it. The first 3 times and the last time, nothing happened, but the fourth time...poop!! Hooray! One less poopy diaper! Let the games begin!

Me and the baby

Now you can see what I mean when I talk about my big belly! This was taken Saturday. I might have grown since then.

Trunk-or-Treat

My MOPS group had a Trunk-or-Treat at the Church of Christ in Harlingen. We had a great time. No one there laughed at my costume, but David got a huge kick out of it when he saw me all decked out. David and I had a great time watching Allyssa have fun. She watched all the other kids and tried to figure out how to play with them. She didn't have much luck figuring that out. She doesn't seem to want to be an observer. She is a little dare devil, but right now she is more of an observer than not because she is so little and can't figure out how to do the neat tricks that the big kids do. Her time will come. She loved her lollipop and a wonderful grandma gave me a couple of little bags of animal crackers so that I could bribe the lollipop away from her. It worked. She loved the bouncy house. Sadly we couldn't get a good picture of her HUGE smile, but here is one of her in it anyways.

Our Costumes

Halloween Fun

Allyssa had a great Halloween! She played with play dough, but she wasn't really sure about it. It was her first time to play with it. She mainly wanted to put it back in the container. After a while, she was distracted by the basketballs which she loves to try to shoot at the basket. Then we played with glow sticks that she got at Mack's birthday party.