Valley Housewife

New blog

2009-09-10T13:34:00.001-05:00

As I don't live in the Valley anymore, I thought it was time for a new blog. Find me here!

Photos... maybe someday....

2009-08-09T06:39:00.002-05:00

In the process of getting ready to move, we got rid of our old computer. We saved all the photos, but I haven't be able to get any off the camera, so hopefully one day soon I'll have photos for you.
David is putting his knees up underneath himself and actually will scoot about 1/2 an inch when he does that. Not sitting up yet though, so crawling is a long way off.
Allyssa's new things is that she likes to pray the ending prayer at every meal herself. She also is potty training. That is going really well. She rarely has accidents. Her favorite toy right now is the little round people like we all used to play with as kids.
The moving process is coming along. We've got a lot of things packed up, but don't have a date for closing yet. We are really frustrated about that, but are trying to be patient. We think that we are going to wind up living in a hotel for a short amount of time. When we thought closing would be on Tuesday, we were already in a hotel for one day. Now, we are just waiting for more news tomorrow. Our mortgage broker does not think closing will be Tuesday or Wednesday, but he's not sure.

4 month check up

2009-07-24T14:20:00.001-05:00

David is 4 months old. He is allowed to start solids any time we want now. I think that we will be starting tonight, but maybe tomorrow with oatmeal. I know, rocking the boat, right? I don't like rice cereal. I've had bad luck with it. He was 15 pounds 11 oz and 25 inches tall. He no longer is on his acid reflux meds! Hooray!

Wow! I really was tired!

2009-07-16T12:53:00.002-05:00

I could really tell how tired I was when I read my blog postings from last night in my Reader. Today I had a "break" when I went to the dentist and got to read a book. (Wow!! I almost forgot what a grown-up book looked like. It had no pictures!!) Tonight after I feed David, Jr., I'm going to Harlingen to see my friends. Three of us moms from my MOPS group are about to move, so we are all getting together without the kiddos. I feel a little re-energized already!

Change is in the air

2009-07-15T21:26:00.002-05:00

June 21st, David received a call to be pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Sealy, Texas. July 5th, he accepted this call. David had already visited Sealy when he accepted the call, and since then we have all visited once. David went up to pick out a house by himself. He did and we made an offer on it. Later we found out some news that made us retract that offer. So tomorrow we head up there again to pick out a new house. Our last Sunday here is August 9th. David's installation is August 23rd, but he is planning on working there before that. We are busy trying to choose a moving company and figure out what things we will be leaving behind while we gather boxes to pack.
Trinity worships close to 200 (don't quote me on these stats). They have a preschool that is very successful. We've heard a lot about their music opportunities also. Currently, they have one service, but they had two just about a year ago. The service seems to me to be blended from their description. Anyways, dry stats don't tell you anything about how excited we are to serve in their community!!! The town has about 6000 people living in it. It is 20 miles west of Katy (a suburb of Houston). It is expected that Sealy will also be considered a suburb in the future. Sealy is a growing town. There's so much to say about the church and the town, but I'm exhausted and need to email a realtor, so check out these websites for more information: Trinity Lutheran Church Sealy's Wikipedia Article The City's Website

Please pray for us as we transition! We are very excited about this new oppurtunity to share God's love!!

Recent Photos

2009-07-15T21:04:00.003-05:00

In no order what-so-ever...Here are photos of the kids together, David smiling, the boys having a one-on-one discussion, David right after he rolled over for the first time (July 9th), and Allyssa playing hide and seek (without counting, she just hides and waits for me to pop out and find her).

So That I Don't Forget

2009-06-17T14:01:00.002-05:00

I'm hoping to get these numbers in the Baby Books, but for now here they are:

Allyssa, 2 years old: 24 lbs 13oz and 32 1/2 inches tall; 25th percentile both

David, Jr., 3 months old: 14 lbs 4 oz and 23 1/4 inches tall; 75th percentile for weight, unknown for height

Doctor visits for both yesterday. Allyssa had an anemia test, but that's it. Both kids are doing well. No changes in acid reflux plan for David, but he did get some eye drops for his gunky eye that has been bothering him for 2 months now. Oh, and Kia told me that she did have one concern about Allyssa. You'll never guess what it was! Talking. She was concerned that she isn't talking enough. I told Kia that wasn't a problem; Allyssa talks non-stop. Kia asked if she said 50 words. I told her she said 40 at 15 months and is proabably closer to 1000 than 50 at this point. We've got a chatterbox; that's for sure. A shy chatterbox. It is true that she doesn't talk to Kia (although, for the record when I asked her to tell Kia her age, she said "Two" usually she says "I'm two," but she was being shy. She also said "Hi, Miss Kia," and when I asked her to tell her what her name was, she mummbled "N-na" which means Lyssa...like I said, she was being shy and abreviating everything). After Kia left the room and the nurse who pricked her finger came in she said things like "Jesus fix it." and "Need hug." Poor kiddo. She's right though. Jesus will fix her little finger prick, in fact, He already did.

Meanwhile, at home Allyssa is just the cutest. She has been "bathing" David, Jr. and I with water from her sippy cup that she shakes out. Yesterday as she washed David, Jr. she said things like this, "Wash bottom," "Soapy, Soapy, Soapy," "Wash diaper," "Wash arm," there were lots of things she washed. She also tried to feed him some pretend chicken. He didn't eat it. I can't wait until he's old enough to talk back to her. I'd love to hear what he's thinking about her. He watches with shear joy and admiration as she pretends to clean his bottom and feed him plastic.

"Bad Mommy" Day

2009-06-15T14:09:00.002-05:00

Today is one of those Bad Mommy Days. David is out visiting today, so it is just me and the kids for a good portion of the day (he's usually home for lunch and helps get naps started before going back to work). Knowing this, I decided last night that today needed to be an easy day. No trips to the grocery store. Nothing needs to get done. Just get through the day as happy as possible. Everything was going well for a while. David, Jr. was playing happily on the floor when Allyssa needed to go potty. Allyssa is in training right now. (I hope you caught that little piece of humor.) Off we race to the potty. She sits a while. Nothing. She sits a while...oh she peed! Horray. She sits a really long while. David starts to cry. She stands up, asks me to dump her potty in the toilet. I thought she was all done, and I could go get David. Nope, she promptly sits back down and pees some more. Stands up, has me dump it; sits back down, pees again.... I think it was a total of 5 times. By the time we got her hands clean and a diaper back on, David was very, very, very, very upset. I rocked him, cuddled him. He calmed down. Then a little bit later, while I was holding him, he got fussy. He was tired. So I put him down, and he promptly fell asleep. Good! Or so I thought. Lunch was coming...maybe he'd sleep through it, and I'd get Allyssa down for a nap before he woke up to eat. Oh Momma, you've got a lot to learn. He woke up about the time that we sat down to eat. He was very happy to look around all swaddled up for a few minutes. Then, the swaddling became annoying, so I unwrapped him and moved him from one bouncy seat to the other so that he could play with the toys the other one has. (He sleeps in the day in his bouncy seat because the angle is good for his acid reflux.) Knowing that I was about to take Allyssa to bed for her nap, I put the fun bouncy seat in the room farthest from Allyssa's bedroom for him to play. He played happily while we finished lunch. Good! Or so I thought. Allyssa was done eating, so I took her to her room. Unfortunatly for us, we still rock her to sleep for her nap. I no sooner sit down to rock her than I hear David all the way across the house screaming loudly for someone to please come pick him up and feed him. Poor baby. Being the clueless mom that I am, I decide to make him wait in hopes that Allyssa will fall asleep quickly. I count to 120 and she's not even close to asleep. Darn the luck. I think about the situation one more time, realizing that we might have a no-nap day if I put her down now. I put her in her crib, wide awake. I rush to David, feed him, burp him, and proceed to hold him upright for the prescribed 30 minutes (acid reflux, remember?). All the while being serenaded with sounds of my daughter singing her name over the monitor. "A-L-L-Y-S-S-A Allyssa is my name." I put David down for his nap and contemplate whether or not I should go to her and try to rock her to sleep or not. She isn't crying. I want her to fall asleep on her own. I won't go, I decide. An hour and a half passes since I first layed her down in her crib. She's still awake. I hear her say "Up. Up." Then, I hear her say "Go potty." That one was very quiet, but I heard it. I rush in, scoop her up, take her to the potty. She says, "Uh-Oh. Allyssa peed diaper." "That's okay," I assure her. "Do you have any more?" Sure enough she does. Woo HOO!! I wash her hands, bring her one green and one blue M&M, just as requested. I look at the clock as I walk in her room. 1:36. I put on a fresh diaper, wrap her up in her blanket and give her her dog. I sit down to rock her. She falls asleep quickly. I put my sleepy girl in her crib. As I close the door to her room, I glance at her clock. 1:41. As I head back to the other side of the house, I think about the ice cream that I'm going to eat while she sleeps. NAPTIME!!

Woohoo

2009-06-12T12:49:00.002-05:00

I am at my pre-pregnancy weight!! Hooray! 3 pounds to go to get to where I was a year ago (I gained 3 pounds right before I got pregnant and couldn't figure out why I couldn't loose them) and when I graduated high school. 5 pounds to be where I want to be!

Allyssa sings Happy Birthday

2009-06-08T13:33:00.001-05:00

Attention: Please turn your computer on its side for proper viewing. Thank you.

Oops! I forgot to tell you!

2009-06-03T13:52:00.001-05:00

David was 13 pounds 11 ounces and 23 inches long yesterday. What a big boy!

David Jr.'s trip to the doctor

2009-06-02T12:45:00.002-05:00

David is 13 pounds 11 oz and 23 inches long today. I took a really long list of "Things I know" to Kia today. Kia is out CPNP (Certified Pediatric Nurse Practioner), and we love her. We never actually see a doctor. We try really hard to see Kia and usually get to see her. She is awesome. She loves that I make a list when there is something really wrong with my kids. She listens to it all, and when I'm done, goes through my list from her memory explaining why things are happening or commenting on things (or she has blood work done depending on the ailment). Today it was all verbal, which David liked much better than pricking and prodding. This is what we discovered. All of his symptoms are classic signs of acid reflux and tied tongue. Zantac isn't a fix-all. It only helps the acid in his stomach not be as harsh on him when it shoots back up his throat. She is letting me give him the Zantac 3 times a day instead of twice a day. Hopefully this will help bridge the gap between the doses when one has worn off and the other hasn't been given yet due to his sleep schedule. We are to prop his crib up even more. It is okay for him to be in a bouncy seat for most of the day because it is so painful for him to be on the floor. We'll worry about floor time later. When his stomach hurts really bad and feels stiff (like your forehead), he can have tylonol and gas relief drops at the same time (Kia calls this "baby champagne"). Besides that, we are doing everything that we can for him already as far as acid reflux in concerned (except introducing cereal which can help, but can only be given through a bottle which David doesn't take, so that isn't an option right now, we'll wait and see how much he improves with the increased medicine and being upright a little more (although, he is upright most of the day as it is, we're just going to not feel badly about it). Now, as far as his tied tongue is concerned, we are waiting to see how soon we can get into a specialist to have that clipped. Most likely, David won't eat well for one to two days after this. He's a big baby though (common with acid reflux babies), so we aren't worried. I think that that is it. He goes back in 2 weeks to see if he's gained a pound which will mean that his Zantac can be increased again. Allyssa has her 2 year check up then, too.

Recent Update

2009-05-31T20:08:00.002-05:00

I updated quickly and totally backwards, but enjoy the photos anyways!! :) We are going to start potty training Allyssa tomorrow and David, Jr. had a doctor apt on Tuesday for his tummy troubles. He is definatly doing better with the medicine than without (we know this for sure because we forgot a dose and were reminded of what it was like before), but he still seems to feel poorly. We hope to get more answers and suggestions on how to help him feel better.

Allyssa's vacation

2009-05-31T20:02:00.002-05:00

These pictures were taken May 15th and 16th. This is Allyssa with her cousin Kyle and with Grandma. Kyle is one month older than David, Jr.

May photos

2009-05-31T19:55:00.003-05:00

My dad holding David was on May 19th when he brought Allyssa home from her weekend trip to visit my parents.
The one with David in a red onesie is from May 17th.
The one with David in blue is from May 16th.

May 25th

2009-05-31T19:50:00.001-05:00

David Jr's trip to the doctor

2009-05-19T19:58:00.003-05:00

Today was David's 2 month check up. He had immunizations. He is 13 pounds and 21 1/2 inches long today. We talked with the doctor about his problems. Here's the list:
1. We know that he has a "tight tongue."
2. We know that he swallows a lot of air when he eats.
3. We know that he doesn't latch on correctly due to his tight tongue.
4. He is gassy.
5. He spits up a lot; sometimes just after he eats he'll spit up practically everything that went down; sometimes he spits up a couple of hours after he ate.
6. He does not like to lie down on his back, ever.
7. Raising his crib to an angle when he sleeps helps some, but he still doesn't sleep well at night.
8. If he is awake, he is crying and fussy. No exceptions.
9. He doesn't sleep for long periods of time without waking to scream.

The doctor we saw today agreed that there is a problem. While she didn't come out and say it, we believe she thinks he has acid reflux because she prescribed him Zantac. We are going to try it for 2 weeks and go back in for another check up to see how things are going. He hasn't been able to see his normal doctor for the last two well baby visits because she was on maternity leave. She will be back for his next appointment, so we'll get to have some consistency. That will be good since he's been to the doctor three times and has seen someone different each time.

I'm still not convinced that we shouldn't have his tight tongue fixed. I figure that we might as well fix it when he's a baby and won't remember rather than when he is a toddler or young child. Tight tongue can also cause a speech impediment, so there is another reason why I don't understand the hesitation to clip it. This is an issue I'll be discussing at his next appointment.

Sorry, no photos this time. I've got some, they just aren't ready to be posted yet.

This week

2009-05-14T13:54:00.002-05:00

This week has been so busy that I almost literally feel dizzy. I'm not really sure what has made it feel so busy except that this is how it went:
I went to the store several times this week because I was trying to get ready for a baby shower and bought things for it, then more people said they were coming (YAY!), so I had to run back to the store to get more favor bags and cups, in addition to our normal trip to the store for groceries. Going to the store is a huge task now since there are two kids to load and unload. Plus I had to get dog food one of those times. Getting dog food with kids isn't easy.
Monday David had volleyball and was gone from 7pm to 9pm, so I put the kids to bed myself (I don't say that to sound like I did it all myself, but to point out that I usually have help and I didn't and I missed it! My husband is so good to me and helps take care of the kids more than a lot of husbands, and I greatly appreciate that!)
Tuesday David had 2 meetings at church and was in and out of the house all evening between meetings. It made for an awkward evening.
Wednesday I had a playdate in the morning. Then David had a meeting in the early evening. Then after the kids went to bed some friends of ours came over to play 42.
Today is Thursday, and the kids and I had a busy morning. After breakfast we quickly got ready and got in the car. We stopped by Walmart on our way out of town for a bag of ice and to fill the car up with gas. Then we drove to Harlingen to go to a park where I was throwing a baby shower for a good friend of mine. We got there at 8:40. The shower started at 9. It went really well. Lots of friends came to celebrate with us. We left at 11:15. By then both kids were very cranky. Stickers helped Allyssa feel better, but I can't reach David, Jr.'s mouth in the car to give him a pacifier, so he cried the last 10 minutes of our car ride home.
Now, it is time to make supper, get Allyssa packed for her trip, and get some laundry unwrikled that sat too long, and get some other laundry washed. I also hope to get the kitchen tidied for the millionth time this week.

The final photos

2009-05-12T13:42:00.003-05:00

Note to Grandmas: Only look at this post if you want to spoil your suprise.

May 7, 2009 I had Allyssa paint some picture frames for Grandma Vandercook and Grandma Drachenberg for Mother's Day. Yup, they got them late! Oh well, at least they had photos in them, right?! Allyssa had a great time painting. She even painted the paint roller, which had green paint on it, yellow. She got a lot of paint on the bucket. Probably more on the bucket than on the wood. It was her first time to paint and was a lot of fun.

A friend's birthday party

2009-05-12T13:34:00.003-05:00

May 6th we went to a friend's second birthday party. Allyssa wasn't sure about climbing into the pool, so she stayed out of it and splashed from the sidelines. I wasn't going to force her to get in, and she was having fun, so I just let her play that way. The cake is an idea from Betty Crocker. Our friends had bought a birthday cake from HEB, but because they had to postpone the party due to swine flu, they had to make a new cake. They were wondering what to do about a cake, so I told them what I'm doing for Allyssa, and they liked the idea. I am going to make a train car using their idea for Allyssa's birthday. I started this tradition a few years ago with one of David's birthday cakes, but didn't really make it a tradition until Allyssa's first birthday (well, I guess really my 24th birthday because it is 2 days before Allyssa's and I got a special shape, too). Our tradition is this: Birthday cakes must be extra special in some way, for example a special shape using pans and dishes that we already have at home or a special flavor (like David's peppermint poke cake from last year, which I think is Betty Crocker, too, it was a variation found on the cake box). If possible, the cake should always be a special shape, but if not possible due to the special flavor, that is okay. Also, the birthday person is not allowed to make their own cake. (I guess if Allyssa wanted to help stir stuff in, that would be okay, it is more that I don't make my own cake.) Alright, so go check out Betty Crocker's website and find a fun cake to make!

Aparently I put him in that onesie a lot

2009-05-12T13:28:00.001-05:00

May 6, 2009

Fun on the slide, a goofy girl, and flowers

2009-05-12T13:22:00.002-05:00

The flowers are from our yard. Allyssa eats the very top of a cupcake off first, then eats the rest of it. And Allyssa decided that going down the slide head first is the best way to do it!

David smiles!

2009-05-12T13:18:00.001-05:00

May 2, 2009

Trip to San Antonio

2009-05-12T13:10:00.002-05:00

We went to SA to visit with Jon and Mary. Jon was David's supervising pastor when David was on vicarage in Minnesota. With them being so close to us, we thought, we'd make the trip. Here are photos of a parade that we saw (it was Feista weekend) and a fountain that is on the River Walk that Allyssa fell into causing me to jump in and save her. She was/is fine. And a picture of David and Allyssa back at home after Allyssa caught a virus that wiped her out for about 3 days. She probably caught the virus when she fell in the water (she went totally under, so certainly she got some germs). Since that incident, our camera has been on the fritz. (I jumped in quickly and didn't take the camera off my wrist, so it also went totally under.) So we didn't get picture of Jon and Mary or other photos that we would have wanted. And since then we've gotten the camera to work for short periods of time, but now it is totally dead. I have a few more pictures to show you, but until we get a new camera, that will be it. April 24, 2009

Cleaning the bike

2009-05-12T13:03:00.002-05:00

Here are David and Allyssa cleaning David's bike while David, Jr. takes a nap. April 22, 2009

2009-05-10T12:08:00.002-05:00

Southwest is giving away a family 4 pack of tickets to people who put this button on their blog or facebook page or other online site. Check out their Mommy blog for more details.

***For some reason my link to the Mommy blog isn't working, so check it out at www.blogsouthwest.com.

And the last of the old pictures...now if I just could get the new ones off my camera before they are old...

2009-05-07T20:51:00.003-05:00

I had the sprinkler on one morning to water the lawn. Allyssa had her bear outside and decided that they should go check it out.

More old pictures

2009-05-07T20:37:00.003-05:00

David on April 21st.

I always get my pictures backwards and figure that it takes more time to rearrange them than to just let it go, so here are the shots in reverse order. April 18th, David and Allyssa put our new swingset together. April 19th, Allyssa got to go down the slide for the first time. It took a little encouraging, but she did it. We were clapping for her and telling her to go down because it was fun, so her clapping is in response to us. She hadn't gone down yet, but she loved it once she did. She now will even go down on her tummy, head first. She figured that one out on her own. And the bird...click on it to enlarge the photo. I saw this bird out the window and had to go out and get a picture of it. I wish I knew what kind it was. It was beautiful.

Pictures I should have put up a LONG time ago

2009-05-07T20:21:00.002-05:00

Here a pictures from a long time ago. The beginning of April. They are just a few, but if I posted all the ones I should have, I'd never be done.

Here is Allyssa and David on Easter Sunday.

Here is Allyssa at a MOPS Easter Party at my friend Heather's house. Yes, Allyssa is holding a stick she found on the ground. She didn't get to hit the pinata, but she got the idea, and carried the stick around. (I also didn't tell her that the candy was up for grabs! Poor little girl.)

Here is Grandma Piehl holding David when she was here for his baptism. Allyssa talks about Grandma Piehl every day. She tells us "Grandma Piehl Iowa." I'm not really sure what makes her think of her every day, but she does. It is very cute. Some times she tells us that Grandma is taking a nap or that Grandma should come visit again. It is really cute.

Coming Soon...

2009-05-06T13:54:00.001-05:00

I've been asked for photos. I've got most of the off the camera, some of the edited and will soon have some for you to look at.

2009-04-22T13:50:00.002-05:00

I got my laundry balls that I talked about here. I tried them out on a load of towels today. Success!! The towels don't have a scent to them like I'm used to (but this comes from the perfumes in the soap and drier sheets that I didn't use because I used the laundry balls, so their shouldn't have been a scent), but they smelled clean. The lint trap had less than half of the lint it usually has in it. I am really pleased with the laundry and drier balls! Tomorrow I try clothes!

David's stats

2009-04-20T14:06:00.003-05:00

David had his one month check up today. He is 10 pounds 8 oz. and 21 inches tall. He is healthy. His belly button thingy has not fallen off yet, but after talking to my sister about it, I learned that the reason is because we've been cleaning it with alcohol. Turns out when they are cleaned, they take longer to fall off. Her son's only took a few days. Good to know. I stopped cleaning it yesterday in hopes that it will fall off soon.
I hope to get a picture of him taken today so that I can let you know what he looks like. Meanwhile, here is one from the Saturday before Easter (April 11).

Going Green...Again

2009-04-15T13:42:00.002-05:00

Well, I guess I'm at it again. Last year about this time, I switched to cloth diapers. This year, I'm trying the Washer and Dryer Balls from True Green. Basically, you don't have to buy laundry soap or dryer sheets if you use these balls which don't have harmful chemicals and claim to clean your clothes and keep them static free. I hope they work. I should get them in a couple of weeks. I can't wait to try them out.

Easter

2009-04-13T13:38:00.002-05:00

Here's what our Easter looked like:
David woke up early to get to church by 6:30. David Jr. woke up about the same time. He didn't think he needed more sleep after he ate, so I got him dressed and played with him before putting him down for a nap. Then I got Allyssa's breakfast made and her out of bed. Then, I got us girls dressed and our teeth brushed. Then I got the diaper bag ready and fed David again. Then we headed over to church. Allyssa carried her own booster seat because we were going to have breakfast there, too. It happend to fall during the middle of the morning, so Allyssa got a big snack! After the breakfast we went to church. Church seemed really long to me because I had two kids to care for and one kept taking her shoes off right before we had to get up to go to the front for the Children's Message and then again for Communion. After that we chatted for a while and came home. David made grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch while I fed David Jr. Then we ate and put the kids to bed. We were too tired for an additional Easter egg hunt (Allyssa had one on Thursday and one Saturday, so she didn't get ripped off really). We had to go to the store and get milk. Friends brought us supper which was so nice of them to do. We had trouble getting the kids to sleep. Then we went to sleep. It was quite a day. Really didn't feel like Easter to me. I think that it didn't because I didn't really get to experience Lent, since there was no somberness, the joy of Easter was lost. That and I really enjoy the sunrise service the best at Easter, but with little ones, it is too hard to get to church early enough for that. Eventually...

Easter Party and stuff that happend this week

2009-04-09T14:18:00.002-05:00

We'll start with the stuff and move to the Easter Party. David asked Allyssa to spell her name and she replied with "A-L-L-A-L-L-A-A-A-A-A" Pretty darn good for a 22 month old.

Today was the MOPS Easter Party at Heather's house. It was so much fun! When we got to Heather's house, Allyssa asked if she could take her book with her. I told her no. That was okay with her. Next she asked if she could take "Da-bad with you." Yes, we took David with us. Allyssa did really well hunting for eggs. It was too cute. She wasn't happy that she couldn't open all the eggs and eat the candy, but after she almost choked on the first piece I gave her, I realized that she is too young for that kind of candy. Poor kiddo. At least one egg had some stickers in it. I'll let her play with those later. After the egg hunt, I tried to have her dye an egg. Worst. Idea. Ever. Her clothes, face, and my hands are dyed yellow. Then, I let her eat some. It was a little late for snack time and a little early for lunch. She pretty much just snacked the rest of the afternoon. Then she watched other kids hit the pinata. Then she attempted the "egg" walk for a little goodie bag prize. Thankfully, she didn't have to be good at it to get a prize because every kid got a prize. We took a group picture that I don't even know if Allyssa was in. David slept through most of the day. I nursed him once and then other people held him. Allyssa was overtired when we left. When we got home, I tried to put her down for a nap. David was fussy and needed attention, so she didn't get put down well. I'm not sure if she slept at all. I tried to get her to go to sleep again later, but then David started crying again, so she didn't get put down well again. So she is in her crib for another few minutes awake. Then I'll get her out and probably have a terrible afternoon with her. David's "schedule" is also all out of whack. He hasn't had much awake time today, so let's hope he has a good night anyways. It was a fun morning at Heather's, but I could have had a better nap time.

Really need to figure out how to get this girl to take a nap without having to be rocked. It would make life a lot easier.

Things I remembered from this past weekend and an update

2009-04-08T15:06:00.002-05:00

When Mike got here, Allyssa went out to see him. She looked at him and at her Daddy and was very confused. She called them both "Daddy" for a few minutes, then she started calling Mike "Mike." Later, she got confused again and started calling Mike "Rick." This wouldn't make any sense at all except that she knew that Mike was one of the people that she looks at in the photo albums and that Rick is one of the people that is in the photo albums, too. She remember that she knew Mike but simply forgot his name. It was really funny.

Allyssa actually went to bed on time last night! Hooray! Today, she slept in, so she had trouble going down for a nap, but she is taking one.

David had a better night last night. I was feeding him on one side, changing his diaper, then feeding him on the other because he would fall asleep during his feeding. Sadly, then he would be too worked up to fall back asleep, so I tried changing him first then feeding him. I also tried stopping him from eating after a few minutes and burping him to get the air out that he swallows at the begining of his feeding because of my fast milk flow. This helped a lot because that air was being forced into his intestines by all the milk (according to the Maternity Leave Guide to Breastfeeding book) and couldn't be burped out. That also seemed to help. He didn't get a full feeding each time he ate, I don't think because towards the end of the night he was eating every 2 hours instead of every 3 or 3 1/2. We'll keep trying though.

David's baptism

2009-04-06T20:59:00.002-05:00

Here are a few photos. We had a great weekend celebrating with Mike and Kati (David's sponsors) and their son, Caleb, along with David Jr.'s great Grandma Piehl, and with both sets of grandparents. David didn't cry at all during the baptism, although he was very hungry, but he had a pacifier in his mouth, so he couldn't make a peep. I fed him a little before the pictures and finsihed after the pictures because we were trying to get home to get Allyssa lunch because she was famished. It was a lot of fun having 2 toddlers and one infant all in the same pew at church. The kids did great.

Each day a little easier

2009-03-31T12:47:00.002-06:00

So I feel badly for David that he isn't going to have nearly as many pictures of himself as a baby as Allyssa did. It is a fact of life I guess. So far he just sleeps, eats, and poops. He's not up for long periods of time, so I would just be taking a picture of a sleeping baby. I'm really going to have to do that so that we can have a few pictures of him though.
Allyssa is getting much better at tantrum throwing. I've decided that it is probably a combination of three things. 1. She's almost 2. 2. She's teething. 3. She has a new brother. We are letting her throw her little fits, but we aren't allowing her to throw them in front of us. Yesterday, I tried taking her to her room. This is difficult since I am not supposed to pick her up. This idea might have to wait. But it did work. When she was done she came to me and said that she wanted to play. Sarah, my sis-in-law, told me that I should make whatever I'm doing look more attractive than her tantrum. That was the real winner! I noticed a little thingy that she liked to play with was sitting on top of a bookshelf and had probably been there for a few weeks, so I got it down and started playing with it. She saw me playing with it when she came out of her room the first time (she wasn't done throwing a fit, so she had to go back to her room). She quickly decided that it was not fun to be in her room and she came out to play. Hooray! She really never threw fits before David was born, but I guess that it was bound to happen.
I can fit into one pair of prepregnancy capris! I'm down 20 pounds and want to loose 10-15 more. I hope to be in a pair of prepregnancy shorts soon! Wish me luck!

Transitions

2009-03-28T16:06:00.002-06:00

They are always hard. The good thing is that David actually took a pacifier today and it helped him take a nap all by himself! Hooray! I know that I can't rock him everytime that he needs to go to sleep because he's not the only kid, so I'm really glad that he finally took a pacifier sucessfully. Allyssa is having trouble with the rules. She learned to open doors. Not a good thing. Today she threw several fits about not being allowed to play with things that she shouldn't and being told that she is not allowed in the workshop and that Mommy couldn't go outside because Mommy had to stay with David, but she could go out with Daddy. It has been a really tough few days. I'm very tired. David (husband) is letting me take a nap during his lunch breaks. That helps a lot. It means 5-6 hours of sleep a day instead of 4-5. That is an improvement. The thing that I am feeling the most is isolation. All the mothers that I know live in a town that is half an hour away. That means that there aren't kids to play with or moms to talk with that live next door or down the street. Because of the sleep issue with me, I can totally understand now why moms send their kids to preschool at young ages. I am thankful that I am less judgemental about that now. It makes total sense why a mom of more than one kid needs to send the older to preschool. I don't have that option. Part of the reason I don't is the distance to the one that I would use if I would use one, but I really don't think I would anyways because it doesn't fit in with the lifestyle that my husband and I desire. But I still can totally understand why other people do it. Or Mother's Day Out. There's not one of those here either. Heck, I haven't even found a babysitter that isn't in high school and busy with extra-curricular activities. Anyways, I'm not trying to complain, I'm just trying to express my feelings about my situation. It is a hard transition. I'm feeling very competent as a parent, but having a really hard time dealing with Allyssa's tantrums and my lack of sleep. I'm really hopeing that the Babywise book comes through for me and David sleeps through the night at 8 or 9 weeks.

Update on our life

2009-03-27T12:05:00.002-06:00

Allyssa got sick right before David was born. She is better now. Her sick cough is gone and has been replaced by her asthma cough. It might be that everything is blooming around here. Allyssa has been doing okay with the transition. She really wants to play with David. She shows him toys and says "See. Do you see it?" Thanks Grandma for teaching her that. She is jealous and throws some fits, but it has gotten better in the past couple of days. We're trying to get her to follow our rules again. That's another tough area. Things like not playing at the kitchen table or counter and how many toys she is allowed to take with her when she goes outside have been the hardest on her. She has gotten used to me changing her clothes and diaper on the floor. That's good. She even asked Daddy to change her on the floor this morning. David had one really exceptional night of sleeping and a few okay ones. We're working on it. All of the grandparents are back home now. Next week some friends of ours are going to help out by bringing some meals or groceries for us. We are so blessed to be surrounded by such great friends. I'm starting to see how I can manage things with two kids. At least while David is so little not asleep a lot, I can still spend a lot of time with Allyssa. I'm really tired, but other than that, I feel good. David had his one week apointment when he was 6 days old, on Wednesday. He was above birth weight at 6 pounds 13 oz. He'll go back in for his two week apt. next Friday for newborn screening. Next Sunday, David gets baptised. We can't wait!

March 19

2009-03-23T11:37:00.002-06:00

I had a doctor's apt on March 19th. David's parents were in town, so he got to come with me. I was spilling protein, had a headache, and minor swelling, so I was sent to the hospital for tests. Before leaving for the hospital Dr. Hunter said that there was a 75% chance we'd have a baby before the day was out. At the hospital they did a sono and found that the baby wasn't growing at the rate that it should. That meant Preeclampsia had come again, my placenta wasn't functioning at 100%, so Dr. Hunter delivered David Dominic Vandercook, Jr. on March 19th at 5:49 pm. He weighed 6 pounds 12.4 oz. He was happy and healthy. We were dismissed from the hospital on Saturday afternoon. Allyssa was very happy to have Mommy and David come home. We are adjusting to being a family of four with help from our parents and friends.

Well we made it through the day

2009-03-15T18:41:00.002-06:00

It was a tough one, but Allyssa and I survived the afternoon (David had to work) until David came to rescue us from each other. Allyssa and Daddy had a great time while Mommy laughed and played along. They played airplane, and she plopped down on him, she practiced taking her shirt on and off, and we all played "Where did it go?" with a racoon. It was good fun. She had another meltdown at bedtime, but seems to have already fallen asleep, so she must be exhausted (she didn't take much of a nap, so no one is really surprised). All in all, it was simply a survival day. Hopefully, tomorrow will be better. It is a new day afterall, and Grandma and Grandpa are coming for a visit!

I don't need a toddler that doesn't take a nap

2009-03-15T11:56:00.002-06:00

Stupid coughing wakes Allyssa up from her naps these days. I am really sick of it. She only coughs during her nap and in the early morning before she wakes up. I am really sick and tired of it. I really want her to take a good nap like she was a week ago. Doesn't she know that she is about to have a brother and that I really need her to take a nap so that when he comes along she still naps!? It is really frustrating. I know that she is tired. One day she literally didn't take a nap at all. Another couple of days this week she's taken short naps. Does this have to do with her asthma or with the time change? I don't know, but I don't like it.

Smelly Stuff

2009-03-15T11:21:00.002-06:00

While I do wear body spray, I do not wear perfume, and really never have liked perfume. I was reminded of why today. As a child I often set behind a lady in church who wore a flower scented perfume that made me feel sick to my stomach. I would often have to ask my parents if we could find another seat. I thought that that was the worst that perfume could get...you know, over-powering, drifting too far away from the person, making the whole world smell like the perfume that that person is wearing. I was wrong. Today Allyssa was held by someone whose perfume smelled like poop. I'm not trying to say that it was stinky, which it was, I am trying to say that I repeatedly checked my daughter's diaper to make sure that I wasn't imagining this. I wasn't. And she isn't gassy. It is really quite sad that there is someone walking around who smells like poop on purpose. I am so glad that it is a bath night (it would be even if it wasn't) and that today is the day that I wash Allyssa's sheet after her nap. Hooray for that! Boo for perfume!

Full Term and a Story

2009-03-14T11:57:00.002-06:00

Yesterday I was officially full-term. I am now 37 weeks and 1 day pregnant. I feel good. I'm no longer as sleepy in the morning, but I get very tired in the late afternoon. This week I've gotten up early enough to fix waffles one day and French toast another for the family for breakfast. It was good to finally get to fix breakfast for everyone again and not be dragging. It also helps that we got a new waffle maker, thanks to swagbucks, that also doubles as a griddle! It is very exciting because we haven't had a waffle iron in a LONG time because ours broke so many times that we gave up on it (we kept shipping it back to the company and the same piece would break again and again). The griddle sure made making French toast less time consuming!

I stubbed my toe this past week really hard. Most people yelp or scream something when this happens. I did. I shouted "Oww! Pain!" Allyssa thought that sounded like a fun thing to yell, so she shouted "Owww! Pain!" several times after that. I'm really glad that that is what I screamed!

***Swagbucks is a search engine that gives points for searching. Each point you earn gets you closer to winning a prize. My favorite prize is the $5 gift card to Amazon.com, but they have hundreds of options!

Today

2009-03-12T11:29:00.002-06:00

Today I had a doctor apt. I'm fine. I was supposed to have a babysitter watch Allyssa, but at 5:30 last night my sitter cancelled. It was too late to get another sitter without being super rude, so Allyssa came with me. David had dressed her this morning before he knew the temperature, so when I opened the door to load her up in the car, I quickly had to shut the door, take off her skirt and sandles, grab pants, socks and shoes, and re-dress her. Then I put on socks and shoes myself, but didn't have time to switch to pants. I grabbed her jacket and quickly put it on her as I rushed to get her in the car. I brought along the book A Dragon in a Wagon. We made it all the way to the office without having to resort to a snack in the car or the special book. All she wanted was Caillou's Community and water. She didn't start fussing until we were about 2 blocks away. Pretty good. At the doctor's office, I was told that 4 ladies were in labor and the doctor could leave anytime. Go pee in a cup and wait to be called. As we waited to be called into a room, I gave Allyssa the special book. She had me read it to her so many times that the lady sitting near us sighed with relief when she was called into a room. I don't blame her. I would have liked a room without that book, too. In the room, I struggled to keep her occupied until I had to undress. Then the doctor came in and asked why I was undressed to which I replied, "The nurse told me to." Oh well. Allyssa was very upset about the doctor being there. She threw a fit. The doctor picked her up and handed her to me on the examination table. That wasn't fun at all. She cried as I held her and had to lay down to get measured and then sit up all holding her with one arm on this skinny table. She cried until I finally got dressed. Then we headed to the store because I can't buy ground turkey sausage at my Wal-mart and was out of it. Allyssa wasn't a fan of stopping, but goldfish crackers kept her from being too angry in the store. Then we headed home. The whole way home she kept asking for songs or books or simply fussing. We finally made it home and she didn't want to come inside. By the way, I had to pee and was dressed in shorts and was freezing. I made her come inside after I got the car unloaded. That did not make her happy, so she threw a fit on the floor. When she was done with that, she came to see what I was doing in the workshop. I was putting the meat in the freezer. She decided she should play in the worshop, but she isn't allowed to because there are too many dangerous things in there for a little girl, so she threw another fit when I removed her. Then I got her jacket and shoes off and put away and got her diaper changed. I got lunch on the table and told her it was time to eat. She threw a fit because she had to leave her toy mommy and daddy behind. She ate one, maybe two bites. Then told me she was done. Undoubtedly it had to do with the goldfish. Oh well. So I got to eat hardly anything and went to put her down for a nap. She fell asleep at noon only to wake up several times coughing until finally staying awake at about 12:20. I tried to rock her back to sleep once I realized that she wasn't going to settle down herself, but that failed, so she spent the rest of naptime awake in her crib while I cried and tried to get chores done. What a great day this has been!

Sweet things she says...Silly things she says...

2009-03-11T12:51:00.005-06:00

No matter how tired I am or how much my feet hurt, I jump up and run when I hear this over the baby monitor during nap time,
"Mommy...Mommy...Mommy"
so quiet and with a sleepy and scratchy voice, she calls for me after a coughing spell to comfort her so she can go back to sleep. Sweetest thing I've ever heard.

"Water need." So I get her a cup of water. "Thank you, Daddy...Mommy...Thank you Mommy." She gets mixed up a little and says it to Daddy first, but she knows who I am and corrects herself.

Silly:
The other day David mowed the lawn. He came inside to get an extension cord to plug in the blower to blow off the driveway. When he left I said to Allyssa, "Daddy is stinky." Of course "stinky" is a fun word to say, so she practiced that for a while saying "Daddy nink-nee." I thought it was absolutly hilarious, but didn't want to encourage her to call her Daddy stinky, so I quickly told her not to worry that he'd take a shower when he came in. When he came in she said to him, "Take shower." It wasn't a statement of fact, but rather in the tone of a request. I smiled and kept my mouth shut. Off he went to get a shower having no clue what new word Allyssa had learned. So while he was getting cleaned up, I had her practice saying "Daddy smells good." She knew all of those words, so I didn't think it would be a problem. He came out of the shower and she ran to him and all on her own says, "Daddy nink-nee. Take shower." I died laughing, so David asked me what she'd said. I told him and then prompted her to tell him he smelled good. She said "Daddy smell gooood." Then, she gave him a big hug.

Other Kid Stuff

2009-03-10T13:03:00.002-06:00

One of these pictures is of stuff that I'd bought or could re-use from Allyssa for O.K. Another of these pictures is of wonderful gifts I recieved at my baby shower. And the other one is of me and O.K. about a week ago. Enjoy!

More photos of Allyssa from Feb and March 2009

2009-03-10T12:55:00.002-06:00

For some reason the pictures didn't want to all upload in the same window, so here are the rest! Enjoy!

Photos of Allyssa from Feb and March 2009

2009-03-10T12:34:00.002-06:00

What we did today...

2009-03-10T11:22:00.002-06:00

Today was busy. Well, I'm not sure about the whole day because it is just after noon right now, but the morning was busy. Allyssa and I had breakfast and got dressed and played and read books and went outside and played on the swings and played with the dog, and ate a snack, and ran outside to watch a train. That's quite a sentence, but that's the way it felt. After all of that I was finally able to convince her that we should go to the store. Cantelope was the key word for her. Sadly, she thought we were just going to HEB. She was totally unprepared for our excursion. We did go to HEB and picked up said cantelope, some lettuce, generic chocolate chips because stupid Wal-mart doesn't carry them anymore, broccoli, floss, and we did not get tortilla chips because they didn't have the size of bag that I wanted (that's the story of my life when it comes to HEB and Wal-mart). Then we went to Wal-mart. My goal was to buy TONS of stuff that we use often and everyday so that once the baby is born we will only need things like milk, bread, and fresh produce. I'm sure this idea is pie in the sky, but it is a noble goal. I was so proud of my coupons. I saved $10.75 because of them. Included in that amount was my free bottle of Suave conditioner that was valued at $3.00. Thank you Suave. And I can't forget to mention the bars of kid's soap from Johnson and Johnson that were priced at $.97 and I used a dollar off coupon, making these three bars of soap free! Oh and this morning when I gave Allyssa a snack, I quickly checked to see if there were any good coupons that were blogged about and found this which led me to the coupon for Arm and Hammer's Clean Shower. Not only did I have a $.75 off coupon, but the product was also on sale! Hooray! Combine all of that with my other coupons (toothpaste, toiletpaper, etc...), and I think that my coupons did me quite well today. Almost all of my other products were generic because Great Value makes their noodles, tomato sauce, southern style beans, pinto beans, cereal, etc...just fine for us. My cart was overflowing. Well, almost. It was quite the expensive trip for me, but I think that it will really help us out in the long run. When we got home, I unloaded the few items that needed to be refrigerated/frozen and got Allyssa busy playing before sticking lunch in the microwave (ah - the blessings of leftovers). Then I unloaded all of these groceries and household products and put them away. All this before lunch! What a morning! Sadly, Allyssa did not get worn out and she is awake in her crib. Dear God, please help this child sleep!

My least favorite parts of pregnancy

2009-03-08T19:54:00.002-06:00

In no particular order:
1. Clothes that don't fit right. (I can't stand the waistband that touches my tummy, so most of my pants like to slip down and my shorts that fit of course fit lowly because I don't wear them up on my tummy, so my shirts have to be long enough to cover my belly. All in all it is a sad, sad situation of clothes that aren't comfy and don't fit right. The good news? Pregnancies are about 40 weeks long and I'm past week 36.)
2. People who treat me like an invalid (for example: I am not allowed to lift anything or move anything over 1 pound. People will try to force me to stop doing something that causes no discomfort at all simply because it involves lifting. However, when I'm doing a task that really does cause discomfort but does not involve lifting, the same person won't offer any help. Odd, I tell you. Odd.)
3. Being told to take it easy. (Every mother of more than one child can tell you that slowing down when you are pregnant with any child other than your first is virtually impossible. Combine that with the fact that I have no family near me, and this idea is down-right laughable.)

My Dr. Apt yesterday

2009-03-06T13:12:00.002-06:00

It went well. I only have to see the doctor once next week. Hooray! I also don't have to do fetal monitoring next week! Hooray again! Dr. Hunter was going to set my date for March 25th. I was very happy with that date. It was 38 1/2 weeks. Sadly, when she checked her calendar, she saw that she was not going to be at the hospital that day. That meant that my date was moved to April 1st. I was really looking forward to having a March baby. I did make sure that Dr. Hunter understood that I do not want a different doctor cutting into me. That means that if I go into labor and she is not available to come do my c-section, I might have a VBAC. I haven't decided yet. I don't have to because April 1st is a LONG, LONG, LONG time away from now. Stinko. Anyways, the other thing is that Dr. Hunter schedules C-sections for Wednesdays. It is Lent. My husband's a pastor. We decided not to think about that either. David's guess for the baby's actual birthdate is March 19th. What's your guess?

MOPS

2009-03-05T13:10:00.002-06:00

Today was MOPS. Allyssa has had a hard time in MOPS for several months. There used to be no toys or activities ready to be played with when she arrived. So, since she had nothing to occupy herself with, it was hard for Mommy to leave. Apparently now, she has associated the room that she is in with negative thoughts. Today, when we walked in the door, there was an activity for her to do right away! I was so excited about that! I thought that maybe she'd have an easy time getting settled in. Not so much. She took one look at the room and arched her back and screamed. Thankfully, we brought her baby in today, so one of the ladies started playing with her baby and invited her to join her. Smart lady. It worked.

Doctor apt later today. Maybe we'll get a date set!

Today so far

2009-03-04T14:04:00.002-06:00

Today I woke up feeling quite pregnant and quite tired after a restless night of not sleeping. Sadly, at 4 am I was hungry, but too tired to get up, so by the time I got breakfast at 7:30 I was sick to my stomach because I was too hungry. O.K. doesn't wait for food. I spent much of the time between 7 and 7:30 when Allyssa and I ate begging Allyssa to understand that Mommy could not pick her up because Mommy didn't feel good while I cried as I made an omelet for her to eat. Thanks to Sarah, omelets only take 2 minutes to cook after they are mixed up, so breakfast wasn't difficult. By 10am, I felt much better, so the day went better after that. Allyssa got a late snack because of my bad morning, so she hardly ate any lunch and went straight down for a nap. What a good girl! She's such a sweetie. I've known for a couple of weeks that new teeth would be coming. For the past week, she's been chewing on her hand, so they're getting close. I thought that she was getting two teeth on the bottom. Turns out that not only is she getting those but she is also getting a tooth that I thought that she already had. See my little girl had a gap in the middle of her front two teeth. I thought that she would have a space like mine. Not the case. The front tooth was just slow to come in. There is a tooth now coming in between what I thought were her top two teeth. I'm hoping that there is room for it to squeeze in there. Allyssa's doctor says that the APA now recommends that kids see the dentist when they are one. I haven't taken her yet, but I'm thinking I might next week before O.K. is born.

Jesus Loves Allyssa

2009-03-03T15:04:00.002-06:00

Allyssa woke up from her nap today signing and signing "Jesus Loves Me." Her version goes like this:
"Jesus loves me, loves me, Bible, Bible." It was mostly to the right tune, too.

And her motions were correct for "Jesus, Bible, little ones" and "He is strong."

How could I have forgotten my grocery store story?!

2009-03-03T13:53:00.002-06:00

Today I went to HEB and Franko was my cashier. He says, "You're pregnant again?" I said, "Yes." Franko did not ever see me when I was pregnant with my daughter because I didn't live here.
Franko: "Oh. How many kids do you have?"
Me: "This one," (pointing to Allyssa) "and the one I'm carrying."
Franko: "Oh. I thought that you were pregnant a while back."
Me: "I was. 9 months is a long time."
Franko: "Oh. My girlfriend is 3 months prengnant. We can't wait to find out if we are having a boy or a girl. Are you having a boy?"
Me: "Yes."

I couldn't help but laugh at this whole exchange. You see...9 months is a LONG time and people now think I've been pregnant twice with this one child!! Obviously, 9 months is a LONG time.

Lots of topics...read and enjoy!

2009-03-03T13:11:00.002-06:00

So getting rid of satelite didn't help last night because Redbox has a code for a free movie rental on Monday nights. So last night, we used Redbox for the first time. I'd seen the Redbox in our Wal-mart several times and walking past it saw several movies that I wanted to watch, however, yesterday when I went the movies were all different than before and there were very few that I'd heard of. So I used my code to get Fireproof. David and I watched it last night and both of us would recommend it to married couple to watch (that's who its target audience is). So last night was not a good example of getting things done. However, tonight, David starts his new adult instruction class at church, so since I'll be home "alone" (girly will be asleep), I'll be getting some things done! That's good because I'm running out of time to get things done before O.K. is born.

Since this blog is supposed to be about Allyssa (I deleted me other blog, so you'll have deal with a few non-Allyssa things), here is what is going on with her:

1. She loved collecting, piling up, and counting sticks a month and a half or so ago.
2. She dropped that hobby for playing with her "pebble cup," which she filled with pebbles and dirt and would dump out all over herself.
3. She gave that up for Lent and now likes to go lizard hunting. (Okay, so she still likes sticks and pebbles, but the new cool thing to do is look for lizards and say "Lizard, where are ye?" Her "you" sounds more like a "ye" when she is singing this question to the lizards.
4. She liked having a stuffed bear "hold" crayons (really Mommy or Daddy held them against the bear's paw) and color with her.
5. She gave that up for having the stuffed bear "Run Run Run Run Run" around the house "holding" a balloon while she held the bear. (I just wrapped the string around the bear's paw to keep it from floating off.)
6. She likes to repeat EVERYTHING anyone says multiple times in a row. So make sure that you don't say anything you don't want repeated, and repeated, and repeated. Although that hasn't happend to me yet, and I'm hoping it doesn't, I can see how it could be a problem.

And since I don't have another blog to post this list on, here is a list of things that Allyssa and I accomplished so far this week (Monday and Tuesday):
1. Trips to Walmart and HEB
2. 3 loads of laundry (this is, of course, in addition to the one load of diapers done daily that doesn't get counted)
3. Tags snipped off of O.K.'s new clothes that we were gifted to us at the baby shower this weekend. (Allyssa liked jumping on and rolling around in the pile of clothes on the floor when I was all done.)
4. Furniture dusted (Allyssa really enjoys this)
5. Whole house vacuumed
6. Kitchen and Den swept
7. Snacks, meals, playtime, normal life stuff, etc...

I would say that that is a very productive list. And the week continues with plans of trying to organize O.K.'s dresser and figure out what I want to pack for him to wear home from the hospital. Oh and packing the new baby doll (that's right another one!! I think this will be like #20) that we'll give Allyssa, oh and getting my clothes repacked since I robbed my packed bag of them so that I could wear them. (I had it packed before I went to the hospital a couple of weeks ago for tests, just in case, so that David would know what to bring me.) Who knows what else we'll get done! We're on a roll!

Goodbye television shows...Hello getting stuff accomplished

2009-03-02T13:56:00.002-06:00

With the new baby coming (and realizing that it is silly to pay so much for television) we've decided to get rid of Dish Network. Sad days really. Last night we watched out last HGTV. But see, that's just it. Even with all of the channels, we found ourselves with nothing to watch, so we'd watch HG. Well, except for Mondays. Mondays were my Jon and Kate days. How I'll miss my Jon and Kate! Anyways, so now it is regular t.v. only. But because of this, we are putting a much larger chunk of change into savings each month. And surely that will help out somewhere along the way. And we might just have the additional benefit of getting things done faster. Like my scrapbooking...maybe I won't be so far behind on it. Or David's projects like Allyssa's toy box that he was hoping would be done by Thanksgiving. Not that I'm trying to rush him or that t.v. kept him from doing it, but things like that might be much more interesting than the couple of channels that we get, so maybe they'll get done quicker. Maybe not (especially with baby #2 coming). We'll see.

Very Very Pregnant Girl

2009-02-26T14:05:00.003-06:00

Tomorrow I'll be 35 weeks pregnant, which in my opinion puts me at the VVPG status. I'm feeling well, a little swollen today, but I saw the doctor on Tuesday and will see the doctor again tomorrow. Everything is looking fine. My doctor is on vacation this week, so I'm seeing another doctor in the office. I'm glad that my doctor is on vacation this week because I'm hoping that she comes back well rested and rejuvinated in perfect timing to deliver my baby. I had a sonogram on Tuesday because I was having some contractions show up on the fetal monitoring. No big deal. I didn't even know I was having them. The sono showed that the baby is over 5 pounds. Good deal. 2 to 5 more weeks. Hopefully next week when my doctor is back from vacation we can get a better idea how long it will be. We shall see.

Meanwhile, Allyssa is still suffering from asthma. She has had a bad cough for over 2 weeks. She doesn't sleep well. She coughs so hard sometimes that I think she's going to throw up. When she's done with one of these coughing fits I try to comfort her and she is ready to play. It is so bizarre to me. You'd think that she'd feel bad after coughing so hard, but she must feel okay because she insists that she is ready to go again. We're hoping that the coughing will go away soon. Poor little girl. She is talking up a storm. She talks to her toys and instructs them to eat things and do things and when they "do" she says "Good job!" She also says "Good job!" to herself and to me and David. It is so cute. She repeats every single thing that we say. If she sneezes and I say "God bless you." She says it back. If we startle someone when we come around the corner of church going on our walk and I say "Sorry!" she repeats it, too. Put in a room full of people, she won't say much at all, but with few people or at home, she'll talk a lot more. Well, she's up from her nap. Off to get a snack ready, supper made, a nebulizer treatment, and play time before David comes home for supper.

My other blog

2009-02-22T12:14:00.001-06:00

For those of you wanting to look at my other blog, it no longer exists.

Good Job

2009-02-20T20:37:00.003-06:00

Today I put peas and corn on Allyssa's fork for her because she needed help doing it and asked for "Mommy help." When I gave her back her fork, she said "Good job." How sweet. I'm so glad she likes my fork skills!

Allyssa can count

2009-02-20T20:33:00.002-06:00

Yesterday, I walked into the living room to see what Allyssa was chattering about. She was playing with a toy and this is what I heard (the "blah"s are her made up words that I can't understand):

"Blah, Blah, Blah, one, two, Blah, Blah..." Each time she said a word she put a toy nail in the nail hole on the toy workbench.

Later, she counted her snack. She said "One, two, three, five, six." I would have skipped four, too. It is such an overrated number.

Today David and Allyssa were counting raisens and Allyssa counted "one, two" into David's hands, but gave him three. Bonus!

She's such a cutie!

Allyssa's cough

2009-02-19T14:26:00.004-06:00

We went to the doctor today because her cough wasn't getting any better, and, in fact, she woke up 10 or 12 times last night. She had no fever or anything like that, so I figured it was allergies. I had been giving her Zyrtec for days, but it didn't seem like it did much. Her sneezing wasn't happening, but the cough wouldn't go away. 1 nebulizer treatment, a finger prick and bandaid (I mention the bandaid because Allyssa hates them on her finger and seems to throw a bigger fit over the bandaid than the prick), lung x-rays, and a strep test later, we are told that she has asthma. She was diagnosed with it because of the number of times that she's come in for allergies and the reaction her lungs have to it. They've taken x-rays on a few occasions and could compare. Poor little girl is allergic to the Valley. Who isn't? Her asthma isn't the kind that moms and dads freak out about whether their kid will suffocate or anything like that. It just means that it is really hard for her to breathe when her allergen is about. She has a prescription for singulair and is supposed to take neb treatments for 3 days everytime that she flairs up. With these treatments, she'll be okay. Poor girly!

These are a few of my favorite things: Allyssa

2009-02-18T20:59:00.002-06:00

1. My favorite color: purple, maybe yellow
2. My favorite shape: oval
3. My favorite copy cat activity: cooking
4. My favorite animal: dog, especially Aiti
5. My favorite animal in pictures or books: dolphins (however I think that word is pronounced "dopin")
6. My favorite shoe: sandals
7. My favorite song: Jonah and the Big Fish from the God Is Great CD
8. My favorite place to go: outside
9. My favorite activity outside: swinging
10. My favorite food: cheese, maybe noodles

CONGRATULATIONS

2009-02-18T15:16:00.001-06:00

My sister had her baby today!! Welcome Kyle William! We are so glad you're here!

I do not have PE

2009-02-17T13:28:00.003-06:00

I woke up this morning swollen. I figured since...I went to the hospital on Sun., had 3 vials of blood drawn and given them a cup of pee all to find out that they looked good, got sent home to pee in a big orange bucket all day, took it to the doctor's office on Mon., where they took at least 5 vials of blood, but I really think they took 6 or 7, and would have those results back tomorrow...I really wouldn't have to go to the doctor, they'd just tell me not to worry and I would see them at my scheduled appointment on Thursday. I called the office, the receptionist said that I could see the nurse practitioner, but I didn't want to see anyone, so I asked if I could just talk to the nurse. Blanca called me back an hour or so later and I told her about what had happened in the last couple of days and that I was swollen again. She said she'd tell Dr. Hunter and give me a call back. Dr. Hunter, like normal, did not take my symptom lightly because she really wants to keep this baby in me until it reaches term and she knew that I must be worried since I keep bugging everyone. She said to come in right away. So I gathered up Allyssa and went. I gave them my normal cup of pee to do their magic on and figured I'd just see the doctor and be told that I am fine and not to worry. Nope. "Fetal Monitoring" was what the sign on the door said. Great! I'll get to hear that baby's heart beat. How long do I have to monitor? 20 minutes. In case you aren't aware of how fetal monitoring in a doctor's office works, they close you up in a room by youself with two disks strapped to your belly and tell you to punch a button everytime the baby moves. The two disks monitor the baby's heartrate and checks for contractions. The thing is, I wasn't alone in the room. Allyssa came with me, remember? So for 20 minutes I had to lay down in a recliner while Allyssa initially played, but only for about half the time. Then she wanted to be up in Mommy's lap. Then she wanted to be down. Then she wanted me to help her, with what I don't know. Then she wanted to give me things, but my hands were busy holding the button I was supposed to push and holding the fetal heartrate monitor in place. So up she climbed into the chair again. The baby in my tummy either felt much sympathy for Allyssa and kicked to show his support of her tears and to empathize or kicked a lot to tell her "Sis, get off me!" Either way, when the nurse came in, I told her how sorry I was that I brought Allyssa because I was sure that the results were skewed due to the fact that Allyssa joined in the fun. The nurse laughed and said that it was okay, she could see where Allyssa climbed in my lap on the paper report and would let the doctor know. They were very nice about it. I was concerned they wouldn't be. I mean, who brings their kid with them? Aparently, me, but I really shouldn't have today. So then I took the monitors off without being told that I could and cleaned up the room (Allyssa had played in there for 10 minutes before she climbed up to join me, remember?). I fed Allyssa a banana and helped her play until we were told to go to the examination room. We looked at a picture of fruits and veggies on the wall for a while until Dr. Hunter came in. She was very kind about Allyssa joining us, as she always is. Then she said the sweetest words ever said to me by a doctor (at least in the last few weeks, I mean, I'm sure it was very sweet when they told me that my babies have been healthy every time they've told me, but just keep reading), "You don't have preeclampsia." Hooray! Then came the bad news: I have to go to the doctor's office twice a week from here on out and each time fetal monitoring will be done. That means that twice a week from here on out, I have to find someone to watch Allyssa. That means that two days a week from here on out, I don't get to spend those precious hours with Allyssa, her last precious hours of being an only child. The good news overshadows the bad news. And now I know what I'm supposed to do when I wake up and am swollen. That is great because I wake up swollen most days these days. So that's it. I'm okay and they are watching me very closely.

News of the day

2009-02-14T12:17:00.002-06:00

Today is the Jalapeno 100. David is doing the metric century, which is 62.5 miles. He'll be done soon, so Allyssa and I won't be able to see him finish because of her nap time. If it wasn't too windy, he would have done the full century, so we would have gone to Harlingen to see him finish. Sadly, the wind did not cooperate.

I woke up this morning with swollen hands and feet. I called a friend and asked if Allyssa could come over, especially since she has a cough which I think is from allergies. She said that it was fine. I then called the doctor (because of course finding a place for Allyssa to be is more important). It is a weekend, so the doctor on call is not my doctor, but a different one in town. She quoted statistics about the chances of my having preeclampsia again. Then she told me to stay home until I get another symptom (pains in my abdomen, headache that won't go away with Tylonol, swelling in my face, seeing spots, etc...). So I called my friend back (who by the way is part of the sweetest family in the whole world! Her husband volunteered to adjust his work schedule so that my friend could accompany me to the hospital since David would have to meet me there later. He was going to watch their two kids plus Allyssa!!) and said that I didn't have to go to the hospital afterall. So now it is just a wait until those symptoms appear or wait until Monday, whichever comes first. Monday, I'm supposed to call my doctor and get an early appointment so that tests can be run. So the hope is that I'm swollen for no good reason at all and that everything is fine. We'll find out next week, I guess.

Oh my!

2009-02-12T21:08:00.003-06:00

I forgot to tell you! Allyssa is copying a phrase of ours now: "Oh my!" She got the world messy with flour on accident while cooking with us and she said, "Oh my!" It was so cute!

Oh well

2009-02-12T20:46:00.002-06:00

So with Allyssa telling me every day right after or right before she needs a new diaper, I thought she might be ready to potty train. I cleaned her big girl panties and got out the potty. I started after her nap. No luck. She's totally not ready. She made it to the potty a few times (or at least to the bathroom), but she went to the bathroom way too many times in a 5 hour period. You see a child shouldn't go 15 times in an afternoon/evening. It wasn't that I was pumping her full of fluids. It was that she doesn't empty her bladder when she pees. She pees and is done; then two minutes later she wets her pants. Sometimes it happend three times per peeing session. Anyways, I figure that in a few months she'll be more patient and sit a little longer, and we'll try again then. For now the panties and potty are going to hide until that time comes around. At least now I know that it wouldn't have been easy to train her before the new baby arrives. So next time when I try, I won't question that.

New things Allyssa can do

2009-02-12T13:27:00.002-06:00

She said a 4 word "sentence." It was "Daddy cereal all gone." She prayed with her stuffed animals and then said "Amen!" She is super silly and laughs a lot. She does a lot of other stuff, but my pregnancy brain can't remember long enough to get it on the blog. Sorry!

2009-02-02T12:32:00.002-06:00

If you'd like to read about us not having water for 14 hours or my doctor appointment today, check out my other blog here.

Matching Game

2009-01-29T16:22:00.002-06:00

Grandma and Papa were here for a couple of days this week. They brought Allyssa a brand new deck of cards! She had a deck of big cards, but the pictures weren't good for playing with. The new deck has great pictures. Allyssa matched 6 different pictures today (all at once). They were: heart, bear, umbrella, moon, pie, and one more that I can't remember. Anyways, she did it like it was the easiest thing in the whole world. She could have easily done more if she didn't have the attention span of a 1 1/2 year old. Oh yeah. She is 1 1/2.

Very Pregnant Girl Update

2009-01-29T12:13:00.004-06:00

This VPG is 32 weeks along according to the email that some company sent me. I'm due April 3, so if that isn't right, you can let me know. Anyways, if it is right, I'm one week shy of how far along I was when Allyssa was born. I've been trying to get things ready for when O.K. comes along. So far I have a few sandwich bags filled with cooked ground turkey sausage in a big freezer bag in the freezer. I'm hoping to get more and more of it cooked so that meals can be made quickly and easily by anyone with no defrost time. When Allyssa was born my diet went out the window. I ate a lot of prepackaged items that happened to be high in cholesterol at home and when I was in town at the hospital I usually ate chicken nuggets from McDonald's and french fries. Turns out eating a horrendous diet like that can make a girl's cholesterol go through the roof. Simply going back to my regular way of eating and making sure to eat healthy cereal did the trick. I dropped over 100 points off my cholesterol in just 3 months. This time, I don't plan on eating a lot of bad-for-me foods. I figure that I can tell my house guests where my favorite recipes are and where the meat is and they can fix it for me. We don't eat a lot of meat at my house. Mainly ground turkey sausage, and only 1/2 pound per meal; each meal is made to feed 2 adults supper one night and lunch the next day. Obviously, if there are a lot of guests, they'll have to use more meat, but if it is just 2 or 4 adults total, we'll do fine for supper. We might have to have something besides leftovers for lunch, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there. I also have cookie dough frozen in little balls in the freezer and a fresh batch of refried beans made. I think I'll need more of both of those, but it is a good start.
O.K.'s room is looking good. We've got it painted, most pictures on the wall, the guest room furniture out, and most needed things purchased. We are now working on getting the office set up as a guest room and contemplating moving the office to the den. We'll see.
As far as PIH symptoms go, I'm doing okay. Today I got a little worried because I felt nauseous and had a bit of a headache, but I took 2 Tylenol (only my second time to do this this pregnancy) and ate lunch. Now I'm feeling better. I have an appointment on Monday, so I'll ask to have more tests run if they don't run them without my asking. Maybe we'll get to talk about when they'll schedule my C-section. Last I checked, the doctor would only say that I would have a c-section at 39 weeks unless she changed her mind. If she doesn't set a date, maybe I can figure out what day of the week she typically does them. I know that Allyssa's was an emergency, so it wasn't necessarily on the day they normally do it, so that doesn't help me.

Inauguration

2009-01-20T12:29:00.005-06:00

I realize that my daughter is too young to remember this inauguration, but she and I watched it anyways. Not because I wanted to see it very, very much, but because I thought that it was important that Allyssa "see" it so that when she is older I can tell her that she saw a very historical inauguration. When it actually took place, Allyssa was watching the T.V. (a lot of the time she was playing and reading even though I only had the T.V. on for about 40 minutes; she doesn't watch T.V. really, so she doesn't stare at it). Her reaction? She clapped. Most likely she had no concept of what just occurred, but everyone on the whole screen was clapping, so she must have figured she should, too. When she is 12 or so and learning about this in school, I'll be glad to tell her that she watched it, clapped at the inauguration, and that she was 1 1/2 years old. Now my reasons for not caring to watch it so much are simple: You'll have to check out my other blog for them though because I ramble too much.

Sonogram today

2009-01-19T19:48:00.002-06:00

Today the baby was measured to weigh 3 pounds 1 oz which is perfect for his age (between 29 and 30 weeks). I seem to be very healthy as my last urine catch showed everything to be "almost negligable" (all the fun stuff that they look for to show signs of preeclampsia weren't there), so all looks good. I saw the other doctor (she was there when Dr. Hunter delivered Allyssa) today. She didn't think I needed more blood work today or another urine catch. So I am free for the next 2 weeks. I'll see Dr. Hunter then, and will certainly have to give more fluids.
Dr. Infante told me that I very well could have more children reguardless of my c-sections. Recently I was told that 3 is the magic number for c-sections. As it turns out, that is just what people say. Infante said that when they open me up for this C, they'll look at the scar and see if it looks like there is a lot of scar tissue or not. They'll use this to judge how this scar will most likely heal and let me know then if I can have Baby #3. Most of the time 3 Cs are fine (occasionally after 1 C it will look like the mother has had 6 Cs because of the amount of scar tissue, however, Infante did a C on a woman who was having her 6th C and it looked like it was her first). If I am able to have Baby #3 they will let me know after that C if it looks okay enough to try for Baby #4. (She said "Usually 3 or 4 is the most that we like to do, but really it depends on the mother.") The process just goes on from there. So you must be asking yourself how many kids I plan on having. Too bad. You'll just have to wait and see.

Very Pregnant Girl

2009-01-18T14:01:00.002-06:00

I'm about 30 weeks pregnant. That means 9 weeks or less left until my c-section and O.K. (Other Kid) gets to meet everyone! Enjoy the photo!

2009-01-14T19:40:00.002-06:00

Having read 2 posts today on morning routines (see here and here) I figured I'd see if I could come up with a routine that I already follow so that I can see if I like it. Here goes:

1. Wake up, get dressed, eat breakfast. OR Get Allyssa up, dress her, fix her breakfast and eat.
2. Play with Allyssa
3. Decide on the day's chores and do at least one with Allyssa
4. Play with Allyssa
5. Fix lunch and eat it

Yeah that's pretty much it. I think I like it. I "schedule" a lot of play time into most days. Although, some mornings do include a trip to the grocery store, MOPS, or Story Time. A lot of days are simply filled with play time. We try to go outside some of the time and be inside other parts of the day. This all depends on the heat.

Naps and Bedtime

2009-01-14T13:05:00.002-06:00

Allyssa decided a few days ago that she would take a 3 hour nap. This may sound like a good thing, unless you knew that she was staying up until 9 because of it (although it was in her crib, she was still awake). Yesterday, I thought I'd attempt to fix the problem. After 2 hours, I put away her laundry in her room. She woke up very happy and fell asleep last night wonderfully. Today, I figured I'd try something similar. I had diapers to put away (we use cloth, so I always have diapers to put away). Unfortunatly for me, she proved once again that she can out-smart Mommy. After just one hour of napping, she woke up for the afternoon. Sadly for her she didn't know that Mommy has a 1 1/2 hour rule. Good thing she has a stuffed dog to keep her company. I've got to go put a few things away before I go get her.

It's back...

2009-01-13T13:19:00.003-06:00

We went outside to play this morning. Allyssa was in a good mood. We had a good time. By the time we came inside, I noticed she wasn't as happy as she had been. It got worse as lunch approached. I noticed that it wasn't hunger or sleepiness or need for a diaper change. Then, after she went down for a nap, I went out to check the mail. It wasn't hard to see what it was. It's back. The sky was an odd color to the north of us. The wind is blowing from the north, so it is making its way in. A few minutes later, I looked out the kitchen window and saw the whole sky was now consumed. The light shining in the window wasn't a normal shade. The smell is on my clothes from just the few minutes outside getting the mail. My poor baby. She'll be sick for a few days at least. Hopefully it will be gone soon. I thought it was gone until next fall, but they must burn in January, too. I hate sugar cane season. Allyssa will have to have her bedding cleaned daily and baths each night until this is gone. Please, smoke, go away soon!

Sticks!

2009-01-12T20:21:00.003-06:00

Allyssa decided that collecting sticks would be her new hobby. Yesterday, she just collected them in the backyard. Today she collected some in the backyard, but when we had to go out front because of some church stuff, she happily brought the sticks she had collected into the front yard, happily took them over to church and found more sticks. Then she walked around church collecting sticks and saying "More stick." At one point she had 12 sticks and one branch. We counted them and put them in a pile. She learned the word pile and enjoyed counted them all each time we added a new one. It was great fun! "More stick."

19 months

2009-01-07T12:29:00.002-06:00

Allyssa is over 19 months now and cute as can be. She knows the following body parts:
head, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, tongue, teeth, shoulder, tummy, knees, elbow, hand, fingers, toes, and get this...eyebrow!
She can also do all the motions for "Jesus Loves Me" although they are not all perfect they are close.
She began playing by herself. It makes me sad. I know I should clean something when she does this, but I want to play too!! Yesterday she played almost the whole day by herself. She played in the morning before I left for my doctor apt. Then when David came over to watch her while I was gone she played by herself. Then, when I got home, she played by herself. It was very bizarre.

picking up toys

2009-01-06T13:54:00.002-06:00

We've been teaching Allyssa to pick up her toys at bedtime for the past couple of weeks (except a few days while we had visitors over Christmas). It has really worked well. The first time we tried it, Allyssa cried and refused to help. It was the first time, so it didn't bother us. After that the crying slowly became less and less, but she was mainly an observer. Then one day, she helped by putting her milk away. Perfect. The next day, she put a book and her milk away. She puts about 4 items away each night now before bed. For a 1 1/2 year old, I say that that is just fine. I'm pleased!

Christmas tree

2009-01-05T21:28:00.003-06:00

Only one ornament was broken in the taking of these photos.

Pictures!

2009-01-05T21:18:00.002-06:00

Allyssa giving Daddy toys. Yes, they are praying about it in one of these pictures. Allyssa prays about random things all day long.

But I don't want to forget the fun...

2009-01-05T20:39:00.002-06:00

Today was so wonderful, and I have some pictures of some of the wonderful things. Sadly, I can't get the pictures off my camera. The screen that usually pops up to get the pictures off isn't popping up. Instead a little box pops up with two folders in it that don't hold my pictures. So bizzare. David can fix it! I believe he can fix anything.

Okay, back to my day. I have to tell all the stories because I don't want to forget the fun!

This afternoon Allyssa and I went to Wal-mart. She always totes around at least one toy when we take a car ride. Today, it was 3 toys, two babies and a big stuffed lamb. One baby was left in the car, but the lamb and the other baby made it into Wal-mart. It doesn't bother me for her to tote her toys into stores. Really, I could care less what she brings; as long as she isn't crying, I'm good. We did our shopping and she even let me go through my coupons to make sure that I wasn't missing anything that I really needed to get, like a bottle for O.K. (Other Kid) that was $3 off with my coupon because I really think that he needs fresh bottles. Allyssa didn't use bottles much, but you never know one kid to the next, so I figured that having some on hand was a good idea, and when is $3 off not a good idea? During the last couple of minutes of shopping, Allyssa realized that the panties that were on her baby are no longer there. They haven't been there for about 1 1/2 weeks. I told her that I knew the panties were gone, and that it is really okay. As we checked out she kept looking under the baby's dress for the panties and saying "pa-ties." Outside on the way to the car one of the legs on the doll popped off while she was looking for the "pa-ties." I died laughing. She was holding the leg of the doll and just looking at it like she was so confused. I'm sure she was. I stopped walking and tried to get the leg back on, but it wasn't easy. I passed an employee that I've talked to before and said hello between laughs. He put away the carts he was pushing and came to get my cart and see what was so funny. Allyssa was now looking very concerned, saying uh-oh and pa-ties. Fernando tried to put the baby's leg back on, but couldn't. I was still laughing. Then a man from church came up to us to see what all the fun was about. It was really hilarious. Once we got home, David put the baby back together because he got home at about the same time that we did. All is well with the baby now (except she still doesn't wear panties).

At supper today, Allyssa decided that Daddy needed kisses. Lots of kisses. She must have given him 20 kisses. We had to move her closer to him so that he could reach her. It was so precious.

After supper, David was playing with Allyssa, and I was putting dishes away. Allyssa gave David (who was sitting on the floor) a doll and a dog. At first she thought that this might be enough and she sat down on his lap, too. But no, it wasn't enough. By the end of it all he had 7 babies, 1 monkey, 3 bunnies, 2 dogs, 1 racoon, 2 bears, 1 duck, a book, and a plastic decorative gift card holder. And of course Allyssa found a place on his lap and couldn't understand why he couldn't read a book to her.

We also finally took pictures in front of the tree tonight. It is the 12th day of Christmas, you know.

January photos

2009-01-05T12:47:00.004-06:00

I'm never going to catch up with my photos, so I'll just start with January.

Allyssa insisited that Daddy play tea party with her. He got up to get water (and to try to get out of wearing the hat) and came back and sat on the couch, but Allyssa turned to face him, pointed at him and the chair he was supposed to sit in and then reached towards him with the hat. Obviously, he was supposed to sit with her and wear the hat. They really did have a good time. David kept trying to take the hat off, but Allyssa wasn't upset, she just kept giving it back to him. She came up with this by herself. I hadn't played tea party with her yet.

We hadn't had a toilet paper issue with Allyssa until this occured a couple of days ago. Silly girl.

Allyssa was given this wagon by her Grandma and Grandpa. She filled it herself with her favorite stuffed animals and dolls and took them for a walk around the house.

Cookie Making

2009-01-02T22:28:00.002-06:00

Allyssa loves to cook. She'll even try to drag the stool to the counter so that she can help. This picture was taken on Dec. 18th. Since then we've made and eaten more cookies than I care to count! But they sure are yummy!

Sleep change

2008-12-15T22:23:00.002-06:00

We've changed Allyssa's bedtime routine by adding putting away toys and subtracting rocking. We were putting her toys away for her, but now she is required to help. She doesn't care for it because she is tired and she sees toys she'd still like to play with, but everything takes time and she will learn. As far as not rocking Allyssa, that has gone well. For the week and a half or so before we took away rocking, Allyssa was not falling asleep when we rocked her anyways. She was going to bed awake and staying awake for up to an hour and a half before falling asleep on her own. She always was put in her crib at 7:30. Now she is put in her crib with no rocking at about 7:15 or 7:20. Saturday was the first try. She was up for 1 hour before falling asleep. That was typical of a normal day, so we weren't frustrated with the results. Sunday, she was holding a stuffed dog, so David put her to bed with it. She fell asleep on her own within 20 minutes. No crying. Some fussing. Today we gave her the dog. No crying or fussing. Asleep withing 15 minutes. I think she likes this new bedtime routine (except for the putting toys away part).

Scheduling Part 2

2008-12-13T19:54:00.002-06:00

One reason I really love a schedule is that it helps the parents see when something needs to be changed. I know that my daughter needs a new bedtime routine because she quit going to sleep easily. She quit caring that she was being rocked and often fell asleep in bed on her own. It would take her a while, but she would do it, and often quietly.

Today a new bedtime routine was started. We bathed her and got her dressed for bed, read 2 books to her and gave kisses. We wrapped her up and gave her her pacifier, but instead of sitting down in the den to rock her, we carried her straight back to her room. She was quiet at first, like she has been every night this week when I've laid her down to sleep. Then she began to cry. I know that she can fall asleep on her own, so no rocking for her tonight. It will be hard for her at first because she is used to being rocked, but she'll get the idea. In a couple of weeks, she'll be much better at this.

Another reason that I like my particular schedule is that it includes a lot of unscheduled time. Approximatly 5 days out of every week, Allyssa does not have to go anywhere or do anything in particular from the time she is done with breakfast until lunch time and again from the time she wakes from her afternoon nap until supper. I think that this is very important. This is the time in which Allyssa develops most of her skills. This is the time in which I teach her new words like "grass" when we see the dog roll around in it. This is the time in which Allyssa gets to practice her fine motor skills and learn shapes and colors and everything else that toddlers learn. Not every minute of every morning or every afternoon of these days occur at our house, but most do.
For example: Today I needed to go to the store to get milk and a few other things. Allyssa got bored with the particular thing she was playing with, so I said to her, "Allyssa would you like to play, go to the store, or clean something?" I was open to any of these ideas knowing that the trip to the store could be delayed until another time. Now Allyssa is 18 months old and does not know how to say the words "play," "store," or "clean," but she does understand that I ask her similar questions often and that she is getting to choose the next activity. Today, going to the store was her choice (and she had a great time talking with every customer in the whole store). I knew that this was her choice because after I asked the question, she walked directly to the workshop where the shoes are kept.

Other days she does not get the option for a trip to the store. Some days her options are dolls, blocks, or a walk. The important thing in my opinion is that she is learning to make decisions and she is spending the majority of her time at home. Car trips teach toddlers very little. Sure, after a while, toddlers will become easier travellers than they were before or they'll learn to "read" a book in the car, but at this age learning takes place in an environment like home. That doesn't mean that I think that kids should go no where, but I do think that outings shouldn't take place too often. (I am also not saying that home is the only place kids learn. Kids who attend daycare have schedules and days very similar to my daughter's daily activities. All moms know that no one can replace them, but some moms do need or have to work and other moms choose to work. My personal choice is to be a professional mother. I take my job as a mom very seriously and know that it is just as respectable as the work of mothers who work outside the home. I don't know what it is like to be a mom who works outside the home, so because I cannot understand their situation or lifestyle choice as well as they can, I think it is important for me to find worth in my own occupation and allow them to find worth in what they do as well. And of course, as Christians, we know that our true worth is found in Christ.)

Night-Night

2008-12-13T19:51:00.002-06:00

I was sitting next to a pillow, and Allyssa patted it and said, "Night-night." I layed my head down and said it back to her and began to pretend to snore. Allyssa watched me for a little while and then tottered off to get a toy. I was thinking, "Oh how sweet! She's bringing me something to cuddle with!" She came back with a little, plastic pig.

My pretend snoring sounds like a pig! (Good thing I really don't snore! :) )

Scheduling

2008-12-11T13:09:00.002-06:00

I'm all about a schedule. I like them very much. I feel like life is much less hectic and chaotic with one. Here is Allyssa's current schedule (and I am LOVING it):

6:30 am sometimes arouses to get a pacifier and will either play quietly or fall back asleep; other days she sleeps right through

7:00-7:30 am Allyssa wakes up. After waking she likes to stay in her crib with one of us there talking with her for a few minutes. Then, we dress her.

7:00-7:45 am Somewhere in this time Allyssa eats breakfast. She eats oatmeal often and will eat an entire adult serving. She also likes omlets (thank you Sarah for the omlet pot!!), pancakes, and French toast.

After breakfast she usually gets her second diaper of the day, but it is play time.

Somewhere around 8:30 we get Mommy all ready for the day and say goodbye to Daddy.

She often wants to play outside at 9, but not always. We will also go on short shopping trips to get groceries at this time about twice a week.

Recently, she has given up her morning snack. I ask her if she wants one at 9:30, and if she doesn't she tells me what she wants to play with. We play together inside or outside until 11 when she begins to tell me that Daddy needs to come home and she wants to eat and take a nap. We look for Daddy out the window and change her diaper. Then we start getting lunch ready while we look for Daddy.

11:30 am: Lunch

11:45 am: Nap

1:30 or 2 pm: Nap over. Snack time. During snack time, I cook supper and stick it in the refrigerator to be heated later.

After snack: play indoors or out. Allyssa gets ready for Daddy to come home around 4. I try to stall her with toys, going outside or sweeping. She loves to help sweep and vacuum the kitchen.

5pm: Supper gets stuck in the microwave. Daddy gets home.

5:15 or 5:30: Supper

Right after supper right now we do Advent devos that she really loves. They only last a couple of minutes, but they are the highlight of her evening. After supper she plays with the nativity by the Christmas tree or any other toy she wants.

6:30: Milk. Allyssa doesn't need a snack most nights before bed, but she will occasionally ask for one. She does drink some milk before bed every night.

6:45: Bath time occurs every other day. If David is the one giving her a bath, he starts 5 minutes later than I do.

7:00: If it is a non-bath night getting dressed for bed happens now.

7:05: If it is a bath night, getting dressed for bed happens now.

7:15: 2 books and lots of kisses

7:15: Rock for 15 minutes
7:30: Put to bed, awake or asleep. She often will fall asleep on her own these days after we lay her down. If not, she gets re-rocked around 8 but that doesn't happen very often any more.

She has been sleeping through the night more and more regularly, but sometimes she does wake up. Last night she did because of a stupid train that blared its horn the whole way through town and was going at snail's pace because of road construction. Allyssa didn't sleep through that and needed a pacifier and to be tucked back in, then she fell right asleep.

Pregnancy Stuff

2008-12-08T20:09:00.003-06:00

I never can decide which blog to put stuff about my pregnancy stuff on this one or that one. Everything is going well. My pee and blood looked good that they stole from me Thanksgiving week. Isn't that nice? As of right now there are no signs of preeclampsia which is great because I had symptoms this early with Allyssa. I am having hip problems. The doctor said it was a nerve, but it really feels like a joint problem. The doctor is probably right and I just don't know what a nerve problem feels like. It isn't fun. It used to only be a problem every once in a while when I would be walking and would only last a minute or two. Now my back is sore, and I'm convinced that is related to the hip, and it hurts when I lay down (sleeping is not fun), and when I sit sometimes, and especially when I get up. The doctor said that if my hip didn't get better soon (and this was a month ago) that it wouldn't until after I gave birth. Looks like I'm in it for the duration. She said that the uterus or something would be moving and that would either relieve my pain or not. Boo. It didn't help.

Big Tree

2008-11-30T19:27:00.003-06:00

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

2008-11-25T19:56:00.003-06:00

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

2008-11-19T14:24:00.003-06:00

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

2008-11-19T13:33:00.002-06:00

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

2008-11-18T13:47:00.002-06:00

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

2008-11-17T12:57:00.001-06:00

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...

2008-11-17T11:59:00.004-06:00

...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.