2013 - Weeks 46-49

Well, clearly the Holiday’s and the chaos of this time of year have caught up to me, in a major way! I haven’t posted in weeks, I’m so behind! And, my lack of picture taking has continued. I’ve been pretty good about keeping my little bullet list of daily happenings, so at least I actually can update! Just a disclaimer…this is going to end up being the world’s LONGEST blog post, as I try to squeeze a few weeks into one post, and catch up (before the year ends, AH!)

Week 46

Monday was Veteran’s Day, so I was home to myself. Even better, the girls had school and Christian was not off, so after a lazy weekend of doing little to nothing, I was geared up for a productive day, all to myself! I dropped the girls off at school, and made my way right to Target to do our weekly/grocery shopping. They weren’t even open yet! I flew through the store, made my way home and settled in for the day. I did some laundry throughout the day, I cut up and packed up some fruits and veggies for work, I packed up all of the Halloween stuff and got it back down in storage. The relaxing weekend was well worth it, but it was nice to get some stuff checked off the to-do list! I picked the girls up in the evening, made dinner, and we spent the night hanging out together. And, of course, after bedtime for the girls, it was The Walking Dead night for us. YES – the only thing that makes Monday’s bearable!

On Tuesday, I started doing some research on new cameras. I love our camera, and we’ve never had any real issues with it, I’m just ready to step up to the next level. For one, my camera doesn’t take the best indoor pictures, so we’re really lacking in that area – I need a quick flash! For two, it’s getting older, and the battery doesn’t hold much of a charge anymore. And, for three, I’m just a photography fanatic and I really want to upgrade. So, I’m looking into different brands and comparing, and we’ll be watching for some Black Friday deals! Also, today I turned 100 days pregnant. Doesn’t that seem crazy?!? That seems like a LONG time. I mean, I have 180 to go, but still. 100 days of this little life growing inside me, that’s just amazing. I guilted my Mom, into making this pistachio fudge that I found on pinterest…OMG, so good! And, followed that up by guilting Christian into bring home some Thai food for dinner. Yup, I’d say that makes for a great day!

On Wednesday, my baby turned 170,000 miles. Now, I complain, and I really do hate cars with a passion, but I have to say. Overall, this car has been pretty good to us. Christian has been able to keep up with most of the maintenance, so even though I’ve hit a couple bumps along the way, it keeps trekking along, getting us where we need to go. I’m actually getting kind of sad at the thought of getting rid of it in a few months. Right now, we have my car, and Christian’s pick-up. Neither of them can fit three car-seats, so one is definitely going, and we’ll be moving up to a mini-van (yes, I say UP, because I’m ecstatic about it, and I cannot wait!). We’ve always thought the car would go...it’s older, it’s not in the best shape, and it’s mine, so it was the logical thought. But, now I’m thinking it would be best to get rid of the truck. I did mention it to Christian, and he was surprisingly open to the idea, so we’ll see. We’ll be buying the mini-van brand new…I’ve never had a new car, and we want it to last the long haul and have good coverage. We should have a good chunk of money saved up to put towards a down-payment, which, matched with our great credit, should help get us a low interest rate and keep our payment down. And, my uncle works for the dealership, so we’ll get a family discount. In addition to that, my points on keeping the car, vs. the truck, include:

1.      We can sell the truck, for more money, which we can then turn around and put toward the van.

2.      Insurance on the car is much cheaper than the truck, and the car gets GREAT gas mileage – filling up every 10-12 days, vs. the truck that is more expensive to fill, and gets filled weekly.

3.      I’m hoping to pay the van off in 2-3 years, at which point Christian can then get a new vehicle (most likely an SUV).

4.      The only benefit to having the truck now is that we get screwed into helping everybody and their mother move/pick stuff up all the time – and I’m over it.

Our current consensus is we’ll see how this winter goes, and how the car stands-up. So, fingers crossed! Other than that, the day was pretty standard. I’ve been having a lot of stomach pain and issues lately, and I’m starting to think spicy food is not agreeing with me. Which, is NOT good. That, is the latest pregnancy development.

Olivia drew Equestria Girls today...pretty good!

Thursday was a pretty low-key day. Nothing too interesting to report. Although, the realization that Thanksgiving is two weeks from today was a pretty big shock. It’s even late this year, and it still seems like it’s coming too fast!!

Friday was my day off. Yes folks, it was a 3-day work week for me. Talk about perfection! I seriously spent the day doing nothing. NOTHING! And, it was amazing. I rested, ate, and caught up on Hulu all day long. But, that quickly turned into a very chaotic night. The school called me around 2:00, with Amelia just screaming in the background, crying like crazy. She had gone down for her nap, but woke up in that state, complaining that her ear was hurting. She’d randomly said the last few days that her ear hurt, but nothing really came of it. Well, now it was clearly very painful. So, I was off to pick them up. We had to wait for Urgent Care to open, so I took them to Target and we walked around a bit and picked up a few things for the house. Finally, we were off to the clinic. Of course, the new “Quick Clinic” – which is faster and cheaper, was not open tonight because of staffing limitations. So we waited FOREVER for an Urgent Care appointment. Finally got in, and again, waited forever in the room. Sure enough, double ear infection. With our most recent fear that Amelia is allergic to penicillin, she was prescribed a different antibiotic. I had the prescription filled at Target…Christian wasn’t home yet, so we were all off to Target again. Again, took forever. I had to set up a new account with them, it was busy as all get out, and it took them forever to fill the prescription. The girls were getting very antsy and fighting with each other non-stop, and I was getting stressed to the max. I finally went back up to the window, and sure enough it was ready – they just didn’t feel the need to tell me so. Finally, we were off, and back home. We had some dinner, and it was basically bedtime. I was so exhausted by this point, I didn’t last much longer myself. Ugh. Amelia spent the night with me, and slept pretty good, but did wake up crying a couple times. Poor thing.

Go a smile from my baby before heading to the doctor. So sweet.

Saturday was another pretty busy day. Christian spent the day with a couple of friends, helping his parents move. They’ve been living down the street from us for a couple of years, but are moving back up to St. Paul, closer to her work. Can’t say I hate it (you know, in-laws…plus a total mama’s boy, drives me crazy). Amelia was off to spend the day with my mom – she still wasn’t feeling too great, so they took it pretty easy – she did take a nice long nap though! Meanwhile, Olivia and I spent the day together. First, we were off to my friend Michelle’s baby shower. Olivia spent the entire shower watching video’s on my phone, while I caught up with some friends. Always a good time. We stopped home after the shower to relax for a bit, and then we were off to her first ever “friend from school” birthday party. She was SO excited. This little girl Amaiyah invited her to her party…at Chuck E. Cheese. Olivia had so much fun playing with her little friend and playing all of the games. She was so mad when it was time to leave. I told her maybe on her birthday we could go there and play for a little bit after school – we’ll see. Finally, we were on our way to pick up Amelia, and head back home. Bella and her dad were still over visiting, so the girls got to play for a little bit, before heading off to bed. What a day!

Ready to spend the day with my mini-me!

She left the shower with the best gift...balloons!

Chuck E Cheese Fun!

Sunday was a little less chaotic, but, of course, I woke up with a pounding headache. I’m seriously SO over these headaches, I can hardly stand it. I did take some Tylenol, but it never really did go away all the way. So, I spent most of the day relaxing and trying to take it easy. The girls played together pretty well most of the day, and took a nice nap, so that was helpful. Finally, we were off to swim class – sitting in a hot, humid pool area is really not much fun when you’re feeling so crappy. FYI. I thought I’d really like these Sunday classes, but I’m really looking forward to getting back to Saturday mornings next session!

In other news, I turned 15 weeks today! Nothing too new to report…still getting some nausea and stomach pains here and there, and these dang headaches! But, not the end of the world.

Week 47

Monday was really just a typical Monday. The girls were off to school, we were off to work. A long 5-day week nonetheless. Seriously, you think they would’ve changed that by now…I think 4-days should be the new standard! The girls have been doing well in school – nothing new to report really. I’ve been working with Amelia on her listening and reminding her every day NO TODDLER ROOM today! Her teacher still adores her though, no matter how naughty she is, so I guess it’s not the end of the world. LOL. Her ear has still been bothering her a bit, so I’m hoping she doesn’t end up needing another round of medication. Olivia has been doing well – she seems to be learning how to deal with Amelia better, and working on her aggression. Christian’s work is picking up for the Holiday season, so he should be pretty busy, and racking up a bit of OT for the next month or so. My work is pretty standard – everything is fairly steady still, which helps keep the days moving. This evening was just a standard Monday night – dinner, hang out, and The Walking Dead. I’ll take it!

On Tuesday I FINALLY had my latest prenatal appointment. FINALLY!!! Things went well. At a little over 15 weeks I’ve gained about 7 lbs. I don’t really LIKE that, but I also don’t think it’s horrible. But, of course, we had to have the weight gain talk. I love my midwife, and she’s SUPER awesome, except about this. I just really don’t want to be lectured on my weight, or what I gain. First of all, I’m the kind of person that looks at food, and gains weight. That’s just the way it is. With the girls, I didn’t really do anything different between the two, other than I may have been more active with Amelia since I had a toddler to chase after, but with Olivia I gained 50 lbs, and Amelia I gained 27. I just firmly believe your body is going to do what it wants to do. I refuse to spend this entire pregnancy obsessing over my weight. I already have an entire plan written up for once baby comes, and I’m very motivated to finally lose, and finish losing, this weight. I know that this baby is our last, so I never have to worry about going through it again. I just want to relax, and enjoy the pregnancy and not constantly be reminded that I’m not perfect. Ugh!! It’s funny, because one of her main points is that there is research to show the more you gain, the bigger the baby. Well, even with the weight gain difference, the girls were 7.3 and 7.7…and Amelia was the bigger one! So, I just don’t buy into that. End of rant. On the plus side, I did FINALLY hear the baby’s heartbeat today. It took a while to find it, and she couldn’t keep it for long, but we heard it. It was 136 – much lower than the girls’ ever were, and perfect. Love that! Other than that, the day was normal. Work, picked the girls up, dinner, hung out. They’ve actually been playing downstairs a bit again, which is nice. Though, it will be temporary – we’ll be deep cleaning the house this weekend in preparation for Thanksgiving and the baby shower I’m hosting, so the girls will be confined! And, Amelia has still been sleeping in our bed. Now, when I tell her its bedtime, she heads right to our room. LOL. I love having her in there with me, but I know I have to get her back in her own. We’ll work on that.

They went to the basement normal....and came up fancy!

Wednesday was a rough day for me at work. I know part of it is pregnancy hormones getting the best of me, but I’ve been getting SO frustrated lately. I keep getting put in these positions that I’m not comfortable with…people make decisions regarding my projects, that I don’t agree with, yet I have to carry out because I have no choice. It just seems to be happening more and more, and I really don’t like it. And, it just seems like EVERYTHING we touch nowadays turns into some kind of issue…either the contract itself, the project after the fact, the funding, poor management – whatever the case, it’s constant. I’m just EXHAUSTED! I seriously can’t wait for maternity leave already! It’s going to be very hard to come back. I’ve never so seriously considered the idea of staying home before. I know it’s not for me, but I’m so ready to just calm my life down to one “job” and reduce the stress in my life. Honestly, if there were any possible way I could get my job back, or something similar, 6/7/8 years from now – I’d seriously do it. Ugh, one can dream, right?!? In better news, I did start on our 2013 “year in review” book on my lunch break today (yes, I was so annoyed, that I actually took a lunch break today! Pretty foreign in real life). It’s going to take a while, but I’m so excited. I love putting these together and reliving our year.

Thursday was not quite as “exciting”. However, it was a very icy, cold day. I can’t wait until we get our parking ramp outside of the building next year, it’s going to be HEAVEN, and so much safer! It did remind me of one of the recent “daily tips” I got on my pregnancy app. It was all about icy/snowy weather, and having your partner help you when walking to avoid falling. I mean, seriously? This is Minnesota, I don’t think Christian can follow me around for 5 months protecting me from falling. LOL

On Friday I woke up in a lot of pain. My neck and the back of my head were just throbbing and aching – I’d obviously slept weird or something. It was horrible though. I ended up taking some Tylenol and laying on a heating pad for a while before work. The girls got ready while I rested, and we were finally off. Not TOO late, but I was feeling a little better, so it was worth it. I had a busy, hectic morning at work, trying to tie off all of the week’s loose ends before the weekend. In addition, I left at lunchtime for the day, with a couple of coworkers, to grab some lunch and go see “Hunger Games: Catching Fire”.  Now, that’s how you spend a Friday afternoon! The movie was really good, I can’t wait until the next one comes out! I picked up the girls on my way home, and we spent the evening hanging out at home. Christian picked up some dinner on his way and we all relaxed together. The girls attempted to have a slumber party tonight, but it did not go well. We eventually had to remove Olivia from their room, so they could finally fall asleep. I wonder if we’ll ever be able to put them to bed at the same time, in the same room, and have them actually go to sleep…

Building a marble maze.

Slumber Party!

Saturday was busy, busy, busy! We were kicking off deep clean weekend. Well, Christian was off to work first. I dropped the girls off at my mom’s for the day, and got to work. I tackled the basement, getting everything picked up, organized, dusting, vacuuming and putting everything back in its place. It took all day, but it looks great! Once Christian was home, he got to work on the bathrooms – that’s his job! He got them both sparkly clean and looking brand new, and everything was starting to come together. My mom dropped the girls off while we were finishing up, so they took a little nap. Once they were up, we had some dinner, and Christian was off to watch the fight with a friend.  I cleaned our bedrooms, got the girls off to bed, and settled in for the night. Exhausted, but there’s nothing like a clean house! One more day – this weekend is going to be over before we know it!

Amelia woke up during the night Sunday, throwing up. Not sure what was going on there, no fever or anything, but she wasn’t quite herself all day. We were supposed to go to a birthday party this evening, but I didn’t want to risk getting our friends sick, so we had to skip it. The girls played and watched some videos most of the day while Christian and I finished our cleaning. He was off to rent a carpet cleaning, and then proceeded to get the upstairs, the chairs and the stairs cleaned. Meanwhile, I tackled the dishes, the kitchen, the living room and did some laundry throughout the day. We did manage to watch the Vikings game while cleaning up – the game ended in a tie. A TIE! That’s painful – and, seriously, shouldn’t be allowed. Olivia and I were off to swim class and then we spent the evening taking it easy. Heading into another week, but at least it was a short week, with a nice LOOOOONG weekend to follow!

Also, today I turned 16 weeks. It seems to be going so fast! Still feeling pretty much the same. Not AS nauseous, or as many headaches, so maybe I’m taking the turn!

Week 48

On Monday I woke up feeling GOOD…like, really good. No headache, no nausea, no aches and pains. I couldn’t believe it, and was just hopeful it was a new reality. I dropped the girls off at school, and ended up working from home for the day. I got a late start, and even though Amelia was doing fine, I was worried I’d end up getting a call about her. So, I figured I’d stay close to home, and I get so much more done from home anyway, it was really a win-win. I did have to run into work for a meeting, but that was in. I spent the day flying through just about every new request I had, so that was huge. Amelia did end up making it through the day, with no issues whatsoever. Maybe it was just something she ate after all? Who knows. Before I picked them up, I was off to do our Thanksgiving shopping and got everything checked off the list. House is clean, groceries purchased, we’re ready! I picked the girls up, made some dinner and we spent the evening making sure the house stayed clean…that will be interesting!

Our first new baby purchase...I can't wait to try it out!

Tuesday was a very busy day at work. Of course, I spent all morning catching up on e-mails, getting my work I did at home going, and getting caught up. The afternoon went just as fast…if only every day could be like that!  This Friday is my usual day off, but it’s also a Holiday, so I’m debating when I actually want to use my flex day…tomorrow, or Monday. That was the big dilemma of the day (I know, must be rough).

They made Thanksgiving Placemats at school. Super cute!

On Wednesday, my flex day debate-decision was made for me. Olivia woke up miserable, and threw up – all over the couch. Luckily, it was all water, but she was complaining her stomach hurt. She has been complaining about that a lot off and on. We don’t give her a ton of attention because of it, so we’re pretty sure she’s not faking. It’s pretty frustrating though. So, I decided to stay home, and keep here there with me. We dropped Amelia off, stopped at Walmart to get her some ginger ale, crackers and kids pepto , and relaxed at home all day. She did start feeling better, and I was able to get her to eat some soup for lunch (and, an entire sleeve of crackers!). However, I started developing a MAJOR headache and getting nauseous. By dinner time, I was writhing in pain on the couch my stomach hurt so badly. Christian got the girls some dinner on his way home, but I couldn’t bring myself to eat. It was some serious pain…not really cramping or anything like that, just PAIN. Of course, I’d planned on doing our final kitchen clean up tonight, but that didn’t happen. And, I couldn’t even bring myself to get our caramel rolls out to rise overnight for our traditional caramel rolls/parade Thanksgiving morning. Thanksgiving was starting to look pretty iffy at this point. I was right off to bed once the girls went down, that’s for sure.

Thursday was Thanksgiving Day. And, thankfully, I woke up feeling pretty good. Not 100%, but I was getting there. The girls watched the parade and played together while Christian helped me finish cleaning the kitchen and start setting up tables and all that. I baked the apple and pumpkin pies, and made the cranberry sauce. We gave the girls a bath and sent them off for their naps. I peeled potatoes and started the new crock-pot mashed potatoes recipe my mom found.  Finally, Christian and I were showered and ready, Olivia woke up, and our family started showing up. Olivia and her cousins fled right to the basement and pretty much stayed there most of the day. I got the cheesy potatoes going, while my sister-in-law mashed the potatoes and my mother-in-law prepared the green bean casserole. Christian and his dad took to the driveway to fry the turkey, while I finished up the mashed potatoes, heated up his parents’ stuffing and got everything set up and ready to eat. Finally, it was time to EAT!!!!!!!! So much food, and so delicious. I can’t hardly stand it. We ate, watched some football, chatted. Once we were appropriately miserable, we cleaned up and packed away all of the leftovers. Next up, we all bundled up and made our way outside to light up the Christmas lights on the house, one of our Thanksgiving traditions. It wasn’t completely done yet…but it’s looking good! We had some dessert and everybody made their way home. What a day! Now, I’m very anti-shopping on Thanksgiving. I think this new movement is just ridiculous, and I miss the good ol’ days of ACTUAL Black Friday with a passion. A couple weeks ago I jokingly told Christian that he and his friend Lorenzo would have to go shopping Thanksgiving night to get me a camera and a new TV. I forgot all about it, until Lorenzo texted him to find out what time they were going. At that point, I just told him it was up to them if they wanted to do it. Sure enough, off they went to Target; in line at 8:00 with all of the other crazies. While they were already sold out of the camera I wanted, they actually did end up scoring the TV. They ended up getting a 50” Element HDTV for $230! That’s crazy. So, that will be going in the basement, the basement TV will go in the living room, and the living room TV will go in our bedroom. I cannot WAIT to have a TV in our room again. I’ve fallen asleep to the TV for as long as I can remember, so it’s been torture. Plus, knowing I’ll be up nursing a baby soon enough, I really wanted that to entertain me again before then. AND, Christian passes out on the couch every night, and snores like crazy, so I can’t even watch my shows! LOL. It will still be a while, we have to get a wall mount, but I’m excited! AND – I actually found out Target.com had the camera I wanted, exact same deal, already available online…so I ordered it. Can’t wait!!!

What I'm most thankful for in the whole world! My supportive, hardworking hubby, my little BFF that always puts a smile on my face, my not-as-little mini-me that warms my heart every day and our soon to me newest family member, who will make our family complete.

Friday wasn’t too crazy. Christian was off to work. My mom wanted to take the girls overnight, so I was off to drop them off around lunchtime. They were SO excited, they were up and dressed and ready to go very early this morning. I stopped at Target to see if there were any good deals left. It was kind of nice…not a ton of crowds or chaos since all of that was over. I did end up finding some pretty good deals…got our nieces done, got a bunch of stuff for the girls and Christian, and one of our secret Santa gifts for my Grandpa’s…actually made some good headway on our shopping! Now, Sunday, I’ll take our annual Christmas photo, and I can finish up and order our 2013 books for the parents and order our Christmas cards. Getting there! I also stopped at the Dollar Store to get some prizes and supplies for the shower next weekend. Christian and Lorenzo spent the cold evening finishing up the lights, getting the tree done. Finally, the lights are DONE! So exciting.

They were all decked out, bright and early!

I spent all day Saturday putting out our Christmas decorations. We don’t have a ton, and we really only decorate the living room and a little bit in the kitchen, dining room and entryway, so it doesn’t take TOO long. Christian and Lorenzo spent the morning moving the TV’s around…eventually going on a search to find a new for the bedroom, but were unsuccessful. Meanwhile, my mom brought the girls home, and they were right off for their naps. Christian and I got ready, and my Dad and stepmom stopped over. Yesterday was his birthday, and today is their anniversary, so we invited them over to hang out and have dinner with us. We made our annual fried turkey taquitos, rice and beans and OMG it was so delicious. The girls had a blast spending some time with them and telling them all kinds of stories. They stayed for quite a while catching up, so the girls were right off to bed when they left. Christian and Lorenzo were off for a beer so I got to settle in and relax with my shows for a while. Finally, a little peace and relaxation!

Cuddling with girlies before bed. LOVE!

Sunday was another busy day – and, the start of a new month. IT’S DECEMBER!!! Seriously, can you believe it?!?! I recently started becoming suspicious that Olivia may be lactose intolerant, so we’ve decided to try cutting out dairy, and see if that helps with her stomach issues. Today was Day 1 of no dairy…I had to run to Walmart this morning, so I grabbed her some Almond milk. We’ll see how this goes, and hopefully it helps! Our “Elf on the Shelf” Buddy showed up this morning. Per the usual, he brought the girls some cookies and wrote them a note for his return. The girls were so excited to see him again, it was really cute. Then, we got to setting up and decorating the Christmas tree! Hot chocolate, Christmas tunes and family time – it was seriously perfect. The girls were very involved this year…helping put the tree together and hanging up the ornaments. Sure, it’s a little bottom heavy, but they actually spread them around more than I expected. We had some lunch and the girls were off to bed, while we watched the Vikings game – they won, yes WON! Very exciting. Once the girls were up, I vacuumed up and cleaned everything up from our decorating, while Christian cleaned up the leaves in the backyard. I got the girls dressed up and took their picture for our 2013 Christmas Photo, and we spent the night relaxing. This weekend was so busy, so chaotic, it seems like it just flew right by. But, at least it was a very fun one!

Welcome Back, Buddy!

Also, I turned 17 weeks today. Gosh, it’s so crazy! This week I’ve definitely felt the best I have this pregnancy. So, that’s a plus. I’m feeling fairly consistent movement now. Nothing big, and not all day long, but a few times throughout the day I feel a “bump, bump, bump”. It’s so amazing! I can’t wait until it’s more constant, and the whirls and twirls and kicks start up. Seriously, by far, the best part about pregnancy!

Week 49

Monday, it was back to work. No fun, and not easy, after 5 wonderful days off! I did talk with the school right away this morning about Olivia, and they’re ready to go with a lactose-free diet. I have to talk to her doctor still, and get some paperwork filled out, but we did get through the entire day today with no tummy issue complaints, so that’s a positive. And, she seriously scarfed down her dinner tonight, which she hasn’t done for a long, long time, so that seems promising. It did snow, pretty much all day long, and it took FOREVER to get home. It’s starting, ya’ll! Christian had my car today so he could bring it in to get a tire looked at after work…it’s been leaking, and going flat, faster and faster. They actually patched and sealed it for us, for free, which was awesome! We had dinner and spent the evening relaxing. Of course, it was The Walking Dead night…unfortunately; it was the mid-season finale, so it will be a few months before its back on. So sad. For Buddy Day 2, he brought the girls their Christmas tree, so they were able to decorate that after school.

On Tuesday, I finally started getting a handle on things. I’ve been feeling pretty overwhelmed with everything we have going on, but I feel like I’m finally checking things off the list. Thanksgiving is behind us, the house decorating is done, Buddy the Elf is in full swing and I have his “calendar of events” prepared, I’m actually almost done Christmas shopping (currently tracking FIVE online orders), we have our visits to see Santa Claus and the [final] Holidazzle parade planned, our Christmas Cards are ordered, and I have the labels ready to go, I booked Olivia’s birthday party today (at Sky Zone, super fun!) and I have the invitations ready to go, and we’re just about ready for my BFF’s baby shower this weekend. Whew! See what I mean, chaos!!! But, it feels good to see how much I’ve accomplished. Other than that, my work is picking up again, so the days are busy, busy! Christian is working lots of OT as usual this time of year, and the girls have been doing great in school. Amelia hasn’t been sent to the toddler room for quite some time, which is great, and Olivia is still working on calming down and keeling her aggression in check. I think I’ve finally gotten her to keep her distance from the little troublemaker, Kimora, in her class, which is helping. So, all in all, things are going well! For Buddy Day 3, we found him playing Hungry Hungry Hippos with the ponies. How fun!

Wednesday started rough. It’s been pretty snowy and icy, and sure enough, I took a spill on the ice this morning on my way into work. I don’t remember ever falling on the ice before…I wasn’t walking fast or distracted, my feet just came right up from under me. I went down pretty hard on my right side. My arm and back were killing me by the time I got to my desk. Nothing weird was going on, but I called the Baby Line to see what they suggested, or anything I should watch for. They ended up recommending I come in to get checked out, just to be on the safe side, so they set me up and appointment in the afternoon. So, I worked away the morning, and my mom brought me to my appointment. I chatted with the midwife for a bit, and she didn’t seem too concerned. Just told me to watch for cramping, bleeding or anything out of the ordinary. It’s too early to feel constant, obvious movement, so I couldn’t really judge by that. While the fall and worry sucks, I did end up getting to listen to the heartbeat again, which was AMAZING! She fund it immediately, and it was very strong and loud, so that was very comforting. Almost worth it! By the time I got back to work, our IT folks were working on my computer, We’re being upgraded to a new Windows system, so adjusting to that should be as frustrating as it usually is. And, my eyes were killing me today. They were bothering me right after I got my contacts in, so I brought my glasses to work, just in case. Sure enough, right after arriving, I had to switch them out. I was like a new person, all day long! And, it snowed ALL.DAY.LONG. We got lots, and lots of snow, and my drive home took forever. Not very much fun with my back killing me, that’s for sure. The girls and I stopped at Walmart to grab a few groceries, and made our way home to make a late dinner. Seriously, what a day! However, our camera came in today, which is super exciting! I got the battery charged up, but I don’t have a memory card for it yet, so I didn’t get a chance to test it out. I can’t wait though! For Buddy Day 4, we found him snuggling up under the tree with Sleeping Beauty, on a little syrup date! Oh La La!

EEEEEEK!

Thursday was a much less exciting day. Well, it was still snowing on and off, traffic was still HORRIBLE and I was pretty sore, but nothing bad happened! Work was busy and went by fast, so that was also a plus. It also took forever to get home, and I stopped to buy a memory card on top of it, so by the time I got to school it was just the girls, and each of their BFF’s left. Bella and the girls immediately started going on about how she was coming over and they had all these plans – not happening. And, I was giving the devastating news that Amelia’s little BFG, Jaiwen, was moving up to the Pre-K room on Monday. She was VERY upset about this, and insists she is moving up with him. Poor thing. I tried convincing her that she needed to make friends with the other kids in her room, to which she told me “no, it’s OK, I can see Jaiwen over the gate, and we can play over the gate”. Ay, good luck to the teachers on that one! Finally, we were home…we had dinner, watched The Sound of Music: Live! and I played with the new camera for a while. So fun, I can’t wait to really start using it! I did spent much of the evening on the heating pad, with an icy hot patch on my arm. Ouch. For Buddy Day 4, he brought the girls their 2013 ornaments. So cute!

Friday was another chaotic day. Work was busy today, and to top it off, we had a power outage for a bit this morning. Oops! I’m still adjusting to the mew day at work...power outage. Oops! I did leave work a tad early to start working on some stuff for the baby shower I’m hosting tomorrow. Finally, the 5-day week has come to an end!! I made my way home to get the cleaning done. I got everything picked up, dished done and started setting up the tables and chairs, and started gathering all of the supplies I had. Just as I was about to leave to pick the girls up, I got a call from school that Olivia was having a rough afternoon, complaining that her stomach hurt and crying. I was a little discouraged, it was the first complaint we’d had all week, since removing dairy. I picked them up, and by the time we got home, it was obvious that she had to go to the bathroom. I told her to go to the bathroom, and sit there until she was done. I could hear her struggling, and she was having trouble going, but she finally did. And, sure enough, she was good as new once she was done. I don’t know what could be backing her up, but hopefully it passes! We had a quick dinner, while Christian finished work and stopped at Menard’s to pick up some plastic for the windows. It’s so cold, and tomorrow it’s really supposed to drop…the windows are all freezing and letting condensation in, so we have to get them sealed up soon. Once he was home, Olivia and I were off with our friends Sara and Bella to see “Frozen”. We got our popcorn and water and settled in, and Olivia was just enamored with the entire movie. She loved it! It was actually really cute, lots of funny parts for adults. So fun! By the time we got out, it was freezing (pun intended) so we rushed for the car and made our way home. Amelia was in bed, and Christian had fallen asleep…too bad, I woke him up to get Olivia to bed so I could run to Target to get some groceries for the shower. Once I was finally home and settled in, I got some game prizes wrapped, watched a few shows and passed out….around midnight. SO TIRED! For Buddy Day 6: we arrived home from school to find him and his friends having sack races in the hallway. He sure knows how to have a good time!

On Saturday, the arctic blast hit. And, I mean ARCTIC! It's going to be bitterly cold for the next week or so, and it's going to be painful. I was up bright and early. I actually did sleep well…I woke up with some stomach pain and had a hard time staying asleep. But, I was feeling better this morning (tired, but better). I started setting up for the shower, did some final picking up and washed dishes, I ran to Walmart to get the sandwiches and a couple last minute necessities, made the pasta salad, finished wrapping prizes and got ready. Meanwhile, Christian hung some plastic on the windows and fixed the couch downstairs, showered and was on his way…he helped his friends move some couches and hung out with them for a while (see, the ONLY reason we have a truck). Then, it was finally shower time. Kari’s sister showed up and we finished decorating and setting up. Kari showed up and the guests started coming. We ate lunch, played some games, had some cake and opened presents. It seemed like everybody had a good time, and she got a ton of great stuff, so I’d say it was a success! I feel like I didn’t have as much time as I’d normally like to focus on it, and get ready for it, but we pulled it off! I’m so happy we did it for her, but I am also very relieved to have it checked off of the list of things to do! This time of year is just so crazy. The girls had just as much fun, spending the day playing with Caleb, Kari’s nephew. They played so well together all day and had a blast, they were so sad to see him go when it was over. Christian arrived home around 5:30…just as Amelia had passed out on the couch next to me. The rest of us ate some dinner, while we put Amelia to bed. Olivia was off to bed shortly after, and we spent the evening relaxing. I had grand plans of watching some new movies we’d gotten…but I barely made it through “The Heat”…which, was VERY funny – a must see for me, so I was off to bed right after that. Maybe another day! For Buddy day 7: we found that he had done all of the girls’ little puzzles, and was quite exhausted from doing so!

Sunday was a good, relaxing day around the house. I did laundry throughout the day and spent the morning relaxing. Christian made some breakfast while the girls played and made a huge mess. Again, it snowed all day long – so it will be another week of hellish traffic. So, Christian had to shovel the deck and the driveway a couple times throughout the day. We watched the Vikings game, against the raining champs, so we were a little worried. It was REALLY snowing in Baltimore, so the game was quite interesting. It started slow, with little scoring, but it was seriously one of the craziest, most exciting 4^th quarters ever. Of course, they lost it in the last few seconds – it’s pretty much the story of this season, but it was still an exciting game nonetheless (even with a couple of VERY bad calls on the ref’s part). The girls and I were off to their last swim class of the session while Christian worked on getting some more plastic hung up. Just a couple more windows and the downstairs patio door to do this week. We had some dinner, I watched the Amazing Race finale (I hate when that show ends!) and we relaxed. Can’t believe another week has ended! For Buddy Day 8: we got home from swim class to find him reading to all of his little friends. What a guy!

In addition, I hit 18 weeks in my pregnancy this week. Time is just flying by. I'll have my big ultrasound in a little over 3 weeks, and I cannot wait to see this little peanut! It's going to be so amazing...likely my last one ever, so I'm certainly going to cherish it. Movement hasn't really picked up too much yet, still just random flutters and bumps, so I'm anxious for that to grow. I'm sitting at about 11 lbs gained...not GREAT, but it is what it is. I haven't felt to great this pregnancy, so it's pretty much been eat what sounds good and I can keep down. SO BE IT! So exciting!!

With that, you are all caught up on our not-so-exciting, but well documented life! I can't believe we're so close to ringing in 2014. I feel like I blinked and this year just disappeared. Now, we REALLY get into the Holiday swing, with just a couple short weeks until Christmas. Such fun times!