5/11/10 - Is It Friday Yet??

That is the question...and the daily wish..."Is it Friday yet?". But, no, no it's not. Work has been VERY crazy lately. The days have just been flying by. Being so short staffed right now, most of us have taken on quite a bit more than usual. Most days it's great...I stay busy, it's time to go home before I know it, YAY. But, some days it's just a little more than I can handle. The constant e-mails, constant ringing phone, new stuff popping up in my inbox...how can you keep up?!? My opinion...you don't answer the phone! Really, I never answer my phone at work...I know it's bad, but to me it's so unproductive...sitting on the phone. I'd rather get an e-mail, prepare the best response possible, and move on. So, don't call me at work :)

Other than that, it was just another day. The rain finally let up this evening, so that was nice! Olivia was in great spirits, until around dinner time. She did not want to eat and you could tell her teeth are just killing her. Ugh, have I mentioned I'm so over teething??? I got a peek inside her mouth tonight...she's working on 6 teeth right now, and her 2 top molars are THISCLOSE to being all the way out. Then, it's just those dang canines that are taking FOREVER. I hear from most people those seemed to be the worst, so....YAY for that :(

But, she's still happy as can be in the morning...she's MUCH more of a morning person than I am, that's for sure....

5/10/10 - Still Celebrating...

Today we were still celebrating Mother's Day...I didn't get a chance to stop over this weekend to visit with my stepmom, so I headed over after work for a while. I hadn't seen her, or my dad, for a few weeks now, so it was nice to catch up. Olivia had TONS of fun running around, taking over the house. Climbing on all kinds of new stuff, showing grandma and grandpa everything she can do. It was pretty entertaining. And, I'm still just amazed by how much she adores my dad...I keep thinking she's going to start being scared of him, but she isn't. He got home after I'd gotten over there, and she ran over to greet him, so excited. I just can't believe it!

After some playing, dinner and catching up, Olivia and I were on our way home. It was another VERY rainy day here...again, all day and night, so the drive was a little slow..but at least I missed rush hour! Christian's sister gave him their surround sound system when they moved last month, so he had been working on hooking that up while we were gone. He's been driving me nuts about that, so I'm glad that's done! Olivia spent the evening reading...she's really been getting into her books lately. She reads to herself, brings us books to read, she just loves it. But, she keeps bringing me the Spanish books..she just doesn't get it :)

It sounds like my grandpa is holding up pretty well, considering. He's still in the hospital waiting to meet with the surgeon so they can figure out the best route to take. It sounds like he's in good spirits though. He's still on oxygen to keep his blood flowing and get that fluid out of his lungs, and he's still not really up to walking around and all that, but it doesn't sound like he's getting worse, which is great! My grandma is having a really hard time though. Her heart attack around Christmas really took it out of her...she hasn't been herself since, and from what my dad tells me, her dementia is really bad with my grandpa being away. It's been a rough couple of months for the family...all we can do is pray for them both and hope everything comes together and they start feeling better...soon!

5/9/10 - Happy Mother's Day!!

Today is the day...it's Mother's Day!!! Just over 2 years ago we found out that we were expecting little miss Olivia, now I'm celebrating my 2nd Mother's Day! It's such an amazing feeling...there really is no feeling in this world like being a mother!

Christian and I made a mutual decision not to make a huge deal of Mother's Day/Father's Day, as far as gifts go. We don't want our kids feeling pressured to give us something "super special" as they get older, or feel pressured to spend the money on such over commercialized "holiday's"...I know, bahumbug right?! We feel it's so much more important to just be together, spend time together, and have our kids just SHOW us their love and appreciation. So, Christian presented me with a couple cards right away this morning, one from him and one from Olivia. Then made us a big yummy breakfast. He willingly cleaned the house...vacuumed, picked up, the whole nine yards...completely unprovoked. That was great! While Olivia napped, I showered and got ready and he mowed the lawn. Once she was up, we got her ready and he took me to and early dinner. Somehow he tricked me into going to Menard's with him after dinner...NOT my idea of a good time, but whatever. After we got home, we spent the rest of the evening hanging out together, just the "4" of us. It was overall a great day!

I did however wake up to some not so good news. I had a voicemail from my dad when I woke up, letting me know that my grandpa was in the hospital. Apparently he was having trouble breathing during the night, so they took him in. I don't really have ALL the details, but it turns out he has fluid building up around his lungs, which they later determined he does have pneumonia. My grandpa has had some heart problems over the last few years, and apparently there is something wrong with his heart again that they will need to do surgery on. I guess they knew about this last month, but were hoping to hold off on it...and it now looks like they will be moving forward with the surgery. I'll be talking to my dad more tomorrow, so I'm hoping to get some more information. Any extra thoughts or prayers my lovely readers could send our way would be greatly appreciated!

Here are some Mother's Day photos of me and my girls :) And one, of Olivia, looking REALLY upset about something...she's kind of a drama queen though...

5/8/10 - Early Mother's Day

Since I've decided to take a selfish stance on Mother's Day for a few years, I took my mom out to lunch today to celebrate Mother's Day with her early! We were all up bright and early this morning. Christian made us breakfast and we spent the morning lounging around. I was meeting my mom for lunch at 12:00, so I soon jumped in the shower and started getting ready for the day. After Olivia and I were both ready to go, off we went, to Old Chicago...YUM! My mom gave me the cutest little present...it's a little decorative "mom" plaque that you put your little one's finger print on. I can't wait to try it out! I gave her the usual...flowers. Well, a plant this year. I like flowers...I like to give flowers, so it's a common theme with me!

Olivia passed out on the way home from lunch...and took a 3.5 hour nap...3.5 HOURS! Can you believe it?? I almost went in to check on her I was starting to get worried. Shortly after we got home, Christian was off to dinner with his mom. They went to a local Mexican restaurant and hung out for a while. I think this year was especially hard for her with Karina being gone now, so Christian spent a little extra time with her. Once he got home, we got Olivia off to bed and spent some time catching up on some TV...until I passed out that is!

So, it was a good day!!! YAY for mom's :)

5/7/10 - Rainy Day

Well, those weather guys actually knew what they were talking about today! It rained..and rained...and rained some more. All day and night. But, it was much needed. Because of our early spring, everything was starting to dry up a little too much, a little to fast, so this should help green up the state a little bit!

Olivia and I spent the day indoors thanks to the rain. Also, thanks to the rain, Olivia slept in today...until 8:30! I woke up all on my own, NOT to a talking/screaming toddler, and was in shock! Best morning ever :) After we got up, I made a big pancake breakfast for us, which Olivia enjoyed greatly. We played and made a mess of the house, like usual. Downside to a late wake up call...a VERY short nap. But, that just means more play time!

Once Christian got home from work, he showered and got ready because we were heading off to "our" photographer's studio opening. Kristi is such an amazing person all around, but an especially amazing photographer. I've known her for years...I actually work with her mom! She did my high school senior pictures "back in the day" when she was working at a local studio. Since then, she went to school and started up her own business, IMAGES By Kris. She did our engagement and wedding photos, she did Olivia's 6 month photos and our Family/Olivia's 1 year photos this past Christmas. And, we can't wait until August when she does our newborn photos and Olivia's 18 month photos. Any time we get a chance to work with her is such a pleasure. She just opened up her very own studio and had a grand opening tonight. Olivia was, of course, the center of attention the whole time we were there, being her wonderful obnoxious self, and it was great to be there to support somebody and watch them live their dream! If anybody locally is looking for a great photographer, I HIGHLY recommend her! YAY Kristi!

Here is a picture from this morning, Olivia devouring her pancake (and rocking some sweet bed head)!

5/6/10 - A Sad Day in Minnesota

Today was a sad day here in Minnesota. Last weekend the Maplewood police department...well, the state as a whole, suffered a great loss. Police Sgt. Bergeron was fatally shot when he was ambushed Saturday while responding to a car jacking. Following that attack, the suspect was also fatally shot when he attacked another police officer pursuing him. Hearing the news of this whole event just sent chills down my spine. You think of authority figures as being untouchable, almost immortal in a way. You know, logically, it is a very dangerous world they live in, police, firefighters, etc., but you don't really think things like this would ever happen. Especially when responding to a crime like this...a car jacking...JUST a car jacking. To take somebody elses life, for any reason, is unimaginable to me, but over a car jacking?

Sgt. Bergeron's funeral was broadcast live over the Internet, but I was at work and was not able to watch it. But, the funeral was held at the Cathedral, which is right up the road from my work, right outside my window in fact, so I did watch much of the outdoor ceremonies going on from the window. Following the funeral, the processional went right by my building, lead by hundreds of squad cars...all with their lights flashing proudly and a few with their sirens blaring with respect. I went outside with a few coworkers to watch this amazing sight, and the streets were filled with citizens, just standing there, paying their respects to this fallen officer. The sight brought many tears to my eyes, and it was something I will never forget.

The remainder of the day was just like any other...work, then home. It was my Friday, so I'm really looking forward to my day off tomorrow! We'll see what kind of trouble us girls can get into all day! It's supposed to rain all day...so probably not much...

Here are a couple pictures I snapped before the funeral began.

5/5/10 - 28 Weeks = 7 Months

Holy Crap...28 Weeks...I'm officially 7 months pregnant! Didn't I just post that I was 6 months pregnant??? Oh boy, we really need to get going (as I say every month!)!

Well, we do have the crib. Of course it's not out yet, figured we might as well wait until we have a mattress and bedding to fill it with first! But, we do have it! And, I am pretty sure I found the bedding set we'll be getting. Since this little bundle is another girl, we're going to stick with the ladybug theme. But, Kids Line does have another set, so it will be a little different that Olivia's set. It's their Mod Ladybug set, which I love. I think I'll be ordering that one of these days. Then we'll just need to get a mattress, and start rearranging. I think we've also figured out how to reconfigure the room, and keep everything in there! Olivia's crib will stay where it is. They will share the dresser, which will also stay where it is. We'll be putting up the new crib right across from Olivia's crib, and moving the changing table right in-between the two cribs. It should be a perfect fit. Then, the glider and ottoman will go where the changing table is now, and wah lah, we're done!

I have my next check-up in 2 weeks, at 30 weeks. So I won't have anything too interesting to share before then. I have been feeling OK lately. The exhaustion is setting in again (as you can clearly tell from today's picture...). It doesn't help that I haven't been feeling well lately...some kind of spring cold/flu thing has hit me, and it's NOT pretty. And, of course, the pregnancy insomnia doesn't help either. Oh, the joys! I feel like my belly has really "popped" again this week, it's crazy how that happens! I'm happy to report my weight gain seems to be under control again...for now anyway. I'm still somewhat on track to hit my goal...but I'm starting to cut it close. Oh, fingers crossed! Other than that, we're just trucking right along! I can now say I'm due "the month after next"...doesn't that sound crazy!

Really big news is...we have actually begun talking about names! We were originally set on using our #2 name from Olivia, Abigail. As the pregnancy has gone on, something about it just doesn't sound right to me...I love the name, but it just doesn't seem like it would fit, especially if this baby looks similar to Olivia. But, I think Christian still REALLY likes it. MY new favorite name, which I will be fighting for, is Amelia Ann. I don't think it flows perfectly with Olivia, but I love it, and I think it would fit great. The only other name I really like is Morgan, and Christian has all but vetoed that. Names...ugh names! I have a feeling that I will win out on this one though....

I put up a little poll...so vote and let us know what you think :)

5/4/10 - Another Low Key Day

Yes, another low key day. Hopefully this is a sign of a nice relaxing week ahead of us!

Today was nothing exciting really. Work, which has been very manageable lately (for me anyway...not so much for some others....), which is very welcomed! Christian has been getting a few hours of overtime everyday, which is also very welcomed! Home has been good. Olivia is still not dealing too well with the whole teething thing. Right now she has a bottom canine, a top canine and a top molar just about all the way out. The other top molar, top canine and bottom canine are peering their little white heads up, but just not forcing their way out. And Olivia is NOT happy about that. Fingers crossed we just wake up to a miracle one of these days and she'll have a just about full set of teeth!!!

We're supposed to be in for quite an array of weather this week, so that should be interesting. When I left work today it was SO humid out, and almost 80 degrees...all because a storm was rolling in. It started getting really dark around dinner time, and starting raining right around bedtime...I'm not sure exactly what came of it, must not have been too bad because we all slept just fine. Olivia and Dad watched intently as the storm rolled in, then they were up to their usual dangerous shenanigans. I guess we really aren't any help in curing her of her Evil Knievel ways!

5/3/10 - It's Monday, 'Nuf Said

Here we are...it's Monday again! The weekend was so packed, as they usually are, so of course Monday came roaring in like the Lion it is. Yesterday was a semi-relaxed day...I spent the day picking up the house (and of course, re-picking it up as Olivia destroyed the house over and over again...) and doing laundry. Christian's dad finished fixing the riding mower (much to his excitement), so he went to pick that up. He decided it's best to keep it in the garage to avoid anymore weather and animal interference, so he spent most of the day cleaning up the garage making room for it. It's sad when you need a vacation from your weekend!

Today was just a Monday like any other. Olivia has started showing a lot of interest in feeding herself lately. We've been letting her work with the fork (spoon = too much of a mess for my liking), and she's really getting the hang of it. Of course this means she is starting to refuse letting anybody else feed her, meal time is becoming much more messy and she's spending a lot more time in her highchair since the process is taking much longer, but, when she shows interest, we encourage her. So, here are some pics from her adventures in learning to use the fork :)

5/2/10 - 16 Months

Oh my Olivia...a year ago you were 4 months old...

You were just learning to roll over and you were spending the day spinning in circles. You were just moved into your very own room, sleeping in your very own crib, and loving every minute of it. You were learning to hold your own bottle (even though we didn't allow you to...) and you were sleeping through the night like a champ! You were about 15lbs, 24.5" long, wearing 0-3 month clothing and size 1 diapers!! You were a chunk, but pretty compact :) You didn't have any teeth, so we were graced with that adorable gummy smile, and often, since you were just learning to laugh, and laughing at random, completely wrong moments. Your lungs were VERY well developed as you started becoming quite the yeller (which you have only gotten better at...)! You were just starting to sit on your own, but your giant head didn't help in that process. It was becoming apparent that you could no longer be left unattended with all of your new activity.

You are now 16 months old...

You are a maniac, from dawn to dusk, you do not stop. And, you never cease to amaze us. You're running, dancing, climbing and showing off at any chance you get. You have been an amazing sleeper lately, and mom and dad just love it! You now have 11 teeth completely out, and 4 coming in (possibly 6). You have definitely mastered the art of throwing a fit, and throwing THINGS in general, which is not very fun for those of us around you. You are learning to use your spoon and fork, and you love to eat just about everything we put in front of you! You love everybody and everything, are the biggest dare devil I've ever met, and bring so much joy to so many people. With each passing day, we look at you and realize just how lucky we are. What we did to deserve such an amazing little girl in our lives, I will never know!

Happy 16 months to our little lady bug! Mom and Dad love you, more than you will ever know!