5/16/11 - Just Another Monday

Another Monday has come and gone. At least they go as quickly as they come these days!It was another busy day at work for both of us. Christian continues working an hour early every day, so the extra OT should pay off nicely. Work for me continues to not slow down. Luckily, most of the new Contracts I have to write are not needed for at least a couple of weeks now, so that is giving me a chance to finally catch up on some of the not so fun tasks. The legislature is still nowhere near a budget deal, so things are looking worse for us. The "silver lining" in everything is that if the state does shut down we'll be officially laid off, so at least I can collect unemployment. Unfortunately, there goes our benefits, and who knows how long we'll be off. The waiting game is definitely starting to get to me. I just want to know what's going to happen!

I left work a little early to do some shopping and get a little alone time. I decided to try out Walmart for a change...mainly because for Amelia's birthday party this summer, we're going to have a "pool party", and their pools are pretty cheap, so I wanted to check them out. I did grab a couple pools, and managed to find a few necessities, but shopping at Walmart will NOT happen again for me. I cannot stand the way that store is laid out, it does not flow well, and it's not worth the little bit I would save over Target. I did get a few rotisserie chicken out of the deal, so that was something!

After shopping, I managed to get the house picked up, get the dishes done, and whip up some fixings to go with the chicken for dinner. Christian arrived home just in time to eat, but Olivia decided she wanted to stay at his mom's house and play with her cousins a little longer. After dinner, I got Amelia washed up, fed and in bed, while he picked up Olivia and got her to bed. Another day down!

Potty training went back to being great today. I think having her cousins around is helping...they like to take her to the bathroom and "help her", and she thinks that's fun. She's finally learning that it's OK to stop what you are doing and go to the bathroom, that the fun will still be there when she's done. Hopefully by the end of the week we'll officially be potty trained! YAY

Here is a picture of Amelia, just thought is was cute. I just want to make note..I do a lot of pictures of Amelia, and it's not because I prefer that or anything, Olivia just does not really cooperate with picture taking right now. Just wanted to go on record with that...no favoritism or anything going on!

5/15/11 - Hard Labor

Today was a long and very busy day for us. Luckily, the girls "slept in" until about 7:30, so that was a treat!

Potty training today was very frustrating. Olivia actually climbed out of her crib this morning and came to find Christian because she had to go potty, so that was an AMAZING start to the day. We were beyond happy. The rest of the day was pretty hit or miss. She had several accidents because we were outside all day. We're trying to get her to understand that it is OK to stop what you are doing and go potty, and that you can just go back to playing when you are done. I think if we can get that part to click, we'll be on the home stretch. By the end of the day I really, REALLY just wanted to throw a diaper on her and be done with it, but we didn't, and I'm glad we struggled through it.

We ate a quick breakfast, got ready and were off to The Home Depot. Today was round one of who knows how may rounds of yard work....and man, we got a lot done! We pulled all of the dandelion weeds (all thanks to our neighbor, who does nothing with theirs), we filled five pots with plants, we put out some random yard decorations, put out some track lights along the driveway and walkway, we put borders around our trees, mulched throughout the yard and planted a Hosta. Olivia was outside with us pretty much all day. Amelia fell asleep on the way home from the store, and took a VERY long nap (which was great). After she woke up, and we all ate lunch, she joined us outside. We were out there from about 11:30-6:00, and I was exhausted.

Amidst all that "fun", I got several loads of laundry washed, folded and put away. Another fun task. Olivia was quite out of control today. We tried getting her involved and having her "help" us, but she would never listen. She'd start off great, then would slowly go crazy. It's so frustrating.

Finally, at around 6:30, we ate some dinner and relaxed inside for a little while. Then, it was time for baths and bed. While giving the girls their bath, Christian looked over at me and pointed out that I was incredibly sunburnt. I looked in the mirror, and I couldn't believe it! It was warm out, but not super hot, so it never even dawned on me that I should've had some sunblock on. At least I have physical proof that I really was out there working!

So, another weekend down. A little bit of fun, a little bit of work, perfect mix! Time to start another chaotic week at work now! Here are some pictures of out outdoor craziness today!

5/14/11 - 50 Years!

Today was a pretty good day. It didn't start off that way, with a 6:30AM wake up call, but I think that was because Olivia had to go potty, so I'll take an early wake up if it means successful potty training!! She actually had a really great day potty training, no accidents, she even went when we were out in public (after several false alarms, of course). So, it was a great day on that front. Not so great was shortly after waking up, Olivia was walking around with a glass of water, tripped, and spilled it all over the cable box...of course, frying it out. Oops. Luckily, I apparently agreed to one of those "pointless" service plans when I signed up with Dish Network, so we actually get a replacement box, completely free! Awesome! Just have to survive a few days of no TV upstairs, and endless kids movies until the new box arrives. LOL

I spent the morning home with the girls, while Christian was off to get an oil change and his tires rotated. Once he got home, we got the girls down for a nap, and got ourselves ready for the day. They didn't take a very long nap, but just long enough for us to get ready, so that worked out. Then, we were off to my aunt and uncles 50th wedding anniversary party. 20 Years! I can't even imagine that...WOW! Definitely something to aspire to, and look up to. It was nice to see some family that we NEVER see, especially since we'll miss out on this summer's family reunion. Olivia had so much fun being around other kids, and Amelia was quite a hit, so we had a lot of free time while everybody else drooled all over her! YAY.

After the party, we headed home and just kind of settled in for the night. It was pretty rainy/gloomy/chilly all day, so there wasn't a ton to do. We were both pretty exhausted once we finally got the girls to bed, so it was not a late night for us at all. Party animals!

Here's a picture of Amelia, enjoying a mini-cheeseburger for dinner. LOL, we're great parents!

5/13/11 - Happy Friday the 13th!

Another Friday has come along. Friday the 13th nonetheless (the only one of 2011!). I honestly cannot believe it's Friday, and that Friday is over for that matter. The days, weeks, MONTHS are just flying by. Seriously, where does the time go?? I mean, the weekends are booking up fast, which definitely means summer is creeping up on us. I love having a lot of fun, great plans, but it sure makes a chaotic life that much more chaotic. Not only the events and "plans", but the yard work and keeping up on all of that on top of the usual every day things. Oh summer, you sure know how to keep a girl on her toes!

Work was the same as it's been for months...crazy, busy and hectic. Even though we started our weight loss group yesterday, I'm REALLY starting tomorrow, so today was my last day to kind of indulge. I didn't really do that, other than Chinese food for dinner, but still...my last day. We still haven't heard anymore about the budgets or shut down...and in this case, no news is NOT good news. The legislative session ends on the 23rd, so in about a 1.5 weeks. So, with not even the slightest signs of a budget in sight, a special session is extremely likely. That just never means good things! But, as I've been doing, I'm trying to just block it all out, and not think about it. I did start to panic when something I hadn't even thought of was brought to my attention...if we do shut down, I lose my health insurance...which means we ALL lose our health insurance because I carry the whole family. Scary!

After work I rushed home to my naughty girls. Olivia had one accident today, and went in her diaper after her nap before getting to the potty. Dangit. BUT, other than that she did well all day. She woke up dry this morning (really early, before we left for work), and went to the potty right away! We were so proud of her. She was in quite a mood today...for my mom, and then all evening for us. It was rough. Getting up so early didn't help I'm sure, plus a fairly short nap AND, I discovered she has another 2nd molar popping through, so mix it all together and you get a VERY cranky toddler! Amelia slept a majority of the day, so hopefully that doesn't mean we're in for a long night...she went down really easy last night, slept ALL night, and apparently she didn't get up at until 9:00 this morning! Almost 12 whole hours! Now, that's more like it!

Once we got the girls to bed, Christian's friend stopped over, to have him help work on his car....AGAIN. I love having a hubby who cares about his friends so much, but it really does get old sometimes. Sometimes, you just have to learn to say no!

As we were waiting for Christian to get home from work, I gave Olivia an apple...when she set it down, Amelia started eating it...the whole, big apple. LOL. Then Olivia asked for a banana, and after taking a couple of bites, she "switched" with Amelia...and Amelia proceeded to eat thewhole banana, then went back to gnawing on the apple. Porker!

5/12/11 - Everybody Check Your Teeth

Another busy day down the drain for us!

Work was good. I made some good progress in my work, which was refreshing. And, we started a little weight loss support group in my office, and I'm really excited about it. I need as much motivation as I can get to get myself back on track. Seriously, it's so frustrating! I know what i need to do to lose weight...I've done it before. I just can't stick with it. But, I'm going to do it, and I think this will really help me! I'm going to start up on Saturday....restart my 60 DaySlimdown videos, and get back to eating healthy. I'm not going to hardcore diet because I had a clear dip in my milk supply last time I tried to do that, but I'm just going to make better food choices. Pumping still takes up my breaks and lunch at work, so for exercise I'm just going to do my videos, and try to add in an after dinner family walk now that it's getting nicer out. Hopefully these changes will help me for now.

Christian and I both had dentist appointments today. I left work early for mine. Luckily, I have pretty great teeth. I never had a cavity until I was 19 years old, then had two or three bad appointments, and ever since I've been in the clear. I had my wisdom teeth pulled 3 years ago, but that's pretty standard. So, like usual, I got a pretty clean bill of health. Christian's dentist seems to think he grinds his teeth when he sleeps...seems odd to me that he would all of a sudden start doing that though. Of course he tried to convince Christian that he needs a molded mouth guard. I said no way, you can try a regular old sports mouth guard to start with. Maybe it would help with his annoying snoring too!!!

I stopped at Target after the dentist to exchange Olivia's too small clothes, and return the rain boots. I ended up finding another paid of shoes for $2.00!!! And, got her some 3T pants...my baby is getting so big! Then, I picked up the girls, and we headed home. Olivia had another good potty day...used the potty every time except after her nap. I think it's going to take some time, but we're making progress. However, her behavior is not getting any better. It's getting to the point where I think we're going to have to talk to somebody. She is just so evil towards Amelia, and it's not getting better. I expected some backlash in the beginning, but it's been 9 months!!! Come on! Yesterday, Amelia was in the pack n' plan, and Olivia started shaking it wildly because Amelia wouldn't say "papa". Today, when my mother in law walked away for a minute, Olivia actually pushed over the high chair, with Amelia sitting in it. This behavior just seems beyond the standard jealous big sister behavior. Grrrrrrrrr

While I ran to Target and picked up the girls, Christian helped his friend with his car for a little while. Then, we were finally all home for the night. We ate a quick dinner, and just hung out until bed time.

Here is Amelia, sporting her new "shoes". We're never been big "infant shoe" people...I prefer for them to go shoeless, because they are a useless expense, and delay then from walking properly, so these are more like slippers. And, I love them. These are part of my new obsession of online shopping. I am obsessed with the website babysteals.com, and they've had a ton of great stuff lately! I ordered these, a pair of sunglasses for Olivia, an "elephant ear" pillow for Amelia and some glass storage containers. Seriously, they have the best stuff, I'm obsessed, really.

5/11/11 - Taco Night

Today was a fairly boring day. The standard business at work. Christian will be starting at 7:00 all week, so more OT for him. YAY!! Last night was another rough night. Amelia just did not want to go to bed, or stay in bed for that matter. I ended up making Christian take over tonight, it was his turn for sure after the other night! Her upper gums are SUPER swollen right now, really bad, so I wish with all my might those teeth would pop through! Anyway, she ended up falling asleep in bed with us tonight. On top of the teeth, it was SO SO SO hot out today, that the house just wouldn't cool down, so I think the heat was getting to her too.

After work, we all met up at home right away. So, we actually got in some family time tonight! We had taco's for dinner. Olivia is FINALLY really into taco's, she likes to eat them just like us, which is cute (and messy). As we started dinner, I thought we'd finally discovered something Amelia wouldn't eat. I put a little taco meat, rice and tomatoes in a bowl, and I whipped up a little bananacado to top it off, and she wouldn't eat. She kept pushing the spoon away and whining. I was in utter shot. Then I had the bright idea of giving her the bowl to see what she would do...turns out she just really wanted to feed herself, because she had at it. And I mean, HAD AT IT. You'll see by the photos below...that was not fun to clean up. There is a reason we never really let Olivia feed herself...LOL.

After dinner we just cleaned up and watched some TV for a while. Olivia did really well on the potty again today, just didn't get her diaper off quick enough this morning, and she went in her nap time diaper too, otherwise no accidents. We're still doing the "run around bottomless" method this week, and pulling down her pants/underwear when she has to go just isn't clicking yet. Not sure how to really work on that...

5/10/11 - Stair Climber

Today was a pretty good day. Nothing too out of the ordinary. I had some meetings at work today...I've said it before, but I seriously, really hate meetings. One reason I don't see myself ever rising to a managerial position...I hate meetings!

I left work a tad early and headed to Target. I continued my mission of slowing stocking Olivia up with some summer clothes. I check out the clearance racks and sales every time I go, and pick up some sale stuff for her. I've been buying her 3T shirts because she's so tall, but I've been at a loss for shorts. Her 2T pants still hang on her, so I didn't think she as ready for 3T. Well, I finally broke down and bought her some 2T shorts, and sure enough, too small. Her pants must just been a little worn and stretched out. So, I'll have to head back later this week and exchange the shorts I bought. I hate buying clothes...

After Target, I met up with the rest of the family at home. Made some dinner, and we just hung out. The usual. However, Amelia has a new trick...she's now a stair climber! We have a gate at the top of our stairs, and are rarely downstairs, so she hasn't had much practice around them. His parents on the other hand have no gates, and are usually downstairs. All of a sudden today, Amelia decided to follow Olivia up the stairs, and was quite successful. We had her try it out at home, and sure enough, she flew right up them. Such a big girl! She also happens to be wearing one of Olivia's old outfits...so I thought I'd share a comparison. Only, Olivia is just over 6 months here (vs. Amelia's 9.5 months), LOL.

5/9/11 - Most Definitely a Monday

As if Monday's aren't bad enough...

We [I] had a very long, rough night with Amelia. Last night it took forever to get her to bed. She just would not go down, no matter what I did. We finally determined her teeth were bothering her and gave her some motrin. I finally got to bed around 11:00, and she was up again at 2:00, and again, wouldn't go back down. I was basically up for the day at that point...NOT COOL.

So, off to work I went, exhausted and not ready to start another hectic week. Christian was up bright and early (much more refreshed than I), and started work early. I just suffered through the best I could. I was supposed to go to Target after work but that just was not happening. Instead, we all just met up at home, did our usual chores and hung out for the evening. Both girls were a tad crabby tonight, so it was an early bed time for all. I'm just hoping for a nice, long night of SLEEP!

Olivia got a hold of my pump tonight. She's seen me pumping before, and knows that it's for "sissy's milk", so she decided to take the pieces out and give them to Amelia. Amelia seemed confused by the whole thing, but enjoyed the new toy nonetheless. LOL

5/8/11 - Happy Mother's Day!

Today is Mother's Day!!! YAY. I'm not a huge proponent of Mother's Day (along with Valentines Day or Father's Day), but I have to admit, this day fills me with an amazing sense of pride. As hard as it may be, and as frustrated as I may get some days, being a mother is the most amazing gift I've ever been given. Mother's Day is just an amazing reminder of this gift, and of how lucky I am to have the chance to raise these amazing little girls of mine. I feel like I should be celebrating them!

I of course must with my mother a very happy Mother's Day today. We may not have always seen eye to eye over the years, and have had our share of Mother/Daughter battles, but, in the end, she's always been there for me and I know she would do anything for me, and for my girls, and that means the world. So, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, Mom!

We were all up nice and early. Christian and Olivia presented me with a little gift, a picture frame filled with a couple pictures, and a drawing from Olivia. Cute! And, a very nice card of course. We gave the girls a quick bath, and were off to Perkins for breakfast. YUM. After eating, we headed home to just hang out and relax for a while. Once Amelia was down for a nap, Christian took to the yard to mow for the first time! I don't get it, but he was pretty excited about it. Blah. After, we each took a shower and got ready, then were off to the Madrid's for a Mother's Day BBQ and a play date. Olivia and Meeka had tons of fun together. We had some yummy Kabob's and Fries and fruit for dinner. The weather, which started off icky turned out to be pretty great, so we got some play time out in the fresh air. Then, we were finally on our way home. Long, wonderful day!

Olivia started off really well today, woke up dry, didn't go at Perkins, used her potty, all on her own all morning. But, with the playing and excitement, she had two accidents when we were at the BBQ/play date. But, over all, we had a really great weekend, and we're super proud of her! It's going to take some work, especially since it's not really her leading the way on training, but we're going to stick with it, and I know she'll get there with time.

Here are some pictures of our Mother's Day fun. Olivia would not cooperate, so I couldn't get a picture with just her :( Amelia was a wiggle worm, so we just had to do the best we could. LOL

5/7/11 - Saturday?

Well, today ended up being a pretty laid back day.

Potty training continued today. And, Olivia did really well again. No accidents today, she woke up dry this morning, but she did go in her diaper at nap time. But, that's OK. We're so proud of her!

I was supposed to take my mom to lunch today to celebrate Mother's Day, but when I called her to finalize our plans this morning, she "let me off the hook"...knowing that we're super poor, and told me to just save my money. I felt bad not spending time with her, but I was actually really tired for some reason, and not feeling 100%, so I slightly welcomed the chance to just take it easy for the day.

Christian did end up taking his mom to lunch (side note: I'd love to see the day either of his parents have the sense to realize we don't have any money....). He left while Olivia was napping, and for some reason, when she woke up from her nap (shortly after he left) she was just a complete monster, out of control. I mean, worse than usual. The final straw came when Amelia was standing at the deck door, and Olivia came over, purposely pushed her over, and she hit her head on the door track. I was FURIOUS. I ended up texting Christian right then and there, fed up, while I made some dinner for the girls. He pretty quickly came home, thankfully. It was just one of those nights where she was just uncontrollable, SO FRUSTRATING!!

Somehow, even though she was NOT on her best behavior, she wrangled a lollipop we'd been saving for her out of us. She didn't really seem to care about it too much, but she was excited at the though of it! Hopefully her lack of interest in candy and things of that nature continues as she gets older!