4/17/10 - Let's Go To the Zoo!

Well, we're in for another beautiful weekend, so we definitely had to take advantage of that! We were up and em' early, like usual. Played a little, had some breakfast, then got ourselves ready to head out to the zoo. We basically have two zoo's in the area...Como Zoo and the Minnesota Zoo. The two are vastly different. We typically go to Como...it's smaller, they actually have a better variety of animals (Minnesota doesn't even have elephants, zebras, giraffes...you know, the NORMAL animals), it's FREE...it's just better all around. Minnesota is huge, but it's way too big, you can't see most of the animals most of the time. Well, Minnesota has this "farm babies" exhibit going on, AND, it's literally right down the road from us, so we thought we'd check it out. SO NOT WORTH IT. You didn't even get to really see/pet the farm babies, which is what I thought the point was, so that was a waste. Like usual, most of the animals were hiding and/or sleeping, so there wasn't much entertaining there. But, it was nice to be outside, and Olivia still seemed to have a good time. We did get into the goat petting zoo, and she really didn't know what to think about that. The goats just swarmed her, and we couldn't figure out why...until we realized she still had a handful of goldfish in her hand!!! Poor thing, once those were gone, she took much better to the goats...she did NOT like sharing her snacks! It did result in a 3-hour nap from her, so that's a plus! In the end, we'll be sticking with Como from here on out...I'll take the extra drive into the city!

After the zoo, and the nice LONG nap, we just hung out around the house and relaxed for the evening. We had a little later bedtime thanks to the late nap, hopefully that will result in a little sleeping in????

4/16/10 - TGIF!!

Yes, it's Friday, time to breathe a sigh of relief! We had a pretty fun night tonight. Christian was off to dinner with a coworker after work, so it was just us girls tonight. It was actually still pretty nice out when I got home from work, so Olivia and I headed out to the back yard to get some play time in. She had tons of fun in her sandbox this time...she didn't want to get out! Once she finally left the box, she ran around chasing her balls. I'm actually surprised by her kicking and throwing skills...she's pretty impressive if I don't say so myself!! The poor thing is stuck playing softball and soccer, taking after mom and dad, so she better just get used to it now :)

It was finally dinner time, so we had to head inside. That did NOT go over well. Olivia has been mastering the art of throwing a tantrum for a while now...and tonight we had the worst meltdown yet! She stood at the deck door for quite a while, screaming her head off! I swear, I can't imagine what our neighbors were thinking at that point! Who knew going inside was basically child abuse to these wee ones! Anyway, this is the look I got (and I'm sure you can imagine the sound that accompanied it) until she was in her highchair, eating dinner (watching Wheel!)...fun fun!

4/15/10 - Just Another Thursday

Yup, just another Thursday, just like any other Thursday! We were off to work, then home for the norm; play, dinner, play, bed! We are those horrible parents who have the TV on while eating...shutter. Anyway, we always have Wheel of Fortune on, and Olivia seems to love it more and more. She watches so closely (this is the only time she actually pays attention to the TV, so it's quite entertaining), she claps along with the crowd and she yells out answers (in her own language). It's so funny to watch. Tonight she was REALLY into it!

I'm thinking, when it comes to teething, Olivia has a much harder time with bottom teeth than top teeth. Her two bottom molars are all the way in, but she's still working on 4 top teeth right now. But, she's been sleeping much better lately, and hasn't been so crabby, so I don't think they are bothering her as much...THANK GOD! Other than that, it just amazes me how much she changes, seemingly every day! We look at her, and she just looks like a real little person now, it's crazy. You ask her to do something, or get something, and she actually knows what you are asking. If she wants something, so knows how to express that to you. She has such a HUGE personality, and just gets more and more independent. How can somebody so small do all of this, it truly amazes me! After dinner, she spent some time hanging out in her new rocking chair...

4/14/10 - 25 Weeks

Today marks the big 25 Weeks! That number seems huge, only 15 weeks to go! I have NOT been feeling well at all lately. I've been really nauseous again, and my headaches have returned. I don't get it...hopefully it doesn't last long, but I don't have a good feeling about it. I feel like I'm starting to get HUGE. Well, I am, but I'm really feeling it these days. Sleeping is getting a little uncomfortable, that's pretty much the same as last time though...I remember tossing and turning all night long the last couple months with Olivia. So far, that's about the only thing similar between the two pregnancies! This baby is still SUPER active and moves all day long...I'm afraid this baby is going to be CRAZY...that makes me nervous!

I have my big OB appointment one week from today. I'm anxious to get there and have the big VBAC conversation and get things going. The thought of everything is still very scary and overwhelming, but I think once I sit down and have a real conversation about it, I will feel more prepared. Still over two weeks until our follow-up ultrasound...feels like it's never going to get here! I'll be happy to finally get the all clear on baby's heart, and I'll have all of my limbs crossed that baby will decide to flash the goods this time!!!

4/13/10 - Stormy Tuesday

Well, we had our first round of storms during the night...and WOW, they were quite powerful! The lightning was out of control. We have a skylight in our master bedroom. I got up (of course) to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, and I thought I was going to pass out from the flashes! The thunder wasn't horrible, but we got a few good bursts...luckily, somehow, Olivia managed to sleep through it! We need the rain bad though...we had such an early spring, and it's been so dry since the melting ended, that the fire risk was really high. The grass and everything looks so beautiful these days, it's great!

Olivia has been quite the trooper the past few days/nights. Her two bottom molars are officially out all the way...which brings her to 10 teeth. During my nightly inspection, I spotted her two top molars AND her two top canines are also poking through, just a little bit, so I'm hoping with in the next week or so those 4 will be all the way out. Fingers crossed! It's hard to believe a year ago we had this toothless, gummy little girl, and now she's about to have 14 teeth!

Tuesday as a whole was pretty boring. Long day of work...I had another migraine today, so I ended up having to leave work early to rest it off. Not good! I'm really hoping this isn't a common thing again! Olivia decided to wake up a little early this morning to hang out with us while we got ready for work. She just sits on the bathroom vanity and brushes her teeth while we finish up our primping. It's too cute!

4/12/10 - Sad Goodbye

Well, Christian's sister and nieces leave for California in the morning. Christian is on driving duty this week, so he stayed to spend some time with them for a little while after work. It's sad...it's hard not knowing when we're going to see them again, especially those little girls. I know Olivia is going to be very disappointed, she just loves them to death and I know she's going to miss being around them. More than that, I know it's really hard on Christian. His other sister still lives in Mexico and his brother lives in Canada, so he and Karina have been really close ever since moving here from Mexico all those years ago. Now with her moving across the country, I know he's taking it pretty hard...he tries to be strong about it and think positively, but I know it hurts still. All we can do is hope that they are able to get back here after while.

Other than that, I headed out to Target after work. I've been pretty lax on my weekly run, so it was pretty overdue. The dollar spot had LOTS of great outdoor stuff...more sidewalk chalk, beach balls, all kinds of stuff. So I stocked up on some more outdoor toys for Olivia. It's supposed to rain quite a bit this week, but hopefully we're in for a nice weekend at least!

4/11/10 - Sunday, Already?

Yes, it is indeed Sunday already. How does that happen?? The weekends are always so packed, it seems like Sunday is here, and just about gone, before I know it! It's actually quite sad....

It was nice not having to wake up quite as early...7:30 is much better :) We woke up, did some playing, ate some breakfast. Nothing too exciting. Once Olivia was down for a nap, Christian did some yard work...it's supposed to rain tomorrow, so he laid the fertilizer down and got that taken care of. He was then off for a hair cut, which I relaxed for a bit, ate some lunch, then hopped in the shower to get ready for the day. Once home, Christian got ready and we were off. Christian's sister is leaving for California on Tuesday, so his parents had us over for a little going away BBQ. On our way, we stopped at my mom's because she had some goodies for us! She'd bought some cute little wooden rocking chairs for Olivia and had the stereo I'd left there oh so long ago. After we picked that up, we were on our way to eat. It was another beautiful day, so we had lots of fun running around and playing outside.

After while, it was time to head home...almost bedtime and it's back to work tomorrow. Monday's seem to come faster than anything!

4/10/10 - Another Exhausting Day!

Well, today was another exhausting day...and another early one! Christian's truck is overdue for an oil change...and a tire rotation...and he's been hearing a "noise" (I say "noise" because he always seems to hear something, and I swear, usually he's the only one who hears it!). He got it in at 8:30...so we were up and at em' bright and early. I followed him to the dealership, to pick him up, and then we were off on our errands for the day. I caught wind of a big "kid sale" going on at the Eagan Community Center. Admission tickets went on sale at 9:15, so we headed right there to get in line (good thing too...there were TONS of people there!). The actual sale didn't start until 11:00, so once we got our tickets, we were off to Home Depot. We picked up sand for the sandbox and some fertilizer. It's weird having to take care of the lawn so early, but it's going to be much needed, soon! We picked up some breakfast after shopping, then headed back to the sale to get our shop on. We found a few great deals...got a fun tunnel and some balls for outside, got a couple swim suits and a couple pairs of shoes for Olivia, and a few other toys I'd been spying in the stores lately. They had TONS of clothes, but Olivia's pretty set for a while, and we don't know baby's sex yet, so we didn't really get to take advantage of that, but we still made out well!

Olivia again passed out on the ride home, so she took a nice long nap. Christian left to pick up a friend, and his finished truck (and they actually did hear the noise as well, and luckily whatever was wrong was actually covered by his warranty!). I did some picking up and the dishes, ate some lunch and relaxed a little bit. Once Olivia woke up, we filled her sandbox and Christian did some grilling! It was such a perfect day, so amazing outside! After some playing, and eating, Christian and his friend headed off Buffalo Wild Wings for the UFC fight and it was time for Olivia to go to bed. Now that I have Olivia bathed and to bed, I'm catching up on some shows and the heading to bed at a decent hour again! It's already been a long weekend (but in reality, they are never long enough!)! Here are some pics from our grilling/day out! Including one of daddy, taken by Olivia (told you we had quite the photographer on our hands!).

4/9/10 - Exhausted!!

Wow, today was a LOOOOONG day. We are all simply exhausted...even more than usual! The day started out bright and early, even though it's my day off. Olivia had some big appointments today...her very first dentist appointment AND her 15 month well-baby check.

The dentist appointment went great. We get a lot of odd comments from people about taking her to the dentist "this early"...I guess I don't understand why it's so weird. She has teeth...just like we do...shouldn't they be checked? Kids get cavities, kids get teeth pulled and cavities filled, even if they are "just" baby teeth...I'd rather start on prevention early and hopefully avoid that as much as possible. I didn't have a single cavity until I was 18 years old...I'd love the same for her (of course I'd love that she never get any!). In addition to that "need" that I feel...my clinic has a great pediatric dental section, and the visit is free, which I know isn't the same for everybody. Obviously at a 15 month dentist appointment they don't do a ton...he just swiped her teeth with a toothbrush, checked them out to make sure everything was coming in well, confirmed that her other 3 molars ARE coming in, and talked to us about caring for them. He said with our routine...no "candy", no juice, brushing before bed (then no liquid after), etc...we should be on our way to a cavity free kid! YAY, let's hope so!!

After the dentist, we were on our way (downstairs) to her 15 month well-baby check. Thank god they are in the same building! First came weight and height...she now (since her 12 month appointment) just gets to stand on the scale like a big girl...she doesn't like it though. She weighed in at 24lbs even...up 2lbs (in 3 months) and down to the 66%. She measured in at 32.25"...up 1.5" (in 3 months) and still up in the 92%! She is very tall, and really thinning out! Her head is still massive...I'm pretty sure she's still off the charts there (we're sure it's because she's so smart...ha)! The pediatrician listened for the murmur right away, and of course it was still there, and still loud as ever. He initially said even though he still thinks it's "nothing", we should head in for another echo. By the end of the appointment, he'd convinced himself otherwise and said he really didn't think it was anything to worry about....and said he was going to leave it up to us. We go back and forth about it...I don't want to put her through the stress of an echo, spend the money and all that if it really is "nothing", but we obviously don't want her to go too long without intervention, if needed. He said if he had to "guess", he'd say she has Peripheral Pulmonic Stenosis...this made me perk up because I have a form of Pulmonic Stenosis...so that makes our decision even harder. For now, we're going to hold off until her 18 month check. If it's the same, we are definitely heading in at that point. Heart murmur's are VERY common in babies...but it's very rare for a murmur to hold on this long, as loud as hers is, and have it not be something else. We're staying positive though! After all of this, our poor lady also received 3 shots. She took them SO great though...barely even a cry! We were then informed that this fall she will receive one more vaccination and her flu shot, then is DONE with shots until she's 5 years old (once they're 2 they can get the nasal spray for the flu)!!! Great news!

After our appointments, Christian was off to work for the day, and I stopped into my work for a quick visit. Everyone loves to see the little ones at work once in a while, so it's a nice treat to stop in for a few minutes. Olivia was simply worn out after all of this, and passed out on the way home...then slept for a few hours. After her nap, we had some lunch, then headed down to the park for a while. She was ALL over the place, and LOVES the slides. I was getting pretty worn out going up the stairs, down the slide, up the stairs, down the slide...so I finally told her we'd need to come back with daddy another time so he can take her down some more! We were soon on our way back home, but stopped to watch the geese for a while at the pond. Once home, she wore herself out again, so she and I took a little snooze together on the couch. Once Christian got home, we ate some dinner and just hung out for the night...we caught up on 24 again (which just announced this is the last season...and we're very distraught over that...) and will be heading to bed on the early side...we have another early morning tomorrow, so no partying all night for us!

Here are some pics from our day at the park...so fun. As you can see from one of the pics, she has recently decided that she is far too big to crawl up (or down) the stairs anymore...she walks. It drives us nuts, and we were very against it for a while, but she's going to do it, so we're now just letting her learn. She's using the railings really well now, and doing a great job. Going down still makes us really nervous, but I guess we just have to let her grow up :(

4/8/10 - So, It's Thursday...

Yup, it's Thursday again! I don't know what it is about Thursday, but it's never a very exciting day for us. Today was work as usual...my "Friday", so that's always nice. We have early appointments tomorrow, so it won't be a late night or anything, but it's still nice to get the day off!

The weather seems to be clearing up well, and it looks like this weekend should be nice, so hopefully we'll get lots of time outside! For today, we just relaxed! Our little energizer bunny has been feeling pretty under the weather...she actually took a few minutes to relax on the couch and watch some TV with us tonight...which she NEVER does. Poor baby.