Today was basically split in half. The first half of the day was spent on "the list", and the second half was all about fun :)
I was up bright and early...even before Olivia! I did some final cleaning tasks that didn't get done last night, then hopped in the shower and got ready. Christian got Olivia up and fed, then he got ready. Finally, my mom came over to watch the energizer bunny and we were on our way! Today's main to-do was getting summer clothes for both girls. We first stopped into a thrift store by the house to check out the clothing and found some great stuff. While we were there, we spotted some awesome stools...we've been wanting stools for the kitchen counter FOREVER, so that was an exciting find.
Next, we were off to Babies R Us. They were having a clothing sale....unfortunately, even on sale, the clothes are still too expensive for our taste. We did find something to child proof the basement door...FINALLY. Olivia is obsessed with opening the door and going up and down the stairs, and we just don't trust her. Can't wait to get this new contraption installed. We did also find the cutest 4th of July dress, so we had to pick that up!
We left there and headed to the Mall of America...only to find a surprise storm had showed up. We were NOT expecting that, and it was kind of ruining our fun plans for that evening :( We got to the mall, and of course made a stop in the maternity store. They had a couple more t-shirts on sale, so I picked some up. Then, off to Carter's we went. Of course, as usual, they had TONS of great deals...we picked up everything we would need, for both girls, to get through the summer/early Fall. I'm so excited to have that done, and everything is just too cute! We stopped in the food court to grab some lunch, then were off to our next stop.
We left the mall, and it had cleared up, thank goodness....now we just needed the sun to show up! We headed over to Christian's parents house to pick some stuff up. They are going to be moving later this year, so they are getting rid of some things. They had some big flower pots, full of new soil, for us, a deck/grill organizer and some other odds and ends. We loaded all of that up (days like this, I'm thankful for the gas guzzling pick-up!), and were on our way home.
We got home, relieved my mom and got ready for fun!! The Madrid's came over for some outdoor play and grilling. The sun was out, it was getting warm and everything was just perfect! Kelly bought the girls matching "Best Friend" shirts, which were adorable! The girls played in the sandbox for a while, swung in the swing and went down the slide for a bit. Then, it was SWIM TIME! First time of the summer for Olivia :) Meeka wasn't really having much to do with the pool (the water was pretty cold), but Olivia was having the time of her life. She was dunking her face in the water, laying down and kicking her legs...it was hilarious. It was finally time to eat, then the girls were pretty exhausted. Olivia quickly passed out for the evening, and the Madrid's were on their way home.
A little later, we made spur of the moment plans with Nate and Gini, YAY! They stopped over, the boys (very proudly) started a fire, and we sat around, eating S'mores and chatting. It was great catching up and relaxing by the fire.
So, it was a great day! Very successful on the to-do list (not so much on the pocket book...), and lots of fun, play time with friends!
Today was a great day!! It was kind of gloomy and rainy out, so it was a nice, relaxing inside day. Olivia was still up bright and early, but she did take a super long nap. I'll take that!! I relaxed most of the day, caught up on some shows during nap time, and got in lots of play time. We had lots of fun, just us girls!!Christian worked a little OT. Once he was finally home, we got started on our list. Tonight was CLEANING. We picked up the house, did some general organizing, he vacuumed upstairs and down, and I took care of the dishes. We have slowly been moving more and more of Olivia's toys downstairs into the play area...just can't take cleaning up two play areas much longer. So, we just kept a few basics upstairs and everything else was moved. Finally, Olivia was in bed, the house was clean and we were able to sit down and relax a little bit before bed. We sure moved fast, but boy did that take a toll on my body! I don't think baby was a big fan of all the activity. I don't think baby will be a big fan of mine this whole weekend....Olivia spent a majority of the day chasing Rico around...still the only cat to come out around her, and he puts up with more and more of her bullying every day. She finally got in a few kisses...which is all she really wants to do (besides hit him, pull his hair and pick him up of course) :)
Well, not technically I suppose. But, it's my Friday, and today, that's all that matters! It's been a very long, very busy week. Although we're also in for a very busy weekend, I have a feeling it won't be quite as long.I'm sure I've said it before...but it seems like every time Thursday is my "Friday", I have so much to do. I'm one of those losers who refuses to leave work for the weekend/vacation/day off, etc. with things left in the middle of process. So, I often end up working a little late on Friday tying up lose ends. Today was no different. I finally jetted out the door, picked up the little lady and we were on our way home. It was a pretty relaxing night at home. Just hung out, ate some dinner, and rested. Much needed. I took an uninvited peek into Olivia's mouth tonight, and we are definitely making progress. One of the top molars is ALL the way out now, and one bottom canine is all the way out...so we now have 12 teeth completely out. Just working on that last molar and the other 3 canines, all of which are showing significantly now. Thank the Lord, I can see the light at the end of this tunnel!!Tomorrow we will be getting a start on our weekend of "to-do's", and I'm very excited about it! Can't wait to start checking stuff off that never ending list!!Tonight Olivia tried her first Marshmallow...after closely inspecting it, she decided it was delicious :)
30 Weeks...10 to go (70 days!!)! Oh boy, now it's really time to start counting down!! Just like in my earlier weeks...the closer we get, the more my nerves are overtaken by excitement. I can't believe in just a couple months we're going to have two little monsters taking over our house. Ahhh, I can't wait to meet her!
As I mentioned yesterday, everything is moving along right on schedule and measuring perfectly. Ann had me schedule all of my remaining appointments, so that really means we're getting close! My next appointment is on June 8th...so just a few short weeks away.
As part of our new devotion to completing our to-do list we'll be getting lots of baby stuff done in the next couple of weeks. We get paid this Friday, so we'll be taking full advantage of that. We are going to order baby's crib bedding and buy the mattress...then we can set up the crib and rearrange the room once that comes. Even though baby will be in the bassinet for a few months, I really want to get everything ready. We're also going shopping on Saturday for clothes...I'm so excited to look at teeny tiny baby clothes again. YAY. So, hopefully we'll get all of this checked off in the next week or so, depending on when the bedding comes. Time to crack the whip!
I think baby is definitely starting to get cramped in there. I get random body parts poking out of me here and there now, like she's stretching as far as possible trying to make more room. Sorry lady, it doesn't work that way!!
Well, today was a big day!
First, I had a baby appointment today. Met with Ann, a day shy of 30 weeks. My blood pressure was great...the best it's been so far! I couldn't believe it. My weight gain is still low and she was very happy about that. We listed to the heartbeat...for once, baby didn't hide from the doppler AND it was the loudest it's been yet. It was perfect! She measured me and baby is right on track, but, she didn't mention what position baby was in, so that leads me to believe she hasn't turned yet. I have a horrible feeling I'm in for a repeat breech, but, I'm still trying to think positively! We didn't have too much to talk about this time...she just mentioned the Pre-Term labor stuff to watch out for since I'm kind of at that stage now, she verified, as usual, that I am still planning a VBAC, which I am.
The rest of the day was all about Grandpa. Today was surgery day, so it was pretty hard to focus on work. My dad called every few hours to update me on everything, so that eased my mind. The surgery ended up taking a little longer than expected, but overall, everything went perfect and just as it was supposed to. He ended up with a triple bypass, which wasn't originally expected, and had the valve replaced as they anticipated. Everything went smooth, his heart started right back up after the bypass and things are looking good. Unfortunately, in the midst of everything, they realized he has pretty significant lung disease..I think my dad said something like 44% blockage. There isn't anything they can do about the damage, but it's definitely time for him to stop being a "closet smoker" (I quote that since really, we all know he was doing it...)! As long as he quits, it shouldn't get worse, so that's promising. So, he's resting and recovering in the ICU right now, and he'll be closely monitored for the next 24 hours. As long as everything is going well, they should have him off most of his machines tomorrow evening and up walking around his room. Then, he'll start physical therapy on Thursday and hopefully go home good as new next week. It was very scary, but things couldn't have gone much better. Fingers crossed he has a great recovery now!
Other than that, it was just another busy day. Lots of meetings and problems at work...I hate days like that...where EVERYTHING you touch has some kind of problem associated with it. After work, I picked Olivia up and rushed home to get some laundry done. I got about half done, so that was successful. The rest will wait until tomorrow!
Tonight was taco night in the house (YUM), and Olivia was very into it :)
Well, I think it's official. I think summer is here...very early! And, it sounds like it's here to stay this time. It was SUPER hot today...like actually HOT. It's supposed to be around 80 for the next week or so, then up close to/at 90 next week! 90, in May/June...that's crazy! At least the humidity isn't here yet...I dread the day humidity shows it's ugly face...ick.
Today was a pretty good day. Work was very busy and I feel like I actually got a lot done, which was nice. After work we had lots to do...we are determined to make a dent in our mile-long to-do list this week. I picked up Olivia and got home as quickly as I could. Christian dropped us ladies off at Target to start our Grocery/Target shopping and he took the car off to get a MUCH needed, MUCH over due oil change. That didn't take long at all and he joined up with us at Target. We finished up, got home, put everything away, ate some dinner, did a little yard work and FINALLY it was time for bed. I hate how fast time fly's when you are so busy, but, I love feeling like I was actually productive for a change! YAY, go us!
We have given into the naked around the house thing for poor little Olivia...she gets SO hot and sweats so much, I feel so bad. She loves wearing her birthday suit though, so we're good to go!
Well, another busy day. A busy weekend means a fast weekend. That means Monday is almost here, and came WAY quicker than it should have!We were up and at em' like usual today. Olivia was in QUITE a mood this morning. I've never heard so much whining in my whole life! AHHH. Christian finally took her outside to wear her out for a while while I showered and got ready for the day. Today we had our first team meeting for the Relay for Life, so Kari picked me up around 12:30 and we were off. The meeting went well...we just talked about different fund raising options we had and the normal "team" stuff that we had to go over. I'm very bummed this year because I won't actually be able to participate in the walk itself. Baby is due on 7/28, and the walk is on 8/6, so there's just no way that's going to happen. I will be doing everything I can to raise money though, and I'll hopefully be there for a little while, but it's still disheartening not being able to participate.After the meeting, I met Christian and Olivia over at his parents house for some more grilling. Finally, after another long day, we were on our way home. The grocery store remains unvisited, the laundry remains unwashed and many other chores have not been completed. Although busy, I feel completely unproductive, and I don't like it at all. Seriously...when is one supposed to get all of this done?? These are the rare times I wish I didn't work...the times when my to-do list is just completely untouchable, the fridge is running on empty and I just can't work in the time to do it....oh well, there's always "tomorrow" right?!
Today was a busy day!! Olivia seems to be sleeping a little bit later, which is really nice. Any little extra helps! Once we got up, we ate some breakfast and got right to cleaning up. Meal time has been stressful lately. With all of the teething going on, Olivia just isn't into eating much. On top of that, she now 95% of the time insists on feeding herself. Not only does this double/triple meal time, but it also makes about 10 times the mess as well. But, we push through it :)The house is in need of a deep clean....but of course there's no time for that. Today we just picked up toys and miscellaneous "stuff" that's been sitting around, gathering dust. Did the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen. The basics. Olivia has been taking nice, LONG naps lately, which really helps in getting stuff done. I even got a catch to catch up on a couple of shows and start going through her clothes while she napped!Turns out, we have pretty much NO newborn clothing, and, just as I suspected, ALL of her 0-3 month outfits are pants and long sleeves! So, we will definitely be doing some clothes shopping here soon. Luckily we are set on onesies and PJ's, so that was some good news! While we're at it, we'll be getting Olivia some summer clothes. She still comfortably fits in her 12-18 months stuff, but we didn't buy any summer clothes for her because we didn't know if we should just wait until she needs 18-24 months stuff, especially since last summer she was still in pants and long sleeves in July. BUT, it appears we will indeed be having a summer this year, and early, so we she'll need some stuff.Once Olivia was up, Christian and his friend were off to the store to pick up some grilling stuff and then we all played outside for a while, grilled and ate some dinner. Before long, it was bedtime for the little one. Once down, I finished going through the clothes and relaxed. It was a long day!We did get a cute little dress/overall outfit from somebody, and it was finally warm enough for her to wear it, and she seems to love the freedom of it. She was so cute, and looked like such a big girl!
Well, this has been a LONG week. Between the normal work crazy and home crazy, thinking about my Grandparents has added to everything. Of course thinking about them only makes me think about my other Grandparents, who, hard to believe, have been gone for 7 and 9 years now! I just can't believe that...It was a pretty low key night at home tonight. I pulled out all of Olivia's clothes so I could start seeing what will work for baby, but then I just wasn't in the mood to do it. So, I have totes and "space saver" bags thrown about the basement right now. Instead, we just made some dinner, hung out for a while, and spaced out watching TV before bed. Nothing too interesting. We're in for a pretty packed weekend again, so I'm glad we got a chance to just kick back.Again, the camera did not make it's way into my hands tonight, so I'm cheating with another flashback. This week, a year ago, Olivia was really starting to get the strength to stand up. Obviously at 4 months old she wasn't doing this alone, but she could support herself so amazingly!
Today I left work a little bit early to go visit my Grandpa. I finally got a chance to talk to my dad this afternoon and get an update on everything from him. It sounds like my Grandma is doing much better, which is good. My aunts and step mom have been switching off staying with her, and it sounds like she's been much more calm about everything the past few nights. It sounds like as long as she keeps her schedule she can handle it.My Grandpa has been in very good spirits, but we did get some pretty scary news today. They finally did an Angiogram and met with the cardiologist to discuss everything. It looks like he will be going in for open heart surgery to replace two valves and do a bypass. It's very scary, but they are very optimistic about everything. They cannot do the surgery until Tuesday because they have to let his blood thinner work it's way out of his system first. So, Tuesday morning he'll be heading into surgery, then spend some time in the ICU afterwards, then he'll be staying for 5-6 days following the surgery to recover. They are going to check him out a few days after the surgery and if it doesn't look like he's recovering as anticipated, they are going to install a pacemaker.In the meantime, the hospital has hospice type apartments that they are trying to get my Grandma set up in. That way she can be closer to Grandpa, and have somebody to help her out and watch over her.It was a lot to take in. I left work a little early, picked up Olivia, and brought her for a visit. She was her usually goofy self and definitely put a few smiles on Grandma and Grandpa's faces. Grandpa was very upbeat and seemed ready to go with the surgery. His attitude and spirit toward the whole thing really make me feel better...that's such a huge part of recovery and I think that's only going to help.Taking pictures wasn't really on my mind today, so I'll do a little flashback tonight! I don't know why, but this picture really cracks me up, so I thought it was fitting!
