Your Scrappy Silhouette Artwork Is Making Me Hungry For Some Guacamole...

I was out Saturday morning garage sale shopping with my sister a few weekends ago. (It is absolutely shocking how much a two hour, $7.80 garage sale run will therapize me.) We hit up a decently priced sale full of potential. I grabbed a HUGE matted frame (that will soon find itself spray painted, of course) for 2 bucks and another smaller wooden frame with a itty bitty 10 cent price tag.

I brought them up to pay for both where the garage sale CEO waved away my dime for the smaller frame. "Just take it, please!".

(My heart fluttered with thrifty happiness. Not even joking.)

Guess what happened when I got home?

That's right. Prime and spray paint baby!

Agonizingly waited for drying time, then used this template , courtesy of Ms. Martha, and once again made free scrapbooky silhouette "artwork":



Wally the whale and his lime and avocado inspired frame got hung by a lovely chocolate brown ribbon to sass up the kids bathroom:


(No, it is NOT hung that unevenly. Really. I love my level. So pardon the, uh, shoddy picture taking skillz...I seriously fell into the tub after snapping that shot.)

My lovely sister in law, Megan, challenged her blog readers to a see what project they could do for 99 cents. Well Megs, looks like I one upped you.

FAAAHREEEEEE!

A

For more DIY projects check out A Soft Place To Land and the Shabby Chic Cottage...

Butter...blah blah blah...Muffins...

I left and returned to my house approximately 399 times yesterday(Wednesday).

Dropped of Bubbalu at MIL's house and brought Lil Chick to her nine month, 9:00 appointment at the doctor....on 9/09/09. Weird. She really did turn EXACTLY nine months old yesterday. Like I said, weird.

Turns out she is still super stinkin tiny, so much so that the Doctor advised adding butter, heavy cream or olive oil to her meals. Yum Yum, eat up darlin! She hits all of those developmental markers, she's just a pipsqueak. However, a fiery lil pipsqueak. She may be small, but she's mighty.

Lil Chick is a screechy, shrieking aficionado. I sometimes wonder if my neighbors think I lay around all day sticking her with pins. In reality, she screeches when she is holding a toy, looking at her brother, or just because she's bored. You know, maybe she just wants a big bowl of butter.

We had a lovely relaxing afternoon of x-rays, medication, schlepping to the doctor and tears from Bubbalu over concerns of a broken forearm...all turning out to be a dislocated elbow. It was a trying and emotionally exhausting day. I am praising God for Bubbalu's health and intact bones.

Favorite part of my day occurred in the x-ray waiting room. This waiting room was extremely cavernous and seemed to magnify (ha! NPI) every whispered word or sound. Two year olds don't seem to get the whisper concept. At least my two year old doesn't get it. He's busy commenting on everyone's shoes, the man in the wheelchair, the lights, the gumball machine, the blue chairs...you name it. Everyone was politely ignoring him.

Then there was....silence.

Until a certain 31.8lb two year old voice belted out, "DO YOU KNOW THE MUFFIN MAN, THE MUFFIN MAN, THE MUFFIN MAN! DO YOU KNOW THE MUFFIN MAN WHO LIVES ON DRURY LANE!"

We are just the par-tay of the x-ray waiting room. You need an x-ray? Call us, we're quite entertaining. Who knows, we may even bring muffins...

A

Mrs. Goodwill Drab to Miss Sassy N. Fab Chair Revamp...

I've been feeling super inspired by all the thrifty crafty DIY and fabulous revamp blogs I've been reading. So I gathered up my spending cash (less than $20.00 - whoopadeedoo....can you buy ANYTHING anymore for less than twenty bucks?), pawned the kids off on my dear hubby, jumped in the car and headed to our local Goodwill store for some thrifting therapy.

I eagerly browsed around looking for something horrible and decrepit with a splash of potential.

There was one fabulous chair that I passed up because it was too expensive.

Y'all - Here I am, IN A GOODWILL STORE, turning my nose at a perfect revamp project because Mrs. Stinginess did not want to shell out $14.99! Ha! Told ya I was thrifty...or dutch, but whatever.

However, I'm glad I passed up the aforementioned overpriced chair because tucked in the back high up on a shelf I spotted this sad, forlorn and forgotten chair:

Goodness gracious, HELLO POTENTIAL!

I was muchly thrilled. And even better? The stingy dutch woman living inside of me (Hi, Mrs. Stinginess, I know you are in there) was pleased as punch to see a price tag of $3.99.

YOU BETCHA!

I picked this sucker up for less than a Starbucks Venti Pumpkin Spice Latte!



Can ya tell I was slightly ecstatic? I wheeled my chair-laden goodwill cart proudly, wondering if the other patrons were kicking themselves for passing up my treasure.

The seat fabric? Detestable. Fuzzy orange with shiny gold stripes:

Blech!

I unloaded that thing into my garage and took Bessie to it:

Yeah, I named my cowtastic screwdriver Bessie.

Yanked that seat off, threw the fabric DIRECTLY into the garbage, then sanded, primed and spray painted that chair to gorgeousness:

I added a bunch of batting layers to the squashed seat pad:

Stapled on some fantastic new fabric (that cost more than the chair), Bessie reattached the seat and voila!

Meet Mrs. Previously Goodwill Drab, now known as Miss Sassy N. FAB:

LOVE the lines of Lil Miss Sassy...properly distressed, of course.

I have a slight obsession with green. I actually gasped OUT LOUD in the fabric store when I saw this bit o green gloriousness.

Before and after shot, from DRAB to FAB! :

Check out more DIY projects over at : A Soft Place To Land, the Shabby Chic Cottage and Thrifty Decor Chick...

A

Ain't Nuthin Chic About Anti-Diarrhea Medication...

You always feel ultra cool when you make an emergency run to the all-night convenience store to pick up a 24 pack of anti-diarrhea capsules and a spray bottle of bleach bathroom cleaner.

Do you ever wonder what the checkers must think? Did they look at my behind when I was walking out the automatic doors thinking, "hmmm, that girl's got the trots"?

I always feel the need to casually bring up in conversation with the checker that no, it ISN'T me who is sick.

This time I didn't say anything...leading me to wonder if they were in fact wondering,"how bad can it be that she needs a 24 capsule supply AND spray bleach? Wonder what her bathroom looks like?" as they surreptitiously squirted a hefty dose of hand sanitizer.

Yeesh.

A

#1 Trashiest Campsite Status...

I am freshly back from a nine day camping trip.

Yep, NINE days.

CAMPING. (Well, mostly motorhoming.)

With two littles. One potty training, one nursing.

Whew!

Things we discovered:

- It is shocking how quickly a toddler can trash a campsite.

- Bubbalu LOVES to pee outside, further establishing our "#1 trashiest campsite in the campground" status.

- Lil Chick is a movin' and a shakin'. She is scooting and just starting to crawl around. Here we go! Bubbalu learned to crawl in Spokane, Lil Chick on this camping trip. That's it, I'm not going ANYWHERE else! Lil Chick will stand up and recite the Heidelberg Catechism Q & A Lords Day 1 if I ever leave on another trip again....not that reciting the Catechism is bad...it's just TOO. STINKIN. FAST.

- Sunscreen in an spray can is AWESOMENESS.

- Bubbalu loves to say "AWESOMENESS!".

- An air conditioned motorhome is FAR superior to NON air-conditioned sweltering house that hit 95 INSIDE while we were gone.

-Potty training is set on the back burner while camping. This may be due to a specific ginormo poo in the underwear incident that I'd just as soon like to forget about. Underwear was tossed into double layer plastic zip-top baggies, squished with some laundry soap (kinda like those friendship bread baggies. "Day #3 - Squish the bag" - yep, EXACTLY like that) and then promptly thrown out of the motorhome...where it sat until it was time to pack up and go home. Once again, reestablishing our "#1 trashiest campsite in the campground" status.

-Many many MANY baby wipes are used while camping. Face, hands, buns, tables, high chair, legs, chairs, neck...you get the picture.

-Showering the children outside using the handy-dandy outside shower attachment on in-law's trailer is a GREAT way to prevent the trailer/motorhome gray water tank from filling too quickly. However, once again...#1 trashiest campsite in the campground.

-Giving Bubbalu a haircut outside using your home clipper set and a squirt gun filled with used pool water to wet their hair down doesn't help your "#1 trashiest campsite in the campground" status.

-Showering yourself (in the motorhome INSIDE shower) while STANDING IN A HUGE PLASTIC TOTE BIN and then carrying it outside to dump your shower out also saves your gray water tank, but again, doesn't help your status.

-Neither does pulling a utility trailer complete with two different chipped beyond repair paint jobs (that don't match), zero hubcaps and a horrible case of rust that you store at the entrance to your site covered with a hole-ridden, well past it's prime, bright green tarp.

I'm starting to wonder if the campground owners threw their hands in the air and cheered while we drove away.

However, that was AFTER my husband spilled a couple of gallons worth of raw sewage onto himself and the dump station before we exited the premises.

Yeah, they were DEFINITELY celebrating...

A

Our Sleep Schedule May Be A Thing Of The Past...

Oh.

Hi there.

Yep, I'm still here...sorta.

We've been rather busy running around crazy-like.

Tell me, how does ones house manage to get trashed from top to bottom when you aren't even there? We packed up each and every morning and hung out at my Mom and Dad's house every day while my brother and sis-in-law were visiting.

And my house got trashed.

While no one was home.

It's a mystery.

I've been busy cleaning up my mysteriously trashed house and trying to regain a semblance of order.

I am currently trying to gently remind my beloved offspring that they used to have a somewhat normal sleep schedule. For the 15 pound offspring it is working quite well. Very compliant and adjustable that one.

As for the OTHER ONE.

Let's just say it isn't going so great. Let's also just say that the gentle reminder has morphed into a different kind of reminder. One that might involve tying the door shut with a scarf as the 31.6 pound offspring may have figured out how to launch over the gate blocking his doorway.

As I said, it's not going so great.

Many tears and gnashing of the teeth.

I know I know, I've got to get myself under control...

A

One Year Ago It Was Sunny...

One year ago Bubbalu discovered a quick and handy backyard thirst quencher at Grandma's house:



And I'm certain it was sanitary and appropriate for holding drinking water.

Really, it was. I helped Grandma scour the thing after watching Bubbalu go back for seconds, thirds and fourths. We decided that copious amounts of fungi and scum might not be grand for the digestive system of an 18 month old.

We hung out at Grandma's house that day because Bubbalu's fun older boy cousins were in town and a play day was deemed necessary.

That, and Mama was one tired and worn out preggo woman who had run out of ideas to entertain her precocious toddler.

The cousins thought Bubbalu was quite silly for drinking out of the water fountain:



But looking on the bright side, he certainly wasn't dehydrated on that scorching hot July day:



Where oh where did our July 2009 sun go? Come back, for I miss thee so. I pulled out my cozy socks and am making soup for dinner. Um...I'm not ready for fall yet. I must have at least three frazzle-inducing camping trips, two unseemly tan lines, and one tired out toddler to meet my summer quota.

It's not looking very good.

Only one camping trip in the works, sunless tanner is providing adequate unlined tannage and the boy is decidedly UNTIRED.

Yeesh.

A

Getting Some Time Off...

We are freshly back from a fabulously child-free weekend getaway. While the husband had to attend a seminar and talk shop with his other dental study club members, the wifey watched movies, drank coffee (sugar-free creamer!), read beach books and slept in.

I had every intention to do two hour gym workouts and an extensive distance run of the beach but couldn't seem to get up the gumption to leave my cozy quiet hotel room. Had it been a sunny weekend I would have planted myself on a beach chair and soaked up some rays like nobodies business, but the ever-present clouds dictated hotel room laziness. That and the lack of a perfectly svelticizing post-partum bathing suit may have contributed to the lazy decision.

Not that it was a problem.

I can do lazy.

My kids spent the weekend at Grandpa and Grandma's house, hanging with Aunties and Uncles and getting loved to bits. I'm pretty sure they didn't even know we were gone. As predicted, Bubbalu did NOT want to come home...proving once again that he thinks his Mama is exceedingly boring.

Seriously.

On a daily basis the kid asks to either:

A. Go to Costco? OK??

or

B. Go to Doctor? OK??

Really, how boring must I be if going to the doctor (where one gets multiple shots every visit) is more exciting than staying home? Embarrassing.

We ate delicious food (think catered beach front salmon feast), drank yummy wine (open bar) and lounged around like royalty.

I told the husband that he should seriously consider taking his wife away on a monthly weekend vacation/escape as she is feeling remarkably refreshed, reengergized and remotivated to be a stay at home Mama to two young children.

Even if aforementioned young children do think she is exceedingly boring...

A

My Guppie....

We were invited Saturday to an impromptu swim/BBQ party to celebrate a dear little baby girl's dedication.

The dedication was simple yet meaningful...full of love and drenched in the Spirit.

The pool party invitation caused a moment of panic which necessitated alerting the Postpartum Fashion Emergency Support Group. All ended well, thanks to cleverly hidden elastic and who knows what other genius fabric to svelt-icize me. And a certain fashion consultant angel...you know who you are.

Bubbalu has proven to be a danger around water. And yes, I already knew to be extremely cautious around water with him, but this was a whole new ball game. We were thinking he would clutch us nervously while barely kicking his legs and MIGHT blow some bubbles or sit on the pool steps for a bit by himself. When he jumped off the diving board by himself into the deep end for the 18th or so time we kinda thought that maybe we should start thinking about some swimming lessons for the boy.

Good thing we had one of those toddler lifevesty things on him with 18 clips, cinched straps and head support on it.

Let's just say we got our money's worth on that purchase.

Unfortunately, I've been told that toddler swimming lessons are only to introduce the child to the water and to lessen fear of water instead of actually teaching them to swim.

"Um, Hi, my name is Amanda and I'm just wondering if you offer a class that will INCREASE his fear of water? Maybe a scary video and a terrifying pool demonstration?

No?

Oh, crap."

A

A Weekend In Numbers...

We loaded up the Tahoe and headed out of town for a long weekend in Seattle.

4 people.

2 adults.

2 children.

1 Tahoe.

3 nights.

4 days.

27 bags.

2 graduations.

2 missed afternoon naps.

3 minor toddler meltdowns.

1 case of intestinal "objections".

1 migraine.

2 Extra-Strength Tylenol.

1 dinner celebration party.

1 Dungeness Crab Fettuccine Dinner.

2 slices of ice cream cake.

0 DVD players in hotel room.

1 Oreo McFlurry.

2 swimming pool playtimes.

1 shaking wet toddler.

8 muffins smuggled from the continental breakfast.

8 muffins eaten for lunch.

4 loads of laundry to be done.

2 exhausted children who are STILL asleep.

We had a wonderful time but are happy to be home once again...

A

Dinner Parties Are Not Meant For Children...

So we took the littles to a dinner party on Friday night.

It was a beautifully remodeled, Pottery Barn invoking, magazine photoshoot ready, stylish waterfront abode. I wanted to explore every inch of the place but didn't think our lovely hosts would appreciate me nosing around their laundry room or master bedroom closet.

I alternately spent my time panicking that my sunless tanner was emitting a scent only described by a metallic crossbred with my need-to-be-replaced running shoes and worrying that my toddler might walk up to the host, hold onto her chic capri pants and stare at her intently while filling his diaper with another, even more horrible, scent.

Less than five minutes after arrival Bubbalu threw both of his entertainment (matchbox cars) into the lake, once again solidifying my reasoning for purchasing his toys used. While that was quite entertaining for the rest of the guests I was less than thrilled. What am I going to occupy my inquisitive, stubborn, high energy toddler boy with now? Easy peasy: the neighbors' purple balloon which also ended up in the lake, rocks...which also ended up in the lake, and his sippy cup which ALMOST ended up in the lake. I just didn't want HIM to end up in the lake.

Bubbalu refused to eat his hot dog or anything resembling a normal diet and filled up on tortilla chips and watermelon. Ingenious combo, no? At least he drank milk. Sheesh.

Luckily there was a perfectly adorable chocolate brown lab for him to play with and a whole house full of understanding 'we have SO been there' folks.

Lil Chick blew out her pants while walking in the door which happily gained us private access to the master bathroom for changing duty. Stunning. Both the bathroom AND her diaper. She behaved very well but screamed halfway home to let her Mama know that she did, in fact, leave a bit too late. And by late I do mean 7:30.

Oy...

A

Dear Ms. Plaid Shirt Wearing Gal...

Dear Ms. Plaid Shirt Wearing Gal,

Whereas I am sure you are a very nice young gal, I beg you to do a final mirror check before you leave the house.

Why?

Well, I am certain my fellow Costco shoppers were equally appalled by your outfit of choice.

And though I know that the circulation and movement impairing ultra-tight short shorts are uber cool, pairing them with a long button down plaid shirt is against clothing codes.

Meaning...I couldn't see your shorts. Leading me to think that a nice young gal was walking around Costco with just a plaid shirt and flip flops on. I had to stare at you for a good minute or two before finally seeing an swatch of fabric that put my curiosity to rest.

How about a compromise? Why don't you trade in your ultra short shorts and plaid shirt and instead go for plaid Bermuda shorts and I'll stop staring at you.

I think it's an excellent idea.

A

My Costco Petition...

I have a petition for Costco that I would like to present before you. I am convinced that this petition would bring about change for the betterment of the community and for humanity as a whole. I humbly ask for your support.

Costco needs a drive-thu y'all.

Imagine if you will...

Instead of: juggling your sloshing Mochas (yes, that IS plural) while pushing your overfilled Kirkland Signature laden shopping cart and giving the children the 'because Mommy said so and Mommy's in charge' lecture all the while staining your kept out to get sharpied receipt...

Replace with: Pulling up to drive thru window, children serenely buckled in and smiling, Costco goodies stowed away safely in back...and NO drippage of the precious Mochas (yes, that IS plural).

I petition Costco to offer a drive thru window offering their food court fare for purchase. It would be a great improvement to the current system, and I am certain the construction costs would be offset by the increase in food court sales by the end of the second...no, first week. My increased business alone could fund the new cash register and headset required for drive thru operation.

Their food court patronage would increase ten-fold, and as reward for my idea I would only ask that a smallish plaque be displayed prominently in the esteemed 'on the way to the bathroom' hallway and a pass to cut in front of all the cars waiting to fill up on low gas price days. A small compensation for a stellar idea.

Wouldn't YOU hit up a Costco drive thu window if the 'find a spot, park and walk in' hassle was eliminated? I surely would.

Although my family might start complaining when we have chicken bakes, Caesar salad and berry smoothies for the third night in a row...

A

A Costcoing We Will Go...

So I headed back to Costco again today. Yes, I KNOW that I am at Costco on a biweekly pattern, but I can't help it. As long as I'm in the area, I may as well stop for those funky milk gallons and $3.99 cheese.

And maybe a $1.09 mocha.

Or two.

Yep...two.

Except with the littles in tow I have a hard time juggling all the lovely groceries and carrying two mochas. Not to mention the whole 'keep your receipt out to get checked and scrawled on by the sharpie wielding Costco employees' fuss. Yep, FUSS. Then you get your hair blow dried by the industrial heaters and you are spit out the exit garage door. So in short, all that with two mochas and two littles isn't easy.

Don't let the sharpie receipt marking whine fool you. I love me some Costco. I would live there if they let me. Mocha's and fresh muffins in the morning, watch the latest movie on the 64 inch screen, try a sample of everything for lunch, spend the afternoon trying on all the clothes in 3 different sizes and the 2+carat diamond solitaires, and settle in with the latest book and whatever I want for dinner...and all American chocolate cake for dessert. Glorious.

I wore Lil Chick in the Moby for my Costco jaunt and may I just say? I got some strange looks. Really? Is a baby being carried in a front pack so strange?

One lady asked me, "does she just SLEEP in there?"

No, she does crossword puzzles and calculates tax rates.

Things I am loving at Costco right now:

- Huge glazed teal planters for $39.99

- Adorable Calvin Klein 3 piece toddler sets. Faint plaid shorts, polo and over shirt. SUPER adorable. Don't remember how much.

- Girls spring dresses! Do you think buying toddler clothes now is a bit to early for Lil Chick? That's what my husband said.

- GiNORmous coloring books for kids. Really, they were HUGE. I want the Lighting McQueen one more than Bubbalu does.

- Blender! I need a new one and the one they had on display is all purty and shiny.

- Olive Oil. DUDE. I bought 4 LITERS of the stuff. Just because I could. And it cost the same as a smallish bottle from Safeway.

- Towels. I had major towel needs. Up until a few days ago we were still using the ones my parents gave to me when I graduated high school. HIGH time for new ones. I used some of my birthday money to get new bath towels, hand towels and washcloths in chocolate brown, light brown and green. They are NUMMY...and a SUPER deal for the quality.

- Outdoor furniture sets. Too many awesome ones to pick a fave. Oh, and I need a pool.

Just LOVE me some Costco.

What are you loving from/at Costco right now?

A

Gym IPodiquette...

So having recently joined a local gym for therapy and to get more points on the "Are You Healthy?" quizzes in magazines I have some Gym IPodiquette I would like to share:

• If I keep my ear buds in and don't make eye contact with you, assume that I either A. didn't see you (which is actually highly improbable, being that I scan the room constantly to avoid staring at the slowly moving numbers on the treadmill) or B. did in fact see you but don't want to talk. I am here to sweat, not chat. Doesn't mean that I don't love you, I just need to lose some excess baby poundage.
  
  
• If I keep ONE earbud in and don't stop my playlist (which I keep on maximum volume so I don't hear anyone else talking or the annoying sports game on TV...or my conscience saying, "Amanda...stop running/lifting/crunching...you are hungry...eat something yummy.") then I am OK with a quick hellohowareyoui'mfinedidyouhaveababyyeahshe'sgreatnicetoseeyoubye!
  
  
• If I keep ONE earbud in and STOP my playlist that means I am STILL OK with the quick hellohowareyoui'mfinedidyouhaveababyyeahshe'sgreatnicetoseeyou...but I'll actually ask you how YOU are doing and listen to what you have to say. Cause I'm nice like that.
  
  
• If I take BOTH earbuds out and stop the playlist it means I either A. haven't seen you since moving back to our hometown and really do need to catch up with you B. am bored and sick of my workout anyways or C. am related to you and can't get away with ignoring you because you might disown me.
  
  

If I forget my IPod at home I'm sunk. I'm much too chatty. I may even ditch the gym and head over to the restaurant and obey my conscience. Because sometimes?

That girl knows what she's talking about.

A

Just Keep Swimming...

Hi Mommy, thanks again for the cute swim outfit that I get to wear all year long. I enjoyed using it all summer and early fall, and am thrilled to keep it at Grandpa and Grandma's house so we can play in the (cooled down) hot tub whenever we come and visit.



However, have you ever heard of a little thing called a swim diaper? You really should look into getting them, cause I just peed on the floor.

A

Chick vs. Monkey...

Last week Mama took her Lil Chick on a trip to visit family and play with her cousin Monkey...

So Lil Chick, meet your cousin Monkey, who you haven't seen in over a month :



So Lil Chick, what do you think about Monkey? :



Monkey (with a rather stunned expression), "can you believe that!? She yawned! She thinks I'M boring!?" :



Monkey, what do you think about Lil Chick? :



Lil Chick,"He yawned! He thinks I'M boring!? That makes me mad!". She begins to cry...

However, Monkey decides to ignore Lil Chick's protest :



That just ticks Lil Chick off, so she decides to give Monkey the dreaded cold shoulder :



And that makes Monkey feel bad. Very bad. Monkey, "I'm SO SORRY I called you boring, PLEASE forgive me!?



In the end, Lil Chick and Monkey call a truce and all is well. Drama drama drama!

We'll see what happens next time...

A

It's Just A REALLLLY Long Scarf..

While on bed rest I really didn't panic about the whole labor and delivery aspect of having a baby. What really caused me to break out in a glistening cold sweat was the thought of having another colicky infant.

Unless you have had a colicky child you have NO idea what those babies are like. What the parents go through. There should be some sort of public recognition for surviving a colicky infant. Maybe a nice local newspaper article? :

Lance and Amanda have survived the colic phase of their son, Bubbalu, who is now 6 months old. We extend our sincere sympathies as well as applaud their extraordinary parenting skills, superb psychological steadfastness and tremendous infant intuition. We praise them for not going completely insane and thank them for withholding extraneous complaints regarding this chapter of their lives. Donations may be made at any local bank to the 'Amanda Believes In Shopping Therapy' Fund.

I think it has a nice ring to it.

Bubbalu was the colic king for quite a few months, so I consider myself an authority on soothing and coping with colicky/extremely fussy babies.

My favorite soothing tool I used for Bubbalu was the Moby Wrap. It's basically a really long piece of fabric (like a scarf) that you can wrap around your body in different configurations so your baby can be carried around hands-free in a snug and ergonomic fashion. It's kinda confusing to put it on the first few times but once you have it down, you're golden.

It's a huge relief to have your hands free to do dishes, fold laundry, clean the house....hee hee hee, who am I kidding!? It makes blogging with a newborn easy and possible. Lil Chick is snuggled in the Moby as we speak...write...type...whatever.

Lil Chick does not have colic. Her personality falls in between the normal and mellow category. I consider it a HUGE gift from God that she is a calm baby, especially after dealing with our month of chaos in which I hit rock bottom.

I actually kind of feel I am now getting my postpartum rest. However, I laughed out loud after reading in a pregnancy book, 'during the first two to three weeks postpartum you should be resting more often than not'.

Uh huh. Right.

Lil Chick does well in the Moby and I can even go out for a nice long walk. See? Here's Lil Chick in the Moby wrap on a jaunt to the park:



See Bubbalu in the top right of the pic? He loves playing at the park and Mommy loves how tired he gets after the park.

I'm no math whiz, but check THIS problem out:

Trip to the park + eating a big lunch after we get home = LOOONNNGG nap.

Priceless.

Anyone else have/had colicky infants? Any favorite infant survival tips?

A

Check out more ways to carry a baby from other Mamas at Adventures In Babywearing.

Things You Learn In The Hospital 2...

Children do not enjoy visiting the hospital.

However, if you have a privacy curtain and daddy's slippers you can do this:

If you have a window you can drive your cars up here:



If your Grandma is smart, you can have a snack:

Or you can dance to the song Rockin Around The Christmas Tree:

Guess how much time that takes up? About 10 minutes. Then Grandpa and Grandma have to take me on a walk to see the fish tank ("Nemo!") and get some lunch.

Can you see why Mommy looks tired in this pic?



Oh yeah, and you can visit with Mommy a bit too. Cause Bubbalu is the very best medicine she ever received:



A

Mandatory Lazying...

For those of you wondering where in tarnation I've taken off to...

We had a lovely family Thanksgiving with Lance's family where I didn't have to lift a finger...because if I did try to help I got yelled at to return promptly to my bed rest throne (aka big overstuffed chair with ottoman). My MIL even pushed my bed rest throne up to the table so I could dine in complete comfort and please my doctors at the same time.

We managed to go and get our very first real Christmas tree on Sunday. I stayed in the car and read the paper after giving strict instructions to Lance and my MIL. Can I just say they did a GREAT job at picking a tree!? Kudos to Lance for resisting the urge to purchase the automatic tree watering system and to my FIL for sharing his apple cider with Bubbalu.

Pictures to come at a later date...

Over the weekend and into Monday I didn't feel so great. I got rather puffy...think sausage toes, squishy feet and marshmallow-ish face. LOVELY. Also started seeing stars and getting frequent throbbing headaches. Kinda scary. Off to the doctor on Tuesday the 2nd, where she took one look at me and ordered me to the hospital for bed rest.

And that is where I've been, at the hospital on bed rest, awaiting the delivery of our little girl. We don't know when delivery will be, which provides a fun constant source of nervous anticipation, hope and stress.

Our Bubbalu is having the time of his life, not at all traumatized with his Mommy being in the hospital. Both sets of Grandparents have lovingly opened their homes to him and like I already said, he's not exactly traumatized.

More than likely he won't want to return home once Mama gets all better and Baby Sister arrives. Mama is SO boring compared to doting Grandma's, Grandpa's, Aunties and Uncles.

He apparently is learning his letters, shapes, colors and new words, how to dance to 'Rocking Around The Christmas Tree', got to go on his inaugural swim in the cooled down hot tub, and is currently with Daddy, Uncle Alec and Mommy's parents watching the town lighted parade.

How can I compare to THAT!?

Like I said, coming home might be boring for him.

Although it is hard for me to be the patient instead of the OB Nurse, I am getting used to this mandatory lazying. I am viewing these last few weeks as prime baby incubator time and 'catch up on sleep and be rested for when I have a newborn' time.

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers, I will try to keep you posted...

A