The Age Of Conserving Energy

There was a time in my life that meeting someone for 5 minutes or knowing them for 5 years meant the same thing: I had to like them and they had to like me. I could not sleep at night knowing someone was mad at me, or didn't like me. I was convinced that no matter what differences we have that there had to be some common ground, and thought it was my soul purpose to finding it. The result of this was a lot of disappoint, feeling self conscious, and always aiming to please others, instead of looking out for me. 

It took me until my thirties to realize not all people jive, that it is ok to speak up and piss people off, and that sometimes you can do or say nothing at all and people may not like you "just because". I don't think you can be ok with this until you really are comfortable in your own skin, and you see the relevance in trying to please people is irrelevant. 

The before me would never return a meal prepared the wrong way, or ask the Dunkin Donuts workers if they are running the 99 cent latte special. I realized that being silent it situations that are "all business", shouldn't matter how I "look" or "seem", but the main priority be watching out for me.

The young women I was before needed to attempt to be friends with all of her peers, even if they clearly weren't "her type". Luckily when I am at the playground or taking a class, it is clear to me what will blossom and is  worthy of some energy on my part, and what is not. This is a blessing, as wasted energy on relationships going no where is just that...wasted, when really it could be used on my family, and true friends. It is so freeing to be at a place in my life that I can actually decide if a disagreement, misunderstanding, or growing a friendship, is even worth processing. For once in my life I have heard myself say "no". 

The funny part about this change is living in our new found "facebook generation", and seeing people from all parts of your life on there. People you tried so hard, too hard, to be likable. People that wronged you, made fun of you, or that you did that to. The vulnerable person I use to be sometimes comes out with the ol' non-friends that use to torture me, that are now "friending" me. The beauty of being 32 and in a better place is I can deny their friendship, or I can add them and see what they are up to hoping they are miserable, ugly, and single. 

I used to be told your twenties are when you grow up, and define you, however I am certain it is thirties. I am pretty sure on who Aimee is, and I am sure as I get older I will only learn more. Sure I miss the fun twenties when life was about drinking a good cosmopolitan, at the hippest city bar/club, singing P. Diddy's "Mo Money Mo Problems" at the top of my lungs. The thirties however, that is when life lessons and secrets start to become apparent, and I am so happy I know what is important. 

BFF'S

Rylan clearly has a BFF! As discussed earlier on this blog he often shows his likes and dislikes toward other kids his age, and there is no convincing him otherwise. You know he really likes the other kid when he is willing to share anything and everything, including his beloved planes!

Luckily the kid he choose to be his absolute favorite happens to be my BFF's (and Rylan's God mother's) son, Christian. Rylan and Christian go way back since the start of the their tiny little lives.  As do Christina and I, since our young high school days of teased hair, pointy shoes, rhinestone shirts, and a job together at Honey Dew Doughnuts. We can only hope our second babies will love each other too! 

Last night we visited at their new house. Rylan and Christian immediately started to play, converse, dance, sing, and do everything together like ying and yang. It made an adult night with PF Changs take out, one of ease. We topped off the great night with ice cream for all. The kids looked like such big boys with their own cones, a long way a way from the first time they met in Boston when they were only weeks old.

Here are some cute pics of their sharing and caring:

Moms' Glasses Are A Little To Big

28 Weeks Cooked

The Terrible Two's Blues

There was a time in Rylan's year number two, that I wondered why they call it so terrible? Suddenly I have found my answer, and seem to continue to be bogged down with toddler challenges. 

He has managed to have tantrums everyday, for various things. The other night it was at my in laws, and he was way of the deep end, and not able to retrieve back. I have told him when he is like this we have to leave where ever we are so that he knows, it isn't ok. I am sure my in laws weren't very pleased with this decision as I kept hearing "poor baby", and "do you want a cookie" in the air. It is hard, because it is upsetting on all ends, but necessary to follow through is key to toddler discipline. So Rylan leaves without a cookie, or seeing any airplanes, and eventually gets over it at home.  Yesterday he had a tantrum when we were coming home, and wanted to go to the airport. I left him screaming and kicking at the threshold of the door after I dragged him in while kicking and screaming. When he realized I walked away and no longer "part" of it, he came to where I was sitting quietly, and smacked me (he knows I won't tolerate it, and that it would re-engage me). So I marched his behind to his room and shut him in, and he tossed objects at the door that ricocheted back at him while making it sound like an entire army was fighting in there.  Ahh... the joys of the terrible twos.

I need a kidless vacation desperately. Sadly this would have been the week Pete and I were singing Bob Marley, on a turquoise colored beach, if I had gotten the ok to go. Doesn't it figure it was the worst week of toddler behavior madness?

Luckily one of Rylan's therapist praised me. She told me she see's me weekly and what I do with him, and there is nothing I can do differently then what I have been doing. I told her about the sleep walking, the earlier in the week meltdown he and I both had including the silent treatment I gave (which she actually told me to do more often), the other tantrums, and my frustrations with him and his obsessions (the airplanes). It is nice to talk with someone who had older school aged boys of her own, getting her support, and hearing her praise what I have done thus far. I guess it is because after this week I feel like one crazy beauuuchhh of a Mom. Plus, how often are any of us ever told we are doing the right thing as parents?

I do know, however, being at the end of my pregnancy, that I am not the person I was months ago. I am sure Rylan knows I am more tired, irritable, unable to move the same, and I am certainly not in a place that I am giving him as much attention. I am sure this is affecting my lack of tolerance (really it should be called toddlerance), ability to watch Thomas the train with him and not fall asleep, energy to engage him in fun activities and/or redirect when moments of irritability press on, and most importantly, the art of being able to run fast, and deal with a public screaming, kicking, two year old while also carrying a basketball on my belly and waddling. 

I hear age three isn't much better, but man am I happy that soon, in just a few short months, I can say we are out of the "terrible two's".

A Weekend With The RI Fam In CT!

 With all of Rylan's horrible sleep habits and tantrums this past week, it took away from posting happy times! This weekend we had my sister and her family in from Rhode Island. Rylan loved having his older cousin Ava here. We went to the Aquarium, and although Rylan liked looking at most of the stuff, he was fixated on Nemo. As Ava said for the rest of weekend, "Rylan sure loves Nemo. He didn't want to leave him". We also enjoyed the weekend with my brother in-laws yummy cornbeef, my sisters Irish bomb cupcakes, a lunch at a diner with two perfect behaved children, and a pancake breakfast that was satisfying even amidst the gazillion ANTS we found covering my syrup bottle! (seriously they are creating military bases all over our kitchen! The Ants are EVERYWHERE!) Thankfully we had extra syrup in our pantry that was sealed without bugs!

Here are some pics:

The Kids amazed at the Turtle


Rylan obsessed with "Finding Nemo" (he screamed the entire way out when we left)

He has love for "Dori" too
Loving Cousins
Watching the seals
Look at us under the sea!
Cousins ready to see some fish!

Sleep=Patience

Rejuvenated. Pete and I feel like that women on the douche commercial that is on the perfect beach, except we are without douche, and sadly without the beach! However, we do feel like we are somewhat "fresh as the morning dew". We finally got a full nights sleep.

Yesterday after my public blog meltdown, I poured myself into identifying why Rylan is doing what he is doing. I pulled all the child books off the shelf, and did countless searches on the Internet. All the knowledge I came across was swirling in my head, and I was desperate to get my kid to sleep soundly, so I surrendered and called the doctor. 

He is sleepwalking. My little 2 and a half year old is sleepwalking. The Dr. said this is typical of toddlers that are beginning to form sentences, and starting to have nightmares vs. night terrors. When his brain is that active, he is stuck in an in between stage of being asleep and awake. I guess it is sort of like when we dream a nightmare that seems so real, and we try to talk our head out of it to wake up. The Dr. confirmed my concerns, listened, gave me feedback, a list of sleep disorder clinics, and told me above all, safety is the main issue. She said she had a number of cases of kids letting themselves out in the middle of night, going under the sink and drinking cleaning products, and so on and so forth. In the end we decided the best thing for Rylan was to close him up in his room safely even if he cries, with a night light. She also said the reason is his not exhausted during the day is because he is in fact sleeping, it is Pete and I that aren't. So while Rylan roams our house with his eyes open, he is asleep, and I am left with my eyes open, awake, with Mom ear on.

Knowing he has nightmares makes me feel so bad for him. The Dr. warned me though, not to give into Mom guilt and sleeping with him, or letting him sleep with us. She said this is the age that bad habits can turn into endless tries of breaking them, and can cause more damage then good. 

So we did as planned. We shut the door tight, with a night light, and a quick look around to make sure he could hurt himself on anything. He cried. He talked. He cried some more. Soon after he put himself to bed, and there was silence. We turned the baby monitor all the way up (as the Dr. also suggested--and yes we are back to baby monitor status). Pete and I said a few little silent prayers for a night of sleep, and hoped for the best. Luckily we got it. 

I slept like a baby. Rylan didn't make a sound the entire night. My guess is he didn't have any nightmares last night, but that we have to be prepared for the future that it will happen again. 

Parenthood is funny, just when you are at your absolute limit, you get a break. Thank God, since I am not sure how much longer I could have gone through a day like yesterday without going completely mental!

 Today when Rylan through a tantrum at the front door because he wanted to be outside, I calmed placed him in the inside of the door and walked away. He lay there and cried, screamed, and yelled, and I ate my lunch waiting for him to realize he wasn't going to get his way.  Ten minutes later, he walked up the stairs, took off his jacket, and then said "Rylan eat, and then go night night". I of course, said sure with a smile, and did just that.  Parent Patience, I thought, comes with sleep.

I'm DONE...SO DONE

Put a freaken fork in me.

I am giving my two year old the silent treatment right now. I know, I know, how very mature of me right?... but if I don't I might go crazy. So silent inner peace is the only way to go right now.

As you can see from the post I wrote only hours ago, there is some severe lack of sleep going on in our household. This surely impacts patience, mood, and understanding. I understand that and all, but it doesn't give my kid the permission to be a totally jerk today.

Like I said I am giving my two year old the silent treatment.

I thought getting out of the house was the only solution to making my day ok. So I took Rylan to his usual Monday playgroup. Last week he wanted no part of this group since the little girls decided they didn't want to play with him since he was a boy and it was an all girls tent, and asked me to leave. This week he said "Ry Ry stay home home" (that should have been my clue). I convinced him to go by telling him we were going to go see his friend Melody's fishes. Luckily when we get there he is fine with this, and even plays with the few girls there. He collected a few of his favorite trains to line up on the table, when the other little boy in our group came in. The little boy took a few trains off of the table, and Rylan went to get them back. The boy pushed Rylan's face with the trains, and for that moment, and that moment only, I felt bad for Rylan and explained we had to share. We divided the trains up between the boys (which by the way were the EXACT same trains), but it wasn't good enough for Rylan. He wanted what ever train the little boy had in his hands, because in his eyes he had it first. 

My kid is as thick as a brick. When he has something in his head, he doesn't forget, forgive, or give up. For the next half an hour I am following him around telling him not to grab out of the little boys hands. Rylan doesn't listen and is relentless. I feel bad because all the little boy wants to do is play with his half of the trains, and my kid can not stop harassing him. I feel myself losing. I am desperate, sleepy, and all I want to do is drink coffee and talk to my Mom friends on the sofa by the fire. When I start to lose judgment in times like these, I am a yeller. I strong hold Rylan in the hallway and yell at him. I hope that doing this will scare him out of his thick one track mind. It doesn't. Finally, I tell him we are going home. I get his shoes on, and I turn my back to get the rest of our stuff. He takes a last minute ditch attempt to get the trains away from the little boy. The little boy pushes Rylan on the floor hard enough that Rylan's shoes fall off. I feel like giving the little boy a high five because that is exactly what my kid deserved. I wrangle him to the front door and tell my friends I will see them on a better day.

I am pissed. mortified by his behavior and mine. tired. done. F'N done.

I push Rylan with all of my weight into his car seat as he arches his back and smacks me across the face. I tell myself just to breathe. Honestly, I don't even want to take him home with me at this point. Horrible to say, I know, but so true. So I refuse to speak with him, and I sob all the way home. 

When it is your two your old pushing you to your limits you can't just walk away, go for a drive, or a walk to calm down. You have to find it--DEEP within, to try to continue to be rational, and be a "good" parent. Really I just want to crawl up in bed and ignore him all day. I am not sure if I am going to scream or cry, so I sit in silence. 

Two of my Mom friends that had second babies, I remember went through a bit of a rough patch with kid number 1 while in their last trimester with kid number 2. One of them took up the art of biting, and the other tantrumed all the time everywhere. I wonder if this is what I am in for. Some sort of before baby test to see how absolutely insane I can be. Hopefully not, hopefully it is just about lack of sleep.

Calgon please take me away today, because Starbucks is just not cutting it today.

Another Night--Not Pretty

**please keep in mind when Rylan gets out of bed he says nothing, and tip toes around the house like a mouse. He CAN NOT be heard on a monitor, or on the floor boards**

7:45pm bed time routine

8:00 pm Rylan gets out of bed

8:02 pm Rylan gets out of bed

8:10 pm Rylan gets out of bed

8:11 pm Mommy threatens Rylan that she will shut the door if he doesn't stay in bed

8:15 pm Rylan gets out of bed

30 secs. later Mommy closes door and Rylan screams "MOMMYYYYY" under the door

5 min.s later Mommy opens the door, tells him to get in bed

9:00pm Rylan gets out of bed

9:03 pm Rylan gets out of bed

9:04 pm Mommy tries a night light in Rylan's room

9:30 pm Rylan gets out of bed

9:31 pm Mommy takes night light out worried it is too bright

9:32 pm Rylan seems settled and calm

10:15 pm Mommy turns in for the night--excited for some good sleep!

10:30 pm Rylan gets out of bed- stands outside of Mommy and Daddy's bedroom door 

10:32 pm Mommy wakes up and has a "feeling" he is out there and opens the door

10:33 pm Rylan gets out of bed

10:34 pm Rylan gets out of bed

10:40 pm Rylan gets out of bed

10 secs later Daddy puts up gate and Rylan SCREAMS

5 min. later Daddy tells Rylan he will take down the gate if he stays in bed

11:00 pm Rylan is in bed humming , all doors are open "just in case"

11:30pm Rylan is finally asleep

11:35pm Daddy is fast asleep and Baby in Mommy's belly is rolling around AGAIN!

11:40pm Daddy is snoring and Mommy is on the man hunt with all eyes in the hallway for toddler

midnight Entire family asleep

6:30 am Mommy wakes up with that "feeling" again, and sees Rylan in front of her

30 secs later Rylan is silently settled in Mommy's bed while Daddy is off to work

8 am Rylan says "Hi Mommy" and starts to talk about airplanes

8:01 am Mommy looks and feels like she has been partying all night at a Frat party

Right now: Mommy and Daddy are still confused on what this is all about. Is Rylan afraid of the dark? Getting nightmares? Constipated? Starting a bad habit? and why is he doing this silently, sleepy all the time, with out cries, or the usual tales of why he is out of bed?

Sleep Deprived Already

It was 11:30 pm, and I was silently whimpering in my bed with the covers pulled up to my chin. What have I done? I thought. TWO--I am going to have two! I can't even get one kid to sleep without issues, how will I ever manage two. How will Pete and I ever function with the constant needs of two kids? 

Rylan decided he wasn't go to sleep that night. He was going to give us a run for our money, and no trick in the book would help him toward any shut eye. This is what happens with big boy beds. They aren't in a crib like caged animals to "cry it out". They can open doors, strong enough to disarm gates, and certainly loud enough to make sure absolutely nobody in their house will have any sleep. Pete had been attempting to sleep by his side for the past hour and all Rylan wanted to do is chat with his Dad, count, and sing ABC's. 

As a Mom I can't turn off Mom ear. People that aren't parents don't get this, but if you are, I am sure you are feeling me on this one. When my kid is awake so am I, regardless if Dad is taking care of things. Exhausted from a day filled with family fun, I try to roll over and ignore it, but all I do is think about the fact my freaken kid won't sleep, and soon I will have two to try to settle down. 

Pete comes in close to 1 a.m. and Rylan is finally sleeping. The moment he lifts the blanket, the baby in my stomach begins to roll, kick, and make it apparent that she will not be settling in anytime soon. I thought I had 10 more weeks before having to be concerned about her sleep habits, but apparently not. I switch positions, rub her in hopes it settles her down, and say a little prayer I will be blessed with sleep ASAP.

Pete has been in the bed for about 5 minutes before he is a sound sleep. He is amazing at this. He could think sleep, and fall right there in a deep, peaceful sleep. He can block out anything, and his mind never races with thoughts of the day or worries, he just sleeps. A minute later he is snoring. LOUDLY.

I begin to cry.

1:15 a.m. I am not sleeping. Rylan is. Pete is. Baby is. All I can hear is snore.

What Pete is in tune with is my cries. I am not a big crier so when I do he knows I mean business. I have officially thrown in the towel. Pete awakes and asks me what is wrong and I tell him the run down. I would have quietly went to the guest room to sleep but A. my sister and family was in town sleeping in there, and B. Mom ear is always needed in the night because Dad ear is shut off once asleep. Pete consoles me, and eventually, after a few hearty tries at not snoring, moves into sleeping with Rylan (who also snores).

1:45 a.m. I am finally sleeping.

8 a.m. arrives in a jiffy, and I hear Rylan trying to wake up Daddy who is snoozing beside him. I go in to cuddle them both. I feel hung over, beat down, and unwilling to do anything today. I do however look in Rylan's eyes, and kiss him a hello, and think, regardless of devilish moments, I love him madly, just as I love Pete madly, regardless of his ability to sleep at a drop of a hat, and sing a snoring tune to the heavens  above. 

I am sure I will have many more nights in my near future wondering why I choose to be a mother of two, and/or cry over not being able to sleep from being over tired from other people distracting my sleep, but at the end of the day, and certainly the start of one, I am blessed to be a Mom.

Finally I Have A Hobby

Lately I have submerged myself into creative crafting ecstasy! It started with the mere fear of having another kid and being years years behind in scrapbooking for the first kid (who is only 2 1/2--you do the math!). So I put a little fire under my hiney and got to work! I am not almost to Rylan's 2nd birthday, which will only put me about 10 months behind! Then I hosted a fantastic Stampen Up! Party that my good friend Pam is a demonstrator for. Although I enjoy making cards and being crafty, I didn't think the card making thing would work for me on a regular basis. My logic was, if I can't find the time to scrapbook, how can I find the time to make cards?

Then last night I was getting an Easter package together to send out to my God child in Bermuda and her family and needed a card. So what do I do in a pinch? sit down and make one. It wasn't even 5 minutes later and I had a beauty on my hands! Then today I wake up and realize I have no card from my brother in law that is coming into town today for his birthday! So what do I do? You guessed it, I sat down and made another one! I had gotten him a gift certificate and thought maybe I should dress that up too, so I matched it to the card. Sure it wasn't my "best" work, but it took less then 5 minutes, and well...he is a guy why would he care the stamp is a little crocked!
Here is my "Manly" birthday gift:

The part about making a card instead of a scrapbook is it is immediate gratification! When scrapbooking you are waiting until the completion of the entire book is done to oooohhh and ahhhh, and as you can see that can take years! The other bonus to card making is any mo mo can do it! Even those that say things like "I'm not crafty", or " I can barely color in the lines". 

Crafty. It is my hobby. I am not always great at it, but that's ok because it helps me destress, as soccer does for the hubby. 

Feeling stressed today? Go on and take 5 minutes and make a card. You can do it! If you need ideas or supplies, take a moment and check out THIS and you can also read about Pam and her funny funny child on the Jackson Family blog which is listed in my links!

For The Love Of Zeppole!

Today is St Josephs Day! I know it sounds like I am either Italian or majorly Catholic honoring this event, but really, honestly...I am just digging the Zeppoles! I mean could there be anything more delightful besides eating it will a dill pickle? I wish, on this very day, I could share a big ol' massive calorie Zeppole with my friend Sporty Spice. We could say "Peace be with you, and also with you", by exchanging these glorious pastries. Just watching her eat something of that sort would make my friggin day (of course then she would leave and go for a gazillion mile run, in the rain, with powdered sugar all over her face, and probably without shoes and make me look like a fatty eating all the Zeppoles using a holiday I don't even celebrate as an excuse). 

Besides stuffing my face with Bavarian cream and fried dough, I am concentrating on a quiet home, and the fact my husband is coming home EARLY from his business trip (there is a GOD). I say this because, although I love Rylan and our Mommy and me time, I adore the fact I AM NOT A SINGLE MOM (Emily Valentine is giving me a "AMEN SISTER" right now). Lordy Lou, I am such a better parent when my husband is home every night to give me a break. The only bonus to having a hubby away is the freedom to the remote, the ability to scrapbook for hours without feeling guilty you didn't spend time with your significant other today, and  the "no need" to make meals! I lived off of eating Rylan's dinosaur chicken nuggets with him this week, freely watched The City, and Oprah on tivo at all hours of the night, and got through an entire season of scrapbooking. However, I also lost my Mommy mind a few times, and screamed the "someone else has taken over my body/demon" scream. I much rather be behind in scrapbooking, and making full meals, then being that person. Plus, really how long could I live off of dinosaur nuggets?

Besides not having to live like a single parent thing, I am also grateful to not have to sleep alone in my big creaky house tonight. Last night I was ready to call the T.A.P.S (ghost hunters) in my home state of Rhody to do an investigation. The night before I was convinced the people that foreclosed on this house were breaking in and going to take revenge.  I am sure if I had another night alone it my worries would revolve around our Carpenter ant problem, and then rallying together and eating us or something? I swear I have killed about 25 ants today already alone (anyone have any solutions to this problem comment section is OPEN --and I mean about the ant issue not my hallucinations).  It is nights like these I wonder how the heck I lived in NYC without a care in the world? 

In other news: We are preparing for a fun weekend ahead with my sister and her family. Rylan and his cousin Ava love each other, and he is so excited she is going to sleep over his house. As long as she doesn't touch his airplanes, and he doesn't poop in the tub while they are in it together, all should go smoothly. 

And if you know a single Mom out there, do me a favor: Give her a Zeppole today! Those chicks need to be honored for what they do!

Some Cute Videos Of Rylan

First video clip:
This is how Rylan gives "kisses" to his baby sister! The poor baby can't get any sleep when he is around!
Second Video Clip:
Rylan FINALLY enjoys ice cream (for the first two years of his life he HATED it because it was to cold!)

FINALLY

60 degree's out and in love.

I could not resist the sunshine. As soon as Rylan woke up from his nap today I whisked him off to the park for some playtime. Apparently the entire town had the same idea, and I quickly realized I wasn't in the mood to "Mom date" today. A few Mom's attempted small talk with me by using the obvious...my prego belly. I was short to the point, and not in the mood for motherhood canoodling. Thankfully Rylan helped me out with this, as he moved all over the place in search of new found fun. 

He landed most of his time in the sandbox, which is an odd choice for this little lad. He never has been a fan of the sandbox and today I realized that a permanent fixture in my backseat will now have to be sand toys for the park. He found a shovel that someone left behind and attempted to dig to China. This is when I learned how parents all play by different rules. Sweet looking Ava came into play and her Dad warned her to be nice to Rylan. Ava had a beauty of a pail that Rylan was eye balling. Ava knew this. So what did Ava do? ..She ran over and dug in the same spot Rylan was and put it into her bucket. Rylan of course attempted to do the same as Ava whisked it away and said just like the soup Nazi "No bucket for you". Rylan looked at me with rejection and moved on. However Ava continued to follow him with her ruby bucket, and dig in the same spot, and tease him. What can you say in this situation? pretty much nothing. Rylan did pour a heaping thing of sand on her arm when she whisked the pail at one point, I felt like I had to discipline him, but really I was psyched he dirtied the little beaucchh! :-) Another Mom then entered the sandbox and literally said, "Go ahead, you can kick the sand over there in that corner so that is doesn't get on the adults". Who does this? Who encourages their kid to KICK SAND! So I used this as my cue to leave. At which point I asked Rylan if he felt like ice cream, and of course he announced to the little miss Ava and the Sandman "BYE I go for ice cream". And I thought...take that and your ruby bucket!

Clearly I needed a nap today. 

I decided to live and let go today. I say this because it was 4:30 pm and Rylan and I were outside chowing on ice cream like there is no tomorrow. Yes...I gave him ice cream for dinner. That might put me in the same category as telling your kid to kick sand to some, but for me it was freeing. Rylan ate his ice cream cone from top to bottom while yelling out "YUMMY" in between licks. 

Tomorrow is supposed to be another fantastic park day. I think I might try to recruit some friends to go instead of being so cranky to strangers, or letting kids with buckets bother me or we might end up eating ice cream for lunch.

side note: I would just like to add that Rylan ALSO ate 3 chicken nuggets when we got home and a piece of cheese, so the ice cream ended up really being an appetizer!

Easy Please-Z Lemon Squeezy

I found a new love to compliment my pickles: STRAWBERRY LEMONADE 

I was recently thinking about the strawberry lemonade I live to order at places like Holihans, and wonder how I could make it at home. So I thought I would test out an idea that was in my head at my Stampen Up party this weekend and lets just say I will NEVER have to go to Holihans just for the mere craving of a good strawberry lemonade. It is to good not to share! The best part is that although I am sad I won't be flying on an airplane to Jamaica this week, I feel like I am having a fruity beverage minus the booze! If made correctly it comes out frothy with pure YUM. Try it and tell me I am not a genius! Pregnant ladies out there are going to LOVE me! 

1 box frozen strawberry halves in syrup

1 can frozen lemonade concentrate 

(for extra strawberry flavor you can use the entire box, or for a good even flavor use half the box and save the rest for when you have to make another batch in a few hours)

Take both ingredients and put into blender. Puree. Put into pitcher and add water according to concentrate can. Enjoy! (ah yes people it is THAT simple...and a piece of Summer all wrapped into one). 

For a frozen drink feel you might want to pour it over some crushed ice like I did today! Today's batch is almost gone, but just like the pickles, I can not think about having anything else!!!

Please come back and let me know what you think!

Busy Busy Weekend

This weekend was BUSY! 

To kick it off we brought Rylan to his first Sesame Street Live. At first he was stunned and a little unsure about the loud music, lights, and dancing characters. He didn't cry, but he held onto my neck VERY tight. Once he learned we were there for FUN and not torture, he loved it. He did get very peeved when Elmo left the stage, as he thought Elmo should be out singing the entire time. A few times he screamed out as loud as he could "MORE ELMO". I am not sure if he hurt Grover, and Big Bird's feelings, but Rylan was a man on a mission. It was also apparent that Pete enjoyed the show as much as his son, as he participated in all of the audience participation one could desire. I was thankful the lights were low since all you could hear was a million kids voices, and my husbands! Here is a few pics from the occasion: 

On Saturday Rylan had a fabulous day with his "Papa". Pete and I went to the outlets with Pete's Mom, and grandma for some Spring/Summer shopping for the kids. Papa took Rylan to the local mini airport! A local pilot saw Rylan admiring the planes from the gate and let him in. Rylan got to sit in a little commuter plane and was in love. Now he thinks every time he gets in the car we are going to go see the plane, and when we don't he SCREAMS (it makes driving a PURE joy!)! Here is a picture of Rylan making his own airport up at home:
Sunday I shipped the boys out of the house to the inlaws, and hosted an all girls Stampen Up party! It was a perfect way to end the weekend with being crafty, and hanging with friends.I can also safely say thanks to our outlet shopping and my friend who gave me all of her "girl clothes" on Sunday, baby girl is ready for business, and won't have to look like "possibly a boy" in Rylan's sort of unisex outfits!  I had dreams of going out and always having to wrap her head in a bow because of her puppy dog wearing boy outfits. 

Pete's ending to his weekend wasn't as smoothe sailing as he was forced to take Rylan to the airport at 6:30 pm because the kid was blowing his lid. Then he had to come home and take care of bathtime (I can no longer do this since we have a deep tub and my balance is wayyy off right now), packing (Pete is sadly away in Phili this week for business), and bill paying. 

At least Pete gets the luxury of being an a hotel all week without anyone bothering him during his sleep. This weekend we also found a new habit of Rylan's. Ry thinks he should hold all number 2's until about 2am. When the 2am "Drop it like its hot" mess happens, Rylan tip toes out into the house in hunt for a parent. He does this so quietly that the monitor doesn't even pick it up, and the 2nd night he made it all the way downstairs in the DARK to find daddy zoned out on the sofa. Once he finds you he announces "po po's" and thankfully goes back to sleep after being changed. So while Pete is all snug his bed this week, I will be on night "po po" watch. 

26 weeks--Feeling BIG

I took this picture last weekend and forgot to post it. It was a day I suddenly felt BIG and needed to capture the massive belly on film. I think the pickles and the ice cream are making baby girl D grow like crazy. This week on my 26 week update it said the baby is now the size of an English cucumber from head to toe--and I was like ...of course a cucumber!!! That explains everything. 

Rylan Update

Sometimes I forget to update about my poor little Rylan, who these days gets swooshed aside with my pregnancy rants, and other life concerns on this blog. So here is a few tid bits about what it is like in the Dos Santos house with a 2.5 year old boy!

Potty training: He refuses to wear a diaper with even a touch of pee in it. Needless to say we are flying through diapers like NUTS! However, he refuses to use the potty even though he can recite to you the benefits of it: "I go to the potty I get candy" or "poo poo potty get candy". He recently decided he shouldn't go in the tub water either--you think this is a GOOD thing right? ... wrong. When he does number 1 he stands up and takes a cup to fill it up with (the boy has great aim).  Lately he shows us his amazing talent (that only a boy would do) when doing number 2: he stands up and catches it in his hand and then just as you are about to reach him with a paper towel, he tosses it into the potty and announces "CANDY" (as he thinks poo poo in the potty means candy regardless of how it gets there). Creative bugger, and sooooooo freaken gross too.

Preschool: We await for his assessment for possible placement in the special ed program with the school district next year. His current birth to three therapists really are still on the fence about him qualifying, but with a few sensory issues they think he would benefit from that environment more if he qualifies. Apparently we are supposed to have our first meeting with the school department by March 26 (umm today is March 13 and we still haven't heard from them). Then the month Rylan turns three, which happens to be the month I will be giving birth, I will have to take him in for a variety of testing in the school and a choice will be made. In the meantime he is signed up for another preschool in the area that we already have to pay for! It is hard to justify the spending when the kid isn't even going there yet! As for his therapy he is doing well, and is doing a few sensory programs to "reboot" his system. His speech has come ALONG way, and he is way more social then he used to be!

Lights Out Equals Psych's Out: Bedtime routine in the worst in this house. No matter keeping the toddler up later with hopes of an easy transition, or an early start in hopes of getting it over sooner then later, it doesn't matter it just stinks. Bedtime goes a little something like this: Pete reading books while Rylan jumps on his bed yelling "No sleepy", music is put on and we calmly tell him goodnight and that he should "stay in bed", the moment we leave the kid is behind us doing one of the following: smiling like a devil, telling us he has po po's, saying "Daddy sleepy" (trying to convince Pete to join him in bed, hiding behind a corner ease dropping on us, or my personal fav, if we are in our room with the door shut he will lay himself on the floor while sticking his hand under the door screaming, and crying "DADDDDDDYYYYY no sleepy". He repeats this about 7 or 8 times.  Sometimes Pete gives in and stays in bed with him, only to find out it isn't working moments later when Rylan is identifying all of Pete's facial features with his index finger and jumping on the bed. We close the door about 3 times and make him scream, and say the say line over and over again, "go to bed. Stay in bed.". He never listens. After two hours of hell, and Pete and I at our whits end, suddenly we put Rylan in bed, and with a "Stay in bed", he finally does. 

Cheese burger and Small Fry: This is all he wants to eat. Everyday Pete comes home this is what Rylan says to him with an expectation that Daddy brought it home for dinner. If Daddy didn't bring the "golden arch" of McDonald's home, Rylan will  only eat the following: cheese,  yogurt, "daddy cakes" (mini muffins with choc. chips), donuts, hot dogs with skin peeled off, grilled cheese, and occasionally fried eggs with cheese. It is a constant battle with this kid. 

The Name Game

Ok...lets just state the obvious and get it over with, YES I am eating a pickle right here right now as I type. As much as I say "step away from the pickle jar", I have "It's just a cucumber" in my head. 

While I struggle over the pickle craving, and seem to need a "fix" every few hours (I am half way done with one of the jars I bought yesterday), there is in fact another dilemma in our house. The dreaded name game.

Baby Girl Dos Santos will enter into this world in less then three months, and as of now might just be called just that! (hey it is better then Jane Doe) Pete and I can not make  a simple name game decision. We have a short list of possibilities, but nothing set in stone. This is abnormal for us since we had Rylan's name plastered on everything in time for our baby showers! 

Here is the deal. My husband has some interesting choices for names that can easily be put into three categories: Baby Girl D is going to be a stripper, a nun, or a butch lesbian/tomboy.  His list of favs include: Skylar, Trinity, Cameron, Dylan, Faith, Grace (why not Charity and Hope too), Alex (Alexis, Alexia, anything of the sorts), Ryan, Reagan, and a great deal of the same variety of sorts.  Not that all of these are "bad names", they are just not what I imagined to be my daughters name. 

I want a "girly"name that will explain her beauty, grace, and femininity. My list that Pete hated included Audra, Audry, Mallory, and luckily a few that ended up growing on him.

So now the short list. Every week Pete and I play a game of adding and subtracting on it, hoping to find the perfect name. We have a middle name secure since it is a family name being used, but the first name is up in the air! Everyone keeps asking us, and the more we are getting close to the due date I keep thinking, maybe we can share our list and announce the name as a big ol' finale when she is born. So I present to you this weeks "short list":

Isla

Lila

Peyton

Brooke

Addison

Gabriella

Lexi

Sydney

Olivia

Lindsey

Reese

and that is where we are at. Trying out the names so that they sound right on the Christmas card next to Rylan, while jelling with the middle name too. Where we will land nobody knows--but alas there WILL BE  a name! I certainly know a perfect nick name to call her, my little pickle!

Dear Claussen Kosher Dill Halves,

I love you.

You are more then just the average pickle, you are so much more. Your so tasty I am tempted to drink your juice straight from the jar, but instead I devour another one of your halves. In two days I have eaten an entire jar of your sweet juicy goodness. I could not be without you, so I went out to find more of you.

What complete joy it was to find you at Stop N Shop on SALE! Two wonderful jars of your tasty love all for the price of one! I licked my chopped, and skipped down the aisle.

In the parking lot, as I tucked you safely in a corner of my back seat so that you would not be harmed during my crazy driving tactics, I thought about opening you up right there and crunching one down. Instead I rush home through many yellow lights in order to get to you quicker! 

As soon as I get through the door I crack you right open! Just like an alcoholic to a beer, I can not just have one. 

For all the pregnant ladies in the world I want to thank you for supplying us with such utter delight, by feeding a never ending craving.

Love,

Your obsessed knocked up fan

p.s. I bought 2 gallons of ice cream too! What I great night I am about to have!!!!!

The Waiting Room Of Life

It is quite a humbling experience when you are sitting in a waiting room of the Cancer center in the hospital and the surrounding patients are all different ages, and sadly all different stages. I can't help but think about how this packed room holds a few people that are clearly at their end of life, as I sit rubbing my moving belly awaiting new life to be born.

A woman reading her Redbook magazine keep peering at me over the brim. She is pretending to read but keeps studying me and my belly. I can tell by her facial expressions that she is wondering why I am here, so completely pregnant, and what exactly my story is. I half want to whisper "I am ok" "The baby is ok" just to stop being her pet project in her mind. 

I had my yearly check up for all of those blood concerns I had a while back. Last time I was there I was not pregnant, and my cell counts were finally normal again. If you can recall, the problem I was running into was "thick blood" concerns. This time round some of my counts were off, but the hematologist assured me it was due to pregnancy, not sickness. So he tells me I am all set, have a baby, and come back six weeks after my baby is born for a re-check.  I let out a sigh of relief, because although I had a hunch everything was going fine, I was still worried about walking out of there with bad news. 

I leave and the friendly receptionist says "don't forget when you come back you have to bring the baby too!". I laugh and think to myself, they probably need that in a place like this, a little pick me up when you are submerged in a waiting room full of thick, intoxicating worry and sorrow. I notice that every seat in that room is now filled, and rug space with wheel chairs. And I can't help but think about how grateful I am to be walking out with good news, since so many of them will not today. 

Walking out of the hospital I think to myself "check ya later Cancer center. Next time I am here I will be checking into a place full of life and smiles....the maternity ward".  I am thankful. So massively thankful.

My House Smells Like Pot

No Pete and I aren't trying to relive any ones college years! Nor are we trying to bring Jamaica to us since we aren't leaving for the well needed trip we had scheduled for next week! And friends, don't get mad, we did not have a party at our house this weekend and didn't invite you!

I can see your eye brows raised in wonderment on what in fact this is all about. Well there is a recession...and we have this great kitchen window that can grow a variety of greenery in it--we are hosting a sale--buy one get one! HA! Just kidding. We bought a treadmill.

I now see you scratching your temples thinking that makes no freaken sense! 

It does. We bought a mat to put the treadmill on in order to not ruin our new hard wood floors in our guest room. When we put in into our car we wondered why we suddenly wanted to listen to Dave Matthews or Bob Marley. We figured it out when we unrolled the little beauty to mark the area that our new machine would live when it arrives the next day. The mat reeks worse then the clients in my support group I ran at drug rehab. It made us wonder what type of workers Norditrack highers to transfer such items. They must be pretty re--laxed mon!

So yes I saved all of my birthday money for the past four months in order to purchase a treadmill. I really wanted designer sunglasses, but the reality is I don't want them to accessorize a fat ass after baby. So one must come before the other, and I will have to work out. (Sporty Spice  sings a big Hip Hop Hooray right here!)

Speaking of pot. My sister and my best friend think I am absolutely nuts. This weekend I tossed around the idea of doing our annual Dave Matthews concert. This seems to define the start of summer for Pete and I, and we never, ever miss a year without them. The summer Rylan was born we missed it, BUT we saw them earlier in the year at Madison Square Garden and determined that they are simply not meant for indoor listening (maybe it has something to do with fresh air amidst the smoked out college students in the crowd). So Pete informs me they are playing at Fenway Park this summer and I nearly lost balance with excitement. Except, they are playing there two weeks before my due date! So I count the pro's (Boston has awesome hospitals right in that very area, I am close to Rhode Island where my family is, and most importantly maybe the scouts this year that bump up people in the audience to the front row will notice us when a baby is practically waving "hi" between my legs!), and the con's (Dave is certainly NOT a sit down concert, do I want to deal with crowds, and do I really want to deliver my baby girl in a cloud of pot smoke in bleacher row H seat 15?). My sister said it would be just like me to do the latter. However, at the end of the day it is just a concert, just like Jamaica was just a vacation, and we have an entire life to do them both, and only one chance for a proper safe birth of our second child. So you guessed it....we stay home. Instead I relish in listening to them loudly while it is 60 degree weather outside, and some silly treadmill mat makes the car seem like a realistic setting, and lets face it, these days I naturally have the munchies!

A Little Spring In Our Step

FINALLY we had a day up here in the North East that felt like Spring has indeed sprung! Here are a few pictures of us enjoying some time outside without jackets and heaping amounts of snow!

Rylan and Pete outside of the Blues Clues house that is no longer dressed in white snow!

Rylan I Spy Planes and grass that we haven't seen in ages!
Happy to be out without a coat!
Plane watching on a beautiful clear sky Saturday
Rock tossing never gets old with this kid
Neither does water! Jumping in puddles is FUN!

Remember When...

Remember the days before Mother hood when your ta ta's were perky thanks to zest of life and not milk? Ahh.. the perks of being a non-Mom. Flat tummy's you can bounce quarters off of made naturally instead of a tummy tuck after birth. Flirty wearing skirts, and Slinky shirts with no worries of hiding stretch marks, and varicose veins. Freedom to do as you please: go to a bar, or out to eat last minute, sleep in, and pee without the door open with little curious eyes peering at you. The only wiping you need to worry about is your OWN nose or behind! You can spend hours on the phone (days if you would like) and not be half listening while your kid tries every task in the book to get you off. You can vacation alone without worrying about who will care for the kids.  Your ability to drop into a grocery store without unbuckling a car seat, or going through a drive through without hearing requests from the back seat are endless and quite a beautiful thing you take for granted. You don't need to worry about your actions and if they make you look like a "bad mom". One meal is all you need to make because if your husband/boyfriend doesn't like it, he is old enough to make his own dang meal! Shopping in Forever 21 instead Ann Taylor for "Mom clothes", and Costco for diapers. You take your time and smell the flowers. Life right now is about YOU. (if only we knew this then!)

Remember when you were pregnant with your first baby and all you could dream about is holding them forever? You can not wait for them to be born even though others have told you that you will walk around like a zombie for months thanks to sleep deprivation. You think it is a small price to pay in order to hold your baby. You can't imagine wanting anyone else holding, feeding, bathing, rocking, or caring for in any manner without you. You fantasize about diaper changing, burping, and little clothing. Your picture of child birth is just like the movies when he/she slides into the world,(with you being without pain, hair perfect, make-up on, and smiling), and they hand you a clean baby on your chest (because no where in the movies do women have c-sections or complications). Breastfeeding is a breeze! And while the baby moves inside you, all you can think about is the miracle of life, and that real, live, little person being made inside you. You had no idea how your life is about to change, and thought that possibly your life might remain the same, but with an added bonus of your angel baby.

Remember the day you became a Mom for the first time? In one single rush of a moment, you suddenly understood the meaning of unconditional love. You realize true love rests in the eyes of this tiny little body that holds half you, and half of your significant other. You also suddenly know the true meaning of worry. From the start you are counting 10 fingers, 10 toes, and pressing the nurses to tell you everything is A-ok! This leads you into a lifetime of trying to keep your baby safe, and worry about child snatchers, disease, and accidents. Life's never ending circle now includes you! You have now brought another generation of you into this world, and someday they will too! You long for sleep, and you are willing for any and all to help. Freedom as you know it, is gone for the next 18 years. Your body will never be the same! Your hips have shifted, your ta ta's are heading South instead of North, and the muffin top....forever part of you everyday wear. A great pair of sweat pants, and pony tail wearing hair is good enough for you, since life is no longer about YOU, and you are lucky to have gotten a shower today! You would be willing to hock your diamond ring you once showed off to anyone that would look, for front row tickets to the Wiggles concert in order to see your kid happy. There will be days you are sick as a dog, but too busy to notice because you have to take care of a sick kid. Clubbing, and listening to music, becomes a quick drive to the supermarket sans baby with your radio blasting, or doing crunches while the kid naps to try and eliminate the muffin topper! Your friends change. You befriend other Moms, and whore yourself out to any and all Mom's that look to have a kid your kids age. Friends you had in the past that are without kids don't have a clue to what your life is like now, and their blissful ignorance makes you chat with them less and less. And at the end of the day you think.... regardless you can no longer wear those 7 jeans your non-Mom self spent $150 on, that your diamond ring is gooped up in Desitin, and you haven't felt "sexy" since before pregnancy, you would not change this for the world. 

Motherhood is unexplainable to those that have never dappled in it, and for those of us in the thick of it actually feels sorry for those ladies who run around muffin topless, and ta ta's high, even if we are a little bit wee jealous of them sometimes. 

Can I Just Vent For A Minute?

I figured since I am lacking sleep, feeling grumpy, and needing to vent about a few things, what better place to do it then here?

• I am sick of hearing "when will you go back to work?" and "isn't your education such a waste now?" This usually coming from non-Mothers, older people that forgot what it is like to have little kids, or working Moms trying to judge me. My choice to get two Masters degree's  before having kids is still a successful one people! Education is an investment and 100% separate from being a Mom. It is a blessing my husband has gifted me with the time to be home with our kids. Soon enough there will be a time I will go back to the career wearing hat, in the meantime, (for those of you asking when I will go back to work) I AM WORKING! Just not under the role of either my degree's, but certainly the most important one. Thanks.
• Dear Mr. Boiler man that came to my house today for an estimate, it is not good business practice to tell me all about how the economy stinks because of those stinken "Democrats", and "Black folks taking bad loans". 
• "Oh your having a girl! That is great that means your done!", "You better get on some birth control now", or my personal fav "you aren't having anymore are you?" Listen, for you nosey bears out there trying to tell me wither or not I should have more kids, I am not sure what the plan is. How can I decide if I will have another when I am still pregnant with number 2? Granted I am not sure when the time is right to decide  on 2 babies or more, and when to decide to get rid of stuff, but for now, let me have my two, then we will see! Stop being the fertility police!
• Let me medicate my kid! How about the fact there is nothing I can give my kid for his horribly, nasty cold, that keeps him from a full nights sleep. After being up from 2:30 am until 5:30 am the other night, I brought Rylan into the Dr. just to be told to use saline, and a humidifier. We need sleep--we need medication! I kapooey on your saline solution!
• Bad dreams. Pregnancy dreams are so vivid and real and I am sick of dreaming about someone killing my baby! I also hate Rylan flailing in his sleep, yelling "No", and crying, during his own nightmares. Why do nightmares exist? They just aren't cool.
• Dunkin Donuts....you are on my SH#$ list. I have loved you, and supported you for a lifetime. Lately, I have needed some major caffeine, and turned to you for your help. You have listed a current deal on lattes which so happens to be my favorite and normally the pricey drink! You can imagine my excitement that you had a small for 99 cents! However, I have not only been to one of your locations, but several, where I was over charged! I have since realized I have to remind YOU of YOUR deal every single time I go! I feel like I sound cheap, and annoying, but heck I need the caffeine and don't have the $$$ to support your $3.75 small.
• God and no meat Fridays! Just when I declared I would forget about this rule since I am creating life, I feel guilt ridden, and conscious every Friday about even the possibility of eating meat. So, I conform, and I have fish. 

I feel better now. Now I can go take a nice nap (hopefully nightmare free), and wake up to eat some pasta or some fish on this wonderful Friday.

11 lbs of UGHHH

Today I went for my 24/25 week check up! The baby sounded great, and the Dr. said she sounded happy as always in there!

As earlier reported I wasn't really gaining any weight this time round. I thought I was doing pretty well when it came to food choices and being smart about it, but apparently I slipped up. I gained 11 pounds this month! I almost cried right there on the scale. The Dr. told me not to worry, as this is the time in pregnancy that all women pack on the poundage. I of course rebutted with a, "but not all women shed a ton a weight right before they got knocked up, to see it go all the way back up again". She laughed and said, "Hmmm...I can't imagine why you are gaining weight. I didn't see you at ALL in the Mall with a Belgium Chocolate Milkshake". I laughed out loud. This is again why I love her so. She says it like it is and doesn't take any B.S.! She told me not to worry about it, and if I do just to lay off the massive attack on hot ticket items like ice cream!

I tried to walk out not worrying. Honestly, I just don't want to feel like the big blob I did for so long after Rylan. I felt Mammoth, and it didn't do well my for mental state. So my options are :

• Start curbing the sweets and the calories and forget the term "eating for two"
• Eat and be Merry about it. As it is the only time I will ever get to indulge without guilt.
• Moderate. Ask Sporty for some light work out tips, and try to do my best to control the weight instead of the weight controlling me
• Eat a bowl of ice cream and worry about this sh@$ later :-)

I think I will take the last one!

Ready For A Girlie Room

Today a great surprise came to my door: ...The baby bedding!!!!
As you may recall a few months ago I bought a bedding set at TJ-Max that was modern but I wasn't IN LOVE with. After some long thoughts and an offer from my Mom to get what I really wanted, I headed for the return aisle. I then of course rushed and purchased this:

I can not wait to pick out paints and get the nursery in gear! The best part was that the bedding was made MUCH better then I expected, and looks 10 times better in person then this cute picture! I surprised myself with choosing girlie over modern, but hey, this is my chance to go pink!!!!

Age Ain't Nothen' But A Number (an average one)

This weekend Pete declared he had the "Peter Pan" syndrome, and didn't want to grow up. In his own words, he said "how many men do you know my age that act like this?" (meaning his willingness to be as goofy as possible in order to gain a  laugh from kids, friends, and family). I told him it is clearly part of who he is, and a good part, I don't want to be married to some la-ti-da stiffy, that is always serious. 

The same day we are off to a lunch date with one another. First we hit the super market where he purposely gets loud and tries to embarrass me, and then rides the shopping cart in the parking lot pretending he is in the movie Titanic. I just remind him he is only making an arse out of himself. Really I can't wait to get in the car and hide, but hey that's the price you pay for not marrying la-ti-da "I am too cool for fun".

We get to lunch and over Buffalo wings he asks me, "So who are your top three celebrities?" Not understanding the question I first say "Drew Barryamore" thinking he meant favorites. Apparently I was wrong, he wanted to know who my top "I wouldn't mind bedding" celebs would be--the hottest out of the "ordinary" in my eyes. I tell him I have to take a moment to think of this, and ask him his. He says Jessica Biel. I love Jessica Biel and think she is a beauty, but since her days on 7th Heaven, I always thought without fame she would look and seem like the "average girl next door". He howls as if I just punched him between the legs. I, of course, give him my list next, one of which happen to include Mario Lopez on it. Pete begins to huff and puff (almost blowing the house down), that if Jessica Biel is "average" then Mario Lopez is super duper average!!! Has my husband seen Mario's dimples? He rebuttals, asking "have you taken a good look at a bikini clad Jessica?" "How about Mario's abs?" I say.

And there you have it folks, Pete and I are not solving world peace on dates with one another, nor talking deeply about the ozone layer. We are just having fun. Fun is what we do well. Fun doesn't fade with age, it excels in comfort. 

Finally Some House Pictures

I wish I could fill up this blog with all of our before and after pics to wow you all! (but it would take up a lot of space and might bore you to tears) So here are a few pictures I took over the course of the past few months. My favorite is the bathroom! It is the perfect place to escape on a day like today when we are being hit with 8-18 inches of snow (IN MARCH), and I want to be thinking "beach". It also has an amazing Jacuzzi tub that could not be beat. 

So here is a sneak peak at some parts of our dear home (which is much better then the outside of the blues clues palace!) . 

First off a few before shots since...you need to know what we were working with!!!

Then...

Upstairs Bathroom 1
Downstairs "Mans room"
Downstairs Playroom
And Now....

Downstairs "Mans room"
Downstairs Play room 
Upstairs Kitchen
Upstairs Bathroom 1
Upstairs Living room
Upstairs Bathroom 1

Baby Bump: 6 months plus