Packages Galore!

First, I'll begin with the fact that I loaded these pics in a different order than I really wanted them. Oh well. I'll still share everything.

On to the packages. The snap & go stroller I ordered yesterday arrived today! It was on backorder when I placed the order thinking it wouldn't arrive any earlier than mid-Februrary. It was the best price and had free shipping too! Here it is in all it's positions:

One of the best selling features is that is has an umbrella fold, and a carry handle!

Here it is as just the frame.


Add the infant seat and we have a travel system!

Hmmm, what can that be all over that angelic face?

A giant peppermint stick! Thanks Nana & Grandpapa! There are two of them. A package was sitting outside that Chuck carried in last night when he came home from work. In it were several little goodies. Obviously the candy sticks, but also an adorable pair of pajamas from Aunt Tracy, some computer games, and one of those towels that grows when you put it in water. She loved that!

Oh, and what is my little ham modeling now? A lovely apron made by the very talented Mimi! It fits perfectly and has such adorable details!

And look at that! She made a matching one for me! Thank you so much, Mimi! I didn't try to model mine for the camera because my figure doesn't do it justice but I'll give it a try in a few months.

Other interesting notings for this Wednesday...

• We have snow. and sleet. and rain.
• I had three "engagements" scheduled for today. All are rescheduled.
• My very nice neighbor took my trash bin to the curb AND brought it back up to the garage for me as well. I feel bad, but he is really fast! I might have to bake them something.
• Clara Grace had many questions about crabs that are thankfully answered now.
  

Weekend Update

Good Monday morning!


Our weekend was nice if not chilly, yet nothing significant or exciting happened. I'll give you a brief recap.

• I made lasagna for the first time on Saturday...and it was a hit with both Chuck and Clara Grace! Thanks to those that gave me tips and dealt with my questions.
• Clara Grace had another ice skating lesson. She didn't exactly gain in skills, but did very well with her balance. It wasn't that cold, but it truly felt frigid between the cloudiness and windy conditions. Even the locals looked like they were having a tough time, but CG toughed it out and warmed up with a cup of hot cocoa in the warming room after the lesson. Oh, just to share, as CG and the girl working with her skated past I heard CG say, "So, have you seen the movie Star Wars?" What a hoot! She has started chatting with people about movies so maybe she has let go of the icebreaker about having a dog named Jackson. We'll see. When she had her most recent hair cut she had three hair stylists engaged in a conversation about Disney movies.
• I finally got around to sewing two more earned patches on CG's AWANA vest yesterday. Since I had needle and thread out, I had to repair a couple of stuffed animals that were in danger of losing their stuffing. Oh, and the irony is that she earned another patch last night. I'll not be such a slacker about sewing it on. Usually I'm a bit better on that.
• Oh, and yesterday ended my official obligation to teach Kids of Clay every other month on Sunday mornings. It will certainly make my Sundays more relaxing, but I did enjoy it while I did it.
• A friend gave me a large bag of maternity clothes yesterday! Perfect timing as I was about to have to go out in search of some more comfortable clothing since I'm growing at such a rapid rate. I am so thankful for the generosity of so many people!
• Since I've had several people ask just how large I am getting, I had Chuck take a couple of shots of me last night. If I look tired, I am. That is after a full day including teaching Kids of Clay and AWANA last night and getting CG to bed. Anyway, this is me at 31 weeks. I'll share a quick funny though. As we were getting ready to leave last night, a mom of a child I had in AWANA last year saw me and looked really perplexed before she asked if I was expecting. I could NOT resist and told her no. You should have seen the look on her face! I quickly told her the truth, but it was a humorous moment.

That pretty much sums up our uneventful weekend.

31 Week Dr. Appointment

I had another appointment with the doctor today. It was rather routine. Basically, all is well! I am measuring perfectly, blood pressure is fine, and she isn't upset that I gained 3.5lbs in two weeks.

Not much else to report. I go back in another two weeks.

However, Zach is quite the active baby. When he starts his movements, I cannot help but hear Kung Fu Fighting in my head. In his honor, I added a widget with the tune to the right.

Infant Car Seat

As mentioned in the post below, I purchased the infant car seat yesterday. This is such a thrilling purchase as I've been researching the competition and just fell in love with this one. I'm including a link to the product demo just in case you are interested in some of the reasons I'm digging this item. http://www.chiccousa.com/Files/multimedia/keyfit-install.htm

Anyway, I have a new toy to tinker with now. Some of you might recall the sad display of emotion I demonstrated when we first put CG in her seat and her little head flopped forward. I'm hoping we do not have that issue and have this one installed perfectly by the time of his arrival.

I have been really slack about preparing for this baby and started to feel the pressure that we had not acquired the car seat yet. I certainly do not expect him to arrive anytime soon, but we are down to 8 weeks, 6 days until his due date. Oh my! We have a few more purchases to make, but otherwise we are fairly prepared.

What a Day!

We had a great day yesterday! We first met my friend, Christine, and her two children, Courtney and Ryan, at the Children's Museum in Providence. We just love this place and it is perfect for those chilly winter days, not to mention you can get free passes from the library. Here are a few pics snapped of the fun.

My friend also brought me a nice large diaper bag, full of adorable summer baby boy outfits, socks and shoes! These outfits are just so precious. The picture does not do them justice.

After leaving the museum, CG and I stopped at a few stores and bought the infant carseat. I'm going to do an individual post on it as this one has gotten rather long. Then we stopped at our toll office to apply for the EZ-Pass since they are eliminating tokens and making it so it will cost $2 each pass unless you have the RI EZ-Pass which makes the fare something like $0.83 a pass. That took forever. There was a line of people that went out the door, but I was determined that I wasn't leaving without it so we stuck it out.

Once we made it home, there were a few chores and CG and I did some playing together. Luckily it was leftovers night on the menu so I didn't have to do a lot of cooking. I'll have to say that I was thoroughly exhausted by the time my head hit the pillow last night.

A Visit from the Snow Queen

I signed Clara Grace up for a visit with the Snow Queen at our library. It was absolutely wonderful! The Snow Queen, or Aurora Borealis Frost which is her given name, told fabulous stories, engaged the kids with movement, and even had parents sing some. We were packed in the room so the pictures aren't the best, but I think parents and kids both had a great time.

Here, she allowed the kids to come up one at a time to make a wish. She sprinkled them with magic dust and gave them a snowflake sticker afterward.

Clara Grace is making her wish here.

Here is a picture of CG with her dust in her hair.

Policy Reminder

Some of you may be aware that I have a strict policy of "No Kids Sleeping in Mommy and Daddy's Bed". What you might not be aware of is why this policy exists. For that matter, I seemed to have forgotten, yet had my reminder this morning.

For a bit of background, we have tried to let the little turkey sleep with us before. It didn't work even as an infant as we hoped to just get a few extra minutes of sleep. Nope. For some reason, our bed = playtime. It isn't that I don't want to share, or begrudge my child comfort.

Anyway, my reminder this morning began shortly after 4am when I awoke to screams of "MOMMY!" Groggily I stumbled into CG's bedroom to find a very distraught child screaming that something was in her bed. I finally figure out that she thought she spotted a spider in her bed. I knew I didn't have the available eyesight at that time to go searching for a spider...imaginary or not so enlisted the spouse for the mission while I took her into the nursery to rock her (ok, I just wanted to sit down and close my own eyes too) while he looked. He found nothing and went back to bed so I climbed in with her since she was none too eager to get back in (that is putting it mildly since she was clinging to me like a monkey). After several minutes she seemed like she was about to go to sleep. I left. She told me goodnight. I climbed into my own bed hoping for a few minutes of slumber before the alarm went off.

Right.

It wasn't long before I heard the pitter patter of little feet, a door opening, followed by my own door opening and a little form standing by my side. Fine. I'm not an ogre. Climb in. Whatever allows us those last few minutes of sleep. I SHOULD have remembered all the times in the past four years we have tried this. Sleep did not come to either adult as the little one flopped about, was interested in the cat, and on and on and on. She stayed quiet, but would not stay still for long. When we finally got up, it was like she had consumed five cups of coffee. WOUND UP!

Usually I have been up for a while before she is, but I have to admit it is difficult to be so sleepy while watching the animation of a four-year-old emcee an imaginary fashion show starring the black dog with a red collar named "Skittles". And then she created an obstacle course. You get the idea. By the way, I have no idea where she learned the skills of an emcee but she did a nice job.

I knew I would see humor in the situation once fortified with a cup of coffee. My remedial course hit home. She will be marched right back to her own room next time!

Ice Skating

Clara Grace has wanted to take ice skating lessons since last year, but she wasn't old enough nor could I find ice skates to fit her tiny feet. She was in luck this year as they accept 4-year-olds and luckily I found skates in her size. Lessons started this morning at the outdoor rink in Newport. Here are a few pics.

We were really proud of how hard she worked. The lessons are 45 minutes long and she came off the ice for a two minute break near the end, then went back out for more. I'm not going to say she had a blast today, but she didn't cry and she kept getting back up after falling. It was also rather cold out there, but she was a trooper. There were times when she moved very slowly, and other times she really found her "rhythm". She didn't want to come off the ice when the lesson was over. All in all, I think it was a great first lesson!

29 Week Dr. Appointment

Yesterday marked the 29th week, which means I have 11 more to go (give or take a couple). The appointment today went well. My glucose screening and iron check came back looking good. I gained another 4lb for a total of 16. The only negative point was that I measured small today, and up until now I have been "right on". Now, I'm not concerned at this point because I have a small fry already but I measured small with her from the beginning. Regardless, the dr. said that if I do not catch up at the next appointment she will order another ultrasound. Oh, and the appointments are now every two weeks.

Another tidbit is that she said she is sending my notes over to labor and delivery at this time, to make me "official". I'm just amazed at how quickly this time is passing.

That brings you up to speed!

Do you want to play?

First off, I must admit that I completely stole this idea from a blog I follow. That being said, I think it looks pretty fun. I hope you will participate!

If you look to the upper right corner of the homepage, you will see the gadget "Expectnet.com: Online Baby Pool". Click on it. When you get there, click on "Enter a Guess" and fill in your guess! As for where you live or how you know me, don't feel pressured to fill those in or just a simple "friend" or "family" should suffice so we can keep it to a one word description. Your call!

You might have questions for me that might influence your guess, so just email me or post a comment. I'll answer as soon as I can. Listed below are the details of Clara Grace and what is happening this time around to help you make your guess. As the date gets closer I will close the pool to keep people from changing their guess.

• Clara Grace was born six days before her due date at 18" long, 5lb 13oz.
• Throughout the pregnancy I measured "small".
• This baby is a boy and I have measured "right on" at each visit and each ultrasound he has measured the exact average for the week/day.
• As of my last appointment at 25 weeks (3.5 weeks ago) I had gained 12lbs.
• I'm pretty sure you all know this, but Charles and I are not big people. I'm 5'3" and he is 5'6". We are both of average weight and were on the small size as kids.

Certainly the winner deserves something so I'm trying to think of a suitable prize. I'll get back to you on that.

I cannot think of anything more to provide right now! Go make your guess!

Grits

This morning Charles wanted me to cook breakfast, and it sounded good to me. So, I cooked bacon, biscuits, saw mill gravy, scrambled eggs and grits. As we sat around the table eating our food, we began a discussion about the proper way to eat grits and how southerners traditionally eat their grits. See, if you know us, we are both southerners yet season our grits differently. We are each equally appalled with the other's method and of course think we are each right. Well, I don't think, I KNOW I'm right which is why I decided to create a poll to see what others actually do. I also know that some of you might add other items to your grits and that is fine. If you feel I left off a crucial option please email me and I will add it to the poll. In general I am not concerned with where people are from, but it is necessary to ask to settle our little discussion.

Obviously I didn't want to cause any issues so have deliberately not mentioned how I like my grits. I'll share that when the poll is closed.

Thank you for participating in this experiment! The poll is located on the right of this page.

Surviving Clara Grace

First off, my dog is a real sport. I don't think we could have been gifted with a better tempered animal to suit our family. Clara Grace bosses him around and makes him accompany her on scary trips into her dark bedroom. He often gives us a look as though he would appreciate a rescue, but trots off to do her bidding. He puts up with her giving him love, which is the equivalent of rolling around (gently) on the dog and giving him hugs.

If you follow the blog, you might recall the picture of him where Clara Grace made him play dress-up. I have another addition to make. A few moments ago I was vacuuming when here they come. Clara Grace is ecstatic and Jackson is resigned...to wearing reindeer antlers. Perhaps the next time we have him drag her on the sled we can put these back on him and truly feel like the Grinch. The other picture is when we went downstairs to show Charles what she had been up to. What a hoot that little girl is!

Happy New Year!

I hope 2009 brings many blessings to you all!

We are officially not fun people. I knew this on a subconscious level, but there is no denying it anymore. Charles and I have never done anything really celebratory for the new year, however we usually stay up (or try to) to watch the ball drop and say happy new year to one another. Often we'll even have some special snacks.

This year we stayed up until 10pm and asked each other if we really wanted to stay up until midnight. We both agreed we'd rather sleep. Sad. But we are well rested today!

We will however be having black-eyed peas on the menu today so we aren't completely tossing out tradition. Perhaps next year we'll be more festive. Also on the menu is a roast already in my new slow cooker I was given for Christmas!

On a side note. It is very cold here, or at least I think so. I do not foresee us leaving the house, and luckily we have everything we need. I checked weather.com about twenty minutes ago and it said that it is 9 degrees outside and feels like -13. I just checked again and is said it is 10 degrees and feels like -9 so it IS warming up some! Anyway, I am officially calling it "frigid" outside and saying that it has reached a point where this girl that has lived the majority of her life in the southeast will not be venturing out.

Have a great (and warm) day!