To be toothful...

All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth...well, Jax has gotten half of his wish! Jax's bottom tooth has officially broken through! Interesting fact: Freyjas first tooth broke through Dec 11, 2007 @ 5months, 1day. Jax (same tooth) Dec 18, 2010 @ 4months, 1day! What is it about December that BOTH of my children get their first tooth? He's been working on that little gem for the last month but as of yesterday the last few membranes broke free and the entire top of the tooth is now exposed :)

Its been a laid back month...no news of a job for David yet, I should be starting back to Winn Dixie shortly or if I get the office position I applied for at UWF I may just do that one. Its stressful times but we've had a TON of family time and its been nice. I wouldn't wish being jobless on anyone but the time it has brought us together is priceless!

News on the big Bugg, she assisted with her first gingerbread "thing". It wasn't as big of a mess as I had anticipated but I definitely would recommend two adults per 3yr old as you build one! If it wasn't for mom vh being there to help I'm POSITIVE the train wouldn't have made it and there would be a bald mother and a screaming 3yr old as an end result...between the "whats this, can I eat that, what about that, I wanna taste!"....AHHH!! End result:

On to the baby Bugg... Besides the first tooth this month, he's attended his first birthday party (for a friend of Freyja), and he swung in his swing on the swingset for the first time (and enjoyed it!). He can pull himself all the way into a standing position using your fingers with NO help from you other than just being that solid thing to hold on to. He has the sweetest little crooked smile that just melts your heart anytime you are blessed with one :) There's moments that he looks sooooo much like his sister when she was a baby but the majority of the time he's the spitting image of his Papa, its his eyes that do it!

Well, thats all the updates for today! I find out Monday about the job at UWF, please think positive thoughts for it!! And then pray for David as he will then become a stay at home dad! Happy holidays to you all! May Santa bring you all wonderful things :)

Thankful Times

We may not be the cutest bunch, we may not be the wealthiest, most famous, or most well known but in my eyes we are the luckiest four people to be a family unit! Its this time of year that you have to sit back and reflect on your year and remember the good and bad times and be thankful for each and every one of them for they made today what it is. David still may be looking for work but we've had the best month of him being home with us 24/7! Its been stressful (still is) wondering whats going to happen if we don't get some job news soon but its been a family bonding expierence I wouldn't have missed for anything!

I am thankful for this ones quick wit, foul temper, unconditional love and her friendship. She may be the BIGGEST pain in my rear 99.9% of the time but then theres that moment that she comes into the room, hugs me and says "mama, I love you all my life" that just makes all that other stuff evaporate...then you find out what she's done and we're back to "WHY DID I EVER HAVE KIDS" stage again :) No, seriously...she can melt my heart like no other! I'm thankful that while being the diva that she is, she also has the love in her heart to be the best big sister her little 3yr old self knows how to be! Not once since baby brother came home has she asked to send him back, tried to duct tape his mouth shut, leave him at the store or grandparents...she is forever mindful of him and does her best to comfort him when he cries or to love him when he's happy. She is my first thought of the day and my last, my eternal sunshine, my cream in my coffee, the beat which my heart needs to survive and I am thankful she is mine!

I am thankful for this little guy because he will forever be my baby! There will be no others after him so therefore my baby he will be :) I'm thankful for his awesome sleep habits, his nursing habits...though I am forbidding him to sprout teeth because if he can BITE like that with out them...I'll never survive WITH them! I'm thankful that everytime I look at him I see my father staring back me. We may joke that we wish we could "wash the Tribble" off of him but one look at those eyes and I can see the first man that ever loved me and the little man that will be the greatest love of my life. He's an angel, he's a banshee, he's more active than a three month old should be but I'm thankful for him as well!

I can even safely safe that I am even thankful for this big guy! As I've said before, he makes me laugh, he makes me cry, he makes me wish that murder wasn't wrong! He's possibly one of the most difficult people you'll ever meet but under that furry hard exterior is a chocolate truffle center that will melt your heart at the best of times! He's the best dad I could ask for for my children. Where my patience lacks, his strenghtens and between the two of us we can handle anything life throws at us. We've been married almost 5yrs now and been together almost 8...and the best is yet to come :)

Last but not least, I am thankful for my family! Be it my parents (all four of them), in laws, cousins, aunts/uncles...I am thankful for the love and support you provide everyday! The family email that circulates every morning is the first bright spot of my day, it reminds me that my family is alive and well. I know this isn't my usual blog, and the humor isn't there but I just wanted to take a moment and thank my children, hubby and family for being in my life and giving me something to be thankful for! I love you all!!

Buggs and other Fall things

Honest mom! The cookie just jumped out of the bag and demanded to be eaten!! Ah yes...the good ol' downtown trick or treat :) Lots of good candies, lots of neat things to see, great way to get people to see what's downtown and a great way to lose your child in a crowd of thousands of kids and mom's pushing their way around, sniffing out the candy hideouts and grubbing up all the good stuff! We met with a group of our friends and did the downtown circut, came home with about half a pumpkin full of sugary bits of heaven...only of few of which Freyja could not/was not allowed to eat (gum and hard "choking hazard" candies). The next day I shuttled the small cowgirl to Barnes and Noble for a trick or treat around the store and story time, then Toys r Us for what we thought would be a fun activity and costume parade but was actually just a sad little get together of non-costumed kids, cheap coloring pages and a ploy to get you into the store so your child could beg/whine/and drive you NUTS until you relented in buying a small toy! We fell for this last time and by the time we got home she forgot we bought her something so its in the closet for Christmas, this time we perservered through the "I WANTS" and ran for the car! That night was a Egg Haunt...Freyja and I left Daddy and Jaxon with the grandparents and had a girls night. It was set up like an Easter Egg hunt with the exception of orange/black eggs filled with spiders, ghosts and spooky candy instead of pastel bunny goods. There was also a haunted hay ride (though Mario chasing Luigi around a large field does not qualify as terror in my books) and a few other little games. We met some of our friends there and just had a good evening  as mother/daughter. To top the night off I found a ten dollar bill in the parking lot!! Then of course All Hallow's Eve I took my pink princess that was tired of being a cowgirl up and down our street and brought back another fine bag off goodies!! All in all I think she was very pleased with her Halloween events this year! Today we took her to an open air craft fair and they had pony rides. She did not even show the slightest bit of hesitation as the pony handler reached out her hand to help her up on the horse and up she climbed and off she went! Its breaking my heart a little more each time she lets go of our hand and takes another giant leap for "bugg kind" but its just proof my biggest bugg is growing up! Wow...

In other news on my big bugg...she is COMPLETELY potty trained now!! She wears pull ups to bed but big girl panties all day!! She still has the occassional accident but the BAD days are all behind us now :) She had a check up the other day and weighs in at 32lbs and is 39 4/8's inches tall. She's TALL and thin!!!

On to Little Brother! He is now 6 1/2lbs per foot!! Meaning he's 13lbs and 24in long, he's gaining on his big sister quite nicely it appears!  I guess its all the sleep he gets at night :) Yep, he's still doing these wonderful 8-12hr stretches at night for me!! Jaxon has been spending a lot of time with daddy this past couple of weeks while big sis and I run off to do "big kid" things but in our absence he's been working on his smiles, coo's and giggles. In the picture above he and I are hanging out on Granmama and Opa's swing in their back yard. Its our favorite place since we can rock, enjoy the outdoors and watch big sis run amuck in the back yard. My father after seeing the picture asked me what I had put on his poor grandsons head, to which I have responded, nothing that compromises his dignity! Its just a cute little blue skull cap vs some cutesie little googly eye thing or something with ears! Guess I'll just need to find him one just to prove to his Papa, there ARE worse hats in life!

In other news...David is in the middle of a "job change" so um...please keep us in your thoughts and keep fingers crossed that something comes our way soon! We're not panicked yet...As Dori (Ellen DeGeneres) in "Finding Nemo" says, "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming"... So our love to you all and I'll be back with another bugg-update soon!

Fall Fun

Miss Freyja has a busy end of the month set up for her! The above picture was taken Oct 21st when we headed out to Holland Farms Peanut Farm, they also have a pumpkin patch and a ton of sunflowers. Holland Farms is about 20min past mom's house so we left Jaxon with mom and Ed after we went grocery shopping and Bugg and I headed out there for some fall fun. After roaming the pumpkin patch and getting lost in the maze of sunflowers we went on THE LONGEST hayride ever!!! We ate peanuts straight out of the field (very earthy tasting!), I got a bowl of their cajun flavored boiled and man were they good!!

Jaxon turned 10wks old on Oct 26th!!! My baby is now in the double digits...how depressing, he's getting too big too fast dangit!! One day last week he went to bed at 830pm and didn't get up til 5am to nurse then went back to sleep til 7am, this kid LOVES his sleep!! October 18th was his 2month check up, he was 12.3lbs and 24in long putting him in the 75th percentile. He stays awake much longer now, he still cries a ton during the day especially on weekdays when in order to get stuff done I have to lay him down and not able to carry/hold him every second of the day. My little man just graduated to size 2 diapers and 3-6month clothing...theres just no slowing him down!

Monday, Oct 25th we went to the fair as a family. I wasn't positive Freyja would ride anything but it was worth a try. Dora and Diego (cartoon characters) were scheduled to be there that night so we figured that would be a good night to take her, we had free admission tickets so that made it even more enticing!! Dora and Diego ended up having a line literally a mile long so we just bought ride tickets and had fun that way. We bought a sheet of 22 tickets (rides cost 3-5 tickets yet inevitably they give you some funky number of tickets so that you have some left over or have to buy more to use them all) and the girl in the booth wasn't paying any attention and ended up giving us 44 tickets instead :) So we spent our "freebies" by all going on the ferris wheel, it was Davids first time on ferris wheel and Freyja and Jaxon's first fair rides ever. (More pictures are in the Picasa album) Freyja rode a handful of rides, most of them by herself but there was one that she really wanted to ride that she had to go with us and that was the "Kite Flyer", you lay on your belly and get strapped in and fly around in circles. She loved this one so much she had to go twice, I went the first time with her and nearly had a nervous breakdown...not from the ride but from the fear of what if she started to fall off, how could I save her. David went the second time after laughing at me for my "irrational fear" but after getting up there he knew what I meant :) I wore Jaxon while we walked around, he received TONS of smiles and compliments! He stayed awake almost the entire time, he loved the lights and sounds and did his little "marching" thing the majority of the time he was in the wrap because he was so excited and wanted out to play too! Poor guy gave up the fight just as we left the fair and fell asleep in the wrap...only to wake up in the car and cry the ENTIRE way home because he was wet,hungry and over tired. We finally got home around 8pm, comforted Jaxon, fixed Freyja a grilled turkey and cheese, read a couple of bedtime stories which she barely made it through and we were all in bed and asleep by 930pm!

Next on our agenda is a bunch of Halloweenie stuff, costume parties and trick or treating!! Stay tuned and next week I'll elaborate on our Halloweening and post costume pictures!! Love to you all :)

Ghouls and Boils (Girls and boys)

No, she's not choking him! She's trying to hold his little wobbly head up long enough for me to take the shot...and then of course she gets this wild hair and shoots up WAAAAAAY over the top of him and says CHEESE as I cut her head off...but its still a cute shot! And just a small sampling of her love for him. Before he was born and I was oooober pregnant we went past an Indian Restaurant and I made the innocent comment that we should eat there and maybe the heat of the food would "smoke" him out. Well this poor child since then EVERY time we pass the restaurant she says "mama, we can't smoke Jaxon!" Today she took it even farther as to explay WHY we can't smoke Jaxon, apparently in 3yr old logic "we can't smoke Jaxon, he's a people and we don't eat people! We only eat meat!!" At least I dont have to worry about her eating her little brother anytime soon :)

Freyja news...potty training is still going... When we're out, theres no accidents... then we come home and oh man does her laundry pile up in just one day! And on top of potty training accidents the poor kid has had an accident prone week and the bad news is, its only Tuesday... Saturday we went to a birthday party for DJ's twins, they just turned 8. The party was at the beach, it was our first trip out there since the spill and honestly you can't really tell we had one! Well, a handful of steps out of the car she topples off the sidewalk and gets a huge scrape on her knee, luckily the rest of the party went well. Yesterday she was a walking disaster! She wore too small of shoes and wore blisters on her heels, missed her swing and landed butt/back first in the dirt and to add insult to injury the swing smacked her on the bridge of her nose between the eyes and left a little bloody spot. THEN she fell out of bed last night!  I swear I'm not killing my kid, she just has my clutz gene! Bad news...she'll never outgrow it, good news...she'll live...I hope!

Jaxon is 7wks old today!!! I wish I could take a picture of where he currently is...I'm on the couch in the den with the laptop in my lap and he is laying across my arms as I type. He's big on being touched, as long as my hands are for the most part on him he's happy. Its a good thing I'm home with him all the time!! He's starting to focus alot more, he's starting to smile finally, his neck is getting stronger, he coo's constantly, he still loves sleeping almost more than eating and is growing like a little weed! His next check up is the 18th of this month, I will update with stats then :)

We had a MAJOR upset last week. I was making some room on our picture drive and burning some backups when the drive up and died on us. At first we thought the worst and thought we'd lost ALL pictures, documents, programs, etc that we had stored since 2003 (and back to 1997 for me) but luckily after a couple of days of tearing Davids office apart our losses boil down to the last 3years of his tinkering with some programming (he hasn't done alot since he's been busy working), I lost ALL of my music and only a handful of pictures which unfortunitely included Jax's birth and anything from August 16th to September 25th...luckily those items are on Picasa so they are not gone for good and all of my other pictures that predate August 16th have been saved on my fathers system so he will be sending copies back to me. Just goes to show you should not trust your life to a computer... I will burning cd's on a monthly basis now of all albums so that I never lose them again!

This concludes this note...I'll be back mid month when Jax has his check up and will catch you up on the latest "kids say the darnedest things" from my darling daughter!

Kids say the darnedest things!

"Mommy,mommy!!! Its an IGUANODON!!!" This is the statement that had me first puzzled beyond belief then almost crying from laughter today! Last night we read "Oh can you say dinosaur" by Dr Seuss and one of the dino's in the book was an Iguanodon. This morning I heard her shout this from the living room where she is supposed to be hanging up the phone for me so that we can go see her daddy, I go and look and she has cornered a baby house gecko by the telephone. Trust me, there is NO convincing a 3yr old that loves dinos and reptiles she has not found a dino but a baby lizard! So I caught the lil guy and assisted him to the outdoors, he was cold and hungry and probably wouldn't have lasted another day or more in the house. But yes, that was my chuckle for the morning :)

As for my little bugg, his smile is still lighting up my morning everyday! We go to bed around 9pm, get up around 2am to nurse and 5am for a diaper change then around 730am for the rest of the morning. He doesnt cry at night unless I leave him to go to the bathroom before I feed him. He's truely a laid back little guy and a pleasure to wake up with!!

Freyja is 75% potty trained, its taken an entire month to get this far but each day its getting better. She's just such a busy little bee that she either forgets to go or just doesnt want to stop whatever she's doing to go. Today we went to Seafood Fest in downtown Pensacola with daddy on his lunch break and walked (kids in strollers) from his office down to Seville Square (roughly 1/2mile). As we were about to head back she announces she has to peepee...well David stepped on the gas and ZOOOOOOOMED that child down to his office and made it before she had a boo boo :) So things are clicking for her...just need to get #2's to click for her as well!!

Other news...my 6wk check up is Monday morning!! YAY! Mom is coming over next week to have some "fun" time with Freyja and help enforce good potty training behavior,then end of the week is the Circus. If Freyja has a good week mom is going to watch Jaxon and Freyja and I are going to the CIRCUS!!! That's it for now! Stay tuned for more adventures :)

And then there were two...

My babies, my little pride and my little joy (no clue which is which)! A family of four at long last:) A complete unit, the score in our house is even (boys vs girls that is)! I still have "Saturday Morning Confusion" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQlvyhTfaos) running through my head and the occasional question of "am I truely prepared for this?!?!" nagging at me...but we're 16days into this so far and the house is still intact, David has managed to makeit back to work, I've learned how to shower without panicking what TWO kids are doing...or more of is the baby safe from his sisters loving grasp.

So we'll start with the oldest...Bugg is doing wonderful with the transition of center of attention to big sister. We're actively working on potty training again and Tuesday night she actually TOLD us she had to peepee and made it to the toilet in time to go! She's slowly starting to pay more attention to her body signals...we may make it yet! Wednesday she made it til about 2pm in the same diaper then it was all down hill from there.  The other night she helped me make cupcakes, daddy's sweet tooth was begging for them so she and I happily obliged...though it was more of her adding the ingredients, mommy stirring, baby screaming so daddy poured and baked so mama could squelch the indignant cries of the babe. She had her first dentist appointment August25th, David had to take her by himself since the babe and I were still napping. She was a real champ!! She got rave reviews from the dentist and the dental tech that cleaned her teeth about how well behaved she was and how clean she has kept her teeth :) Daddy took her to Arby's as a treat afterwards!Theres pix in the Picasa album of her appt, they made me bawl like a baby because I wasn't there for it, but I'm so proud of my baby girl!!!

Now for Jaxon! He's 16days old today!! He lost his belly button on Monday while I was at moms house visiting. He sleeps and eats like a champ! Last night he had his first real bath and appeared to like it, he just laid there and let me wash him with only a slight grimace on his face. Afterwards I massaged him down with lotion and the kid was like melted butter :) He slept from 8pm til 130am, nursed and then slept from 2am to 630am! I'm LOVING having an infant that sleeps this time around! His two wk check up was last Friday, at that time he was only .7oz under his birthweight (bw 8lb 6.7oz) and had already grown 2inches! He was still mildly jaundiced in the eyes,but the dr says thats the last place for jaundice to leave so we might see a yellowish tint a while longer. Next check up is at 2months!

Family news...David went back to work Tuesday after having been home since the 17th. I miss his company and help! It hasnt been bad adjusting to two kids, not nearly as bad as people have made it sound! Given,today is only day 3 of going at it alone and I have potty training toddler on my hands...but it just isn't "bad". David now puts Freyja to bed at night so that I can go to bed as soon as Jax lets me. This helps me get my 6-10hrs of sleep needed to keep up with these young'ens during the day without having to hog-tie Freyja mid morning and nap. Our days now start by 8am...but at least we're all rested :) In the next day or two we're going to test out our ability to shop as a FULL family unit and find out if its possible or whether the boys will fend for themselves while the girls shop and gather. I'm hoping for the latter so that they have time to bond and Freyja and I can still have some one on one time:)

Well...the bassinett sounds like a flock of Canadian geese passing through so that means my little man is about to start wailing anytime now! Theres TONS of pix in the Picasa album, make sure you catch up on those! Love to you all :)

Is he here yet?

FIVE days left til the official due date...not that anyone is counting of course or checking emails around the clock or waiting for a text message or FaceBook post or even the long awaited phone call! No, its very obvious NO ONE is counting the days til this kid decides to show :)

We've tried everything short of poking him with a sharp stick to get him to mosey on out but it appears Jax has his heart set on being an August baby so I guess I might as well get used to having a little peridot boy charm on my mothers necklace soon. He's been a great pregnancy, I cannot complain. Very little water retention except when MOMMY misbehaves and eats or drinks something I shouldn't. No sickness, no blindness (like with Freyja), minor numbing of the limbs and only a couple of really sucky nights sleep. I'd love to be one of those women who "claim" to never know they were pregnant til labor began but at the same time its been fun watching another little parasite take over my body and do all these interesting things again!

Tomorrow we go as a family to a friends studio and take some family shots and some pregnancy shots. I look forward to posting those online after we're done. Keep in mind if you check out the album that she is still a budding photographer and these are raw photo's before she and I attack them with PhotoShop! Since I haven't had him yet today...I'm hoping at this point he stays put long enough for us to get the photoshoot out of the way tomorrow night!

So, I've heard this question a lot lately and figured I would put it in writing so that everyone knows what a "doula" is.

• labor coach: an assistant (often the father of the soon-to-be-born child) who provides support for a woman in labor by encouraging her to use techniques learned in childbirth-preparation classes.
• A doula is an assistant who provides various forms of non-medical and non-midwifery support (physical and emotional) in the childbirth process. ...
• A support person, usually female, with no medical or midwifery training, who provides emotional assistance to a mother or pregnant couple before, during or after childbirth.
• originally, a layperson who helps a new mother through pregnancy and early infant care, and now a model being tested to use experienced volunteers to help persons facing serious illness

Essentially, she is a professional birth coach. Mothers (such as myself) who chose to have a VBAC (vaginal birth after c-section) are at a large risk of a repeat c-section. Having a doula present increases chances of a successful VBAC because she knows every possible position a birthing mother can attempt that would bring about a successful delivery. We were lucky enough to find someone who is still going through her doula training but has 2yrs experience as a midwifes assistant that is willing to work with us for free. Doula's cannot "officially" charge for their services unless they are CERTIFIED, there are two types of certifications out there and Shari, our doula, is working on her DONA certification as well as having just been accepted into the nursing program at PSC (Pensacola State College...previously PJC). I hope this helps clear up any confusion as to the who or why we would have one of these present.

In other news:

Not much is new on the homefront. Freyja and I have pretty much been hermits all summer (hence the scarcity of photos lately). Lack of a/c in my car has kept us at home except for early morning trips to the store or to the inlaws for a morning swim. Freyja is getting MUCH better in the pool! Last summer ended with her just beginning to "tolerate" water accidentally getting in her face, this summer she has graduated to private swim lessons with her daddy without her waterwings! Momma would like to have a heart attack when the wings come off but luckily daddy has enough confidence for us both. She is getting the hang of treading water for the most part, just gotta keep working on keeping her mouth closed and holding her breath when she feels like she's gonna go under. By next summer she'll be a pro!!

August looks like its shaping up to be a busy month! Birthdays galore, a new birthday (unless something happens in the next 90min...), dad and Stella visiting(9th-16th) and Rob (Davids brother) visiting (14th-18th). Its a good thing I have TONS of space on my Picasa for all those upcoming pictures...now just gotta get new external drive for the computer to store them all!

Well, thats it for tonight. This child is being a pain in my buttocks, LITERALLY, and is demanding I remove myself from the sitting position and go to bed. Have a great night/day/etc and rest assured as soon as he decides to make his presence known you'll hear about it :)

Berry Pickin Time!

Seriously, no picture this month could make me more happier than this one! No, you can't see her face but looking at this picture reminds me of a fun filled day that made my baby happier than anything!! At the beginning of the month we went berry picking at this farm that is out in the middle of nowhere...a good 20miles past Milton. Its a small farm but they are good to their few animals (mainly rescues they are nursing back to the good life) and have a nice little crop to keep this going. And to top it off they do not use any pesticides or growth hormones so its safe to pick and eat as you go :)  Freyja didn't much care for the blueberries themselves but the act of picking was great to her! After about 30ish minutes of raiding the bushes she had had enough and started just running between us (mom vh was out there picking with us) and checking out our bushels of blueberry treasure. I've never seen her get soooooo hot and sweaty and still be so happy about it! We're going back in October when the grapes are ready, I can't wait to show her how to eat a scuppernong (a type of grape)!!

The rest of this month has passed rather uneventfully. We have spent SEVERAL evenings in the pool at mom and dad vh's, we've watched a ton of movies (in house), cleaned and put together all the baby stuff and Freyja has learned to play a few new computer games. Its been too hot to go out unless its EARLY in the morning or LATE in the evening (and you are doused in bug repellant), not to mention one of the cars is without a/c so thats really a "no go" for Freyja and I!! Not to mention this little guy that is trying to find the escape hatch or have an "Aliens" moment and pop out my belly at any time...he's a GREAT reason to be staying indoors resting!

Potty training STILL is not happening...I tried to set a 15min timer and take her to the potty everytime it went off but all that resulted in was a few loads of  wet or nasty panties, a frustrated child, an ill tempered daddy and a mama that just wants to run for the hills! Sooo...we'll try this again in another month...and then again...and again...and maybe one day it'll click! As a fellow mom once said, they don't go to Kindergarten in diapers so eventually SOMETHING will give! I was hoping to just have one in diapers starting in August but it won't kill me...just the budget!

Other news...Pensacola finally got hit by the oil spill as of this morning. All over the news is pictures of mass quantities of oil washing over our once sparkling white beaches. Everywhere I look on FaceBook someone has reposted pix of this disaster and its heartbreaking...I'm to the point where I just wish I could block anything that had to do with the spill and just not think about it. Telethons are nice...but until they put something more than just a bandaid on the spill nothing is going to help. All we can do is sit here helpless until its done, grieve our losses, clean up and try to start over. My children and probably my grandchildren will never see the beach for the beauty that its been the last 17yrs I've had the privilidge of seeing it as and it sucks! BP sucks! End of story dammit :(

Here's your laugh for the month! On Fathers Day I gave David possibly one of the worst gifts ever...a hair cut!! The right side looked GREAT!! The left side....well, thank God for mom vh and her talent of clearing up messes! Good news is even though I cut a ton of his hair off he still loves me and just chalked it up to a learning experience :) And then last night I took Freyja to mom and dad vh's for our nightly swim/exercise and as usual when we finish I wrap her swim diaper up in the daily newspaper sleeve and toss it in the trash as we leave. Well, somehow I got distracted and not only threw away the diaper but my keys as well!! Dad vh had to come out with his "grabber" and fish them out for me...luckily nothing was in there besides the sealed diaper bag! OH! and my VERY polite child actually THANKED me for changing her poopy diaper this morning! She said "thank you mama, that was poopy, thank you for cleaning me"....she can tell me she's dirty, she can get me a diaper/wipe but can she use the potty?? *sigh*...

News on the belly bulge! I went to Wal-Mart today and as Freyja and I were standing in line Jax started to kick so I was rubbing and kinda smoothing my shirt down when the lady in front of me said "oh, so you're expecting?" I said yes, due with a boy August 5th...to which she looked at my small "mole hill" and said, "really?? where are you hiding that little guy???" *sigh*...just because I'm not mammoth sized with this one, does not mean I do not have one baking in there! But its better than the twins comments I got when I was at this point with Freyja.

My midwife says the pregnancy is coming along perfectly. As of last week I had gained 9lb total! I now have a Doula that will be assisting in my birth :) For those of you unfamiliar with this term, this is woman trained in birthing procedures that is a "middle ground" person in the room with you at the time of your labor/delivery that gives support to the mother, keeps the room calm and helps ensure that the way you want this baby to come into the world is followed out as closely to your birth plan as it can be. Susan, my doula, went to my appt with me last week and met my midwife for the first time and they got along perfectly! I could see the relief in my midwifes eyes that there would be someone with me to help take some of this stress off of me for having the "perfect" birth. (when my midwife asked if there was any possibility I would be wanting an epidural I said yes please...but for the hubby, not me! Maybe that will keep David sitting still and quiet for a change!!) I want to do this as naturally as I can but I also know from Freyja's delivery that things can go to hell in a hand basket very quickly...I just want whats best for my son and for my body! We toured the hospital he'll be born at last Tuesday as well. We are very pleased with the facilities and with the staff that we met! I don't look forward to the labor but I look forward to my birthing experience there with their excellent care!

In other news...I have family coming in July 5th to see us for thier last day of vacationing on the Gulf Coast (my cousin Gerianne and her family) so we will be holding Freyja's birthday party and our annual cookout on the same day so that all of our family and friends can be together. I look forward to having everyone here!! Also coming up is Jaxon's babyshower! Mom is hosting it at my house on the 18th of July. Its more of a "baby sprinkle" since we have everything we need for him except diapers, new connector stuff for the breast pump and other "boyish" novelty things. Luckily we were smart with Freyja and stuck with a more neutral color (green/yellow) so that her infant stuff could carry forward for Jaxon :) If you have not received an invitation to one/both of these events and would like to attend please let me know and I can forward you the details! The more the merrier :)

I think thats it for this month...its 1230am, my "high" of strawberry & chocolate chip icecream and a waffle cone is finally starting to wear off so maybe now I can catch a little shut-eye. Our love to you all and I will blog again after my Buggs birthday bash next month!!

There and back again, a Buggs journey

So yes, its been another 6wks since I have last popped on the ol thinkin cap and satdown to spin my tale of intrigue about the life of the Bugg known as Freyja. I picked this picture because I love the look of love she has on her face, we may not always see eye to eye on things but looking at this picture I remember that she is my little best friend and the one that holds my heart even tighter than her daddy!

May...lets see...I worked pretty much the entire first half of the month. Winn Dixie on the weekends, college bookstore on the week days. Freyja spent the two weeks I worked at the bookstore staying with her favorite babysitter DJ, a day with a friend that took her roller skating and a day with her Gran and Grandaddy. Needless to say when the jobs were up I had a happy little camper on my hands to know that her mama was HERS again. The remainder of the month was spent traveling to OK and TX. My second cousin gave birth to baby boy, Ryder, May 20th in Oklahoma. My aunt wished not to travel alone so mom, Freyja and I went along for the company and a chance to get away from home. May 22nd we left for OK, got as far as Wichita Falls TX and had to stop for the night then finished the last 200miles of our trip the next morning. I left mom and Aunt Nita in Altus OK and headed on back to Amarillo TX to spend some time with my dad. I have to say that was probably one of the best visits we have had in years because it was just "us"! No spouces, no jobs...Freyja wasn't an "issue", it was just nice to be the two of us as "us" :) After three days with dad I sadly packed up my child and headed back to OK to retrieve mom and Aunt Faye then off BACK to TX we went to Lubbock to see moms twin, Aunt Faye and Uncle Hank.  Sunday the 30th we hit the road to come home and made it to Hattiesburg MS for the night then made the last 150miles of our 2200+mile trip the next morning. The drive overall was great, a few small sprinkles, surprisingly no wrong turns, a TON of potty breaks and only one accident to go around and that was in the last 5miles of our trip! It was awesome to see everyone!! TX and OK could still fall off the map and I wouldn't miss them as long as my family were safe. Freyja LOVED the "wee hills" and the fact that every few miles we alternated between livestock to check out and trains to watch. She learned her ABC song and the "1,2 buckle my shoe"rhyme over the course of the trip...not to mention how to wave at truckers and when she sees even the smallest of hills the arms go up and we go "weeeeeeee" down them!!

News on Jaxon! Incase you haven't seen them, 3d ultrasound pix are up in his album now!! He cooperated quite nicely for us during the ultrasound and even though we only saw half of his face, we are pretty sure he matches on the other side and is just as precious as Freyja was though personally I think he has chubbier cheeks than his sister did! I went in for my check up May 20th before our trip and took my glucose test. Upon returning from the trip I had another appt on June 1st where I learned I basically failed my first glucose test. Based on height/weigh/health you need to be in the spectrum of 130-140, well I was a low 134 leading the dr to suspect I am at risk for gestational diabetes this time. I spoke to my normal dr yesterday on the phone and she put my mind at rest that the test I have to take Tuesday (3hr glucose test) is more of a precaution than an immenent sign of doom. She says even though I am at the low end of the weight gaining pool this time (still only 6lb this entire time!!) that it is not a BAD thing but she would like to see me get to the 10-15lb mark by the end of this pregnancy.

In other news, my mother has always said if you put something "out there", in some way/shape/form you will have your prayer answered. I have been trying to figure out how to get pregnancy photos done before Jaxon gets here and just recently a friend/fellow mom has taken up the hobby of photography and is willing to give my nude belly a few minutes in her spotlight!! I've also been trying to find a neutral person to be in the birthing room with David and I as Jaxon enters this world in hopes of keeping my high strung hubby at bay and keep my worries and comforts in control, and once again HE has delivered! I have a meeting coming up soon with a doula who is needing some pregnant mommies for her recertification, saving me $500 on hiring someone (like we could!) and hopefully drastically reducing the chance of another csection!! As it always does, things are slowly moving into place for us :) David received the raise he's been promised since January and not a moment to soon! Now if only our prayers about getting better health insurance (we have a $2k deductible currently) in the next year could be answered my small list of "I needs"will be more than covered and greatly appreciated!! I shall just continue having patience because like everything else "this too shall work out"!

So, 63 more days from today and I will be a mother of two!! 37 more days and I will have a 3yr old!! And in two more days and hubby will be 29!! Busy times ahead :) I promise I'll be back in less than 6wks to blog some more! Good night :)

Buggs and More Fun!

As promised the completed room pictures have been posted!! Please note the walls are VERY bare, please send bug (grasshopper) artwork!! It took nearly two weeks but oh what a time we've had doing it :) Two of my bff's from highschool (DJ and Latatious) painted the room for me while I stayed in the well ventilated garage painting the bookshelf and toy trunk. The room started as a dusty dirty rose but turned to a nice cream with a blue top boarder and green bottom boarder to match the furniture. The changing table I chose to be red to give the room more primary colors and plus it went with his bedding. The grasshopper you see in the middle of his bed is the one David and I found on our trip to New Orleans. At the current moment his name is Bright Eyes. Freyja helped me wash down the crib today and then daddy built it for us. Granmama came over and helped move the final piece of furniture into the room so now next week I can focus on getting all the "first year" stuff into his room and giving Freyja back her room which is currently so packed we had to dig a path to/from her bed! Freyja also test drove the crib today to make sure it and Mr. Bright Eyes were suitable for baby brother to sleep on and with.

Today we went swimming for the first time this year. She dove right in like a pro and started back up swimming like a fish! I had to get her new wings today since her old ones were (a) lost and (b) too small anyway :) Plus she needed a noodle to help paddle around. The water was definitely chilly but not enough to keep us out. Even Star went for a quick swim with us! She hates for us to be in the pool without her! As you can tell from the pix I definitely need to dig out the ol' pregnancy bathing suit because Jax just about popped the seams on this one today! We're headed back to the pool again tomorrow, Bugg just can't get enough!! I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot of that pool this summer :)

Thats it for now, I really just wanted to say the pix are posted so make sure to check out the Picasa albums (Room Renovation and Freyja Rose 33months) for the latest! Enjoy :)

Bunny Tales

Well this weekend was FAR from boring I am pleased to announce! Saturday started as normal...alarm goes off at 5am I stumble to the shower and then somehow make it to work while still half asleep. 10am comes and 200kids RUSH into Winn Dixie for the egg hunt! But shortly before that I happen to glance out at the crowd and what do I see? A cute little blondie cuddled close to her ruggedly handsome daddy I am proud (most of the time) to call my hubby! Tears of course rush to this pregnant mothers eyes as I swell with pride over the fact that (1) daddy brought her to see mommy AND the Easter bunny at work and (2) because their mine dammit!! Well...work grinds to a halt FINALLY at 2pm and I come home to my adorable daddy/daughter duo and as I'm changing from uniform to comfy close I look down and find.....OMG'sh I'M PREGNANT!!! Seriously! Between the time I left for work and the time I got home Jaxon rotated and popped my belly right on out there for the world to see! So I'm now dressed and LOOKING pregnant as I make my way down the hallway I glance out the back door and notice theres new chairs on the patio!! The Easter Bunny made an early visit before our party!! I show hubby the NEW & IMPROVED belly, which he's just as shocked as I am, and then we get ready for our gumbo party with the four women (non-related) my life would be incomplete without.  Saturday night kicked off with Wendy, Latatious, DJ and all their better/other halfs and offspring crowding into my house for a night of laughter, good food and tons of fun! Pix are in the Picasa album if you care to look :)

Sunday was another "why oh why does 5am come sooooooo early" day...After work I headed to mom and dad vh's and hid a bunch of eggs in the yard for my Bugg then came home and while daddy was playing distractor, the Easter Bunny snuck in and dropped off a basket of goodies for Freyja. We are STILL playing tea party and her gator egg is in water now so in 24-48hrs we'll have a pet alligator :) Ok...yeah....a little sponge one! Then we headed to Opa and Granmama's to find eggs and gorge ourselves on an Easter lunch! Easter pix are of course in the Picasa albums as well (32month album)

Today....why oh why does 7am come soooooooo early??? I dropped Bugg off at Opa's and headed for my monthly well mommy/grasshopper check up. Jaxon hated the doppler (heartbeat listener thingy) and kicked it everytime the Dr would find a good spot to try and listen. I have gained 4lbs, all bp and other junk are normal, I'm measuring right at 23wks (right on schedule) and doc says as long as we keep up the good work he should pop out on his own and us not have to worry about preclampsia and all that other fun crap Freyja and I went through. Now Bugg and I are curled up on the couch watching cartoons til its at least 70 outside (around noon) to head outside and play for the day. Tonight is "girls night" at Wendy's. It sucks that Latatious is sooooooo far away (New Jersey) that we can't do this more often but at least when she's home we can get together and have a blast!

So thats all the news on the front this time around. Will blog again later this month as I'm sure something else exciting will need to be immortalized in typeface as well!

New Orleans Babymoon

I just posted the few pix (click on pix and it will take you to the album)that we took while in New Orleans this past Thursday/Friday. We went to a Gator Ranch called "The Insta Gator" in Abita Springs (yes the water place), went on their tour and then got to play with some baby aligators with their lil mouths taped up. Then we went across a 24MILE bridge across Lake Ponchitarin to New Orleans....it was a priceless moment when we saw the sign that said "24mile bridge" and we both gasped, said it at the same time and laughed :)

 We stayed at the Wyndham Inn just outside the French Quarter but still in the center of down town NO. We picked this one so that it was within walking distance of everything we wanted to see/do since parking/driving in NO is INSANE! Our concert was just down the street for the hotel so it was an easy walk, Harrah's casino was right next to our hotel so we walked through there just to see if we could sink a few quarters and let David say he FINALLY gambled and was a in a casino! Did you know that casinos no longer take quarters?!? You either had to put money on their company cards or insert $5, $10, $20..etc into the maching to play.We went to Hard Rock Cafe for dinner....still not sure what the fuss is over the place but no complaints over the meal :) The concert (Alkaline Trio) was at the House of Blues, they started playing at 10pm and it was everything we hoped it would be. There will still a few songs we really would've loved seeing live but everything they played ROCKED! They even played my favorite song "Blue Carolina" which isn't even one of their top songs so definitely a surprise to hear it live!

Friday after sleeping in a bit and sleeping off the concert hangover (much like an alcohol hangover but goes away quicker...you just feel extremely lagged) we went over to the RiverWalk (large mall type thing located right on the Mississippi River) and had breakfast/lunch then went to the Aquarium of the America's next door. Its smaller than I remember from being there nearly 10yrs ago but it was still fun to tour again. Lastly we headed to the Insectarium just up the street and saw some creatures that would give anyone nightmares! There were a few had they not been behind glass they would've been history under my shoe in a heartbeat! You know those huge 10gal glass jugs? Over 140,000 termites can fit in that thing and is still only a 1/4 of what you would find in an infested tree! They had a "snack stand" but neither David or I were too keen on bugs for an afternoon snack! We were lucky enough to find the stuffed animal that we wanted for Jaxon though, a stuffed grasshopper!! And of course we brought Freyja home a stuffed gator to add to her collection and a shotglass for David's and my collection :)

If we had it to do again...I think we'd add an extra day but other than that we had a blast! We missed our Bugg terribly and David even called her name at the Aquarium to get her to look at a sea turtle before he realized she wasn't there. Neither of us can wait to take both kids back maybe next August or the following so that we can hatch a gator in our hands and they visit the aquarium, insectarium and zoo all together!! Its great to be home but....oh New Orleans...*sigh* how I will miss you til we meet again!

A View from Above

Yep, thats Jax! Or at least my current view of him :) Some days he's bigger than others...I guess he's finding places in there to hide that I don't know about. Hmm.. So my little grasshopper is getting much more active now and at least once a day it feels like theres a dance party going on in my stomach. The sibling rivalry has also begun, Jax has made it clear that he doesn't like being laid on by his big sister! Freyja was sprawled out asleep on me yesterday afternoon while I watched a movie and while I didn't think her leg was THAT heavy on my belly Jax begged to differ and kicked til I moved it. As of Sunday I'm on the downward slope of the pregnancy, I'm now 21wks and only have 19wks left til this little man is running our lives from the outside! After April 1st we're gonna start going "whole hog" on the nursery and getting things done. My friend DJ (yes, DJ Lance as Freyja STILL calls her) is going to help me paint the room then we're going to stencil a bug border around the room (if I can find a cute one). My cousin Patti is working on a name plaque to go above his crib, each letter is shaped out of a bug. I'm anxious to see what the final product will look like. I still haven't found a bedding that I'm thrilled over...and I'm not even sure I'm going to bother other than to get solid colors and just go with the bugs on the wall for the decor. We had dragonfly everything for Freyja and where is it now...yeah, in the closet! So keep your eyes peeled for "bug" stuff and let me know what you find! I've done a registry at Target...I dont know if there will be a "boy shower" for him or not but I figured I'd stick a few things up there for anyone who might be curious. Luckily we went the smart route when we had Freyja and bought 99% of the stuff gender neutral except for clothes...so I have tons of green and yellow stuff that can be reused! There's even a handful of outfits that are neutral enough that he can wear (actually, they were bought in the boys dept for Freyja but I couldn't resist the squirrel and hedgehog patterns that Gymboree was sporting at the time!). My next trip to the ultrasound school is scheduled for mid April when they start back up again. They will be starting 3-d ultrasound training so I'm looking forward to getting see what my little man looks like!! I have a drs appt first of the month so I can update his progress then as well :)

In Freyja news...we STILL have not had a fully successful day on the potty and I'm beginning to feel we never will...but as my friend Elizabeth said, you don't see kidergartners in diapers so shes bound to train some time... I don't think theres a single word NOT in her vocabulary now (except for colorful ones, Thank God!), she talks in complete sentences and is 90% understandable unless she's just truely pissed or tired and then you have no chance of deciphering her. She's finally letting me put her hair up in bows most of the time. Especially right after her hair is freshly washed. Its amazing how much her face can change when her hair goes from down to up!

In family news...David and I leave Thursday for a much needed, first time away from Freyja, second babymoon, and belated anniversary trip to New Orleans. We're off to see our favorite band, Alkaline Trio, in concert for the first time. This is the first time they've been less than 8hrs away from us performing so it'll be a real treat to finally get to go. We also have tickets to the aquarium, zoo and insectarium all of which I feel mildly guilty going to without Freyja but I know there will ALWAYS be future trips! Plus we have plans to just explore New Orleans since David has never been there (at least not on his own away from school to adventure around) and he definitely needs to experience the French Quarter, the cemetaries and just the beauty that downtown New Orleans holds. New Orleans has got to be one of my most favorite places in the US to visit! I've only been a few times since high school but each time has shown me a world unlike anything you find outside the New Orleans borders...the foods, the smells, the people...all I can say is WOW! I once had a chance to move there with some friends and sometimes I wish I had just to experience it up close and personal but at the same time its like that elusive dream...its out there and you can see it but its just beyond your comprehension. For now I will settle with occasional trips over to refill my heart with the love of the abience of the forgotten paradise that is New Orleans :) More on my forgotten paradise when we return...

I think that is about all the news I have for this blog, though I'm pleased to announce the in-laws are home from China and Skotty has FINALLY gone home! We only had once incident where he bit Freyja on the nose (no blood or anything) but its her fault so really he was a good pup this time around. Its sooooooooo nice not to be woken up at the crack of dawn by that crackhead dog wanting to play! Yes, I'm still working weekends and looks like I will continue to do so until the dr says its time to ease up...between the cars having issues, doctor bills and LIFE...it doesnt look like I'm in a hurry to get out of there. After New Orleans our next biggest thing is the "girls" trip to Oklahoma for the birth of my 3rd cousin and hopefully a quick trip over the border to Tx to see dad and Stella.

Time to go find what my child has gotten into..the occasional maniacal giggles (like her fathers) are coming from the living room where the pup is trying to sleep so Lord knows this child is doing! Til next time, keep an eye on our albums, you never know when I'll post more pix!

Houston, we have a problem! So apparently the little swimmers did not get the message that they were supposed to be wearing pink instead of blue this time and it appears we now diving into the unknown realm of boyhood.... But on the upside I will now have my lil "Jacky Boy", my "Aye Jax!", "Prince Jaxon", "Jaxson Vance" get your butt back over here! And of course I'll now have a LadyBugg and a Grasshopper! The history of the name: Jaxon is the only first name David and I could truely agree on, the spelling is due to the fact he will most likely go by "Jax" or at least thats what I plan on calling him. Vance is for David's "favorite" grandfather (his mothers father), it was his middle name. We tried to find something "God"-like to compliment Freyja as a Goddess but male mythological Gods had the funkiest names and even WE couldn't do that to our child! As for Freyja she could appear to care less that we know the sex now...she's still "clueless" as to whats REALLY going on :) We've told her its a baby brother and she grasps it for a few minutes or sees the ultrasound and coo "oh baby brudder" but as for it hitting home...not there yet.

Jax's ultrasound went well yesterday, he's measuring at 17wks, 5days which still puts us on or about August 5th. According to my "mom" books he's about the size of a bellpepper if you ball him up and weighs about 5-6oz. By the time we go in next time he'll be a full pound! He was like his big sister in the sense he didn't mind "posing" for the ultrasound so we could get a good look at the "apple & stem", "turtle" or whatever little acronym you wanna use for the part I'll get the joy of diapering for the next 2-3yrs! He was pretty active during this one too, doing summersaults and all sorts of stuff to stay out of the direct limelight but for the most part he was coopertive for what they needed to get pix of and from their lack of concern I'm assuming he's everything he is supposed to be at the point :) I'm not getting alot of movement out of him yet but if I lay on my side long enough he curls up with me and then when I lay on my back you can very easily tell where he is! I'm feeling him roll from one side to the other but none of the little "butterfly" kicks yet. And apparently its just my tastebuds since superstition did not pan out...I crave nothing by Mexican ( cheese enchilladas and refried beans) and chips & salsa (only from a Mexican restaraunt or Chilis) CONSTANTLY!!! And of course my old craving for pepperoncini's is back too (their related to the jalopeno but not nearly as hot, if you can handle mild heat you can pop the entire thing in your mouth and eat it whole.) *sigh*...heartburn central dead ahead though, I can already see/feel it coming again!

In other news, I have a house guest for the majority of the month....Mom and dad vH are off in China checking out the newest member of the family, Nathan Daniel van Hoose, born Feb. 25th to Rob and Chun Miao. So that means instead of rescuing one dog from Freyja's clutches I'm having to save Skotty as well! I have a bear of a time keeping this dog because he wont listen to me, is super skittish around Freyja and is used to getting up at sunrise which makes for a noisy house super early! If you can get Freyja to "calm down" a bit she will play ball with him though out in the yard and he LOVES that! He's a nice enough dog to have around but like most Cockers, he's underfoot at all times and is super self concious! Here's hoping March 18th gets here SOON!!!

NEWS FROM THE BUGG FRONT:

Bugg is getting more familiar with the potty, though she's more of a daddy pleaser than an active tryer! On the weekends while I work she repeatedly has potty successes...momma comes home and its back to the drawing board! I've had ONE successful trip to the potty with her but that was sheer accident/luck/whatever! So I'm thinking maybe I'll zip back to college get a more successful degree than David, go back to work, and leave him home with the young'en(s) til potty training days are complete!

Bedtime is getting MUCH easier around here these days! She's even letting daddy put her down on Friday/Saturday nights so mommy can get a full nights rest before work! In the past month I've only had to go to her once in the middle of the night and that was just a couple of days ago when she woke up at 5am and just needed someone to cuddle. I can even put her down now and cuddle for a few minutes and even before she drifts off she'll let me leave the bed! BIG improvements!!

She's still very much in love with my friend DJ (DJ Lance as she calls her) and still goes over once a week while I'm at the chiropractor though she has stopped wanting anything to do with the puppies since the depantsing episode...All seven puppies went to eagerly greet her one day and she ran for them to chase her and when she stopped they started jumping at her and accidently pulled down her pants. She had several little scratches on her legs and was emotionally traumatized for the day but all is well now :) It was one of those moments where if my child hadn't of been so distressed over it, it would've made a PERFECT Kodak moment! But luckily it is in my memory forever now!! Freyja loves to go over and play with the kids, the girls treat her like a little princess and do EVERYTHING for her! Even their great grandparents that live next door are infatuated with Freyja. Its nice to know theres a safe and friendly place that I can leave her where she's loved and cared for as if she was with family.

Buggisms for the months: "I NEED it in my tummy!!"-- referring to Arbys EVERYTIME we pass one! "Grandaddy fix it"-- referring to EVERYTHING that breaks or tears...including balloons, balls, napkins, etc. "I NEED to go to the supermarket"-- reflecting from one of her fav. cartoons Umi Zoomi and their quest for yogurt (her new favorite food!) "I in a marching band parade!"--as she comes down the hall wearing her drums and beating as loud/hard as she can. And my heart melter for the month was her telling me "I lush you sooooo much momma" as she's hugging and kissing me to death before bed. I say it to her often enough she returned the favor the other night and even made me tear up!

So...I think thats about all the news for this month. I go back to the OB April 5th but between now and then I hope to get an appt at the Ultrasound School here locally so I can get more pix done. Jaxon has his own album up on Picasa now that has all of his ultrasound pix in it. Its nice to have a name on it and not just just z3 :) Our love to you all! Have a great month and hopefully next time I will have "potty training break thru" news for you!!

Long time no blog

Yeah, so its been WAY to long since I last sat down and did this and I promise as the next 6months creep along I will get better at this again!

I guess its true what they say about 2nd (3rd, 4th, etc) pregnancies and the fact they kinda just "happen" and all of a sudden you have another baby because for the life of me I can't keep track of how far along I am this time! I'm pretty sure I'm 15wks now give or take a few days...but I do know for certain I'm in the 2nd trimester and my due date is still August 5th! Thank goodness that first trimester is OVER! It wasn't hell as many women have it but I'm glad the all day queezies are gone, I can give Freyja a pickle without wanting to throw up and some of the soreness has gone away in places. And yes, the baby bump is starting to protrude!

Freyja has been practicing her big sister skills on her dolls lately. She tucks them in, feeds them, and drags them by their feet to the next room. She loves my belly, she gives it lots of kisses and zerberts! She told me the other day that theres a baby in her belly too but I quickly explained only mommies carry babies in their bellys and it was big sisters job to keep mommy's belly safe with lots of kisses. When asked what she wants she flip flops between brother and sister so I don't think she really cares (knows).

We're still working on potty training. She understands it needs to be done in the big potty and not the diaper but the connection of how to get there isn't there yet. The other morning when I was in the shower she was in the bathroom with me playing and I peeked out the curtain just in time to see her drop her drawers pull of her diaper and all but fall hiney first into the commode trying to get up there to "try" to go potty. So its time to install the training potty seat cushions on all the toilets so I dont have to worry about her falling in and getting a toilet complex.

Other cute stuff this kid has been up to: Last month I had a LOW blood sugar day and nearly passed out in the kitchen so I layed down in the floor til it passed and I could get up, well she brought me a pillow and blanket so we could cuddle together! I've recently started getting close again to one of my old high school best friends (DJ) and we try to get together at least once a week. She happens to live over by my chiropractor so when I go for my weekly adjustments (little bits of heaven!!) I drop Freyja off with her then come back and spend a good part of the afternoon visiting. Well, Freyja loves the cartoon Yo Gabba Gabba and one of the main characters on there is DJ Lance (the narrator of the show) and Freyja calls DJ-- DJ Lance...apparrently all DJ's are DJ Lances as all Bobs would be the same Bob? 2yr old logic astounds me!

Cute phrases: "I a good helper!", "Teamwork mommy!" While gardening and pulling weeds..."mommy wins!!" as the weed gives way and mommy falls on her butt! "I lush you", "I miss you", "Gran (or Papa or Nonnie) is far far away :(", "I like it, I eat it, I eat it all gone!"...the common exclamation at the grocery store when she finds something she wants me to buy. "Princess Bubble bath please?" and of course daddy's favorite "pwause, please daddy, pwwwause" when she wants him to stop something and pay attention to her.

So I know the photo album for 30months is lacking but I promise this month as it warms up and we can get out more you will see the normal barage of 20million pictures! Between work (which I QUIT in May...are we there yet?!?) and all this cold weather and not to mention this little energy and life sucker inside of me I really have not had the time/energy/strength/motivation to do much more than lounge close to where Freyja is and kinda catnap! So, I love you all and stay tuned to the next installment!