Adventures in La La Land

Almost didn't make it on time this week! Whew! That was a close one. 1. This week I got to meet an online friend for the first time.  Justin thinks I'm so crazy that I have all these friends online who I've never actually met in real life. Haha.  Anyway, Cara and I met through a Cornerstone blogring on xanga years ago.  We figured out that we did attend Cornerstone at the same time for about a year, but never remember meeting each other.  She lives in California, but was in town for a while, so we had plans to take our kids to Java Gym.  Unfortunately her daughter came down with a fever, so all didn't go as planned.  But Cara stopped by for a few minutes so we could officially meet - and to give Lucy a birthday present.  So sweet!  It was great to finally meet you, Cara.  Sorry we couldn't have talked longer!! 2. I got my schedule for the next two months from my boss this week.  From now until the end of July I am working all 2 day weeks - with the exception of

I don't think I'm going to do the monthly updates anymore now that she's one.  I need to be careful not to out-do myself with Lucy in the event any other children come along.  Haha.  So I'm just going to do a mini update every once in a while when I have stuff to share.  And I'm sure I'll include most of her major milestones in the Saturday Sevens. Lucy is getting better at walking.  She has pretty good balance and can take many steps in a row when she feels like it. (Her record is 13!)  But for the most part, she prefers to crawl.  That said, her newest form of transportation is walking on her knees.  It's hilarious.  When she wants to carry something across the room, she picks it up, then gets up on her knees and shuffles to her destination.  I took a video, but there's no way I'm going to try to upload it on my dial up connection. Binky Rules: Lucy still has her Binky.  I'm not in much of a hurry to get rid of it.  It's really her only

1. I've written before about how Justin and I are TV junkies.  It's our thing  together.  Thanks to Netflix, we just finished 30 Rock, so this week we got to start something new: White Collar.   It must be on cable, because I'd never heard of it, but my brother insisted we would love it . . . and we do!  It's like a combination of Chuck  and The Mentalist  - two of our other favorites.  (Aside: we're a season behind on Chuck , so no spoilers! :-)) 2. I have been having such  crazy, vivid dreams lately.  Vivid dreams are nothing new to me, but these are out of control.  They're usually so scary I dread going to bed at night.  I think it's probably hormone related.  I've heard of people having crazy dreams when they're pregnant or ovulating.  I am neither of those things, but I think my hormones are still adjusting from weaning.  I've been having awful night sweats and my acne is out of control. Isn't being a woman wonderful? 3. Niki had a

I won my first blogging award!! Thank you so much to Carrie from Did You Hear the Singers Roer?  I feel so honored! Here are the official rules for this award: Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them in your post. Tell your readers seven (7) things about yourself. Give this award to fifteen (15) recently discovered bloggers. Contact those bloggers and let them in on the exciting news. My seven things.  Hmmm. What is there to tell that you don't already know about me? Haha. 1. I regret not playing sports in high school.  It would have been a good way to make some friends. (I was kind of a loser. Haha.) And it would be nice to have some form of exercise I actually enjoy now as an adult. 2. I have never been out of the United States - not even Canada. 3. If I had the opportunity to go back to college, I would finish my degree in English so I could do freelance editing out of my home. 4. I wrote a romance novel in 9th grade. I printed and assem

I was originally going to keep Lucy's party simple.  I figured she's one year old and won't know the difference, but then I started looking up themes online and thinking of all the fun I could have and got a little carried away.  Haha. Our theme was The Very Hungry Caterpillar .  Lucy loves the book because she can stick her fingers in the holes.  And I loved the idea of serving all the foods the caterpillar ate. This was the "cake" I made.  It's 30some cupcakes and a two layer round cake.  I had never made a 2 layer cake before.  It was a beast to frost.  I'm not planning on quitting my day job. Haha. And the food:  We had food for everything the caterpillar eats in the book.  Apples, pears, plums, strawberries, and oranges - with fruit dip.  Then salami, cheese, pickles, watermelon, lollipops, cherry "pie" (just turnovers from the Meijer bakery), ice cream cones, cupcakes, chocolate cake, and a nice green leaf (the daffodil at the end).

1. We managed to pull off a pretty fabulous first birthday party for Lucy today.  It was a lot  of work, but it all turned out so nicely and I think everyone had fun.  There will be an entire post devoted to the party coming up soon.  Here's a sneak peak. :-) 2. I had an amazing first Mother's Day last Sunday.  Lucy was born two days after Mother's Day last year, so this year was my first.  Justin majorly spoiled me!  He got me gift certificates for a massage, a mani/pedi, and a shopping spree at Kohl's!  He also got me donuts for breakfast and when we got home after church, he did 3 loads of laundry, dishes, and cleaned the bathroom!  Oh, Lucy helped too.  :-) It was wonderful and I can't wait to use all those gift cards!! 3. We saw a major answer to prayer this week.  We had a big stack of bills on the fridge to pay and about $28 in our bank account to pay them! Haha. I honestly wasn't stressed about it.  I knew God would provide in one way or another.  B

This post is so daunting.  I don't even know where to begin. My baby girl is one year old.  She had an exciting birthday today.  I woke her up this morning by singing "Happy Birthday," she got a cute puppy and outfit from Chase and Lyla, she got to have her favorite food for lunch (grilled cheese), then she got to open one present from us (a baby doll), and finished the evening off with Olive Garden! Oh, and she got lots of happy birthday wishes on facebook!  Lucky girl! So here's what she's up to lately: Walking She's really mastering her balance and takes very controlled steps.  She has yet to take more than 4, but it's SO adorable to watch.  I really need to be a better mom and take a video of it.  She gets the hugest grin on her face and loves all the cheering and attention. Talking She officially has 2 words: "bye" and "hi" - complete with wave.  She only whispers "hi."  Haha.  And she says "buh-bye"

While Lucy was actually born on the 11th, most of my labor occurred on the 10th, so I'm sharing this today.   Most of you have already read it, but for those of you who haven't: enjoy! Haha. Lucy's Birth Story She's here!!!! I am going to write a  very long  birth story because I don't want to forget a single detail! Sunday (the 9th):  I was very miserable.  I woke up in the middle of the night  sobbing  because I itched so badly. [From the PUPPS]  I hadn't slept well in days and just wanted to be DONE.   Monday (the 10th) at  11:20  Doctor's appointment.  Justin couldn't get off work, so my mom came with me just in case.  We started with an ultrasound, but she was so big that I couldn't make out anything on the screen.  The tech wouldn't estimate her weight, but did confirm for me that she was indeed a girl still!  Next I had my first NST.  It showed me having contractions every 6 minutes.  They just felt like Braxton Hicks to me.  Fi

Warning: This is going to be a disgusting post.  I am going to post some quite horrifying pictures.  Nothing inappropriate: just my stomach.  But it's going to be gross!  View at your own risk!! This is when I first found out I was pregnant with Lucy.  Look at that nice, smooth belly and cute little belly button. This was taken on this date last year (May 9, 2010) - 2 days before Lucy was born.  Major stretchmarks and PUPPS! Also - belly button stretched into oblivion! One year later: May 9, 2011.  My belly button will never be the same!  But honestly, after looking at that last picture, it could be much worse!! Haha. Only 2 more days 'til Lucy's birthday!  Tomorrow I'll post her birth story, and Wednesday will be the 1 year update!

Before getting pregnant, I wanted nothing to do with breastfeeding.  Even throughout those 9 months, I wasn't really looking forward to it.  I had resigned myself to trying  because I knew it would be best for the baby and of course it was the cheapest option.  We took a breastfeeding class where I had to work hard not to giggle.  Haha.  I had heard so many horror stories of babies not latching or nipples cracking and bleeding . . . *shudder*.  Needless to say, it wasn't something I was overly excited about. Moments after Lucy was born - before our families came in to see her, before they bathed her or anything, the nurse asked if I wanted to try nursing.  I remember just sticking her on there not remembering a thing from my breastfeeding class and hoping she would just figure it out.  Haha.  I sadly don't remember much beyond that. The nurses helped me nurse her again when we got up to the recovery room.  It's funny that I consider myself a fairly modest person, bu

1. Lucy was very sick this week.  She's been sick before, but this was the first time she required antibiotics. :-(  I'm sure most of you have followed the saga on facebook, but I'm going to recap it here for my own records. She woke up Sunday with a fever of 103.3.  Staggered ibuprofen and tylenol all day.  Monday morning her fever was down to 101.  By the time we got to the doctor at 9:30, her fever was gone, but the doc diagnosed her with a sinus infection.  I've never heard of a baby having a sinus infection!  Dr. said her ears looked fine, but her throat was irritated from snot dripping down it.  Ick.  The doctor wrote a prescription but suggested waiting a day or two to fill it since Lucy's fever had broken and she was probably on the mend.  Monday night, Lucy whimpered all night in her sleep.  She really started crying at 5, so I got up to give her some ibuprofen.  She was so miserable and would not rock with me, so I nursed her and she went right back to s

Today was my due date! I was soooo miserable. Here's an excerpt from my blog on that day: How far along?  40 weeks! Total weight loss/gain:   Oh boy.  I gained 4 lbs this week!! Probably because my diet mainly consists of chocolate chip cookies.  +42 lbs. total.     (And I officially surpassed Justin.) Maternity clothes?   Obviously.  In fact, most of them don't fit.  I've resorted to wearing Justin's biggest t-shirts.  Sleep:   Ok.  Rolling over is quite painful.  And I wake up often to scratch. Best moment this week:   Last day of work! Movement:  I actually think she has slowed down this week.  She still has her crazy times, though.  Food cravings:   Chocolate chip cookies. Restaurant food. Food aversions:   None. Gender:   GIRL!!!! Labor Signs:   Maybe starting to lose my mucus plug. Constant Braxton Hicks. Belly Button in or out?   Out, covered in stretch marks, and itchy red bumps! It's really attractive! What I miss:   My old body. Being comforta