Girls Only Weekend

Right now Lily is walking around with a cleaned out yogurt cup and spoon. She is pretending to eat her "gogurt".
I had a good day yesterday with regards to morning sickness, then this morning it hit me again. I think it will be okay once I can get a nap in. Lily will take her nap soon and I may join her!

Tonight I'm going to have dinner with my friend Christine. I haven't seen her in awhile, so will be good to catch up. Saturday is lunch with a few girlfriends. David will be camping this weekend in Palisade, CO. He plans to hit the farmers' market while out there. I'm looking forward to the produce he brings home. No plans on Sunday. Will have to find something fun for Lily and me.

Oh no, Lily is making the "face" that means I need to change her diaper. Better run and take care of that. Have a great weekend everyone!!

Trip to Indy

This last weekend I was in Indianapolis for my sister, Bonnie's bridal shower. I was there Friday afternoon through Sunday afternoon. This was my first trip since Motherhood without a baby. It was quite nice to fly without having to entertain a little one. The trip was busy and quite short. However, I got to spend time with my family and I had a wonderful time.

Bonnie and Mark, the upcoming bride and groom.
Friday night we went to Red Lobster. It was yummie!

me and Christie at Red Lobster

The Parents

My brother, Matthew and his wife, Carrie

At the shower (me, Bonnie, Christie)

My niece, Cassie

After the shower, my parents and I hit the Noblesville Strawberry Festival. Yummie!

Birthday and What Have I Been Doing Lately

Today I turn 34. I remember when I was younger how old 34 sounded. I really don't feel old at all. I always thought there would be a time when you'd begin to feel like an adult. Still not sure how that feels. I did the same thing when getting married and becoming a mother. I thought I'd feel differently - I don't. I still feel like the same old Jen. I know over the years I've grown and changed and hopefully matured, but I'm still me! I tend to like even years of age, so I'm welcoming 34!!

In my friend, Amy's blog, she listed what she has been doing lately. She asked "What have you been doing lately?" Here is my list...

1. Eating lots of bread products. Those don't make me sick.
   
2. Hugging Lily as much as possible. She is in a loving stage right now.
   
3. Knitting and crocheting when I feel like it. I have a sweater for David to knit, a scarf for Lily to knit and a blanket to crochet. I really just work on these when I'm in the mood. Perhaps 2-3 times a week.
   
4. Wearing lots of Indiana University attire. Not sure what the nostalgia for school is right now, but the last few days I've had on an IU tshirt.
   
5. Digging up old maternity clothes. Not quite ready for them yet, but I do indulge in the maternity pants from time to time. My regular pants are getting a bit tight. However, as I'm blogging, I am wearing regular pants.
6. Not wearing much makeup. The last few weeks I just don't feel like wearing much make up. Today I have on some blemish cover and powder. I used to always wear mascara, but I'm embracing that I can be okay without my "face" on.
   
7. Trying to drink more water.
   
8. Seeing an acupuncturist. It's said that helps with morning sickness. I think it's helping a bit.
   
9. Getting ready for my trip to Indiana. If all goes well, this will be my first trip by myself since becoming a Mother!
10. Taking a break from reading. My last book was the Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. I really enjoyed it. My next book will probably be The Virgin's Lover by Philippa Gregory.
11. Watching Food Network on Sunday nights. I love Iron Chef America and the Next Food Network Star.
    
12. Overall watching TV less and listening to XMRadio more. It helps that most shows are in re-runs right now.
    
13. Looking for clothing sales for Lily. She is outgrowing her clothes again.
    
14. Laughing more. Lily cracks me up! She has quite the personality.
    
15. Appreciating my husband. He is helping out his parents a lot right now and I don't get to see him as much as I normally do.
    
16. Appreciating my friends. I have girlfriends that I just enjoy spending time with. They are always there for me and I cherish them more than they know.
17. Appreciating my Dad. I was deeply saddened by the death of Tim Russert.
    
18. Practicing quiet. Each night I play a meditation tape to try to end the day on a quiet note.
    
19. Organizing my craft spot. David moved my stamps, knitting, desk and table to the basement to make room for baby #2. I'm working on figuring out my spot down there.
    
20. Listening to Lily jibber jabber instead of napping.
    

So...what have you been doing lately??

Me with my IU shirt

Snoopy

Dad/Babba - this is for you!

My Dad gave Lily a snoopy doll awhile back. She now loves it. She calls him "Poopy". Gotta love it.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all you Dads out there. I'm lucky to have a wonderful, wonderful Father and an awesome husband who is a great Father.
Today, David, Lily and I went out to breakfast to celebrate. No other big plans today. Hopefully we'll find today a relaxing one.

Lily giving David love at the restaurant this morning

Feeding Daddy

Back in the day

My Dad and I back in 2005 in Kansas City

This week

This week was quite a week for us. David was home working on home projects. He painted the living room and dining room. He put in two sliding screen doors. He did some yard work. He fixed our fence. He moved my craft room from upstairs into the basement in preps for Baby #2. He still has many other things planned for the weekend. I did my best to keep Lily out of his way. Here's a few things we were up to...

Fun time in the sprinklers!

Lily's first beer. Okay okay, it's really an empty bottle of ginger ale.

Picnic time in the front yard!

Miss Betsy and her twin, Karen stopped by for a visit! Lily wasn't too happy to be taken from Daddy for a photo shoot.

Big News for something Little

David and I have some news to share with you. Come Christmas time, we will have a new addition to our family! I'm currently 12 weeks pregnant.

This pregnancy came as a bit of a surprise to us, but we will take it. The official due date is December 24th. (Poor kid). I'm hoping the little one comes a few days early, so as not to be so close to Christmas, but as long as the baby is healthy, we'll take him/her any day of the year.

This pregnancy has left me quite exhausted and nauseous unfortunately. It's a bit more challenging this time around having to care for a 17 month old. David has been a tremendous help. He has picked up more duties around the house and takes care of Lily as much as he possibly can. He is truly an awesome husband and father.

I'm a bit more relaxed with this pregnancy. With Lily, I was constantly reading online and in books about being pregnant. Now, I will take a glance at what the baby is up to at whichever week, but again, more laid back.

More to come...

The Story of Stuff

This morning, David found a neat website.

http://www.storyofstuff.com/

In summary, this is a story about how our current system of production and consumption is not sustainable. I learned quite a bit just now.

It's about 20 minutes long, so there is some time involved to watch. However, I highly recommend watching this film. We watched it over breakfast!

Let me just say I'm very proud to have a 4 year old cell phone, a 10 year old television, a 10 year old car and 25 year old home - even when I get made fun of because of it.

David and I are currently talking about what more we can do in our family to help out our environment. More to come...

Happy Birthday Brotha!

Today is my little brother, Matthew's birthday. Happy Birthday to my favorite brother!!

My brother and I oh so long ago

Things I remember about my brother...

• When Matthew was just a little guy, say 2 years old, I asked him to draw me a pretty picture with his crayons on his wall. I laughed when he got in trouble. (I was a mean older sister)
• When we were little and it was storming outside, Matthew, still in his crib, would call out to me to sleep on the floor because he was afraid of storms (so was I).
• When Matthew was about 3 years old, over Christmas time, we had moved into our new home. We didn't have grass in our yard yet. He wanted to play outside and my Dad said, "Don't play in the mud!" Well, he did and his boots got stuck in the mud. We heard him yelling "Daddy!" As my Dad pulled him out, the boots stuck in the mud.
  
• He'd ask my Grandpa to take out his dentures. He thought they were cool.
  
• He talked so much as a kid, my Uncle Joe paid him a dollar to stop talking for a couple of hours.
  
• "Somebody Wipe Me" - okay, only my family is going to get that one.
  
• Once on the school bus, oblivious to those around him, Matthew, outfitted with headphones started to belt out "Shout Shout - Let It All Out." It stopped once he realized there were still people on the bus.
  
• As kids, we had adjacent bedrooms. Some nights we would knock on our bedroom walls to see if the other was asleep. If not, we'd talk until an inappropriate hour for young kids.
  
• As a kid, he could take apart anything and put it back together. He was constantly "modifying" his toys.
  
• Matthew was the one to introduce me to the band, Nirvana!
• He went through a stage in the early 90s where he'd wear preppy clothes to resemble Boys II Men. (Later he became a hippy-dude)
• His attention to detail amazes me.
  
• He can make the whole room crack up laughing.
  

My brother is a great guy. He is caring, funny, sweet, smart, and a awesome brother.

Matthew, hope today is a great one! Love ya!

Lily and Uncle Matt, Christmas '07

Matthew, me and my niece, Cassie (Matthew's daughter)

The Siblings:
Christie, Matthew, me, Bonnie

The Nay Nay has left the building

Okay, some of you are going to think I'm really strange, but I'm going to put myself out there. I am so very excited as Lily has moved into a new stage in her life. Yesterday, she didn't ask to be nursed (she asks for "nay nay"). Yippee!

I am all for extended nursing should that be the choice of the mother. I am in full support of my friends who choose to nurse until 2+ years. For me however, I just felt completed in the area of nursing Lily. These last few months found us only nursing a feeding or two per day, so not that bad. However, I was starting to wonder if Lily would ever give up the boob.

I do feel fortunate to not have had major issues with breastfeeding and I'm glad I got to meet my goal of nursing Lily until 12 months. And now, I'm happy to not worry what kind of shirt I need to wear and I get to put away the nursing bras that I have worn for almost 17 months. Maybe I should buy myself a non-nursing-appropriate shirt and bra! woohoo!

And here are a few pics of my big girl.
David made ribs the other night and Lily enjoyed eating her ribs and corn on the cob like a big girl...

Oh Hail!
Last Tuesday we had a good rain/hail storm. It reminded me of snow for awhile there.

Happy Birthday Dad/Abuelito!

Today is my Dad's birthday! Yes, another Gemini! One day we will rule the world! hee hee

Dad, hope you have a great day today. Enjoy dinner at Red Lobster! Have a cheesy roll for me.
I couldn't ask for a better Father and Grandfather for my kids. Love ya!!


Lily says...Happy Birthday Abba!