Bubbles Anyone?

For the past 2 days, I have been home without children. These are my last 2 days of Maternity Leave. I'd have to admit, it's pretty nice being alone. Yesterday, I really didn't take advantage... I cleaned house and went to the gym and before I knew it, it was time to pick them up. Today, I decided it was going to be about me. Other than getting the oil changed, I didn't do any errands nor housework. I took a nap, surfed the web, watched TV and mostly importantly, I took a bubble bath for the first time ever in our jacuzzi tub. We have lived here for 14 months and have never used the tub. Such a shame! For the most part, it was a really relaxing experience...

I just totally overdid it on the bubbles. It was something straight out of a sitcom! I wasn't sure how much was enough, as the stream of water as the tub was filling didn't produce many bubbles, so I just kept adding more. Well, once I turned on the jets, the bubbles appeared. There I was, lying in the tub and the bubbles were rising above my head. I laughed out loud at the sight. While still in the tub, I pulled the stopper on the drain and added water to try to make them subside. It was truly comical. Here is a picture taken AFTER I got out of the tub:



I will defintely be trying this again in the near future. Some times we just need to take time for the bubbles.

8 weeks

Lia is 8 weeks today. We go for her 2 month well-check next Friday. It's really amazing how fast it all goes by. I remember how fast it was with Alexander, and just as soemeone told me, it is faster with the second. Lia is already smiling, coos and gurgles often, has been holding her head up with ease for weeks and is growing into a BIG, healthy baby. She has grown out of all of her 0-3 month clothing and is now wearing 3-6 month and 6 months clothes.

She went to the babysitter for the first time yesterday, for a trial run. Other than not taking too well to the bottle, she did pretty well.

I go back to work on Monday. And for as much as I simply adore my beautiful baby girl, I welcome the break from the constant care. Sure wish there was another alternative to working, though...

2nd Wedding Anniversary

Today is our 2nd wedding anniversary. We celebrated by staying at the Hyatt, (where we stayed on our wedding night,) on Sunday night. We wanted to go to "our" cabin at Hocking Hills, but we would've had to stay more than 1 night...and that just wasn't possible this year.

We began our night with dinner and drinks with really good friends, Julie and Kim. Upon reflection, we realized it was quite fitting as they were instrumental in making our wedding day success with all of their advice, support and assistance in many matters of the event. We met up at Brio and were greeted with a really good bottle of Pinot Noir, courtesy of Julie. Leonard and I ordered food...as Julie and Kim already had dinner and were simply there for good company. The food was great and we had another bottle of wine and some good convo with our friends.

From there went to the Hyatt, where we got a room for the night and checked in before dinner. There is a Sports Bar on the ground level, where we played a couple of games of pool and drank a couple of Jack and Cokes. We actually had another bottle of wine in the room, given to us by very dear friends. We decided to open that up and we drank and sat out on the patio outside of the sports bar and reflected on how wonderful our life is. A lot has happened in the past 2 years. Not to long after the wedding Alexander arrived, then I bought my truck, next came the house, I left my job of nearly 12 years and most recently, the addition of Lia. Kind of surreal... But, any way you look at it, it's a wonderful life.

The night was amazing. Very relaxing and comfortable. The next morning, Leonard missed the children so, that it was decided we would check out and get them. I, on the other hand, was not ready to go home. I wanted a few more hours alone. Nothing I said could convince him otherwise. As he so matter-of-factly put it, "we are just prolonging the inevitable." We were home by 12:30pm.

Another anniversary in the history books. Can't wait to be blogging about many, many more!

First Smiles

So Lia is now 7 weeks old. Time has flown.

Yesterday morning I got 2 consecutive smiles from her, within a minute of each other. Alexander didn't have a genuine, "non-gas provoked" smile until he was about 3 months.

All I had to say in my high-pitched voice was:

"Hi Pretty Girl!"

Be a BEE!

Alexander with one of the Bees we used for Lia's room... Leonard was chasing him, like a bee, and then we asked him to be a bee...

Fatherhood...

This is a commercial from fatherhood.gov. First time I saw this I instantly thought "This is Leonard in about 5 years..." Too funny!



Leonard is a wonderful daddy! If you had asked me 6 or so years ago when I met him if he had this kind of potential, I would have never believed it.

Mother's Day 2009

My 2nd Mother's Day, now down in the history books. (Didn't really forsee having 2 children by now, though. CRAZY.) It was a pretty good day. I went to mass with Lia, my mother and brother... Then to the movies later with my mom and brother to see Star Trek while Leonard kept the children. (First time I had been out without either of them in 5 weeks.) It was so nice! Leonard bought me a new camera (since mine accidentally got destroyed by Alexander in Leonard's plain sight only the day before) and the DVD set of Season 1 of Angel. (I just recently got into it since I've been on ML.)

Interestingly enough, I spoke with a friend, who is a mother, and asked how her day was and she simply replied, "It's just another day." As a new mother, it's still pretty cool to be told how much you are appreciated. I hope when I've been a mother for more than 15 years that I don't feel that way.

My sister poated this comment on my MySpace page, I thought it was pretty neat:

95 Percentile!

Believe it or not, it's been a month since Lia entered the world. At her 4 week well-check we discovered she is in the 95th percentile for weight, weighing in at 11 lbs. 3 oz. Lia gained 4 lbs. in a month! I never thought I would hear ninety-something percentile and my children's names in the same sentence. lol It's crazy. She is 21.5 inches long, placing her in the 55th percentile and her head circumference is 14 and 7/8. (not sure what %.)

Lia is just as "alert" as Alexander was, but is noticeably much stronger. She already supports her head effortlessly, quite often, and also tries to pull her head up when lying in the Boppy. She is following figures as they go by and doesn't appear to mind being on her tummy yet.

Needles to say, she is a blessing and a great addition to the family!

Mother of Two Under 2...

This past Thursday I had both Alexander and Lia home with me...all day, all by myself. It was easier than I thought it would be, but still pretty darn difficult. Alexander was actually pretty good and very helpful. But, it seemed my biggest problem was how sleepy I was during the day. Normally, when Lia sleeps...we kind of nap together. That wasn't the case. And the two didn't sleep at the same time. I was fighting sleep all day.

Here is a glimpse into my day... For the sake of time, I will only tell you about the morning. The first and most challenging task would have been to make sure we were all downstairs as I would not be able to carry them both down the steps together. Leonard actually helped me get them and all of our "stuff" down before he left for the day. Once downstairs, it was time for Alexander to eat. So on goes Blues Clues and Lia into her swing. After feeding Alexander his oatmeal...it was time to change Lia and feed her, (of which she did not quietly inform me.) By this time, Sesame Street was on and Alexander sat on the couch like a good boy and watched while I tended to Lia. Lia fell asleep while eating, but she woke up as I burped her. Time for Alexander's nap! He went down like a good boy but Lia stayed awake. Happily swinging in her swing, I managed to straighten up all of the toys and do the dishes...oh and fixed myself something to eat. At this point it was about 11am. Halfway there...

Needless to say, it was a chore, but we all survived. I am quite proud of myself, and I can truly say I know what it means to be the mother of 2 under 2.

Alexander's Latest YouTube Vids

So Alexander has been doing some pretty cool stuff lately. Leonard is determined to have him be some sort of athelete. Right now, they have been practicing throwing the football. Alexander is pretty good! He usually catches the ball 1 out of 2 times. Most 18 month-olds shouldn't be able to do that... It's so funny, he catch a football, but only has 4 teeth. What's up with that?

There are 2 different videos... I ran out of memory on one of the cards and quickly switche it out.






Also, here is my baby with his Sing-A-Long book. I was in the bed (shortly after I got home from having Lia) and had to capture him on film. He really had me smiling that day.

Happy Easter!

It's Easter already!!!

Lia is now a week and 1 day old. She is such a beautiful little girl... At times, it tickles me that we created such beautiful children.

Alexander has adjusted really well to his baby sister.
He is a big helper...following most instruction to the letter.


Leonard has been AMAZING. I am impressed how he has been holding everything together and taking care of all of us so fantastically. I'm really glad he has another week off and will miss him when he goes back to work.


It was also really nice having my sister here for the delivery this time. She was really helpful with Alexander and assisting Leonard with my care (meals, meds, etc.) after the surgery.


Surprisingly, I am still in a lot of pain. I honestly don't remember being in this much pain...this long after Alexander's birth. Maybe it was because I was preparing myself to be at home on my own. (Leonard only had a week off last time, and I was in the hospital that entire week.) But, I took my last Percocet this morning and am out of prescription Ibuprofen... I have no refills on the percocet. (not sure why) and the pharmacy is closed today. Luckily I found a bottle of Motrin that is the same mg as the script...so I should be fine.

Other than that, everything is WONDERFUL. I am so pleased with my new family structure. It's kind of like how most dream their lives would be when they became an adult: "Married with children, 1 boy and 1 girl, and a dog." How cool is that???

"Hanging in there..."

That seems to be my response every time someone asks me how I am doing... At this point, it's the best I can do. You can read details of my pregnancy here:

Latest Pregnancy Blog Entry

Lia's c-section is scheduled for the 3rd of April. My last day of work is the 27th of March. It can't come soon enough! Going to work has literally become a pain.


On the brighter side of things... We finished painting Lia's walls... We just need to get some furniture. My good friends through me a "girl's night" (shower) and we got some really nice clothes for Lia. My friend, Sarah, did an AMAZING job on the cake, too.

Here are some pictures of her walls and the cake.








And not to forget about my baby! Alexander learned that he can dance on the floor the other day. It was so funny...(hence the constant giggling from me on the video.)I'm telling you, the kid is going to be a dancer! :)



Until the 3rd, I'll be hanging in there...

Valentine's Day Already?

I can't believe it's Valentine's Day already... Leonard and I decided not to "formerly" celebrate as we are too busy, too tired, and we know how much we love each other. However, to my surprise, I got a card from Alexander and one from Leonard, as well as my overdue Christmas ornament. I was actually quite tickled because I wasn't expecting anything... :)

So yesterday I had a 3rd ultrasound! My OB ordered one to do a growth scan because I was measuring on the big side. Turns out, Lia is about a week and a half bigger than expected. I know she is much bigger than Alexander was at this point.

Here is a link to my latest entry of my pregnancy blog...

32 weeks 5 days

She is really going to be here before we know it...

And not to forget my first born... Here is a video of him captured by my friend, Julie, on her cell phone. This is what happens when your husband decides to let you rest and take care of the baby... "1 sock, high-water sweat pants wearing, dancing to techno, baby."

Losing Grip...

So I feel like I'm losing my mind.

Each passing day my temper grows shorter. I have become more forgetful and more emotional. It's like the first trimester all over again. I wish I had some control. The people I see every day are going to start hating me... And you know what? Some days I really don't care.

Leonard and I have had a couple of really good screaming matches...over essentially "nothing." I immediately regret all of the things I say and end up bahling for minutes, mainly because I'm upset for even taking it to the point of hysteria in the first place.

I will be so glad when she gets here... Not really sure how much more of this I can take.

Happy New Year!

Christmas was spent lovingly with family...good food, good laughs, all around good time. Leonard got me a beautiful mother's ring with all of our birthstones...even Lia's. It was a great surprise.

So I finally got around to putting together a slideshow of the past year. It's amazing how fast Alexander grew to be a toddler before our eyes. :)

2008 in Review...

It's A GIRL!!!!

So we just found out yesterday that Alexander is going to have a baby sister! So exciting!!! It was funny because before my OB even got to the part where she could tell, Leonard says, "Yep, looks like a girl to me..." She ended up telling him it was a lucky guess. In the car later he told me, "It really did look like a girl..." :D


INTRODUCING LIA GRACE:

4 Years!!!!

Today marks the 4th anniversary of our first date. The 19th of each month was always celebrated (as the "monthiversary") until we got married...when Leonard decided that there was only room for 1 anniversary. Well, this year I was successful in making him realize why this day was so important to me.

November 19th always holds a special place in my heart because it symbolizes the first day of the rest of my life. Leonard was giving me a hard time but I explained to him how if we didn't go on that date, I don't know where I would be. I was divorced and had just gotten out of a bad rebound relationship 6-months prior...and was making some really odd decisions in my life...particularly with my finances. I also remember not being really happy with myself physically and just had an overwhelming sense of unfulfillment...

Leonard and I had become really good friends over the year (2003-2004) and I had confided in him about my insecurities. He started helping me get back into shape in the gym and we found ourselves spending a lot of time together. In the midst of all that, we were experiencing some serious "tension" and were bickering all the time at work and after. Finally I confronted him about it and told him that I had been denying my feelings for him. He quickly asked me out on a date...and the rest is history.

So glad we went out on that day. My life changed that day (actually that weekend...we ended up spending together.) I had a new perspective on life and love. Leonard helped me to realize what love really was supposed to be... And how you can truly fall in love with your best friend. I tell everyone that being friends with someone first (especially as close as we were at the time) is the best way to start a romantic relationship. There's truly nothing like it.

"Never Would Have Made It"

So, inspired by my good friend's (art dog's life) blog post, "Yes We Can," I decided to go hunting for something I heard on the radio the day after the election... While driving back home from dropping Alexander off at the sitter's, I heard a song on the radio that actually nearly brought me to tears. It was a collection of excerpts from Obama speeches dubbed over Marvin Sapp's "Never Would Have Made It." Listening to the combination of the lyrics of the song and his speeches was the moment that I was genuinely moved to tears by this whole thing. I guess it was just so overwhelming before that it really hadn't "hit" me... Well, that morning, I was hit.

Unfortunately, I can't find the exact song... (I think it was something that the radio startion may have put together themselves, of which I plan on inquiring about.) Instead I found Obama (and Obama related) images linked with the song. Enjoy:

"I VOTED TODAY..."

...well actually yesterday. I stood in line at Vets Memorial for 4 hours. I knew I really wouldn't have an hour (or longer) to wait on Tuesday. So, I thought it best to wait when I didn't have anything else to do. It was worth it. Although my back, empty stomach, bladder, and feet would beg to differ. I was really stupid for waiting so long to go. My mother and brother went about a little over a week ago and were basically in and out. It was a serious lesson learned.

Well, the polls opened at 1pm. I got there at 12:15pm along with about 50 other people...which was after a couple of hundred people. Because the facility had yet to open, we initially stood outside, and at the time were pretty close to the "end of the line", which only spanned the length of the building (we were standing against the wall.) At about 12:40 they opened the doors...only for us to walk into a gymnasium sized room with tables and chairs (serving as ropes) to which we were to weave in and out. There were concession stands of pizza, hot dogs, popcorn, pretzels and lemonade in two locations inside this room. We were in there for about an hour and a half. Next, it was off to a hallway and up some stairs, where there was another winding line with ropes...and at the end, the voting booths! About a 2.5 hour wait all together.

By the time we got up the stairs, the line outside had grown...and wrapped around into the parking lot. All of those poor unsuspecting people... Had no idea of the BIG room with tables...and then the true line just before voting. A bunch of us took pics with our phones. Here was my best shot:



Here is a story from The Columbus Dispatch describing what the wait was like yesterday:

"LONG LINES GREET EARLY VOTERS"

About 2 hours into the line I had to go to the bathroom... I actually held it to the end. I hadn't eaten anything since 8am. But, hunger didn't bother me to the point of sickness... And my back was KILLING me. I saw about 2 or 3 other pregnant women...a lot further along than I and I could not believe they were standing that long. To distract me from the pain, I talked with other people in line and listened to my MP3 player...and by 3:45pm I was walking into the room to cast my absentee ballot. One of my line-mates said he felt like Rocky at the top of the steps...and then began chanting the theme. As I walked in to get my ballot, I briefly forgot about having to use the bathroom, how bad my back hurt, and that I was starving. Oh and what a great sense of accomplishment when I sealed that envelope! I thought I would get a sticker that said, "I VOTED TODAY." But instead I got this sticker:



Believe it or not, I feel like I did make a difference.

Halloween and the first "bang cut"

Halloween already?! Alexander was being a ornery all day, so he was appropriately dressed for the day with a "Mommy's little Monster" outfit. (Notice his bangs in his eyes in the picture above.)

We decided to dress Alexander in his Halloween costume from last year. The, "Oatmeal Bear," was packaged as an outfit for 0-6 month olds... Yeah, right. This thing was HUGE...surely big enough for a 9-12 month old! There was NO WAY poor 1.5 month old Alexander was going to fit in that thing. So...off into the closet it went. (Halloween has never been a really big deal to me, so I didn't care about getting him another one.) Just as I suspected, it was big enough for him to wear this year. (I'm sure the fact that my baby is tiny helped considerably.)




We didn't think it was necessary to go "Trick or Treating"...so instead we packed Alexander into his stroller and in the midst of all the masquerading neighborhood kids, took a walk over to Leonard's parents house. (They only live a couple of blocks away.) He was too cute...and got a few looks on the way.



The next day, we took Alexander to get his first hair cut...well, more so a "bang cut." We don't have the heart to cut into his beautiful curls...and the main goal was to get his bangs out of eyes. It was totally becoming a nuisance, to say the least. So here he is sitting on his Daddy's lap just after the careful snip of his bangs had occurred:



They gave us the curls in a little bag as a keepsake:



And here is Alexander at a birthday party eating cake later that same day. It's amazing how much better his face looks with his bangs out of his eyes!