Update. Inconsistent, but here.

I should do a better job of updating.  I love reading my posts from when Millie was really little - sad that there aren't more.

So, I'm currently 30 weeks pregnant and this baby is a healthy, growing BOY!  His name will be Carter, but we still haven't figured out a middle name.  I thought the middle name would be the easy part seeing that it took us until 4 weeks ago to decide on Carter (names are tough).  We're really only deciding between 2 possibilities for a middle name but we're just too lazy to think about it right now.  Amelia will move to another room and the nursery will be Carter's.  We haven't chosen a theme and we haven't even moved Amelia out of that room yet.  Her new bedroom was our extra guest room but, more accurately, our "throw-it-in-the-back-room-and-we'll-figure-it-out-later" space.  Lots to go through.

My baby is getting so big.  She's almost 2 1/2.  She's a good girl if not a little dramatic.  Lately every request ends in tears.  Being two is so confusing, I'm sure. 

"Want your friend, Katilin, to come over to play?"
{crying} "No" {more crying}. 
"You like playing with Katilin.  Won't it be fun to have her over to play?"
{face brightens} "Yeah!"
 
Seriously, kid?

Every night before bed I rock her and sing her a song.  Up until a month ago her request was "ABCs".  Then it was "Hickory Dickory Dock".  While we were visiting family out of town she watched her first Christmas movie, and that night before bed she said "I want a song about Christmas".  So, lately it's been Rudolph, Frosty (when I can remember the words), and Santa. 

We've been potty-training her since September.  She ran around our house naked from the waist down for a full 2 months and was doing really well.  We started putting big girl undies on her, even for naptime, and she was doing great!  Then we went to Florida on vacation and she regressed.  She was an old pro at pooping on the potty before our vacation.  Now she exclusively poops in her pants.  Lovely.  I'm hoping it's a phase and that if we're persistent and consistent with the big girl undies she will "get it" again.

Really don't have time to update so I should get going.
Happy Tuesday!

In Case You Haven't Heard...

We are adding to our Baldwin home in early February.  I'm almost 14 weeks along and feeling pretty good (so glad the first trimester is over!).  We went for an ultrasound last Friday and the tech gave us a gender guess, but we'll make it public once we know for sure at the beginning of September.  We are beyond excited, and Millie couldn't really care less.

Speaking of Amelia, she turned 2 in early July and gets more and more attitude with each passing day.  Some days I feel that I'm on top of her for everything, but I know my persistence will pay off later.  She's hilarious and she talks and sings constantly.  She's entering a shy stage, or should I say a pretend shy stage.  It doesn't take her too long to warm up to people.

I actually just got on here to look up my Spanish Rice recipe but decided to update, so I should probably go get dinner going.

How are you??

I miss blogging, kinda like I miss reading a book or going on a date with my husband.  Okay, I really miss going on dates with my husband.  But, we are remedying that.  Life doesn't slow down!

Happy Tuesday!

Music to My Ears

She sings.  All of the time.  Her ABCs, Elmo's World, Twinkle Twinkle, My God is So Big, or really any tune she hears she will attempt to mimic.  She's not unlike her dad in this way.  He makes up lyric to familiar tunes or just generally sings the wrong lyrics unintentionally while he mindlessly does household chores.  I can see Amelia being this way later, as, really, she is that way now.  We have a couple of Little People kids CDs that are on a continuous loop in the van.  I don't listen to "my" music or even the radio.  She has learned the lyrics to all 30-something songs and, although choppy, she sings along. 

I got a deal on Groupon for Gymboree classes.  A month's worth which, at the time, I envisioned being going to these classes at least twice a week.  Nope - it's for 4 classes.  We had to choose between a variety of options whether we wanted her in an art class (she gets bored after scribbling for a few minutes so that probably wouldn't work), a music class (she'll play instruments and learn about reggae and jazz?  Maybe not), or a "play and learn" class which sounded good to me.  She would be able to get out all of her energy and be tired for naptime!  It was basically a glorified Open Play with some fancy equipment.  There wasn't much structure at all and there were about 15 kids which seemed excessive.  Amelia wasn't interested in climbing on anything - she was being shy and decided to try to round up every bouncing ball she could get her hands on.

I was able to switch her to the music class and that went much better.  She loved playing the instruments and she watched the teacher very closely to try to keep time with the teacher's taps and beats.  There were only about 8 kids in the class which felt much more personal, and the teacher actually taught the entire time.  We learned about Celtic music but it wasn't about Celtic music - that was just what music played in the background and what the kids tried to keep beat to.  I'm really excited about her next class.

She's hilarious.  I need to start writing things down.  The other day, she put her shoes on her baby's feet:

I mean, come on.  What's funnier than that?  The fact that her baby could stand, literally, on its own two feet.

She loves Elmo and Caillou.  Every morning when she wakes up, she yells "Mommy!  Mommy, Daddy!  Mommy!" and when I go in to get her she says "Elmo?  Caillou?"  The routine is that I let her watch TV while she eats breakfast then we get ready for the day and try to get out of the house.  Getting out of the house is a must with a toddler...at least with my toddler.  We drive each other crazy if we don't get out at least 3 or 4 times a week (during the day).  That's why I love MOMS Club...something to do every day.

I better get off of here.  A lot of work to do. 

I'm doing a Deserving Mom contest on my Millie's Bows Facebook Page.  If you know of a mom who puts others above herself and, despite her circumstances, pushes through and keeps going, please tell me her story and get her some recognition (and $50 worth of bows!).  Email me at MilliesBows@gmail.com or visit my fan page for more info.

Happy Friday!

Figures

I planned for days to write a post lamenting the fact that my child will not eat anything.  It was going to be good, too.  I thought of adjectives and acronyms and dusted off my sense of humor.  Mostly I was frustrated and you know how much sense it makes for that to bring out the best writing in someone.

Amelia hasn't been a good eater since day 1, literally.  I've been in a constant state of maternal angst, metaphorically and literally ringing my hands worrying about if she's getting enough nutrients and, if she decides to become a fruitarian, will she waste away to nothingness?  My sister gave me good advice.  She said not to push it - not to force her to eat.  I nodded emphatically and agreed with her.  Eating shouldn't be a warzone. 

The next meal I shoved a green bean in Amelia's mouth.  You may think I'm kidding about the force-feeding bit, but I'm not.  Usually if I could just get a taste of a food on Amelia's tongue she would decide she liked it and eat at least a few bites.  If she couldn't bear the taste on her tongue then I didn't push it.  I've had to start pushing it.  She refuses any and every food - even foods I know she has liked in the past like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  She will not touch a noodle.  Of any kind.  Which means she won't eat spaghetti or macaroni and cheese - childhood staples!  I know it's a texture thing and she'll grow out of it, but she needs the carbs!  My waft of a girl is just a few pounds more than her 7 month old cousin!  Granted, he's a tank, but still.

Things she'll eat for sure:
- A Costco hot dog (go figure)
- Fruit of any kind
- Goldfish crackers
- Pizza
- Donuts (that's my girl!)
- Fruit Roll-ups
- Chocolate (of course)
- Sticks of Colby Jack cheese
- Waffles
- Her daddy's Chicken Fried Rice (we tried living off of it for a while and got burned out)
- Ice cream

Things she won't even touch no matter how often she's offered them:
- Eggs
- Pasta
- Any kind of vegetable (although she ate a couple of tiny bites of broccoli lately)

That list may seem short but it covers a vast array of foods that her father and I happen to enjoy.  I still offer her everything we eat but she usually won't eat it.

Mealtimes for the last year have been filled with frustration and crying - and not just from me.

Yesterday she was feeling really sick so she ate next to nothing all day.  I could have penned the most angst-ridden blog from the heart yesterday about what a horrible mother I was.  That is, until about 5:30pm.  She just wanted to snuggle and I realized she had a slight fever and was exhausted and, from what I could tell, had the chills and body aches.  We put her to bed with not much in her tummy.  Even her beloved Fruit by the Foot didn't get eaten.

This morning when she woke up I offered her a blueberry waffle (I made them last week and froze the leftovers) and turkey bacon.  She didn't touch the bacon but she ate almost the entire waffle and about 1/2 of a pear.  That's good for her, people.

Lunch was nothing to write home about.  I cut up leftover pork chops to look like chicken strips and even gave her some dip to dunk them in and all she did was take a couple of bites then suck down the sweet and sour sauce I gave her for dipping.  Then she had a Fruit By the Foot and called it good.

We cut back on the snacks today.  When David got home Millie had developed somewhat of a cabin fever and really wanted to go outside even though it had snowed today and was freezing.  We bundled her up and David took her out and let her run around the cul de sac for a while.  Pizza was for dinner and that's all she talked about until it was ready.  She was offered a slice of pizza and carrots.  David thought the piece of pizza was too difficult for her to eat so he cut it up and she wouldn't touch it.  Ah!  Presentation!  We then gave her another piece that was whole and she gobbled it up...toppings first.  Then she asked for more!  MORE!  I noticed teeth imprints in the carrots but not a full bite - she didn't want anything to do with them.  But after dinner David gave her as much applesauce as she wanted and she had quite a bit.

Hopefully this is a turning point to better eating.  And with that, I'm taking my sick self to bed.
Supposedly we'll have snow tomorrow.  Doubt it.

Happy Wednesday!

A New Arrival

The thought occured to me today that between my two sisters and I, we have given birth 5 times in the last 2 years.  I've given birth once so perhaps this isn't my bragging point.

My sister, Lindsay, gave birth to her second beautiful daughter on Saturday.  Lainey Elizabeth bolted into the world around 11am after a not-so-long labor and only a few minutes of pushing.  Amazing.  I would love to say that we were able to make it in time for me to see her be born but she came so fast that we were still on the road.  I have yet to witness one of my sisters giving birth - or anyone for that matter.  I've only been in the driver's seat in that situation, so to speak.   Lainey is beautiful!  She looks so much like her big sister, Kate.  Lainey's oxygen levels were a little low so she has been in the NICU since Saturday evening.  We are praying for her to be released tomorrow.

Amelia is growing up fast.  Too fast.  Let me rephrase that.  I haven't met an age of hers I didn't like better than the age before it.  Up until a couple of months ago I wasn't even ready to entertain the idea of another newborn in our house.  I love that Amelia can mostly understand and respond to what I say to her or ask of her.  Car trips can still be a little brutal, but we never have to stop on the 3-hour drive to Portland anymore.  If she gets bored I give her another book or a Fruit by the Foot ("loll-ups" as Amelia calls them).

We recently went to Florida on vacation and had such a good time.  We stayed with friends who were amazing hosts - we didn't want to leave!  We initially went down there for my college reunion.  I went to a small, 2-year liberal arts school and I actually left one semester early but they consider me part of the class anyway and for that I'm grateful.  It was fun to reconnect with my classmates.  We drove into Orlando for a quick trip one afternoon and walked around Downtown Disney (it's FREE).  We had no desire to spend the $200 on one theme park for one day when our 19-month-old would likely last 2 hours. 

I need to be better at blogging.  I am wanting to ramble because these stories need backstories but I don't have the time or energy (my family is currently fighting a nasty cold) to expand on this topic.

We had fun.  How's that?

We ate all the Chic-Fil-A and Dunkin Donuts we could handle.  Washington state needs to step up their fast-food game.

I will write tomorrow.  I must document the eating habits of my child so that when her child gives her a hard time about food I can show her a post that exactly portrays my true feelings as they are in the moment.  I'll give you a sneak peek:  complete and utter frustration.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul & strength.  He deserves more than we could give so give everything you can.

Have a good Monday!

I've watched "White Christmas" - the season can begin

Let's pretend the previous post was yesterday's.  There.  That was a good post yesterday, huh?

The gifts are all wrapped and under the tree.  Last year I faked it and just threw many gifts in bags.  If a gift was actually wrapped all I did was stick a bow on the front and call it good.  This year I decided that all the gifts should be tied with ribbon and the ribbon should then be curled and cut.  It took me probably a total of 6 hours to do, but I'm happy with the result.  Part of the anticipation is unwrapping the gift.  If it just takes one second flat to do it then what's the fun in that?

I feel like my Christmas tree could use more "oomph" at the top.  I'll have to see about that next year.  Maybe.  I really am not someone who needs to way overdo everything when it comes to decorating.  I enjoy it, but I don't shop for my home very often (or ever).  I think everyone has something that they feel pretty crazy to spend money on and, for me, that's home decor.  I'd rather have a new shirt or, better yet, buy clothes for Millie.

Speaking of decor and Millie, I bought her a stocking.  It's a technicality, really.  We aren't ever here at our house for the holidays so I don't know that her stocking will even be used except for looks.  I forgot to get one for her last year so I bought her a really sweet heirloom needlepoint stocking from L.L. Bean just a couple of weeks ago.

And just for the fun of it, here's her First Christmas ornament from last year.  I love it.

I love looking at photos of the babies from a year or more ago.  I can't believe how much they've changed in what seems like a short amount of time.  Here they are on 11/29/09 (l to r:  Kate, Anna, Amelia):

 And here they are on 11/27/10 (in the same order, only Caleb [6] and Ben [4 months - my sister, Carrie's, 3rd] are sandwiched between them:

How time flies!  The girls are starting to play with each other more and getting into the territorial phase.  Amelia is the youngest - she's almost 18 months.  Anna is the oldest of the girls at 20 months and Kate is 19 months.

I think that does it for me tonight. 

Happy Wednesday!

Screaming Santa Photo

It strikes me as odd that I finally have the time to blog 4 days before Christmas. 

My business keeps me very busy.  I make bows in every spare slot I have available and even those are precious few.  It's still going very well, although I closed my Etsy shop - right now I only sell my wares via my Facebook fan page.  I got a little tired of Etsy's fees and how long it took to create each listing.  My hope is that I will be able to have my own website relatively soon.  We'll see!

Amelia's doing great.  She's at the age where she repeats (or tries to repeat) what we say.  We took her to see Santa a couple of weeks ago, and because I'm such an awesome mom I was kind of hoping we'd get the obligatory screaming child Santa photo.  She sure seemed on her way to making that wish a reality.  She clung to me as tightly as she could - her little arms wrapped around my neck and her fingers digging into my back.  She even managed to wrap her legs completely around me in an attempt to interlock them when I tried to give her to Santa.  Santa just sat there, probably hoping we'd give up and walk away.  I managed to free myself and put my close-to-a-meltdown 17-month-old daughter on Santa's lap.  She was not havin' it.  But then the photographer produced a Goofy stuffed animal and waved it in Amelia's face.  This is what we got:

Thanks a lot, Goofy.  Here's hoping next year I get my screaming child photo.

(I really do love this photo)