Finally a Picture!

Hi everyone! I've been home for a week now and still feeling a little overwhelmed. Thanks for all the well wishes, emails, comments, and calls. Adam is doing GREAT! He's such a good baby, I feel a little spoiled because Alex was also a great baby.

I haven't had any time to post, let alone read other people's blogs. So bear with me while I try to get back into the swing of things. In the meantime... here's a picture of my two boys! (I love saying that!)

I'll try to post a brief version of the birth story in the next couple of days. I'll also post more pictures, too.

Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

Sorry for the media reference-couldn't help myself! My name is Therese, and I am one of Sydney's real life friends. She has given me the honor of announcing the birth of her latest addition!

At 7:20 PM this evening, Sydney, along with her husband, Craig, welcomed Adam Nicholas into the world. He weighs 7 pounds, 12.5 ounces and is 21 inches long. I am sure that big brother, Alex, will be pleased to finally meet his baby brother!

If Sydney has more she wants me to report, I will do so as she needs me to. I am sure she will have pictures up in a few days, once she is home and settled in.

Congratulations, Syd! I, for one, can't wait to meet Adam!

Let's Have Some Fun With My Impending Due Date

I appreciate and am moderately amused by the amount of concern people have in this, this last week of my pregnancy. At least in theory it's the last week. As I have to keep reminding folks, Alex was a week late!

So we're going to make a little game out of this. It's called "Guess the Delivery Date."
There will be a prize for the winner, but you won't get it until the new year. I have a feeling I'll be pretty busy after baby arrives.

In the comments section, post when you think I'm going to have the baby.
Day, date, and time. Tie breaker will be guessing the weight of the baby.
One entry per customer. Relatives can enter too.

Some background to help you formulate your guesses?

Alex was a week late. He weighed 7 lbs. 11 oz.

Let the games begin!

Getting Ready for Christmas

I sent Alex and Craig out this weekend to get a Christmas tree. They made a stop to see Santa along the way. They did a great job without me! I'll have to keep that in mind for next year!

Such a nice smile! Alex asked for Transformers, Legos, and toys for his baby. He's very generous and wants to make sure the baby isn't left out. He even made a few requests for the baby in his letter to Santa.

At the tree lot. Apparently they took the very masculine approach of walking past a few trees, pointing to one, and saying "That's the one." Unlike me, who usually ends up taking 20 minutes to find "the right one." I'll post pictures of the fully decorated tree tomorrow. I still have a few decorations for the house that are MIA. Need to find my nativity set, and I have a few light-up things that haven't made their way up from the basement.

One week and counting!

I'm one week away from my official due date, December 14.
Seems like forever ago that we found out we were expecting.
The second time around has been a much different experience in a number of ways.

For one thing, I was in much better shape this time when I got pregnant. I don't think
I've gained as much weight this time around, and it's all belly, which is good.

I think another contributor to being healthier is that I'm in a much better job situation than last time. I was still in TV news when I was pregnant with Alex. It was very stressful most of the time... and it's a wonder to me that Alex was a week late, given the amount of stress I had those last few weeks. There were a number of occassions when I was certain that stress was going to
send me into labor, but it never happened.

I'm also not surrounded by unhealthy food choices. My current place of employment has two fabulous cafeterias with many healthy eating options. While I admit I don't always choose those healthy options (the pizza here is SO GOOD!) I have had my fair share of normal sized sandwiches (no footlong anything or greasy burgers for me), salads, soups, and other healthy entrees.

I feel bad that I haven't documented this pregnancy the way I did with Alex. I used a website to create baby web page with Alex that served as a kind of diary for friends and family to follow the pregnancy. It was fun, but now that I have a blog I didn't realyl need to do that this time around. I also don't feel like broadcasting every little detail of this pregnancy.

Craig razzed me about it a little bit, so I let him take some pictures of the growing belly. And we'll definitely post pictures once baby arrives.

As I mentioned yesterday, everything feels ready to go. The house is cleaned. Christmas shopping is mostly done. Now... we wait. And Alex was a week late... so I'm not expecting anything to happen immediately!

Surprise Shower at Work

My co-workers surprised me with a shower at work on Friday. They all seem convinced I won't be back in the office next week. One of the manager's even said she would question my sanity if I came in to work next week, even though I'm not due until December 14th. I hate to tell her, but I plan on working until the baby comes... whether they've written me off or not!
Anyhow... it was a great day, filled with presents, a very well done diaper cake, bagels and muffins, lunch, and more presents.
They also got a couple of things for Alex... a moose and a big brother gift. Plus a giant box of diapers and box of wipes, plus a basket full of bottles, baby wash and lotion, washcloths, etc. Tucked inside the gift bag was some baby clothes and a gift certifcate to a spa for me. WOW!

It was such a sweet surprise! I'm really lucky to have another really great group of people to work with. I had a great group of friends at the TV station. I made a couple of really good friends when I worked for the non-profit org at my first PR job. And now another great group of co-workers. I better stay put for awhile... don't want this luck to run out!

So this weekend is going to be filled with final Christmas preparations. I'm sending the boys out to see Santa and get a Christmas tree. I'm done Christmas shopping. The house is clean. The babies room and 99% of the baby parphernalia is ready. I need to polish up my Christmas card list. I shipped a couple of baby gifts (will post pictures after I know the recipients have recieved them). Now all we need is the baby to let us know when it plans to come! We're waiting!

Recipe Swap Thursday- Sugar Cheese Crescents

Therese requested Christmas Cookie recipes for this week. This is one of my favorites. It's an unsual cookie. There's nothing really Christmas-y about it, other than my mom only made them at Christmas. First the recipe, then a story.

Sugar Cheese Crescents

1 cup sugar (divided)
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup softened butter (I use margerine)
1/3 cup sweetened applesauce
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp. cinnamon

Combine 1/2 cup sugar and all remaining ingredients except cheese and cinnamon. Blend well, then add cheese. Mix cinnamon with remaining sugar in a small bowl. Shape dough into balls by rounded teaspoonfuls. Roll balls in cinnamon sugar mixture. Shape into crescents.

Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Remove from sheet immediately.

This is one of my all time favorite cookie recipes. I used to help my mom make these every Christmas. I think my other favorite would be my Busia's Kolachy. There's a bunch of different takes on Kolachy... my grandma's were cookies... made with pastry, with jelly placed on top, then topped with powdered sugar. (I know some people do a Kolachy that is more like a coffee cake.)That's one recipe I don't have yet... will have to get it from my mom. I could gorge myself on Christmas cookies each year, except I don't normally have time to bake that many. These are really good slightly warm with a big glass of milk!

Favorite Baby Gifts to Give

Now that I am a mom myself, I find that I'm a MUCH better baby gift shopper/giver. For my friends who are first-time moms, I usually give a combination of my own favorite things. These are things that I found that I used a lot or couldn't live without. I decided to post that list here. (As always, if I mention a brand name, it's purely coincidence. I'm not compensated in any way.)

- Triple Paste diaper rash cream. This stuff really worked for us.
- Onesies in a bigger size than what they'll need right away (I usually look for 9 month or 12 month).
- A board book... usually Sandra Boynton because they're fun to read. Or "Goodnight Moon." Always good to start building a library for the little ones!
- A Cheerios container. You know which one I'm talking about. The little yellow round one. Because when you try to look for this yourself, you usually can't find it.
- Stacking cups
- Links - those brightly colored interlocking links that entertain babies and toddlers for hours.
- A crinkle book
- Sippy cups
- Stacking rings (the classic Fisher Price toy)
- Bag dispenser for diaper disposal. This handy little contraption has odor-reducing bags for discarding dirty diapers. Very handy. I always kept it in the diaper bag.

Other tips:
- If I give clothes, I always try to give them a few sizes biger than what will be immediately needed. You get so many tiny clothes that sometimes you don't even get to use all of them. That way, they'll have some clothes to get in the rotation as baby gets bigger.

- I alway include gift receipts. You'd be surprised how many duplicate items you end up with. I also never take it personally if someone has to return or exchange something I got them.

- If you're getting a big item, get it off their registry or talk to them first.

Things I used to include, but don't really anymore - I used to throw in pacifiers, but since every baby is different, that's really a decision that's best left to mom and dad.
- Same thing with bottles. If you want to give the expectant parents bottles, get them what they register for.

This is just one of those things I've been pondering as I close in on two weeks to my due date. Also, a very good friend of mine just had her first baby. Welcome to the world, Logan! So I did some shopping for him a few weeks ago!

Where did the last week go???

Good grief... the last week just flew by in a blur! Work has been insanely busy. Working in Public Relations for a retailer the week before Black Friday was quite the experience. I felt like a cross between a news producer and a telephone operator. I spent most of the last week doing what I love to do work-wise... working with the media. But the days were long.

Pregnancy-wise, still doing very well. I've been telling myself all along I just need to make it through Black Friday for work, and to December 1 so I can get my Christmas shopping done. So far so good. I've got a few more things to pick up this weekend, the rest I think I can do online, then whatever's left I'm leaving Craig in charge of. Ooh... that reminds me... need to get stocking stuffers! Anyway...

Had a fantastic Thanksgiving with our friends Hank and Sara and their kids. Since we can't travel too far from home with my due date so close (just over 2 weeks away) they graciously invited us over. We had turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn casserole, sweet potatoes, rolls, fresh cranberry-orange relish. MMMMM! Plus there was a ton of appetizers too... barbeque meatballs, meatballs baked in biscuits, and bacon wrapped waterchestnuts. I'm getting hungry again just typing this! Plus pumpkin pie and chocolate cake (shaped like a turkey) for dessert! It was great spending time with them. We've known them as long as we've been together... going on 12 years now, and they truly have become like family to us.

I've been working fast and furious trying to get two more baby gifts crocheted and some more Christmas things crocheted. I've accepted the fact I'm not going to get all the Christmas things crocheted, but I can keep trying!

I'm trying to think about what else is new? I think that's it for now! Hope you had a great holiday week!

Alright, Fellow Moms... help me decide...

Even if you're not a mom, if you're a teacher or an aunt or daycare worker or grandma, I can't figure this one out.

Alex (age 4) is darn close to reading. He loves to spell words, he recognizes words by sight, and has even started to be able to distinguish upper and lower case letters. I'm beyond thrilled, because I was an early reader as well. We want to encourage this as much as possible and have two Christmas present ideas, but can't decide which will be better/more enjoyable.

We are torn between the Leapfrog Tag and the Leapster. This will be his "big gift" for this Christmas.

Both seem like great toys that are also educational. My nephews loved their Leapster and the middle one who is 7 going on 8 still plays with his. So I see it as a good investment.

But I'm intrigued by the Tag as well. It's won the Toy of the Year award, and claims to be the #1 reading system available, but I know no one personally who has one. Do you have the Tag? If so, what do you think? What does your child think?

Lots to be Happy About Today!

I have a lot of stuff that I'm happy about today... so I'm gonna list it all here:

* The weather has been fantastic! Nearly 60 degrees outside. Great for running errands and not having to wear a coat!

* Alex is on a play date, and has been since just before lunch. It was not planned, very spur of the moment. One of the mom's from his old daycare called and said she'd love to take the boy for the afternoon to play with her boy.

* My brother-in-law coaches high school football... he's a defensive backs coach (I think) and his team won their semi-final game! So they play for the Illinois 4A HS Football Championship next weekend. Go Geneseo!

* I'm having some surprising luck with plants, both inside and outside. Below is my Christmas cactus. I've had and killed these plants before. This one I got last year, after Christmas. My grandma always had beautiful Christmas cacti in her house. I swear hers did so well because she watered them with Holy Water (I'm not kidding here). Well, mine has two bright pink blooms! I can't wait to see if more blooms pop up, and to see these blooms open up!
* Outside plant: This is a super aster that I ordered online. I got three plants for something like $10. I didn't expect much out of them, but it is the middle of November and two of the three still have flowers on them! I love it!

* Got a haircut this morning. Looks good, feels good.

* Got a few more Christmas presents taken care of.

* Got a baby gift in the mail from a bloggie friend. Thanks for the awesome purse diaper tote, Amber! (P.S. You will get an actual thank you in the mail, too!)

* I'm super excited about packing up our two Thanksgiving food boxes for the House of Peace. The boxes basically contain a Thanksgiving dinner with everything except the turkey. It's such an easy thing to do and makes me feel grateful and good all at the same time.

Recipe Swap Thursday - Candied Sweet Potato Casserole

Please go check out all the great recipe's at Therese's Blog... and submit one of your own!
This weeks theme is Thanksgiving! Take a peek and get some new ideas for Turkey Day!

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar, divided
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice, divided
3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
4 tablespoons butter or margerine, divided
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 cups mini marshmallows

preheat oven to 375.
Mix 1/4 cup brown sugar, orange juice, vanilla, and 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice in large bowl. add sweet potatoes, toss to coat. transfer to 9 x 13 baking dish. Dot with 2 tablespoons butter. Cover and bake 45 minutes until potatoes are tender.

Mix remaining brown sugar w/flour, 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice in medium bowl. cut in remaining 2 tablespoons butter w/fork till crumbly. stir in pecans and marshmallows.

Remove casserole from oven. stir gently to coat potatoes in syrup. top with marshmallow crumb topping. Bake uncovered 7-10 minutes. Makes 10 servings.

This is a great side dish... especially if you're having people over for Thanksgiving dinner. Even people who don't really like sweet potatoes have complemented me on this one.

Media Rant Ahead...

It's been awhile since I've done a journalism related post, but I just have to vent.
And considering the title of my blog and the decade I spent as part of the media, I feel like I need to express something.

I'm sick to death of all the self promotion "journalists" are doing these days.
It's not about how many people read your blog. It's not about how many people follow you on twitter. It's not a contest to see how many tweets or Facebook posts you can do in a 24 hour period. It's about REPORTING THE NEWS.

And you know what? If it's not about reporting the news for you, then you're not a journalist.
Period.


I don't care what event you're M.C.'ing later on. I don't care what restaurant sneak preview you attended. (which ethically speaking, you're not supposed to attend anyway, because you're not supposed to get free stuff. It's called payola. And I'm guessing that most of those free drinks/appetizers/meals for you and your date add up to way more than $25... the usual limit.)
I might care about what story you're working on... but even then... keep your opinion out of it. Just tell me what the story is and when to watch.

I know, I know, you need to get viewers, readers, listeners, whatever. How about this... do your job well and people will watch. I don't want to follow you on Twitter. I don't want a tease for what story you're working on for tonight on my Facebook status updates. I don't want to see call-outs to @whoever. (I assume this is a twitter thing, but since I flat out refuse to follow the herd to this site, I wouldn't know for certain. All I know is that a plethora of my media pals feel the need to do these things.


And the sad part to me is that we as a society seem to be eating this up. Why? Why? Why? I don't get it!

Don't get me wrong. I think technology has the potential to greatly enhance reporting. I love that stations post extended interviews or raw video on their websites.

But reporters and anchors aren't supposed to show their bias. They are not supposed to publicly state opinions. When they do... lines are crossed. Respect is lost. Trust is lost.

If you want to have a blog, fine. If you want to Twitter or Facebook, fine. If you feel the need to express yourself, create personal blogs separate from your TV/newspaper persona.

And please, for the love of all that is decent, don't spend valuable airtime/page space promoting it.

A New Favorite

Alex has a new favorite book. Well, the book is new to him... I believe the book was originally published sometime in the 70s, which makes it older than I am.

He picked this book out at the library last week... based purely on the purple cover. Then when I told him the title of the book he said, "Alexander? That's my name!" So we checked it out, of course.

Each night since then we've had to read it. The book is due to be returned next week and I'm afraid Alex is going to be sad when we have to turn it back in! I'm thinking we may need to add it to our library permanently! That has happened with only one other library book so far... "Marveltown" by Bruce McCall. There is just something about this book that Alex and I both love. It's quirky, has really fun pictures, and is all about kids really being smarter than their parents because of their imaginations.

I think Santa is going to make a trip to the bookstore to make sure "Alexander" is in his pack this Christmas!

A Day Off!! WOO HOO!

So I have a couple of vacation days left to burn before the end of the year... days I'm not saving to add on to my maternity leave, so I have a day to myself.

I have a huge to do list, that includes laundry, reading, crocheting, watching DVRd shows, errands, taking Shadow to the vet to get her stitches out, and getting caught up on blogging/commenting. Can you stand the excitment?!

I also got to drop Alex off at school today, only the second time I've gotten to do that, as that's usually Craig's territory. I'll get to pick him up from school too. He was pretty excited that Mommy was going to do the "school stuff" today.

I'm going to run a couple of errands now... then come home and brew up either some decaf tea or decaf coffee (decisions decisions!) and then curl up with my computer and my pooch. Happy Friday to me!

Recipe Swap Thursday - Banana Daquiris

Okay, I realize it's probably slightly inappropriate for a woman as pregnant as I am to be posting a recipe for an alcoholic beverage. Rest assured, I have not now, nor will I consume alcohol while pregnant. But I can fantasize about having an adult beverage a few months from now, right???

Please, please please, head over to my good friend Therese's blog, check out the great recipes, and submit one of your own!

Banana Daquiri
1-2 ripe bananas
2 ounces dark rum (or banana rum)
splash triple sec
3-5 scoops of vanilla ice cream
ice cubes

Put all ingredients in blender. Blend.
Sprinkle nutmeg on top if you like. (It makes it look pretty.)
Enjoy!

This was my favorite drink while we were on our honeymoon in St. Thomas, USVI. This recipe is the closest I've found to they way they made them at Mountain Top, the place that claims to have invented the banana daquiri. Sadly, I learned that earlier this year this lovely place burned to the ground!

Feeling Pretty Ingenious

As I close in on the end of this pregnancy, the usual annoyances are setting in. I have no lap. I've given up on shoes with laces. Potty breaks at 3:30AM or 4AM = no fun. I can't bend down to pick things up. Can't get close enough to the mirror to pluck my eyebrows. Thank goodness it's winter, I can't reach my toes to give myself a good pedicure. I'm sick of my maternity clothes.

I'm pregnant during the fall and winter, where last time I was pregnant in the spring and summer. At this point it's useless to buy new maternity clothes... what, and wear them for only a month tops?? But I needed a couple more long sleeve t-shirts for layering purposes. So what to do? Well, I was poking around on one of my favorite sites and found some that I was interested in. Non-maternity. So I ordered them. One navy, one hot pink. Think I'm nuts? I think I might be a little bit crazy brilliant! I ordered one size bigger than I needed... and got them in TALL! This means I can wear them post baby! And they are long enough and roomy enough to cover my belly now! BRILLIANT!

Okay. Enough gloating about how I'm avoiding maternity clothes. Must try to extract myself from the couch and concentrate on not waddling.

Christmas Shopping Already

Given that my due date is December 14, and I feel like I'm ready to pop right now... I have been trying to get some Christmas shopping done early. I made some great headway this past weekend. I would put myself at about a third of the way finished with shopping. I have a deadline I'm working with, obviously, so that's motivating me to get it done. I have set a goal for myself to be done shopping by December 1st, just in case Baby#2 decides to show up early. When I set this goal a couple of weeks ago, it honestly seemed like a pipe dream. But now, I might just make it!

Trouble is... while it feels great to have so much shopping done, it kinda takes the fun out if it. People who know me really well know what a procrastinator I am. I push myself right up to deadline every chance I get. I may appear organized in all my chaos... but it's all a facade. I'm not organized. Not even remotely. But this year, I have reformed!

This year I can't afford for the holidays to be chaotic, so I'm trying my best to be organized. I've got a list of ideas for what to get people (hint hint to those of you relatives who haven't given me ideas yet). I've got a list of ideas for other people who want to get us gifts. I've got a list of what has already been purchased. I have separated and labeled all receipts and gift receipts. I even remembered to ask for boxes this past weekend when I made a big dent on shopping!

I hate it when people ask me for gift ideas before Thanksgiving. My mind isn't even on Christmas until the first week of December. And this year I'm "that relative." I don't like being that relative, but I will have so much going on this December, I've decided I have to do things different if only for this year... to save my own sanity. It's going to be crazy enough trying to slap together Christmas cards this year (I've already decided we're ordering photo cards... a first for me. It will just be easier.) let alone try to accomplish any last minute shopping!

Oh, and at some point we will need to get the Christmas tree up and get the house decorated. Okay... deep breaths. It will all get done! :-)

I guess to counter the adrenaline let-down of not power shopping at the last minute, I'm turning to create outlets for stress. I'm making a few gifts this year... and they are not coming together as fast as I'd like them too. I guess I'm creating my own mini-holiday rush to make up for it!

Tag... I'm it!

It's been awhile since I've done one of these, and I've been tagged by one of my high school friends... Sarah. So here goes!

Copy the questions. Change the answers to your own. The catch... you can only use one word answers. Once you're done, pass it along to six other bloggers, let them know you've tagged them and ask them to play along.

1. Where is your cell phone? purse

2. Your hair? ponytail

3. Your mother? teacher

4. Your father? quiet

5. Your favorite food? Mexican

6. Your dream last night? bizarre

7. Your favorite drink? Cosmopolitan

8. Your dream/goal? almost

9. What room are you in? living room

10. Your hobby? Reading

11. Your fear? failure

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? successful

13. Where were you last night? couch

14. Something you aren't? liar

15. Muffins? poppyseed

16. Wish list item? vacation

17. Where did you grow up? Galesburg

18. Last thing you did? crochet

19. What are you wearing? shoes

20. Your TV? HD

21. Your pets? Dog

22. Friends? love

23. Your life? full

24. Your mood? sassy

25. Missing someone? friends

26. Vehicle? Rav 4

27. Something you're not wearing? makeup

28. Your favorite store? Target

29. Your favorite color? Purple

30. Last time you laughed? earlier

31. Last time you cried? awhile

32. Your best friend? Craig

33. One place you go over and over? work

34. One person who emails regularly? Sangeeta

35. Favorite place to eat? Guadlupe

Feel free to play along if you like! I love to read these and I don't want anyone to feel left out.... just let me know in the comments if you made your own list so I can check it out.

My Little Clone Trooper

Finally, a Halloween picture! Here's Alex in his Clone Trooper get-up. He actually wore the mask for most of the trick-or-treat trek. He also carried his "blaster gun." He got a lot of candy... good stuff too! He and Craig did the neighborhood tour... I stayed home and passed out candy. I was pleased with the number of trick-or-treaters we had this year! Of course, I was also happy with all the fun-sized Snickers we had left over. MMMMM! Chocolate - peanuty- caramel goodness!

I'm not feeling creative, so more random thoughts...

• The bigger I've gotten with this pregnancy, the more I find myself choosing the handicapped accessible bathroom stall at work.I just feel so claustophobic in the regular stalls.
  
• If my belly sticks out any further, I'm going to have to start using Alex's mitten clips to keep my shirt from exposing my belly. I just don't get why maternity tanks/shirts don't want to stay put. That's their whole job... cover the belly. Stop creeping up!
  
• I've been bringing yogurt or pudding cups to work for snacks. Saves $$, especially since I'm so bad about packing a lunch. Also healthier than the junk in the vending machine.
  
• I also think I've kicked my Starbucks habit, at least for now. I discovered flavored liquid creamers and 50% decaf coffee. Once I ditched the leaky travel mug for one that doesn't leak, I figured out that doing thissaves money and is probably better for me. (In my defense, I was choosing non-fat and decaf options in my Starbucks order. I was also getting it here at work, because I can get a grande for about $1.50 less here.) My grocery store had the creamer on special for $1 a piece, so I got a few. I spent $5 on the bag of coffee, and it's lasted me nearly a month. Not too shabby, I'd say.
  
• Anyone out there have thoughts on the Leapfrog Tag Reading System? Alex has been spelling words in books and may be on the verge of reading by kindergarten. I'm trying to decide if this toy is worth the hype it got last year. The kid loves books and loves to read... if this helps or enhances that, then to me, it's worth it. Please share your thoughts/experiences!!!
  
• What the heck is a "mash-up?" And what does "emo" mean? I also don't know what it means to "do someone a solid" or what it means when an album/book/song/movie "drops." These are all phrases that seem to have seeped into the mainstream... that are totally unnecessary. I also hate that adding "-ista" to something instantly makes it cool (i.e. fashionista).
  
• I don't get the whole Lady Gaga craze. I've also never heard a Miley Cyrus song. I'm not complaining, I'm just curious why people both just a little bit older than me and a little bit younger than me dig these two singers so much.

Poor Poochie!

Poor Shadow had to have surgery on Monday. She had a lipoma (benign fatty tumor) that's been growing for a little over a year. A couple weeks ago, Craig took her in to the vet for an ear infection, and the vet decided it was time to remove the lipoma. I'm happy to report our little four legged patient made through the procedure just fine. She's just really sore and in a lot of pain, because the growth worked its way into her muscle. We're keeping her rested as best we can, but keeping her from jumping and scratching has been a challenge. I'm just so thankful she's okay! The dog may drive me nuts sometimes, but she is such a good companion and is turning into a such good playmate for Alex! Her stitches come out next week.

One more update... my bookclub meets tonight. Our latest read was "The Shack" by Wm. Paul Young. I'll save my review for later tonight or tomorrow.

I also realize I haven't posted pictures from Halloween. It's been a hectic week. Hopefully by Friday I'll have some time to post pictures!

I think we've gone too far with baby products...

This post is starting off with an apology. It will also end with one. I'm sorry I keep posting about baby stuff. I'm six weeks away from my due date, freaking out a little, and obsessed with baby items right now. Mostly clothes, but also things that confuse and confound me. Like the following product.


A baby sling in camouflage? What, are you taking the baby hunting???

What if the baby doesn't want to be a camouflage pirate???

I'm all for being stylish. But these things cost upwards of $60! Do you know how many diapers you could buy with that???

And now the ending apology. I'm sorry if this is your company, or your friends' company, or if you have one of these things. I do not mean to offend. But it is my blog and I get to express my thoughts here. That's exactly what I just did.

Thanks St. Anthony!

No time for a long post, but I do need to post a quick thanks to St. Anthony, patron saint of lost things. I misplaced some things about a month ago and have been driving myself crazy looking for them. I said a quick prayer to St. Anthony this weekend and to my amazement, within 24 hours I found what I was looking for! AMAZING! The power of prayer works! Thanks for interceding, St. Anthony! My prayers will continue! (As will my sanity!)

*Also appropriate that it all happened right around All Saints' Day yesterday! As I've said before, I consider my religion and particularly my faith to be a fairly private thing. I still feel that way, but also feel the need to share.

Here's a link if you want more information on St. Anthony and prayers asking for his intercession.

Halloween Eve

Our three pumpkins for this year. Alex assigned ownership as follows (from l-r) his, Shadow's, and the Baby's.

I LOVE Halloween decorations, especially tea light holders. Here are some of my favorites. The lantern actually casts shadows of bats on the ceiling. Very spooky! The little ghost was $1... and it's little face just glows when the candle is lit. I fell in love with the spooky tree when I was a poor grad student. I saved up for it and splurged, because I simply had to have it.

And I love this trio, because they are so retro looking. The funny story about this set is my mom bought it for me... and I had purchased the exact same set from Hallmark! So I took the duplicate set to work and it spruces up my cubicle for Halloween!

Our neighborhood trick-or-treat is tomorrow night. I hope we get some trick or treaters... we live awfully close to a busy street and a lot of parents won't let their kids come down to our block because of this. Some day, I hope I live on a street where there are lots of trick-or-treaters! I love passing out candy and seeing all the costumes! I'll post pictures of Alex in costume this weekend!

Recipe Swap Thursday - Beef & Parmesan Pasta

Take a trip over to Musings of a Mom for the soon-to-be-famous Recipe Swap Thursday.

This is a fan-favorite. I love it because it's really easy to make, doesn't take a lot of time to prepare or cook. Yet it tastes like something you slaved over. Those are the best kinds of recipes!

Beef & Parmesan Pasta

1 - 1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 (14 oz) can beef broth
1 (15 1/2 oz) can Italian-style diced tomatoes
2 cups uncooked bowtie pasta (farfalle)
2 cups thinly sliced zucchini (approx 1 small zucchini)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Brown ground beef in large skillet, breaking into pieces. Drain. Season with salt & pepper. Remove beef from skillet and set aside.
Add broth, tomatoes, and past to skillet. Push pasta into liquid. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Cook uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Add zucchini, cook 5 more minutes or until pasta is tender. Return beef to skillet. Stir in parmesan cheese. Heat through. Sprinkle with additional parmesan cheese before serving.

*note... if liquid gets soaked up and the pasta seems dry, add a few tablespoons of water to keep past from burning to skillet.

Interesting Thoughts on Blog Transparency

I have been an "active" blogger for nearly two years now. I have met some interesting people. Made some friends. Come across blogs that inspire me and anger me. I've come across blogs that excite me and annoy me.

I came across these two articles recently which I found eye-opening. I don't think people fully understand the extent to which this payola and plug-ola is going on on blogs.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/06/business/media/06adco.html?_r=1&ref=business

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125475547130664753.html

The whole payola/plugola thing is the stuff newsroom policies are made of in real-world journalism. In my old life, I had to sign off that I read and understood the station's policy that I would not accept gifts from potential sources in return for coverage. There was a price limit... $25 or less was within reason. I didn't and I still don't feel guilty for booking authors or chefs shilling their cookbooks. But I received an extremely fancy plaque of a sports stadium from a company "thanking" me for inviting them to be on the show. I sent it back, with an explanation that I couldn't accept it, given our company policy.

I will give some bloggers credit. Many will disclose when a company provides products to review or giveaway, but I've never seen someone admit that they've been paid to write a review.

I blogged about some fabulous lipstick I found and splurged on... and I put it out there that I was not compensated for that post in any way.

Think about that the next time you read a glowing product review on a blog.

I find blogs that only shill products or only exist to increase their odds of winning giveaways annoying. I'll admit it.

If that's your thing, more power to you.

Baby Einstein Debate

I guess I was ahead of my time....

I didn't really ever "get" the whole Baby Einstein craze. Sure, I registered for the DVDs and CDs before Alex was born. Everyone was swearing up and down how amazing and wonderful they were. These were people I trusted, so why wouldn't I believe them?

Got a couple of the CDs, listened to them. They were alright. Definitely soothing. We would pop one in and listen to it quietly before putting Alex down in his crib. Then after he was a few months old, I popped in one of the DVDs. I didn't get it. It was just toys and music. I know I'm not the target audience, but I thought to myself, "How is this going to make my kid smarter?"

Disney, which now owns the rights to "Baby Einstein" and everything associated with it, is offering replacements or refunds to parents. Read an article here:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/chi-talk-baby-einsteinoct26,0,1582305.column

Now, don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the CDs and even some of the DVDs. Alex, thankfully, never paid that much attention to them. He liked the music, but wasn't really interested in the pictures.

There was one DVD that I popped in that kind of freaked me out. It was the "Language Nursery" DVD. My friend Amy had warned me that particular episode was a little odd, but I gave it a shot anyway. "Baby Beethoven," "Baby Mozart," even "Baby Monet" I have no problem with. But this "Language Nursery" thing was freaky. It claimed to introduce different languages to your child. I'm not sure that hearing nursery rhymes in Russian, French, and Japanese was beneficial to Alex, especially when I had no idea what these narrators were saying. But I only attempted to play the DVD a couple of times before I gave up on it. It's been safely tucked away at the back of the video cabinet.

I'm not an advocate of plopping your kid in front of the TV for extended periods at any age... let alone as an infant. But it's nice to know that the company is now acknowledging that there is no educational benefit to these CDs and DVDs.

So here's what you have to do:
* you have to send your DVD back.
* you have to fill out the form exactly as it indicates.
* limit of 4 returns/exchanges/refunds per household


http://www.babyeinstein.com/(S(3qnoffi1whnnnt55h2ljk355))/parentsguide/satisfaction/upgrade_us.html

We have other Baby Einstein products that we love. I honestly don't know what we would have done with out the Play Gym that we received as a shower gift. Alex lived on that thing until he learned to crawl off of it. He loved it! And it was brightly colored and fun for him. So I'm not knocking the entire product line.

We also are huge fans of "Little Einsteins" the show... and have some of the toys that go along with that.

But the Language Nursery is going back!

Special Torture

Companies where enjoy shopping both in person and on line are currently torturing me. I'm trying to reduce my spending a bit, with a baby on the way. Not to mention, I don't fit into regular clothes, and probably won't until sometime early next year.
(I look forward to spending most of December in loungepants and sweatshirts, to be quite honest with you!)

But some of my favorite stores are killing me with the emails. Gap. Old Navy. Boden. Banana Republic. New York and Company. Everything looks so cute and they always send me coupons trying to get me to "come back!" I will! I promise! I just can't right now!

Even bookstores have noticed I haven't been shopping. Barnes and Noble and Borders send me emails and coupons every week trying to tempt me with special coupons for books and DVDs. But I've discovered Bookmooch.com where I can swap books with other people once I'm done with them.

Even the craft stores are in contact at least once a week.

And shoes. -Sigh- SHOES! One of my great loves in life. You will sense my shoe shopping extremes in the next sentence. Both Nine West and Famous Footwear seem to have conspired to get me to buy a new pair of boots for the winter. But I'm
fighting the urge! I know they'll be cheaper closer to and after the holidays. I still have one pair of tall boots that fit comfortably. My feet swell during the course of the day, so I have to be careful what I'm putting on my feet.

I've been strong though. Each morning, I faithfully hit delete on all these "great offers" if only to remove the temptation to shop for something new. Not till after baby comes!

Boo-tiful Weekend

We had a great weekend this weekend. Friday night we had a Halloween party at Alex's school. I went as a Magic 8 Ball. Alex wore his Star Wars Clone Trooper costume. A good time was had by all. (Craig went as a news photographer... easy costume when you're just coming from work!)

We had great weather Saturday and Sunday. The leaves have almost all turned to shades of bright orange and yellow. Lots of trees have already shed their leaves. But we got a break from the rain and enjoyed some sunshine and milder temperatures.

It amazes me that I can walk around without a coat on when it's 60 degrees out. I guess Wisconsin has toughened me up after more than 11 years!

We carved pumpkins today, too. Hope to post some pictures of that tomorrow!

Woo HOO! It's Friday!

Okay... some random thoughts for Friday.

* I'm excited that my big project at work is over. It was a huge success, I'm writing the final report, then planning for the Spring version of this same project. I'm weird like that. I feel like a producer again, planning and plotting and strategizing. Makes me feel like this new profession called PR is a good fit.

* I need to stop calling PR "My New Profession." I've been doing this for over two years now. And I've been at my "new" job almost a year. WOW!

* I miss running. I never EVER thought I'd hear myself say that. I'm really looking forward to hitting the treadmill again in late January (hopefully I'll get cleared to exercise six weeks after having this baby!) and having the speed be faster than a slow walk.

* I'm itching to get some Christmas shopping done because I'm afraid I won't have it done before the baby comes. I plan to get started this weekend.

* Also itching to get more of my craft project presents done. I'm 90% done with my current project. I have a list of about a dozen other small projects I want to get done by Christmas, too.

* Crocheting is eating into my reading time. I still haven't started my next book club book, "The Shack" and I'm still trying to finish "The Lost Symbol", the new Dan Brown book. But I'm feeling like crocheting is my fall/winter hobby. Reading is my year-round hobby. And I'm okay with that.

* I've got a great family... my immediate family and my in-laws. I really feel lucky. Sure we all drive each other nuts periodically, but at the heart of it, there's a lot of love and admiration. I've got the coolest sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law. My brother and sister are amazing too. Love my parents and my husband's parents. All 4 of my nephews are so cute, so sweet, and such individuals! Since I don't have a huge extended family I love that we're able to be close to both sides.

* I love that Alex is so into "Star Wars!" I was a total tomboy when I was a kid, and I had more Star Wars guys than I did Strawberry Shortcakes. I was about 4 when I saw the original movie. I think I loved it as much as he does. I'm glad we can share that.

Recipe Swap Thursday - Impossible Southwest Salsa

Take a trip over to Musings of a Mom for the soon-to-be-famous Recipe Swap Thursday.

This totally simple salsa always gets big compliments whenever I take it to a party.

1 jar of your favorite salsa
1 can of corn (drained)
1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)

Mix all three together and serve with tortilla chips.
Does it get any easier than that?
You can switch up the flavor of it by using different salsas.

Pretty Cool

I went from not entering any giveaway for months to winning two in one week! Go Figure!
I'm going to have to host my own giveaway soon... so stay tuned!

I won this giveaway at Dry Toast

I did not get to run Race for the Cure this year, but instead did "Sleep In for the Cure." I'll still get my t-shirt, just made a donation and didn't run. Next year I'll be back at it, running in memory of Craig's grandma.

Also think this is a pretty cool picture.

7 1/2 months pregnant, and still rockin' the tall boots!

I am by no means a fashionista, but I like to dress up and try to follow fashion trends as appropriate for my age. Maternity clothes are decidedly un-hip. They are functional, and only occassionally fashionable. And I'm sorry, they are also temporary so I'm not going to drop more than $25 on any single item! So no Hollywood-trendy expensive maternity clothing on this Midwestern chick!

I've been trying to stretch my wardrobe this time around by working in things from my pre-pregnancy wardrobe. Obviously certain pants, skirts and shirts are out of the mix till after baby comes. Plus a lot of my clothes from last time around have short sleeves and are more "summery." But I have a number of jackets and longer sweaters that I can still wear without looking ridiculous. I also can still wear most of my shoes and boots.

And it is now boot season. I'm proud to say that today, I'm roughly 7.5 months pregnant, and rocking a pair of knee-high suede boots with a high heel!

Yesterday I wore a cardigan and pants and felt about 15 years older than I actually am.

So today... it's suede blazer over maternity t-shirt, denim skirt (also maternity) with stretchy waistband, and my beloved boots. Normally, I wear tall and short boots all winter long. They make me feel sassy. Today, I feel like a hip and happening, sassy pregnant lady. Hopefully I look that way on the outside, too!

Lunch with a Friend

I had the chance to have lunch with a dear friend today. Zenna and I have been friends since kindergarten. We both had a rather unfriendly nun for a kindergarten teacher. One day Zenna had some fifth graders tease me that they were going to beat me up if I didn't be nice to her. We've be friends since then! We survived going to different junior highs, reuniting in high school, going to different colleges and living in different cities, though not too far away (she's in Chicago).



I was so excited when she called me this spring to tell me she was expecting her first baby! And we're due just 3 weeks apart! Life got busy as it tends to in the summer, and before I knew it, we were both closing in on finish lines of our pregnancies. So we decided to meet in Gurnee (about 1/2 way between) today for lunch. We had so much fun! It was great to see her... she look fantastic! Such a cute little pregnant lady. We got all caught up on babies-to-be and life in general. Did a little shopping for our little ones (and my big one!)



Alex also found a new pal... he wanted to follow Zenna everywhere! Hopefully we'll get to see each other again after our babies are born, and we can enjoy comparing stories as they grow up together! Just like their mommies!

(BTW, that church van in the background belongs to neither of us! This is what happens until you wait till you're in the parking lot ready to leave to take a pictures!)

Recipe Swap Thursday - Pumpkin Bars

Pumpkin Bars
(This is my mother-in-law's recipe! It's a family favorite!)

1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs (beaten)
1 cup oil
1 15 oz. can pumpkin
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together in large bowl.
Spread batter in ungreased jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Cream Cheese Frosting

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 8 oz. pkg cream cheese (softened)
3/4 stick butter or margerine
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix all ingredients together till creamy. Spread over cooled bars.

Head over to Therese's blog for more wonderful recipes for Recipe Swap Thursday!

Feeling the Need to Play Catch Up

I just clicked on my Google Reader (where I can read/track other blogs) and it said I have 313 unread posts. YIKES!


I looked at the DVR last night, and have about 5 hours worth of shows I need to catch up on... and that's only going to get longer after tonight/tomorrow. (Grey's, Project Runway, the Office, and Community - Thursdays are a blessing and a curse for great TV!)

I have at least 5 friends in real life and in the blogosphere having babies and I need to get crackin on gifts for them.

Christmas is coming... I have some gifts I want to crochet and I need to get crackin on those.

Oh... and I have several friends I haven't talked to on the phone in MONTHS who I need to call.

We've had a week of near-freezing temperatures, so most of my outdoor plants have bit it. Need to clean out my flower pots and put them away for the winter. Sounds like a good weekend project.

I'm not feeling overwhelmed... but it looks like I just made myself a to-do list!

Another fun weekend! (Or why weekends wear me out)

We had another great, travel-filled weekend. We went to Craig's parents house for a family reunion/weiner roast.

We got in late Friday night... the trip wasn't too bad, but I was wearing a fairly new pair of maternity jeans that fit just a little too snugly for my taste. So the last 1/2 of the drive home was really miserable for me. (and probably for Craig too, because he had to listen to me whine about it!)

Got to sleep in a little bit Saturday (sad that as a grown up, sleeping in now consists of waking after 7AM) but Alex was ready to get up and help Grandma and Grandpa get ready for "the big day."

Alex was eager to help Grandpa clean out the garage, so Craig and Alex got dressed and headed outside to work/play. I kept Craig's mom company. Craig's brother Brian, sister-in-law Sarah and the always adorable Payton arrived mid morning and we all hung out and helped out as best we could. The boys helped pick the remaining pumpkins out of grandma and grandpa's garden, which was fun to watch. My big contribution for the afternoon was whipping up the frosting for the pumpkin bars and actually frosting them without making a huge mess. They were soooo good!

Oh, did I mention that it started out sunny on Saturday morning... THEN IT SNOWED???!!!
Fortunately the snow didn't stick.

The reunion was fun... we mostly hung out in the garage, which was equipped with heaters, tables, chairs, a TV to watch the Iowa-Michigan (YAY HAWKEYES!) game and a radio to listen to the Cardinals-Dodgers game. The food was fabulous... hot dogs, hamburgers, chili, potato salad, all kinds of snacks/dips/chips/cheese/crackers, and then of course, desserts! I had pumpkin bars and scotcheroos. Delicious! Everyone seemed to have a really great time chatting, eating, and spending time together. We had the full age range from Craig's Grandpa all the way down to Payton, who's about 19 months old.

Sunday was spent recovering and helping clean up. More time with Grandma and Grandpa and Brian, Sarah, and Payton. A long drive back to Wisconsin, then the unpacking and laundry that always seem to follow. But all in all it was a great weekend. (I did take pictures, but don't have time to upload. Will do it later in the week.)

Now I just have to get to bed early tonight so I can un-tire myself! :-)

More Random Friday Thoughts

• Alex has the book "Actual Size" by Steve Jenkins. Everytime I see this book, the song "Actual Size" by They Might Be Giants pops into my head and I can't get rid of it.
  
• The baby has decided that my bladder makes both a nice cushion and a wonderful plaything. I've gone to the bathroom more in the past week than I have all month.
  
• I wish I could finish a crochet project. I have three "in progress" projects: a blanket, a scarf, and a market bag. I think I'm more of a small project crocheter. I need something I can be done with in a day or two. Otherwise, I get overwhelmed and want to walk away.
  
• Craig and I will celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary next year. I have no idea how we will celebrate. I'm kind of hoping we take a trip someplace. Guess we should probably talk about it at some point before our 20th wedding anniversary, huh?
  
• If I could get paid to read books all day, I'd quit my job in a heartbeat.
  
• That being said, I still think my job is kinda cool. Not as cool at TV news was, but cool nonetheless. (I'm in PR for a Fortune 500 company now.)
  
• It cracks me up that Alex can now distinguish between Pearl Jam and Foo Fighters, and requests these artists whenever we are in the car. Well, that and the "Wicked" soundtrack. He's recently started singing along with what he hears. I love it! (Not that there's anything wrong with music produced especially for kids, it's just that we've only subjected him to stuff that we enjoy. And none of the music we enjoy in his presence has lyrics that need to be edited, thank goodness.)
  
• I feel kinda guilty that when I was pregnant with Alex I took belly pictures every month. With this one, I haven't yet taken one belly picture. We'll have to work on that. I'm 7 months now...

Recipe Swap Thursday

My friend Therese is once again hosting Recipe Swap Thursday. Go check out the other offerings at her blog, Musings of a Mom.

Easy Black Bean-Beef Enchiladas
(This recipe makes up to 16 enchiladas, depending on how much meat you use and how full you stuff them!)

1 to 1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
1 15 oz. can black beans (rinsed & drained)
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 tsp. cumin
1 cup monterrey jack or pepper jack cheese, shredded
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 can red enchilada sauce flour tortillas (soft taco sized)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray baking dish with non-stick cooking spray (I recommend either square, oval or 9X13 dish). Brown ground beef, drain. Salt and pepper to taste. Add onion and black beans. Cook till onions are transparent. Place 3 tablespoons of meat/bean mixture into tortilla, top with monterrey jack cheese, roll tightly and place seam side down in baking dish. Repeat until all mixture is used. Pour enchilada sauce over enchiladas. Cover with alumninum foil which has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove from oven, top with cheddar cheese before serving.

(The original recipe was vegetarian. I added ground beef. You can also substitute shredded chicken if desired.)

Movies that sucked me in this past weekend...

As I mentioned, Craig was out of town last weekend. Normally when he's out of town (which is not very often), I gorge my brain on Chick Flicks. Last time he was gone, I fully intended to watch "The Devil Wears Prada" and "Sex and the City." Instead, I found "An Affair to Remember" on one of the movie channels, and was sucked in by Cary Grant. (sigh... The man was sexy. The dark hair. The accent. Always played characters with a little bit of arrogant charm.)

This past weekend, two movies kept me up way too late. Neither of which could be classified as a chick flick. The first one was "Forgetting Sarah Marshall." We saw the movie in the theater on a date night. At the time I thought it was pretty funny. It's been in rotation on HBO since spring... and everytime I watch that movie it gets funnier. It's just a hoot! Extremely naughty, so if you haven't seen it and decide to watch, know that it's "naughty/raunchy" humor, but still quite funny. I mean, the lyrics to the songs alone are enough to induce fits of giggles if you think about them. And Russell Brand and Jonah Hill darn near steal the movie. And the guy from "30 Rock." There's just so much to love about this movie. Whenever it's on, I usually stop and watch it till the end. (as long as Alex is safely tucked away in bed... he's WAY to young for that!)

The other movie I get sucked into is "Wedding Crashers." I love this movie. I think Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn are so hilarious. And I love Rachel McAdam. I think she is beautiful. There are so many great funny people in this movie too. Isla Fisher is great as the zany sister, Gloria. Christopher Walken and Jane Seymour are also fantastic as the parents. Wilson and Vaughn play so well off each other. I had every intention of going to bed early Sunday night... but this movie came on right after I put Alex to bed. I listened to it while doing the dishes, watched while folding the laundry, kept telling myself, "I'll just watch till the next commercial." Next thing I knew it was 11PM!!! On a work/school night!

What are the movies that make you stop your channel surfing and watch?

So Cool!

It's been awhile since I entered a blog contest, but I entered one this weekend and won!
To see what I won... check this post out... two super cute kids shirts and a pair of legwarmers.
(May have to pass those on to someone with a girl, or hope that someday I have a girl of my own.)

I stumbled across Rook 17 on SITS. I was kind of out of the SITS loop for awile, but am trying to get back into it. It's a great way to discover new blogs and support other bloggers. They also have GREAT blogging tips every Saturday.

So I can't wait to get the t-shirts... I will take pictures of Alex in them and post them here! Thanks Rook No. 17!

I am woman, and I'm exhausted!

Craig has been gone since Friday for work, and is due back today (THANK GOD!) and I'm exhausted.

I am reminded of how awesome a husband, dad, and partner he is when he is gone.
Friday night Alex and I had "Movie and Pizza" night.

Saturday we hung out at home, cleaned up around the house a bit, then babysat for my friend (the one I do the babysitting swap with). Alex was pretty good, but let's just say he's not used to wood floors. We have carpet all over the house, my friends house has wood floors. Alex kept jumping around after the kids went to bed, then would not calm down.

Sunday was church... again, not awful, but not his best behavior. Meltdown after church (him not me). Recovery, lunch, then massive errand running, then more quality Mommy and Alex time. Then after dinner it was time for him to shower... meltdown #2. Recovery again, then finally bedtime. I'm pooped! In between I've done the dishes and the laundry, taken the crazy dog out about 4 dozen times. Helped Alex work on riding his bike. Helped Alex work on some papers for school. Helped Alex practice writing letters. Crocheted a little. Read a little.

I'm so tired. Hopefully Craig's flight will land on time and we'll all be able to have dinner after Alex's swimming lesson!

p.s. Happy Birthday today to one of my awesome sisters-in-law... Sarah!

sneaky

I take a certain over-the-counter allergy medicine that has worked wonders for my moderate seasonal allergies. I don't want to name it here, for fear of some search engine getting ahold of this rant, but it begins with a C and rhymes with "Hair-i-tin." I was super happy to find out that it was okay to take this medication while pregnant.

I recently purchased a box of said OTC allergy medication. And noticed it wasn't working quite as well as normal. For about a week I thought to myself, "Gee, my allergies must be bad this year. Hope I don't have to start on something stronger." Then last week I noticed the word "new" on the outside of the box. This stuff isn't new, it's been on the market for years. What's so new about it?

Then I looked more closely at the box... it's 12 hour dosing! Not the usual "lasts 24 hours."

Sneaky! Sneaky Sneaky! Same blue box. Same package. SAME PRICE AS THE 24 HOUR STUFF, BUT YOU HAVE TO TAKE TWICE AS MANY! Sitting right next to the good stuff at the drug store.

So I figure, fine, I'll take two pills a day according to the proper dosage. Finish off this 12 hour stuff then get back to the good stuff. Let me tell you, 12 hour strength doesn't cut it!

I finally broke down and bought a box of the 24 hour stuff, and took it this morning. I don't know if it's all in my head -- well... the stuffiness is definitely all in my head! but within about an hour my sinuses started to clear. I can breathe again. It's a miracle.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to My Awesome Husband!

Not going to get all mushy on here, since he doesn't read it anyway, but he is such an amazing husband, father, and partner. I don't know what I would do without him!

The latest Alexisms

"When mommy has the baby, there will be three boys and two girls (counting the dog). And lots of grandmas and grandpas and Jens."
(He has two Aunts named Jen.)
------------
Mommy I made you a card. It says "We love weddings. My name is Alex. What the ...? "
------------
I can't eat the exploded one!
(after squishing a piece of corn)
------------
"Lou (his sock monkey) is going to read "Goodnight Moon" with us tonight."
(Holding Lou by his ears, and turning him around so they are face to face)
"Lou, are you listening?"
------------
"Those are not chihuahuas."
Said while looking through the complete Star Wars dictionary
------------
"Why can't Barack Obama find his way out of the TV? I think he's stuck!"

That's What Friends are For

My friend Therese had a baby girl two weeks ago. Alexandra is absolutely adorable! I finally got to see her Sunday when I dropped dinner off for Therese, her husband, and their three boys!

When I had Alex, between my mom, Craig's mom, and some good friends up here, I had several dinners made for me in the first few weeks after having a baby. It was such a huge help when I was feeling so overwhelmed!

So it was my turn to pay it forward this weekend. Sunday Alex and I delivered dinner to Therese and her family. I took a tater tot casserole, mixed veggies, and brownies for dessert.
It was great to see Therese, her boys, and baby Alexandra. I hope they enjoyed their dinner!

Here's the recipe:

Tater Tot Casserole

1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 1/2 cups rice (cooked)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (divided)
1 pkg tater tots

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown ground beef and drain. Salt and pepper to taste. Mix beef, rice, soup and 1 cup of cheese in a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Smooth out, top with remaining cheese. Place tater tots on top of mixture. (You may not need to whole bag.) Bake for 30-35 minutes.
Serve with catsup for dipping.

Another Date Night

Craig and I were lucky enough to have another date night over the weekend. It was wonderful!
We do a babysitting swap with friends of ours. I'll be watching her three munchkins this weekend while she and her husband enjoy one of the films at the Milwaukee Film Festival.

We ate dinner at Palms Bistro and it was fantastic! The menu consisted of what can only be described as grown up food. There was not a Mc Nugget or a Mc Anything on the menu. There were no applesauce cups, no chicken fingers, no placemats that doubled as coloring paper. There was Mac and Cheese, but it had lobster in it. Craig enjoyed a pork loin chop with some sort of ancho chile sauce. I had the tomato gnocchi in blue cheese cream sauce... which also had asparagus, pecans and chicken mixed in. Oh my goodness. I think I was in some sort of heavenly food coma. We had an uninterrupted conversation. I had a cup of decaf after dinner. We ate slowly but we were still done eating fairly early. So we wandered around the neighborhood where the restaurant is located... Milwaukee's Third Ward. Then we drove by the lake for a little bit. After that, we headed for Kopp's Custard for dessert. I had a mint chip cone and Craig opted for the Heath Bar cone. I was sufficiently stuffed.

Amazingly, we were home by about 9:30pm. Only gone for a few hours but it recharged our batteries just enough!

Pictures! and Weekend!

Finally added pictures to my Chicago post! Enjoy!

We have a fairly quiet weekend this weekend. Date night tomorrow night. Going out to dinner thanks to a gift certificate Craig won at work. Also doing a baby sitting swap with a friend. YAY!

Sunday will also be low-key... church, then Craig has to work, then taking dinner to a dear friend who just had a baby. FUN! I'll post the recipe this weekend.

Have a great weekend!

Road Trip 2009

We did a family vacation last weekend. It started off with a Brewers game last Friday night. Alex's only request was that we get peanuts to eat during the game.

Saturday we headed down to Chicago. First stop was the museum campus near Soldier Field. We hit the Shedd Aquarium and it was really neat! We didn't get to do the dolphin show, but we did see the big sharks, stingrays, a few big snakes, sea lions, beluga whales, big fish, little fish, you name it. Very cool! We then headed down toward the Adler Planetarium just to soak up the sun and enjoy the gorgeous Lake Michigan lakefront.

The next stop was the Sears Tower. We bought our tickets ahead of time online so while we had to wait to go through security, we got to skip over the "buy your tickets here" line. After a short movie about this history of the tower, up we went! Alex did great in the elevator... he enjoyed seeing all the buildings from the sky and finding shapes. He and Craig walked out on the Ledge... the see through cut outs that stick out from the top of the building. I walked up to the Ledge, looked over it, but didn't step out on it. Alex's quote: "I've got the whole world in front of me up here." After that, we had Chicago-style pizza at Giordano's, then it was back to the hotel.

Sunday we headed back to the city for an architectural boat tour. It's the same tour I did in August with my friend Sangeeta. The boys liked it. Alex was just excited to ride on a boat.

After grabbing some lunch, it was Alex's turn to behave like a kid in a candy store... or more accurately, a kid in the Lego store! Life-sized Darth Vader made of Legos, life-sized R2-D2 made of Legos. Two smaller sets of Lego's to take home. He was ecstatic. Next time we're going to hit the Lego wall, where you can get a small or large container and fill it with any color and shape of Legos you can imagine. Next time!

Then a quick spin through Millennium Park (which is amazing) and we were on our way back to Milwaukee.

I was hoping to connect with my friend Zenna... but Alex was getting crabby and then he passed out in the car (after not napping all weekend) and I couldn't bear to wake him up.
So I'm hoping to catch up with her soon... we're both expecting and we need a "dueling bellies" pictures! We've known each other since kindergarten, we were in each other's weddings, we need a pregnant pals picture!!! We've only got a few more months to go!

I will try to add pictures soon!

Random thoughts for a random friday

• I think I've found a new favorite Starbucks beverage. I usually go with a non-fat mocha (Decaf for now...) or around the holidays I LOVE the peppermint mocha. But I recently discovered carmel lattes. YUMMY! I also love that I can get these in the Starbucks cafe at work for about $2 less than going to the real Starbucks!
  
  
• Why do people insist on parking their giant pickups, SUVs, and minivans in the compact car spots in the parking lot? This also happens in parking garages.
  
  
• Why do people who work in cubicles insist on having loud personal conversations during the workday? I don't want to hear about your mom/mother-in-law/best friends surgery/bitchiness/drunken escapades.... nor do I want to hear about yours. If you have to have a conversation like that, exit cubicle land and go to the cafeteria! Or find a quiet picnic table outside!
  
  
• I really wish we could go to an Iowa football game. I miss college football Saturdays on campus. Not for the drinking and crazy people, but for the sea of black and gold, the friendly people shouting "Go Hawks" and waving. Maybe I'm just feeling a little nostalgic. Maybe next year we'll get it together and pair up with my brother and sister-in-law for a little Iowa-Iowa State rivalry action!? I can dream!
  
  
• I don't know who had my work phone number before me, but she owes someone money. I keep getting calls for collection agencies. I let them go into voicemail. They don't even listen to my outgoing voicemail message. Why is that? If you're looking for someone who's name is XXXX, then why do you keep calling and leaving messages for XXXX on YYYY's phone???
  
  
• I can't even express how excited for this weekend I am. We are going to the Brewers game tonight! We've only been to one other game this season. This is really rare for us. Usually we get to at least 4 or 5 games a year, but for some reason, this year we just haven't gone to many games. Alex's only request for the game? Peanuts in the shell. But of course!!!
  And then tomorrow we're going to Chicago! CHICAGO! I love Chicago... anyone who knows me knows this. We're hoping to do the Shedd Aquarium, and have already bought tickets for a boat tour, and for the Sears Tower Skydeck. (I know, that other company now owns the Sears Tower, but for my 34 years on this earth (and 2 prior to that), that building has been called the Sears Tower, and it will always be the Sears Tower in my mind.) We want to hit the Lego store on Michigan Ave. too. (And any other shopping!!!) And stock up on Bears gear for the whole family, including baby#2! I will most definitely post pictures.

Actual Conversation

The following conversation took place yesterday morning a little after 6 AM.

"Whatcha doin' Mom?"
"Making some coffee."
"Ick. I don't like coffee."
"I know, neither does Daddy."
"That's 'cause only girls drink coffee."
"That's not true. Grandma and Grandpa like coffee."
"Yeah. Well Daddy and I don't like coffee 'cause we're not old."
"Really. So does that mean I'm old?"
"Yeah. It does."

So. I'm old. And pregnant. And I like to drink coffee. If your own 4 year old can't tell you...

Book Geek Excitement

Okay, I finally know how all you crazy Harry Potter fans feel. I did something I've never done before. I pre-ordered a book. This was waiting for me when I got home form work yesterday.

I can't even begin to adequately describe 1) the level of geekdom I feel I have achieved, 2) the sheer excitement I felt knowing I was one of thousands of people who got the book the very first day it was available, 3) how much I was itching to skip out on anything else of importance and read this book.

I have yet to start reading it... but it is at the very top of my list. I flew through "Angels and Demons" and "The DaVinci Code." Couldn't put either of them down and was utterly fascinated by the amount of research that went into both of them. I know there's a fine line between fact and fiction, but there was a lot of interesting history in both novels.

I'm super excited to read this because it's set in Washington, D.C. I'm glad the backdrop for the story is another of my favorite cities (Paris and Rome were the settings for the other two books). I hope to get it started this weekend!

Male Bonding Time

Alex and Craig enjoyed a little male bonding time this weekend at Dozer Day in Sussex. Every other year, a local rock quarry opens up to the public as a fundraiser for a local school district. Kids can climb all over the equipment, go for rides, operate diggers. It's heaven for little kids! While I got my hair cut on Saturday, the boys headed out to stomp in the dirt and check out the diggers. A little after lunch time, Craig walked in with one dusty little boy passed out on Daddy's shoulder.

That's Alex between the wheels of a giant mining truck.

Alex getting ready to climb into the cab of a dump truck.

Alex driving an excavator (with some help). He actually got to dump a couple loads of dirt!

One happy little boy surrounded by diggers!

Alex-isms

I haven't posted any of Alex's funny sayings lately. There have been some good one's (and one slightly disturbing one) so I thought I'd share.

"God is watching when we're bad."
-Ahhh... gotta love the Catholic school influence! At least I know it's sinking in!

"My old room just feels good."
-After being moved back to his old toddler bed in his old room while my parents were visiting. I tried to explain to him that this is how I feel when I sleep in my old room at Grandma and Grandpa's. Not sure it sunk in.

"You and daddy are pals, huh?" -Mom
"You said it!" -Alex
-Nothing like a little Daddy worship from his number one pal!

"I don't need to finish these pretzels. I'm Batman."
-Hmm....

After sleeping through 75% of church... picks up sleepy head and says "Was I a good boy?"
-yes, by default you were a good boy. But I'll take what I can get.

"When the baby pops out of your tummy, your belly will explode. I think there might be some blood too."
-Umm... which of the little friends do I have to thank for this image??? We haven't discussed where babies come from or how they get out, except to say that we'll need to go to the hospital to get the baby out!