Thankful Thoughts

I am thankful for a lot of things every single day. The fact that I have a wonderful family, a wonderful husband and amazing little girl. I am thankful that I am healthy, our family is healthy and have wonderful people in my life who make each day fun and exciting.

However, there are some other random "thankfuls" that I should mention on this glorious day of Turkey and Thanks.

-I am thankful that Sesame street is only on once a day and that Isabel hasn't figured out the "On Demand" setting on the remote quite yet.

-I am thankful for my coffee, it is the fuel that keeps me going.

-I am thankful for the fact that Miss Kitty is so tolerant of Isabel wanting to "pet" her. Lately, this has involved a stick.

-I am thankful for OxyClean. 'Nuff said.

-I am thankful for Starbucks Pumpkin loaf. I am NOT thankful for the extra pounds it brings me each year, but this leads me to my next one...

-I am thankful for my trainers who help try and keep the Pumpkin Loaf from adding to me...

-I am thankful for my husband who changes diapers and helps around the house.

-I am thankful that the simplest things are the most entertaining to my daughter. The Squirrel Superhighway in the backyard has been awesome.

-I am thankful for a good glass of wine and a quiet house. Either in the morning or evening. As long as it is quiet. Wine doesn't even have to be that good.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

October November Happenings

This October has come and gone and we finally moved into our new place. However, we moved Halloween weekend and it was a whirlwind of activity, but we finally did get our act together to take Isabel out trick or treating. Two houses and the Grandma's, perhaps next year she'll bring in a bigger haul for Mommy and Daddy.

Isabel also got her first haircut last weekend and it was a great success. We took her to see my hairdresser and let Isabel sit on my lap and read books while Caryn did her magic. It was great! Isabel had a fun time at the salon and I got my locks trimmed as well. Bonus for all!

We're still settling into the new house and it still looks like a mess. It is hard when the weekends are spent trying to get normalcy back into our lives, but still trying to tackle the boxes that are sitting around. Yuck. And to top it off, the Piggy Flu seems to be looming around the family. Thankfully, neither Jeremy or myself or Isabel has caught it- but it is getting frightfully close. I think if we eat enough bacon, we can probably convince it to be on it's way. Nothing to see here! Move along!!

At 18 months, Isabel is doing a great job of stringing two words together. "Buh-Bye Mama" and "Hi Daddy" are popular as well as "Uh-oh Shoe" and "Hi Keeee" (Kitty) or any number of those combinations. After her last appointment, Jeremy and I sat down and made a list of all the words in her vocabulary and were stunned at the result. It was way more than I expected, and those items that she has very simple words for are the most surprising. She may not be able to fully say "Robot" but she certainly knows what it is. It sounds more like "oboe" than Robot, but we know exactly what she means.

We've also said "Buh-bye" to the bottle, although it has been really hard for her to adjust to the fact that milk isn't coming with a nipple on top any more. We've switched to the sippy-cup top on her bottles and she sees that coming towards her and gets mad. It's funny how kids get into their routines. She's perfectly fine drinking from a sippy cup, not a problem. As long as it is WATER. If it has milk in it- she gets mad and tosses it and demands "WAH-ER". I've even tried to trick her into taking a sip by getting sippy cups that you can't see through. Nope, that just makes her more annoyed. I just have to remember that this too, shall pass. And sooner or later, she'll get used to it. But for the meantime, annoyed that my child is cemented in her routines!

Curious George continues to be her favorite books- so in an effort to save my sanity from reading the SAME BOOK OVER AND OVER, I practically bought out the toy store by my work with all their George books. Some are better than others, but after really reading these books you start to realize how it's not George's fault he's a naughty monkey, but really The Man with the Yellow Hat's fault. He's certainly not paying attention when George gets into trouble and who could blame a monkey for an adult's lack of supervision? And when is TMWTYH going to learn? Honestly. Don't even get me started on the fact that George doesn't have a tail...

Swimming in a Sea of Cardboard

The final countdown is on and I am packing up our place. This is the time when you start to ask yourself things like "What the hell is this?" or "Why do I need 57 different kinds of tea?". I am not kidding, I just filled an 11 gallon container with all sorts of tea.

The closer our moving date gets, the more I feel a little sad about leaving our little place. This was the place we brought Isabel home for the first time, the place she learned to crawl and walk, and lots of good memories of Jeremy and I starting our life out together here. However, I am excited by the prospect of our new home and can't wait to start a new chapter there. For a while I kept saying that this new house wasn't my dream house, but a good stepping stone for us. Now I am excited about being able to have my family over for holiday dinners, having Isabel grow up in a house with a yard, the potential of her being able to learn how to ride a bike in front of the house and more time spent with my family instead of commuting. So this house IS my dream house- a place where we can make all those dreams reality!

October? Huh?

Has it really been two months since I lasted posted something? Huh?? Is Facebook replacing blogging? Possibly. But at the same time I don't really feel like I have time to blog about anything exciting!

Well, now I do! WE ARE MOVING! Jeremy and I are in the process of selling our house (by the way, it has probably been the worst experience EVER- but let's not focus on the bad stuff, shall we?) Our closing date is October 26 and we have yet to find a house. Oh well, details, right? I am very excited about finding a bigger house- we're outgrowing our condo and it will be nice to have a little more space. Isabel needs more room to run and climb and be a kid- and in our place she's constantly restricted by gates and sharp corners. Yikes.

Isabel has been growing at lightspeed- I had to go through her clothes again this week and fish out all the 18-24 month sizes and put them away. On to 2T! I tried to put some PJ's on her this week and had a hard time zipping them up. Her little feet were squished in and as Jeremy put it- she looked like a "Baby Sausage".

Hopefully we'll have more of an update soon about a new house and location- but if anyone wants to help us pack... just let me know! :)

I love her hair...

This chica has the best hair. Hands down. When she gets up in the morning, she looks like sheepdog with her messy, crazy hair. It makes me laugh everytime.

Things have been so busy lately- we've finally put our house on the market again and now we are just playing the waiting game. And cleaning a lot. I can't wait until we finally get a buyer- then I don't have to worry about keeping every single thing completely spic-n-span every day. Not that I don't love my clean house- it actually feels wonderful to not have to a lot of stuff lying around. Just tired of the constant stress of people coming through my house.

Isabel is really close to saying her first word. Well, other than MAMA and DA and KA-BOOM. (which is what she says when she wants to slide down the stairs on her tush). She says PA when I ask her to say Grandpa and G'MA when I ask her about Grandma. But she's also been using the B sounds and will say B'AH when referring to a ball or a balloon. (She LOVES balloons). She pretty much can understand everything we say to her- however there are the exceptions. Don't expect her to explain to you the theory of relativity, but I have to remember there are little ears in the room now.

One of her favorite things lately has been Curious George. Auntie Nicole bought her some George books before she was born and she finally is old enough to sit through stories with a little more meat to them. She also has a Curious George stuffed toy which she loves to cuddle with when we read about George. Let's just say I can pretty much recite the stories about George from memory we read them so much. But she loves them, so I am happy to do whatever it takes to make her sit for a story.

I can't wait for a house that is big enough for Isabel to run around in- and doesn't have so many evil stairs. Crossing my fingers that soon we'll make this dream a reality!

Mmmm Yogurt.

Eat to Live

Recently, I've been reading a book called "Eat to Live" by Dr. Joel Furhman and have been taking a serious look at the kind of foods I've been eating in my diet. Having a child puts a new spin on your life- it changes your priorities, your responsibilities and ultimately, your long term goals.

I've also been witnessing how a person's diet can affect their body and it is an extremely serious topic with me these days. I feel strongly that we should be aware of the kinds of things we put into bodies- I mean, we're so concerned if we're around people that smoke, take drugs or drink too much, yet we don't pay the least bit of attention as to what we put into our mouths on a daily basis. Most people don't read labels close enough nor do we get enough of the good stuff into our bodies. The most important thing we can do to ensure our good health is to make sure we're getting enough fruits and vegetables in our diets each and every day and keep the amount of processed foods to near zero. End of story.

With Isabel, I look at baby food and am shocked and appalled as to what is made for babies to eat. I looked at some Gerber Wagon Wheels the other day and found that they were made with high fructose corn syrup. It is no wonder that over 30% of children in the United States are obese. That is a very scary number to me.

The book "Eat to Live" has some very interesting view points and some may seem a little over the top for some. However, Dr. Furhman's bottom line is this- we need to eat more fruits, vegetables and beans and less meat to be healthier individuals. I've made a conscious effort to eat more of these each day and I've been more energetic, lost a few pounds and have felt better over all. I haven't followed his diet strictly, as I don't think I really am there yet. But a few small changes have made a big difference.

As I grow older, I am seeing more and more people close to me with cancer, heart disease and other ailments. You start to wonder if people die of "old age" anymore. I saw an interesting article on Oprah's website the other day about "Blue Zones". Blue Zones are places in the world where people live to well into their 80's, 90's and 100's. Some of the common factors in the health of the people that live there are moderate exercise, legumes and a plant based diet.

You are what you eat. I don't think there could be anything more true than that.

Boogie Woogie Disco

Isabel shows us a few of her smooth moves. 

1 Year Check Up

Little Isabel had her one year check up today. She did ok- screamed bloody murder after getting two shots in the arm, but I don't blame her.

Weight: 23 pounds 7 oz (85%)

Height: 31.5 inches (97%)

She still is a little low on iron, so we have to keep giving her the supplements. I hate to do it, but I also hate to have my little monkey anemic. 

Lovely Afternoon

"Mommy, here is where we should build our beach house."

Today we took Isabel out to Alki beach for a lovely late morning stroll. The tide was out and the weather was perfect. It was a great way to spend Mother's Day, with my two favorite people and a nice Seattle day.

Yes folks, we have a walker!

She's been walking for a couple weeks now, one or two steps here and there. But today she's been taking more than just a couple of steps and it won't be long now before she's running through the house. 

Sickies All Around

Yes, we all caught the sickness that is going around. Isabel had a temperature yesterday of 103 and was the most pitiful thing you've ever seen. Today she's been pretty cling/crabby/cranky and doesn't want to nap unless she's in my arms. Sigh. The worst part is that all of us are sick- so it is really hard to get any rest.

How Fast a Year Goes By...

Amazing what 365 days will do to a human being.

Zoo Day!

Today we took Isabel to the zoo on a fun family outing. Finally, she is old enough to have fun seeing the animals. The first time we went to the zoo with her, she slept through the whole thing. :)

The zoo is a funny place to go if you want to observe not only animals, but social behavior in humans. It seems like parents get really cranky when taking kids to the zoo and it's like they are the only ones not having any fun. There were a ton of photographers there today, with their huge lenses and their tripods. There were some who were really rude- this one lady was telling kids "not to kick her tripod" and pulling them away from the window when she was trying to take pictures of the lion. She was plain awful- what do you expect when there were a ton of munchkins trying to see the lions too?

Tired monkey.

Looking at the elephants!

We had a great afternoon- maybe next time we'll go to the Aquarium. :)

No Crying Tonight!

Sleepy baby girl chugged back a full bottle, said goodnight to her peeps and passed out. She stood up once to grab for me, but I just laid her back down again and handed her Bob (her ducky friend, thank you Rachel and Katy!) and she went down quietly.

We went to Tokyo restaurant again tonight and she made eyes at the sushi chefs with broccoli and rice all over her face. She's a charmer, that's for sure! There was one little girl in the restaurant who was being kind of wild, running around the restaurant and screaming. Isabel sat in rapture, watching this little girl. Man oh man, I hope she was not getting any fancy ideas or else I am going to have to invent velcro pants for highchairs.

Teaching the Girls the Finer Points of Life...

The finer points of life definitely includes a beautiful Sunday walk to the French bakery on Eastlake. 

Today Eryn and I took the girls with us for a lovely Sunday stroll through Montlake to Le Fournil. Can you say NOM NOM NOM? Isabel loves strolling along and looking at all the cars and she is so interested in people watching these days! 

Face full of croissant!

Lovely Mama E and Baby E

I wish for my next house to be in a nice neighborhood and have a French bakery near by. Oh, and if we could live next door to Ina Garten, that would be awesome too. 

Yeehaw!

So far, so good. Iz cried for one minute tonight and then was quiet. I think we're on our way...

Crying it Out. Day 3.

Much much better tonight. Crying for 5 minutes, and it was a real cry for about three minutes then sort of a fakey cry after that. Crossing my fingies and toes that this is where we turn the corner.

Also, just a clarification on our "Crying It Out" methods, as I don't want people think we are just LEAVING her there. We do our normal routine of bath, bottle and books and then say goodnight to everyone in the room (Tin-Tin, George, Cupcake and Kit Cat) get into the sleep sack, turn on her bedtime music and off with the lights. We hold her until her eyes close and then it is off to the crib. Most time she wakes up when we put her in her crib and stands up. Tonight when she did that, I gave her back her binky, gave her her ducky and then laid her back down. Then left the room.

So we don't just dump and run, we definitely try to make her understand it is bedtime. I know so many people have opinions on crying it out, but honestly we are doing our best with her and I know every baby is different. 

Crying It Out. Day 2.

Probably worse tonight than last night. Last night she cried for about 20 minutes. Tonight for about 30. I took off to the gym to escape the wailing. I can't stand it. Insert sad face here.

Sigh.

The last few nights have been rough on all of us here at the Calkins household. Miss Iz has been having a rough couple of nights- she's been waking up at midnight or so just wailing. It has taken us about two hours to get her to go back to sleep and it has been really hard. So tonight, we're "crying it out".... all of us. 

This too shall pass. 

Nom Nom...Baby Toes!

It is true, baby toes are irresistible. 

YAY! Spring is HERE!

Today was another awesome day weather-wise. After a fun girly lunch with some friends, Isabel, Jeremy and I went for a walk by our house. We discovered that Isabel is too big for the Baby Bjorn now, not to mention that she is so long that her legs smack my thighs every time I take a step and she's so heavy it hurts my back to carry her after a while. Regardless, I'm so happy Spring has finally arrived and can't wait to get out more!

Apparently Lions and Kitty Cats Are The Same...

Isabel knows that lions go "raaawr" but apparently so does everything else. Except chickens. She knows what chickens do.

Scoot Scoot!

We bought Isabel this fun little toy at Target the other night and it kills me to see her push it around. 

Like the Formula 1 race car drivers, we tell her to "Push push push!" in our best Italian accents...

Here Comes Trouble...

New Babies!

Today we visited our friends J&H and their twin sons J&H (huh, I didn't realize that until now, cute.) Isabel got to "play" with her new buddies a little before they were whisked off to dreamland. Baby J&H are so cute and so alert now. They are smiling socially and I love seeing babies grin. 

Isabel is standing on her own now and can push her little scooter car around. It makes me laugh so hard I almost pee my pants, seeing her push that thing. She gets this very intense look on her face and does her little geek laugh.

Elliot was finally born yesterday afternoon and she is a darling baby. Curly reddish hair, 8.8 lbs and 21 inches. So cute. I especially love this picture of her little piggies.

E did an amazing job getting that little girl to come out. I know it was a long, hard labor and in the end so worth it to see this little munchkin enter the world. Welcome baby girl! 

Morning.

It is Saturday morning and I am the only one up. Well, I heard a thump upstairs a little while ago which means that Isabel threw her binkie overboard. So she's up, but not UP. For now, it is just me, my coffee, my phone and the computer. Kind of nice.

I've been waiting for the last 12 hours for a call from the hospital- one of my best friends is in labor right now. I was being all emotional and thinking about how much kids change your life. There are some positives and negatives to every situation and having kids is definitely one of them. But thinking about how amazing a new life is, often times brings tears to my eyes (ok, especially when I'm hormonal and when it is someone close to you). I'll save you all the sappy "Babies are so amazing" chatter- but the bottomline is that I am truly and utterly amazed at the miracle of life. 

Here I wait. Ready to jet off to the hospital at the drop of a hat, I'm eagerly awaiting the arrival of the divine Miss E and can't wait to be her Auntie!

The Meatloaf Cupcake

I wish I could take credit for this little gem of an idea. Meatloaf cupcakes. But alas, I got the idea from the Meatloaf Bakery (yes there is such a place) and thought about how genius this is. Who doesn't love cupcakes? And if you have picky kids and you tell them they are having cupcakes for dinner? I am sorry, but that is HEAVEN to me. All you need is meatloaf in muffin tins, some mashed veg of some kind, a piping bag and tip and VOILA! Meat heaven.

There is something on your face...

Rockin' the ear protection...

Isabel Lately

She'll be 11 months next week, can you believe it?

Yogurt Face!

Allergic to Peas?

Has anyone out there ever seen any allergic reactions to peas in their kids? A couple of times that I have given Iz cooked peas she's broken out in a rash around her mouth. Tonight she even broke out in little hives around her hands. So for now, we'll avoid the peas. I'm trying to give her other foods that she can feed to herself. So far she LOVES cheese, Cheerios, rice and cooked veggies.

Yesterday we took her to Tokyo (sushi restaurant) and she had tofu for the first time. I wasn't sure what she would think of it, and seeing her reaction to peas- I was a little nervous about the tofu. So far so good. Today we even tried a little bit of plain yogurt. She ate a few bites, so hopefully she'll warm up to it more as we try it again.

I love being able to feed her food that hasn't been pureed within an inch of it's life- however now it makes for a very messy and often times fussy meal time.

Thursday.

I'm so tired right now I can't come up with anything creative as a title. So Thursday it is.

Today was our final exam on our install and our team scored 96 out of 100. Most of the points that were taken off were due to "shiners" and loose coax cables. Stupid stuff that was a result of us not being too careful at the end. It is hard being on a team of 3 sometimes, because instead of bouncing ideas off one other person, you have two to deal with. It wasn't terrible, just sometimes makes the work go slower. (Shiners, btw are when you have the copper part of the wire exposed under the sheath or casing. Not a good thing to have since moisture can get in there and cause a potential short in the wiring. See? I guess I am learning something useful. Watch out, I'm armed with information, this makes me more dangerous than I already am!!)

I had dinner with some family friends this evening (and yesterday!) and it was so nice of them to have me over. Not to mention they fed me yummy food which beats eating take out by yourself any day.

I think the hardest thing about being here is saying good night to Isabel each night on the phone. She makes little noises when she is talking to me "uhhhhh!!!" and "maaaaaaaa" and I wonder if she knows it is me on the other end. Normally Jeremy and I take turns putting her down each night and I've missed out on that this week. I'll have to give Jeremy "Get Out of Jail Free" cards next week as he's certainly deserved it taking care of her all week long. Not to mention the fabulous Grandma's who've helped HIM out too!

Thanks Grandmas! We love you and all you do for us... we couldn't do it without you.

Ladder Day

Today we learned all about ladders and how to climb them safely. It probably would have been best for me to keep my mouth shut during this course as I proceeded to tell my teammates that I don't usually use ladders, just chairs to get to what I want. Most often, I fall off the chairs and on to the floor. They then suggested I don my hardhat.

After our indoor training on the wimpy ladders, we were ushered outside to manhandle the 28 footers and put them up next to the building. I was proud of myself, I managed to shimy my butt up the ladder without looking down. Getting down was not as easy as getting up- since I kept thinking my feet were not planted firmly. I think the worst part about those big ladders were how much give they had- they shook with each rung you climbed. Fabulous.

Tomorrow is our test for our start to finish install. Hopefully I won't poke anyone with the voltage detector or take out a chunk of skin when I am capping the ends of coax cables. Such a fabulous life I lead- don't you wish you were me right now?

I am missing Isabel and J like crazy- only two more days until I fly home! Yippie! Ho-tel living is getting to me and I do miss having more than two pairs of jeans to wear. Oh! Did I mention that San Diego has a West Elm store? DROOL. I swear, sometimes I kinda wish we lived here!

Act 1- Scene 1

Instructor: Here we'll be able to do a Balun install and take the VDSL line and hook it up through your coax cable.

Me: Um. Yeah. Um, what is this?

Instructor: Well, clearly you have to take your JSDU and make sure it syncs. Make sure your tip and ring are on the right wires, white and green and make sure your ANI bed of nails don't touch.

Me: Um. Yeah. Um, what is this?

Instructor: (Now sounding like Charlie Brown's teacher because I don't understand a damn word of what is being said or shown on the fabulous slides)

Me: Um. Yeah....

AND SCENE!

Training Day

Today was day one of training. I learned all about VRAD and F1 and F2 connectors and this that and blah blah blah. A lot to take in for someone who doesn't consider herself technically able. Granted, I love knowing how things work, but in all honesty- most of this sounds like a foreign language to me. It is crazy to think that after one week of training they think they can send us out into the field- I don't really think you want me hooking up your cable.

I managed to get in a workout today after training and I know tomorrow I will regret the lunges that I did after I ran. I have a feeling that bending and squatting tomorrow will be quite painful. Hopefully I'll be able to do some work at waist level, hooking up all those wires and stuff.

The good news is that we won't be climbing any telephone poles in training- nor will I have to in the field. Such a relief to hear since I pretty much would break my neck. I do have to wear this awesome hard hat and even more fabulous safety glasses. We have to wear safety glasses in class whenever we are around tools and they are a weird kind of plastic that messes with my eyes and makes me want to barf after a while. Same kind of feeling you get when you wear glasses that aren't your prescription.

Other than that, nothing fun to report. I did get in trouble a couple of times from laughing in class. I couldn't help it, the voltage detector that they give us looks very suspicious and apparently vibrates when high voltage is present. I'm sorry, but if you saw the thing- you would know EXACTLY why I was laughing. And I wasn't the only one in the room who was cracking up!

I know, I'm so mature. :)

San Diego!

Today I flew out of snowy Seattle and landed in sunny San Diego. I start my "training" tomorrow on installing cable for the company I work for. Now, don't think I've gone nutso on you have decided to change careers. No- I'm REQUIRED to do this training to fill in for workers in case we have a strike in the next month. It is a long story- but the bottom line is that I have some kickass "work boots" required for climbing ladders and am spending the week in San Diego. Yes, there are worse places I could be.

So far, so good. Today Beth's good friend Linda came and took me out to lunch and drove me around San Diego. It was a beautiful day and it was SO NICE of her to drag my butt around town. We even rode a carousel today. What I love about walking around San Diego is that everyone was out today with their kids, dogs, families... it was just so nice to be outside like that. I wish Seattle was like that more than 3 months out of the year.

OMG. I am watching old SNL commercials on the ho-tel TV and it is the commercial about Robot Insurance. I think I am going to pee my pants. "Robots are everywhere, and they eat old people's medicine for fuel."

Week 1

It has only been one week since I started back with Weight Watchers and even though I only made it to the gym twice this week, the biggest improvement I've seen is my eating habits. Instead of cookies all day long, I save a one or two cookies for an afternoon snack or for dessert. Instead of eating all the teriyaki chicken and rice, I eat half for dinner and save the rest for lunch the next day. Slowing down has helped a lot- I find that if I take a break from my food, I don't really need to eat the rest 5 minutes later because I am already full. Amazing that a few changes can make a big difference. 

Just that has helped me drop 2 pounds over the course of the week. I'm sure some of that is water weight, but it is good to see that number drop on the scale.

Today I had a good but exhausting workout. I had limited time at the gym, so I made sure I packed in as much as I could. My favorite thing to do at the gym is the eliptical, and one of the machines there has this awesome "weight loss" setting which takes you on intervals. I love gearing myself up for the hard parts, I crank up some Beyonce or Lady GaGa and go nuts. The only thing I hate at the gym is some of the gym-goers. I am of the belief that if you go to the gym, you should go to work hard. If not, go home. I hate hate hate it when people talk on their cell phones or just waste time on the machines. The other day I saw a lady working out in her Crocs. Now I'm not trying to judge anyone- but seriously. Crocs? To me, if you don't have proper footwear, you're going to hurt yourself. 

10 Months Old!

Holy Crap! My baby is 10 months old (yesterday!) How the heck did that happen?

Game On, Baby Weight.

I hope you brought your A-Game. Because your little gig of yours, of sticking those pounds around my middle- is over. 

Throughout my 40 weeks of pregnancy- I lived under the idea that the pounds will just "melt off" when I had my baby. Claims like "I was smaller than before!" and "Breastfeeding is the best diet!" was tossed at me like late night info-mercials. Visions of myself- 120 pounds, danced in my head. Fast forward to 40 weeks+ 10 months later and those last 15 pounds of baby weight have held on like Kate Winslet on the Titanic. Breastfeeding didn't work as well as I had hoped- possibly because I was not being super cautious about what I was shoving down my gullet. I admit it, I am an emotional eater. I eat when I am stressed, I eat when I am happy, I eat when I feel like "I deserve a treat." And needless to say- these past months have been stressful, happy and treat filled.

So we bring us to today. I have signed back up with Weight Watchers and having been trying to go to the gym on a regular basis. I realize that without each other, the other is useless. If I don't have a goal to reach each week, knowing I have to step on a scale-  then I will be a little more lazy about going to the gym. Each keeps me in check, each helps me be more accountable. 

I know my new journey will be hard and will be filled with lots of ups and downs. I guess if it was easy, everyone in this country would be 120 pounds. For now, I'll take each day as it comes and do it one pound at a time.

MUST.HAVE.

Today I was shopping at Pharmaca in Redmond and I came across this little jewel of a toy:

Yes, it is called the "Prance and Play Unicorn" from Melissa and Doug. Let's just say nearly peed my pants when I saw it. I came *thisclose* to buying it when I realized that a pointy stick with a stuffed animal stuck on top of it is probably not the best idea for a ten month old baby. Sigh, I guess she will have to wait two more years before she can play with that. 

Look At My Teeth!

See those two toofers? She's got one more that poked through to make that three!

Isabel in her "Valentime's" outfit. Ready for lunch!

Benefits of Being a Mommy...

You get projectile vomited on for no reason at all! Well, I take that back. I am sure there is a reason- but I received no warning at all. One moment we were making toast, the next, I was wearing her lunch. The worst part too is that while I am covered in barf, I have to get her bathed and changed first before I can take off my icky clothes.

J is home sick as well, but he is certainly worse than Isabel. I don't think he's been able to eat anything all day and Isabel keeps trying to play with him, which consists of her trying to smack his tummy.

Visit from Tito Tony!

Last week my brother came up to visit from California. It was such a great time and a lovely visit, albeit very short. I wish that he still lived up here, it is hard for me to imagine that Isabel will only see her uncle once or twice a year. 

Tito tells Isabel the finer points of the Cheerio. Deelish.

Life is Hard...

Especially when all you have to do is wake up and get fed. Sleepy monkey.

9 Month Check Up

Isabel had her 9 month check up today and she again, is a big headed, tall baby.

29.5 inches for height (97%)

21 pounds for weight (80%)

45.5 cm for head (90%)

She had her blood drawn today for an iron screen and was happy as a clam throughout the whole process. Did not flinch when the nurse poked her toe to do the draw. But boy did she let loose and scream when she had her shot. 

Dr. Shorr said we could start feeding her some pasta and meat sauce and all sort of iron rich goodies. Unfortunately, she's a little anemic so we need to load her up on some good food. Time to whip out the blender and chop up some steak!

As If You Needed Another Reason...

Apparently recent studies have shown that there is mercury in High Fructose Corn Syrup. According to US News and World Report (click here for article), the FDA knew about this information, but did not release it right away. And of course, the Corn Refiners Association of America is disputing these claims. 

Just another reason we all need to know what kinds of ingredients that are in our foods. I'm telling you, natural sugar is the way to go.

The Weirdest Thing...

When Isabel is fussing in the car (which is rare, but happens) she will instantly calm down once I start singing "Itsy Bitsy Spider", "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and "I'm a Little Teapot". Sometimes I end up singing one song 8 or 9 times before she falls alseep- but it works everytime. 

I'm no singer, but if it helps calm her down, I'm all about it.

Testing out the gate...

Trying as hard as she can to figure a way through.

I'm in Trouble...

Taken today with J's camera phone. Look at that grin too- she's totally proud of herself. Time to lock down Baby Jail.

PS

I am so annoyed with Blogger for messing up my posts. None of the font sizes are consistent and it really chaps my hide. 

Fin.

She's Gonna Kill Me One Day...

But I don't care. It's freakin' cute. In other news... drum roll please... Tooth #2 has landed! Yes indeedy, our child is no longer the hillbilly child (no offense to hillbillies that follow my blog) and now has two teeth. 

Isabel in her Princess Unicorn Hairdo...

Let me out, please! 20 years in jail for poopy diapers.

The reason why I post the above picture is to illustrate the fact that Little Miss is pulling herself up on her crib. We have her mattress on the lowest setting and yet, she can still put her hands up on the rail while kneeling. I remember Jennifer (our wonderful doula) had said to us once- "Just wait until they wake up in the middle of the night and start crying because babies can pull themselves up, but have a hard time sitting back down." FUN.  I don't doubt that we may have to implement some sort of baby trap to her crib over the next year. 

Big Girl...

She's growing so much- and so fast! When did she hit the fast forward button?

Jibba Jabba

My first attempt with iMovie. 

Teeth and Crawling... oh MY!

So Isabel's tooth is official- the little bugger is sticking out and I think there is a second one on it's way. She's pretty crabby and cranky and on a little bit of a hunger strike. She starts to put her feet up on the tray to her high chair as if to say "Heck no!" to food. Poor kiddo. 

Not only does she have the tooth going for her, as of yesterday we have a little mobile kiddo. She's an official crawler, she finally coordinated her hands and her knees. It is hilarious to see her face light up when she sees something she wants- and goes right for it. Case in point, Miss Kitty. Before, Miss Kitty would just sit and watch Isabel flail on her tummy. Now, she has to get out of the way... and fast. 

Wow. Our baby. All growed up.

I have a problem.

I think the first step into healing is admitting you have a problem. And yes, I have a problem. I have an addiction to shopping at Gymboree. For some reason, I'm getting completely and totally sucked in to all the sales that are going on. Case in point- today I wandered in to Gymboree to exchange an outfit that Isabel received for Christmas. I wandered out with a few gifts for some friends, a few more outfits for Isabel and this crazed look in my eye. I had found that Gymboree was having a super sale, a lot of stuff had been marked down to $4.99. It is like treasure hunting- and the more that I found on super sale- the more I had to have. AGH! 

So yes, I have a problem. But I can say that I did get some great deals. Ok. I am done. Sorry for being a nut-ball.