Toddler time FAIL

Books. Books on shelves at various levels. Books on shelves at various levels in a quiet location. Not a good mix for Baby DIVA.

My little one has always been interested in books, but not really for reading. She loves to snack on them, tear the pages, flip the pages, wear them as hats, make them into flying carpets. Whatever, she is using her imagination so I roll with it. Over the last few weeks, Baby DIVA has sparked a interest in the actual words inside those flying carpets. She will bring me a book and we will sit down and read.

I love it. I have a passion for books, (although chasing a tot around 24/7 leaves little energy to actually hold my own book up and read), so this development made me really happy. I decided it was time to brave the library with Baby DIVA. We have toddler time at our local joint and I was thrilled to finally be able to attend with a story interested tot.

I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO HUMILIATED!

My precious, quiet on the car ride, relaxed Baby DIVA and myself arrived at 10am prompt for toddler library time. We strolled inside and grabbed our tot ticket to story time. Then we headed over to the children's area to look at some books and see what craft they had for us to do. I am not sure what happened on this short walk, but Baby DIVA grew some horns. As we rounded the corner and entered the racks of kid books, her voice began to echo throughout the area. "Mama, Mama, Mama, Ca-Ca, Mama". So I thought perhaps she needed to take a crap. I asked her if she needed to go potty. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, Mama" at full scream.

Attempting to distract her, we went over to the craft table and I tried to engage her in this activity. She proceeded to try and eat the glue stick, try to climb up over the top of the table, tried to steal craft pieces from other kids, all while squawking and mortifying me. Fail.

Then I pulled out the big guns and decided we should walk the racks, burn off some steam, hoping that this might bring my sweet quiet Baby DIVA back to reality. Off we went, hand in hand. And then she squirmed loose and was gone. Sprinting through the racks. My Fluffy pregnant self chased her down and found her attempting to scale the racks of My first Chapter books. AWESOME. Baby DIVA scurrying up the racks in the library. Yes, I am that mom. And might I add, quite memorable with hot pink hair. No hiding me!

A glance around the room at my fellow toddler moms, hoping to be met with looks of "oh honey, I have been there stares", was met with a surprise. Pure distaste looks from these fellow tot moms. Hatred. I am the devil with pink hair mom looks beamed my way. Like their tots are always perfect. Again though, Mortified.

I scooped up baby DIVA and headed back to the librarians desk to turn in our tot ticket. There was no way we were going to make it to story time, much less through story time without destroying something. The kind librarian asked me to please stay. That she had some toys to entertain my tot, and that she would eventually learn the ropes. I denied the offer and high tailed it out of the library. Glances from peering adults from the historical section on the opposite side of the library pretty much demonstrated I need to leave with my tot, PRONTO!!

Perhaps we will try again in a few months. Until then story time will be on my living room floor and might involve a nibble of pages and a timeout or two. Oh and did I mention as we drove home, Baby DIVA was a quiet perfect little princess? Don't you just love the terrible two's?

Oh and those moms who gave me the look of death, I hope your kid throws food at you tonight at dinner!

Trix bark

The pregnant hormones are kicking, but in a good way, well today. I have been feeling quite bakey lately. I don't know why the hormones feel the need to summon the Betty Croker in me, but they do. So those around me reap the benefits.

This week my Big kid Rentals reaped the benefits. I have seen this little treat on a few different blogs around the net over the last few months. Although intriguing I just hadn't gotten around to it. Until the crocker hormone attack of the 22nd week of pregnancy.

Trix Bark.

QUE?, you might be saying. But really, this is so simple and super cool for kids.


Here is how it went down:

I took some simple almond bark and melted it down.

Then after carefully laying out some wax paper, and taping it down so no slidage resulted in a massive mess that I would refuse to clean because Crocker hormones are kicking, but cleaning hormones, not so much. And my cleaning fairy is on vacation. Hmmm, perhaps I have made a mess in the kitchen before... Anyway, back to the wax paper.

I poured out the melted almond bark and spread into into a thin layer. I didn't bother trying to make it uniform or pretty; there really is no need for that as soon we will break it into mis-shaped pieces.

After the smoothing process I took some Trix cereal and spread it out over the almond bark.

Again no rhyme or reason, just littered the almond bark with colorful little Trix balls.

And then its time to wait. I allowed the almond bark to sit at room temperature and harden. I guess it took about an hour or so. You could also place it in the fridge and harden it that way, but then you have to deal with the "Sweat" and that just is more than I care to deal with.

So once it hardened, I broke it into pieces, loaded it up on a plate and served it to my Big Kid Rentals and Baby DIVA. It was quite the hit! And so super easy to do!

Tiny toes

Today was a great day! We went in for a growth check of Critter2. She is PERFECT!! We were able to see her little toes and fingers, one by one. Her little leg bones, and arm bones, her kidneys and eyeballs, her brain and lips. We saw her swallowing and flapping her arms like a chicken. We saw her rolling around and "Dancing" about like a wild child. She is amazing. Perfect little babe!

We also met with Dr. K. He is happy with Critter2's growth. I'm still down some weight which is cool. My blood pressure is still elevated but is stable, therefore no bed rest or medicine as of yet. HOORAY! Dr. K is sending me for an ultrasound of my gallbladder which is the cause of the pain I am having, you know, this one, that sent me to L& D last week. We hope to keep the ol' gall in check until I deliver Critter2, then sign me right up for removal of that little gallbladder booger!

Everything went wonderful today. I am tickled that we have good news to share. And so excited about Critter2! And Dr. K found his way to my blog! How about that? My Dr visits my blog! LOVE IT! So if your a checking here Dr. K, HELLO and thanks for everything!

And may I now present you with Critter2's Foot and Fist! In a few short months we will be holding these tiny toes and fingers in our hands!!

What do you want?

I saw this question asked on mamapedia the other day and it really got me thinking.


I would do anything for just a day all alone. No cleaning, no cooking, no chasing tots, no husband, no coupons, no nothing. Just 24 hours of time that I could do whatever I please with. My chances of that happening are pretty slim, and with a new baby possibly arriving early in May, the chances are super slim. But that doesn't take away from dream, right? Oh a massage would be nice too, but I don't want to get to greedy.



Well in thinking about this I begin to wonder, does this make me selfish? Does wanting a day completely alone make me a bad person? Is it wrong for me to deprive my own mom of being with her adult daughter and granddaughter because this momma wants a break? What do you think? How do you handle the multiple generations of motherhood on this day of celebration of being a mom?

The stench of Vicks

Early on in this pregnancy I developed a super nose. I literally could smell the breath on any passersby, the smell of foot while riding in the car with other people, and so many other smells that wafted my way pretty much did me in. Everything was horrid. Nothing smelled good. I could barely even stand to be around myself. The stench of the world was appalling. Standing in line at the grocery store became pure torture.

My mom suggested I put Vicks on my nose. Yes, the smell might be strong, but it would be only one strong smell, A single smell that I could adjust to, she enticed me with this idea. At first I thought she might be crazy. But I gave it whirl anyhow. What did I have to lose? My lunch?...again? What do you know, it worked. The smell was in fact incredibly strong, but it was one stable smell. A single smell I could focus on and not worry about losing my lunch, Er, well that cracker that I nibbled. I was able to take that one smell and engage my mind into keeping me upright and without gagging for at least an hour at a time. MIRACLE!!!

I swear during the first trimester I went through so much Vicks. Wearing it proudly slathered on my nose to help me walk through the house, the grocery store, and the Big Kid pick up line. It was truly a lifesaver, as odd as it may seem. The gooey glow that graced the tip of my face became a welcomed cosmetic feature, and family and friends soon forgot how odd I looked and smelled.

Fast forward to last weekend. I now have a yucky cold that I caught from none other than, BABY DIVA. My nose is a mess. I feel like a giant ball of poo, but as we all know, moms must continue on. So I brought out the Vicks to help my stuffy nose. To help sick mom function and keep the household rolling.

OH MY GOODNESS. Reverse effects. All I could think and feel were the all to familiar moments, only weeks ago, where every smell made me want to hurl. I revisited that feeling of utter and total exhaustion and it was terrible. The stench of the Vicks put me right back into morning sickness mode. The crisp menthol harshly battled my senses, not only clearing the snot but clearly reminding me of those horrible first few weeks of pure disgusting gross early baby making days. Needless to say I let the stench wear off and just allowed my nose to be stuffy. Its a small price to pay!

Do you have any smells that invoke horrible memories from past pregnancies for you?

L&D, poop in the potty and PREGNANCY SUCKS!!!

Wow. What a freaking week. I tell you what, all those people out there that think being a pregnant SAHM is the life and make nasty judgmental comments about these ladies when they see them strolling around the world, just need to come take over my life for one week and then we will see how you feel. And I know you make these comments, because honey I USED to be the one judging and making comments. Boy, I tell you best zip them lips because KARMA is a bitch! If i knew then what I know now...

So lets see where shall I begin this week; at the part where I was covered in poo for 3 days, 8 hours in labor and delivery or perhaps at the point where I finally broke down and put on the granny panties?


Ok lets just go in order. Baby DIVA is still "potty training". And as I have learned as a getting fatter by the moment pregnant chick, this really never ends. (granny pantie story to come) So Baby DIVA took pretty fast to pantie wearing and pee pee in the potty. Poop in the potty, not so much. It became a nightmare. She would alert me, even at 2am via monitor, "Pee Pee Mama", but never would should she show one inkling on interest in alerting me to the dirty doo. She is more of a silent but deadly kind of girl. She slinked away and then would gracefully waltz by and let me inhale my notification.

Have you tried changing poopie panties? It sure isn't pretty, and it is plain out awful when you have a Critter2 tagging along for the ride whirling up your some special tummy gurgles and a very active toddler "telling you how" all the way through the process. Needless to say after 3 days of poopie pantie changes covering me in the doo at least twice a day, I broke down and committed my personal momma failure. I bought the pull ups and went against my original plan and stuck my kid in pull ups for potty training. Sue me! I am PREGZILLA and get to do what I want. I am the MOM!!! Im in charge and I am bigger than a poop turd. TAKE THAT! Wouldn't you know that very same day, Baby DIVA mastered the art of poop in potty, and we have not had a poo in the pants incident since. Awesome.

Moving on.


I caught a bug, along with everyone in this country dealing with the crazy weather. I caught a nasty little bug that brought on the "pregnant" sneezes and the coughs. All the momma's out there are cringing knowing what story is about to unfold now. The newly pregnant and non breeders are about to be privy to some information they never knew they didn't want, but need. I committed the sexy wife sin. (not to mention I am about to commit the TMI sin) I became so tired of sneezing and coughing in the "pregnant" way, that I went and stuffed my pregnant body into those granny panties, you know the ones. I was desperate I tell you, and I know I am not the only one who has reached this point before. And it was such a relief...for a little while at least, until my ego joined up to my desperation. H4L caught a glance at me sporting this new wardrobe accessory and just shook his head. I reminded him, it was HE who put me in this situation.

Moving on.

I had my first trip to L & D this week for Critter2. This is not a place I like to frequent. Really, I am thinking one visit to Labor and delivery is far more than enough, right? With my BP issues with Baby DIVA, I visited L&D all the time. I was hoping to keep Critter2 from falling into that same pattern. No such luck. But, good news is that this trip wasn't for bp issues and we left L&D knowing all is A okay.

I was having incredible pain in my gut. Not something a pregnant lady wants. And then the "Crotch daggers" set in. For those who don't speak pregnant talk, Crotch daggers are my term for contractions. I did the usual routine of lay down, relax, drink water, wait for contractions to stop and NADA. So I called the Dr like a good little patient and off he sent me to L&D. 8 long hours (alone though, without a tot in tow so very privileged boring alone time) many, many blood tests, watching a lady's water break in the waiting room, high blood pressure, hearing Critter2's heartbeat thumping softly in the background, it was determined that I look perfectly fine. Critter2 looks great. And I just need to suck it up and deal with the terrible pain. "its okay you are halfway there, only 20 weeks to go." It is obvious that the L&D Dr that advised me of this as I left, has never been pregnant. Just saying...

So I took my painful tummy home and that is that. We now just have pain. Awesome. Fun. Is it June yet?

Boob Feeding pups

I am all for Boob feeding. In fact, when Critter2 makes her grand debut I would like to give this whole boob feeding idea a go. Baby DIVA was not boob fed due to medical restriction on my part, so this is new territory for me. And therefore I have been actively doing a little momma research. I have found that I am a middle of the road boob feed activist. I do think it is wonderful for your baby, but it isn't the only way to feed a baby. I do believe there are benefits, but there is nothing wrong with a child who is formula fed either, they benefit as well.

I also think that although natural, boob feeding is a private intimate time between mother and child and should be should be done in a tasteful manner while in public. I do not think I personally will be whipping out a boob and letting it freely loose while my baby crawls on the floor and I chat with friends at a coffee shop, until she is hungry. Not my thing. My boobs like to stay private, thank you. I heard someone once say in reference to boob feeding that "yes, it is natural. But so is going poo. I'm not going to take a giant poo out in public just because it is natural. No, I will do it discreetly." That description has stuck with me and I agree with it whole hearted.

I have read the pros and cons and arguments for and against. I follow those advocates who think breastfeeding is the only way,Breast is best, and I also follow those who think formula feeding is the only way, and I find myself somewhere in the middle. Both ways provide for your child and as the mother of that child you have the right to decide what is best. Although before the birth of Critter2 I am certain I want her to be a boob fed gal, that does not guarantee me that outcome. Perhaps my boobs wont work, perhaps she wont take to boob milk, perhaps she will. I think as a mom you must also enter this flexible and willing to make changes as needed to provide your child with the best for her, whatever those needs may be. I really enjoy reading all the various points of view, from the extreme pro boob to the anti boob on this matter, because the more knowledge I gain the better mother I can be to Baby DIVA and Critter2. Seeing the vast possibilities ensures me Critter2 and I will find a common ground somewhere that meets both our needs, mostly hers.

Now, all that being said, I also come across weirdo folks out there in the world who do some strange things, it tickles me so and grosses me out. I don't agree with boob feeding children old enough to ask for a drink. I think its gross and there are no benefits at that point. I also find that post milk production, some women do some really bizarre things with their "girls."

Check out this lady who breastfeeds her dog. Yes, my friends, she lets her doggie latch her boobie and drink her milk, because she misses the bond of having her child do so. Ummm NO! This is crazy. Breast is best taken too far! I almost barfed.

Faux baby

H4L and I were surfing through HULU the other night, and came across this video clip series. We watched the entire series and laughed our butts off. It took our fears of parents and amplified them into comedic humor. And also touched on quite a bit a stereotypical issues that I myself have encountered being out in the world as a mom. If you have some time and need a good laugh, sit back, relax and watch this little series.

Baby DIVA freckles

Baby DIVA is so stinking cute. Every day she grows before my eyes; learning, assessing, making more and more strides into being a big girl. It is so bittersweet. I am so excited to watch her grow into a young lady but it pulls at my heartstrings to watch my baby slip away.

But then, it never fails, Baby DIVA will do something so sweet and innocent, it brings me back to reality and reminds me no matter how many days or weeks go by, she will always be my perfect, innocent little bundle of joy.

Take for instance, a moment this last week. Baby DIVA made a clever discover on her tummy. She found two little freckles. Cute as can be freckles. I was watching from a foot away as she yanked up her little shirt to show me her belly button for the 100 zillionth time. She stopped and paused and looked a little bit closer. Quickly she tried to brush away the "ewwwww" as she calls it. "ws tat?", she asked. I told her those are your two baby freckles. Like she knew what that meant, but that is all it took. "ohhhh".

And then she was off to play with her toys again. This quick shift in attention also is a daily reminder that my Baby DIVA is still just a tiny tot! The absolutely adorable thing about this little discovery is that when these little freckles first made their debut some many months ago, I being the crazy picture happy first time momma I am, took a zillion pictures of these freckles. Im just crazy like that.

This moment warmed my heart though. Watching her grasp new concepts, interact with me, and hone in on something I too found fascinating not too long ago is just amazing. My Baby DIVA, growing into a little girl, full of life and love and eager to learn. Melts my heart. And makes me so proud. I just love that stinking cute little girl!!

Helping hand?

Being that this is my second pregnancy, and now we know our second Baby is a girl, shopping for Critter2 must begin. The novelty of this activity is that we have tons of baby gear already. We literally have boxes and boxes of girl things and clothes and blankets and toys, its like we own a girl store! (Secretly I always knew we would have another girl, so I kept EVERYTHING)This time around we have the luxury of purchasing some fun items and splurging a little here and there, since we already have the basics.

You can imagine I have been window shopping for weeks and already have some things in mind, right? What pregnant woman doesn't? Of course I do too. In fact, the night we found out Critter2 was a baby girl, H4L and I made this sweet little purchase for her. Take notice it is NOT pink. We already have boxes and boxes of pepto clothes, and a mom with pink hair, she needs some variety in her world.

Well, I also am very adept at scanning the net for the great babe purchases and I came across this little goodie and did a double take. I could see where this might come in handy, being that I have had a tiny babe in house before, however it still caused me to pause a moment, Take a step back from the computer, laugh and ask myself, SERIOUSLY???


Check out the Helping Hand and let me know your reaction. Too funny, huh?

Pressure Rising

How exciting it is that we have another wonderful baby girl coming in to our lives. We couldn't be more happy. But seeing Critter2 on the ultrasound screen this week and learning how perfect she is, all her organs look awesome, her weight is fabulous, her lips are beautiful and she is a wiggle little thing; Well that is not all we learned this week.

Nope. We also learned that my blood pressure is already on the rise. We suspected this would be the case with this pregnancy, since Baby DIVA arrived early due to high blood pressure complications and we saw an elevated pressure at my 16 week appointment. But we were not expecting it to hit so early. As of now I am on a "modified bed rest". Basically this is just take it easy, monitor my blood pressure and if it is up I must stay down. Joy. In 3 weeks we go back for another anatomy scan to make sure Critter2 is growing at a superb rate, followed by weekly appointments and ultrasounds for the duration of this pregnancy.

I guess it is bittersweet. We get to see Critter2 progress weekly via womb shot, but it sure is a long time to be "rested", and with a toddler in tow. Dr. K believes we will not make full term and has advised us to make arrangements for full bed rest at home and in hospital now, just in case. He also advised us to prepare ourselves for an early delivery...again.

I am determined to prove him wrong and go to term with this pregnancy. I want Critter2 to be able to "bake" as long as she needs. And I really would like to experience the whole going in to labor on my own phenomena. So say a little prayer for us to keep this blood pressure in check and prove Dr. K wrong by making at least 37 weeks!!!!

Wordless Wednesday

Sort of wordless!!!

Critter2 is a GIRL!!!!!

Baby DIVA is going to have a baby sister! Woohoo!!

Critter 2 is a....

Faked you out!! You have a few more hours to wait!

As you are reading this H4l, baby DIVA and myself are sitting in an ultrasound suite getting a crotch shot view of Critter2!! (thank goodness for set to post on blogs, right). While we spend the day relishing what our new addition will bring in to our world, tons more pink or a sea of blue, I thought we could play a little game here. What do you think Critter2 is?

Here is a view of my belly at 19 weeks:

And here are some of the (old wives tale) symptoms:

Aversion to meat

love sour foods

love salty foods

aversion to sweets

felt like a train ran me down and barfed nonstop weeks 6-11.5

lots of braxton hicks from early on

pizza face YUCK i am in my 30s' for goodness sake!!!

migraines, tons and tons of migraines

tons of baby movement from 14 weeks on, some a bit painful

Baby's Heart rate has been about 150 from the start

Chinese gender prediction says: Girl

I would be happy with either, but a boy would fabulous because then I would be D-O-N-E!!

So what do you think? Any neat tricks out there that you and your family have done to determine gender? Spill it now because later on today I will reveal pink or blue about Critter2!!!! Will you be right?

New year and a 32nd Birthday

New Years always bring a fun festive spirit. Not only because it is a fabulous party night celebrated by the entire world, but because it's also my birthday! Yes, folks I am a new years baby. Now before you shout HOW COOL!!! let me tell you it is a hard birthday to have. You have to be a pretty spectacular person to compete with the World for attention on your birthday. Know what I mean. Well I think I pull it off just fine.

This year we hosted a New Years Bash at our home for friends and family. Complete with a balloon drop for the kids and way too much fabulous food. We had a splendid time and look forward to hosting again in years to come. It was wonderful bringing in 2011 with those we love and keep so close to our hearts. It is really wonderful to have such a wonderful group of individuals we can call family.

H4L and me at midnight AKA officially my birthday!!

I found it comical that at 10pm, after a quick watch check, I wasn't shouting to my friends, "hurry up, only 2 more hours to get your drink on!" as I have done in previous years. No, instead I found myself thinking, "Oh crapola, two WHOLE hours before midnight comes. Will I ever get to go to bed!?!" My, My, what parenthood does to a gal. Despite my partying days being far behind me, I still pulled out the "Boots" and wore them for a bit. Swollen feet from Critter2 reminded me pretty quick that stiletto knee high sparkles are beginning to be a part of my past. And perhaps not being able to Zip one boot up all the way might also be a strong indicator. Hmmmm.

Midnight balloons!!!

Baby DIVA falling asleep in aunt Ta's arms while watching fireworks. Who does that?

Me and the boots! 8 years and counting.

I hope your New Years was as blessed as mine. I am year older and definitely much more wise! Here is wishing you a fabulous 2011 as I embark on my 32nd year!!

Christmas Recap

I have to hand it to all you fabulous bloggers that were able to scribble out some thoughts and get posts up during this holiday season. I just couldn't. Between baby kicks, Toddler tantrums, gift wrapping and family visits any extra second I grabbed involved my bed and my pillow. But that is just one pregnant gals way to cope with the hustle and bustle of the holiday! I did enjoy reading your posts between naps.



Now that 2011 has sped its way in to our lives, I thought I would just give you an update to what a wonderful Christmas season we had, between naps of course! Baby DIVA warmly welcomed Santa claus into her life this year. She was ever so thrilled to learn that her great behavior in 2010 rewarded her with a small toy store under her Christmas tree on Christmas morning.

After Santa dropped by!

After opening everything from Santa!

It really is an AMAZING feeling being a parent of Christmas morning. Far much better than being the child. I am still glowing at watching my child live the magic and knowing how excited she feels. I LOVE IT!!!!

H4L and Baby DIVA on Christmas morning

Momma, Critter2 and Baby DIVA on Christmas morning

Saying Farewell to the (chocolate) advent.