Quick Takes

Once again, I have random thoughts floating around in my head to share with you all. 

1.  My first appt with the OB/GYN is one week from tomorrow!  I'm so anxious to make sure everything's ok.  I know I'm pregnant as I have several symptoms that are letting me know there's a new life growing inside me but it's just going to be nice to have confirmation and maybe see a little heartbeat on the ultrasound!

2.  I called two women to get estimates on cleaning my house.  Yes, I'm caving.  Yes, it makes me feel like I'm not capable of doing my "job".  To be honest, most days I don't even have the energy to just clean up the playroom after Maddie goes to bed.  I just want to crawl into bed as soon as she's down.  Unfortunately that can't happen.  And since I don't have much energy, it takes me a good 2 hours to do the straightening up/cleaning that should only take about 30-45 minutes.

3.  Maddie is getting cuter and cuter every day.  I took her to the chiropractor with me again this morning and didn't even put her in her stroller.  She's comfortable there now.  She smiles at people istead of screaming.  She plays very nicely with her toys and crayons and I actually get to close my eyes and relax while I'm getting my heat therapy. 

4.  Maddie has started singing!  Her favorite songs to sing include:  ABC's, E-I-E-I-O, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Itsy Bitsy Spider, 3 Little Monkeys, and several from Yo Gabba Gabba.  I can tell what song she's singing when she's singing any of these.  There are some other tunes she's been trying but I haven't figured them out yet :)

5.  Maddie has started "reading".  She has several favorite books that we've read over and over and OVER AND OVER again.  She now has parts of them memorized so it's cute to hear her reciting parts of the book as she looks through it.  Those books include The Foot Book, Daddy's Girl, Who is Coming to our House, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, Polar Bear, Polar Bear and Crunch Munch. 

6.  Maddie's bed time issues are fading....ahhh, sweet relief.  She still stands up when I leave the room but she's not screaming anymore, just cries for about 30 seconds.  I guess that perseverance is paying off!  I had a nice chat with my sister-in-law the other day (thanks Jennifer!!) that helped me make some decisions on what to try.  I started giving Maddie her lunch earlier so she goes down for her nap by noon (most days) and she gets up by 3.  Then I've pushed her bedtime back by an hour :(  It's working for her, but it's making me more tired (see #2).  I also think one of Maddie's issues was hearing a train go by.  We were up in her room this evening and she kept hearing the train (it's several miles away but she still points out the "choo choo" sound when she hears it).  She has a fear of things she can hear but not see.  I need to start paying attention to see if a train goes by around 7, the time I used to put her to bed.  We'll see if that was one of her problems...

7.  I think that's it!  My brain is empty now...  :)

Any Advice?

Let me start this blog off with a few super cute things Maddie has done lately...

First, I'll tell you the story of "condensation".  One morning (I think last Thursday) Maddie looked out the window and saw that the patio was wet.  She said "raining?"  I told her, "No, sweetie, it's not raining, that's just condensation".  As soon as it came out, I realized that that was much too big of a word for a 19 month old...I should've just agreed that it was raining :)  Well, she repeated "condensation".  I was amazed!  I had her repeat it 2 or 3 more times to see if it was just a fluke or if she could really say it...she could really say it! 

The next couple of days it was raining so Maddie got to wear her super cute little rain coat.  She loves her rain coat and wants to wear it everywhere now :)  It rained for 2 days, then the third day I told her to come get her jacket it on.  She said "rain coat?"  I told her, "No, you don't need your rain coat, it's not raining".  She replied with "condensation", very matter-of-fact like.  It was so cute, I just picked her up and snuggled her and laughed!  What a smarty pants...

Within the past two days Maddie has decided it would be a good idea to carry the cat.  The cat doesn't think that's such a good idea, nor do I.  So when I tell Maddie not to pick Audrey up, she replies with "I sorry Audrey".  Then she pats her on the head and says "good girl".  Maddie also likes to point out when Audrey is purring (which is almost always) then she puts her hand on Audrey's neck so she can feel the vibration.  She laughs and thinks it's the coolest thing!

The newest, coolest big girl thing is that she's trying to walk on her tippy toes.  I caught her doing it a few days ago but she was saying "knees, knees, knees" and I told her, "you're walking on your tippy toes". She was not happy that I saw her doing it and had a fit...I left it alone.  Today she was walking on her toes again but she wanted me to notice.  I made a big deal out of what a big, strong girl she is and she was extremely happy :) 

Now...what I need advice on.  For the past week or so Maddie has been SCREAMING at the top of her lungs when I put her to bed.  Our routine hasn't changed; well, it changed when she was teething a few weeks ago, I went in to comfort her and to give her motrin or orajel.  Since then I haven't done anything differently.  We go up, have a bath, brush teeth, get a diaper, lotion, pjs, clean ears, read a book, talk about our day and what to expect tomorrow, rock in the chair and sing a few songs, then we say goodnight to the world, close the blinds, say goodnight to the sandcastle, the seashell and the crab and we turn off the light.  We give hugs and kisses and I put her to bed.  I cover her up with her blanket and tell her "have sweet dreams, love bug, I love you, Mommy will see you in the morning".  Then I walk out and close the door (we've always closed the door since she was an infant since we have a cat).  Lately as soon as I put her blanket on her she starts to get up from her pillow to stand up.  I tell her to lay down on her pillow to go night nights but she just screams.  I tell her I love her again and blow her a kiss from the door.  When I close the door she starts screaming "mommy, mommy, hold you, hold you".  When I get to the bottom of the stairs I turn the light off which makes her scream harder.  It only lasts for about 5 minutes, usually less, but I hate that she's screaming like that.  Seriously, I'm afraid someone will walk by and think I'm abusing her!  I've taken out the trash after putting her to bed and you can hear her outside...

Here are my concerns:  Is it possible that she's suddenly developed a fear?  Is she afraid she won't see me again?  Is she afraid of the dark?  I don't want to just ignore her when there's obviously something wrong, but I don't want to become a "hostage" to her, rocking her every night or sleeping with her.  Has anyone had this happen with their child?  If so, what did you do?  Please don't tell me you slept with your child...I can't do that one :)  I just feel terrible that she's going through this and I don't know what to do.  I know she feels safe in her crib because she reads in there and plays in there.  She doesn't wake up acting afraid in the mornings or after naps, it's just when I put her down.  At naptime she cries a little, but it's nothing like she does at bedtime.  Could it just be her age and a stage she's going through?  Is she having too much fun to go to bed?  AAAAAAAAAhhhhhhhhh....it's driving me crazy! 

Week 7

Today begins week 7 of pregnancy #2.  I've been amazed that I've mostly escaped morning sickness so far. Yesterday I had one of those "nothing sounds appetizing" days.  I didn't know what to eat and anything I thought of kind of gave me a gag reflex.  I managed to force down a banana for breakfast.  For lunch I just wanted a burger so we stopped at Jack in the Box.  It was pretty yummy but I should've avoided the curly fries!  For dinner I had a hot dog and some sour cream and onion chips (my only craving so far).  I drank lots of water and then decided to make some homemade chicken broth.  I had thawed out some chicken thighs and legs but hadn't gotten around to cooking them yet and I didn't want them to go bad.  Well, I put the chicken, some veggies, water and seasonings in the crockpot and turned it on.  I went to bed early (even missing the news at night which I normally like to stay up for).  When I woke up through the night to use the bathroom (thanks again to pregnancy...I used to NEVER wake up through the night!) the chicken broth was smelling good and I couldn't wait to taste it in the morning to see how it turned out.  Then I woke up around 7...the smell of the chicken broth was not so good at that point.  I ate a few crackers so my stomach wouldn't be empty then I just stayed in bed for a while.  When I got up I had to go running to find some gum.  I found some good pepperminty gum that is strong enough to block out the chicken smell :)  So now I'm just waiting for the crockpot to cool down a little so I can stick it in the fridge (that'll smell nice...).  I still want to freeze the broth to use in recipes but I don't think I'll manage to eat the chicken.  I guess I can go ahead and shred it off the bones (if my stomach will allow) and put it in the freezer too.  Hopefully I'll be able to eat chicken later in pregnancy, but I think it's off limits now.  I even had an aversion to chicken when I was pregnant with Maddie.  I wonder what that's all about...

In happier news...did you know by the beginning of week 7 that baby already has its own distinct blood type?!?!  All the major muscles are already developed, arm and leg buds are developing but you can't differentiate fingers and toes yet and facial features are becoming visible.  The baby is about the size of a raspberry this week :)  Aww...what a little sweetie!

We're still going through all the emotions of a second pregnancy...happy to be giving Maddie a baby brother or sister, scared of taking care of a toddler and an infant at the same time, worried financially and just generally afraid of the unknown.  I know everything will work out, God won't give me more than I can handle...but I guess it's normal to worry about all these things right now.  We've started talking baby names already and I'm pretty excited about that.  I'm not sure if we're going to share the name as early this time as we did last time...we've got to keep you guessing!  :)  We welcome your suggestions, though!

Cheers!

Back in October we took our first family vacation to Cozumel, Mexico.  While we were there we taught Maddie to tap our glasses together and say "cheers".  It was really cute and other vacationers thought it was funny.  Well, Maddie is STILL doing it!  Only the "cheers" doesn't stop with cups...when Maddie notices we have two of the same things, we have to do "cheers".  When eating dinner, Maddie will point out what's on my plate and hers, then she'll hold up her broccoli (or whatever other kind of food she chooses) and say "cheers".  Then she waits for me to tap a piece of my broccoli with hers.  Sometimes it's just our forks or spoons, one time it was our plates.  Maddie got a toy vacuum for Christmas and when I get my vacuum out, she brings hers over to do "cheers".  My new favorite is when we brush our teeth together in the mornings.  She puts her toothbrush in her mouth, pulls it out, points it toward me and says "cheers".  Then I have to take my toothbrush out of my mouth to tap it with hers.  She thinks it's the funniest thing!  I feel like I'm missing some items we do "cheers" with...but I think you get the point :)

Burrito Casserole

This is one of my newest favorites!  Eric even liked it and he doesn't like sour cream :)  I just froze some for the first time so I'll update later when I reheat it from the freezer...hopefully it'll be just as good.  I'm a little concerned about the cheese, I probably should've made some without cheese to freeze.  Then after it's reheated add the cheese.  But we'll see!

Burrito Casserole

1 lb ground beef or ground turkey (I used 96% lean ground beef and there was no need to drain the grease)
1 can refried beans
2-3 C shredded taco cheese or cheddar cheese (the first time I made it, I used cheddar.  The last time I made it I used colby cheese since that was all I had)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
4 oz sour cream
1/2 chopped medium onion
1 package taco seasoning
6 lg flour tortillas (I made my casserole in a 9x9 so I only used 4 tortillas)
hot sauce (optional) (I didn't use hot sauce since I was also feeding this to Maddie)

Brown the meat and onion, then drain off the grease.  Add meat back to pan, add taco seasoning and refried beans.  In a searate bowl combine soup and sour cream.  Put 1/2 C of sour cream mixture spread over bottom of a casserole dish.  Break of a few tortillas and lay them over the sour cream mixture.  Add about 1/2 of the meat mixture over tortillas.  Add hot sauce if you like.  Repeat layers to your liking.  Add cheese to top of the casserole.  Bake 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees.

Enjoy!  I made mine in a 9x9 because I like nice, thick layers...but this could easily be made in a 9x13 and would be just as delicious!  I hope you try it, it's definitely a favorite in our house!  Maddie even likes it, but because of the bit of spice the taco seasoning adds she says "boo boo" after every bite and then has to have a drink.  It was pretty cute :)

If the Shoe Fits (or not)

Maddie's latest obsession is wearing my shoes.  This actually started when I was back in PA visiting my grandparents during Thanksgiving.  Maddie put on Pap Pa's shoes

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2938549&id=813238743&op=1&view=global&subj=575621788

(I have no idea if this link will work...sorry if it doesn't!)

Then Maddie started wearing my shoes if I happened to leave them out around the house.   And to be honest, I leave my shoes out a lot...just ask Eric! 

These crocs are pretty tricky but somehow she manages...barely :)

Now she has progressed to bringing my shoes out of the closet to wear.  Shoes that I haven't worn in FOREVER have been spotted in random places throughout the house.  What a mess!  Every couple of days I go around with my laundry basket and hoard all the shoes back to the closet.  Now I'm trying VERY hard to keep the closet door closed!  She might need a few pairs of dress up shoes for her birthday this year...although I'm a little concerned with the hard plastic ones, she'll probably slip and slide all over the tile floors in those...

Random Maddie-isms

Right now Maddie is "dribbling" a ball around the house.  I guess she's destined to be a soccer player...she is running behind the ball and kicking it just lightly enough to get it to move, but not so hard she loses control of it.  She's running along saying "running" "running".  It's so cute!

The other night while I was cleaning out the litter box Maddie was peaking through the door saying "sand castle" as I scooped the poo.  See...there's a reason she's NOT allowed in the laundry room!  I can just picture going in there to put some laundry in and finding Maddie building a sand castle in the litter box...

On Tuesday we went to the zoo (as you may have read here).  I had given Maddie some fig newtons and when she finished eating them I said "here, let me clean your face, you have cookies all over it".  She replied with "I sorry" in the sweetest voice.  I think she's trying to figure out when "I'm sorry" is necessary because she's been saying for a lot lately.  It's so sweet that she's learning to be polite :)

Maddie has been becoming more and more aware of the dark lately.  I don't know if she's developing a fear of the dark, or if she just notices that it's dark.  If we happen to be out driving after dark (which isn't often) she will continue saying "dark" until I acknowledge that it is, indeed, dark outside.  I point out the lights from the airplanes and she thinks that's cool...it makes me wonder if we ever go somewhere where you can actually see the stars at night if she'll think it's just a bunch of airplanes heading to the airport for landing...

Maddie is getting so good at singing her ABC's.  I keep trying to get her on video singing along with her the CD, but as soon as she sees either the video camera or my cell phone she wants to see "Maddie".  I REALLY hope I can get it on video soon!!  It's just so adorable.