Back Up and Running

Well, I think we are officially back up and running here at Shades of Green. I am not sure what exactly I did to my template, but it was a disaster, but I think it has now been revived!
In other news, we have made it to the 24 week mark. I am feeling pretty good, although I definitely had a growth spurt this week. I woke up yesterday and felt huge, I asked Tom if I looked bigger and he unfortunately said I did. Not sure what this little one is doing but it is sure growing like a weed. We spent most of the weekend, okay all of the weekend painting peanut's room and cleaning the carpets and trying to get everything ready. I can't decide if we are jumping the gun on getting everything done this early, but I feel like the next 15 weeks are going to fly. The girls turn four in two weeks and then before we know it Thanksgiving will be here followed by Christmas and then we are there. Sometimes I feel like this pregnancy is taking an eternity, but in reality it is going pretty quickly. In a few short weeks I will already be into the third trimester and it is all down hill from there. I am currently on my last few weeks of four weeks between appointments and then I go to every two already. My stretch marks or messed up stomach from the first pregnancy doesn't look as bad as it did before,everything is flat and stretching out nicely. Unfortunately I am not holding out hope that my belly button is going to remain in. It is slowly stretching and I am hoping against hope it doesn't pop, it never did with the girls, but I am not so sure this time. So really that is all that is going in this little world and one of these days I will get another belly picture up since we have really grown in the last few weeks. So for now we are back up and running and more is to follow.

All Messed up

As you can tell, I was attempting to do some maintenance on my blog and update my template when I screwed everything up. Please bear with this horrible layout as I try to figure out what I have done. As in don't mind the double posting because I have no idea how to get rid of the side bar posting or where my archive disappeared to. Hopefully we will be back up and running soon!

23 Weeks

Tomorrow marks my 23 week mark in gestation, but wouldn't you know it I am measuring at 27 weeks. Nothing unusual for me since I was huge with the girls, but I still thought I wouldn't be that big this time around. My doctor said that because the girls were "big" for twins that this one might be bigs as well and that I am pretty stretched out. I am feeling the usual aches and pains at the stage. I have had some pressure in the pelvic area, but my doctor said there is nothing to worry about unless there are sharp pains that don't go away. There is always the chance that my first c-section scar could tear, but I am crossing my fingers that doesn't happen, because it wouldn't be good. My doctor is still holding out hope that I will go until 39, but my goal is to make it to 37. I will be getting steroid shots at my next appointment as a precaution to help peanut #3's lungs mature and develop faster just in case I can't hold out. So far there are no indications that I won't be able to, all is going well and my weight gain is pretty steady and I am in the middle of the recommended weight gain for this stage, also a good thing! Other than that my appointment was pretty uneventful and as far as pregnancy goes that is a good thing!

22 Weeks, Then and Now

Everyone always says that each pregnancy is different and if you take a look at these pictures you sure would think so wouldn't you.

22 Weeks Pregnant with the girls.

Almost 22 weeks pregnant with peanut #3

I was definitely larger with the girls at this point, but just wait for some future comparisons, because I am sure there will be a much bigger difference down the road. As for this pregnancy being different, other than the fact that I weigh about 20 pounds less at this point and I am smaller than last time, by this time with the girls I was already measuring 32 weeks (10 weeks further along than I really was), not much else has been different. I have had the same symptoms and similar/not many cravings at all. So far this pregnancy has been easier, probably due to the weight and my size and I am thankful for that. I am also seeing a chiropractor this time, which I think, whether it is psychological or whatever, has made a ton of difference. Before I started seeing the chiropractor my back was hurting and I wasn't even 12 weeks yet, but now there is very little pain and overall I physically just feel better. We are officially 21.5 weeks now and since I will have a scheduled c-section that only leaves 17.5 more weeks to go. I am hoping with the fall activities, the girls birthday and the holidays that these weeks will fly by, the weight will stay down and I will continue to feel as well I as I do. So look for more comparisons in the next weeks and don't cringe, because my belly was very large at the end with the girls!

Almost one month down

I can't believe it, but this Friday will make an entire month down for the girl's preschool. So far they are loving it. It seems like they really enjoy the Museum school the most, but like both of their schools and all of their teachers. We ended up signing them up for one day at the Children's museum school downtown and another day at the school here in Avon. So far it has worked out well. They get a little confused on which school they are going to some days, but they have already figured out which one is which once we distinguish between the "museum" school and the "other" school. The drive downtown hasn't been nearly as bad as I had anticipated either and I have enjoyed sitting in a quiet corner of the museum reading for a couple hours a week as well. I discovered a lot of the other moms/caregivers do the same thing, either sit and read or go explore the museum once it opens. I may venture into the museum somedays, but I have just been enjoying the peace and it is nice to just sit and read without distractions. The girls have already started to become a little more vocal after school days and they always have lots to tell us, usually starting with whatever snack they had that day. I am just amazed at how fast time is flying and while I like it to go fast for the pregnancy, I wish it would slow down with the girls. They are growing up to fast and I find myself daily reminding myself to enjoy every moment and every hug because there may come a day soon, when they don't want to snuggle or curl up in my lap, what lap I do have left at the moment. So for now, we are enjoying the moments and the girls are enjoying both of their schools and their snacks :-)

18.5 Weeks

We have made it almost to the half way point already. It is crazy to think how time is flying, at least right now. I am not sure if time drug with the girls because there were two and I was huge by this point or if time is flying this time because we are so incredibly busy with the girls there is no time to even think about what is coming down the pipe. My mom emailed me yesterday asking if today was the big day. I thought she was talking about the girl's first day of pre-school which is Friday, but she meant ultrasound day. Yep, I even forgot it was ultrasound day, the day we got to find out what we were having, yes we know and no I am not going to post it here for various reasons, but either way we are happy and excited and it is healthy! It is measuring about 5 days to a week ahead of schedule, but that is still okay and all looks healthy. So far my official weight gain stands at about 8.5 pounds, I wish it were a little less, but really I should be happy with that. If I was listening to my doctor I would be upwards around 18-19 pounds, she said a pound a week roughly for the pregnancy. 40 pounds seems like a lot to me for a singleton, so I am trying to keep it down as low as I can. With the girls I was way over 21 pounds and looking a lot larger than I do now. I feel really big, but when I look at the few belly pictures we have from the girl's pregnancy this is nothing. Other than that things are going well and progressing nicely. My placenta is presenting a little low, but my doctor didn't seem concerned. I on the other hand of course want all the information on what this means. She said most likely it will move up as the uterus grows, but that if it doesn't it may be declared placenta previa. For other cases this would mean the person had to have a c-section, which I already have to have regardless, because of the classical incision used to get Natalie out, that in itself is an entire separate blog post. At this point I am like that is okay, since I already have to have a c-section. The doctor then says I may have to be on modified pelvic rest, no lifting, no heavy house cleaning etc. So I could still drive the girls to school and wouldn't be laid up in bed, okay that I can handle. Finally, the doctor says and there is a 40% chance that you might have to have a hysterectomy. Now usually I feel like knowledge is power, but from now until my next ultrasound in 10-12 weeks I get to wonder if this will all happen and how the c-section will go. I am not much of a gambler I could handle the odds of 3-7% chance of us having twins again because they were so low, but a 40% chance of a hysterectomy scares me a little. I mean we are 100% done having kids, but there is just something a little daunting to me knowing my c-section may not be a plain ole c-section. In all honesty I am going to try to not worry about it, because like the doctor said the placenta might move on up and all would be okay and either way, there is nothing that can be done if it doesn't move and I will just have to have faith that all will go well and at least little peanut #3 is healthy and growing and a very active little one at that. I am already feeling kicks and it was very active during the ultrasound. So for now that is the update from our world more to come in the next weeks!

The girl's feelings

I have had a few questions about how the girls feel about bringing a baby into our family and I believe they are excited. I don't think they understand the whole idea completely, but we have been very honest with them from the beginning. Before we started trying we asked them if they would like a brother or sister and they both said they wanted a sister :-) Then a little while after we found out we were expecting Maddie came up to me one day and asked me if I had something in my belly, like she already knew. Out of the two of them Maddie has been way more into things asking me about the baby and asking to look at the baby books and wondering how big it is today and this and that. She also likes to curl up with me and pat my stomach. This gives me a little comfort since she is the one I am most worried about adjusting. Maddie has always been a momma's girl and one of my biggest fears would be that she hate me if we added another child. So far she has shown that she is going to be a great little helper. They go to all of my appointments with me and the other day they both ran over to my side and asked if that was the baby making noise when we heard the heartbeat. I know we will still have a big period of adjustment when the little one arrives, but the goal is to keep their lives as normal as possible throughout the introduction. I am making plans to ensure that they are able to go to all of their activities and school and that their daily routine doesn't get changed to much. My mom is going to come stay with us so that they get to sleep in their own beds and be around the things that are familiar to them while I am at the hospital. I want this experience to be positive and not a big wrecking ball running through their lives. I know some will see my wishes and desires and "rules" to be anal and controlling, but I know how I want things to go and I am going to do my best to ensure that things are done the way I want them, because I want the girls to feel included and not feel like we have forgotten them. We plan on having them come to the hospital as soon as they can after the baby is born and after Tom and I they will be the first to meet their new sibling before anyone else. We are also making plans to take them to a sibling prep class at the hospital where they get to learn about the new baby and some things to expect when it arrives. Overall I think we will be able to make this experience positive for everyone it is just going to take some planning and dedication from us and understanding from others in our lives as to how we want things handled. For now though life goes on as is and we are just going to a few more doctor appointments than usual and things with the girls are good!

How quickly one forgets

A few months back back I wrote about the great baby debate that was going at our house, well the debate has been finished and we are happy to announce that we are expecting Stahl Peanut #3 in mid January. At first I was really nervous about our decision, but as things have progressed I am getting more and more excited. I was nervous we would have twins again, a task I wasn't sure I would be able to handle. We only had a 3-7% chance of having twins, but that percentage was enough to make me incredibly nervous for the first 9.5 weeks until we saw the sweet little picture of the ONE! So far things have been going pretty good. I have been pretty sick and I have been anti-neasuea medication for 6 or 7 weeks now. There was one day I was pretty sick and almost had to go to the hospital, but things are getting better and I am less tired and feeling more human. I have found it pretty amazing how quickly you forget things that now seem clear as day. I remember being sick, but I didn't remember being as sick as I have been. I also didn't remember the aches and pains i am already having, but Tom says he does remember and he just laughs at me when I ask if this or that was like when I was pregnant with the girls. Other than the usual aches and pains and expected things all is going well. I have gotten bigger faster this time, but my doctor said I am measuring where I should be and all is going well. The babies heart rate was 166 today and it was great to hear the little heartbeat again. We will have our ultrasound at the end of August where we may or may not find out the sex of the baby. If we do find out we may or may not make it public, we may choose to wait until the little one arrives to make the gender public. We are handling this pregnancy a little different than our first and we are sharing things later and keeping more things to ourselves. I am not sure if it is because we are enjoying our last pregnancy, because this will be the last or if it is because there are so few things in life you can totally control or what, but I promise to post more as the pregnancy progresses, but whether the sex of the little one is announced I cannot guarantee. So that is the news for now and I reckon there will probably be more blogging from me in the near future since I will actually have something to blog about!

Educational Dilemmas

From a very early age it has been engrained in my that education is one of the most important aspects of life and that you can get a lot out of it and it will help you go far. I don't think this engraining started when I was 3, but here I am making educational decisions for the girls that could affect their futures. I never thought that I would have to worry as much about preschool as I have/do. It is crazy, I spent months and months looking at different programs and schools and finally found one that matched most of our criteria, only to be able to get the girls enrolled one day a week. I was fine with that at first, but as it gets closer to school starting I wonder if they would benefit from an additional day. We have the opportunity to send the girls to a new preschool that is being held at our Children's museum. I have a few hesitations, mostly that it is downtown, which would mean driving the drive every week to get there, but it seems like a wonderful opportunity. It is a Montessori based school, which means it allows for structured free thinking a philosophy that I think is great and one that I wish we could have enrolled in from the get go, but the school out here just isn't affordable for us as this time. This program is and it offers what we want and allows the girls to explore the museum in way that they probably wouldn't be able to with me. My dilemmas you ask? Well, I fear that I will sign them up for an additional day at this school and then I will get a call from the school out here where they will also attend telling me that they have an additional day for them. Then, do I ditch the Museum school, eat the non-refundable deposit, do one day at each school or do three days of school. I know one would think that this shouldn't be a stressful but to me it is. I want the girls to have a great experience early with school so that they don't hate it later in life and I want them to learn as well so to me this is an important decision. Right now I think I am leaning towards signing them up at the Museum and seeing how it goes and crossing the bridge, if I get to it, if there is another day available to them at the school out here. A decisions, decisions, things that you won't find in a parenting book, but that would be helpful!

Boring

I have decided lately that I am a very boring person. I feel like I used to have so much to blog about, but lately, or really not so lately I just don't have much of importance to share with others. When I do want to blog I find that it would just be me complaining so I resist, why put others through a whine feast unless it is a really good one?! Don't get me wrong I don't just sit on the couch staring at the wall day in and day out, we are very active, but I don't think the few readers I do have need an update daily on the activity we went to that day, unless it is a new and good one. I have a feeling the blog may pick up in the fall when the girls start school, but who knows. They are such silly little things that they say the craziest things, which I often think I should share, but as quickly as I have the thought of sharing it is gone. At the moment they are playing "animals" their favorite thing to do and the cat is making pig noises, while a giraffe is asking for hay to eat. Their imaginations are amazing and I am so lucky that they can go off and pretend play together and it sure is fun to sit and listen to what their little minds come up with. Mud baths and going to the airport, traveling all over and going to the zoo are just a few of the destinations the "animals" have been too.
So anyway, again, not much is going on here, but if I think of something good to write about more will follow, I promise.

Summe Daze

I have officially already entered into the summer daze. It got hot out way faster than I anticipated for the year and it has been pretty awful. I am not a girl of heat. I like my jeans and sweatshirts and laying by a fire wrapped in a blanket. I don't enjoy sweating when I walk out the door or when I get out of the shower or when the air conditioner isn't set low enough at night and it is almost 80 upstairs when I wake up. We have had the great luxury of going to our Friends the Welch's pool a few time already which has been a great heat escape and we have our wading pool set up outside. It just hasn't been a very great start to summer for me at least. The heat doesn't seem to affect the girls though, they are ready to go outside and run around, be pushed on the swing and to play in the sand box. We are doing a few activities this summer, Ballet, gymnastics and Maddie has tried out soccer. She loves it, but I have been less than thrilled with the "coach" they touch the actual soccer ball for roughly 10 minutes out of 60 and that is not what I am paying far. Not to mention that the facility does not have air conditioning and is a huge warehouse with no ventilation. We may only do one session of that and then try again in the fall, since she really does enjoy it. Other than that not much has really been shaking around here, just relaxing and enjoying the slower summer pace.

Profound

There are times in life when things happen that are fantastic, then there are other times where your world can be shattered in an instant. My immediate world hasn't been shattered, but it has really been shaken. Yesterday, a young sister and brother of some family friends were killed in a car accident on their way to school. In one split second that families world was turned upside down and nothing will ever be the same for them or their close friend. It is profound to think how life changes, and how other people's lives can change yours. As a parent you always want to keep your children safe and protect them, while loving them at the same time. I never understood this really until yesterday. I mean I love my children and want to keep them safe, but I never really thought about how hard it can be to do this. When we were younger my brother and sister and I used to beg my dad to let me drive them around and we didn't see what the big deal was, but he always held fast and would not let us ride together. I think now it still makes him a little nervous when we all go off together, but we are allowed to. I didn't understand fully why he wouldn't let us ride together until yesterday. I get it now, his "insanity" was his way of trying to keep us safe. It makes me sad that this tragedy had to occur for me to see why my dad did this and it makes me think about my future and how I am going to keep the girls safe as they grow. Aside from never letting them leave the house there are no hard fast guarantees to safety, but I hope that I am able to pass on some of the wisdom that my parents gave me, to them. I also hope that this feeling I have now of deep sadness, loss and confusion, pass soon, but at the same time stick with me and remind me that life can change in the blink of an eye and that you can't take the one's you love for granted, you have to live each day like it is your last and treat people with love and respect. My heart is breaking for this family and I hope they find peace soon and they are in my thoughts and I am grieving with them over their loss.

Winning the battles, but losing the war

I have been battling my weight for a large part of my life or for as long as I can remember. I am always "dieting" or watching what I eat, and working out trying to lose "X" amount of pounds. Last year I lost almost 18 pounds and I was so proud of myself. Then enter winter and the holidays and here I am about 5 months later and I have gained back 10 of those pounds. Annoyed and angry with myself I can't stop eating. I pick up something bad, think to myself, "don't eat that" and then follow it with eating what is in my hand and then some. It in all honesty is disgusting and I know I shouldn't do it. Each week we get an organic food delivery. Fresh fruits and veggies and other wholesome organic food that is really good for you and for the most part tastes really good as well. Then I follow it up with chocolate or some of the girls bad for you cookies, it is horrible. I negate the the bad food by "working out" I have trained for and finished one half marathon this year a few weeks ago and I am again currently still training for the Indianapolis Mini Marathon. I of course use my training as an excuse to eat more and more bad junk food and it does nothing for me. Not only am I putting on the weight but the weight is affecting my knees, again, which in turn affects my running. When I was 10, 15 pounds lighter it really made a difference, crazy as it sounds it was easier to run, but as the scale goes up, the harder it gets to run and the more I eat because I am depressed. I know I eat for comfort and mostly because I am bored, and boy do I wish that I could stop this cycle. It is horrible and I keep finding myself trapped in the lose/gain battle that has become my life. Now enter Spring and no more excuses. It is the time of the freshest fruits and veggies, great weather and the chance to be outside, walking and playing with the girls till our hearts are content. Hopefully I will be able to get some of these pounds back off and hit the weights to tone up. Then come next fall and winter, the exercise will not slack and the pounds will not come back. so here is hoping I can keep up with goals and ambitions and keeping the pounds at bay and to ending this life long weight cycle.

The Great Baby Debate

For over the past year there has been a debate going on in our house over whether to have a third child or not. Now, one would think that after a year a decision would have been made, but it hasn't. I wish this were an easy decision and that the answer would just come to us, but we go back and forth. A great deal of my day is consumed with thoughts over whether or not to add that third addition and what it would be like if there were five of us instead of four. Four is such a good number. We aren't outnumbered at this stage, it is easy to travel, shop and do most everything. But really, is that a good reason not to add another? Another sibling for the girls, more laughter and fun each day and during the holidays. More hugs and kisses and "I Love You." Yes, there are these great positives, but there are also the financial hardships, the cost of three college degrees instead of two, Ballet, Gymnastics, Soccer, Piano lessons, etc all times three, how do you know? I think that a lot of my hang-ups are the finances and the way that I was raised. I had a very great childhood filled with travel, and vacations and playing soccer, doing gymnastics and ballet and having opportunities that I want my children to experience as well. We have already started to season the girls on travel and we continue my family's tradition of going to Maine each summer and the girls and I go to Florida in the Spring. They have their activities and they are starting to make friends. How would their life change and would we be able to continue to give them the lifestyle that I had and want them to have. I know people say don't worry about finances and if you wait until you are financially stable you won't do it. But we have been so blessed with two little angels already is it fair for us to want another, or is that too selfish of a move? All of these thoughts run through my mind and I wish we could come to a conclusion because not deciding is really wearing me down. It is almost like I am at the point where I want to say, "okay we are pulling the trigger, let's do it." Or if we aren't, "okay, let's stop talking about it and get on with life and focus on the girls". Ahhhh if only I could see the future and know what the right decision is, ah life, you gotta love it!

Well no wonder

Today, after having put it off for years, I finally went and had allergy testing done. I was pretty sure I was allergic to the usual dust, pollen etc, but I had no idea I was pretty much allergic to everything in one way or another. It turns out I am allergic to dust, mold, grass, candida (yeast), dogs and cats and a few other things. As my dr. put it, i am severly to moderatly allergic to everything including the cats and dogs, which is pretty comical, because we have two cats and one happens to be a long hair. My dr. gave me some options of using Allegra and Nasonex or starting immunotherapy treatment in the form of shots. I agreed to the allergra and such, but am having to think about the shots. It is a 3-5 year commitment, where the first year you have to go every week to get a shot. That seems like a huge commitment, but in the end it will probably be worth it, so we will see.
My doctor also recommended that there are things around the house I can do to help alleviate some of the household allergies, which most of these things we already do and I really wonder if other people don't?!
1. Vacuum at least every two weeks, can anyone really go two whole weeks without vacuuming? We vacuum almost every day if not at least 4-5 times a week, so once every week is easy.
2. Launder the sheets and bedding once every 7-10 days. The best thing in the world is clean sheets which I change at least once a week or more depending on what is going on, it never really occurred to me that others wouldn't change their bedding as frequently.
3. Keep the cats off the furniture and out of the bedroom. On this one I was laughing hysterically in my head because not only do we let our cats in the bedroom and on the furniture, but my cat, for the last 8 years, has slept with me pretty much right by my face or at the very least at my feet. I was like okay this is one of my main allergies how do I kick her out after 8 years.
4. Eat a low yeast diet. This one will ,if I chose to proceed, be the hardest to accomplish, it basically is a diet of fruits, veggies, meat and nothing else. While this is the hardest to implement for me, a lot of my health issues may be related to this allergy. Headaches, pms, anxiety, depression, Lactose intolerance, fatigue, panic attacks and digestional distress can all be caused from this one allergy and of course I suffer from these almost daily if not weekly. So I am going to start working on my motivation to try that diet, but giving up sugar sounds like and awful hard task and one I am not sure I can handle. I love me some chocolate.
So basically it was a little shocker to actually find out what my allergies are, but at least I have a starting off point and maybe I won't have to spend the next 30 years in pain and depressed because I least have a little idea of what is causing some of my problems. So here is to a very clean house, and a possible diet change that could definately change my life for the better.

Take a Moment

All to often in life we focus on the negative aspects or the bad things that are going on around us, instead of focusing on the positive and good. I know that I am as guilty as the next person for looking at the negative and for not being happy all the time, but all to often I am down and not truly enjoying life the way I should be. One never really knows how short one's life will be and each moment should be lived as if it were the last. You can't spend your life pleasing others or living for others, but you can live for yourself. You are the holder of your own destiny and if you are to be happy then it is up to you to make sure you follow the path that will bring this happiness to you. Otherwise you will be destined to be unhappy and to live an unfulfilled life. So in the words of Anais Nin:

Dreams pass into the reality of action. From the actions stems the dream again; and this interdependence produces the highest form of living.

So form your dreams and go after them, you only have one life so you might as well life it to the fullest.

Kids really do say and do the craziest things!

Lately Maddie and Natalie have really been cracking me up in the things they do and say. Their imaginations are huge and wild and I really never know what they are going to say. This was proven both yesterday and today when Maddie, had I been sitting at the time, would have had me falling out of my chair. We have had a bunch of doctor appointments this week between the three of us and I was trying to explain to them yesterday morning what was going to happen when I went to mine, so they would be prepared and better behaved. Well, when we walked in Maddie yells, "Mommy, is this where they are going to look at your boobies?" What an entrance I tell you. Then after a little while she informs me and everyone else in the waiting area that she has to go poop on the little potty. That would have been fine if she didn't hike up her dress and start taking her underwear off as she started running to the bathroom yelling, "I have to poop, I have to poop." There I am jaw on the ground trying to grab my bag and Natalie and get to her to help her out. Good times let me tell you. It was a good laugh after the fact, but it was pretty embarrassing while it was happening. Then today we were at the dermatologist and the girls were very good and we had almost made it out the door without any mishaps. Well, then all of a sudden Maddie trips and hurts herself somehow and I am not sure how, but she tells me her who ha hurts and I need to kiss it. I am quickly trying to usher her out the door as she is holding herself past all the other patients asking me to kiss it....ugh seriously, I tell you what I was completely embarrassed even though I understand that most people think it is funny and cute, but when it is your child, you get a little embarrassed. I guess from now on I will have to be more prepared and know that anything could come out of their mouths and try to teach them that it is not okay to run around screaming you have to go to the bathroom while trying to get out of your undergarments!

Hot, hot and hotter

I remember saying around February or so that when summer came I would welcome the warmth and wouldn't complain. Well, here I am getting ready to complain. I honestly would take the cold, frigid days of winter over this extreme heat and humidity. It is unbearable over 90 degrees with high, high humidity. It is crazy, so crazy in fact that I went for a run this morning at 8:30 and I could only go for a mile and a half because it was so awful. It is the kind of heat where you walk out the door and your breath is taken away, you start sweating immediately and it is just awful. I can't remember a summer like this where it was this hot already and I long for a summer where you can go outside and breath and enjoy the sunny days and do activities that involve movement without wanting to crawl into a hole. On days like this I sit and think about what it would be like to live somewhere else, somewhere less humid and closer to 4 seasons instead of the 2.5 Indiana has. When I was younger I never thought I would live in Indiana and I certainly didn't think that I would have lived here for 11 years and I have got the itch. The itch for new scenery, new activities and just everything new. I hope that someday in the near future we will be able to take our family and hit the road settle on the West coast somewhere or at least further West than the Midwest and closer to my brother and sister. Ahhhh, but for now I am just crossing my fingers that this heat will pass and the summer won't be so unbearable and we will be able to enjoy the outside and the girl's little oasis that we have built for them...good times to come and fun in the sun :-)

For the Love of Maine

There is something so great and relaxing about going on vacation and even more so going to Maine. Almost every year we head to the East Coast for a visit to my family's house in Maine. It is so nice and peaceful and the ocean sounds is absolutely great. The weather this week has not been ideal, but it is still Maine and the scenery and food are fabulous. I have been having a hard time eating the lobster this time around due to finding some of them pregnant, which has totally grossed me out and makes me want to become a vegetarian... ah well, at least I got it in twice before I totally got grossed out. But Maine is always fun to sit and relax and see family I don't always get to see and it is just a great relaxing place. The girls have been enjoying fishing and going on the rocks and playing with their Auntie, Uncle and Miss. Grace and of course their Yaya. It has been a good time and I cannot believe we only have a few days left. Why does vacation time go by so much faster than "real" time? Reality will be back soon, but for now, I am going to enjoy the time we have left here with the lobster and the ocean!

We are almost there

Potty training in our house is almost complete. I knew that Maddie would come around in her own time and so I didn't push her or really even ask her if she wanted to try. She would congratulate Natalie and tell her good job, but when asked if she wanted a diaper or big girl pants she always chose the diaper until this week. She just started sitting on the potty and saying she didn't want to wear a diaper anymore. She has only had a few accidents, and still needs to work a little on the number two issue, but all in all she has entered into the world of big girls. Natalie is 99% there minus a few accidents when playing in water outside, but all in all she is there. It does make planning outings a little more challenging, making sure there is a toilet available and remembering to take them every 45 minutes to an hour, but for the most part it has been a great and easy transition and one milestone I am happy to say is almost complete!