Happy Birthday to Me!

I celebrated my 34th birthday this past Friday. It's hard to believe that another year has already gone by. I am still closer to 30 than 40 but not for long!

I had a very nice day. It was Todd's flex day so he was off work and Michael's school was closed. What could make my birthday better than getting to spend it with my three favorite people? After waking up to nurse, Katie and I went back to sleep until almost 9:30. That was heavenly. And we took a nap together in the afternoon. Later in the afternoon, we went out to get Michael's new glasses and then picked up a few things to cook dinner.

Todd made me a wonderful pasta carbonara with shrimp. It was so delicious that I ate 2 bowls. And topped it off with a piece of Carvel ice cream cake. Only the best ice cream cake ever!

We celebrated with my parents earlier in the week as they were on their way to Florida and we celebrated with Todd's parents and his brother last night. I had the fabulous Carvel cake at both celebrations....I look forward to it all year.

For my present this year, Todd wanted to get my blog published into a book. Since I didn't really blog regularly before 2009, I am going to combine the few entries I had in 2007 and 2008, along with 2009. Of course, now I have to get started on composing the book. Any suggestions for what publisher you used or tips to make it easier would be greatly appreciated!

It was a great birthday. Thanks to Todd for cooking a fabulous dinner and letting me enjoy myself and relax. I really couldn't ask for anything more.

Wordless Wednesday

A Smaller Dishwasher

We have a regular sized dishwasher in our kitchen but a smaller dishwasher recently appeared in our kitchen. Here is a picture of the new dishwasher:



This model does not require any power, as he generates his own energy. And his enthusiasm for the task is unmatched by any other model. He is very efficient and continues to ask for more dishes to wash. The best part about him is that we should have no problem when it comes time to upgrade. I am sure that there will be plenty of young women who will be interested in this model in about 20 years!

New Year, New Recipes

Since I am home with the kids now and am not so rushed at dinnertime, I am trying to be better in the kitchen. It's no secret to most people who know me that I don't really like to cook that much, even though I love baking. I don't know the reason for this but maybe it has something to do with the end result. Baked goods last longer than dinner and people seem to get greater enjoyment from them!

I have been getting back on track with meal planning since this year started. Todd and I have been sitting down and discussing possible meals for the week. Each week, I cook some things we really like and I try to throw in at least one new recipe. As a result, I am actually beginning to enjoy cooking a little more. There have been some recipes that we won't have again and others that will become regular meals in our dinner rotation.

I still do my fair share of baking and Michael helps me quite a bit with that. He loves to make things for Todd and he loves to eat them too. This week we made mini cheesecakes and we are going to make cookies tomorrow!!

Wordless Wednesday -Too Quick

10 months and counting.....

for Katie, that is. It's hard to believe that in 2 short months, she is going to be 1! It seems like she was just born.

This past month was a time of many milestones for Katie. I love this age. She is so much fun and really starting to "talk" and interact with us, especially Michael. Katie learns something new every day and she is looking more like a toddler and less like a baby to me now.

Katie now has 4 teeth in less than one month. She has the front two bottom ones and then the top 2 lateral incisors. The front 2 top teeth are bulging under the surface but haven't emerged yet. It's kind of cute to see her smile as 2 of the teeth are pretty hidden. She is eating everything and has quite an appetite. We went to Todd's office on Tuesday for lunch and she ate a bit of my taco, trying to take a huge bite out of it. It was pretty funny!

She started army crawling the day after Christmas. Over the next 2 weeks, she learned how to sit back up from her stomach, crawl on her hands and knees, pull up to her feet on the couch or a person and can now cruise. It's like everything that had to do with movement clicked all at once. On Thursday, she actually went up the bottom 2 steps on the stairs using the railing. That was a little unnerving, as it means nowhere is safe to leave her. I see her thinking about letting go of what she is holding on to and standing by herself!

Katie's talks to just about everyone that she knows and is getting a bit more generous with her smiles. She loves to laugh at Michael as he does the most entertaining things to her and it's just a deep, rich laugh. She has started pointing at things that she wants, which is so cute.

I can't wait to see what this next month brings. Katie gets more and more fun the older she gets. I also have to start thinking about what to do for her birthday. I have a few ideas in mind!

Here is Katie at 10 months:

Thursday Tidbits #4

It's been a while since I have done one of these posts but with the holidays, time just seemed to get away from me (plus Christmas Eve and NYE were on Thursdays).

• I know everyone is tired of hearing about the weather, but the cold spell has finally broken here. It's supposed to be in the 60's tomorrow and we are actually getting ready to play outside.
• Katie is everywhere and into everything. You have to watch her constantly. She has tried to eat the end of the doorstop several times, as well as anything random she might find on the kitchen floor!
• It's fun to watch Michael and Katie interact now that she is more mobile. I love seeing the glimpse into the future of the two of them playing (and fighting) together.
• This weekend will be a 4 day weekend for both Todd and Michael, as they both have off on Friday and Monday. Looking forward to some nice family time.
• I was finally able to park the van in the garage for the first time since we got it last May. The smallest things excite me.
• Work is moving along on our deck roof. Will do a complete post with pictures once the project is completed.
• Still trying to get organized this year. We spent quite a bit of time in Katie's room this week sorting clothes and putting away baby toys.

Looking forward to lots of new tidbits for 2010!!

A Visit to the Dentist

Today was Michael's first visit to the dentist. We had gotten a referral from Michael's pediatrician, as well as a recommendation from a friend.

It was a pediatric dentist and like no other dentist I had ever been to. When you walked into the waiting area, it reminded me of waiting to eat at the Rainforest Cafe. There were tree sculptures around the office, as well as various animals hanging on the walls. The door to the bathroom looked like a door to a log cabin (I should know as we visited the bathroom 2 times while we were there!). There was a regular waiting room with chairs and magazines and to the right of it was another waiting area. This was glassed in with double doors leading in. Inside were several video games, wood benches and a Thomas train table. Michael was in heaven with the train table.

We had a bit of a wait but the time went by quickly and we were called to come back. The exam room was quite large and could accomodate 4 patients at one time. There was a large TV on the wall and the chairs were arranged in a semicircle. On the floor at the center of the semicircle were 6 glass floor panels. The panels covered a mini jungle in the floor! Michael was loving it and kept walking over top of it. I have to admit that I was a bit nervous to talk on top of it myself.

Katie and I sat on a bench and talked with the dental hygienist while Michael explored the jungle. After that, he got right into the exam chair. He was so cooperative for the hygienist and opened his mouth to let her count his teeth. She then used the mirror and showed him how to use it too. Next was the toothbrushing. Michael chose the bubblegum flavored toothpaste and got each of his teeth cleaned with no problems. The hygienist then squirted his teeth with water and used the suction tool, which Michael liked. He even let her floss his teeth. I wasn't surprised about that because he lets me do it at home when he has something stuck in his teeth! We waited for a bit longer for the dentist to come to check Michael's teeth. Everything turned out really well and the dentist said Michael's teeth looked great and he would see us in 6 months.

Michael got a goodie bag at the end of the appointment. It had a toothbrush, floss, pencil, and stickers. All of that was in a case for travel. He got a short tour of the office before we headed back to checkout. The final part of the visit was to have his picture taken in front of the elephant for a memory of his first visit. I don't have the picture as they will send it to us but I thought this was a nice touch.

All in all, I was surprised it went so well. We have been talking about the appointment for several weeks now and I hoped that he would be OK with getting his teeth cleaned. I think it helped that he has been to the dentist with Todd and I but there are no sure things with 3 year olds. I asked him if he liked it and he told me that he really liked the Thomas table just like he has at home.

More cold weather!

Since this year started, we have been having a quite a cold spell. The only thing that would make it worse is if it was raining too. Last month we had recordbreaking amounts of rain. I was somewhere around 9 inches.

Only one day last week did we have temperatures over 50 for the daily high. The normal temperatures are normally in the 50's for the daily high in January. I wonder if this is going to be a trend for the upcoming years. It reminds me of living in New Jersey.

I do not enjoy really cold weather, having to bundle up and having cracked lips and hands. I hope that soon it warms up a bit but I have heard that the trend this winter is going to be cold. I just hope that we don't get any snow, which quite a nightmare in South Carolina. In fact, recently I have been questioning we were are living at since it's been so cold. Hoping for a warming trend soon!

Michael's 1st Burn

It was bound to happen sooner or later. Michael really enjoys cooking and baking with me in the kitchen. He usually does pretty well staying away from the burners on the stovetop. We have a smooth cooktop so the burners can be dark and still be hot. The only way you would know that was if you saw the red light on the back.

I had been cooking some ground beef and took the pan to the sink to drain the meat. Michael was standing on his stool at the stovetop and leaned his hand on the burner that I had just been cooking on. The burner was not lit up and Michael didn't know that it was hot.

We got the Mickey Mouse ice pack that I have for bumps and bruises and applied it to Michael's hands. He was OK for a little while and then he took a shower and his hands got wet. They were really hurting him and he didn't calm down until he got in bed with his ice pack and Todd.

This morning we checked his hands and he had a few small blisters on the fingertips but he wasn't crying nearly as much that they hurt as Wednesday. Hopefully he has learned his lesson about touching things that he shouldn't. We are thankful that he didn't get more hurt and the burn wasn't more severe!

One short week

was all it took for Katie to go from a sitting baby to a mobile toddler. She started army crawling last Sunday, the 27th. In the course of one week, she has learned how to get back into a sitting position from her stomach, crawl on her hands and knees across the room, and pull up on to her knees. Today she finally pulled up on to her feet.

It's amazing to me how fast she is growing up. I am hit hard with the realization that my baby isn't going to be a baby for much longer. She is still very cuddly and loves to be held but she is asserting her independence. And I think that she is going to make Michael think twice about leaving his belongings out in Katie's reach. Anything available is now fair game.....I tried to warn him ahead of time!

In the midst of all this movement, Katie is also getting her third tooth. She already has the bottom two front teeth. This next tooth crept in unnoticed as it's not one of the two front teeth on top but one of the lateral incisors. It's already broken through the gums and explains the fever and slight crankiness. Maybe someday Katie will open her mouth for 5 seconds so I can take a picture of her cute little teeth!

Happy New Year 2010

I can't believe that we are already in the year 2010! It seems like we just celebrated the turn of the century. The past 10 years have brought lots of changes for me. On 1/1/00, Todd and I had just gotten engaged. Since then, we have gotten married, bought a house, had 2 kids and each celebrated our 30th birthdays.

Hope that everyone else had a great New Year and 2010 brings joy and good things to everyone!!