Chad's Big Day!

So I'm finally posting about Chad's graduation and the party we had to celebrate!! He was involved in two separate graduation ceremonies... the first one was his Doctoral Hooding Ceremony and the second was his departmental graduation. Both of the ceremonies were awesome. I really enjoyed the Doctoral Hooding Ceremony because it was held in Royce Hall at UCLA which is really beautiful. ( I think that they usually hold music or theatre type events there). They called each student up on stage and "hooded" them with the correct color hood ( in his case, Navy Blue and Gold). Very cool.... The ceremony for his department was also very nice and much more informal. The coolest part was that because he had already participated in the hooding ceremony he sat on the the stage with the other professors and when his name was called they personally read his Dissertation Topic , etc..etc... It was also nice because Olivia ( along with 10 other family members) was able to attend and see her daddy graduate.

Later that day, after the departmental graduation, we held a HUGE party in our backyard to celebrate. I think we ended up with about 70 people or so... !!!! It was a luau theme and everyone really seemed to enjoy themselves...

(pause)... I'm having a contraction as I write... ai, yi, yi.

Anyway, I was REALLY happy that we made it through all the festivities without me going into labor or having a newborn around. It was a great celebration for my loving husband who worked for so long on a HUGE accomplishment.

He now has a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology... what a stud!!

xoxox

38 weeks

The baby is now the size of a leek and about 6 1/2 pounds..(according to babycenter.com). The baby "feels" like it is about the size of a pumpkin and weighs about 9 pounds...but who knows. :-) It's hard to believe I am almost to the end of this journey...it has gone by in a flash.

Today is my last day of work until November.. Hurray! It will be nice to be home full time with Olivia and the new baby..

Here is a picture of a "leek". Doesn't seem quite big enough to me ...ha!

xoxo

Say "Cheese"!

Here are some pics for free...she tries to say "cheese" for the camera and always squints up her eyes in the process.. pretty funny. The pic of her holding the cucumber and lemon is special cuz we grew both of those in our garden... she was pretty proud to be holding them....

xoxoxo

Ahhhh...toddlerhood.

Last night Chad and I decided to head to the mall near our house because on Wednesday evenings they have a Farmer's Market and live music.. very fun. I also had to pick a little something up in the mall. Olivia was in a great mood and was immediately thrilled by the bit fountain outside the mall entrance. We let her throw a penny into and she could not have been happier.....Then the evening proceeded something like this:

5:30 Walk throught the mall to the store..Olivia first wants to walk, then be held, then walk, then be held, etc.etc....

6:00 Go to a restaurant for dinner...Olivia colors her picture ( crayons graciously provided by the restaurant) in about 5.2 seconds, then she stands up in the booth and tries to touch the man's head who is sitting behind us. ( Have a quick chat about privacy and personal space). Bread arrives....quiet for about 2 minutes. Then meal arrives...she proceeds to try and then spit out the trout we ordered ( well at least she tried it). Eats broccoli and mashed potatoes instead...after eating for 5 minutes decides it's time to let everyone know how loud she can be...( this is "new" for her )..Chad is mortified..(Have a quick chat about "inside" voices),then we quickly finish dinner and pay the bill. Olivia waves bye-bye to everybody around us and people look very relieved that we are leaving.

6:45 Walk thru the farmer's market..buy some honey.. Olivia decides the honey bear is now her best friend...let's "him" sit next to her while she proceeds to dance precociously to the live music that is playing.

7:15 head home... Olivia is busy chatting in the back seat about her evening.. apparently she is quite content with what she has experienced. We are pooped.

The crazy thing is.... We are about to start the process all over again with a new one!!! Aghhh...are we nuts?

xoxoxo

My shower!

On May 17th, my mom and sister threw me a great shower at a little tea room in Pasadena, CA. It was wonderful... or I should say AWESOME! The food was unbelievable and the company was even better. Thank-you to all who came and shared in my special day...we got some much needed items for the new baby including a really cool new stroller that allows Olivia to hop on and off the back easily... it is made by a company called Joovy. The color "orange" seemed to be the theme of the day as the baby got an orange teddy bear, we got a new orange and black diaper bag, and the stroller is orange and black... super cool!!!

xoxo

Breakfast Companion

Olivia has a new friend she likes to eat breakfast with... his name is Henry. He really likes blueberry belgium waffles.

xoxoxo

Woos and Woes

This past weekend was filled with "Woo-Hoo's"! On Friday Chad defended his dissertation to a crowd of about 70 people... Amazing! He was poised and confident and I had absolutely no idea what he was talking about... :-) He has a couple of revisions to do and then it will go off for binding to be put into the UCLA library. :-) We took him out to dinner that night and then he promptly fell asleep at around 8:30 pm out of pure exhaustion..

Saturday my family threw me a small baby shower at a lovely tea house in Pasadena. There were just 11 of us but it was perfect. My mom and sister really did a nice job .. the food was awesome and I got some really nice things. It was really fun opening gifts this time around because I didn't register for anything so I had absolutely no idea what the gifts were. So fun... as soon as I download pics I will post them. :-)

On Sunday we went to church to hear my brother-in-law preach.. it was really nice to hear him speak and to watch how enthusiastic he is about God's word. We all went out to eat afterwards to do a little late Mother's day celebrating and then my mom, Chad's mom, Jen, my sister, and I all went to get pedicures and manicures. I seriously hadn't had one in like 6 months... pathetic.

On to the woe's ( which really aren't that bad):

1. It's frickin hot!
2. I'm pretty much uncomfortable all the time..just feeling really heavy and things just feel smushed inside...*sigh*
3. I'm ready to be done with work..( outside the home that is)..but I still have 3 more weeks. My brain loves the stimulation but my body is just miserable getting up and down all day long, etc.etc.
4. I'm running on little sleep...I get about 2 hour stretches at night between bathroom visits..but I know it is God's way of making me ready for the little one..amazing.

Those woes aren't too bad...the baby is now the size of a cantalope. Feels bigger than that.. but we'll see. I'm really hoping that it doesn't turn out to be as big as Olivia was at birth ( 8 pounds 15 ounces)...but 2nd babies are usually bigger. *sigh*.

8 months and counting...

Here is my 8 month pic...as Chad puts it " you now look like you've swallowed a whole watermelon". Hmmmm... I'll have to think about that one. I think I just look tired...it's amazing how different pregnancy is when you don't have ample time to just lay down and take a rest once in a while....the baby moves CONSTANTLY ( just like Olivia did ) and has been having the hiccups a lot lately. My new "craving" is crunching on crushed ice ( I'm sure my dentist would disapprove). I'm officially 33 weeks pregnant and most people I talk to think I won't last 'till June 27th.. but we'll see about that.

xoxoxo

Happy Day!

Yesterday Chad officially turned in the written copy of his doctoral dissertation (about 180 pages ) for his 5 committee members to read. He orally defends his dissertation next Friday May 16th at 1 pm... :-) He has worked soooooo hard over the last 6 years on experiments, papers, and classes to get to this point. If you have a chance please either email him or phone him some congratulations... he sooooooo deserves it.

By-the-way... today he took Olivia to Disneyland to celebrate! How's that for feeling happy and relaxed!

xoxoxo

Catching up on the days news...

Olivia feels it is important to be current on her knowledge of world events.

I've been tagged!

I've been tagged by Chad's cousin Ana to answer the following questions!!! So here goes:

Five things on my To-Do List:

1. Finish some crocheting for two baby gifts I am working on
2. Take-out of storage and wash all my 0-3 month baby clothes...:-)
3. Change out some pics of Olivia in frames that are through out the house
4. Pay some bills
5. Fold laundry

Five Favorite Snacks!

1. Potato Chips (preferably with toasted onion dip)
2. Watermelon
3. Chocolate covered pretzels
4. a juicy orange
5. yogurt with granola

Five things I would do if I were a Billionaire:

1. Pay off all debt ( school loans, house payment)
2. Buy my mom a house
3. Buy my dad his 1957 corevette
4. Travel
5. Put away enough money so my kids would never have to worry

Five Bad Habits:

1. I bite my nails... :-(
2. I should exercise more..
3. Not drinking enough water..( that's a good one Ana)
4. Impatience
5. Leaving lights on in rooms I'm not using..

Five Places I have lived:

1. Katy, Texas
2. Bakersfield, California
3. Palm Springs, California
4. Fullerton, California
5. Encino, California

Five Jobs I've had:

1. Cashier-Pharmacy
2. Student Assistant-Extended Education CSUF
3. Researcher- Nursing Home
4. Summer camp Counseller
5. Audiolgist

I want to know more about: ( This means you are tagged)

1. Heather
2. Jenni Smith
3. Robyn
4. Dani
5. Vanessa

xoxoxoxoxoxo

White Trash Waterpark

....To save money we set up our own "water park " in the backyard... it's no "Raging Waters" but it has the same effect. :-)

Great Baby products!

So I am always on the hunt for great ECO-friendly baby products because I really feel that it is my duty to Mother Earth to tread as lightly as possible given the reality of WAY too many people on the planet.

At home we use cloth diapers which financially was the best choice for us ( yes, I wash and dry all the diapers myself... or .. the washer does the washing and the sun/clothesline does the drying.). BUT... when we are out and about or when Olivia is spending the day at her auntie and uncles house ( 3 days a week), I use disposable diapers...so began my hunt for the most eco-friendly/safe diapers to use for her.

I found some great ones and the best part is they are available at TARGET of all places. We had been using Seventh Generation ( which by-the-way is a FABULOUS company, and we use many of their other eco-friendly products) but their diapers were not biodegradeable and still use the "gel" that makes diapers so absorbent but has been proven to raise the temperature "down there" for the kiddos and also exposes them to unecessary chemicals... ok..ok.. get to the point melissa...

The company is "Nature Baby" and it was started by a Swedish Mum... :-) They make other baby products too, like wipes and lotions ( although Olivia is allergic to their diaper cream). They do not use the "gel" that is in most diapers and the best part is they are compostable ( just the pee-pee ones). :-) The outer covering is not petroleum based but is made from corn... :-)




So, if any of you mommies are looking for a more "green" solution for your babies, this is a great alternative.

xoxoxoxo

A New Friend

Caution: If you are squeamish at all about "bodily stuff" , this entry is not for you!

So Chad and I have taught Olivia that if she cannot physically "touch" something then she should wave and say "hi" to it/he/she...

Flash forward:

The dog is doing her "business" in the backyard at my mother-in-law's house this past weekend in Palm Springs...

Immediately Olivia becomes interested...starts to make her way over to the dog.

Me: "No touch poop, Olivia".

Olivia pauses and backs up about 2 steps, raises her little hand and gives a big wave: "HELLO Poo-poo"!!! Then she proceeds to laugh and repeat herself over and over...

*sigh*.

xoxoxox

Feeling Nostalgic

I added a song to my blog called "Forever Young" by Alphaville. It ALWAYS makes me think of my high-school buddies. I know it is soooooo corny but hopefully some of you will get a few memories out of it...I think about ALL of you all the time.. and you know who you are...hugs...

mel xoxoxox

Yippee... it's bedtime?!!!

Sometimes Olivia gets really silly before storytime.....here is the proof!!

10 things I love about today...

1. It's hump day!! That's Wednesday for all you normal people...:-)

2. I had a Subway veggie sandwich for lunch and it was very tasty.

3. I received some pics via email from my dear friend Dani who just moved to Portland...I LOVE getting THOSE type of emails.. :-)

4. "Most" of my patients today have been friendly...as opposed to just "some" of them.

5. The baby is wiggling a lot in my belly and making me laugh.. plus I think this morning it had the hiccups, which is so funny to me.

6. Olivia said " i luv u mama" on the phone when I called home earlier...*sigh*

7. The weather is perfect ... sunny and about 78 degrees. Ahhhhhh...

8. Tomorrow is the last work-day of "my" week. :-)

9. I am less than two months aways from maternity leave....if I make it that long.

10. I am healthy and blessed with a beautiful family. xoxoxoxoxxo

Olivia sings!

Olivia's new favorite past-time is to sing little songs around the house. Her new favorites are "Baby Beluga" by Raffi and of course the "ABC's". Here is a little snippet of her musical talents... :-)

( just pause the music at the bottom of the blog so you can hear her.. :-)

xoxox

Oh, and one more thing..

The baby is now the size of a head of cauliflower, weighing almost 2 pounds! Love those vegetable-to-baby comparisons!! Whoo-hoo!

Aghhhh!!! Where did the time go?

Ok, so I just glanced at the baby ticker at the top of our blog and it says I only have 86 days left before the baby is due? How is this possible? Sheesh.. I feel like this whole odyssey just started...I better dust off the the old breastpump and start washing burp cloths.

How time flies...

xoxox

Water Wiggle Time!

Olivia got a new swimsuit last week and since the weather was so nice I let her play in the yard with her "Water Wiggle". She had a great time and now asks to use it daily. Unfortunately the weather is now too cool for her to use it but I told her pretty soon she would be able to play with it again... she is surprisingly patient for a 19 month old... :-)

I think that Cassie had just about as much fun as she did with it... Enjoy!

Neither here nor there....

Things are good in the Barber household...I will post pics of Easter and other happenings just as soon as I can get time enough to download them without "someone" banging on the keyboard or pulling on my leg... :-)I was going to to do it last night after "she" went to bed but I laid down on the couch at 8 pm and the next thing I knew Chad was waking me up at 10:30 telling me to go to bed... *sigh*.

I took Olivia to the beach last Tuesday... she took a little cat nap on the way there and when we arrived she looked at the ocean and said "Big wa-wa ! " It was very dreary and cold but she had a great time digging in the sand, chasing seagulls, and walking with me back-and-forth to the water..:) Hopefully next time the sun will come out...otherwise we had a great time.

We have another ultrasound coming up this Thursday to check my "marginal" placenta previa ( part of the placenta is covering the cervix) that was discovered on the first ultrasound way back in January...I had the same thing with Olivia and it did end up going away.. so I'm not concerned.. actually more excited to see the baby again. It has been moving a lot , especially when Chad or Olivia talk to him/her. So weird to think that in 3 months we will be a family of four...I am of course worried about how Olivia will adjust but hopefully she will take to the new baby ok...

Chad is in the home stretch with his dissertation and his graduation is set for June...2 weeks before the baby is due. We could use lots of prayers the next couple of months for not only a healthy baby but for Chad and our family as we transition from school life-to new baby- to post school life. He is working EXTRA long hours to finish up and is working so hard. The pressure is definitely mounting but we know it is all in God's hands....

That's all for now...pics and video's to come soon!!!!

xoxoxo

Mama's Slippers

Olivia has developed a "shoe fetish" at the tender age of 18 months... she LOVES to try on anybody's shoes that aren't hers. Trying to get her OWN shoes on when we need to go somewhere is nearly impossible however...*sigh*. Enjoy!

Sleepless nights...zzz

Ugh...you're probably thinking the title has something to do with Olivia getting up at night...well, not so. She sleeps 11-12 hours a night. I have reached the point in my pregnancy that my mind must have chosen to block out ( kind of like labor). I go to sleep around 10pm or so and for the past 3 nights pop wide awake at 11:30pm. The crazy part is I feel like it is 5 am or something.. I am seriously WIDE AWAKE. Ai, yi, yi...

Last night at 11:30pm I let the dog out, checked my email, put on some chapstick, got a small glass of milk, checked my email again ( like seriously who is going to be emailing me at that time of night...), and then crawled back into bed.

I remember now when I was pregnant with Olivia that this started happening around this time but I completely forgot how ANNOYING it is!

xoxoox

6 months and counting..

Ok, here it is , the latest pic of "the belly". I seem to be carrying very similarly to how I carried Olivia (low and straight out in front) so we'll see what we end up with... any guesses?

xxoxoxox

Caving...

Ok, I admit it .. before I had a baby I believed that I could run my household and do my daily activities without the use of T.V.... AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I must have been out of my ever-lovin' mind.

Peer into the Barber household from 5:30-6:00 (prime-time dinner making hour and of course the "witching" hour for Olivia) and you will usually find either Toy Story, Finding Nemo, or an episode of the Muppet show playing in the background.

I do try REALLY hard not to turn it on ( by "it" I mean the boob tube) during the day but let me tell you, there was a day not too long ago that "America's Next Top Model" marathon was playing the background pretty much the whole day... boo on me.

I haven't caved in yet with the car/airplane DVD player yet... but at this point I will never, EVER, rule anything out when it comes to 10 minutes ( or even 5 min. ) of peace and quiet.

Amen.

My own personal studio...

I had an epiphany last weekend....I was determined not to take Olivia to get her pictures taken at a place that would "for sure" over charge me ( ex. Picture People, J.C. Pennys, Babies R Us) and where I couldn't be sure she would behave long enough to get any good pictures.

I decided to take matters into my own hands and try to take some semi-professional pics myself... I think that some of them turned out ok....you be the judge.

Plus.. I had plenty of cookies on hand at home to bribe her with.. hahaha

xoxo

Early "Summer" Fun

We have had some really beautiful weather here in Southern Cali the last few weeks... this past weekend Olivia spent quite a few hours playing outside with her bubbles, balls, bowls...:-) I filled her bowls with water and she LOVED pouring all the water from one bowl to another and also transfering water with a big spoon.

Sometimes stuff from the kitchen cabinet is better than any toy you can buy in a store...

A Sentence!

Every morning when Olivia and I walk into the kitchen, we make some coffee for Chad and I always ask what she would like for breakfast. Recently, she has started to actually tell me what she wants... 99% of the time it is "oatmeal" or "Oat-mo" as she calls it. This morning I asked her and very plainly , in the clearest voice you can imagine she said " MaMa cook egg".

I almost fell over.

I knew that she could say all of those words , but never all together in a sentence....Amazing.

Every day is a blessing and a suprise....

xoxoxo

" To Class or not to Class" ?!

Ok, so I have quite a few friends now with kids and I seriously am like the only mom who has never enrolled their child in some sort of "class"; examples: Gymboree, Kindermusik, My Gym, etc.... My reasons were always very simple.. she spends 3 full days a week socializing with her cousins and I didn't feel the need to spend the money to put her in a class where she was basically doing the same things she was doing with them. Now that she is getting older I feel more pressured ( not by any of my friends) to enroll her in "something". How do all you mom's feel about this subject? We are on an EXTREMELY tight budget but I know there are some local "parks and rec" programs that I could try...*sigh*.

I would appreciate any suggestions or advice regarding this topic.....I feel like she is learning stuff everyday but maybe I am not giving her enough variety with what she is learning? Ai ,yi, yi,.....

A Year and a Half..

Olivia is 18 months old! She has been in our lives for a year and a half....and it seems like she has always been here. She is funny, sweet, snuggly, persistent, opinionated, and happy. She has a vocabulary of about 50 words and adds new ones almost everyday now. She eats with a spoon and fork and can color a picture with crayons. I never knew before having my own child how wonderful it would be to watch each milestone and ponder at how quickly she has gone from infant, to baby, to toddler. We know that she is going to be a great big sister!

Grumble, grumble..

Don't you just hate it when you get all the way back to work or home and the drink you ordered is the wrong one?

I ordered a Diet Pepsi today for lunch ( I know, I know.. caffeine..but I really "wanted" it..)... and didn't try it until I was back at the office. They gave me "regular" Pepsi..

blah.

I have been trying to sip it.. but to no avail.. it is just too sweet. I think it's God trying to tell me I should not have been drinking a Diet Pepsi to begin with, so off I go to re-fill my sippy cup with water....which is what I should have been drinking to begin with.


*sigh*

Attention Blog Stalkers!!!

Did that get your attention? I recently ( a couple of months ago) put a counter on my blog site so that I could see how many hits/visits I was getting. Boy was I shocked to find out how many people, be them random, friends, friends-of-friends, etc. visit our site! Please, please, PLEASE leave a comment letting me know who you are... I love meeting and talking with new people. I will admit that I am totally guilty of doing the same thing sometimes, so I promise to comment on other people's pages too... :-)

Oh, and...

HAPPY "V" DAY! Even if it means you give your loved ones 2 kisses instead of one..then it means something. I don't really buy into the whole "Hallmarky" aspect of Valentines day but everyone loves a little extra "love", don't ya think?!

xoxoxo
Melissa

Father-Daughter Dance!

Last Saturday night Chad took Olivia to her first Father-Daughter Valentine's Dance. It was held at Bel Air Presbyterian church from 6-9 pm ( although they only stayed until about 7:30 pm or so...). Chad said that she really had a fun time... they danced to some swing music, visited the arts n' craft table, and had some refreshments ( fruit and punch). The beautiful blue dress she is wearing was made by my sister-in-law's mother ( Thank-you Linden!), and it actually matched her cousin Hadley's dress. It's so hard to believe that she is already old enough to do these things... how time flies. xoxoxo

Don't tell my midwife...

Oi! I just ate half a bag of Trader Joe's chocolate covered pretzels. The baby made me do it... yeah, a likely story.

The baby is kicking like crazy whenever I am sitting or resting. Chad is able to feel him/her moving now which is soooo cool. When I ask Olivia where the baby is she lifts my shirt and pats my tummy. I have decided not to ask her that question in public anymore... :-)

Olivia's new word for the week is "icky". Except she says is more like "ee-ee". Yesterday she saw the dog going poop and said "Dog-a pooh ee-ee no-no". I think the no-no at the end was because I told her last week "no touch" when we were out in the backyard and she saw a pile of poop.

Yeah, that's the exciting news in our house right now....Trader Joes Chocolate pretzels and dog poop. Fabulous!!

I will post some great pics soon of Olivia and Chad at the Bel Air Presbyterian Church Father/Daughter dance. So fun!

xoxo
melissa

18 week portrait

We had our 18 week ultrasound yesterday and the baby put on quite a show.... "its'" favorite position seemed to be with its' arm thrown back touching its' forhead. So cute... :-) It took a while for the technician to get all the pics she needed cuz the baby was wiggling around so much and was quite comfortable curled up in a little ball ...after I got up and moved around a bit, it seemed to unfurl and give us a better view.. so funny! This pic is a profile with the arm back up over the head...the ribcage extends out to the right and up cuz its' legs were actually curled up above it..... crazy baby!! Enjoy!

A Messy Lesson!

Olivia has been practicing the last few months to use her spoon in the "proper" way. Today for lunch I gave her some homemade tomato-basil soup and she absolutely had a blast dipping her toast and "using" her spoon. Enjoy!

Rainy Day Fun

We don't get many rainy days in So. California but when we do , BOY does it come down! It poured all day today and since it was Chad's day home with Olivia he decided to pull down some new toys that we had saved from her birthday in September. Her favorite was this school shaped "tent". I have never heard her so happy. She pulled her blankets and stuffed animals into and kept trying to coax Cassie to come in..( she did walk in and out a couple of times, much to Olivia's delight!). Anyway, it is a great toy and will also be fun to play with out in the yard when it is dry out! Even Da-Da went inside to play!!

My Little Table

A couple of weeks ago we found this table at Pottery Barn Kids and decided to buy it for Olivia's room. Normally I would not even think of buying anything there ( too expensive!) but it was the floor model and MUCH less than the normal cost. It matches the nursery perfectly and Olivia is absolutely delighted to have a little table her size. She loves to push the chairs in and out and put all her stuffed animal friends on top of it. Here are some pics of her enjoying it!

Almost 18 weeks....

Here's a pic of the "baby belly". It has definitely grown in the last week or so.... I actually had someone ask me how far along I was today.. so that's a good sign...:-)

Vegetable Baby!

Hurray! The "baby" is the size of a healthy avocado! I love the vegetable and fruit comparisons that "babycenter.com" gives. So funny....

I promise I'll post some new pics of Olivia soon...her favorite new pastime is saying "no, no, dog-a" and wagging her little finger at the dog. Hmmmmmm...maybe we need to stop discipling the dog in front of her.

That's all for now!

xoxox

Olivia-ease!

Olivia pretty much has words for everything now.. unfortunately we don't always know what they mean.. which is VERY frustrating for her. Usually I will just distract her with something else if I don't figure it out.. *sigh*. Anyway, here is a sampling of her "extensive" vocabulary.

bye-bye= ba-bye!

dog= dog-a!

mom= mama

dad= dada

cat= da!

blankie= ban-kee

elmo= elmo ( she has actually nailed that one)

all done= ah dun

no= NO!

milk= ma

bath= baa

K.C. ( her cousin)= ti-ti

Hadley ( her cousin)= Haaa

Aunti Jen= Jun

Uncle Keenan= Unca

Aunti Sarah= RaRa

Papa = aPa

Unfortunately she has no vocal name for her Grammy or Gamma yet...when I ask her to say those words she just laughs hysterically... hmmmmmmm.

Bye for now... :-)

Ramblings...

Well, this morning I had to put on a pair of maternity pants for work...*sigh*. I am only 15 weeks and already my pants don't fit. Thank-heavens for best friends though, cuz Jamie gave me a huge bag of maternity clothes to borrow .. :-) At least this might mean that I don't just look "fat" anymore... maybe I'm starting to look pregnant? My mom would be a good judge of this fact but too bad she lives 2 hours away and can't give me her honest opinon xoxo...

Olivia doesn't like to ride in the stroller anymore for our "usually" nightly walks with the dog. She likes to walk now.. which I think is so cute...but the walk usually takes us about double of what it normally would. We walk down our street and around the local elementary school.. about 1/2 mile or so...The other night just her, the dog, and I were walking and she turned to me and said "Ma-ma" and then looked at the dog and said "dog-a" and they kept saying those two words over and over again until she had made herself laugh. So funny...

By-the-way, the not riding in the stroller thing is great for nightly walks , not so great for trips to the mall, Target, etc... *arhhhggg*

Olivia and I took down the Christmas tree the other day and I was a bit worried as to how she would handle the ornaments as I took them off... amazingly she took each one that I gave her ( only the non-breakable ones) and placed them in the container. It was sooooo sweet ..until....she got a hold of the glass German Christmas pickle ornament and started running away from me with it in her mouth. ( Not my finest moment as a mom...). Fortunately, I was able to retrieve the Christmas pickle without harm to it or her... Whew!

I am no longer in the "Tater-Tot" only eating phase of my pregnancy. .. I have now moved on to Pick-Nix potato snacks-in-bed-while-watching-the NEW American Gladiators portion of my pregnancy.... so classy.

God-Bless my husband for not having a judging bone in his body....:-)

So long for now.. ;-)