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.