New Baby and Baby Names

Our good friends, Justin and Sarah, had a beautiful little girl this past Thursday, 3/27. Kristin Grace was born early Thursday morning and has her mommy's eye and lip shape. My Peanut was overly enamored with this newborn! (And who wouldn't be? Kristin is a precious little dolly!) Danae immediately asked to hold her, and continued to hold her at various times throughout the hospital visit. Hmmm...this is a good sign of what's to come, right??? :o)

Speaking of my little Peanut, here is her current list of names that she likes for her little brother:
1) Slimy (the worm from Sesame Street)
2) Prince Charming
3) this one is new as of today: Trash

Needless to say, we allow her to make her list, but those names are not on our list. :o) And sorry, everyone...we won't be sharing this boy's name until he comes into this world!

Pregnancy Colds and Potty Training Tips Appreciated!

Now that my back pain and burn pain have subsided (thanks for your prayers, friends!), apparently my body thinks it's time for another "allergy attack-turned-cold-and-cough." I was sneezing like crazy, battling congestion, and now trying to get rid of a cough (which is only slightly productive, in case you wanted to know). Cough medications with "DM" on them are okay to take during pregnancy, but does anyone have any other suggestions??? I've almost finished a whole bottle of cough syrup, and I really don't feel like buying another. It's amazing how different this pregnancy is from my first. I really liked being pregnant the first time, I felt great for most of it, and I just looked like I shoved a basketball under my shirt. This one: VERY different! I feel yucky and uncomfortable, my belly is big already (I'm about 5 months along), and although I'm gaining weight at the same rate as with the first, I'm gaining it in different areas. (Oh, by the way: thanks, little brother, on the "Your butt looks big" comment. It did wonders for my self-esteem.) ;o)

Also, in case you were wondering, potty training really has it's ups and downs! We have great days, followed by days like today, where Peanut has wet her clothing 3 times, even when standing right next to the potty! I'm really not sure what to do or how to handle "accidents" like those. So, if you have any tips or feel like researching for me, I'd be soooo appreciative! :o)

Have a happy week!

Happy Easter!

Happy Resurrection Day! I hope you and yours are celebrating the REAL reason for this holiday: the death and life of our Savior. :o)

The commercialization of Easter (and other meaningful holidays, for that matter) can irk me at times. But, as long as my children know the true meaning of the day, then I don't have a problem with them taking part in a snack decoration or two...especially if it means yummy cupcakes coming my way! Here's my little Peanut, her two FAVORITE (and only) cousins, Titi Debi, and Daddy decorating cupcakes with colored icing and candies. The three girls have so much fun when they are together! :o)

Hoping you find peace in knowing that He died so that YOU could have life! :o)

Burns and Back Pains

As you can probably tell from the title, it's been an eventful week! Taking care of a bad burn (ok, I'll admit it's possibly a severe burn), doesn't feel great to begin with. (How do you like the frying pan design that my griddle branded me with on my hip?)

But then straining the muscles in my lower back put me out of commission for a few days. And that's not easy with an active two-year-old who's constantly full of fun. But, God love her, she knew Mommy's back was hurt, and she tried to take care of me a few times. She's my little nurse! :o)

Enjoy the weekend!

Oh, Happy Day!

To those of you who have even a bit 'o Irish in you: Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

And since this is my blog, I can say Happy Birthday to Me! (And to my brother-in-law Derek, too...we share this special day! Hop on over and send him some birthday wishes!) :o)

Yup, today's my 29th birthday. The countdown has begun: only 365 days until I hit the big 3-0! For now, I'll put on my green clothing, celebrate both holidays [being half Puertorican and half Irish (a.k.a. a Puertorican Leprechaun) has it's advantages], and enjoy the wonderful gifts I received.

Speaking of wonderful gifts: guess what my loving hubby got for me?! A gift certificate to a SPA! Unbelievable!!! I've never been to a spa, and I'm SO looking forward to this! Hmmm...should I go pre- or post-delivery? And what should I have done? Massage? Facial? Oh, the choices I have to make...I'm excited! :o)

Enjoy today!

New Shoes

It's funny how new shoes can bring out excitement and happiness in a girl...no matter what age. There's just something about having bright, creative kicks on your feet. It's a phenomenon that can't be understood by any male...not even daddies.My Peanut's excitement over her new $5 summer clogs from Wal-Mart is fun to watch. She more than willingly picked out her favorite color (pink, of course!), tried them on in the store, carried them until the shopping trip was over, held them in her lap all the way home, and put them on the instant we walked in the door. When bedtime rolled around, Peanut insisted on taking them to bed with her, putting them back on once she opened her eyes this morning. She just loves her pink shoes!

It's a......

Hmmm...Can YOU tell from these pictures? (Sorry...they aren't very big or high-quality.)

If you can't see the small word on picture #2, I am carrying a healthy and big boy! Oh, and there's only one baby, not two! :o) He's just measuring bigger right now. Due date stays the same: July 29. We are really excited!

When I was pregnant with Danae, I had a dream that I took home a newborn baby boy and sat on the couch with my hubby. However, I looked to my left, and in between us was a little girl, jumping up and down on the couch. How weird is that??? The dream is true! :o)

Tagged

Thanks to my good friend Aimee over at My *PINK* Life, I've been tagged! Here's what I have to answer...maybe you'll learn a few things you didn't know about me. ;o)

Four jobs I have had in my life:

1) Summer Camp Counselor in Barnegat, NJ

2) Development Director at HOHC

3) Administrator (current)

4) Grant Writer (current)

Four movies I would watch over and over:

1) Mary Poppins (oh wait...I DO watch that all the time these days!) :o)

2) A Christmas Story

3) The Royal Tenenbaum's

4) Juno

Four places I have lived:

1) Brooklyn, NY

2) Barnegat, NJ

3) Grantham, PA

4) Mechanicsburg, PA

Four TV shows I watch:

1) The Office (can't wait until April 10 for new episodes to be back!)
2) Still Standing/King of Queens reruns

3) various shows on Food Network

4) The Biggest Loser

Four places I have been:

1) Jamaica

2) Canada

3) Florida

4) Can't think of another place that's different! :)

Four people who e-mail me regularly:

1) Debi

2) Sarah (yah, Lanco!) :o)

3) Parents from Lanco Elite (I usually have at least four per day!) :o)

4) Mom

Four of my favorite foods:

1) Breakfast for dinner (eggs, hashbrowns, and toast...yum!)

2) A big salad with soup

3) Fruit!

4) Cereal (especially a bowl at night before bedtime)

Four places I'd rather be right now:

1) At the beach...in warmer weather

2) Jamaica

3) Traveling across the country

4) One of Meg's soccer games

Four things I look forward to:

1) Definitely the warm, summer weather (right on, Aimee!)

2) Finding out what's in my belly (boy/girl, and how many...that's tomorrow...I'll keep you posted!) ;)

3) Finding and moving into a bigger, single-family house (hopefully soon!)

4) Naptime

Now, in an effort to see their blogs updated more regularly (just picking!!!), I tag Sarah, Ruth, Jen, and Shila!

Predictions

Last week was insanely busy...but here we are! :o) Besides Curt and I getting over mild head colds, our Peanut then came down with the mysterious 102-degree fever that lasted a few days. Tylenol helped, but only for an hour or two until the next dose was due. The doctor said it was a virus with a sore throat and to monitor her. Thank God, the fever ended yesterday.

I kept telling myself to just get through the days because this current week is the exciting one. Today I have my monthly doctor's appointment, and then on Thursday we find out if the bambino is a boy or girl. I think we are all looking forward to it. A few days ago, our Little Miss told us that she needed to give the "babies" a kiss. When asked how many babies there are in Mommy's belly, she said, "Two...one here (pointing to one side of my belly), and one here (pointing to the other side)." Interesting. I think I will fall off the table if she turns out to be correct! Any other predictions out there?

We've been trying to take a pic of me at each month (even though we forgot and started at 3 months), and here's Danae, insisting that she needed her picture taken, too. Poor girl...she looks so tired and has that "not feeling well" shadow under her eyes. Much better now, though!