Happy Halloween!

Trick or Treat! We started our evening with both Grandparents. Grandma Bet and Grandpa Bill stopped by to give the girls treats. Then Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Bob came with Mama's Pizza (Alivia's favorite) before going trick or treating with us. Princess Alivia and Addison the Bunny really got into Halloween this year. Alivia would run from house to house, saying, "trick or treat!" even before the door was opened. Alivia even remembered to say, "Thank-you!" as she ran off to the next house. Addison did her best, trying to pick out candy at a few of the houses. We went out around 6:30, and the girls were ready to eat a few treats by 7:30. Addison was perhaps more ready to go night night by then than anything else. However, both Alivia and Addison tested some candy before calling it a night.
Happy Halloween!

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Pumpkin carving

Twas the night before Halloween, so what to do? Carve pumpkins and watch "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown."

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Into the 8th month

32 weeks

28 weeks

This week marks my 32^nd week. The time has gone by fast and slow at the same time (I am pregnant; I am allowed to not make sense, right?). It seems like yesterday that we found out we were expecting again, but I feel like I have been pregnant forever. I guess I have been pregnant 3 times in 3 years!

I had my doctor’s appointment today and everything is going well. No, I did not find out what we are having. Since everyone is curious, I will discuss our thoughts on what the baby is (a girl or boy that is). When it was determined that my due date was around Christmas, I thought immediately that it was a boy. My cousin, Wade, had a Christmas birthday. We have always planned to name our boy after him in some way if we ever had one. Since this baby was a surprise, I thought Wade could possibly have something to do with it. Our plan is to still name the baby after Wade if it is a boy. I also had a dream that it was a boy. With all of that said, I do not care whether the baby is a girl or a boy. I am just saying what my thoughts are on the subject. Afterall, if it is a girl, I just have to buy winter newborn and 0-3 month winter clothes, and then the baby is set! I do not have to go shopping for any more baby clothes! I also know how to Mommy little girls, but I have a lot to learn about little boys.

Chris tosses around between thinking the baby is a girl and a boy. He sometimes thinks a girl (oh, Lord help him if it is for that is too many girls under one roof) and other times thinks a boy. I think he wants a boy, but he has never said that. I just think a boy would have fun with all of Chris’ toys. 

This baby is more and more active as she or he grows. I have difficulty breathing after eating, while sleeping, and while driving (which can be an occupational hazard). I also still have heartburn that is not always associated with eating. I am going to try eating small snacks through the day and see if that helps (and still no spicy foods which has been difficult since we love pasta/pizza around here). The $40 iron has helped with my complaints of being tired, somewhat. I think being tired just comes with the territory.

You can see by the picture how big I am this time (I placed the 28 week picture where I am wearing black next to the 32 week picture where I am wearing pink). There is no denying that I am pregnant. I had a Dr. ask me yesterday if I was expecting twins, and I wanted to say to him, “No, are you?” but politely answered, “No,” and ran to my car to call Chris and ask him if I was really THAT huge?!! Of course, being the good husband that he is, he lied and said, “No.”

The next appointment is in 2 weeks (and the day before another ride-along with my boss). Until then…Feed me already!

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Trick or Treat Preview...

Sunday we took the afternoon to remind the girls about the upcoming Halloween Holiday. We went to visit Great Grandma Pat for her birthday & the girls wore their costumes. This year, Alivia is Princess Alivia (who else?!) and Addison is a bunny. After getting their 1st treat and playing with all of Grandma's toys, we moved onto Village Pointe where they had a Halloween event with trick-or-treating. The girls had fun! It was nice to be able to be outside during a nice day to trick-or-treat, than to have to explain the process at night when it is cold and dark. Chris and I learned that both our girls love candy. Addison was eating a lollipop while Alivia could not decide which piece of chocolate she wanted to eat first. Halloween it is to be 54 degrees during the day, so we will see what the night brings. Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Bob are coming to help show the girls where the best candy is! 

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Chocolate Pudding Brownies

I received these through an email recipe exchange (see, there is a reason to participate in some emails!).

Chocolate Pudding Brownies:

1 package Chocolate Pudding
1 box milk chocolate cake mix
Chocolate chips
chopped nuts (optional)

Cook 1 small pkg of chocolate pudding as directed on the pkg. Blend 1 box of milk chocolate cake mix (dry mix) into hot pudding. Pour into prepared 13x9 cake pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and chopped nuts. Bake 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve warm with whipped cream.

YUMMY!! This was a huge hit for the girls and for chocolate lovers like myself!

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Vala’s Pumpkin Patch

We finally took the second annual trip to Vala’s Pumpkin Patch (http://www.valaspumpkinpatch.com). They had a lot of new things this year! Of course, they had all the old treats, the kettle corn and the hot mini cookies in a cone that Alivia just had to have because she remembered from last year’s trip! This year was more fun for Addison who was able to get out of the stroller and walk around investigating everything. The girls loved the big trikes and the new trampoline type thing they have (something we have never seen before). They grew to love the new train, too, after some encouragement from Chris and I. We watched the pig races, but Addison just watched the people behind us eat a waffle cone. We all had a fun time. Alivia told me on the way home that she just wanted to go straight to bed. “Without dinner?” I asked her. And she replied, “Look at my tummy, Mommy, it is full of junk!” 

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Boo!

Oh, Chris is at it again . Everyone knows what time of year it is after passing by our house. New additions this year include the big blow-up spider and spider lights given to us by Aunt Marsha, little spiders, a rat, the hanging bat, bag of bones, stickers for the door, and probably things Chris forgot to tell me he bought.

Happy Halloween!!

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It's so hard to say good-bye

Grandpa Lou

Chris' Grandpa Lo u lost his battle with cancer on Saturday, October 13. He will be missed so much! He touched the hearts of all who knew him. After saying good-bye to Grandpa, Alivia had a lot of questions. She has fond memories of going to Grandpa and Grandma's house and playing with their toys. So, her question to me was, "Are there toys in Heaven with Grandpa?"
Chris found a poem that in part stated:

"You needn’t be so troubled

Stay close to God and pray
That someday we’ll be together
One bright and glorious day.

So my love, you shouldn’t question
My dear you need not cry
I’ve gone to be with Jesus
I really didn’t die."

May eternal light shine upon you, Grandpa! We Love and Miss you!

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Addison Turns 15 months old!

Addison, 15 months old

Addison Rose is 15 months old today (it is also Grandpa Bill’s Birthday…so Happy Birthday Boppa!). Addison continues to be a little dare devil, trying to do everything her big sister Alivia does. She can climb up the slide the wrong way with ease, something Alivia did not do until she was 2 (Alivia is our timid one). Addison just started climbing up the little tikes slide we have in our basement and going down all by herself! Alivia always is amazed that Addison can do that. Addison is also not our quiet one, like Alivia is. Addison loves to scream and tries to say a number of words, although Mommy, Daddy, and Alivia may be the only ones that understand what she is saying. She definitely knows how to get her needs met.

Addison had her 15m appointment yesterday and had climbed to a whopping 17lbs 11oz on the scale! She was somewhat negative on the growth chart (less than 5% of the normal whatever normal is) and was 29 ¾ inches tall at 30%. She has not tolerated the switch from breast milk to whole milk, so she is to start on soymilk with carnation instant breakfast. Anyone who knows Addison and is around her much knows that the girl likes to eat, so hopefully this will not be a problem. She is even working on getting more teeth to eat with as a big molar has just broke through and her gums are all swollen with more to come. Anyway, she is scheduled for a weight check in December. She looks healthy, and we get comments all the time about her little chubby cheeks. So, I think she is just going to be small for now, but there is a whole lot of her to love.

In the next few months, Addison will go through a number of changes. We are hopeful that she will adjust okay to having a little baby in the house and no longer being Mommy’s little baby. Addison and I have a tight bond, and I do not see that changing.

We love you, Addison, our Baby Girl!

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2+1 = 3

Huh? Well, on Saturday, we had our 2 girls plus baby Henry (aka cousin Henry) for the afternoon. He arrived just as Addison went down for a nap. Alivia and I went outside, and Henry just loved the baby swing. Alivia turned out to be a good little helper, helping me get a diaper and a wipe for diaper changes, and she just loves babies who take the binky! She just thinks they ALWAYS want it. Alivia went into her quiet time for a short while, so Henry and I took a stroll onto our neighborhood trail. He was asleep shortly after our walk began. He slept inside for another hour after we got home, then it was time to play with Addison. Addison, although somewhat confused as to where he came from, really checked him out. She shared her piano and a push toy with him, watching his every move. She did not even notice when he started to hold her hair (Henry did not know what to do with Addi's hair).
So, are we ready for 3? Um, not quite yet. I learned that I can not carry Addison and a baby at one time (no, I did not even attempt to). I had to get Chris from priming to help me take Addison downstairs after her nap. So, we will need a gate upstairs for a while at least. Also, a gate is needed at the bottom of the steps so Addi does not go upstairs while I am feeding the baby (which I found out while giving Henry his bottle). So, we have a little more shopping to do. We believe Alivia will do okay with this baby's arrival, but Addison may have a difficult time. She likes Mommy's lap and is not always wanting to give up that space. I have a feeling she will be on my lap while I am nursing the baby, at least for a while. :)
We had a fun afternoon with Baby Henry and look forward to his return. Alivia wants to take him and show him the park next time.

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Addison Gets a Big Girl Bed

Addi's convertible sleigh crib

One thing one does not think about when having children is having them so close together that you need more than 1 crib. At least we did not think of that (not like we were planning on having our kids close together or anything. :) ). Well, to fix our problem, my parents bought Addison her first bed (and THANK-YOU!). Let me clarify, it is a sleigh crib that converts to a toddler, day and then to a full sized bed. Most people that buy these convertible cribs rarely get an opportunity to use all the conversions until their last child (if ever). Well, we selected this one just to convert for Addison's use. We bought her a dresser with a mirror, too. You can see it above. We got it in rubbed white, though, and the dresser is not pictured. She already has an adorable flower nightstand from Pottery Barn Kids that she will keep. I will show pictures  of her new room once finished. The crib is in, the dresser will be in in 6-12 weeks (Oops, that is not very good timing on my part). We will wait for Chris to prime/paint the baby room, move Addison's crib in there to make room for her new crib!

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A Halloween Treat

Spider Sandwich

Spider Sandwiches

1. Cut 2 circles from 1-2 slices of bread.
2. Put cheese spread or Peanut butter on circles (I used Smart Balance PB for added nutrition).
3. Stack into sandwich
4. Stick pretzel sticks into sides of sandwich
5. Put 2 dots of cheese spread or PB on top of sandwich stack, then place 2 raisins on top for eyes.
6. Eat your spider sandwich before he runs away!

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The 3rd Trimester Begins

28 weeks

Yesterday marked my 28^th week and the beginning of the third trimester. I had my appointment today where I had to drink the sugar drink for the diabetes check. YUCK! I have felt nauseated ever since. Anyway, the appointment went well. Baby had a strong heartbeat and I measured appropriately (although I feel HUGE). I was started on Magnesium for some muscle cramping I have been having. Overall, I do feel well. However, I get more and more wore down as each day progresses. By dinnertime, I am usually ready for bed. The book my insurance company gave me recommends a nap everyday in the 3^rd trimester. That does SOUND nice, but it just is not my reality. The baby is pretty active which is fun. My next appointment is at 32 weeks, and I know the next month will just fly by.

UPDATE: My Dr called and it looks like I am quite anemic, which explains at least in part why I am so tired. I am on this new high dose iron with other vitamins that was $40 (for a vitamin...must be good stuff, huh. It was, of course, not covered under my insurance). Hopefully these vitamins help.

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