The levels we go....

I just scared my daughter into taking a nap in her big girl bed. Okay, maybe scared is a harsh word, but she did her little song & dance before nap. Which, is unusual, because she normally goes down for her nap with no problem. ANYWAY, she was at the top of the stairs, just laying there and not wanting a nap. So I go up there, ask her to go to her bed and she says no. So, fine, nap at the top of the stairs. Then a few minutes later I hear her go to her room and I am curious as to what she is doing. Well, when I check on her again, she is now covered up with her princess blanket. Enough is enough I think and tell her that she needs to go into her room so if I start vacuuming it won't scare her. (She HATES it when I vacuum.) She looks at me alarmed - "you are going to vacuum Mama?" "I might and if I do, it would be better if you were in your room. I know you don't like it when I vacuum." She promptly goes to her room, lays down and covers up. She asks me one more time about my intentions about vacuuming and I say, "Well, as long as you are in your room, you won't hear the vacuum and will stay asleep." Then rolls over and sucks her thumb. Now, mind you, I have no intentions of vacuuming. I actually intend on reading my book "The Jane Austen Book Club" and napping myself. I am so exhausted right now that I feel I could fall asleep typing. So, I will take a nap, then bake a cake. I should clean, but just am not up for it today. So there - the levels we go to get our little ones to sleep in their beds. Am I ashamed? No, not really. I COULD have vacuumed, but she doesn't need to know that!

I had my doctors appointment today and baby Heuer is doing great. Everything is progressing as it should and my body is starting to show a few signs that it is getting ready to go. Not yet - not in a few days, just where it should be for a woman who is now 36 weeks pregnant! So, that is good. We are heading up to the cabin tonight for the last time before Junior makes his appearance and I am really looking forward to that. I am bringing a book my digital scrapbooking stuff, and some yummy food - like cake! I figure Tim owes me a lot of watching Emma time, so I am hoping to get some scrapbook pages down this weekend. But, I rarely do when I am there - I just spend the time outside.

On a sidenote - one of my friends told me they are calling ole' #4 from the Packers "Jet Favre" I think that is kind of funny, sad but funny. Tim thinks this whole soap opera is hilarious and laughs when I cringe at seeing Brett Favre at the press conference with the Jets. Once again, it just doesn't seem real.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Pictures

FIRST - how about this whole Brett Favre thing? Brett as Jet? I don't think so. I don't like it one bit. Not that I was all that happy with his change of mind. Don't get me wrong, I think he is a fabulous player, but I think this whole retirement then not retirement thing is smearing his name. It will be hard to watch the Packers this year without him - especially with Aaron Rogers. Don't know how I feel about that guy yet.... anyway, I should move on to a happier topic.

PICTURES!

Here is Emma dancing around in her silk pajama's from China. Tim said they toured a silk factory in Shanghai and couldn't resist these for Emma. They are a bit big - but very nice and cute I think. She likes them. Although, we have them safely up now until they fit a little better.

Emma and happy Daddy. Both were very happy to see each other and I think Emma is still a bit worried that he is going away again. She will keep checking in with me about Daddy's whereabouts. I told her we were going to the cabin this weekend and she said, "Daddy come with?" and her asking if Daddy is at work, what Daddy doing, etc. She always has to make sure she knows where he is.

Emma and Kyra riding the Dizzy Dinosaur ride at the fair. She did really well on all the rides. I think she went on about 5 total. But she will tell you that the Ferris Wheel was her favorite.

The merry-go-round. I sat and ate ice cream with Kaylee while Kristen took Emma on the merry-go-round. That ride went on for quite a while, but they all seemed to enjoy it.

And finally....
Miss Stubborn
We were walking around the yard the other day and told Emma it was either time to go in for a bath or go for a quick lawnmower ride. Well, she didn't think so. She wanted to Ping (or Swing, as most people call it). We said, no and repeated the options again and she once again insisted on Pinging. So, Tim and I headed towards the house and were hoping she would follow. A minute or so later when she didn't follow, we turned around and looked back and couldn't find her. But, when we looked at the swing we saw this... She was sitting there, sucking her thumb, and waiting for someone to push her. She probably sat there for about 10 minutes - sometimes calling for me or Tim, but basically just waiting for someone to come. I went in the house and Tim got the lawnmower and eventually pushed her. Yup, he caved.

That's all.

Miscellaneous stuff

(First, let me apologize, I tried to upload pictures, but keep getting an error. So -I guess I will post pictures later)

It was so nice to have a night back to normal. Tim came home after work, we made supper, him and Em went to the garden and I did dishes - back to normal. I love it. Although, the start of the day didn't go so well. I AGAIN did not sleep. Which, Kristen told me that when she was pregnant with Kaylee, she had some insomnia. Man, I hope that is not me. So, I looked up insomnia and pregnancy and discover that 78% of woman suffer some insomnia during pregnancy. So, before bed tonight, I will take a nice hot shower, finish my book club book (Swimming to Antarctica)and wind down. Hopefully that helps.

Emma had a rough morning at daycare again! Apparently, she didn't want Tim to go and was a pretty sad and unhappy camper for Theresa for about an hour after he left. She did have fun eventually, but that was after she refused to eat breakfast, didn't want to watch Cinderella, and was just being sad all over. No good. I guess it will take her a few days to get used to things again. This is making me feel really good that Tim and I decided to continue Emma in daycare when I am on maternity leave. She really needs her schedule and I think it would be hard on everyone if she was off of it for 12 weeks. Hopefully she is better soon.

So, like I mentioned yesterday, Tim is back home! He had some fun stories to share and some fun gifts! Emma made out like a bandit. She got a little tea set, some silk pajama's, Princess stickers for her room, a purse, hair clips, and the thing she was very excited about?? Microwave popcorn. We sent some with Tim in his care package and he didn't eat it. She found it in his bag and was so excited about the popcorn! "Daddy brought popcorn! Yummy popcorn!" He got me a very pretty long strand of pearls, pearl earrings, a purse, some cute bracelets, and a little note pad. He did a pretty good job - I was impressed.

Emma loved going to the airport to pick him up. Unfortunately with all the increased security, we could not go in the airport - just the baggage area. But, we stopped at a spot right by the airport so she could see planes take off - she liked that a lot!

On Saturday we went to the Washington County Fair with the neighbors. They were very kind to take Emma on the rides as I couldn't because of the pregnancy. Or, as Emma says about everything now, "Mama can't because she too big!" Gee... thanks Emma... like I need a reminder from a 2 year old. She was been pretty funny lately. Her expressions and her language have really expanded lately (for good and bad) and Tim mentioned how much better she is talking. Better in some instances, not in others. I forget that she is constanly listening, even when I don't think she is. For instance, the other day I am sitting at a stop light behind someone, minding my business and probably humming along to a song. What does Emma say? "Go Guy! Why you not going? Go Guy!" So apparently, I was mad at some point with a guy in front of me who was not going fast enough through a light. And of course, Emma had to pick up on it. Tonight, Kristen dropped off some carseats for her girls as Emma and I are picking them up from daycare this week. The girls were in the wagon ready to go back home when Emma looks sad and says, "Hey - I have no friends to play with now." She got really upset this past week when 2 deer were in our garden eating the green beans. I was yelling out the window trying to scare them away and I hear her yell (while she is sitting on the potty) "Mama - what happening?" Then all of a sudden, she is running into my bedroom, bare buns at all to see what is going on. Then, she starts yelling out the window too. "Go deer - no eat Daddy's garden. Go Bambi - those Daddy's! Run deer - NO!" She yelled for about 3 minutes as the deer stared at us and cocked their heads to figure out what was going on. The list goes on and on. It is fun to watch her develop, but then not so fun as she insists on other things that can't happen at the moment, like getting a piece of gum, having a certain snack, or something like that. Sometimes, she will just not let it go. I do not give in, because I know that will only make it worse, but still, it is hard.

That's it for now - I need to start my winding down. Here's wishing that I sleep better tonight. Hopefully pictures soon! Stupid blogger - maybe these are the problems that led people to switch to a different site.

Finally- back to normal

Yeah - my husband is home! Emma is basically jumping off the walls because her Daddy is home. His flight and travels were good and from the moment she saw him, she hasn't wanted him out of her sights. Even when she was sitting in the stroller and he was lagging behind with me, she kept asking "Hey - where my Daddy go?" So yes, she and I are very happy.

I have a bunch of pictures to post and more stories from our weekend, but I am exhausted. I have a cold and have not been getting much sleep.

Any way, I have to go. More tomorrow

A hard week

4 more days until my husband comes home and man, I cannot wait. It has been a long 6 days - hopefully the next four will go faster. Emma has had a hard time, I guess I didn't really think it would affect her this much, but I think it is. In the mornings the past two days, she seems happy and excited to go to Theresa's. But then, halfway there she starts crying and saying "Turn Round Mama! No Tesa's - go home!" What a way to make a Mom feel guilty. I question my decision to work part-time as it is and with that, it just makes it worse. She does fine when Tim drops her off, I just think she is confused and missing him and possibly thinking that if I leave, maybe I won't come back too? Not sure - maybe I am reading too much into it, but let's put it this way, the past two mornings have NOT been fun and have left 2 people in tears. I am glad I am home with her the next four, because I couldn't take another one. I seriously thought about calling in both days. However, I called Theresa's while at work and she is fine. Tuesday she refused to take off her shoes - not sure what comfort strategy that was for - but she would not take off her shoes for anything! That reminded me of when she first started daycare and refused to take off her coat for the first 2 to 3 weeks. At least she has come along way since then.

For the most part, other than the mornings, Emma has been great. She keeps asking where Tim is and when he is coming home and get's really excited when my cell phone rings now or I get the buzz meaning a text message came in, just in case it is Tim. She told Kristen the whole way to the store tonight that Daddy is "Para Para away" and "At school in CHINA." Big emphasis on the CHINA! The next days should be pretty busy, so before you know it, we will be at the airport bringing him home.

We have been emailing and texting briefly and he has called twice. It sounds as though things are good. The encouraging thing is that he has mentioned a few times that he has been shopping! Yeah me! I think he repeats in every message that it is hot and humid there. Yeah buddy - here too and try being pregnant besides!! :-)

Emma accomplished something new yesterday - pedaling her bike! I was so excited! She wanted her Big Bike as she calls it and starting pedaling! What a big girl!
I honestly couldn't believe it. Normally in the past, I always had to push her or she would push it herself, but never pedal. So, that is our big news this week.

She also discovered a comfortable new chair for reading. Although, I was not all that convinced it would work. She kept pushing those paper towels and readjusting until they were just perfect. Finally, she settled in to read. Which, she has been reading so many books lately. She almost prefers that to playing sometimes. I think it is great - except when she wants to read the same book 4 times in a row. That, I cannot take. I buy her books all the time... garage sales, book sales, ebay sometimes, and why she wants to read a science book (which is way above her head at the moment) I have no idea. I have started making up new Dora stories where Emma is in the adventure with Dora and Boots and she really likes that. Those are usually reserved for when she is on the potty. No accidents - 4 days and counting! This weekend will be interesting when we are away from the house. I am a bit nervous about that. Do I put on a pull-up over her undies just in case? Not sure how to tackle that one.

Tonight, the little one was NOT wanting to go to bed. I lay her down, she gets back up (so, yes, she is in her big girl bed). I lay her down, she gets back up AND climbs into my bed, find her movie player and is attempting to watch the movie when I bust her. So, I lay her down and tell her the next time she gets out of bed she is going in her crib. Yes, we still have the crib up. It is in her room and Tim thought we should keep it up while he is gone for situations again. I go downstairs to wash dishes and she sneaks up behind me and laughs. So, I put her in her crib. "MAMA! NO MAMA! BIG GIRL BED - NO CRIB!" Over and over for 5 minutes. I go in there and lay her in her bed AGAIN and she rolls over and haven't heard a peep from her since. I know, I probably should have left her in the crib, but it is on the lowest setting and she can almost climb out, so I am a bit nervous about that.

Baby #2 is good - 5.5 weeks to go. He is hiccuping now - AGAIN :-) Fern said that will mean he is a good eater. She said that babies that are hiccuping a lot in utero are either sucking on their thumb or on their lower lip and that is a good sign for nursing. I have never heard that one before, but we will see if it is true. I kind of wish I had an appointment this week. It really doesn't matter, but I wish I would see if my body has started getting ready for the baby at all.

Well, I should probably get to bed. Who knows how early the little one will be up. She was up and in my bed around 2am and slept until 6am. I woke up to "Mama - Get up! It is daytime!" I am hoping that does not happen tonight.

The start of another week

I know - real catchy title, eh? I tried to be creative and well, nothing was coming to me. Emma was up at 5 am AGAIN this morning, so I am still suffering from not enough sleep. I am begining to think, especially with a new one on the way, that I may never catch up.

Tim is gone. His flight left on Friday at 8am and he has arrived safely in Shanghai. We have been sharing text messages and have had one phone call and all is good. He said Shanghai is really hot, really humid and dirty. They have done a day of sight-seeing and are now starting out on their project. I know the week will go by fast, but I miss him a lot. Emma too, she keeps making small comments about where Daddy is and will look up if she sees a car goes by and then says "no, not Daddy." At least my family has been good about keeping me entertained! I am thinking that Tim had a talking with them as I went over to Kristen's all day on Friday and was at the cabin with Mom & Dad this weekend. That was nice. Our house is too quiet when a member of the family is gone.

I just had my 34 week appointment with the midwife, Fern. Everything is going well with the little one. He is measuring the way he should be, the heart rate is starting to drop, he is in the right position - now we just have a few more weeks for the little guy to gain some fat on his skinny little body and he will be here! The books say he is about 4.75 - 5.5 pounds and about 17 inches long. Since everything is looking and I am doing good, I won't go in until my 36th week and then will go every week after that. I am looking forward to the 36th appointment as that is when they will check to see if my body is starting to progress at all. I remember with Emma at the 35th appointment, I was already 2 centimeters dilated and about 75% effaced. That really freaked me out. She still waiting about 4 weeks to make her appearance though!

I guess I should probably get ready for bed. The one nice thing about Tim being gone is that I have to bring Emma to daycare, which means instead of getting up at 5:15, I can get up around 6:15! YEAH! Sleeping in!! If Emma let's me...

Have a great week everyone!

With good intentions...

First, let me start this blog post with some happy news. Emma is back home with us and Tim and I are very happy to have her back. Now, for some crabbiness....

Emma and I are putting together a care package filled with snackes, homemade cookies, and a photo album for Tim to take to China with him. So, it is naptime, and I am trying to print out some pictures to put in the album. The color cartridge is getting low, so I put in a new one that was bought a few months back. I can't install the damn thing. It won't let me. I check again, yup, this cartridge should fit as our printer model is listed under the "for use in" section of the packaging. It still won't let me install it. I keep getting an error that the left cartridge is not intended for this printer model. After about 20 minutes of pushing, a lot of cursing, trying to print, etc (although, I did have a lovely phone conversation with my sister Kim) I decide to call the HP support desk. They have one of those annoying voice menus so for 5 minutes I scream into the phone "HELP" "PRINTER" (I am sorry - did you say computer? "NO! PRINTER!" and finally getting to where I thought I needed to be, I get an automated response "I am sorry, our phone tech support no longer supports that printer type, please search online." By this point I am so *#%##** off that I hang up the phone and swear to never print photos again. Seriously - if the printer cartridge wasn't for my deskjet - why does it say that it is? Now, I am stuck with 2 color printer cartridges that everyone knows are NOT cheap, I don't have the receipt as I bought them months ago, and they are useless. UGH. All I wanted to do was make Tim an album. Luckily I have some older pictures printed out, but I was hoping to do some digital scrapbooking with some also.

Maybe after reading Lori's blog I am understanding some of the small daily frustrations that people have to deal with. Lori - I totally agree with yours. I like some dogs, but that does not mean I want dogs licking me OR my daughter because you think your dog is adorable. GRRRR...

I've been tagged....

What was I doing 10 years ago??
---Getting ready to be a freshman at the good ole' University of St. Thomas. I was working at Black's Valley Ag in Durand and partying it up with And-And, Gee, The P, and a whole bunch of others.

Five things on Today's To-Do-List:
1)Call my parents to see how my little girl is doing without me (which, she is doing very well)
2)Train my replacement at work for the time I am on maternity leave and try to keep my sanity at work.
3) Work ahead and plan for all my plants so I don't have to bring work home this week (hopefully I can get this done tomorrow!)
4)Go out to eat with my husband and spend some quality time with him
5) Be in bed early - again.

A snack I enjoy?
--POPCORN! Love it - eat it all the time.

Things I would do if I were a millionaire:
--Pay off school loans and other debt
--Buy Emma more Little People Toys
--Buy a triathlon bike (because I have a goal of doing a triathlon again next summer)
--Donate some to St. Jude's Children's hospital or the March of Dimes
--Buy Baby Heuer some trucks or other toys that boys play with
--Plan a fun trip for next year
--Build a green house or sun porch or something fun like that
--Buy Tim a submarine - because in his mind, why wouldn't a person want a submarine?

Places I have lived:
Durand, WI (born & raised)
St. Paul, MN (went to college there!)
Bozeman, MT (followed a man out there for a summer)
Highland Park, MN (my cute little efficiency after college)
West Lakeland, MN (my home now)

I tag:

Molly -

The quiet

It is amazing how quiet the house is when you are used to a toddler running around who is constantly talking or singing. So, obviously, Emma is at Mom and Dad's and she woke up from her nap happy and a total 100% change from when she laid down. I was so thankful for that. It made this whole thing go so much easier. In fact, Emma was so excited to go to Nana & Papa's that she had to wake up Papa from his catnap to tell him she was ready to go. She finally did say when she was eating lunch that her mouth hurt, so once again, I am assuming that it is just teething. Which was a relief.

The next few (quiet) days will be spent working and "nesting". I feel like I am going through a bit of a nesting period as I decided I needed to categorize all of my recipes by meal and put them in a 3 ring binder in sheet protectors. I know - I am a dork. Plus, there is more baby stuff to get ready, Emma's big girl room to organize and so much to do in 7 weeks. It is nice to have some time without a little one following you and messing up everything that I had just done. Tim and I are going out to eat one night this week -so that will be very nice...

Other than that, I am feeling better. I am just happy that she is feeling better- hopefully Em does not give Mom & Dad any trouble. And with that - I am going to work with my recipes and enjoy the quiet.

An emotional basketcase.

For the past two days, I have been going on a total of 10 hours of sleep. 6 hours on Friday night and 4 hours last night. For a 8.5 month pregnant woman who will be without her two most loved ones for a few days the upcoming weeks, that is nearly not enough. Emma either has a strange illness or is poking some teeth because she has been super, super crabby. We give her baby tylenol and she feels better, but the nights have been horrible. She slept with us last night and around midnight, I would have swore that she was dying of some incurable disease because she was acting possessed. She was crying uncontrollably (which made me cry uncontrollably) and was just rolling around on our bed - for like 15 minutes. It was a scary 15 minutes. Now remember, I am going on very little sleep and my pregnancy hormones are sky-high, so I know I am making it out to be more than what it was, but Tim and I both agreed she was going to Urgent Care today. Then, she woke up around 5:30 and was still somewhat cranky but not bad, so I don't know. We gave her more tylenol and she is feeling better. We ask her what is wrong - where her owie is and she said she doesn't have an owie. So, I don't know. Top the whole mystery illness/teething thing with the fact that Mom and Dad are taking her with them until Wednesday and I have been crying on & off all morning. What a great Sunday. I think if she were feeling better, I would be feeling better. If we both had more sleep, we would be feeling better. Ahhhh - the joy of little ones. After seeing my emotional breakdowns, Mom said she could stay up here with Emma, but I know it is best if she goes down there. They have been looking forward to it and then Tim and I have some time on her own since he leaves for China on Friday. Which, I am sure will bring on another emotional breakdown. Ah - hormones, gotta love them. So, I am feeling pretty down & out today. At least it is a beautiful day and Emma has been napping for about 2.5 hours already, so hopefully she wakes up feeling better.

Other than this little trauma for me - things are going pretty well. Emma has been sleeping in her big girl bed the past 3 nights (minus last night) although she realizes the freedom that she holds with that as she is CONSTANTLY getting up to "go potty" "go to Mama's bed" "get sippy" "get baby Norris" (her doll) or something. Finally Tim put her in her crib last night because she kept getting up. I guess we got what we wished for - she wants her big girl now, but can't handle the freedom:-) The potty is going well too. She usually tells us when she needs to go and has only had a few accidents. That makes me very happy too! Although, I am starting to see some sibbling jealousy. I am in the process of washing baby's clothes and putting them away and Emma swears that they are her clothes - NOT HER BABY BROTHERS! (which she says with emphasis!) She has tried to put them on, but they are way too tiny!

Okay, I can hear the little one stirring now. Wish me luck! Hopefully she is doing better and I make it through this day with little crying going forward. No one said it is easy being a Mom.

Oh Yeah - I forgot

There is a GREAT picture of our book club on Sarah P's blog (see link to left). We went to Dixie's last night and decided it was finally time for a picture. We have been meeting for almost a year and it has been great. I look forward to many more years!

The Grand Slam

It has been a GREAT night. Emma has been wearing big girl undies the past two days and hasn't had a lot of accidents AND - she is sleeping in her big girl bed. I cannot believe it! Tonight when it was time to go to bed, she requested her big girl bed, but wanted the door open. That is fine I thought, whatever, just so she stays in that bed. Well, I came downstairs to purchase our next Book Club Book (Swimming to Antarctica) when I hear - "I go potty Mama!" So - I got upstairs and sure enough, the monkey is on her step stool, turning on the light in the bathroom. So, fine, I think to myself - so I help her with her pull up. She actually does go, so I am very excited and I put her in bed. Well, she tried to do that the next 10 minutes. I would lay her down, she yells down 5 minutes later that she had to go potty and then I go upstairs to see her in the bathroom. Very frustrating! No wonder she wants to sleep in her big girl bed! She is finally figuring it out! Finally Tim comes in from mowing the lawn and she settles down for him. She is still in her bed and asleep. Are the tides turning? Have we hit the jackpot? I don't know - it is too soon to tell!

Em and I had a nice relaxing day. We went to some "sales" as she calls them - garage sales. There was one that was only a few houses down, so we went to check it out. I got Em a few clothes, books, and Emma got a nice treat there. The two little girls of the house (who were about 5 and 3) were selling Rice Krispie Bars and Lemonade at a little stand - so I treated Emma to one of each. She thought that was pretty cool. It is actually getting to where Emma enjoys going to sales, which makes it easier on me when I want to stop. Although, she has a pretty good track record of getting something there!

She napped for 3.5 hours which was a blessing! I cleaned, rested a bit, and got out the little boy clothes. It was so fun looking at all the gifts I have received and the clothes I have bought for this little man. It was a nice bonding experience too, because most of my day is spent chasing the big sister and not much time is spent thinking about Baby Heuer. So, this proved to be a nice quiet time dreaming about what he will look like and become.

Emma continues to make us laugh, roll our eyes, and get extremely frustrated! Some of her new expressions? "Oh My Gosh!" "No Mama - that not right!" and countless others. It has been fun lately reading her stories and changing names or singing songs wrong - she will look at me, shake her head emphatically, and say "No Mama! That not right" and then laugh and laugh. She is getting better at saying please, but is becoming more stubborn about the smallest things. Eating supper in my spot and not her booster, needing ice in her water, or even eating with a spoon and not a fork. I know that being 2 means exploring and testing out the parents, but sometimes I am so exhausted it just gets hard.

I felt a little better this afternoon while watching Jon & Kate Plus 8. Kate was potty-training her boys and she made them sit on the potty until they went. One of the little guys was sitting on the potty for about a half -an-hour. At least I have not resorted to that!

signs of a great day

1) The little one is asleep (although NOT in her big girl bed)
2) I (after this post) will be putting away some ADORABLE little boys items I received from my book club members this evening
3) My feet have stopped hurting and my belly is not itching
4) I will be making it to bed by 10:30
5) My loving husband gave me a nice kiss, had a nice evening with Emma and will hopefully be giving me a foot massage tonight (notice how I KEEP mentioning that? Yeah, it still hasn't happened)

Today was a whirlwind of a day, but a great day. I was lucky to have the day home as we do not have daycare this week and next. I met an old co-worker and her daughter Mandy (who is two weeks older than Emma) at Como today. It turned out to be a great day for it. We spoke around 8ish this morning about cancelling, due to the pending storms, but decided not to at the last minute. That is a great thing as the meteoroligists were wrong again and we had not rain. Emma had a great time in their butterfly exhibit and looking at the animals. However, the most fun was had at Como Town riding in the little cars and choo-choo train. Today was the first time she has ridden a carnival ride and LOVED it. She was steering those little cars and trying to honk the horn and really getting into it. Natalie took some cute pictures of us at Como which I was hoping to post, but unfortunately could not save, so I cannot share them.

After Como, we drove to see Tim at work for a bit. Since she didn't eat any of her picnic lunch at Como, we got her a corn dog, which proved to be just the thing she needed. Unfortunately the little monkey didn't get much of a nap, so she was pretty cranky the rest of the day. BUT - the good thing is that I didn't have to endure a whole night of it because I met my book club at Dixie's tonight. Yummy food, great company, and a nice surprise. They had bought baby boy Heuer some clothes, a cute little book, and a big box of diapers! The funny thing is that I was just wanting to go to Target to buy some newborn diapers as they are so cute and small compared to what I am used to now. We discussed the book a little bit too :-) "The Devil in the White City" is a fabulous book and I recommend it highly to anyone!

Otherwise, everything else is going well. Today was my first real uncomfortable day being pregnant. I am sure a lot of it had to do with walking around Como in the hot sun and high humidity, but it was worth it. Emma is good, not wanting her bed and we are working on the potty training pretty hard this week. We will see how that goes.

With that, I need to go to bed. It has been a long day.

The saga continues...

I get Emma home from Nana & Papa's today (we had a great time, but the way!) and talk up her big girl bed. How exciting it is to have a big bed, how we will put all of her stuffed animals in there and keep a night-light on, etc just to get her used to the idea. She sounds pretty excited, so we do the nightly routine, PJ's, 3 stories, and juice or milk. I bring her upstairs, lay her in bed and she starts whimpering that she wants her crib. I figure, I am tired, I could lay with her for 5 minutes, so I do that. We sing songs, read another story and lay there. I get up, close the door and she is fine. I put up the baby gate at the top of the stairs so she can't come down and I get ready to work on strawberries (Mom picked me a whole bunch at a local farm- YEAH!) Then I hear the door open and she is looking down the stairs, "Mama!" "Mama! Come get me!" "Mama - I awake!" "MAMA! Each word getting more hysterical and upset. I ignore it for about 5 minutes and by now she is all out crying. So - I go upstairs, lay her in her big girl bed (all the while she is crying and yelling) turn around and leave. I don't say anything, I just leave. By this time she is beside herself and promptly crawls out of bed - but not before I make it downstairs. She stands at the top of the gate again crying and yelling "I want my crib... I want my crib" after a few minutes, crying subsides and I peek upstairs and don't see anything. I walk up a few and the hallway is empty. I look in her room and she is not in her big girl bed. So, I look a bit more and notice she is in her crib. She moved her little step stool to her crib, crawled in, and covered herself up. I am shaking my head and about to turn around and head downstairs when I hear "Ni-Night Mama. I want my crib." And I tell her, Yup - until we take it down.

Little stinker....

A new week - a better outlook

Isn't it nice to get a fresh start? The weekend (especially a LONG holiday weekend) is such a nice way to relax, recooperate and get ready for the following week. This week has been great. Work hasn't been too hectic, Emma has been good, Tim hasn't been too annoying (haha) and we had a great holiday at the cabin.

We arrived Thursday night (yes, in time for me to watch Swingtown there) and did some fishing, playing, and just relaxing. Friday my parents, and Kristen with family came up. Emma was so excited to see Kyra and Kaylee and have little ones to play with. it was also nice for her to have someone other than me to play with. Sometimes, I need a break from playing Little People, Pinrella (Cinderella), and building Pinrella's castle. We celebrated the 4th with yummy barbecue ribs, sweetcorn, and smores! The little girls had fun with sparklers and watching Uncle Craig's fire work show. Emma took a late nap - which was also about 3 hours- so we decided she could stay up and watch the firework show from the resort across the lake. She was getting pretty squirmy by 9:30, but did hold out for the show, which was very nice. Here is a somewhat fuzzy picture of the sparklers. Plus, you can kind of see her new haircut.

Saturday was more of the same. It was a beautiful weekend up there, so we were outside as much as we could be. Emma enjoyed the jetski, as did her cousins, and splashing with her friends. Eric & Gaeb also were up for part of the weekend and showed Emma what waterskiing was all about. I bet in the next few years, Emma will be up water skiing. It was fun to watch her progress from needing to be in her whale floaty (which she sat in and kicked) to her wanting a ring floaty and then on Sunday her playing with her knee board. She would lay on the knee board and kick between people and even ventured out to where she was chest deep in the water. She isn't afraid of water, which is great. I really want to get her in swimming lessons this next year to get her more comfortable.

Overall, everyone had fun. This weekend we are up again with more family, more food, and hopefully great weather!

now on to stubborn Emma.... sigh...

On a previous post, I had pictures of Emma's new room and her big girl bed, etc. Well, for that first week, she was so excited about her room and loved sleeping in her bed. That lasted for a short while, now she doesn't want anything to do with her new bed. She still likes her room, but refuses to sleep in her bed! We are needing the crib in about 8.5 weeks for baby and wanted to get her out of it so she had time to adjust. I don't know what to do and why she is all of a sudden scared. I feel bad for the little monkey, but don't know what to do. Anyone out there have any suggestions? Theresa (our day care provider) thought maybe we could buy Emma a special toy for her big girl bed to sleep with and "protect" her. I don't know.

Emma has also been refusing diaper changes. I get them done, but with a big struggle with the little one. So, one day she has a messy diaper and refuses to let me change her. So, I figure, fine - sit there with a messy diaper and see how uncomfortable it is. I kept asking about every 5 minutes, Emma - we have to change you. You will get a rash and itch, etc. Still nothing. Finally after this goes on for a half an hour with no change, I go over to her, pick her up and tell her we are going to change her diaper so she doesn't want a rash. She looks at me, kicks and struggles and says "No Mama! I want rash!"

The terrible two's for sure.

Everyone have a great rest of the week!

A sure sign of sleep deprivation

So, Emma was up at 4:30am this morning. I know - what the hell? She had such a busy day yesterday playing, so I was thinking she wouldn't wake up until 7:00am at the earliest - but no chance. 4:30am! I rocked her, layed her down, brought her to my bed and nothing. Finally at 6:30, Tim took her to the living room and got her juice and turned on some cartoons so I could get some sleep (to no avail). This is after her 5:30am announcement, while she was trying to sleep in our bed, "Mama - here booger" which she had on her finger. Yeah, nice....

So, Yes, I am pretty darn tired. The surest sign??? I was in the shower and getting ready to wash my hair. So, I grabbed the shampoo, put some in my hand, and then washed my face. Yup ... Nice.

So - I am done posting for now, I am going to bed, and I will post more later. More Emma stories and pictures. I have been bad with pictures lately.

A better outlook

AHH! 4th of July weekend - yeah! I love the 4th of July, have always loved it actually, as our family in the past has always had a 4th of July party. They would start around 11am and end around 11pm and would include steak, volleyball, more games, a waterfight, fireworks, hotdog roast and sometimes laying out on a blanket looking at the stars. I loved that. Unfortunately as everyone gets older, it is hard to plan a day when it will work as people live far away, visit other families, etc. But, I have wonderful memories of those. My cousins and I have mentioned before how lucky we are to have the family we have. We have done many fun things together, all get along, and still keep in touch. It is fabulous.

My work week is done, thank goodness. I was able to only work one night this week, which was nice, but it is still stressful. I wish people would realize that I don't wake up in the morning plotting out evil plans for the feed plants. It is not my wish that they run out of an ingredient - but hey, if my inventory system shows you have 10,000# of product and you only have 100# in the plant- whose fault is it really? Sure, blame me, but in reality, fix your freakin inventory!! Okay, that is my rant for the blog. My coworker told our boss yesterday that she cannot handle it for much longer and they have us doing too much. I am not quite at the point yet, as we have had 2 bad weeks in the past 3 months. I am still willing to work hard, wait it out and hope it gets better. It has too. Well, I guess in approximately 9 weeks, I will have 12 weeks off so YEAH ME!

Emma had her first real hair cut today at Cost Cutters! I mentioned it to her and that was about it, but then she kept asking and asking, so I figured, why not? I just got her bangs trimmed and she looks like such a big girl! She did great job and sat very still and was very delighted about the sucker she got afterwards. I hope to get a picture when she wakes up from her nap.

We are heading up to the cabin this weekend and it will be a full house! Tim's kids are coming up, Kristen and family are coming up and my parents will be up also. It is supposed to be a fabulous weekend, so I am really looking forward to it. I am about to make brownies and start packing up some stuff to get ready for when Tim arrives home. We will be leaving around 3ish, which gives Em enough time to play in the lake, get down for bed, so I can watch Swingtown. I know, I know... it is a stupid show, but pretty entertaining I think.

Baby #2 is doing great. The websites average his weight to about 3.5# to 4# and about 15 inches in length. I was surprised to read that there is only 1.5 pints of fluid surrounding the baby. That does not seem like a lot and I know in the next few weeks that will decrease a bit more. He seems to have the hiccups a lot, which is still a weird feeling and loves doing somersaults in there. The midwife has started to talk to me about the birthplan again, although I think everything went extremely well the first time. I hope to do it naturally again, and the jury is still out for the waterbirth, I think I may have the last hour/hours of labor in there for sure, but get out for delivery. I cannot believe this time is approaching so quickly!

Tim has been very good about helping out around the house. The night I had my breakdown, he actually swept the floor for me! I HATE sweeping, for some reason it never gets clean enough and he saw that I was tired, sad, etc and swept. He also has been great with helping out with Emma more and just being in the house more. I am still working on the backrubs and feet massages, but no such luck on those yet. Braxton hicks are here and more cramps. Yeah.... I read about all the changes in the last trimester for the Mom's and remember there is a reason for all the discomfort.... so you will do whatever it takes to get the kid out in the end!

Well, I should run and clean, bake brownies, etc while Em is napping.

Everyone have a fabulous 4th of July! Be safe, eat hotdogs and drink a beer for me!

The highs and lows of me

Well, if I had to pick a song that describes my mood this week, it would be "Take this job and shove it." Not sure who the singer is, but that is how I am feeling at this moment. I got to that point after working about 30 hours last week and am fearing I will approach that this week also. Basically, work stinks the past week. Nothing is going right or coming in when it is supposed to - hence, my new song title. I think I finally hit my breaking point when I starting crying tonight over supper.... steak and hashbrowns. One of my favorite meals, but yup, had a break down. Emma was so crabby tonight. She had a sore foot, needed to be held, wanted to go outside, but refused to put on shoes or shorts, and was just being difficult. However, even she stopped whining for one minute when I started crying and had a sad look on her face when she asked me what was wrong. Yup, even getting sympathy from a two year old.

I still like my job, but when things are good it is crazy and when things are bad, it is even crazier.

My boss told me to work on a "If you go into labor tomorrow plan" as I don't have a formal process written up for what I do and the woman who was hired to fill in while I am out has been assigned other job duties. So, I will start working on that. What I am thinking I will need if the job continues to be too stressful is the "when I go on bedrest" plan. Not a funny joke, I know, but stress is not good while pregnant.

Other than work, things are good. We had a great weekend at the cabin with friends and have family coming up this weekend for the 4th. So, at least the weekends have been good and relaxing. Emma still enjoys it up there and even enjoys the jet-ski. She asks to go for rides now, although threw me the first time when she asked for a lawnmower ride. Then, she pointed at the jetski. Her new favorite toy is the paddle boat. She pretends that she is a Pirate Piggy from Dora the Explorer and she rescues baby jaguar when he falls into the lake. Over and over and over.... She got a wake up call this weekend when she fell into the water from her floaty. Tim and I were pushing her back and forth and she became unbalanced and fell in. She was wearing her life jacket, but she got a big surprise and instantly wanted her towel and to go into the cabin. While she didn't like it, I was somewhat happy it happened on those terms so she knows what it is like. She pushes it too much on the lake and dock and needed to get a splash when she was in a safe environment. Yeah, I know, mean Mommy.

That is it - I need to go to bed and stop my rambling. More later - hopefully when I am in a better mood.

The good stuff

Have you ever heard that song by Kenny Chesney - The Good Stuff? For some reason that popped into my head last Friday morning when Emma, Kaylee, and I were making muffins. A few lyrics:
It's the first long kiss on the second date
and mama's all worried when you get home late
and dropin' the ring in the spagetti plate
cuz your hands are shakin' so much
and its the way that she looks with the rice on her hair
eatin' burnt suppers the whole first year
and askin for seconds to keep her from tearin' up
yeah man thats the good stuff

Basically saying that while you have the huge events in your life, the weddings, the birthday parties, etc, somtimes it's the little stuff that stirs something within you and you cherish the most.

So, Emma, Kaylee, and I were making my famous banana chocolate chip muffins (self-proclaimed, but I do get a lot of compliments on them). Kristen and Kyra were at the doctor getting her cast off her leg, so it was me and the little ones. Emma and Kaylee were sitting on one bar stool and stirring. Emma would stir for maybe a second and yell "All done!" then Kaylee would grab the spoon and stir for a second and yell the same thing. They would look at each other and laugh and laugh and then do it again. I remember looking at Tim, shaking my head and laughing. All the while thinking in my head, this is the good stuff. I don't know what it was at that moment, but everything fell into place. Sometimes I get so caught up in work or stressed out with cleaning and everything that I have to do in the house, that it takes little moments like that to remind me of everthing that I have. THIS is the good stuff... Me holding Emma now and she looks up at me surprised and says "Baby Brother just kicked me Mama!" or her taking my hand and leading me to her new room so we can read stories in her big girl bed... her stroking my arm as she sucks her thumb when she is tired... me taking Tim hand and placing it on my stomach so he can feel our little boy hiccup inside my belly. The stuff I hope I never forget.

4 years ago today

What is that quote they use at all weddings? "Today, I marry my best friend, I marry my companion, my equal, my lover?" I don't know, I totally made that up, but yes, today is our 4th Anniversary! I cannot believe how fast the time has gone and how much has changed. To commemorate the day, here is a small photo timeline...

The first time we saw each other... it couldn't have been a nicer day for the event. Having some fun for the camera! I now pronounce you husband and wife! On the way to our reception!

I definitely was surprised by the man I fell in love with as it wasn't what I pictured in my head - but it turned out to be much better. I know how lucky I am.

cheesy goodness

Well, it is 8:50, I am exhausted like usual and I want to go to bed early tonight - around 9:15 if I can. So, what do I decide to do as I stare at the dirty supper dishes in my sink?? Grab a bowl of cheesy popcorn and cheetos and read blogs and update mine. Yeah.. productive I know. I may actually go get a second helping as I am hungry and this sounds like the perfect snack. With maybe an oreo at the end. Man, I love being pregnant! :-)

All is good with the Heuer's. It, being the typical Monday, has been somewhat hard. But, I dreaded Monday's even before I had Emma. It is just something about the start of the work week and the end of the fun days off! We were at the cabin again this weekend and my father and Tim finished off a little patio by the sliding doors in the basment and Emma had a great time playing in the water. It was nice to actually be in the water! It has been too cold up until now. Well, and now it is still a little cold as Emma was shivering when she got out. But, I bundled her up and actually got a little cuddle time and she was fine! Anyway, we finally got to ride the jet-ski, yes, even I went for a spin around the lake. I had too! They are so much fun and I took it very careful. I was not trying to throw anyone off the end (ahem Rose & Linda) so I knew the baby was safe. Even Emma went for a ride, once with me and once with Tim. While she didn't cry, she didn't seem to like it either. Either way, I am glad she is getting exposed to that kind of stuff so she isn't afraid of it.

Emma is doing really well with her big-girl room at home, but not so much at the cabin which I don't understand. She still wants to sleep in her crib up there. So, maybe this upcoming weekend, Tim and I will make her sleep in her big bed. Is that bad? Will I be paying for her therapy about 15 years from now if we do that? Not sure. So, we will see how that goes.

The week is busy for us. Tomorrow night I am going out for happy hour with our department, which should be fun! Wednesday night Tim and I are going out for our 4th anniversary to Jax Cafe in Minneapolis - which I LOVE! We requested a spot on their nice patio by the trout stream (which, if you choose trout from their menu, you can net your own and they will cook it up for you). They have yummy food and have printed match books for whatever occasion you are celebrating. Ours will probably say "Kelly & Tim, Happy 4th Anniversary!" Which I think is pretty cool. Anyway, for anyone in the area that has not been there, I highly suggest it!

Tim had a nice Father's Day. Emma painted him a nice plate at daycare and her and I went to Dick's sporting goods for some other stuff. She picked out a pair of Croc sandals for him ( or Easter Bunny shoes as she calls hers) and a golf shirt. He liked them both!

That is about all. I should grab my oreo (YUM!) and start on dishes. The nice thing is that Tim just came in from mowing the lawn and now he can help. Yup, procrastination can be a good thing!

Big Girl Room

It is done!! Well, the bed is totally done and the dresser is out of the box. Emma is attempting to sleep in it right now, but as of now, that is not going well. (this is really the only decent picture I could find. It was taken mid cheese)

She came out within 3 minutes of me laying her down the first time. So, I went up there and layed her down again and she started to cry. So, I got a little night light, some stories, and read them to her. Her routine is 3 stories and then bed, so I figured maybe she needed the stories. Then, I left the little light on for her and left so she could read on her own. It is pretty cute to hear her read. She was reading Cinderella (which she now calls Pinrella) "One day door... from prince.... BALL!... clean, clean... sisters mean...Glass slipper on stairs!! Happily ever after..." That is how her story goes, with pauses for page turns. I love listening to her read stories now! She tells a pretty good Dora and the Mermaid too!

Yesterday when Tim was putting together the bed for her, she was SO excited. She kept repeating, "Oh Thank you Daddy! Thank you Daddy! Love it! So excited!... "over and over. She couldn't sleep in it last night as the mattress didn't fit right, so we got a new one. (She is STILL talking up there! But she is still in her bed, so I guess that is a good sign.)


Well, I am done with work for the week - Yeah! Emma and I have a very busy day tomorrow. We have to buy a father's day gift, buy paint, and maybe go to Menards so she can play. Then, I keep meaning to work on the baby's quilts, but I just don't get to it! I am exhausted now and plan on putting up my feet when done with the blog, eat some popcorn, and watch Men in Trees.

And with that - I am up to turn off Emma's light (maybe) and then do all the stuff I just mentioned! Good night! ( I will post completed pictures of the room when it is done too!)

A case of the Mondays...

Holy crap - 90 days until baby!?! Where did the time go? It seems like just yesterday I had posted it and had some long, far-reaching number of 240 days or something like that. I am not ready yet. (I know, one will never be ready...) but still - 2 children?! How can I handle 2 children? I have Emma and Tim! That is hard enough! Although, if one says 90 days, it still sounds longer that 12 weeks. That sounds closer to me... sigh... enough freaking out... it will be fine ( I keep chanting in my head)

So, anyone know what today is?? Yup - Monday. I hate Mondays. Even though I work part-time and only have a 3 day work week, I still don't like Mondays. I don't like them because Sundays I have to kiss my Emma goodnight and I will know I will not see her for the next 20 hours. I don't like Mondays because I never get to bed ontime and 5:15 am arrives too damn early. My boss joked with me today that he may want me to start at 6:30 post baby. I said seriously "yeah, that is not going to happen." Granted, it is only 15 minutes earlier, but still, 5:15 comes around early enough. Especially post baby when he will be waking up every few hours to eat. I am tired just thinking about it.

We had a good day yesterday, I continued to feel better and did go to book club and had a great time. Our next book is, crap, I don't have it by me right now. A nonfiction historical novel by Eric Larson. "The Devil in the White City" I think. About the World Fair in Chicago in 1890. The customer service guy at Borders seemed really geeked out that I was buying it, so I am hoping it is good. After book club, I took some more alone time and did a bit more shopping. I DID try to find something for baby boy Heuer, but could not. Oh well, I guess I still have 90 days - gulp!

Work went really well today. I had the same emergency phone calls to a few plants (No Dad, thankfully not yours) but all was okay and then I went to work crunching numbers. I really do love my job. That is the one good think about work. Once I get there, I really do enjoy it and the day flies by.


Emma, tonight, was a hoot. She always is, but Monday's I tend to remember how much I enjoy my days with her. She constantly wants to help with everything "I help too Momma!" so tonight I put her to work peeling potatoes. Granted, I gave her a cheese slicer as I figured she couldn't hurt herself with that and the bag of potatoes. She loved it! She was standing on her chair in her bathing suit "peeling" potato after potato. Then, she would put them in a colander, cover them with a pan cover and go to the next one. Every once in awhile, she would lift up the cover, shake her head and say, "nope, not done yet" then go back to peeling. (see picture) It is really fun to get her involved in all that stuff, even though it takes 5 times longer, but she loves to help.

Hmmm.... everything else is good. Baby #2 is moving around ALL THE TIME and I cannot believe it. I don't remember Emma ever moving around this much. I am feeling better, which is nice, and hope to be sleeping around 9:30. I would like to take Emma to the Minnesota Zoo sometime again to see their new Grizzley Bear exhibit, so if anyone is interested in tagging along, let me know. We love company!

I think that is all for now. I need sleep.

Feeling better

YEAH! I am feeling much, much better today. I attribute that to the gallons of water that I drank and the opportunity to rest and relax without the little one. Tim and Emma left for the cabin yesterday around 4pm, so that left me to lounge by myself. I was pretty sad all night, thanks to the pregnancy hormones I think, and lonely, but it was nice to rest without having someone wake me up or throw a book at me to read it.

I got a solid 10 hours of sleep and woke up feeling hungry, which I think was a good sign. I was able to catch up on some movies and TV shows that I had DVR'd and had a nice time.

Tomorrow morning is book club and I think that I will be attending, unless I suffer a relapse. I think, in a way, it was God's way of telling me to slow down a little bit. So, for the next 13 weeks until the baby is due, I am hoping to do that.

That's all - Tim and I are going to watch Charlie Wilson's War and I am hoping for another early night to bed.

Yuck...

Thank goodness today for the understanding neighbors and Tim's understanding boss as I have the flu and am relying on those close to me to help out. Kristen has been great and has watched Emma for the past 3 hours so I can get more sleep and try to drink this out of my system with glass after glass of water. Tim's boss is letting him leave early today to take the afternoon shift so I can relax and get better. Being sick stinks anyway, but now with being pregnant and trying to handle a 2 year old it brings on another meaning. I am not going to type much more as I am going to eat a snack and drink more fluids, but i was just lounging and checking everyone else's blog, so I thought I should update.

And Emma, bless her little heart, after hearing from Tim that I am sick decided that a Dora band-aid is the cure all for everything so she (with Tim's help) got me one and has been feeding me crackers. What a little sweetie.

sickness, trucks, and other random thoughts

Unfortunately we had to deal with Emma being sick this week. For the first time, she had a little stomach bug. Which, really, was not that fun. But, she only got sick twice and the weird random thing? It was Sunday morning around 4:30am and Tuesday morning around 6:00am. Pretty weird, right? So, we don't know what was going on. Sunday morning she woke us up crying and yelling for my name and I was disoriented and not quite with it when I went in there and, well, it was not good. Poor Emma was so scared, the little one was just shaking. That day she was a bit sluggish, but not really bad at all. She didn't eat like she normally does, but she goes through streaks anyway. Monday was good at daycare and then Tuesday morning the same thing. But this time, Tim goes in there (as I was almost out the door to go to work) when Tim tells me that she got sick again. Emma was acting fine yesterday and in fact, when Tim went in there to get her up she told him "Emma better Dada, tummy better." She kept saying that and both Tim and I took half-days to stay home with her yesterday. Today she is fine again. Hopefully, that is over! Although, I now realize how a person can go into super Mom mode to take care of the little ones.

Tim, well we I guess, bought a new truck yesterday. Not a NEW truck, a new to us truck. A 2006 Ford 150 with a full backseat. Tim's old truck still worked well, but it did not work that well with one car seat, let alone two. So, the new one was a nice cab in the back, full seat, 2 doors, just right for a feisty toddler and an infant. I really like, it is fully loaded, leather seats, really nice and he got a fabulous deal. I guess that is the one silver lining to having higher gas prices! Emma loves it and always wants to go for a ride. So - with that being said, if you or anyone you know, is looking for a well-maintained Ford 150, red, 150,000 miles that was very well taken care of... let us know. Tim will give you a great deal!

Work is still pretty stressful. I actually ended on a good note today so I didn't feel guilty taking off for my two days. The workload I am doing may be too much for a part-time person, but we will see. I almost thought about going in for a bit tomorrow, but quickly changed my mind. I value my "Emma Days" too much. Although, now when I pick up Emma from Theresa's she isn't so ready to come home. Tonight she wanted to stay and ping (or swing as we all call it) and wanted to go back tomorrow. Although, I have a pretty good feeling that tomorrow when she wakes up tomorrow she will be pretty excited.

I saw the Sex and the City movie last night with some friends and LOVED IT! What a great show - I was needing a little girl bonding time and that worked :-) I hope they make another one, I just can't get enough of the 4 ladies!

This weekend we are heading up to the cabin on Friday evening and coming back Saturday. Tim has a meeting for the lake association ( he is the treasurer) and then we are heading home Saturday night. I have book club on Sunday. We read "Mistaken Identity" about 2 women who were mistaken for each other after a bad car accident. It was pretty good. I also read Jodi Picoult "19 minutes" - that was FABULOUS! It was very sad, it really made me think about school bullying and shootings and what poor little Emma has to look forward to when she gets older. I am scared about what the world is going to be like in 12 years. I hope I can raise Emma so she is a strong, happy young woman, with good self-esteem.

I think that is all I know for now. I should clean the dishes, pick up the random toys, but I think I may blow that off and do some digital scrapbooking! I have been getting a lot of pages done and it makes me pretty happy! Tomorrow I am hoping to get another start on the baby quilts I am making. Argh... I have too much to do and very little time. Less than 100 days to baby. The little guy is almost 2 pounds now! I have my next doctors appointment next Friday and it is the long one. The sugary fluid to check for diabetes, RH shot... fun, fun.

Have a great weekend everyone!

A craving of the worst kind

I wasn't feeling good this afternoon. I am not 100% sure what it was - maybe just heartburn, but either way, for supper, I didn't really feel like eating. So, after a trip to Menards to buy stuff for Emma's new room AND a trip to Target for more stuff, I decided to stop by Jimmy John's. I LOVE the #1. Anyway, I get there at 9:15 and they are CLOSED. Not that big of a deal, as I knew I was hungry, but not really for what. Kristen thought I should play the pregnancy card and go back and try to weasel them into opening for me, but I really didn't want to be known as the crazy pregnant lady that needed a sub that badly. Anyway, we discuss Culvers, Arby's, but I really didn't want fried food so I headed home. Now of course, all I can think about is Jimmy John's. I guess I really want the sub. BUT - I can't have it. Hence... a craving of the worst kind.

Today was a good day. I woke up to Emma yelling "Momma - Come get me!" Which, I guess if you have to be woken up, that is a pretty funny way to be woken up. Plus, it was at 7:00, so at least I got to sleep in. She had her 2 year appointment today and she was actually pretty excited to go to the doctor. She wanted to wear a pretty dress and had to pack her little Zoe back-pack for the trip. She was very well behaved and did what the doctor and nurse asked her too. Stats:

Height - 33.5 inches tall - 35%
Weight - 27.6# - 60%
Head circumference - 29.5 inches - 90%

The doctor reassured me not to worry that the dimensions were all over the board. He said the bigger head contributed to more weight, so no, Emma is not overweight. I asked about her thumb sucking and once again was told not to worry. He really feels that is a great self-soothing thing and only worry if she is still doing it when she is 6. Which, I hope she is not! Then - potty training. He thinks she is ready. So - maybe Tim and I will be really dedicated and try to get it done before the little one arrives.

Other than that, we are home this weekend, which is kind of nice. The carpet is being laid in Emma's room tomorrow, then I hope to go to Slumberland and buy the rest. The Target run consisted of the bed rails and the waterproof matress cover, so we should be ready to roll. Can you tell I am excited for her room to be together?

I don't think I knwo anything else right now, so here are some pictures of our past weekend at the cabin. Just two as the weather is getting worse here and I don't want to lose the post. Emma at her little birthday party up there and her, Daddy, and her first fish.

Short, sweet, and to the point.

Me = tired
Emma = crabby
Tim = somewhere between the two!

We had a great weekend at the cabin - we left on Wednesday and got home about 3 today. The fish were biting (Emma caught her first fish and proudly proclaimed "I so happy Mommy! I so excited!"), the weather wasn't too bad, although the water was too cold to go in. My sister Kim, and her son Andrew were up and it is always nice to see them. My aunt Linda and Tim's son, Eric, also came up for the holiday. My parents were there too - so yes, we had a full house, but everyone had a great time.

2 day work week this week - YEAH!

Baby #2 kicking and moving around a lot more than I remember Emma doing.

Emma - Terrible Two's!!! She also has gotten into asking "Why Mommy?" Over and over again.

More later and pictures too! - have a great week!

Happy Birthday Emma

What a wonderful weekend we had! The weather was beautiful and Emma had a great time at her party! I cannot believe she is two already! Where does the time go?

The day started when Emma got up in the morning to celebrate her day. Right away we cheered and said happy birthday and I think she got the feeling that it was going to be a special day. She requested pancakes, ovals (eggs) and bacon for breakfast. But, she received pancakes with a smily face on them (courtesy of strawberries and bananas) and bacon - but she seemed okay with that! She played and ran some errands with Dad while I got my haircut. Before lunch she received a big surprise from the neighbors when they brought over a balloon bouquet with an Emma size Dora balloon. She LOVED it! It was basically life sized - she was kissing it and giving it hugs and thought it was hilarious when Dora would sing to her (or Momma pretending to be Dora!). It really put my balloon bouquet to shame, me being the cheap Mom that I am. But what a great surprise and gift for Emma.

After nap, we got her in her party dress, her friends came over and it was non-stop playing. Here are the 3 partners in crime. I got them sitting down long enough to snap a quick picture, then it was off to play with the new kitchen toy Emma received as a present and ring-around-the-rosy.

5 Pizza's were ordered for the party, which we found was more than we needed to feed the group that came over (along with the Kellogg's we had Nana, Papa, half-sister Gaeb, half-brother Eric and boyfriend Brian) But it was good and Emma enjoys left- overs. Here Emma is after the pizza before she dug into the cake. Yes - a homemade cake. Once again, the cheap Mom thinking this would do just fine (and if I do say so myself, tasted much better than store bought cake!)

Many presents and cards were opened, then off to more playing. All-in-all a great day. Emma was basically a walking zombie by the end of the night with all that happened, as was Mom and Dad! Thanks to everyone for the cards and presents and thinking of her on this day!

Now, I am off to bed. I am hoping to change my work hours to start and leave 15 minutes earlier to accommodate summer traffic. Blah- I hate traffic. Good thing it is only 3 days a week.

This week we are off to the cabin on Wednesday night for a nice, long, Memorial Day vacation. Here are some more pictures of the birthday.

Baby Pool

I was wrong - the link is below at the bottom of this blog. Have fun!

The Baby Pool

One of my friends told me about the Expect Net Baby Pool. The link is on the side- just for fun, no money involved - just to see what everyone is thinking and hoping for with Baby Heuer!

If you are interested - sign up, let us know what you think. I know it is kind of early, but I was searching the web and wanted to sign up.

This week has been good, but I am exhausted. I have a doctors appointment on Friday and Emma's birthday party on Saturday!

Happy Mother's Day!

What a lovely day it was also. Emma woke up at 7am and with a little silent hoping that Tim would get her up and take her downstairs so I could sleep in, I finally got up around 7:10 to go and bring her back in with us. :-) I was basically expecting that anyway, but one can hope.

Emma surprised me with a pretty gift she made at daycare. She was pretty excited about it when I picked her up from daycare on Wednesday, but I think she forgot about it since then. Then Tim and Emma and baby #2 surprised me with a beautiful ruby heart necklace. I have to hand it to the husband, he is pretty good with jewelry.

At the last minute, we decided to try a Mother's Day Brunch/Buffer with Emma - so we headed out at 9 to go and eat at the Bungalow in Bayport. It was really good and Emma did great. Lately she has been a pretty big stinker when going out, but at the Bungalow we were in and out in 35 minutes. Enough time for me to get some yummy Egg's Benedict and a sweet roll (plus some other yummy food!)

The rest of the day went well enough. We planted the garden, Emma played with her new outdoor kitchen ( a proud $5 garage sale find) and made me some yummy mud pies. During nap, I had some alone time and took a nap and went to Target for a bit of shopping.

All in all, a great day.

Right now - she is still awake after 40 minutes in her crib. After (when I was in my bedroom) and I sneezed and she heard that in her crib and said "Bless you Mommy". And after a few minutes after that I hear her yell "Love you Mommy". And even after I hear her yell "Mommy - awake. Mommy's bed." So, being that is is Mother's Day and I am sad about going to work tomorrow, I just went up there to rock her a bit. She is still wide awake. I feel bad because I get frustrated when I cannot fall asleep, I am sure she is also.

So, with that - I am going to call it a night. I have a few things to do before bed and then, I am hoping to be asleep by 9:30. Think that will happen?? Yeah, me neither.

I hope all the Mother's out there had a great day! I wanted to get a nice picture of Emma and I to scrapbook with at a later day, but she was being a stinker and would not cooperate. Tim was able to take this one... And then finally this one. A bit blury, but the best one probably.

Moo will help us!

The Location: The Heuer House approximately 9:00pm on Wednesday, May 7.
The Scene: Emma and Tim, sitting on our loveseat, discussing the dark.
Me: Sitting in the rocking chair, thinking it is time for Emma to go to bed, but she just does not seem tired. I am gathering this from her constant chatter, singing, counting, etc so she does not have to go to sleep.

Emma: "Daddy - Dark outside"
Daddy: "yup, it is"
Emma: "Uh huh! Dark outside." (Emma lately has been afraid of the dark. She doesn't want to walk into a dark room without a hand and refuses to walk up our stairs without the light on - no good...)

So - Tim proceeds to tell her that the dark is good and not scary and some night, if she is good, they will go outside with their flashlights when it is raining and look for worms. This makes Emma very excited.

Emma: "Outside - dark! Flashlight!" As she is dancing around
Tim: "Yup - sometime when it is raining you can use your cow flashlight and we will go look for worms." (her cow flashlight is one that is shaped like a cow, and moo's when the light is on. Yup, not annoying at all.)

Emma: "Moo will help us! Dark out - Moo will help us! Outside!!" As she proceeds to get off the couch and start digging in her toy chest.

She starts babbling about it being dark out, but Moo will help us. She starts throwing toys out of the toy chest while mumbling about Moo being lost.

Emma: "DADDY! MOO LOST! MOO LOST! NEED MOO - DARK OUT!" Still convinced that she is going outside tonight.

Tim tries to tell her they will go out when it is raining, but she is pretty insistent on finding Moo and going outside tonight. So, I help her find Moo and she gets so excited and starts dancing around because she found Moo and can now go outside. I think it is so adorable and tell Tim we have to go outside now, as she is just so excited. So, at 9:30 at night, we put on shoes, coats and grab flashlights to go outside. Emma is so excited and loudly proclaims as we open the door, "Dark out - Moo will help!" She is a bit tentative, but loves being outside and is constantly talking about Moo helping.
We are outside for maybe 5 minutes and then head back inside, which, she is not very happy about! (But she stops crying for a minute so she can press the button to close the garage door - go figure.)

The last thing she says as we are taking off her shoes. "Yeah! - Moo help us"

Back online - again!

Finally! I am connected again to the world! I can do my daily scans of all the blogs - random searches on Blackle - and connect with email! I love it!

Let's see - where do I start? This past weekend we went to the cabin for Wisconsin Fishing opener. Sadly, we were disappointed as the fish were not biting. The water is still freezing, so I am betting the fish were still not that hungry yet! But, we had fun none-the-less. My sister Kim and her son Andrew came up with Mom & Dad. Mom graciously offered to watch Emma so I could paint Emma and the new baby's room! It is painted a pale yellow and Emma picked out some Nemo wallpaper and stickers to put on the wall. It should be cute! Emma had fun tromping around outside, fishing, and playing with her cousin Andrew - finally a nice weekend! I unfortunately forgot my camera, so have no pictures of the weekend. But, I am sure I will catch up.

Work is crazy- let me put it this way. When you work part-time and are traveling for 2 of your normal 3 work days, it is hard to play catch up. Today I was ready to throw my hands in the air and be a stay-at-home Mom. ESPECIALLY since traffic was slow due to rain. If only my office was closer... sigh...

Emma is still her crazy old self. She is enjoying the nice weather and her new toys we got from Tim's niece Angie. We got her a little trike and bike and she loves playing outside and being pushed around. Plus swinging (or pinging as she calls it). Soon, Tim and I hope to be out in the garden and I am sure that Emma will have a great time playing in the dirt.

At daycare there is a new baby boy there named Norris, so Emma has had a lot of time to practice before her little brother arrives. All of her baby dolls are now named Baby Norse and she will feed them, swaddle them, and burp them (which she must see Theresa do with the real one.) Then she will pick him up and say "Oh Baby Norse- so heavy" and pass him to me. It is pretty cute. She is going to be a great big sister!

This upcoming weekend are the big Woodbury thrift sales and I cannot wait! I am hoping to find a double stroller - but I know not to get my hopes up. At 7am on Friday, Woodbury will be filled with crazy women, all hoping to find a bargain. Mom, Kristen, and myself will be 3 of them :-)

Here are some pictures of Princess Emma in her new dresses I bought for her at a (yup, surprise) garage sale in Durand. They washed up pretty well and they beat the old dish towel I had clipped around her before. Although, tonight, she wanted the towel and not the dress - go figure. Her 2nd birthday party will be next Saturday (my baby is getting so big!) and she wanted a princess party at first, but now she has settled on Dora. So, that is good. Tim and I bought her a little kitchen for her birthday and I will run out and buy a few things for her to open up as well for the big day. TinkerBell Emma and... her watching Dora with her friend, baby Cinderella.

Finally - an older picture from when we spent time on the farm. She sure loved seeing the "Moo's" and still talks about Papa's new tractor!

Temporarily Disabled

AUGH!!! The internet is not working at our house.... AGAIN! So - sorry to say, no posts, no reading of other blogs... nothing!!! I am currently at the neighbors typing away and am jealous of their internet! Hope all is well, everything is good with us. I had a work trip to Sioux City this week, other than that.. nothing too exciting is going on.