Who's that kid with the Oreo cookie?

That would be my kid....

I somehow thought this was a good idea.  I thought for being so good and sleeping well for a week, that we would treat Lauren to a milk dipped Oreo cookie.  I had no idea it would literally turn to mud.  On top of cleaning this mess in the kitchen, I now have to scrub the bathtub too! LOL

Atleast she enjoyed it! That makes these messes all worth while. 

11 months

I can't believe my sweet baby girl is already 11 months.  I can't believe that in less than a month, she will be one.  I can't believe that she will not be my baby anymore in 6-7 weeks! 
Lauren Grace has been such a joy for us.  She is constantly growing and changing.  Everyday she makes new sounds.  Her new favorite thing is to point at things and say "what's that?"  She now knows what the light is, the fan, and mommy and daddy if we ask her where they are.  She loves to play peek a boo too!  She is becoming more and more independent everyday.  She is eating several solid meals a day.  Majority of the time she swats the spoon away from her mouth, as she'd rather do things herself. 
We have had a blast with her learning and growing this month.  We can't wait to see how she develops even more as time goes on.
On Sunday, Lauren and I went to the park while Kevin went golfing.  We decided to take her one year pictures to be sent out in her birthday announcement.  Between the 2 ducks and a goose that ambushed us, it was quite the time!  I did manage to get some super cute pictures of her with the ducks.  Not what I had planned at all, but definately worth it in the end!

and this was the picture taken right as the crazy goose honked at us and began to come closer.  Lauren was a little starlted!

One of Lauren's Milestones this month is that she can now stand on her own.  She has attempted to take a few steps here and there on her own, but they didn't have very happy endings.  She fell on her face both times.  It will be any day now that she is running around our house. 

Tasty Tuesday

All around Teriyaki sauce/marinade:


1/4 c. soy sauce
1 T honey
3 T orange juice or pineapple juice
1 T packed brown sugar
1 t sesame oil
1 minced garlic clove
1 T minced peeled fresh ginger

Thanks to Kevin's Aunt Mandy in Indiana for this amazing recipe!  It is so delcious.  Kevin and I have used it for fried rice and stir fry.  Mandy and her family have used it for chicken wings too! It would be great with pork, chicken and beef.  It is really tasty and I hope you all give it a try. 
Fresh ginger is a must for this recipe.  Don't let that frighten you.  Whatever you do not peel and use, you can place in plastic bag and freeze for a later use! 
Because it is a marinade/sauce. I am anxious to hear if any of my readers try this and if they like it and what they used it for!  

Remember when...

Remember when I wrote this post and was contemplating sleep training.  Remember when I said in that post, that I couldn't let Lauren cry herself to sleep.  Remember when she was so easy to put to sleep and she slept all night? Remember when....ahhhh those were the days!  Well the last few days, I can't remember a time that she hasn't gone to sleep without a fight.  Last week was brutal for us.  I know there are no consistencies with children but, wow, Lauren threw us for a big loop when she decided to stay up past midnight for 3 nights in a row!  We had to do something.  Laying in bed with us was not working anymore.  All she wanted to do was play.  This was not fun for me or Kevin.  Kevin, because he has to be up at 4:45am and me, because it's not particularly fun to have my 20-something pound, 11 month old daughter, playfully jump, kick and hit my very pregnant belly.  We were exhausted, so was she, and something had to be done now!  We decided that Friday night we would begin putting her to bed and letting her cry it out.  This time, we were NOT going to give up.  This time we were going to be strong. 
Well, this time, we didn't give up.  Were we strong? No...I cried like a baby.  Kevin was feeling terrible as well.  We did it though. We let her cry for about 15 min and then I went in and rubbed her back and tried to lay her back down.  That made things worse.  She was now throwing a full blown fit since I had come in.  I had to just leave, tears rolling down my face just as much as hers.   After about 30 minutes of crying, she fell asleep.  We decided to wait a few minutes before going in and checking on her.  After ten minutes had passed, we went in to cover her up.  The stinker was laying on her blanket with it tucked between her legs.  If we were smart, we would have just left her.  Like I said, if we were smart.... but we weren't.  We tried, so very cautiously to move her blanket.  FAIL.  She woke up.  We both bolted out of there like kids getting caught doing something very wrong.  We didn't want her to see us because that would only make it worse again.  She cried for about 10-15 more minutes she finally passed out around 10:30.  We checked on her and covered her up around 10:45pm and then headed to bed ourself.  She woke up once around 2am.  I just went in and laid her down and covered her up and she was right back to sleep with absolutely no fight at all.  She then slept in til 9:45am!
Night 2:  I will spare you the long story like above:   We started a little earlier than the night before.  She cried for about 30 min.  We never went in this time to rub her back or anything.  She fell asleep by 9:30pm and didn't wake up til 8:15am.  Not even once in the middle of the night.
Night 3:   We put Lauren in bed around 9:15pm.  She was asleep in less than 5 minutes, and she didn't wake up at all during the night.  She did wake up for the day at 4am.  That was no big deal though.  I cuddled with her for a bit and then realized that she was really up for the day.  We got up and played while Kevin got ready.  It was actually kind of nice for us both to be up with Kevin and see him off to work.  Lauren drank a bottle and played while I got a load of laundry done, and the dishes put away from the dishwasher.  We both laid back down around 6:45am and woke up around 8:30am.  It is now 2:20pm.  She has been playing hard and messing up the house very well for several hours now.  She finally just went down for a nap.   I think we are going to keep it to one nap a day from now on.

All in all, we are very happy with our decision to let Lauren cry it out.  We never imagined it would be so hard.  We have had an overwhelming amount of support and encouragement from our family and friends.  It has made us feel a lot better about our decision to do this.  I know it will be worth it in the end. 

One more thing...

This pictures cracks me up!! It was taken a few weeks ago in Minnesota by Aunt Cindy.  She captured Lauren mid-laugh while her silly cousins were talking and playing with her!  I love it!!!

Summer, sweat, softball, sweetness, stupid car.

SSSSSSSSSSS....is for Sizzlin' hot! My goodness, the heat in Kansas is insane.  The heat, along with humidity has had temperatures in the 110 range for about a week now.  It is not fun.  I shouldn't complain.  I get to stay inside all day if I do so chose. Kevin, however, is up every morning at 4:45am and out the door by 5:15am to be on post for PT.  It usually is still in the mid 80's that early!  I don't know how they do it.  I sweat walking from my car to the grocery store and back.  It's no fun carrying a 25lb Lauren and then an extra 30lbs in my belly.  Blah~!
Our week started out with Kevin gone Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday.  They have been doing a lot of  live fire trainings to prepare for a possible deployment to Iraq in November.  I say possible, because we have not received official orders yet, and anyone who knows the Army or any branch of the military knows that things change all of the time. Deep in our gut and my sad heart, I know with all of the meetings we have had lately, that it is most likely inevitable. One year..wow.  I know I will not be the first person to go through this.  I hope reading this, makes some of my readers understand maybe a glimpse of the anxiety that I was dealing with in my last post.  2 kids, 1 and a newborn, is a lot of work in itself.  What some of you might not have realized is that  we (me and Lauren), are home alone...a lot.  Every weekday for atleast 12-14 hours day, sometimes longer.  Sometimes, he's gone for days.  I wasn't trying to get a pity party. I am still not trying to. Just wanted you to know my perspective.   I know a lot of woman do well with many young children.  I know a lot of them also have family near by, and spouses that can work from home.  That is not our case.  I think one who would understand the most what I am dealing with is Becky (Kevin's cousin).  I am kind of her copy cat.  :) :) :)  2 kids, in 2 years, military, and she dealt with a deployment shortly after the birth of her son Alex.  She is stationed in Germany too! I don't know how she does it.  I really appreciate all of her support and advice, she has been a great friend to me! 
So stay tuned, for more updates on the deployment and what are plans are for the next year to come.  There might not be an update for a while, we are at the mercy of information from the Army  :) It may be a little while, and that's because we just don't know anything for sure yet.

Wednesday ended with a Dr's appt.  Kevin was gone still, so I had to take Lauren to hourly daycare on post.  My doctor was running about 90 min. behind.  So frustrating.  After being there for an hour, they asked if I would be willing to see one of the male ob/gyn.  I didn't care.  My doctor was leaving at the end of the month, so she wasn't going to be my doctor much longer anyway.  So, I saw this crazy man!  Wow, he was kind of a spaz.  He talked a million words a minute.  I had a hard time keeping up with him, and I am known to talk a persons ear off!  I liked him though.  He agreed with everything my previous doctor had recommended for me and the baby.  My blood pressure is still high.  Not high enough to be pre-eclampsia but high enough since the beginning to be considered pregnancy induced chronic hypertension.  Starting the first week of August, I have to go to the hospital TWICE A WEEK (ugh) to be hooked up to the machine to monitor the baby's heart rate and my contractions.  If things are ok from weeks 34 to 39 then we will just schedule and induction between 39/40 weeks.  The dr's do not want me to go more than 40 weeks.  If there are not good results during one of the NST's or my blood pressure would get worse, then obviously emergency induction would be the case.  Please keep us in your prayers. 

Sweetness....I have been working on Lauren's birthday invites/announcements.  My sister Kara, bought this cute onesie for Lauren a few months back for her to wear for her first birthday.  I decided to run with the theme.  Hobby Lobby had scrapbook paper 50% off, so I constructed my template and began to cut out a whole bunch of polka dot ones.  I am very happy with how they turned out.  Now I just have to find a day, when the temps are not so hot that I can do a photo shoot with Lauren outside. 
I plan on sending a birthday announcement out to all family and some friends.  I wanted to send everyone an updated picture.  With my family in Illinois and Kevin's in Minnesota.  The chance of people actually traveling to Kansas for Lauren's birthday is pretty slim.  However, it's a big event for Kevin and I as much as it is Lauren.  We are so excited for our little girl, and we want everyone to feel included even though we are states away.  She deserves all of the fun, and love and  presents because she won't be daddy's only little girl for much longer!! 

Softball....Wednesday and Thursday night were spent at the softball fields on post.  Luckily the games have been later in the evening so the temps cooled down enough ( in the low 90's HA!) to be bearable.  It's so cute when Lauren recognizes her daddy through the fence. She will point and yell.  I just love it.  Here is a picture of Lauren clapping for her daddy when he made a base hit.  She gets really excited when she hears other people clap and she joins in.  How precious!! She loves her daddy so much!!

Ok we are going to end this post with Stupid car....My old grand am over heated on Kevin on the way to work yesterday.  Bummer!!  We have been dealing with the same issue for years with this dumb car.  Kevin had a guy at work look at it, and he thinks it's the thermometer.  Funny, with the thousands of dollars spent fixing this car in the last few years, that is the only thing that has not been replaced, and it only costs about $11 and we also have one in the trunk of the car.  We bought it last summer when we were having issues.  So please pray that this simple fix is all we need.  We just need this car to last atleast til his deployment.  Then we can let her rest in peace :) Prayers please!!

So today's post was brought to you by the letter "S"  ...  haha!  I have been watching a lot of Sesame Street with Lauren to get her excited for Sesame Street Live next week!  The USO brought the tour to Fort Riley and it is FREE for us! I just love some of the perks of the military!! 

So Sorry about the Super long Summary of our weekly Schedule.  :) :)

In a rut...

I am kind of in a rut right now.  I can't think of anything to blog, nor can I find the time or ambition to do it.  I hope this passes.  I feel like I have a lot of stuff that I need to clean, organize and get ready for baby #2 before I spend time on the computer.  I am having a hard time trying to figure out how I am going to manage 2 kids, 1 year and a new born. 
I hate messes.  I get stressed when things are messy.  I stress myself out more now by picking up Lauren's toys everytime she naps.  I know I should just leave it and not worry about it..but that's just not me.  I think instead of stressing about it, that it is time to move everything down to the basement playroom.  She has plenty of space, toys, playset with slide and swing, and I have my craft table.  Plus, I don't have to see the mess in my living room.  Yes, i think that is what I am going to do from now. It's also cooler down there! 
Ok....now I have to find the ambition to pick up her toys and move them downstairs.....here I go......eehhhhhhhh.....

A little comparison

30 weeks 1 day   

July 10, 2010

30 weeks pregnant with Lauren

June 17, 2009

It has been fun to look back at pictures and ask Kevin if I look bigger or smaller, etc.  I feel much bigger.  I had not completely lost all of my pregnancy weight from Lauren when I found out that I was pregnant again.  I have been struggling a lot with self image this time around.  I just feel huge!  Last time I was concerned with stretch marks.  This time it's my face being puffy, arms, butt, thighs, boobs, toes, feet, hands.  Nothing fits!    I wear a lot of stretchy pants and probably wouldn't make it through the day without crying if I didn't have the most amazing husband who tells me I am beautiful atleast 3 times a day. 

I am hoping that things will start to cool off a bit here in Kansas, so maybe we can take some walks in the evening.  When it's in the 90's/100's...I am not real keen on it.

Well, I think I am going to head back to bed.  We got home from vacation yesterday afternoon.  I should probably get some more rest before Lauren gets up for the day and I regret getting up with Kevin at 4:45am. 

Now that we are home, and back into the swing of things...I will TRY and update a little more often.

Wow, I am a slacker!!

I have been MIA for a while.  Between computer issues, phone/internet issues, traveling, packing, Dr's appts, lab tests, and now traveling more..I haven't had much time to update. 
As we speak, we are on our way to Minnesota to visit Kevin's family.  It's a 12 hour drive.  We split it up and stopped last night in Minneapolis because we were beat!  Yesterday morning, Lauren woke up at 4:30 and Kevin was up for the day for work.   By midnight we were so tired, we had to stop!
So, here we are, almost 8am and I am finally in an area with decent cell phone coverage (unlike my house)..so I will update a little bit on the last few weeks.

Mid June- I had a check up with the OB/GYN.  My blood pressure was still elevated.  She told me at that appointment that she probably wouldn't let me go full term because of it.  If I don't go on my own before 39 weeks, then she would induce.

June 13-20.  Lauren took her first train trip to Illinois!  It was so nice.  She did really well.  On the way there, they never sat anyone next to us, so Lauren was able to stand up and look out the windows.  She had a blast!

We traveled to Illinois to meet up with my family for our Family Reunion.  It was in the Quad Cities this year.  My mom was in charge and she did a great job!  She had a lot of fun activities and planned a great meal at Johnny's Italian Steakhouse! 

June 21- My 26th Birthday.  My mom got me a beautiful framed piece of art.  It goes with the Americana theme in my living room!  Kevin got me an Alison Krauss Cd and made me a video with pictures of Lauren and I since she was born.  Needless to say...I cried.  It was so special.

Fast forward to this week...Monday.  Kevin was off and we just spent the day relaxing, swimming and somewhat packing.

Tuesday I spent most of the day packing/cleaning/organizing/doing laundry. 

And yesterday...I had my 29 week check with my OB/GYN.  I had lost 1.5 lbs which is not a bad thing..it's actually probably a good thing since I gained 8lbs last time (GASP!!!) I know! I am a fatty!! I couldn't believe it.  I about fell off the scale. The Dr. seemed to think it was a lot of water weight because of the 100 degree temps..but I didn't tell her I hate the whole pan of scotheroos the week Kevin was gone.  My blood pressure was actually back to normal yesterday, so that is a good thing!  I passed my glucose test but they said I am anemic now..so I now have to take Iron pills. The Dr said I am measuring 33 weeks. I felt like I was huge.  I guess the ultrasound about a month ago was normal, so they aren't going to change my due date.  Darn..  I also found out that my dr is leaving at the end of July.  So once again, right at the end of my pregnancy I have to find and choose another DR! Super frustrating!

Ok..So that should have updated you on what is going on so far.  I hope everyone is having a great week.  I will try and update while on our vacation!