Don't Eat the Play-doh!

After an awesome birthday party today we came home with a little package of play-doh. The smell brought back memories - ahhh the Mop Top Hairshop (did that only exist in the 80's?). I showed Anna how to roll the play-doh into balls and snakes but she much preferred to take it in and out of the container. Several times I caught her trying to sneak a bite - seems like we should be past the stage of putting everything into the mouth, oh well.

Cute Maddie Pics

My husband watched the girls last night and here are some cute Maddie pics from the evening. I can't believe she is almost 4 months old!!

Sisters

These pictures makes me smile. I knew the girls would one day play with each other but I had no clue how soon it would actually start. Anna loves to play with Maddie when she is in her exersaucer or hanging out on the floor. Anna will get really close to Madelyn's face and make her smile or will make some quick movement that will cause Maddie to squeal with delight. It is precious!

New Favorite Snack

Anna and I have found a yummy and nutritious yogurt that we LOVE to have for snack - Rachel's . They come in lots of exotic flavors (all are deliciious) including my favorite, Orange Strawberry Mango. Since they are natural, they cost a little more than you would pay for something like Yoplait but to me it is worth it. Anna and I usually share one over breakfast. So far I have only founds these at the SuperTarget.

Cute Anna Pics from the Weekend

I helped host a baby shower for my best friend on Saturday so Anna and my husband went to the NC Farmers Market to get flowers. Anna came back with her very own sunflower.



A visit from Mimi means it's time to try on clothes. Here is Anna in her new winter coat and hat from Peaches 'n Cream.



It's time for church. Who would have thought that a girl this cute would throw herself on the nursery floor and scream when I left her.

Sprinkler Time

With only a month left of summer we are just discovering how much fun a sprinkler can be.

A Closet Makeover

As I went through the mess that is Madelyn's closet, I realized I've got to find a good way to organize it - and organize it fast as more clothes are added to it almost daily. As I packed up Anna's clothes a year and a half ago I took the frugal approach and decided to use Ziploc Big Bags rather than plastic storage containers. At the time it seemed like a good idea, but now as I look at the bags in Madelyn's closet that are falling over and busting at the seams, I'm not so sure. I have also come to two realizations: #1 the clothes that come out don't look nearly as nice as I remember them when they went in and #2 I have no clue what is in the bags! Any suggestions on the best way to tackle this? By size, by season?

There's something in the water

Last night I went to a baby shower for some of the mommies in Anna's playgroup. As I looked around the table there were 9 moms, not including myself, and a total of 7 babies on the way! It is about to be baby season. In addition, 2 moms from my birthing class with Anna, 2 good mommy friends I met when Anna was only 4 months old, and my best friend are all expecting between now and the end of October as well. With the exception of my best friend, all of these ladies also have a two year old in tow. What is it that makes two years apart the magic number?

My brother and I are six years apart. I went off to college when he was only 12; when he went off to college, I was getting married. We have forever been in different life stages and I look forward to the day when that changes. So to me, having kids closer in age was appealing. Maybe it's the fact that around the 18 month mark I looked at Anna and saw a little girl rather than a baby; and the motherly desire to hold another baby in my arms was strong (good thing since in my case Maddie was about to be born). And perhaps, it just happens that way; I'm sure each family has their own reasons.

No matter how far apart in age the kids are I'm sure it is a wonderful experience with benefits to each; for example my niece who is in middle school will soon have a new brother/sister and she is going to be a GREAT role model and will be a huge help to my sister-in-law. So I guess there is no "magic number", but looking at my friends, it sure seems that way. So if you don't want a baby, you may not want to hang out with me for now :).

Here's Anna being the good big sister and showing Maddie how to have tummy time:

How long does it take...

... for one mom to go into the grocery store with two kids and pick up two items.

Answer: 25 minutes!! (2 minutes to pick up the items, 5 minutes to stop and talk to everyone about how cute Anna looks in her sunglasses,
3 minutes to check out, and 15 minutes juggling car seats, strollers and shopping carts.)

It definitely takes a little longer these days to run errands but I'm excited that I'm finally able to get back out there and do a few things. I'm slowly learning what "technique" works best at each store and the girls have been fabulous guinea pigs. Most "quick" errands work best with Maddie in her stroller and Anna on foot; thankfully I have a daughter who will hold my hand or follow me around. I did learn though not to give Anna any items to take into the store with her for it will most likely be launched through the air or left behind.

Today we're hitting the grocery store and hope to make it out without tears (theirs or mine). Wish us luck! And I apologize in advance to anyone who happens to park next to me.

New diapers

Over the past year I feel as if Pampers has changed their packaging/marketing on their Cruisers diaper at least twice. Well, recently they added an additional Cruiser diaper, Cruisers with Ultra Absorbency.

Of course extra absorbency comes with a higher price tag, but these have been worth it for us (we only use them at night). The month prior to buying these, Anna had been waking up with wet pj's and the occasional wet puddle on her sheet due to an overflowing diaper. Yuck!

So far so good with these new diapers.

(Another tip is to buy a size bigger for night to hold more wetness).

Family Fitness

When my husband and I met six years ago we were both at our physical peak. Here we are during our 10 mile hike through the NC mountains.



Then over the years we made less time in our schedules for working out, had two beautiful girls (talk about a weight roller coaster) and overall weren't eating our best, so the pounds crept in. My husband blogged back in January about his motivation to start working out again and it sparked my interest. So after Madelyn was born and I was cleared by the doctor, I too started back at the gym. What a difference it has made! There's of course the physical difference - I have finally been able to shed those extra pounds I kept after Anna was born and (more excitingly to me) fit back into some clothes that I had long ago discarded into the consignment pile. For me, there's also a psychological difference in waking up to a morning routine (I hit the gym in the mornings while the girls are asleep and hubby is getting ready for work) and having a few extra minutes to myself.

I'm not sure if I'm ready to hike 10 miles yet, but I'm getting there; like my husband, I too am looking forward to lots of family adventures. We'll post some recent pics when we get a chance - maybe we'll even pull out the backpacks just for fun :).

Shoo fly

It is a beautiful day here in Raleigh so Anna and I decided to have lunch outside on the back deck. Everything started off fine...



... All of a sudden a fly landed on Anna's sandwich and she started screaming "mine" and crying. I couldn't get Anna to understand how to get the fly to leave so I then spent the remainder of our lunch standing over Anna's plate swatting the flies away. I guess that's it for picnics for awhile.

Baby Food

I enjoy stockpiling information - I like to read "how to" books, get suggestions from trusted friends, and search the internet for related websites. My current topic of choice (besides the forever topic of home organization) is baby food. Should I make my own? Should I just pick up the little containers at Target? Should I buy organic?

With Anna, I was so excited to start solid foods that I gave them to her at four months - as soon as I got the go ahead from her doctor. I bought Gerber baby food for Anna because I had some fears about making my own. What if I do something wrong and making her sick?? This turned out to be a good plan since shortly after starting solids, our dishwasher decided to ruin our floors leaving our kitchen in disarray. It probably would not have been overly sanitary (or safe) to cook up baby food on a camping stove in my bathroom.

Now it's round two. Madelyn is 3 1/2 months old and doing great on breastmilk alone. At her four month appointment the doctor will talk about starting solid foods but I think I will wait until closer to 6 months as long as she still seems to be getting enough to eat. She's my baby - I don't want to rush it. So in the meantime I'm "collecting" info, trying to figure out what kind of food to give Madelyn. Any advice?

Loving my Girls

Yesterday on Sesame Street Elmo was sad because one of his friends (I'm not up on my Sesame characters yet) was now taking care of a baby and didn't have as much time to play with him anymore. The friend sang him a song about how you can never run out of love. How true! Before I got pregnant with Maddie I wondered how I could possibly love another baby as much as I love Anna; now I see how love just multiplies. These recent pics of the girls make me smile.

The Most Fun Laundry Load Ever

My husband and I often joke that Anna shows some of my "tendencies" when it comes to wanting everything in its place. Today Anna was in her prime as she helped me do a load of laundry. I must say I have never smiled so much while folding clothes. Here's how it went... Anna would pull a piece of clothing out of the dryer, cheer for it, and then classify it as "Yanna's", "Issy's", "Batub's" (remember I'm not so good at sorting laundry) or "Pool's" (bathing suits). Then, after everything was taken out of the dryer and folded, it was time to put the clothes away. I almost fell over as Anna knew where almost everything went! If I bought a few more bins I bet Anna could put away all of her clothes :). I'm not ready for that yet though, laundry has just become fun!