The Return of Silent Movies

In a recent interview, Kirk Douglas said that when he had his stroke he could no longer speak so he was just hoping that silent movies returned.

I will never again go on a cruise. Not after watching Poseidon on mute. This movie might have fared far better in the theaters if it had been marketed as a silent movie. Nothing like watching people drown in silence.

A child was one of the main characters in Poseidon and since being pregnant with Bella, I cannot watch children suffer on TV, movies, the news or in real life.

My heart raced, I felt short of breath and I clinched the covers with my hand, squinting my eyes to see less misery, taking care not to wake the tiny sleeping beauty next to me. It was more torture than entertainment. Had the sound been on, I'm pretty sure it would've driven me to change the channel.

If you are trying to be sweet to whoever you snuggle with by keeping the TV muted, it is best to watch action shows/movies as opposed to Shakespeare. Takes alot less brain power to follow along. Unless it is a Will Ferrell movie, God love him, no brain power required, muted or not.

Oh, and the new series Dirt on FX with Courtney Cox? That show, muted, is utterly ridiculous. I won't bother watching it with sound.

In conclusion, here's to dry land! CHEERS!!

Pacifiers Suck

Hello, my name is Jenn and my daughter is a paciholic. We both need help.

You think I'm joking. I am not.

It is completely our fault for not getting her off the pacifier before age two. When she had her teeth grinding issues, the dentist said the pacifier would at least help curb it and prevent further injury to her teeth. Apparently, that didn't happen since she had to have surgery anyway.

I'm sure all you moms have heard it debated: thumb vs pacifier.

Bottom line, neither is good!

What I have now is a nearly 3 year old pacifier addiction. She seriously thinks she has to have it. It is no longer a want, it is a need. The dentist explained this to me and we witnessed this weekend just what he meant. When it came naptime for an extremely exhausted little girl who couldn't find her pacifier, the drama that played out deserved an Oscar. We were in the country and my husband was ready to drive 30 minutes to the closest store for a pacifier. We found it, thank God, and the poor thing slept for 3 hours.

Amanda, wise as a teacher and wise as a sister, has told me what I know deep in my heart. We're gonna have to just take the pacifier away and deal with the tsunami of tears, hurt and heart-wrenching begging.

I can't stand for my children to cry. I truly believe there are better ways to handle things than to let a child go from tears of unhappiness to sobs of desperation. However, I cannot let her go beyond age 3 with a pacifier. Her upper jaw is unable to grow properly because of it. She can't put her teeth together in the front! If we end the pacifier use by age 3, she has a 99% chance of her jaws righting themselves.

And it is our fault that we are in this situation. As parents, we should always have our children's best interest at heart. But knowing when to intervene is the tricky part.

If your child is using a pacifier and he or she is past age 2, be prepared for the ugliness of pacifier addiction. If yours weans herself on her own, be very thankful!! If not, my heart goes out to you and your little one.

Thank goodness Ava takes neither thumb nor pacifier. Just boob. And that is A-Oh-Kay. For now. :)

Mmmm..mmmm...Good

While Bella may want puppies in her tummy, Ava wants FOOD!

She showed an interest in food early on but I waited until a little over 5 months to start giving her food once daily. She's had rice cereal, pears, sweet peas, avocado and banana. LOVES the banana. While I'm a believer in fresh foods, I will buy the organic Gerber foods early on for the convenience.

How about you? Did/do you fresh squeeze your babies' juices, steam n' puree fresh veggies, mash delectable fruit?

Do I Have Puppies In My Tummy?

That is the question asked yesterday.

We've had our first toddler version of the birds and the bees. It was humorous and confusing for both of us.

It all started when my aunt got a new teacup Dachsund. Oh yes. It is even SMALLER than a miniature Dachsund. Her name is Minnie and she's the cutest, tiniest weenie dog ever. I will post a pic of her when I retrieve my camera from my MIL's house. When your two kids are bawling and screeching cuz it is past naptime, you tend to lose your wits as you bolt to your vehicle with them.

When Bella woke up from her nap, the first thing she asked for was a puppy like Minnie. She will name it Mickey Mouse.

I told her that maybe her grandmother's black weenie dog (Maggie) would one day have puppies. Bella wanted to go to Gran's immediately to get her puppy. Thus began the long conversation:

Mama, I want a buppy for my OWN.

Well, Maggie hasn't had puppies yet.

Theya not bone yet?

No, honey, they are not born.

I'm not bone yet?

Yes, you are born. The puppies are not.

Do I have buppies in my tummy?

No, dogs have puppies. You will have human babies when you are a grown up.

Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy? (the word "why" always sounds so nasal)

But I want to have a buppy, not a uma baby. Can we go to the hospial to get one?

Husband chimes in.

Bella, puppies don't come from the hospital. The mommy dog gets pregnant and carries the babies in her tummy like your Mommy carried Ava in hers and then one day the mommy dog gives birth.

Bella and I just stare at him.

Mama, can I have a buppy now?

Grin n' Piglet

Will her gummy smile at age 115 be this cute?

Still Kickin...

Hello, everyone! I finally found my way out of the mountain of laundry in time to post before the week's end.

We returned from visiting my family on Sunday and it has taken this long to get our life somewhat back on track. Working to get Ava back on a sleep schedule just so we can screw with it all over again in two weeks when we go see more family!

I love to see my family. While it isn't necessarily relaxing, it is nice to have a bunch more arms to hold Ava and a few more legs to chase Bella. Her favorite chaser is my parents' dog, Lilly. Lilly is like the Energizer Dog on speed. She's sweet as can be but OH MY LORD does the animal ever sit still?

Yes. When a 2 1/2 yr old is holding her ball and gets too distracted by Dora to throw it. Lilly waited breathlessly for Bella to throw it. And waited. Then looked perplexed. Then the full-body wiggles began and just before blowing up with all that patience, Bella returned to reality to throw the blessed ball.

We also took family pictures. Um. Let me just say that attempting to get three kids under the age of three to cooperate was comical. Throw in some wind, goosebumps and two grandmothers teetering on little chairs on a hill, it would've been more memorable just to video the event.

Upon leaving, Bella announced "that gurl" (photographer) is her new best friend. God love her. Everyone is her best friend these days. And if someone ignores her, she will loudly point it out. "Mama, why that man not tawking to me?" I know the day is coming when she starts to point out obvious differences or characteristics of others. In preparation, I'm practicing my not-shocked-response face.

We are on our way to the dentist to make sure those pretty and expensive teeth Bella owns are doing well. We're also begging the dentist to wave a magic wand to make her hate the pacifier.

Here's hoping...

Toddler Tidbits

This morning Bella was bathing joyfully and then there were screams. I thought surely she'd rubbed soap into her eyes or hurt herself with one of the million bath toys.

Nope. It was a bug. The teeniest, tiniest bug. I tried to convince her that the microscopic critter just wanted a bath too. She'd have none of it. So I made the mistake of flushing the offender down the toilet. If she ever pees in the toilet again, I'll be amazed.

-----

Bella has educated me. She'll spin the globe in her dad's office and point to somewhere on the ocean, telling me it is the Chocolut Micky Way.

-----

Last night, Bella was sitting with Ava laying across her lap while I read a book to her for the tenth time. I look over and Bella's holding her shirt up while Ava is rooting for a nonexistent snack.

-----

Isn't it incredible how much a baby

changes in just ONE YEAR??

I can't even imagine what Ava will look

like or her personality a year from now.

It is exciting being a mom!

Okay, that was overly enthusiastic because we all know it isn't always exciting. Especially if you wake up one morning and it dawns on you that you haven't worn your hair any other way than a ponytail for four months. Or you realize that you DO own something other than Mommy Attire.(ie. t-shirts, nursing bra, sweatpants, tennis shoes). I actually still own a skirt and heels!

What's your daily Mommy Attire? Don't make me hate you.

Life and Love

We've had a busy but fun few days. We've gone to the park, we've visited family, we've eaten in restaurants TWICE without a single tear shed by any of us!



Yesterday in the quiet of the afternoon as I nursed our baby and my husband read with our toddler, I was overcome with love for my family.



You know that love.



Your heart swells with so many emotions that it spills over into tears. You feel blessed and honored to be such a part of these wonderful beings' lives.



I look at my husband and am still amazed that our paths crossed and how almost instantly I knew he was who I had been searching for. Before, I thought that was a ridiculous notion. Can you possibly meet a person and within moments of speaking you just...KNOW? Well, yes. With age and experience comes awareness, I guess.



I see Bella and what a beautiful individual she is. Each day is a fresh day of learning, exploring and growing. I look at her photos over the last 2+ years of her life in awe. I see her pure love for family and friends. She is loving and kind to her baby sister, climbing into the crib to play with her, "reading" to her, singing to her. She is a remarkable person.



Playing face to face with Ava, I sense that she will be an opinionated observer :) She takes in everything but is never quiet about it. She's the noisiest 5 month old ever, grunting, growling, babbling. She absolutely adores her sister. She's already got a sense of humor and gets quite happy with herself. Funny how hard you'll work for wet kisses and laughter.



I never want to take my husband or my children for granted. I want them to always know my love, support and joy for each of them.



Happy Tuesday, all!

Hoppin On

I'm not one for getting on bandwagons and am usually turned off immediately when Oprah touts anything as THE NEXT BIG THING. I mean really, who can even afford any of her Favorite Things?

However...

I have to say that watching The Secret was truly inspiring. What's sad is my husband brought it home weeks ago after watching it at work. He hailed it as incredibly eye-opening and I dismissed it as some hooey for motivating his work staff.

Then I happened upon Oprah's show last week and 7 of the "teachers" of The Secret were discussing the video. It definitely peaked my interest to see such a diverse group of people all so excited about this discovery.

The funny thing is...there's nothing new about The Secret. It is simply the law of attraction. We've all heard about it. We all recognize it. Few of us really apply it to our life.

This weekend I watched the video my husband brought home, ignoring his baffled looks that it took Oprah and not him to get me to believe the video's magic. I'll never live that down.

Let me just say that I recommend this to everyone and everyone's loved ones. It IS truly eye-opening.

All those sayings we've heard:

1) Every action has a reaction
2) Think good things and good things will happen
3) Don't do today what you'll regret tomorrow
4) Life is what you make of it

All of that is true! And all of it is related to the law of attraction. Many of you Christians or other religions may wonder if this will interfere with your beliefs and I don't think it does. I think it coincides. I think God is all things, will always be all things, for eternity. He created the law of attraction just as He created the law of gravity.

I've been on a spiritual quest for some time now and watching this just felt right. It made sense to me and how I view spirituality. I won't go into great detail but I don't just believe in blindly following the Bible or man's teaching of it. There is great mystery surrounding the Bible, much history and many debates. I love to learn about it all. It is a huge part of my spiritual growth.

As I said, "The Secret" isn't some great mystical discovery. It is life. Energy. Spirit. Your MIND. This video really explains it better than I've ever heard or understood.

If you have seen this or decide to watch it, I would love to know your views.

Not For The Weak

Wanna know what's gross?

Emptying the laundry basket as you do each week and finding a moldy spit-up infant pj's and your favorite t-shirt also molded by spit-up.

Are you shuddering? Me too!

Also what's gross?

Your potty training toddler deciding she needs to potty on the BIG big girl potty (ie. toilet) and doesn't warn you or your bathroom carpet that she had already pooped in the pullups she was removing all by herself with great pride.

And one more gross-out?

Your gimpy dog who can't tell when he goes either type of potty and thus doesn't realize it as he snuggles all happily in his cozy blanket rather than face the cold for a walk-n-drop stroll.

Would bathing in bleach be a bad thing? Think I'll just stop and smell the roses from hubby instead....

PB Warning!

A salmonella outbreak that has slowly grown to nearly 300 cases in 39 states since August has been linked to tainted peanut butter, federal health officials said Wednesday.

The Food and Drug Administration warned consumers not to eat certain jars of Peter Pan or Great Value peanut butter because of the risk of contamination.

The affected jars have a product code on the lid that begins with the number "2111." The affected jars are made by ConAgra in a single facility in Sylvester, Georgia, the FDA said.


I have a jar of Peter Pan with the number 2111!! ACK! Threw it out immediately!

No better time than now to find out other PB options. What is YOUR favorite peanut butter brand?

Happy Vamentime's Day!!!

Hope you all feel loved and appreciated today!

Wiggin Out

Ava's 4 month checkup was on Friday. The usual. Strip her down, weight check, eyebrow raised at thunder thighs (hers, not mine...I think), height measurement, gasps from doctor on future NBA player, screams from shots and then the silence of breastfeeding.

Ava is 13 lbs, 14 oz. Just 9 oz more than Bella was at 4 months, which surprises the heck out of me. But even more suprising is that Ava is 26 3/4 " long and Bella was 24" long at 4 months. It never ceases to amaze just how different siblings are from the beginning!

Now on to even more important things.

Which 'do will do?

An Amazing, Exciting and Lovely Time

She called this a "rain down".

Logical, don't you think?

Forgot her shoes. Had to make do.

Bella loves talking. And talking. But it is at such a high decible, I think my dad doesn't even hear her sometimes.

She also loves adjectives. And is learning to use them correctly!

We went to see my family this weekend. My parents, sister, BIL, nephew, brother, and his GF.

Dad became Bella's new best friend with his gumball machine. He'd give her a penny for a gumball and she'd chew it for about 3 seconds, spitting it out as instructed (the concept of gum still pretty much eludes her) and would immediately ask Grandpa for another "doin". Yes, that is "coin" with a "d". Watching Dad try to figure out that one was funny.

All weekend, everything was "amasing" and "essiting". She told my mom that the peaches in the fruit bowl were "lofely".

What 2 1/2 year old says "lovely"??

Climbing awkwardly out of little cousin Dillon's toy house, she exclaimed "Its a WONNERFUL day!"

My sister just likes to hear her talk. I'm very glad someone other than me thinks everything Bella says is adorable. That is, except when she screeches "Noooooooo!". That is not adorable on any level. Even when she's got teensy-tiny pigtails I've managed to stretch up into rubber bands. Instant face-lift for a toddler.

We had a great weekend and I already miss everyone. How was your weekend?

And WHY would I want my toes in my face, Mama?

Could he BE any cuter?

Life Is Like A Box of Chocolate, Alot Of It Is Nuts...Or Maybe Just Me

Three Faces of Eve posted some interesting facts about herself. I love reading about you all so I thought maybe you might want to know a bit more about me. Hey, I understand if you don't.

Over the years, I've learned to see the humor in my life and poke fun at myself. I wouldn't change anything about my life or my past as it is all one big adventure with lessons throughout.


1) Being the undisciplined college student that I was, I only attended the art classes. Even with A's, that isn't going to do much for the ol' GPA when you don't show up for anything else.

2) Amazingly, some people thought my talent enough to teach their children art lessons for two years. That was fun and inspiring. Though not inspiring enough to return to school.

3) Met my husband at the horse track. It was the first time I'd ever been and he was standing next to me as the horse we'd both bet on won the race. I high-fived the stranger and married him 3 years later.

4) I hiked the Grand Canyon from North Rim to South Rim in just over 2 days. I had never hiked or camped prior to this. I lost four toenails which, I'm told, have been permanently "traumatized". It was the worst and the most incredible experience ever. By the end of the 26 mile hike, I was in tears and a day hiker asked if I was alright. I sobbed and begged that she tell her children to "keep to the right" of the trail instead of barreling down past exhausted uphill hikers. I'm pretty sure she was concerned for my mental state as well as physical.

5) Having not learned anything, I skiied for the first time on my honeymoon in Whistler, Canada. CRAZY. That sums it up. Took me 2 1/2 hours to get down the mountain. By the end of it, I was cursing so loud I'm pretty sure the school of 9 yr olds zipping past me picked up a few new words. I blame my husband for thinking the girl in powder blue excelling in ski school was me and encouraging me to skip the rest of class to ski with him. I was actually the one in powder blue barely mastering the snow plow.

6) Third time's the charm for stupidity, I guess. When 4 months pregnant with Bella, we went to Mexico as we do every year, but for some ungodly reason, we decided we were bored of just relaxing on the beach with waiters to serve us. So we rode 1950's banana seat bicycles through the jungles of Coba. It was so bumpy, I couldn't sit on the seat and I had to stand on the pedals to ride. I spent the entire next day sick, in Mexico, and my husband frantically called my doctor in the states asking for help. Can you imagine the conversation the nurses had over that call?

7) I have never ridden a rollercoaster and never will.

8) I'm afraid of exiting dark rooms. I will pretty much leap or run from the dark room to one that has light. I'll do the same when leaving the dark outside to the lighted indoors. I try to keep the heebie jeebies to a minimum around others.

9) I've been married before and thought for sure I would be punished for getting a divorce by never bearing children. So much for that ridiculous notion. I've been blessed beyond measure with two beautiful, healthy girls.

10) I love to drink sweet tea with milk. My brother and sister do as well. But they drink tea with about 1/4 tsp milk. Not sure that really counts.

11) I have an obsessision with my childrens' nostrils and ears. If there is anything there, I gotta remove it. It appears that I've passed that obsession on to Bella. The other day she was caught with her finger up Ava's nose.

12) Sometimes when nursing Ava in the middle of the night, I think of things I could blog about. Then I completely forget what it was by morning.

Yeah, so I'm ending the list at 12.

Tell me something kooky about you so I feel better about myself. K? What good friends you are!

Look At That Goat, Honey!

We are so City. If there was ever a question before, it has been answered as of yesterday.

We went to the livestock and equestrian show. Our city has one of the largest stock shows in the U.S. and we've gone every year that we've been together. The first few years, I think we fit in pretty good. Even went to the rodeo without looking too deer in the headlights. I yee-hawed with the best of 'em.

This year we loaded up the double stroller, the Snugli (aka the Life Saver), the diaper bag, our two children and us. I opted against Bella's faux fur sweater set that just screamed Gymboree, and instead she wore jeans and a hoodie.

We wandered around aimlessly, Bella's excitement building for the animals she was supposed to see. The first animal? A horse. Walking away. So she got to see a horse's butt up close. I just prayed that was all she'd see at that moment.

I don't know WHY but it took a good hour, 3 corn dogs, a bag of caramel popcorn and a greasy ham n' cheese sandwich for us to decide we needed a map. Bella had yet to see anything other than the equestrian behind and her humor was leaving the premises. Oh, we could hear the swine, the chickens, the cows and the goats, but had yet to find them among all the barns and auction houses with high stalls.

FINALLY, we found what we were looking for. The children's barnyard. Newly hatched baby chicks, ducklings, calfs, bunnies (only the cutest EVER!), miniature horses, piglets, and a turkey the gobbled and made the city kids scream with delighted fear while the country kids looked confused at such a response.

Bella took a cute picture with four precious baby goats. She was too enamored to look at the photographer so the girl started yelling Bella's name to get her attention. "ISABELLA! LOOK AT THE CAMERA! ISSSSSSABELLLLLLLLAAA!" Whatever. Bella was way more into this fuzzy little creature laying on her lap. That polaroid was $7.50.

Afterwards, she took an adorable picture on a miniature horse. Pink cowgirl hat, chaps, bandana and huge smile. She threw a fit when she had to get off her new toy.

Then said she needed a picture with the chickens. Fortunately, there was no booth for that.

Three hours and well over $100 later, I was carrying Bella, Ava was in the Snugli on my husband and the stroller was strewn with goodies and crumbs. It was time to go home.

On our way out, we're walking by the area the animals use to exercise.

I exclaim, "Bella! Look at the goat, honey! Isn't it so cute?!"

It baa's at me.

Oh. It is a shorn sheep.

I may as well have offered up some hot sauce from NEW YORK CITY! for the looks I got.

The country folks rolled their eyes, a few chuckles were heard and my husband laughed hysterically. (hey, mister, I didn't see you pipe in that it was a sheep!)

Next year, I will at least know the difference between a goat and a naked sheep. I just hope Bella continues to not take notice of the huge difference between a bull and a cow. And I do mean huge.

A Tale Of Four Kitchens

This year we decided to get Bella a play kitchen. I'm all for women's lib but also understand that little girls looooooove to pretend they are domestic goddesses.

I didn't want to spend alot on a kitchen since it wasn't to be the focal point of her room. I also bought her an art easel and her dad bought an adorable writing desk & chair. We have high expectations.

I found a kitchen on sale for $30. It was a steal as it was regular price $60. How could I not? I ordered it and received a box of 150 million pieces of plastic all stuck together awaiting an evening of cursing and ARGH!-ing to put it together.

My husband's aunt ordered a kitchen for their granddaughter, who they are raising. She bought the fancy schmancy expensive one. It was delivered to our house since she and her husband work.

Then she figured out that the store over-charged them and so the store...sent them another one. To our house. So now I had three play kitchens at my house. Why? Because they insisted my aunt had to take her first one back to the store for a refund because she paid by check, blah blah blah.

After comparing apples to carcass, I decided to buy the schmancy kitchen from the aunt and give the crappy one to his grandmother so all the grandkids could play and destroy without anyone feeling bad.

Problem?

El' Crapo was missing parts. Are you kidding me?

I contacted the store, they said they'd send the parts.

What did I receive? Oh yeah! ANOTHER KITCHEN.

I have never, nor do I ever want again, four plastic kitchens in my home. Try explaining to a 2 1/2 yr old that you are basically a plastics warehouse and she only gets to keep one. How very Mommy Dearest.

The tickle-your-funny-bone-or-not part? The original store told me to keep Crappy Kitchen #2 for free. HA! All that means is that I have two turds and one is still missing pieces! That will be donated. Don't feel bad for the kid who gets it, SHE can have HER mommy call for the missing sink.

As for Bella, she's happy as can be with the expensive kitchen. Go figure. And when I asked if she could make me some tea?

"Uh-oh...I'm fesh out, Mama."

*sigh*

A Noisy Village

I'm sure you moms have all heard the phrase "It takes a village to raise a child". It should really be more like "It takes a village to talk about how you raise your child".

People, specifically family, spend 90% of their time visiting with you assessing your child. Have you noticed? Especially infants. I guess because they can't pipe in to defend themselves.

Why is the baby crying?

She sounds like she's in pain. Did you give her the maximun 12 doses of Mylicon yet?

Have you tried giving her cereal? Can I give her some? I just happen to have a box of baby cereal in my purse.

Is her ear deformed? Why don't you duct tape it to her head?

She certainly is fat. Are those thigh tires a good thing?

Oh, there she goes spitting up again. Does she need some medicine? What does her doctor say about all that spewing? It sure is rank. No thanks, you can hold her.

She just blew out a diaper. That's why she was crying. Perhaps you should change what you eat so she won't be so miserable.

Does she always scream when she's unhappy? Is it gas?

Isabella was never like that. She's always been so docile and sweet. (This just baffles me since Bella didn't like anyone or anything the first 6 months of her life. Everyone thought she was Satan's sister)


And the best one...


You shouldn't hold your baby so much. It will spoil her.


SERIOUSLY?

It wears a person out completely. A mother shouldn't have to spend so much time defending herself or her children! It is no wonder that so many moms look wild-eyed and exhausted. It isn't necessarily from their babies...it is from everyone constantly evaluating their skills as a parent or their kid's lack of perfection (ie. seen and not heard).

Other than that, we had a fabulous weekend. How about you? :)

Snow, Ya'll!

Well, lookit that.

Snow.

In Texas.

Keep tryin, honey...

I think red plaid and pastels look lovely together, don't you?

(There IS a fire amongst all that ash. Really)

Bella shares her fashion tips with Ava.

Careful What You Ask For

Because my daughter is hilarious to me, another Bella Tidbit:

Last night after a long, luxurious shower (a rarity), I was at my make-up table applying my nightly moisturizer with Bella next to me, rummaging through the make-up drawer. She found a necklace and decided to try and hang it on my boob.

When that didn't work, she decided to examine the boob closer and poked it as if it might be playing possum.

We talked about how Ava gets baby milk and she drinks big girl milk. Then she asked where the milk was. So I showed her how it works with a little squeeze, a stream of milk hitting the counter.



Bella stared for a moment.




"Ima go see what Daddy's doin"




HA.