My Bowl of Nuts

The Story of Eli

2009-10-28T09:40:00.012-04:00

Posting has been long overdue, but I've got quite a story to tell and haven't had the time to sit down to tell it.

Our tale starts on September 30th, when I went into early labor at 35 weeks. After hours at the hospital and a dilation of 5 cm, they were able to stop labor and send me home to let Eli cook a little bit longer. Since it was around 1 am, we decided to let Grandma Jane and Grandpa Lee keep Sophie overnight, making plans to pick her up the next morning after we all got some good sleep. If only we had known what a great decision this would turn out to be.

Daddy decided to sleep in what would soon be Sophie's room and give me the whole bed since the medicine to stop labor left me quite uncomfortable. At approximately 6 am that morning, October 1, our smoke alarms started going off. Thinking it a false alarm since there was no smoke or fire smell whatsoever in the bedroom, I laid in bed for a minute until I heard Daddy stumbling around upstairs and then fall down the stairs. When I got up to see what was going on and opened the door, smoke started billowing in from the living room vent. As Daddy ran down to the basement to support his theory that it was our furnace on fire, I ran out the front door, grabbing my purse and phone on the way and called 911.

As it turns out, Daddy was right. The furnace had caught fire from a spark created by contact with the heat exchanger from the central air system. As the fire burned, the freon, insulation, plastic and generaly yuckiness burned and was pushed through the blowers into all vented rooms. The room that got it the worst was Sophie's. The fire inspector has surmised that had Sophie been home, instead of with Grandma and Grandpa, she would not have survived. That still makes me cry when I think about it. I guess it just means that she's supposed to still be here, right? After the smoke had settled (literally) and our house was assessed, it was deemed unlivable and the insurance company got to work getting things cleaned up and repainted. We needed to find a temporary home. After two days with Grandma and Grandpa Flaig, which included another trip to the hospital with false labor, we found temporary residence with Aunt Shell and Uncle Bill. She was able to rearrange her house to give us two bedrooms to use - one as a living area with a couch and TV, and one which belonged to Sophie's cousins Tara and Brooke who have graciously been sleeping on the fold out couch on the nights they are here so that we can have beds. It's been tight, but Michelle, Bill and the girls have been so wonderful taking us in and helping us feel at home. The family bonding has been kinda fun, too, including huge family dinners, helping the girls get ready for their homecoming dance, and late night girl runs to McDonalds for hot fudge sundaes when we get a craving.

3 weeks into our stay with Aunt Shell, mommy had a check up with the obstetrician to check on Eli and they determined that I was effacing, and almost ready to go to the hospital. I had been having contractions for a few hours, which were at that time 10 minutes apart, and the doc said once they got to 6 minutes, we could head to the hospital. Since the hospital is on the other side of town and rush hour in Cincinnati can be horrendous, Mommy and Daddy decided to hang out near the hospital. Mommy got a massage, bought Eli a Halloween onesie and did a little mall walking before heading to the hospital with contractions 4 minutes apart. This time it was the real deal and Eli arrived at 10:55 pm on October 21, 2009.

Eli, your birth was a dream...especially compared to your sister's. 20 minutes of pushing and you practically ran out. You were 8 lb 2 oz and 20.75 inches long. You looked just like Sophie, but with dark hair like Mommy, which made me very happy.

After a very brief stay in the hospital where Eli and I were both given a clean bill of health, we were able to come 'home' to Aunt Shell's. Sophie was a bit apprehensive about meeting Eli. It took a little bit for her to realize that the baby was on the outside and not the inside of my belly.What really helped her warm up was comparing body parts. Sophie seemed to be very excited about the fact that Eli had a lot of the same parts, only smaller. Eli has hands...

Eli has eyes....

And Sophie's favorite part....Eli's toes....

A mere week later, and Sophie loves her little brother. She gives him hugs and kisses all the time. She's also not too shy about telling him 'Shhhhh' when he starts to cry. Ah, big sister.

So, Eli, now you know all of the drama associated with and around your arrival into this world. Hopefully your life is much less exciting :-)

I'll leave today with some funny pics of Sophie trying to get some extra attention through sheer silliness.

Sophie's Coney Island Adventure

2009-09-15T10:35:00.005-04:00

On Saturday, Aunt Michelle (or Shell as Sophie calls her) took our little princess to Coney Island for her work's Summer Picnic. Mommy was invited, too, but decided to opt out this time since that would be a whole lot of walking for an 8 month pregnant woman. We don't need Eliot to come just yet. At first Stink Bug was a little apprehensive of the situation.

But once she got out of the stroller and started making friends, she had a blast. Incidentally, Aunt Teresa also works with Aunt Michelle, so Molly and Carson were along for the day. Sophie and Molly were fast friends.

Then, she started to get to know her second cousin Hunter.... If she's this lovey on boys she's just met who she's related too, what's going to happen when she gets older and meets real boys? We may have to lock her up earlier than we thought....

Who could resist this face?

Showing off her dance moves...

And riding rides with her volleyball friend Talia.

All this fun sure wears a little girl out.

Thanks, Aunt Shell for including Stinkerbell in your family's Coney Island Adventure (and for the pictures).

Skinny Me??

2009-09-11T15:45:00.004-04:00

How is it possible to lose weight while pregnant? I've been feeding into all of my cravings, including ice cream in all forms, cheesburgers, and steaks, but I'm not only not gaining. I lost 2 pounds from my weigh in last week. The baby is in great shape - hearbeat strong, measuring large for the week that I'm in - so my OB says there's nothing to worry about. As the baby (and my boobs) increase in size and I decrease in my neck, legs, arms, I'm starting to love my prego profile.

Add this to the fact that my massage therapist seems to have found the key to keeping my back pain-free and I'm enjoying this pregnancy immensely now. Starting to get sad that I only have 6 more weeks.

Of course, I'm going to be totally screwed after the baby comes when I can't give up the cheeseburgers and ice cream, so I'm just going to have to enjoy it to the fullest right now :-)

Sweet, Silly, Stubborn, Smart Sophie

2009-09-09T12:16:00.007-04:00

As I may or may not have mentioned before, since Daddy stopped working outside the home a few weeks ago, Sophie has been Mommy's best friend. She's so snuggly with me lately, I'm loving it.

She's also spontaneously kissing the belly/baby....

And listening to hear him moving.

For those of you that know my husband, he's a big goofball. Not in a Jim Carey or Jack Black kind of way, but in the cute, silly way. He's starting to rub off on Sophie.

Danger Will Robinson! Danger Will Robinson!

Jumping and dancing with Lucky (while Lucky stares at her with a quizzical look).

She's really aware of when pictures are being taken of her and always wants to view the screen afterward. She'll smile for photos, like this one which looks like a school photo.

And she wants me to take pictures of her special things. Like her new Vera Bradley backpack (which I bought at a yard sale for only a fraction of the cost).

But then, you can catch her randomly doing things which kinda just make us go 'HUH??'

Like pulling every pair of my underwear out of the (clean, thank God) laundry basket and putting them on over her head. Like I said, she gets it from Daddy.

Sophie has also been on a cleaning kick lately. Whenever she gets her hands on a tissue, paper towel, napkin, washcloth or baby wipe, she runs around wiping off any surface she can get her hands on. Even the couch.

It's actually kinda nice sometimes, like when we got our new china cabinet last week and I wanted to keep her occupied while I transferred over our finery. She polished the outsides and drawers of both the old and new like a pro. It was super cute.

The other day I came home from work to find Sophie and Daddy in the front yard kicking around a ball. Apparently she woke up that morning asking for a ball and wouldn't let it go until Daddy took her to Walmart and bought her one. It is her new favorite toy. She insisted I get a picture (look how proud she looks) and that we take the ball with us to run errands.

Sophie is also determined to figure out how to get into (and out of) seatbelts. Her carseat, her stroller, her highchair, shopping carts...Nothing is safe. We caught her trying to practice on Mr. Green. Do you see the frustration in her face?

She is getting pretty close, though. I guess we need to be really careful from now on....

So the moral of the story? Sophie is all that the title implies. Sweet. Silly. Stubborn (and determined). Super Smart. My Sophie.

Feeling Beautiful

2009-08-25T13:34:00.005-04:00

Although Daddy has a degree in photography, he doesn't often take shots of people. The cottontail, the smoke stack, the treads on a tank - these are the visions that inspire him. So, when it comes down to functions where it's not really convenient for Mommy to carry the camera, like my little sister's, (Aunt Nikki), wedding in May where I was a bridesmaid, we often just don't get any pictures. Well, I never thought I'd say it, but Thank You Facebook. Daddy opened up an account for us (something I've been very happy NOT to have as of yet) so he can keep in touch with our friends who've been addicted for years. While checking it today while I was waiting for a file to download at work, I came across my neice Ashley's photo page and some pictures she had of the big day. I absolutely love this shot of our little dancing machine. You're eyes are so beautiful, and definitely Daddy's.

When you're 7 months pregnant, you don't often feel things other than tired, fat, lopsided, and uncomfortable. I didn't realize how beautiful I looked at Aunt Nikki's wedding. Not to sound conceited or anything. I snagged some of my favorite pics of prego glam me, from both Aunt Nikki and Ashley.

Three of my four sisters - the fourth being the bride, and all four sisters with sister-in-law Tina.

And all six siblings together.

See...big can be beautiful :-)

Daddy Day Care

2009-08-24T10:19:00.006-04:00

On Friday, August 14, Daddy got laid off. It was only a matter of time before the downshifted ecomony caught up with us, as it had to a large percentage of the American public, especially since Daddy worked for such a small family owned business. While some 8 month pregnant women might be freaking out about this development, we had the foresight to prepare a bit for this, and paid down some debt - including eliminating our remaning car payment. We have essentially downsized ourselves to be a one income family already. So while Daddy stays home and works on finding another form of employment, some very exciting home inprovement projects, and some personal artistic projects of his own, he is also taking care of Sophie.

As if they weren't already best buds, now, Sophie gets to see Daddy all day long. She's always been a good and happy baby, but her demeanor, her manners, her listening skills and her affection for Mommy have all increased dramatically during Daddy's work hiatus. Daddy seems alot happier, too. I've been able to switch my schedule, since I was the daycare-dropper-offer, to an earlier 7:30 to 4:30 schedule, but some days I try to work through lunch so I can even leave earlier and get back to my very happy home. I love spending time with you both, and am very pleased that you are getting this opportunity for some togetherness before little brother comes along. Selfishly, I even hope that Daddy doesn't find employment until the first of the year so that we can all take maternity leave together. I love you Stinky, I love you Husby, and I can't wait to meet you Eli! I'll leave you today with a photo montage of some of my favorite Daddy daughter pics over the last year and a half.

Can you tell what Daddy's favorite shirt was last summer?

Dearest Daddy had better be taking some pictures of the fun you guys are having at home together!!

Molly Dolly and the Pool

2009-08-20T11:04:00.008-04:00

Last Friday evening, our family trekked to the Greater Cincinnati Airport to await the return of Teresa and Kevin with the new addition to their family, Molly. When we got to the de-boarding area, Sophie was very pleased to find some kids close to her age to play with. A rousing game of Duck-Duck-Goose ensued.

But wait, Mommy....Something's missing....

Yes, blankie had to join her. The game was short lived because the plane landed. As everyone huddled around the Exit to get a glimpse, Sophie used the opportunity of being lost in the shuffle to ditch something...

Notice a distinct absence of shoe? The shoe queen who's always trying to abscond with and wear Mommy and Daddy's shoes won't keep her own on in public. Go figure. As Molly was being introduced to her new big brother, Sophie decided to sneak into the circle and get a better look at what all the fuss was about. At one point in time, she even poked Molly in the chest to see what she was made out of.

Molly was a bit overwhelmed by the crowd and the attention, and the 24 hours of travel they had just completed, so we didn't get a chance to really hang out that night. On Sunday, Aunt Michelle had another pool party at her house to finish off summer since her girls started back to high school this week. It took a while for Molly to open up to us. Here's a picture of the crew trying to get her to join us in the pool.

Eventually she took the plunge.

Sophie getting some attention of her own from Aunt Michelle, G-ma and Aunt Nikki...

Sophie, do you smell something funny?

Sophie loves the water so much she generally has to be dragged out of it. Forget meals or naptime. Well, all the fun got the better of her....

And she fell asleep in the pool. G-Pa and Aunt Michelle just pulled the raft out and set in on the side of the pool and we covered her up with a towel. She didn't even seem to mind the ring that was under her head. She slept for a little over an hour like this. We all had a great relaxing time to end the summer. Thanks Aunt Michelle!

Vocabulary Mary

2009-08-13T12:22:00.002-04:00

New words this week include:
Gucky - for our dog Lucky
Bankie - Blankie
Milk
Peas- Please - often associated with the previous word Milk
Janes - James, her daycare buddy

Momma Bear and Baby Bear

2009-08-12T12:58:00.005-04:00

Sophie LOVES being on Mommy's bed. Maybe because it's one of the few places that she can't climb onto on her own, or maybe because she's rarely ever allowed in our room. Regardless, any time I'm sorting laundry, I ask her if she wants to come and play on Mommy's bed.

Look how happy she is! Well, the other night Daddy went out with his friend Ken for some boy time and I offerred to let Sophie hang out with Mommy on the bed until he got home. After a quick tooth brushing - of which she is also quite a fan - it was time to hunker down for the night.
I just couldn't resist getting a shot of her leaning against Daddy's pillows and reading her book while I read mine. It was too cute. Sophie, give me your Top Model look...

Sophie, will you give your little brother a kiss?

Yes, that's my big ole belly that she dove into for a big smooch. I leave you now with a picture of her Goofy impression. Proof that no shoes, not even Daddy's, are safe from shoe-obsessed Stinky.

Does Pisces Mean Fish?

2009-08-10T12:59:00.007-04:00

Okay, so that's a hypothetical question....I know that the symbol for Pisces is fish. Sophie is a Pisces, being born on February 22. I had no idea how true to her sign she would be. She loves anything water. You whisper the word 'bath' and she's off like a light into the bathroom with one leg swung over the tub. And it's a fight to get her out when bath time is over.

She loves the rain. She's begun to associate that donning her raincoat means that it is raining and that there will most likely be puddles to stomp.

And of course, she loves the swimming pool. Although not a fan of going underwater, or even laying her head back to get her hair wet, she loves being in the water.

This weekend, Sophie's daycare buddy James (pictured in our first day at the zoo) turned two and his birthday party was held at his Aunt Amy's house which came fully equipped with a pool. Sophie is also in her pack rat stage. You know, the stage where a toddler carries around with them as much as they can get their hands on and stuff in their pockets. You will see a recurring theme of many noodles. And second only to collecting noodles was her favorite past time of slapping Daddy in the face with said noodles.

In Sophie's defense, Daddy was kind of asking for it with the over-exaggerated howls he let out when she made contact.

With his Mommy and Daddy in China adopting his little sister Molly, Carson had been spending a week + with Grandma and Grandpa and without a whole lot of kiddy interaction. Since James' brother is 6 and he has many boy cousins around that age as well, I thought it would be fun to kidnap Carson for the day and let him enjoy some boy time. He had a blast running around with toy guns, playing soccer, and splashing around in the pool. We had a hard time keeping track of him. Here are some shots of Carson, mostly for Teresa's benefit (of Continuing the Journey) since she's far away and missing her little man.

The kids played hard, and didn't want to leave. Although, Carson was admittedly more cooperative than Sophie when it came time to get out of the pool. About five minutes into the drive home it got awefully quiet in the back seat.

But even though Sophie is true to her fishy sign - also Daddy's - there is definitely a wide streak of Mommy's Taurus Bull in her, too. Her stubbornness and non-morning-personness is definitely making it harder to rangle her off to daycare in the mornings....but that's for another post.

Swinging on a Star

2009-08-06T11:36:00.006-04:00

What started as an occasional visit to watch her cousins play volleyball has quickly evolved into Wednesday night date night with G-ma and G-pa. Like most good dates, dinner is alwasy the beginning - normally at IHOP which is my folks' favorite restaurant lately. But on nights when there isn't a game, or the game is past Sophie's bedtime, Gma and Gpa have scoped out different spots to take Sophie. On rainy days, it is often a toy store. But on sunny days, they hit one of the many local parks. I got to meet up with them for one such date and Gpa provided me with some pictures of the event.

Here's Sophie and Gma trying out the toddler jungle gym behind our library.

But soon the Toddler side was small potatoes for her and she wanted to cross the parking lot for bigger and better things.Like SWINGS!! There is nothing like the joy in a kid's face when they are on swings....

Next, we hit the big-kid slide. This was much taller and a bit scarier for her (and us). She had more fun trying to climb back up it.

As game time neared, we headed back to the parking lot so Sophie and I could pack up to go home. Gma had to show off the new toy they got Sophie.Hopefully Eliot can work his way into date night once he gets here and gets a little bigger. They say that little ones don't have much memory, but when we tell Sophie she's going to see Gma and Gpa, she runs to the door and waits there for them. She gets so excited when they get there that we can hardly contain her.

I'll leave you now with my favorite picture of our library park adventure.

Sophie's First Slumber Party

2009-08-04T12:22:00.010-04:00

My sister, Sophie's Aunt Michelle, LOVES babies. Not like a normal person, cause let's face it, who doesn't like to hold a baby? But she's crazy about them. My parents take Sophie to watch Michelle and her daughters Tara and Brooke play volleyball together, so you'd think she'd get her Sophie fix every Wednesday night. You'd think. After some coaxing, Aunt Michelle convinced me to let Sophie spend the night at her house. In addition to Michelle's girls - who are teenagers now in high school and are beautiful little ladies - Sophie's cousin Lauren (also starting high school in the fall and becoming quite a looker herself - Congrats on ditching the braces!!) and another little girl from the volleyball stands were coming over, too for a pool party. I made Michelle promise to take lots of pictures so that I could commemorate the occasion of her first slumber party.

The exchange happened at the weekly volleyball game. Michelle and the girls went to get ice cream with G-ma and G-pa afterward. Sophie sure loves her G-ma...and ice cream.

Aunt Michelle's air conditioning was on the fritz, so the majority of the time spent in the house was spent unclothed. The girls all slept together in the living room to keep Sophie company...and cause that's where the fans were.

The night went pretty uneventfully, thank GOD, and she woke up in good spirits. After breakfast it was time for the pool. When they first put her in the pool she looked a bit apprehensive.... But warmed up mighty quickly to the situation! Since my daughter is so fair skinned, Aunt Michelle decided to put her jammie top on her after a while to make sure that her little shoulders didn't get burnt. She came home un-pink, so good job Michelle! Here she is with Brooke, lounging on a float... And noodling with cousin Lauren....

Finally, Aunt Michelle gets into a picture. Yes, she's the only one in the family who got the tanning gene. Sophie practically glows next to her!

They had to fight to get her out of the pool. Clearly, they wore her out.Revived from her nap, Sophie was ready for the next adventure. Sophie would you like to go to the park?I've been away from home for as much as four days at a time for business in Sophie's 17 months, but nothing was harder than roaming around our house, seeing her toys, smelling her blankies, and folding her clothes while she was away. It was even harder on Daddy who had only spent one night away from her (and that was when she was really little and didn't sleep through the night so he was glad for the break). Thanks for taking such good care of her Aunt Shell. I may just tag along for the next slumber party....

A Lot Can Change in a Week....

2009-07-24T14:47:00.005-04:00

....Especially in the life of a 17 month old. This week Sophie has started:

Saying words we had know idea she knew. Like balloon, puppy, black, white, purple, yellow, grass, etc. She strings them together into incoherent sentences and tells us stories. It's ridiculous and adorable.

Calling my growing belly 'Baby'. She kisses the baby, pats the baby, and even places her mouth against my belly to talk to the baby. Eliot, I hope you appreciate all of the love now, cause I don't think she'll be nearly as excited once she figures out what 'Baby' really means.

Eating with a spoon. She successfully ate more than half of a bowl of cheerios with milk using a spoon. Of course, when it got hard toward the end, she resorted to the good old standby fingers, but it's a step into littly ladyhood. She did much better which a fruit and jello cup, if you don't count the jello that I'm still pulling out of her hair, even after a bath.

I'm enjoying our time together more and more, and, while I'm anxious for Eliot to arrive and my pregnancy to be over, I'm going to really miss this Sophie-time. I feel like I don't get enough time with her as it is after working full time, and soon I'll have to split that time with her little brother.

Stinky Toys

2009-07-10T13:22:00.002-04:00

Stink Bug, Stink Bug. What are you trying to do to me?

Last night after dinner for Uncle Ted's Birthday, we brought you home for bath and bed time. You were playing so good with your bath toys that Mommy felt free to put away some toiletries that were acquired earlier in the week but hadn't yet found their home. In the 30 seconds that Mommy was out of the room, you decided that your harmless plastic toys just weren't enough, so you created some stinky toys of your own. 30 seconds. That's all it took. But it took another 30 minutes to drain the tub, remove your deposits (including the ones you had thrown on the floor), give you another scrub down, and get you ready for bed. And it was not exactly easy to do with Mommy's super sensitive pregnant nose, cause they (and you) were extra stinky.

You have earned your nickname.

...And you're lucky you're cute...

Rooming In

2009-07-08T12:43:00.002-04:00

Last night, Stink Bug, while you were trying to fall asleep in the nursery, some jack*** in our neighborhood let off some fireworks. You were so scared, you didn't want to be alone. Mommy has always been firm in letting you cry it out when you were frustrated or angry, but these were tears of fear and screams of panic. Three times we tried to calm you down and get you to go back to sleep. Three times we failed. I couldn't let just let you be that scared.

Daddy offerred to sleep on the couch and you snuggled up with Snuffles, Glowy the Glow Worm and me in the big bed. I was so afraid that you'd fall out of bed or I'd roll over on you because I am such a sound sleeper that it took me hours to fall asleep. How silly of me to worry. Did you know you kick your feet in your sleep? Did you know that it doesn't matter to you what you kick, like mommy's face or your baby brother in mommy's belly? Did you know that mommy loves you so much that, although there was definitely an internal struggle, she decided NOT to pick you up and carry you to the bed at 2 a.m. so she could finally get some sleep?

Do you remember waking up and climbing up on my pillow to kiss my forehead and wake me up? Do you remember giving me a big hug when Daddy came in to start our day and bring you some milk?

So it wasn't all bad....but next time I may just try sleeping on the floor of your room for awhile instead. Or closing your window the entire months of June and July. I love you Stinky. Tonight you are sleeping alone.

Farewell Ragamuffin

2009-07-06T16:29:00.007-04:00

Just as a frame of reference, here's what Bug's hair looked like last week.

Yes, the curls were cute....but only right after washing her hair. After a few hours she quickly became this.... ...What I can only classify as a Ragamuffin. Well after a lovely evening at Miss Lizzie's house, Sophie came home looking like this....

With a little inverted bob kinda like Mommy's. It is so cute and so much easier to manage. And we can go back to bathtime once or twice a week, which is saving my patience and my back. I tried to get her to model her new do on a trip to Home Depot this weekend, but she didn't quite get what I was going for at first. The little Ham.

For the 4th of July, our family band was playing a festival at Ault Park. Sadly, it rained all day and our only audience was people that we were related to. At least that made up about 40 once you counted all the siblings, cousins, nieces, aunts, uncles, etc. Luckily, Gma Jane and Aunt Fay brought their canopies so we could all stay somewhat dry. Of course, Bug, in her love for all things water, HAD to run around outside. Gma Jane had also brought along Aunt Nikki's 20+ year old raincoat (why she kept it, even she doesn't know). It was a little big, but that made it even more adorable. After a struggle to get her to understand this yellow contraption, off she went into the great wide, wet open.

Looks like Mommy's going to have to go slicker shopping!

It's a BOY!!

2009-07-01T10:28:00.005-04:00

We had our ultrasound yesterday, and Daddy insisted we find out. I think it was mostly because he wanted a little boy. And it looks like he's got one! Most importantly, of course, is the fact that he is healthy and progressing along quite nicely. The technician estimated the due date to be October 25. Here are some pictures of our boy.

That's a little face looking up at us, with a little fist next to his chin. This is a bit clearer, but rotated. Now, the weird 3D picture that they gave me where he looks like he's carved out of cotton candy. Apparently this is the kind of picture you get when the baby's in motion. In the center of the pic, you can make out a face looking to the left...we have one eye, a nose profile and a slightly opened mouth. Don't feel bad if you can't see it...it took me a while, too.

So Daddy, how do you feel about having a son?

Sophie, how do you feel about getting a baby brother?

Okay, maybe we aren't all excited just yet. But she'll get there. Stinkerbell's princess crown will remain in tact. We celebrated with breakfast at First Watch and a little coloring. We are so very proud that she's figured out that crayons are less for eating and more for coloring.

I leave you with some parting photos of my little devilish diva. I think she's plotting something, but we haven't yet figured out what. I hope it's not more laundry.

Meggie Turns 16

2009-06-23T10:10:00.002-04:00

My niece, and Sophie's cousin, turned 16 yesterday. My prenant brain forgot to bring her birthday card with me on Sunday when we had dinner for Father's Day, so it is being snail-mailed to her and is late....for probably the first time ever. To try and make up for my spacey brain (you'll understand when you have babies someday Meg!!) I've decided to post today about my niece Meg. Meggie has been less like a niece and more like a little sister. Mostly, because her mom Teresa -of Continuing the Journey - and I are so close. When I was young and single with lots of expendable income, I showered Meggie in gifts; taking her to the mall to buy us matching pajamas when I'd have a slumber party at their house, buying us fourth row seats at Beauty and the Beast when the Broadway tour came to town, buying racks of Disney movies so she'd be entertained at my apartments. When Teresa was in nursing school, Meggie and I spent every Saturday together for months painting our own pottery and having picnics on the patio at Panera. Meggie has always been a joy to be around, and is growing into quite a lovely young woman. When my husband told me two years ago that he wanted his 16 year old brother to be a groomsman in our wedding, it was a no brainer who he would be escorting down the aisle.

Meggie now watches my little girl occasionally (hopefully more now that she can drive....). I hope that they can one day have the relationship that Meggie and I had.

Happy Birthday Meggie!!

Does this make up for my card being late??

Dear Stinkerbell

2009-06-19T11:50:00.005-04:00

Mommy loves you....
...Even when you stick your hands in your messy diaper while I'm trying to change you.
...Even when you you eat your lotion.
...Even when you pour baby powder all over the hard wood floors and make snow angels.
...Even when you try to take Superman dives off of your changing table.
...Even when you use your teeth to gain leverage against my shoulder when trying to climb over me on the couch.
...Even when you grab a pile of clean laundry and shove it in the toilet.....like you did this morning...making Mommy late for work...
...Even when I have to say it through clenched teeth with veins popping out of my neck.
I love you.

Love,

Mommy

Baseball and Dance Recitals

2009-06-18T10:00:00.000-04:00

Friday, June 12, the social committee of our regional office (of which I am the President) organized a trip to the nearby Florence Freedom game. For those of you not from these parts, the Florence Freedom are a Minor League pro baseball team right on the upper edge of Kentucky. Being from Cincinnati and growing up with a Major League team in our backyard, I've always loved going to baseball games. But as I got older and started driving and paying for myself, the magic definitely started to wear off. An afternoon game could easily set you back $100 if you weren't careful and getting out of the parking lot could take hours. That is why I love the Florence Freedom. It's like a Major League ball park on a miniature scale. Your seats are either on the field or in a box. There are no nosebleed seats, hot dogs aren't $5 and you don't have to travel 30 mintues to get to a bathroom. And they really make an effort to engage the crowd with contests and promotions. The son of one of my co-workers got selected to wrestle in a sumo costume at the end of the seventh inning. We've had a blast everytime we've gone and it costs less than a date to the movies. We've even talked about getting season tickets.

One of my social committee chair jobs is to commemmorate our outings in photos. I'm only in one...my family watching baseball. Stinkerbell, whose favorite past-time involves less ball and more stroller. She played the up/down game quite a bit.
We were in one of the private party boxes, which came complete with a pulled pork and hot dog buffet and......a visit from the 'Diva'.
Sophie was mesmerized and super jealous of the hair and shoes. She ended up giving the Diva a hug and a high five. It was soooo cute. The night ended with a fireworks display from the Rozzi family (the same Rozzi's from the Labor Day WEBN Fireworks on the Ohio River). It was awesome, but a little scary for Stinkerbell since we were so close to the fireworks. The loud noises pushed her into Daddy's arms where she watched them safely on her terms.

Saturday, Meggie had her last dance recital with All That Jazz. Sophie, who's taken to watching So You Think You Can Dance with me, came to support her cousin. She had to blow off some steam with Grandma outside the theater first...
But settled down like an angel to watch the dancing. She did a little dancing of her own from her seat and ended up falling asleep in Grandma Jane's lap during the second act.

Afterward, she pranced around the auditorium like a true dancer-to-be. Soon, Stinky. Soon I'll buy you some tap shoes...

Baby Chores

2009-06-16T14:57:00.003-04:00

Husby and I are quite in favor of the house appearance improving, character building, responsibility growing benefits of children having chores. Clearly, 15 months is too young to assign them. But it's not too young to be introduced to chores. I try to make Sophie a part of whatever chores I can so that she can see that they can be fun early on. I know, fun may be an exaggeration, but once I started including Stink Bug instead of seeing her as an impediment, I surely began to enjoy them more.

First off....cooking. Sophie loves to be my little mini-me shadow when I'm doing anything and the kitchen can be a pretty dangerous place for the climby, grabby toddler, so I gave her a pancake job which she seemed to enjoy.

She stirs up the chocolate chips (and of course steals some to eat) to keep them fresh while I'm cooking. She'll sit there for a good 30 minutes bopping to the music I always play when I cook (Stevie Wonder and Harry Connick, Jr.) and stirring her chips. And I like having her around to dance with and talk to.

Next.....Laundry. Sophie likes to be a part of the sorting process. She helps pull everything out of the hamper and then I have to hurry and sort faster than she can mix up the piles. Her favorite laundry items?? Daddy's socks which she likes to wear like a boa and......

Yes, you're seeing right. Mommy's bra's. Sometime she puts them on her head like a hat. Sometimes a scarf. Sometimes she just drags them around and I find them in strange places like her toybox or the dining room floor or tucked into the crevices of her stroller.

At least it's not Daddy's underwear....yet.

Gimp Daddy

2009-06-15T15:13:00.000-04:00

At Uncle Ted's high school graduation, Husby reaggravated an old paint-ball injury and ended up with an anke the size of my prego belly. After ice and some rest, the pain seemed a bit too reminiscent of the break of almost a decade ago and we made the trip to the emergency room to get some X-rays. We, of course, made it a family adventure. A Wendy's picnic in the waiting room led to a tour of the emergency room facilities.

By the end, both were pretty good sports and we got out pretty unscathed. And Daddy just had a bad sprain. He got to head home to put his foot up and on ice again while Sophie and I went to a picnic. Stink Bug was a total angel.

Daddy's now graduated from the huge storm trooper boot and now has a small brace that he wears under his gymmers, hopefully to be brace-free soon. And all is back to as close to normal as you can call us.

Zoo Outing

2009-06-15T14:39:00.004-04:00

Brandon's Aunt Sue bought us a wonderful Christmas gift, which we've been waiting months to be able to enjoy.....a family pass to the ZOO! The bad thing is, once it got warm enough to venture out, everytime we'd make plans to go it would rain or Cashew would make mommy too sick to enjoy it.

Well, after a long week in Indianapolis working on a project (and earning enough overtime to take Friday off) Sophie and I dusted off the pass and headed off for our first Zooey adventure last Friday. Since me taking the day off also meant that my best friend who helps me out with Sophie had the day off, we made a double family adventure out of it. We had a wonderful time. Too bad daddy couldn't make it.

Sophie loved the reptile house. It was feeding time for the baby alligators when we arrived and she loved looking over the side to get a peek.

A shot of Mandy (who is also 20 weeks pregnant and expecting a little girl) and James (7 months older than Sophie) from accross the pen.

In the insect house Sophie wanted to find out her weight in insects on the special scale. I don't really think she cared about the weight, just the climbing up and down off of the scale part. Incidentally, she weighs just over 4,001,000 bugs.

After a trip to the petting zoo, which was a little too hands on for mommy to be able to take pictures of, we headed over to see the giraffes and elephants. Clearly this was too much for Stink Bug.

But she perked right back up when it was time to go for lunch. Not being used to sitting so close to BFF James in the car, Sophie took the opportunity to show some love. He was a pretty good sport.

Next time, we promise, Daddy, we'll take you with us :-)

What Do You Do When....

2009-06-03T16:41:00.004-04:00

....your daughter keeps stealing your shoes?

My clothes and shoes are stored in what will soon be Stinkerbell's room on the second floor of our house. To save myself the up and down, I bought a basket which sits by the stairs, and in which I put my shoes when I'm finished wearing them. When the basket reaches Mount Ve-shoe-vius proportions, I take it upstairs and put them all away. Lately Sophie has been absconding with my shoes and carrying them around the house, often times settling in the living room to put them on. Her favorites?? My many colored flip-flops. At least she always finds a matching pair, both in style and in color. It's super cute....until I want to wear a specific pair....

....your gorgeous daughter looks nothing like you??
That's not entirely true. She has my mouth, smile, hands, feet...but she's got Daddy's piercing blue eyes and blonde hair. All I ever get is 'She looks just like Brandon.' Well, Mommy learned the hard way that you shouldn't cut your hair while you are pregnant because my face has expanded like Violet Beauregard's. The wider my face, the more hair I wish I had. On a lark for my birthday, I bought some Jessica Simpson hair extensions to play with. I totally love them and wear them quite a bit. Sophie's Go-Go-Gadget arms don't seem to have a limit to her reach and one day I found her carrying around my fake hair. I thought we'd go with it, just to see what she looked like with dark hair.

She's definitely a blonde.

Bad Hair Days

2009-06-02T19:45:00.004-04:00

Sophie was born with a full head of hair. She's 15 months and has already had two haircuts. Poor thing lost all of the hair on the back and sides of her head by 6 months, but the top just kept on growing. She's finally caught up and her hair is getting really long. Long enough for piggy tails....

But the problem is that as it gets longer it gets more and more scraggly and hangs in her face and gets matted to her forehead when she sleeps. For the comfort of my Stinkerbell, we've been going to the Pebbles for naptime...which has been expanding to all weekend long sometimes. I've always hated the Pebbles and swore I'd never do that to my baby, but I've caved since it's so effective.

Oh yeah, and I was also sure I'd never let my kids run around in just a shirt and diaper, but that blew out the window, too.

Mammoth Cave Vacation

2009-05-13T12:43:00.013-04:00

We had a few basic criteria when choosing where to take our family vacation this year. First, it had to be somewhere you could drive, for obvious economic reasons. Second, it had to be somewhere only a few hours away, for not-killing-my-husband-or-crabby-toddler reasons. Third, it had to be a long weekend since I'm trying to save up as much vacation as I can for an extended maternity leave. We settled on Mammoth Cave.

We packed up the car early on Friday morning to make our journey. Were all very excited.

However, Sophie's excitement waned a bit as she started to succumb to the gently rocking motion of the car.

After three and a half hours on the road, we make it to our hotel and grab some lunch. Then, off to the pool, where I forgot to bring my camera. After about an hour in the freezing water, we decided it was time for a nap and some dinner. Here's Sophie and Daddy heading out.

I think she's getting huge, but when I see her standing next to Daddy, she seems so itty-bitty. The sleeping arrangements got a bit tricky. We didn't specify anything special for our room and got two double beds. Never having slept on a double bed, I really had no concept of how small that really was. Sleeping on a California King made these tiny beds seem like midieval torture. We quickly decided that Mommy and Daddy would each get their own bed and that Sophie would take turns snuggling with us. Daddy graciously offerred to take the first night.

They really are so sweet together. Most of the time, if Sophie has to choose, she picks Daddy first. Unless she's hurt or scared, like at nearly midnight when she rolled off of the bed and onto the floor. She was nearly inconsolable. I finally got her calmed down and sleeping in my arms on my bed, until I realized that the bed wasn't even big enough for the three of us - Sophie, Mommy and Cashew aka my big ole belly. I made a little nest on the floor out of my comforter and transitioned Stinkerbell. She didn't seem to mind a bit. We even had to wake her up after both showering because she was in such a deep sleep. This is where she slept for the remainder of the trip.

She didn't let the night's happening scare her from the beds, though. She was up and wrestling with Daddy after breakfast again. It became clear to us pretty early on that Sophie was really enjoying all of this unadulterated family time with Mommy and Daddy. Since we both work full time, it's not very often that she gets 5 whole days with us all day. She started to get jealous whenever one of us left the room...even if it meant shutting the door to the bathroom to get a little privacy. How dare we seclude ourselves from her. She let her feelings be known as she'd bang on the door until you finally came out.

Lucky for Sophie, and the door, neither on of us take very long.

We met up with my friend Mandy and her family the next morning to head off to the Cave. They had signed us all up for a tour that afternoon, so we tried out some of the activities in nearby Cave City in the meantime. First up Huckleberry Hound Miniature Golf and Go Carts. Here's our budding Tiger woods in action - and cheating.

Yes folks, apparently if you pick up the ball and just stick your club in the hole, it counts. Overall, though, I think she did great for her first time. It had been quite rainy the past few days and the greens were extra squishy. Our new walker had a bit of a hard time staying vertical, and ended up with soaking wet pants. I felt horrible for her. It's bad enough to have wet pants, but to have the wind hit you and go into a cold cave with them just seemed like torture.

So we headed to Cracker Barrel to get some lunch and hopefully find a bathroom with an air dryer. Though we were out of luck with the latter, we were inside in the warmth long enough for her pants to dry. We realized while inside that we had forgotten Hada, her travel buddy seen above napping with Sophie. She's become quite dependent on Hada for car napping, so we stopped by the Cracker Barrel General Store on the way out and picked up Snuffles, a fuzzy elephant shaped pillow. She was quite a fan and slept all the way to the cave.

In fact she was kind of angry with us for waking her up when we got to the cave. Sophie next got to enjoy another first...her first bus ride.

My camera wasn't really cooperating too well inside the cave, but I did get this fam shot.

And we took the bus back through the park to our car.

Sunday was our last day there, and, incidentally, Mother's Day. I got to spend the first hour + of Mother's Day doing one of my favorite things. Snuggling with Sophie in bed watching a movie. She was being so sweet...almost as if she knew it was Mother's Day. At one point in time she lifted up my shirt to expose my belly and gave my belly button - aka the baby - a kiss.

After a yummy breakfast at Shoney's, we traveled back to Cave City for a trip to Gun Town Mountain. For those that have never been, GTM is a wild west town, complete with stores you can enter, a salloon that has shows and sells real refreshments, a petting zoo and a shootout and stunt show right in the middle of Main Street. To get there we had to ride a ski lift, which was horrifying for my acrophobic self, but we really had a good time. After the Can Can show, Mandy's stepson Mason got to take a garter off of a saloon girl. He was super excited.

Daddy checking out the coffins at the Undertaker's....

Sophie feeding an extra hungry goat... And her favorite new trick...climbing on anything she can. I'm told she won't grow out of this phase for quite some time.

After GTM's stunt show, we headed to McD's for a quick lunch and headed home. It was a great vacation.

Soaking Up the Sun

2009-05-12T13:26:00.004-04:00

Last week I had an unexpected day off with Sophie. It wasn't really off cause I had to work from home that day, but when I'm home, my eight hours can be spread throughout the day however I choose. So, Mommy got up early and worked for a few hours before Stinkerbell was even awake, and then decided to have a special lunch with Daddy - a real rarity since we work on opposite sides of town. After a quick bite at Applebee's, we jaunted over to the playground behind our local library to give Sophie some slide experience. She loved it!

Before heading back for naptime - for both of us...I LOVE when I can work from home - I got a quick shot of Sophie and Brandon. This one may be getting framed.

Next up....Family Vacation!

Mommy Turn (GULP) 31!!

2009-04-28T10:48:00.002-04:00

Although I will have to admit, 26 was the hardest birthday yet.

When I turned 26, I was single - newly out of a very bad relationship - and feeling like I was running out of time. I was definitely closer to 30 than 20, and aside from a pretty good career, didn't feel like I had accomplished nearly what I should by that age. I was very upset when I turned 26.

By 27 I was still single, but was very happy with my single status. I had rediscovered what it was like to be me without a boyfriend and was thoroughly enjoying myself. I had backpacked around Europe and felt like the world was my oyster. I decided that I would celebrate every birthday that still started with a '2'.

28 was the first birthday that I celebrated with my now husband. I knew on our first date that previous July that I was going to marry him. I had reacquanted myself with community theater and was performing with quite a few local groups. I loved being on stage, I loved being with Brandon, and I loved 28.

Gosh.... a lot can happen in a year. By the time I turned 29, I had bought a home and was planning my wedding. We got pregnant on our honeymoon, so I also had a baby before I even turned the big 3-0.

So...31 really isn't a big deal. I still have a great job. I still have a cute husband (who is a GREAT father), we're working on renovating our house, I've got a beautiful, sassy daughter and I'm pregnant with our second child. I feel like my life is just where I want it.

A special Thanks to husby for taking me to The Melting Pot for my birthday. You made it very special. I love you.

Whatchoo Talkin' 'Bout, Mommy?

2009-04-22T13:56:00.003-04:00

I'm now entering my fourth month of pregnancy, walking boldly out of the first trimester, but morning sickness is still holding on strong. Morning sickness, afternoon nausea, and evening queasiness to be more accurate. I'm taking a lot of naps, because, quite frankly, sleeping is the only time I feel good. I feel like I've been missing out on Sophie, though and that makes me really sad. She's such a fun kid, but I struggle to play with her and keep down my lunch, leaving me with a very short wick. I've been feeling extra sentimental lately and am trying to get her to snuggle with me and kiss me any chance I get. Either she screams and claws at Daddy to save her or I get this look.....

The only times that she comes to me voluntarily are if I have food/drink or if I hold up my shirt so that she can see my belly button. She loves to poke me in the belly button (her version of tickle) and to kiss the baby aka my belly. I feel kind of cheap, but I'll take what I can get, I guess.

The doctor estimates that my nausea should be gone within the next two weeks and my energy should get a boost, too. Until then, I'm a stranger to my little girl :-( I miss you, Stinkerbell.

Easter

2009-04-16T12:10:00.008-04:00

Easter...what do you give a thirteen month old for Easter. As I overhear mothers at the chiropractor debating which $50 Wii game the Easter Bunny will be bringing and cringe, I wonder....When did Easter become mini-Christmas?? But I also didn't want Easter to be candy-centered, especially so early in the game. She just ate cake for the first time...I don't want her to OD on robin's eggs. In my search for a happy medium that didn't cost more than $20, I found myself in the dollar bins at Michael's and am quite happy with the economical Easter compromise.

First the basket. Some leftover ribbon and a recycled gift basket from Sophie's birth were transformed quite nicely into her basket. I managed to find some fun, springy, practical toys that were in my price range.

Finally, Sophie woke up. Yes, I'm blessed with a baby that not only sleeps through the night, but that sleeps IN!! We introduced her to her Easter loot.
A snap bracelet in the shape of a happy flower (which she carried around ALL DAY)...

Her first pair of sunglasses....

A dapper duck (he's wearing suspenders).....

Not pictured were also a mini watering can and hand rake so that we can play in the dirt outside when it gets consistently nicer. And yes, I gave her a little bit of candy. I found a package of jelly beans that contained maybe 30 (she eats @ 1 a day) and one package of peeps (which she generally shares with mommy). For her first peep experience, we let her dive in on her own. When mommy gave her a bath later that day, I had to scrape yellow gooey sugar out of the rolls in her neck.

And our Easter grand total.....$12.50. This is a holiday I can definitely get on board with!!

Apparently the Easter bunny had made a stop at Grandma Judy's, too. When we got there for dinner, there was a handmade sock monkey waiting for Sophie. Daddy, appropriately (and unimaginatively) named him Sockers.

Here's a little rewind to show you how much can change in a year. This is last year's Easter family picture....
And this year's (with a family of 3.3)....

My family is very musical. EVERYONE of the Duncans (including our parents) can play a musical instrument and/or sing. The talent, we are finding is definitely hereditary, because it's seeping into the grandchildren as well. My nephews Nathan and Chad were even professional enough to play in the band at our wedding. Sophie will probably not be an exception. In addition to the fact that she sings constantly (mostly da,da,da) she is also showing an early affinity for percussion. Daddy's brother Ted also happens to have some musical talent and brought his snare drum down to the living room so he and Sophie could have a jam session. Honestly, Ted spent most of his time dodging drumsticks (apparently she's all about injuring her aunts and uncles), but Sophie had a blast.

We had a hard time convincing her that it didn't double as a seat when she needed to take a break.

And she ended the evening trying to figure out how Aunt Sue's camera works. She takes after her Daddy, too, after all :-)

Not Everyone Looks Good in Hats

2009-04-16T09:26:00.005-04:00

I do believe that I am one of the few that do, however. My first real job (where I stayed for seven and a half years) was at TGI Fridays, back in the era of suspenders and flair and crazy hats. I quickly found that a variety of hat styles suited me and love to go glam with hats when I'm on stage. My daughter, however, may just be one of the hat disabled.

Yes, folks, that's a Steak n' Shake paper hat that she was surprisingly willing to wear for about 15 minutes. Of course, I remember this photo and think that there may be some hat hope for the girl...
Lots fo things have happened since my last blog, so a little recap before the big Easter post.

First, my office is relocating. While we get paid for time that we spend packing up communal areas, we are forced to donate our own time to pack up our own offices. Sadly, the new space doesn't have as many offices, and in a company of lifers, my eight years actually has me as a low man on the totem pole. I, therefore, not only have to pack up my office - I have to downsize back to cubie-land. To give my husband and my brother in law a break a few Saturdays ago, I took Sophie and my nephew Carson to the office for a playdate adventure while I packed up and cleaned out. I had to explain to Carson that an adventure can happen anywhere that you visit someplace you don't normally go or do things you don't normally do. He decided that his adventure involved collecting any keys he found around (like for locking cubicle filing cabinets) and putting on Aunt Debbie's glasses and doing a prissy and not so favorable impression of me. I did happen to catch him being a bit big-brotherly when Sophie started to get hungry-sassy at lunchtime.
On the reading front....Sophie isn't ashamed of her new obsession with reading anymore. She's embracing it. Here she is lounging in her chair and reading (and tasting) her birthday cards.

On the walking front, she's doing quite well and picking up speed. She's mastered the art of the sit-stand transition from her camp chair.

And every Sunday morning when Daddy reads the newspaper, she needs to be a part of the action. Most of the time giving her an ad or book of coupons suffices, but sometimes, it's just not enough....

Happy news, is that Sophie has learned to give kisses. She comes at you saying 'mmmmm' and hits your mouth with hers. Much better than her former attempts which included a lot of tongue and drool. UUGGHH.

This must have been pre-sneeze. Not really sure what she was doing here if it wasn't.

Oh yeah....Sophie's figured out how to climb into her toy box. Hasn't quite mastered the getting out part yet, so the toybox is kind of becoming a new and better playpen - one she choses to enter without crying.

I'll leave you with a picture of Sophie napping with Grandma last weekend while she babysat. Next up...Easter!

Busted!!...Reading??

2009-03-26T09:32:00.002-04:00

When I was a child, I loved books. I read, no devoured, as many books as I could get my hands on. I am happy to report that Sophie shares the same love of the written word. I read to her as often as I can (I try to once a day, but that doesn't always happen) and she has quite a few sturdier books at her disposal for perusal at her discretion. The funny thing is, she looks so guilty when she gets caught reading. Here she is enjoying the feely-favorite That's Not my Puppy (thanks Uncle Rick and Aunt Mary!!) on the couch.....

Um...What??....I wasn't reading anything....

Sophie, It's okay to like books.

Look Mommy...it's not his puppy...the tail is too fluffy...this is good stuff!!

And later that same day with another book....
Um....I was just moving it....

Oh, Stinkerbell. Someday you'll get it. Probably right when you hit the age where its not cool to read anymore....

Walking on Sunshine

2009-03-24T11:51:00.005-04:00

Yes, Mommy is doing her dance of joy!! Sophie took her first steps on Thursday, March 5th. Like a true theater child, they were in the parlor at Westwood Town Hall where my husband and I were setting up snacks for the show I was producing. The room was big and empty and carpeted and Sophie crawled around exploring while we portioned popcorn and poured sodas. All of a sudden, out of NOWHERE, she stopped mid-crawl, straightened up her legs as if to bear crawl and simply stood up with no assistance or support. Then, two steps were achieved before returning to the floor to investigate some apparently very interesting fuzz. Our jaws dropped!! Although she's not yet walking across the floor, she's up to a consistent 5 or 6 steps in a row now. We are so proud of you Stinkerbell.

As I alluded to earlier, Spring has finally arrived, officially and temperaturally, in Cincinnati. We took the opportunity of the first nice day in forever to go and have lunch at the only place close that had a patio...TGI Fridays. Sophie has mastered the sippy cup, but is also getting quite experienced at the straw. Here she is during her first patio dinner (not at Rally's anyway).

Sophie's First Bee Day

2009-03-21T11:16:00.008-04:00

A month to the day overdue, but Happy, Happy Birthday Stinkerbell!! Since Sophie was named after her great grandma Marge (G-G-Ma Marge as we like to call her) and since Marge is unable to leave her nursing home, we decided to bring the party there. All from both of our families were invited and we totally packed the house. As you can get from the title of this post and the invite on the left, the theme was Bees....as was Halloween last year. Man, I'm getting less imaginitive as the years go by.

The highlight of the day for most of us was the cake. My multi-talented best friend Mandy made this wonderful cake for the occasion. I keep telling her she needs to start a catering business. I mean, who wouldn't pay serious money for a cake like this??

But, before digging in, we decided to do presents first....I was hoping to keep them icing free. First, Sophie snagging some snuggle time with Aunt Sue.

And then the present-paloozaa. She truly got too many to post, so I'll just show off some of the highlights. Cool socks from Sue (okay, a highlight for sock-addicted mommy)...

A very cool big girl outfit complete with capris and her first real headband from Mandy...

The most gorgeous dress EVER (which she will wear to Nikki's wedding in May, no doubt) from Cousins Meggie, Carson, Molly and Aunt Teresa....

A cool puppet book from Uncle Mike and Aunt Pam, which caused a mini brawl between Sophie and Mandy's little boy James...

A nightset complete with a tutu from Gma Judy....

And many, many more adorable gifts... Thanks so much for everything!! I caught this cute pic of crazy boy Carson while we were cake prepping. Those dimples get me every time.
And now....drumroll please.....CAKE!! I went to great lengths to ensure that Sophie's first birthday included her first taste of cake, even fighting of Gma Judy and Daddy on occasion. Here she is scoping out the cake sitch...

I had to shove her hands in the icing to get her started. But once she got a taste, there was no going back. Yes Mommy, my hair needs icing, too!

Luckily, we had the foresight to bring her clean clothes, despite being ill-fitting. We stripped her down and cleaned her up and she snuggled up to Uncle Mike for a little Elmo reading. The icing, however, took two washes to evacuate her hair.

And now, the big news. We took this family pic before we let Sophie at the cake, but it didn't really dawn on my at the time that it was a first family pic. Yes, we have many pictures of us with Stinkerbell, but the morning of Sophie's birthday we found out that she was going to be a big sister. When we were pregnant with Sophie (before we knew she was a girl) we called her peanut. Well, this is the first picture with Mommy, Daddy, Peanut and Cashew. I have a pregnancy bar along the side of the blog showing our progress and, as with Sophie, I'm taking pictures of my belly each month so that we can watch Cashew expand (or, expand Mommy).

Next up....warm weather finally comes to Cincinnati!! Stay tuned...

Hospital Hotel

2009-03-15T13:05:00.008-04:00

As any mother knows, there's nothing worse than a sick baby. That look of misery in their eyes...Their inability to tell you where or what hurts...Waking up in the middle of the night with coughing fits...Our little Sophie was not lucky enough to avoid this vicious cycle this winter. We were treating her typical cold symptoms for about a week when she woke up from a nap sounding like Darth Vader. I expected at any moment for the words "Mommy...I am your daughter" to come out of her mouth. Although she sounded just terrible I didn't want to be that mom. You know, the one that calls the doctor for every sneeze, fever or paper cut. We decided to give it 24 hours with a vaporizer on her before we made a move. But when things weren't any better the next morning, we called the doctor. After about 10 seconds of listening to her on the phone, he sent us to the emergency room. Well, Daddy thought this was no big deal and decided to take a liesurely shower and piddle around the house while I got more and more angry. "It's no big deal. I had things I wanted to do today." No big deal? EMERGENCY ROOM. Clearly he didn't understand what I had said. Maybe I stuttered the first time. Finally, he got his butt in gear and we were on our way. After registering, waiting to get an ED room, and waiting in the ED room for her to be examined, our little bubby was getting a bit irritated.

After looking, listening and poking, they brought in a breathing treatment. Sophie's breathing problems had been narrowed down to asthma or bronchiolitis. It was quite a bit of a struggle to get her inside the contraption, but she was so brave.

After another hour, no improvement could be heard after the albuterol, so the verdict was made that it was bronchiolitis, which incidentally just has to run its course, and we were set to be discharaged. While the paperwork was being compiled, Sophie finally got to take a nap on Mommy's lap. Poor thing was so exhausted. That's where the real fun began. This is a pulse oximeter (or 'pole sox' as I thought they were saying for a while) which reads levels of oxygen saturation.

Normal levels are between 91 and 101. Sophie's levels, when awake were in the mid nineties. Once she fell asleep, however, they dipped all the way to 77. Our emancipation was quickly curbed and we were admitted for Sophie's first hospital stay. Aside from the milk Mommy had packed in her diaper bag and some life-saving cheerios, Sophie hadn't eaten all day. The first thing we did once we got our room was to order room service.
We had to miss Sophie's cousin's dance performance that afternoon due to our adventure, so on their way home, Aunt Michelle and Brooke and Tara stopped by to visit.

Because of Sophie's respiratory issues, the crib was propped at an angle at the head for ease of breathing. Therefore, they had to take some added precautions to keep Sophie contained at times when we were out of the room or sleeping. Plastic sheets hung down from the canopy above the crib to keep her contained. It was reminiscent of both John Travolta's 'Boy in the Bubble' and many jail visitor scenes I have seen in movies. We decided to be a little silly and play with it so she wouldn't be scared.Sophie's congestion was taking a form too thick to be extracted by a regular suction bulb. She had to be vaccuumed out with a horrible contraption attached to the wall. After staying the night with oxygen saturation levels staying in good ranges, the only obstacle remaining was being able to suction her with a bulb at home. With the help of saline drops, it took three more days to get us out of the hospital and back home. We couldn't let her down to crawl around on the floor, so when she wasn't in the crib, she was on one of our laps or in our arms. After a while, you couldn't even tell that she had been sick. Mommy stayed with Sophie all day and night, but the highlight of her day was always when Daddy came by after work to eat dinner with us.

We were finally released a week before Sophie's birthday. Next Up...Sophie turns 1 and big news!!

Nursing Home Walker Races

2009-02-18T11:47:00.006-05:00

Sophie's first birthday, while a happy event that I am looking forward to, is causing me frustration as it nears (this Sunday!!). She still isn't walking. I know, What to Expect the First Year says that only some kids can walk by their first birthday, but my baby isn't just your average baby. She sat up early, she could roll over at 3 months, got teeth and starting eating table food at 4 months....she's always been advanced - exceptional even. Plus, I was walking at 8 months according to my mom...What's the big hold up!?!
I think it has to do with my daughter's stubbornness. She's so super quick with her walking aids (See January's Mowing the Hardwood) so I know she could go it alone if she really wanted to. On Superbowl Sunday, dressed in her Arizona colors, we took Sophie to visit G-G-ma Marge at the home. Within minutes, she had commandeered Marge's walker and was headed out the room and down the hall. Marge, of course was tickled pink at getting to see this. I think we need to find her a walker race to run.

She even managed to figure out how to turn the thing around. We had a hard time getting her to give it up, even after she tried pushing it with the middle horizontal bar and tipped it over. She walked so much that she slept through the good parts of the Superbowl. Here she is on our friend Vamsi's floor.

On another note entirely, I was in my co-worker's office a few weeks ago and saw a picture of his daughter in which she donned pigtails. The last picture I had seen of little Hailey showed hair not much longer than Sophie's, so I was inspired to give it a try. The next week we started with pigtails to daycare, and there's no turning back now. Isn't she the cutest??

Perfectly Pleasant Pancake Party

2009-02-17T10:06:00.006-05:00

I'll admit it, I'm a carbie. Not just a lover of food, but a lover of carbs. Throughout the week I'm really quite an angel, eating my cottage cheese with mandarin oranges breakfast while I guzzle coffee sweetened with fat free hazelnut creamer, but when Saturday and Sunday hit, the first thing on my mind when my eyes open is my boyfriend Pancake. Occasionally his sexy exotic cousins French Toast and Belgian Waffle enter my fantasies, but mostly it's my Pancake, slathered in (lo fat) syrup with melty chocolate chips through and through. My husband has tolerated this love affair for years....initially he'd partake (oooh a threesome), but eventually he admitted that he's really not that hungry first thing and he'd rather saddle up to a hearty bowl of oatmeal or Special K instead, so we breakfast separately now. He has always, however, gotten out of making Pancake with the lame excuse that he's just not good at it. Not good at it?? It's a pancake. Take box of powder...add water....stir batter...put in hot skillet....flip. Not rocket science. I chocked it up to lazy in the mornings.

Well, a few weeks ago, he was feeling especially squirrelly and decided to make pancakes for all of us. Not only that, but we'd eat at the kitchen table - out of the reach of any television!! Sophie and I were truly so excited. Here's Daddy with his Giant Masterpiece (I guess we can call her Pancaka)...

....and Sophie with her GIANT pancake (Pancakette??)

She didn't mind the size, though. Pancakes are one of Sophie's favorite foods. Instead of breaking off little bites for her to feed herself, however, we decided to give her the whole thing and see what happened.

Not surprising. So, we took it away and cut it up like normal. She was so happy about the pancake that she kept holding her bites up in the air before eating them while dancing.

After breakfast, Mommy was on cleanup patrol. My little shadow decided that she wanted to help me. Here she is trying to figure out the bottom shelf of the dishwasher.

But Mommy didn't think that one all the way through. Although very strange to us at first, the fact that our stairs to the second floor are at the very back of the house off of the kitchen has been very advantageous for child rearing. Sophie is so enamored by everything else downstairs, she never makes it all the way to that back corner and has therefore never noticed the stairs. True, she goes up and down them every morning in Mommy or Daddy's arms, but she always forgets about them.

She found them, next to the dishwasher.

At least my deep-voiced "No, No" kept her just climbing up and down the one step, but I thought that I had created a monster. Luckily, she's forgotten about them since.

Lots more to post, especially about her trip to the hospital on February 8th, but I've got to keep things in order for my anal brain, so I'll leave you now with a picture of a game Sophie and Daddy like to play. He likes to fly her around the room and then bring SuperBaby down low for a fly-by snacking. Yes, that's popcorn being eaten with no hands. She's got some skills.

A New Look

2009-02-05T15:15:00.003-05:00

Although I love the classy background that Meggie and Teresa picked for me initially, as I write more and more about my zany, crazy daughter and her shenanigans, I felt like black and white polka dots were a little too tame for the material. I have selected another background which, in my estimation, reflects the quirky life that we lead a bit more. Plus, since I learned all about color from Teresa in the first place, I knew she'd understand my struggle with the family picture being mostly in shades of blue on a black background. I don't know if this will be my ultimate background choice, but I'm trying it on for size.

Mowing the Hardwood??

2009-02-02T10:04:00.007-05:00

Stinkerbell made out like a bandit this year for Christmas. And, at Mommy's request, quite a few of her toys were walking enticement tools. Her favorite of late is this lawnmower. When she's a little older, it transforms into a car, complete with ingition knob, but for now it's the perfect height for her to walk around behind. She's been mowing our hardwood floors nonstop for the past month!!

Sadly, it has not had the effect that we had desired. She is so fast with this thing that she practically takes off running. And when I take it away and we try to get her to take steps between Mommy and Daddy, she looks at me like I'm a crazy person. I guess I can't blame her. Who'd want to take their first slow wobbly steps when they could be mowing in style at Mach 3? We're hoping that she'll be walking by her first birthday, but with only three weeks, the outlook is quite grim.

In addition to the walking battle, the toll of my life is starting to wear on me a little bit, especially where Sophie is concerned. On the nights that I have class, I don't get home until 8:30 or 9:00. If Sophie isn't in bed already, she has way outlived her expiration date. Since I really can't bear the thought of not seeing her at all, I've been waking her up to spend time with me, or keeping her up until 10ish so that I can snuggle with the sleepy baby. This is what I came home to after my last Tuesday night class.

Poor baby could barely keep her eyes open. We snuggled on the couch a little and I got some pictures of one of my baby's weirdest quirks.

Yes, that's a fuzzy blanket hanging out of her mouth. UGGHHH!!! I can't imagine the feeling of soggy fleece being appetizing, but she can't sleep without it. And it isn't just nibbled on, either. She crams as much of it as she can in her mouth, kind of like I'd imagine a starving child in a third world country would with a Happy Meal (or like I'd like to with a box of HoHo's). I've heard of kids needing the feel of their blankie because they like the softness, and she does squish it in her little pudgy fists and pet it sometimes, but I've never heard of a kid liking to eat her blankie. And to add to the weirdness, it's not one particular blankie. Any fluffy will do: actual blankie's, a plush teddy bear, her winter scarves, mommy's shoulder when wearing a fleece jacket.....

I love these eccentricities that make her MY little Stinkerbell!!

A Quarter Hulk??

2009-01-24T17:20:00.021-05:00

For those of you not familiar with the figure on the left, this is the Incredible Hulk. This is the monster that mild mannered Bruce Banner turns into when he gets angry. You've heard the saying "Don't make me angry....You wouldn't like me when I'm angry!"?? Yup, that's him!!

For those of you not familiar with Sophie, she is the sweetest, sassiest, happiest, silliest little girl on the planet. Normally, these are the types of photos I can capture of Stinkerbell while we play.

Lately, however, these kinds of photos have been few and far between. My camera, when in auto focus mode, has a pre-flash light which is green. This green light remains on until focus has been achieved, which can sometimes be a few seconds. Something about that green light just sets her off. She begins to scowl, and if it doesn't go away at her angry face, she starts to breathe like Darth Vader and snort. It really is quite funny.

Duncans....doesn't she look like little Brooke in the first and third picture??

Wouldn't want to meet her in a dark alley! Just had to note this for posterity.

Emmy of the Blogging World

2009-01-17T17:09:00.004-05:00

I received the loveliest award from my sister....An honor bestowed on the lucky few who have the writing ability to make others anticipate their next entry. I would like to thank my husband and daughter for giving me so much to write about, and Teresa for not only pushing me to start blogging, but for being my blogging inspiration. Of course, I kinda feel like this is an undeserved award, because I only have two followers. Maybe some day I'll actually earn it.

Do You See the Family Resemblance?

2009-01-15T12:48:00.011-05:00

Ever since Stinkerbell was born, I've been hearing "She looks just like Brandon." Personally, I just thought she looked like a baby, but the blue eyes, and blonde hair didn't help my cause at all. Of course my mother-in-law touted this claim, but of course she'd be biased. All my mom would give me is "She has your hands." I took solace in the fact that I thought Daddy was pretty darn cute, so at least it wasn't an insult, but now that Sophie is a little older I definitely see Daddy in her eyes, but from the nose down, She's a Duncan through and through.

My mom, who I never would have believed to be sentimental, saved all of my glasses from when I was a kid. While they've been lost in the moving shuffle for the past two years, Husby located them in a box in the basement a few days ago. I got my first pair at 18 months so I decided to try a little experiment. She DID NOT like this at first, but appeased Mommy enough so that we can have vote. Let me know who you think she looks most like.....

Mommy?? Daddy??

Or Lucky??Regardless of voting results, I really hope that the next one has dark hair and green eyes so they can look like me!!

The Challenge

2009-01-14T12:48:00.011-05:00

I have Hashimoto's Disease. It's a somewhat rare type of hypothyroidism which is characterized by fluctuating T3 and T4 levels. Basically, this means that my meds are good and everything is going along fine and then BOOM!! You gain 10 pounds in a week and have to go back and do more bloodwork and get new meds again. This has put me on a lovely weight loss roller coaster than has fluctuated from 203 to 168 pounds and then back again. I actually had a 3 month period prior to my wedding where everything was consistent and I was able to diet and exercise and lose all of the weight, but wouldn't ya know it....I got pregnant on my honeymoon and was back at square one.

Me, with my gorgeous neice Meggie of 'Continuing the Journey' fame on the Big Day...which also happened to be my skinniest day in 5 years....Me and Husby, 7 months pregnant, and Me at Christmas.

The numbers don't mean that much to me, but the change in my appearance (and the thickness in my neck - I'm turning into Barney Rubble) make it obvious. As I was about to give up, I came across a book all about weight loss for the hypothyroid patient, written by Mary Shomon. There is a whole section in which she describes the problems many of us face while dieting and the special hurdles that a thyroidian (yes, I made that up) must jump to make it into Skinny Town.

I've been taking one of her recommended natural herbal supplements and while I have lost only two pounds, I have lost 3/4 of an inch in my waist, 1/2 inch in my tree-trunck neck, and 1 inch in the diameter of my baby pouch. Also, when I was updating my weight loss ticker I noticed that I had entered my height as an inch less than I am. Once that was fixed, my BMI tells me that today I am officially no longer obese, but just overweight. First hurdle down.....Skinny Town, here I come!!

For those of you that are new, the baby pouch is that fold-like pocket of fat that hits between your girlie parts and your belly button which, when you gain weight after having a baby, starts to resemble the Rolling Stones tongue. Measuring the 'baby pouch' involves putting a measuring tape around part of your butt as well, so it's not entirely a gauge of what happens in this specific body part, but could also indicate a lessenning of the derrier. Since I was asked once by a, let's call him 'special', co-worker a few years ago if I had any "sister" in me because my ass was starting to spread like one, I would be happy with a little bit less, either way. However, I will have to attribute this loss to the pouch, because instead of a fold, I have an out-dentation...kinda like how much I was showing at 3 months pregnant. Not the best, but better than the gravity-stricken deflated balloon of a stomache I had last week. I've included a picture of Fat Barbie below to illustrate the baby pouch for those of you still fuzzy on the idea.

Additional plus?? My cravings are curbed...I don't crave sweets at all, and I am able to eat for sustenance and not for pleasure. Also, the added energy boost is just enough to make me not too tired after work to be able to work out.

So, to anyone who is losing the definition in their neck, folding over their tummy, or training for the chocolothon olympic event on a semi-daily basis, I encourage trying, or at least getting more information on acetyl l carnitine with alpha lipoic acid. This combo supplement can be found at GNC stores or online.
My goal...to be able to chase after Stinkerbell and another little one someday without needing a daily nap, regardless of the number on the scale!! I do have to give special mention to my sweetie. His love and affection for me hasn't faltered at any weight that I have held. He even asked me if I wouldn't lose too much, because he liked me the way I am. I love you Brando.
And to Pookie...you know who you are... who has never been smaller than me, our entire lives, but now weighs 4 pounds less than I do.....YOU'RE GOING DOWN. I'm bringing my A game and my B lunch and we are gonna duke it out until the skinniest is left standing (probably because the fatter got winded and needed a nap) . If you aren't scared, competition ends at Nikki's wedding to see who is the smallest.

Who's a Big Girl??

2009-01-12T15:00:00.020-05:00

This weekend, my office had their Holiday Party. I know, Christmas seems like FOREVER ago, but we've found that with 20+ schedules to contend with, we have the best luck with attendance when our party falls in January. Me personally, I LOVE Christmas, especially the music, so any chance to stretch that out a little bit, I jump right on board with. We had our party at the Shadowbox Cabaret in Newport, KY and it was a BLAST. Their generally raunchy R rated show was toned down to a modest PG-13 for their Holiday Hoopla and everyone, from our twenty-something Newbies to our retired seasoned veterans enjoyed the show immensely. I highly suggest checking it out, if for no other reason than to hear the house band "Bill Who?"s rendition of Transiberian Orchestra version of Carol of the Bells and to see the Santa Babies.

But enough about grown up fun. I know you are here to hear about Sophie. As our big girl nears the big "1", she is getting smarter, craftier and definitely sneakier. Her latest trick??

Sophie....Are you a big girl??

Sophie, are you a big girl??
Come on, Sophie, show us how big you are!!

Of course this is followed by so many 'YAY's and applause that now the mere mention of the word 'YAY' invokes this response. Followed by her clapping for herself.

Daddy has always been fond of flying her around and calling her Super Baby. Here is super baby at four months, followed by Super Baby today. He has to use two hands now, but it doesn't make it any less cute.

At different points in a child's development, they favor one parent over the other. With us, however, I think things are pretty well evenly split between Daddy and Mommy. I can't help but think that this is partially due to the fact that we really make an effort to get Sophie worked up and excited to see the other parent. Until recently, I was the one that woke Sophie up and we enjoyed a little bottle and snuggle time while Daddy got shaved and showered. When she was finished imbibing, I would stand her up facing the back of the couch and we'd look for Daddy. From our couch you can see (and hear) the bathroom door and she'd wait in anticipation for the door to open and Daddy to pop out. Some days I got her so worked up that she was jumping up and down on the couch waiting for him. And the smiles and squeals when he finally appeared!!

We have since found that Mommy's day runs a little more smoothly when the shower is the first thing she attempts, so we have now switched roles in the morning routine. Who wouldn't rush to get out of the shower if you knew this would be waiting for you?? I'll admit, that some days she's a little nonplussed (like today when she cried from the time I took her from Daddy until she was dressed and back up in bed napping.) But I'm working on not letting it get me down. I know that the next time she falls and bonks something, 'ma, ma, ma' will be coming out of her mouth!! I am not jealous that they have a good relationship, though. I love it. I love that I can randomly catch them snuggling and talking together on the couch on a Saturday afternoon. I want her Daddy to be her hero....and I'm pretty sure that right now he is :-) Yesterday we visited G-G-Ma Marge at the nursing home. Mommy had consumed a few too many cocktails at the Christmas Party the night before and her head was telling her she needed something greasy, so we stopped for lunch at Wild Mike's first. When it was Mommy's turn to occupy Sophie while Daddy ate, I tried to make it a game and have her grab french fries out of my mouth. I had no idea she'd go 'Lady and the Tramp' on me...

Yes, that's right. She came at me with her mouth open and took the fry from me with her teeth. It was SOOO funny that we had to get a picture. She did this a few times before I thought we should stop so that people didn't think I was making out with my little girl. We hadn't gotten to visit Marge last weekend, so she hadn't yet seen Sophie feed herself her bottle. The biggest bonus is that now G-G-Ma Marge can hold Sophie and snuggle while she eats. They were very cute together.

But as she gets older, she gets sneakier. We've given up on mittens. No sooner than you wrestle those little paws inside does she have them in her mouth - even with a scarf over her mouth - and bites them off. And of course, giggles. For a few days I kept them on their string through the arms of her coat so that people would know that I was a good mom and tried. Of course, my husband thought that was super silly, but he has NO idea how much moms judge each other. I can't tell you how many times I've been told loudly "At least you have enough sense to put a hat on your baby in this weather....Not like that WOMAN over there!!". Oh yeah, that WOMAN was always in earshot. Whether it was a hat, a heavy enough coat, or the elusive mittens, other mothers (mostly those that are now grandmothers) have no problems putting you down to someone else's face and making sure you've heard them. As yet, these remarks had never been said about me, only to me, and I've been trying so hard to not be the target. But I know I'm only biding my time, because, in addition to the glove battle, her scarf is nothing but a fuzzy necklace since she instantly pushes it off of her nose and mouth, and her hat is merely a chew toy.

I tell you, the guy that thought to stick pom poms on a kid's hat is an evil genious!

That's all for now. Wish me luck in my ongoing battle to keep Sophie ear-infection and frostbite free.

The Holidays Flaig Style

2008-12-25T14:39:00.045-05:00

So, my sister, Teresa, designed this blog for me as a Christmas gift. Being an avid scrapbooker for the last 6 years, I'll have to admit that this blogging thing will take some getting used to. No stickers?? No colored, printed paper?? No quotes in bubble letters?? I have been assured however, that the benefits far outweigh the losses...the greatest of these being that all of my family and friends can access my blog and get Sophie updates without me having to send enormous emails filled with GIANT pictures of my Stinkerbell. So, now that 2008 has been successfully scrapbooked in my usual crafty fashion, I am going to try this blogging thing for 2009.

Here goes.......

This is Sophie. She is 10 months old and and bundle of energy and sass (emphasis on the sass). She is at that wonderful stage of a little girl's development called "Exploring the world with her mouth". If a toy doesn't make a sound, then, surely, it is for sucking/biting/eating, as are blankets, dogs, the couch, mommy's shoulder and magazines. She recently graduated to not needed her bath chair anymore and LOVES bath time. If we ever leave the bathroom door open, she beelines to the tub and tries to climb in.

Did you ever get misty when you saw those "Daddy's Little Girl" commercials where a man and his daughter danced with her standing on his feet?? Apparently my husband, Brandon, did. He is always trying to get Sophie to dance with him. As yet, she is not the most cooperative. Gotta love the guy for trying, though :-)

This is Sophie's first Christmas. Sophie is a honeymoon baby, so although this is not our first Christmas as a married couple, last year I was huge and uncomfortable and therefore a tree with a few ornaments was the extent of our Christmas decorating. This year we went all out, complete with garland and ribbon and our Abominable finally got removed from his plastic home.

Oddly enough, Sophie wasn't scared of him in the least. To commemorate Sophie's first Christmas in true Debbie fashion, I had some custom ornaments made for the occasion.

Sophie was 'hatched' on February 22nd, 2008.

We are no longer just a couple, we are a family.

Sophie doesn't generally get really dirty or stinky, so she doesn't get bathed on a daily basis. Of course, whenever she is going to see one of the Grandma's or Aunt Teresa (who says that heaven must smell like Johnson's baby products) she gets to have bath time. And of course, she has to munch on her rubber duckie.

That sweet, sweet face is made even more precious with the smell of baby oil.

Mommy is getting exceedingly frustrated with the "Is it a boy or girl" questions. My latest attempt at making her look unmistakably female.....

And she pulled them out and was chewing on them in ten minutes. Christmas Eve was the day that Sophie finally took to feeding herself her bottle. I still like to snuggle with her at night and in the morning with her bottles, but golly it's nice to have free hands during the day. I had the freedom to do some early Christmas dinner prep while she had lunch in the kitchen.

Christmas Eve was also the first day that Sophie really noticed the gifts under the tree. She was intrigued by the tree itself, but she finally realized that there were ribbons and bows under there.

Christmas Eve was spent at Grandma Judy's. Sophie had quite a time trying to crawl in that dress. She was bear crawling after a while (I couldn't quite get a good picture of it though). To try to tame the beast in this not-so-baby-proofed home, Daddy decided to give her a ride. It didn't work out quite as expected.

Finally, after dinner, it was time to put on her new Christmas jammies and open some presents.

She had quite an affection for mini Gloworm....

Aunt Sue's friend Bob decided to put on the Santa hat and get in good with the baby. I think this picture makes her look like one of the residents in Whoville.

Christmas morning was a special day in the Flaig household. Sophie was more interested in her ribbons and bows than the actual gifts. She liked them so much we thought that she should wear them.

The funniest of Mommy's gifts came from Daddy and Sophie. A book called "Be Happy or I'll Scream - My Deranged Quest for the Perfect Husband, Family, and Life". We all agree I'm pretty nuts - working more than full time, going to school, being a mommy and trying to maintain a household. Hopefully this book can give me some insights to help hold it all together.

Christmas Day involved a tradition with my sister Teresa and her family which we've been doing for the last 10 years. We always have a big dinner consisting of our mom's fried chicken, mashed potatoes and corn (some times some other things are slid in, but these are the staples) before we head out to see a kid-friendly movie. This year was my first year to host, since I finally had a house, a husband and wedding china!! Sadly, Teresa came down with a nasty virus the day before and was still not up to par. She spent some time hanging out in the kitchen, but couldn't really contribute to dinner the way she had planned. Darling Meggie, her 16 year old, proudly donned a Ho Ho Ho apron and took her place.

She was extremely helpful and we had dinner in the oven in no time. In our downtime, Meggie couldn't pass up the opportunity to check on her favorite blogs.

While the chicken was baking, I snapped a quick family photo of the Berter Brood before we dug into presents.

As you can see, there's a little Asian boy in the picture. No, their mailman isn't Asian....Teresa and Kevin flew halfway around the world to adopt Carson last October. They are currently in the process of adopting another little girl from a neighboring province. Sadly, Molly Jayne will not be with us until March at the earliest. I couldn't resist getting her a Zoobie pet for Christmas anyway. Choosing the animal was easy - Teresa's favorite Christmas song is "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas". This Zoobie Travel Buddy is a stuffed animal which transforms to a pillow with the release of some Velcro straps, and releases a blanket from it's belly with a quick unzip of it's bottom. I figured Molly would get some good use out of it on the long flight home from China.

My first real, grownup dinner table.....

My family.

The cousins.

On December 28th all six of my siblings and their families gathered at Teresa's house to work on a grandiose collage of our family as a Christmas gift to Grandma Jane. This was also the day of another HUGE milestone for Stinkerbell. She had outgrown her infant car seat, so Daddy installed her big-girl car seat.

December 31st...New Year's Eve. We hosted a kid-friendly party for all who wanted somewhere to go, but didn't want to get a sitter. Sophie went down at her normal bedtime, but we woke her up at quarter til midnight so we could ring in the New Year as a family. She was still kind of groggy and a bit distrusting of Daddy's new noisy tongue.

We gave her some noise makers so that she could get in on the action, too. She woke up pretty fast after that!!

And on January 1st, she hit another milestone. She was doing so well drinking by herself with bottles that Daddy tried to give her a sippy cup. There's no looking back now. My little baby is growing up.

That concludes my recap of our holidays and my first blog. I hope you all enjoy watching my little girl and my family grow. Sis, I'll try to do you proud.

2008-12-25T09:28:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas, Pookie!!

Can't wait to see this blog full of pictures of the cutest dang baby in the free world!! Now you have NO EXCUSES!!!

Love you,

Teresa =)