Week 27 Bumpdate

Days Pregnant: 189

Days Remaining: 91, less than 100 days to go?! Unbelievable! So exciting, and nerve wracking!

Can't believe this belly
is getting bigger for
three more months!

Total Weight Gain:  Oh boy, it feels like I'm really packing on the pounds... I'm up a total of 26 pounds, and I've put on 10 of those in the last 6 weeks.  I know What to Expect says 1-2 pounds in the last half of pregnancy, blah blah blah.  Its still so not fun to see the number on the scale go up so quickly.  Oh well, only 13 weeks of gaining left to go!

Maternity Clothes: Baby is big enough that I'm only in maternity clothes from here on out!  I'm starting to get bored with my rather small maternity selection, but I have no desire to spend any more money on clothes I can only wear for a few more months.  Here's to accessorizing!

Best Moment This Week (or The Last 6 Weeks...):  So many! Oliver is moving around like crazy, and he's still small enough that it's not cramped in there, so no painful jabs yet.  Also, Nora has become this amazing talker recently! I've had lots of free time during the day since school started and have completely loved talking with her and hearing her yell out her newest catchphrase--this week it's "I'm Nana Princess!"
Movement:  All the time! Especially when I finally lay down to go to sleep, such a happy way to end each day. :)
Cravings: I can't eat as much anymore since my stomach is getting smooshed by all that baby in there, so it seems like I'm constantly hungry but fill up right away. So really, I'm just craving a full meal??
Aversions: Eggs and yogurt, that's been the same since the very beginning.  Hopefully this will pass after I have Oliver, I miss omelets and parfaits. :(

Gender: Baby boy!
Labor Signs: Let the Braxton Hicks contractions begin! They aren't painful, mostly they are just a weird tightening feeling.  One more sign this baby will be coming fairly soon!
Symptoms:  Still really congested, especially first thing in the morning, and since I was the same way when pregnant with Nora, I'm not expecting that to change until after we meet the little man.  My back is also really sore and stiff, so I can't really sit/stand/lay down in the same position for too long.
Looking Forward To:  Next doctor's appointment is Wednesday, feels like it's been so long since I heard the heartbeat last.  Also, so excited for Halloween this year! Nora is finally old enough to understand what's going on, so I'm crossing my fingers for some warm trick-or-treating weather!

Aerial view of the big ol' belly--goodbye toes, see you next year!

Week 21 Bumpdate

AHHHH where did my summer go?!  I can't believe it's been 5 weeks since I've done an update, August has completely flown by!  Between working 3 jobs, enjoying my sweet Nora who has been talking up a storm, and loving the hot, hot summer we had, I have been unbelievably busy.  While I'm dreading the winter that I know is forthcoming, I am finding myself unusually happy about the arrival of fall.  It's partly because I'm excited about getting back to a normal routine with school and work, partly because I love scarf and vest weather, but mostly because it means I'm that much closer to meeting this sweet baby!  Who, by the way, has been growing like crazy, giving me a perfect little bump. :)

Sweet face and hands :)

Days Pregnant: 147

Days Remaining: 133, I LOVE that this is the smaller number now, more than half way there!
Total Weight Gain: Okay, this has not been the most exciting area for me.  So far, I have gained 16 pounds, which feels like a HUGE number.  I'm trying to keep it in perspective, though.  At this point when I was pregnant with Nora, I had already gained 3o pounds, so I'm doing much, much better this time around.  Also, the midwife said that my weight gain so far has been perfectly healthy, and if I stay on the same track of gaining a pound a week, I'll gain a total of 35 pounds (which is in the healthy weight range, yay!)  It's hard to balance being careful with my weight with not obsessing about it, but at least it's reassuring that, to this point, I'm doing a pretty good job.

Maternity Clothes: Oh yes! Though I can still fit in my stretchy skinny jeans, I much prefer wearing my maternity pants.  I've also made the transition to maternity shirts, thanks to H&M finally opening an online store!  8 maternity shirts for $80, yes please!

Best Moment This Week:  I had a little scare this morning, so I called the clinic, and the nurse told me it was probably nothing but I could come in and they would check the baby to give me some peace of mind.  I'm so glad I went in, because she made sure I had nothing to worry about and I got to hear my happy baby's strong heartbeat.  Nothing better than that sound!
Movement:  Lots!  His kicks are not strong enough to feel from the outside yet, but they are definitely getting more noticeable.  Feeling baby move is the BEST thing about being pregnant, I love those daily reminders that baby's doing just fine. :)
Cravings: Chocolate, oh my goodness.  I would eat nothing but ice cream and oreos if I wasn't afraid of the judgy looks I would get from everyone around me! ;)
Aversions: Eggs still, soooo yuck.

Snips and snails and puppy dog tails...

Gender: It's a BOY!  Oliver William Burcell will be joining our family in four short months. :) I am so so so thrilled and nervous and excited.  Taylor and all the brothers are of course so happy to be welcoming another basketball player to the Burcell team, and I can't wait to snuggle and kiss and chase after a sweet son.  Though I don't think this will be our last baby, I love that after Oliver arrives we'll have one of each.
Labor Signs: None.
Symptoms:  I've been enjoying the second trimester mostly symptom free, except for the awful head cold I got last week.  It's so hard not being about to take anything except Tylenol, I was miserable!  Luckily, I've been feeling better the last couple of days, let's hope I'm in the clear now.
Looking Forward To:  Feeling this boy kick from the outside so that Taylor and Nora can feel him move, too.  My baby apps say he should be big and strong enough in the next few weeks, yay!

**School starts next Thursday, so I should have no problem updating my blog from here on out (I love any excuse to procrastinate!)

Week 16

Days Pregnant: 112

Days Remaining: 168
Total Weight Gain: 7 lbs.  I've gained about a pound a week these last few weeks, slow and steady!  The doctor said I was right on track and to just keep doing what I was doing, sounds good to me!

Maternity Clothes: Definitely taking my maternity pants in to get hemmed this week because I'm not going to be able to fit into my normal khakis much longer.  I think I've lasted a lot longer in regular clothes this pregnancy than the last, thank goodness.

Best Moment This Week:  My doctor's appointment went really well, mommy and baby are both very healthy.  And I got to hear baby's heartbeat, which I love! Heard him/her kicking around in there too. :)
Movement:  Yes, finally! I was laying in bed Monday night and felt the first few flutters, I didn't realized how much I've missed that feeling! I have felt a little bit more since, but not much, little bug is still pretty tiny.
Cravings: Water and chocolate ice cream are the norm.  One day this week, I thought I was going to die if I didn't get some jalapeno jelly, so weird.
Aversions: The thought of eggs and yogurt is still making me gag.
Gender: I'm really not sure, but I keep referring to the baby as "he," maybe that's my subconscious giving me a sign? Either way, we find out in less than three weeks!
Labor Signs: None.
Symptoms: Feeling much better and more motivated this week.  Still congested and sleepier than normal, but I think that's going to be par for the course until this little one makes his/her debut.
Looking Forward To:  Finding out what we're having on August 13! I can't believe how soon it is, time is flying by!

Week 15

Days Pregnant: 105

Days Remaining: 175
Total Weight Gain: 6 lbs.  I'm back in my healthy weight gain range, yes! I'm at the top of the range, but it's much better than already being at a point where I've gained too much weight. :) 

Exercise: A stupid head cold really knocked me back Friday morning and I've had a hard time getting back to working out since. Need to find some motivation this week!
Maternity Clothes: Still wearing all of my regular clothes for the most part, though I'm leaning more towards shirts that are loose in the tummy. 

Best Moment This Week:  I had a great week, spent lots of time with Taylor and Nora and then had a great time at Sharon's Bachelorette Dinner last night! Can't wait for the wedding this weekend!
Movement: Nothing yet, but hoping to feel something very soon!
Cravings: Lots of water again this week, pretzels and ranch dressing (not together!).
Aversions: Eggs and yogurt, still.
Gender: No clue? Just 4 weeks til we know, eek!
Labor Signs: None.
Symptoms: Didn't seem to feel many pregnancy symptoms this week, I was just totally wiped out by my cold, so I felt pretty crappy in general.
Looking Forward To:  Well, I showed up to my doctors appt. on Friday to find out that the doctor was delivering a baby at the hospital and I'd have to reschedule. Sooo, I'm still looking forward to this doctors appt., a quick trip to anchorage Wednesday and Thursday for Taylor's cousin's wedding, and then Sharon's wedding Saturday. Busy week!!

Week 14

Look! A bump!

Days Pregnant: 98

Days Remaining: 182
Total Weight Gain: 5 lbs.

Exercise: I have been so good this week about exercising, and it feels SO good.  Saturday was beautiful so I took Nora for a great 3.5 mile walk around the university.  It's been kind of rainy since then, so I've put my treadmill and my new dumbbells to good use!
Maternity Clothes: I think I really need to get an order placed, I've noticed a major difference in how much I'm showing this week.  My stretchy skinny jeans are still buttoning though, I'm going to wear those as loooong as possible.

Best Moment This Week:  This week, we took away Nora's beloved pacifier.  After imagining awful scenarios in my head where she either wouldn't sleep at all or wouldn't talk to me for days, it actually seemed like she handled it really well.  Don't get me wrong, there were plenty of tears when it was time for bed the first couple of nights, but she has slept through the night with no interruptions since we took it away.  I have been waiting for this for TWO YEARS.  Thank goodness, hopefully I'll get some great, restful sleep over the next six months before we start all over again. :)
Movement: None, but I could in two weeks?? Time has gone by so fast!  It's amazing to think that I'm a third of a way there now.
Cravings: Water, water, water, and chocolate ice cream.
Aversions: Eggs still, and yogurt the last few mornings, which stinks because I just stocked up and I'm usually the only person in the house who will eat it.
Gender: Still no feeling one way or the other.  I catch myself daydreaming about both--I really don't have a preference either way at this point.
Labor Signs: None.
Symptoms: Less laziness, yay!  I don't know if I'm less tired, or just more motivated, but I feel much less like a slug than I did the last couple of months.  My new-found energy led to organizing drawers and closets yesterday, maybe I'm nesting already?
Looking Forward To:  A warm, sunny weekend and a doctor's appointment next Friday.

Week 13

Days Pregnant: 91

Days Remaining: 189
Total Weight Gain: 4 lbs.

Exercise: I have been running around like crazy trying to keep up with Nora this week, that counts, right??
Maternity Clothes: Haven't bought anything new, but I've been looking online a lot. Thank goodness for Asos and Top Shop, they have some really cute stuff for pretty cheap.  I feel guilty spending a lot of money on clothes that I can only wear for the next six months, so I'm trying to find as much on sale as possible.

Best Moment This Week:  My Nora bug turned two! She has grown into the sweetest, goofiest little girl. :) We had a great birthday party for her at Alaskaland on Friday, and then we went with Taylor's family to Denali so they could go rafting on Saturday.
Movement: None, but it's crazy to think I could feel something in as early as three weeks!
Cravings: Water and iced tea, no so bad as cravings go.
Aversions: Eggs sound soooo gross, even just seeing them at the restaurant this week made me queasy.
Gender: No clue! I really have no feeling one way or another, we should find out within seven weeks though!
Labor Signs: None.
Symptoms: I've been less sleepy this week, and I dont' know if its because I'm getting out of the dreaded first trimester or because it's been less hot and more comfortable in the house.  Either way, I'll take it!
Looking Forward To:  Getting to do some shopping in the next couple weeks, even if it is just for maternity clothes!

Week 12 Bumpdate

Itty bitty bump, looks more like a food baby still!

**Had to skip Week 11 because my Dr. moved my due date up 5 days, yay!**

Days Pregnant: 84

Days Remaining: 196 (Less than 200!)
Total Weight Gain: 3 lbs.

Exercise: Walking and pushing around the jogging stroller, it feels like a whole lot more work since it has been so hot out!
Maternity Clothes: I'm at the point where maternity clothes are too big but my regular clothes feel a little tight, so finding something to wear in the morning is pretty challenging. I did find a great skirt at Old Navy that doesn't look like a maternity skirt but is super stretchy and comfy, so nice!

Best Moment This Week:  I had a GREAT week!! Ultrasound went perfectly, there is one cute little peanut in there. :) He or she is already measuring big so the doctor changed my due date from January 14 to January 9. Fine with me, the sooner the better! Also had a great, hot solstice weekend.
Movement: None.
Cravings: I keep craving water, finally something healthy!
Aversions: Coffee has been fine this week, so back to no aversions.
Gender: The ultrasound tech tried to find something but said it was way too early. Countdown to find out whether we'll have a boy or girl is 8 weeks.
Labor Signs: None.
Symptoms: Sleeeeepyyyy...
Looking Forward To: My sweet Nora bug is turning 2 tomorrow! I can't believe it, she's growing so fast and is going to be the best big sister. :)

Week 10

Days Pregnant: 70

Days Remaining: 210
Total Weight Gain: 3 lbs.
Exercise: It has been so HOT lately! So we've been playing outside as much as possible, but even just sitting down I feel like I'm sweating enough to burn some calories!
Maternity Clothes: None yet, and still doing good even without the rubberband trick--hoping to keep this up as long as possible.
Best Moment This Week:  Not baby related, but we have a construction crew here this week insulating our basement so that our heating bill isn't so high this winter.  Does anyone else get as stoked as I do about not having to pay bills?? :)
Movement: None.
Cravings: Oh man...chocolate has been KILLING me this week.  
Aversions: I haven't wanted coffee at all lately.  I have never had this problem before, I must be pregnant...
Gender: ??
Labor Signs: None.
Symptoms: Tired big time, and the heat hasn't helped with that at all.  But still no sickness or nausea, so it's not too bad.
Looking Forward To: Ultrasound TOMORROW!! So excited, can't wait to see my little bug. :) (I have to get blood drawn too, but I'm trying not to think about that...)

Three Years

Happy 3rd anniversary to the love of my life. <3

We've gone from MySpace messages and ice cream dates to diaper changes and goodnight kisses. Thanks for the best three years TK<3

Week 9: Bumpdate!

No bump yet!

Days Pregnant: 63

Days Remaining: 217
Total Weight Gain: Still 2 pounds.
Exercise: I've gotten on the treadmill a couple of times and walked outside a litte, better than nothing!
Maternity Clothes: My first pair of jeans came in the mail, but I'm not wearing them yet  I'm still fitting in my skinny jeans, yay!
Best Moment This Week: We asked Nora this week what she wanted to name the baby and she told us, "Choo-Choo Bayoon!" which, roughly translated, is "Train Balloon" in Nora-Speak.  I don't think so...
Movement: None.
Cravings: Thanks to some good advice, I've done much better this week, and have been subbing dried fruit and trail mix for candy and chips.  So far, so good! (I may have sneaked a cupcake at work yesterday though...)
Aversions: Coffee has been tasting a little off, but that's about it.
Gender: ??
Labor Signs: None.
Symptoms: I'm still so tired, but my sweet little Nora, who has been an awful sleeper since the day she was born, has FINALLY started sleeping through the night in her own bed. Perfect timing :)
Looking Forward To: Mine and Taylor's 3rd anniversary is tomorrow--so thankful for the last three years with my very best friend.  Date night on Friday--dinner at Lavelle's and going to see Superman.  AND ultrasound next Wednesday. :D

Big News!

The Young Burcell's have some exciting news...

Eeek! I am due with Baby B #2 and I'm SO excited!  Taylor and I have kept it mostly under wraps since we found out a month ago, but we just couldn't wait any longer to share the news.  Plus, Nora kept pointing at my belly in public and saying "baby,", so the truth was bound to come out any day now. :)

Like most of the pregnant blogosphere, I want to post weekly updates--partially because it's an easy way to update everyone, but mostly so that I can look back at what this pregnancy was like.  I hate that I don't remember much of being pregnant with Nora, so I'm going to try to be very good about posting every week.  Here goes...

Days Pregnant: 58

Days Remaining: 222

Total Weight Gain: I'm 2 pounds up from where I was 8 weeks ago, mostly because of my rather unfortunate cravings (see below).  This is the part of my pregnancy I'm most worried about.  When I was pregnant with Nora, I gained a ridiculous amount of weight...70 lbs. Uggghhh.  All the extra weight made the last trimester pretty awful: swollen feet like you've never seen before, high risk for preeclampsia, borderline diabetic, etc.  On top of that, losing all the weight was not an easy thing to do, so I'm determined to not let that happen again.  I'm hoping that sharing my weight gain every week with who-knows-how-many people will help. :)

Exercise: I've been trying to go for a walk with Nora everyday, but the last few days have been rough.  First trimester fatigue is no joke--I have been exhausted lately--plus it's raining, which just puts me in the mood to cuddle up on the couch and watch Grey's Anatomy reruns.  

Maternity Clothes: I still fit into all my old clothes, but I ordered a pair of maternity khakis so that when the time comes I'll have pants to wear to work.  (I'm thinking this might be sooner rather than later, I feel like I'm showing much much earlier this time and my shorts are starting to feel kind of snug.)

Best Moment This Week: The word is out! It's such a happy thing, I love sharing this news!

Movement: None.

Cravings: Some women are lucky and they crave fruits and vegetables when they are pregnant.  Me on the other hand, all I crave are sweet and salty things, which is very counteractive to my weight gain goal.  Pray for me, I need all the help I can get when it comes to resisting chocolate covered pretzels and potato chips!

Aversions: None, though some would come in handy here pretty soon...

Gender: ??

Labor Signs: None.

Symptoms: Just the fatigue and the cravings, so I really shouldn't be complaining, I know it could be much worse.

Looking Forward To: First ultrasound and doctor's appointment--less than two weeks away! Can't wait to see my little bug. :D

Where Are You Christmas Summer?? Why Can't I Find You??

Here's how my Saturday went:

• Woke up right on time and Nora slept just long enough for me to get ready...perfect! 
• Headed to work in the sunshine, enjoyed a warm afternoon in the gift shop, and enjoyed wearing shorts all day.
• Got done working at 5:30 and went on a nice long walk/jog with Nora in the jogging stroller.
• Barbecued burgers  and ate in the backyard.

Doesn't that sound like a wonderful day??

JUST KIDDING.

Here's how today actually went:

• I did really wake up on time, but was still rushing out the door, how does that happen?
• Loaded Nora and the bags up in the truck and then realized there was a layer of ICE and SNOW on the windshield, so we had to wait ten minutes for it defrost because I couldn't find my scraper...uggh.
• My gas light came on as I was pulling out of the driveway, so I had to pump gas in this ridiculously freezing weather.
• Got my cinnamon sugar bagel with honey walnut cream cheese and a coffee from Bruegger's (this went really well actually, no complaining here :).
• Went in to work at the Riverboat and got a lot done--only downside was taking forever to get people their change from the register because my fingers were frozen.
• Went shopping at Old Navy with my Nora, so easy to spend money on girly summer clothes!
• Nora had a pretty crazy meltdown when we got home because it was too cold to use the sidewalk chalk or the stroller.  If only she could have understood me when I kept saying, "I know EXACTLY how you feel, I would LOVE to be playing outside, too."

Sorry for the complaining, but snowing and freezing cold on May 18th?? Seriously??  Obviously, we're patiently impatiently waiting for it to warm up.  In the meantime, I guess we'll have to stay inside, watch some more Dora (si!) and pray for sunshine so Nora can work out all her almost-two-year-old energy in the grass and I can get some color on my ghostly "I haven't left Alaska in a year" legs.

This Week's Bests: Finals Week Edition

I seem to do my best non-educational writing when I have a whole lot of writing to do for school.  With two papers and a powerpoint to do by tomorrow night, why wouldn't I write a blog right now...?  But with all the stress of finals and our serious lack of summer weather, I figured I needed to come up with some bests this week to put me in a better mood.

• One class down: Though I've been a glass-half-empty kind of girl this last week with school, I'm excited that I'm already done with one of my classes! (So I guess the glass is a quarter full?) Accounting is DONE, I just need to turn in my project.  And no matter what, no matter how late I'm up for the next couple of nights, all the projects and tests I have to do this semester will be over by Wednesday. Woohoo!
• Breakfast with the girls: Yesterday, I had breakfast at the Cookie Jar with two friends from high school that I hadn't seen in forever and all of our babies--five total!  It was great catching up and seeing the kids play peekaboo and laugh with each other.  I see more mommy-baby dates in the future. :)
• My little kid: Nora has gotten so big and she's SO smart.  I turn into a gushy mess every time I think about how she's not a baby anymore.  She's talking so much and has such a funny imagination.  Just look at this:

Okay, I can't put it off any longer, off to do my finance project...

Healthy Living

I go through phases where I have no desire at all to exercise or eat well.  I just want to watch Gossip Girl and eat oreos.  (I can't be the only one, right?!)  But then I get on a health kick like the one I am on now, and I LOVE it.  I feel so much better when I get off of my butt, get on the treadmill, and eat my fruits and veggies.  I lost 1.4 pounds last week, and I'm track for the same or better at my weigh-in on Saturday. :)  I've been:

• Counting Points: I've come to the conclusion that Weight Watchers is the best (and maybe only) way for me to lose weight.  When I stick to the plan and count my points, I lose weight, without fail.  This week I've even passed up most of my bonus points, crossing my fingers that it pays off.
• Fruits and Veggies!: I could eat fruit all. day. long.  I get home in the afternoon and eat a huge bowl of berries and grapes (0 points!) and it completely satisfies my sweet tooth.  My dessert for the last few days has been strawberries and fat free cool whip, yuuuummmm. Also eating apples and bananas like a fiend when my stomach starts growling to tide me over.  Veggies are a little harder for me to eat.  Last time I got a stomach bug, the last thing I had to eat was a salad, so I have a really hard time eating them now.  That means I have to sneak my veggies into a sandwich, soup, or my...
• Green Monster Smoothie:  Breakfast is now my favorite meal of the day.  Every morning I make my green monster smoothie with a special ingredient: Spinach! Tons of spinach.  The smoothie is 6 points, has 32 grams of protein, and keeps me full until lunch.  Plus, two servings of dairy, a serving of fruit, and three servings of veggies in one meal, perfect!

                                   Ingredients:
--1 1/2 Cups Mixed Frozen Fruit (This week I'm using blueberries, strawberries, and peaches.)
--1 Cup 1% Milk
--1/2 Cup Fat Free Greek Yogurt (So much better for you than regular yogurt, it has just as much protein as the protein powder!)
--4 Cups Baby Spinach
--1 Scoop Total Lean Vanilla Protein Powder

• Couch to 5K:  This has to be the best $0.99 app I've gotten.  I've never been a runner before, but this has slowly started working me up to being able to run a 5K.  I'm halfway through the 9-week program, and I can see the end in sight!

It's amazing how much seems to change when I start being more healthy: I sleep better, my house is cleaner (?), I'm generally a happier person.  I usually stay on a kick like this for about three weeks until the oreos start calling my name, but I'm determined to ignore their evil ways and stay on track.  I have nothing but weight to lose! :)

Great at Writing Good Crap

It's 11:30pm, and I'm sitting in my dining room WIDE AWAKE.  Why? Well...like any good fourth-year college student, I procrastinated as long as possible to write a paper.  I hate English classes, everything about English classes, so I talked myself into waiting to write a four-page paper until 9 o'clock the night it was due.  And I hadn't even read the twenty-page article I was supposed to write about. :|  I was exhausted, and so not into writing this paper,  but I was determined to get the paper done by midnight so I wouldn't get marked off for late work.  I helped get Nora ready for bed, downed 16 ounces of coffee, sat down at the table with my laptop, and started plugging away at this stupid, stupid, English paper.

But! Like a great college student, I've developed the skill I like to call, "Writing Down a Bunch of Crap That Makes Me Look Like I Know What I'm Talking About."  I even had the article read and the paper written by 11:06--almost an hour to spare!  I did this for the same kind of thing for a similar assignment a couple weeks ago and got an A.  What can I say...I'm great at writing good crap in a hurry?

Now it's 11:30pm, I'm done with the paper.  The coffee did it's job, kept me awake while slogging through the article, but now, the caffeine won't let me go to sleep.  Probably going to be a late night, at least I'll have time to catch up on Dance Moms and Duck Dynasty. ;)

P.S. Here's some cute Nora pictures for good measure. :)  I can't believe she's 21 months old now, she'll be two before we know it!

Being Present

Hi, I'm Becca, and I'm a phone junkie.

Phew, feels good to get that off my chest :) But seriously, I've always loved my iPhone. I'm never more than 30 seconds away from a phone number I need, I can play subway surfers when I'm in line somewhere, I can check my email and Facebook anytime and all the time. Lately, though, I'm starting to hate this thing. Why do I always need to be updating myself on what other random people are doing when I can put my phone down and have a conversation with the people in the same room? When I can build towers with Nora instead of watching her from across the room while I check Pinterest for the third time? I'm starting to feel embarrassed by how much time I've spent living on my phone instead of living with my family.

So, without further ado, I'm making a pact with myself--I want to be more present. I want to talk and laugh with the wonderful people sitting around me instead of trying to catch up on the drama of people I hardly know online. I'm going to leave my phone in the other room, and not worry about it at all. I'm going to spend these precious days with my baby girl who is growing and learning every minute--I don't want to look back and see that I've lost out on her childhood because my head was in my phone. How awful would that be?!

I've been pretty good these past couple weeks and have enjoyed my time so much. It's led to fewer blogs, but I think that's okay. I'll have more to write about when I get the chance because I'll be actually doing something. :)


(Disclaimer: As I read this back, I really do sound like a phone junkie! I promise I'm not crazy, I'm just stuck in these crappy habits that have to stop. And I challenge everyone else to stop them too--despite popular belief, Facebook is NOT that important, but being present with the people you love sure is.)

Snow Day

I really wish I enjoyed winter more, that I had a winter hobby like skiing or snowboarding. I wish I looked forward to the first snowfall and every snowfall after that. Instead, I dread snow. Snow reminds me of no summer, less light, no warm walks outside. It reminds me that I have to warm up my car for 15 minutes and then have to spend twice as much on gas. If it wasn't for family and the relative lack of bugs, I'd pack my bags in a heartbeat. Winter is just not my thing.

Yesterday, though, after we got a note from the postman telling us to shovel the walkway (oops!), we bundled all of ourselves up and headed outside. We spent half an hour shoveling (Taylor), eating snow (Nora), and realizing that coat pockets weren't zipped and everything inside them was getting wet (me...ugh). We pulled out the sled and Nora had so much fun getting pulled around the cul-de-sac. When our noses were bright red and our cheeks a little too cold, we had to call it quits. And all I heard while I pulled Nora in the sled back up to the house was "No...no...nooooo!!!" She was soon distracted by all of the snow on the kitchen floor, got on all fours and started to eat it...?! She won't hardly eat food, but she'll jump at the chance to eat snow fresh off the bottom of someone's boots...

I haven't played in the snow in so long. I guess winter isn't always so bad. :)

This Week (or Two)'s Bests, 4th ed.

Less than a week left in February, what the...??  I seriously am in shock that a sixth of 2013 has already come and gone.  I only have 10 weeks left of the semester.  Taylor is sick but still kicking butt at work.  Nora is cutting two teeth and growing up a storm so she's an emotional rollercoaster, but I still see that sweet baby peeking through sometimes, like bath time tonight. :)

And I know I have been seriously slacking in the blog department, so here are the very best things from the past week (or two, or three...)

• Toddler Bed: It's not perfect yet, and there are many nights where I wake up in the middle of the night and wonder how Nora got into bed with us (am I the only mom out there this happens to?). But there were two nights this week where she slept all night in her bed.  The best part was when she got out of her bed in the morning and came and woke me up with her sweet little "Hey!"
• The Bachelor: Oh, baby! Love this show.  I've never gotten into it before, but for some reason, I'm hooked this season. Let's go Lindsey!
• Avocado: We have lots of avocado at the restaurant right now, so I've been eating some just about every day with my lunch.  Yesterday was a B.L.T. with avocado, today a Turkey Bacon Avocado melt.  If they'd let me, I'd just eat the avocado with a spoon, yum!
• Good Grades:  I have been very pleasantly surprised with a semester that so far has been easy-peasy.  I sometimes go days, seriously, DAYS, without having to do any homework.  I can't remember the last time I've had a semester like that...middle school, maybe?  Two online classes--one has a lesson a week, one has a lesson every two weeks.  Stats homework only comes around occasionally, and with just a couple problems a night for accounting, it's been mostly smooth sailing. The best news? A on my first Cost Accounting exam, A on my first Stats quiz.  And I have my second Cost test tomorrow which I probably should go study for right about...now.