Updates from April-May 3

Sorry we have been M.I.A. lately.

Samantha is growing up so fast and is saying some of the funniest things... Daddy likes to call our beagle Slater a Putz. So the other day Sammy was helping out by letting Slater in and out of the back door and looked right at him and said stop being a putz.... Samantha helped set the table a few nights this week. And yesterday I looked over at her standing by the kitchen table eating a chip with Daddy and I thought who is that 7 year old... However, she still will not potty train.. we are at this moment sitting in big girl pants and have been on the potty about 30 times already in an hour and still nothing. She keeps asking for her diaper. I have to admit this is not a fun thing... I keep telling her that she can't take gymnastics or dance until she goes all the time on the potty and she thinks about it and has wanted her own tap shoes lately but then she just says OK I will not get tap shoes or take class. I was hoping that would work.

Samantha still loves her animals and has been telling us that she is a different animal almost everyday. She calls us Mommy and Daddy Dolphin or whatever animal she is that day. It is pretty sad though when we didn't even know what the animal was that our 3 year old came up with on Thursday... I figured it out finally but she was calling herself a Tapir.

She has been able to get her own pants and shoes on a lot more these days but shirts are still too hard.

Sammy has been excited to get a new room but we have been put in a holding pattern due to her bedding not showing up yet. I of course found Little Mermaid toddler bedding that I liked on-line. Target had it on their website but it wasn't going to be available for 6 weeks so I thought I would see what I found on eBay. I found a few people that had it available that lived out on the west coast so I ordered it. Of course it has taken over a week now to get here....and we are still waiting. I contacted the girl I ordered it from but still no luck. We can't get the paint till the bedding comes in so I feel like I can't get any of the baby stuff ready until I get Sam out of the nursery.. that has been a little frustrating. Sammy has helped me space bag all the blankets and things we had stored in the spare bedroom--which will no longer be a spare... And I finally got all my "extra/skinny/summer clothes" out of there and either donated some or binned them in the storage room or hung in the new portable closet bag we put in the storage room as well. Am I really ever going to be a size 6 again and do you really ever wear those bridesmaid dresses again??? I hope to need my size 6's--I gave up finally at Christmas time on the 4's I had from my Rush dancing days. And I guess I could have my Mom convert some of the dresses to fit Sammy and Baby for dress up or even Easter--some of them are so pretty..

Sammy even helped Daddy fix her new closet organizer.

A few weekends ago Sammy had on her church clothes and wanted some pants instead to go play. I grabbed a pair of black leggings out of her drawer and didn't realize they were so tight...so Mommy turned her into an 80's rocker...side pony, big socks, big bow and all.

Sammy has also started realizing it is fun to play with some of the little girls down the street that are just about a year older than her. She has gone on walks with Daddy or I 2 nights now that we end up playing till bedtime or dinner time with the kids in the neighborhood. It is cute. She even wiped out on the play set the other day and didn't even come to tell me. I see her chin is all scratched up when she came around the house and she never even cried.

We went to dinner where Sammy wanted to go for my Dad's birthday last week--Red Robin. Her favorite meal consists of a cheese quesadila, cantaloupe, and french fries.

I got my first "picked flowers" from my little girl. There is a field next to her daycare that they pick dandelions.

I finally had a few of my tulips come up this year. I have had these bulbs in the ground for 3 years I think and this is the first year the bunnies haven't eaten all of the buds.

If you noticed from my countdown ticker baby #2 is only 38 days away and probably shorter due to my C-Section and the diabetes. The diabetes hasn't been that terrible. Frustrating some days but I have to say that the MINI Ben and Jerry's have been my favorite thing these days. I found these tiny little tubs of Ben and Jerry's at Meijer the other day and bought a ton of them even though they were $1.25 ea. They are just over 1 carb serving--which I am allowed a 1 carb snack before bed--and it keeps me from going back to get more out of a pint or 1/2 gallon of ice cream. I gained a little weight finally. (probably from the Ben and Jerry fetish) I am now up to a 25.5 total weight gain. Again the diabetes has been a good thing I think. The scary thing is I looked up what I weighed at my 34 week check up with Sam and I am only 0.6 pounds heavier this time at 34 weeks. I started 25 pounds lighter with my pregnancy with Sam.... YIKES. The new male nurse at the doctor's office even said there was no way I was that far along so I guess that is a good thing. A lady at work also told me the other day that I was a pretty pregnant woman. That felt good too--especially with how crappy and tired I have been feeling again.

I have hit panic mode from not having things ready. I finally bought some diapers and nursing pads and Andy asked me today if we had an outfit to bring home "Miss Lady" from the hospital... Oh boy more things to think about. She is still being called Miss Lady due to the fact that this is the name Samantha has given her baby sister and we haven't chosen a name yet. I am still stuck on wanting an A name because we already have Shannon and Samantha so I figured we could have Andy and an A name.. cheesy I know but I can't get it out of my head. I have gotten a ton of great suggestions and we have tossed around a few names but nothing seems to stick yet. Samantha wasn't named until the day after she was born so I guess it will come to us...sooner or later. I have to start my bi-weekly Non Stress Tests at the hospital this week. We will see how that goes. The baby seems to be doing just fine. She definitely doesn't think there is enough room in there for her lately. I thought last Friday she was going to punch herself out of the water bag! I have been getting more and more braxton hicks and lots of lower back pain.

I have taken a few days off work lately. One just for me..I ran around shopping and buying things I probably didn't need. Including matching outfits for the girls already. My Mother has warped me! And then yesterday we had a Sammy & Mommy day. We went and visited with Tracy who is already on bed rest, and is not supposed to be due until June 20, and then we spent a few hours at the library. Sammy loves to get books at the library.

Andy is still trying to get his pilot's license. The weather has not been cooperating with him. He is doing well but then he has to wait almost 2 weeks between lessons and then he doesn't get to solo. I still can't believe he is doing this and I do not want myself or my children to go up with him but I am sure the kids will eventually. Sammy even out of the blue the other night said to Andy..when I get bigger I want to go up with you in double O nine-er. That is the tail number of the plane Andy does most of his lessons in. And then she said and then I can go up with Papa in 662. We talk about the planes I guess but she picks up on things so well.

SAMMY JUST WENT POTTY ON THE POTTY!!! That is only the 2nd time she has pee-peed for me!!!!!! Andy did the Sammy went potty dance and she finally got to put a sticker on her chart!!! And Daddy caved and let her have a Beanie Baby out of the bag of treats (she was supposed to have to go 4 times to get a treat out of the bag) and he is taking her to cold stone. You would think she just got a full ride to Harvard! Well Daddy and Sammy went to Cold Stone solo because I couldn't be tempted with that much ice cream... and Sammy is in her big girl pants... oh boy we will see how that adventure goes.

Sorry for the novel..that is what happens when you go a month between posts!

Congrats to Jen--Becky's sister on her new baby girl!

Becky I hope you are feeling better. I too didn't feel well after last Sunday...