em-il-ie

a little surprise...

2010-07-30T13:36:00.003-04:00

today was our 6 week follow-up ultrasound for my placenta previa.
the placenta has had movement to one side and the doctor is hopeful that it will continue to move, but for now...still on moderate bedrest.

and in other shocking news...
we got a better look at this baby of ours and....SURPRISE!
it's a GIRL.
wait...what?

yes, that's right.
our first ultrasound gender prediction was incorrect.
and now there is no question...this baby is female.

and just look at that cute little face in the 3D ultrasound.
she'll be a little beauty like her sisters.

Don't Bother Me...

2010-07-29T20:51:00.003-04:00

Project Runway is about to start.
My one true love.(oh yeah, except for my family)
Our phones are off.
I have treats and a big ice water.
And I am ready to revel in the fashion and drama.

the girls' bedroom progresses

2010-07-28T11:25:00.012-04:00

Remember a while back when I posted about decorating my Girls' bedroom? Well, we have had a break through in the design process.

The girls' grandparents have purchased two beautiful bedding sets that are exactly what I was looking for. In fact, they exceeded my expectations. And the girls absolutely love them! Note: This is the image from the packaging...NOT the girls' actual room.

We will be painting the walls a pale yellow and adding various accents, pulling the pink color from the sets.

I bought a large white paper lattern from Ikea for the lighting and I am thinking of adding a great little bookshelf that I saw on CSNstores.com - which I have been browsing for ideas and inspiration. I have been dreaming of getting this bedroom vanity for kids. Wouldn't two very girly toddlers love primping with that in their room?

recent discoveries and rediscoveries

2010-07-26T00:12:00.011-04:00

discoveries:

- Sonic hand mixes each and every fountain drink you order so you never get a grossy mix of soda. If I had known that earlier I might have stalked it the way I do now. The strawberry lemonade at happy hour is sooooo right.

<------ I just discovered a new and delightful store for cool kids clothes. Crazy 8 has retail stores and an online shop much like Gymboree/The Children's Place, but less expensive. And everything ships for a $5 flat rate. Love it!

- Modern Family. Last season this was in a competing time slot with Glee. And...well....Glee won out. But now Glee has moved days and that means this is the Summer to catch up on Season 1 of Modern Family and Matt and I are loving this quirky comedy. The gay dads are my favorite.

- My serger. Yes, I have had it now for more than a year. And it has sat, patiently waiting, in it's original box while I overcame my intimidation of it. This weekend I busted it out and made a maternity skirt from an existing denim skirt and it was fabulous!

rediscoveries:

- Pandora online radio is back in my life, thanks to our new computer. And I couldn't be happier.

- The Summer Reading program at our local library has made me rediscover how much I adore children's picture books. We have two more to read aloud to the kids and then they get prizes from local businesses. Later in the Summer I will make a blog post dedicated to books we discovered this Summer that we fell in love with.

Have YOU discovered anything lately that you want to share?

The Pregnancy Update

2010-07-24T12:55:00.008-04:00

24 weeks pregnant:

- Can't stop looking online at little boy clothes. I think people are crazy who complain about the lack of cute boy clothes out there.
- Our baby is the size of an ear of corn.

- This baby is moving A LOT more than the other two did at this point. Possibly an early indicator that this boy plans on being rowdy.

- I am kind of hoping for a non-redhead this time. Just for some variety.

- Is craving protein like crazy. Burgers and red meat are a top priority, even though I am usually not much of a red meat eater.

- We have two baby names in mind, but have decided not to divulge until the baby comes. This decision comes on the heals of my last pregnancy when someone laughed in my face when I considered the name Finneas for a boy and other family members let me know my choice for a girl's name was too masculine sounding. For now we are dubbing this poor kid "Garfunkle".

- My urge to sew and create has bloomed. Watch for a surge of finished projects on my craft blog.

- Is gaining excitement to have a boy to butch up this family. Just think, by the time the next World Cup rolls around, Matt can have a little buddy to indoctrinate.

Sweet Relief

2010-07-23T15:07:00.003-04:00

YAY!
Our new computer arrived today.
It's delightfully fast and ready for action!

That means I will be blogging more regularly, uploading more photos and being a bit more upbeat in general.

Isn't it amazing what technology has done to us?
I'm an addict and I know it.

Are you?

Random "Bachelorette" Observations

2010-07-21T00:27:00.006-04:00

When Ali goes for the cry....she really goes for it!

That girl's not afraid of the Ugly Cry at all.

But I think maybe she should be.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I am still in shock about Frank's ex girlfriend.
Not that she existed,
but that she used the phrase "You Complete Me" after the year 1996
and thought it was still romantic.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Wow. Frank should have been rocking that scruff since day 1.

It looked good on him.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Is it just me or is Ali the queen of drama?

Okay, Frank had an ex that he still had feelings for,

but to say he's the "worst person in the world"?

You DO know there are still evil dictators and terrorists out there...right?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

So glad they finally touched up her roots.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Did anyone else find it fascinating that Ali kept saying, "It's my worst nightmare to fall for someone and have them not love me back"? Well yeah, but isn't that every relationship in the real world until you find the right person? This reality show world where 25 guys have decided she's the girl of their dreams has maybe gone to her head a bit.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Isn't it so obvious that she's picking Roberto?

I think it's pretty clear that Chris is in the Friend Zone.

Am I right?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Sweet Baby Samuel

2010-07-19T15:25:00.005-04:00

I spent the early afternoon today with my good friend, Kirsti, and this adorable little man, Samuel. As a baby gift to the family I donated a baby photo shoot as a follow-up to the family shoot I took last year.

the day my kids tried to kill me...

2010-07-16T09:42:00.008-04:00

After a long week of multiple hospital visits, crying and medication I awoke this morning feeling much better. I jumped into a much needed shower and cleaned away past bandage adhesive from many IV's, that gel from ultrasounds and baby monitors and washed off the general dismay of the past 6 days.

I hopped out, feeling a sense of renewal. Today was going to be better. Today would be a great day.

I happily squeezed some minty toothpaste from the tube onto my toothbrush and began to scrub my teeth to a polished clean. When all of the sudden.....ACK!

My toothbrush had an overwhelming chemical taste on it. I immediately threw up into the sink (what else is a pregnant woman to do at that point?) and when I took assessment of the bathroom counter, I noticed for the first time the can of Comet Bleach cleanser on the counter top with distinctive bristle marks on the top of the can. And then I saw the cloudy spot on the mirror when circular motions had spread that cleanser in an attempt to "clean".

Yes, my girls made an attempt my life.
By poisoning my toothbrush with Comet Scrub.
Do you think a few body guards are in order?

Go and Vote! Ya Gotta!

2010-07-13T00:07:00.004-04:00

Yesterday marked the start of Week #1 of the SO YOU THINK YOU'RE CRAFTY competition. I made it through the audition rounds and now it's time for another vote!

This week's theme was Dollar Store Crafts. And you won't believe what the 10 of us in the competition made!!! You must head over and check it out for some inspiration. And while you're there be sure to cast your vote!

Click here to see THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE.

I can't tell you which one is mine . . .

so just vote for your favorite . . .

as long as it's mine!

We got the "Money Shot"!

2010-07-12T07:00:00.006-04:00

We went to another ultrasound on Saturday.
This time I was very blah about it.
Thinking, "Why bother, we won't be able to see the gender anyway."
Well, we did.
And the tech is 90% sure.

After the ultrasound we headed to Target to find and buy the first outfit,
a tradition of ours on the day we find out each baby's gender.

And this is what we bought...

I T ' S A B O Y ! ! !

Ella was very excited.
Evangeline almost started crying and wailed, "But I wanted a sister baby!!!"
(she'll get over it).

Matt and I are grinning from ear to ear.

Book Review : One Day

2010-07-10T00:13:00.001-04:00

by David Nicholls
★☆☆☆☆
This book received quite a bit of initial hype, so I expected it to be good, but I really didn't enjoy it very much. Part of the problem is that it is based on the same sort of premise as the movie, "When Harry Met Sally", but has none of the charm which that story possesses. It even steals a line directly from a movie...."I'm not your consolation prize!".

The main difference is that as the movie builds you have a greater longing for Harry and Sally to get together, but sadly, that is not the case with this book. The paths of the two main characters go so completely awry, that by the time the come together you have been thoroughly convinced that they do NOT belong together.

You are supposed to feel their intense connection throughout the book, but there is little to support that connection besides the fact that the author repeatedly tells you they are "best friends". However, the dialog between the two suggests otherwise, mostly being filled with sarcastic quips, small disagreements and a few very large disagreements.

The book is divided into decades called "Parts" and the final "Part" is a jumbled mess in which we are constantly jockeyed from present time to the past without warning and, more importantly, without adding to the story.

I found this story devoid of charm, the main characters devoid of like-ability and the writing devoid of sentiment.

Interview with a Toddler

2010-07-08T11:48:00.005-04:00

She's now 3&1/2 years old and some big changes are coming to her world when this new baby arrives. Let's get inside little Fifi's head.

Q. What's your favorite show?
A. Enchanted

Q. Who's your best friend?
A. Sophia because she's little

Q. What's your favorite food?
A. Chicken Divan

Q. What makes you happy?
A. Laughing at me

Q. What makes you sad?
A. Ella poking my eye and it really hurts!

Q. What's your favorite color?
A. Purple

Q. What's your favorite book to read?
A. Beauty and the Beast

Q. When you grow up what do you want to do?
A. Help the baby

Q. What's your favorite toy?
A. My best Teddy to sleep with

Q. What's your favorite treat?
A. some big rainbow lollipops

Q. What does Daddy do at his job?
A. Helping the kids put on some stickers

Have you ever wondered...

2010-07-06T00:01:00.000-04:00

what a Health Administrator says in his sleep?

"Be sure to sort those patient files."

"Okay, so you're definitely going to cover her shift?"

"That's not a part of our working budget."

"Yes, I'll send those files over to you right away."

"What insurance provider does the patient have?"

"Can I get a copy of that?"

"I'll be in a meeting all morning."

Wonder no more.

Last Week...

2010-07-04T11:07:00.001-04:00

we shall heretofore refer to as the Week of the Cold Germ.

Last Sunday through Thursday was filled with coughs, sniffles, goopy Kleenexes, nebulizer treatments and me exclaiming, "My head!" while slightly closing my watery eyes.

The girls and I hunkered down to weather the storm, armed with plenty of orange juice, unseen DVDs from the local library and Starburst Fruit Chews, which I convinced myself must contain Vitamin C (in the orange ones at least).

A week and a half previous to this I had been invited for a girls night out with friends to see the newest Twilight movie. I purchased my ticket via Fandango before the germs ruled our home. I haven't read the books so I rented and watched the first two movies to get up to speed. On Friday I was determined to go out with my friends. Armed with a list of acceptable medications from my OB/GYN, I headed to the pharmacy for Sudafed, cough drops and twizzlers.

The movie was tons of fun and I really needed a break after a week indoors. I even made a Team Jacob Maternity T-shirt (but cheated by using Freezer paper for the letters and peeled them right off when our night was finished). Here I am at the theater with my friends...and my double chins.

Saturday I lay in bed all morning, cursing my sinus canals. In the afternoon we had an ultrasound for the express purpose of finding out this baby's gender. But it would not happen. They tried for an hour, in vain, to spy that winning shot. This child is either extremely shy or extremely naughty. I am favoring the latter.

Come nighttime, we ventured out to a fireworks display at a nearby town. The girls played with glowsticks and wrestled on the blanket before the fireworks began.

I am really glad we went, despite feeling so awful, so we didn't miss the chance to celebrate such a wonderful day in America's history.

On Sunday I dragged my body to church, clutching a box of tissues and more Sudafed. Upon arriving I realized I was slightly limping. Oh No! What had happened?!! After a quick assesment of my body not being in pain, I realized I had run out the door sporting two different shoes, one whose heel was higher then the other. It was pretty funny after the week we've had.

I taught the lesson in Relief Society (a meeting for Women of the church) and it went quite well I think. After which I came home and collapsed while my amazing husband made dinner.

As a new week looms on the horizon, we can only hope for relief. Please pray for immune system upgrades for our entire family!!!

SYTYC Project Instructions

2010-07-02T08:00:00.000-04:00

My first week's craft for the So You Think You're Crafty competition is now up on my craft blog with full instructions. Head on over and make one for yourself!

Click Here for Tutorial

Review: Dutch Wonderland in Lancaster, PA

2010-07-01T10:08:00.011-04:00

Each Summer since we moved to the Lancaster area, our family has visited Dutch Wonderland on a special day set aside for employees of the Lancaster General Health system and their families. This year when we went, two of my friends requested a review of the park, having never visited. So here it is!

Dutch Wonderland is located in Lancaster and is a theme park geared toward small children. I would say children older than 6 or 7 may be a bit bored, since the majority of the rides are geared towards kids under that age (although there are a handful of rides designed for older kids). The first Summer we went my children were ages 4 and 2 and they were able to ride a good 85% of the rides available.

To see a map of all rides click here.

The park is not too large and that makes it perfect for a day of fun...not too much walking and navigating. The main park area has rides as well as frequent story times (with Princesses no less), a diving show (which is truly amazing and is themed around a fairy tale) and music and other attractions besides just the rides. They have a Thomas the Tank area where kids can get a small show and meet Thomas himself. There are also ample carnival food stands and carnival games.

The park also includes a train ride, various boat rides, pony rides (for an additional fee) and small educational stations about the Amish culture as well as play houses in different themes.

Now, besides the main park there is also a great water park suited for kids and adults as well as Miniature Golf (both included in the price of admission).

Ticket Prices are $31.95 (with children 2 and under for free). They also have ticket packages and two day specials. Find more information here. You can probably do the water park and the theme park in one long day, but a two day pass would be great in order to soak in everything the park has to offer.

Our family LOVES this park. It is perfect for small children who often get swallowed up in larger theme parks. I recommend it to all families with children up to age 8. If your kids are older, you may want to try Hershey Park, which has more rides for older children and adults.

So...what do YOU think?
Have you been to Dutch Wonderland?
Do you love it as much as we do?

Do you remember?

2010-06-30T12:42:00.009-04:00

Do you remember the blog you once read?
You came here for light-hearted tales from the life of a crafty Mom.
Sometimes you got a good laugh.
Or a craft idea.

Well, sorry to say that this blog has recently become a whine-fest for a pregnant Mom and her delinquent toddlers. Yes, someday soon I am sure the old Emilie will be back, but for now, whine on!

Sigh.

For today's whine-fest I present to you....
The Nebulizer.

Yes, this little piece of machinery has become a mainstay in our home ever since we gave birth to our Preemie, Ella. With oxygen tubes for the first 3 months of her life and a lingering case of asthma, this machine saves our lives over and over again. But these days, I wish it would be ready to return to its shelf in the hall closet.

But alas, the entire family (except for The Hubbs) is suffering with an awful, no good, Summer cold. And little Ella suffers the most. Her asthma makes any small cold a BIG cold. And this nebulizer has been working, every four hours, around the clock since Saturday night. To no avail.

Last night Matt went out at around midnight and purchased a hot air humidifier with Vicks medication inside for the girls room and we got the first stretch of semi-decent sleep we have had all week. But this morning heralds more coughing, choking and throat pain from Ella. She has it so bad that I have been completely robbed of the pleasure of complaining about not being able to take cold medicine while pregnant. Sheesh.

Book Review : Dear Exile

2010-06-29T07:05:00.002-04:00

by Hilary Liftin and Kate Montgomery
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

This book was definitely engaging. The letters between the two friends in Kenya and NYC were witty and insightful, but I had a really hard time believing that they were written in so formal a style. I like a well-written letter, but these letters included descriptive narrative that seems a bit too planned out to be spontaneous.

Having said that, whether the authenticity of the writing is plausible or not, the book is a great read....offering insights into both the world of impoverished Africa and a corrupt school system and, at the same time, into the life of a single woman living in NYC.

The women's banter is overtly affectionate, almost to the point of excess, so it is interesting to note that the book ends at a place where they live in the same city and yet have never taken the opportunity to sit down and really talk after Kate's return from Africa. This also made the letters seem forced.

I enjoyed the insights of their individual lives much more than considering the central them of the book to be their friendship.

To view this title on GoodReads click here.

Lately....

2010-06-28T00:00:00.008-04:00

It was hot hot hot this past week.

And while I lay on the couch, soaking up the air conditioning, the outside world in Lancaster County is buzzing with activity...seemingly oblivious of the wilting heat. Country roads and busy streets alike are lined with farms stands, spilling over with hearty freshly grown produce and signs in every direction point you towards newly ripened corn for sale. Despite my "City Girl" insides, there is a primal surge of appreciation for produce picked from the ground and little Amish children with no shoes walking along the banks of a nearby stream.

I am fearful that this Summer will completely pass me by while I laze about indoors, feeling the misery of being pregnant in such humid heat.

Ella has been suddenly mentioning Utah on an almost daily basis. Missing our old house, visiting Grandma's and making chocolate milk at her side. Picnics in the back yard and visits with her cousins. My recent longing for being near Matt's family has made reassuring her difficult, since I feel the same way.

Ironically, while thoughts of Utah filled my mind this past week, Ella's Kindergarten letter arrived...announcing her teacher's name and when to be ready for school to begin. This letter served as an immediate reminder that we aren't going anywhere. That life is continuing and new beginnings are looming which will more firmly plant our roots here in PA.

In response, I am trying to fill both of the girls' days with Summer fun and playtime with friends. We cannot afford swimming lessons for our girls this Summer ($300 just to JOIN the local pool....lessons NOT included), but we will have plenty of water days in our backyard featuring slip n' slides, a kiddie pool and lots of sunscreen. I hope it will be enough to crowd their minds with joy in the present, instead of constantly remembering joys past.

Bedrest For All

2010-06-25T11:15:00.000-04:00

My poor girls.
They have been so patient during this time.
They had some great play dates with friends this past week,
but are still subjected to a sort of bed rest themselves.

They have been wonderful.
And have ingested FAR too much television.
But we're all doing what we can to get this baby here safely.

Moderate Bed Rest

2010-06-22T22:34:00.004-04:00

Last weekend when we had our ultrasound and learned of the Placenta Previa, initially they told us I should just take it easy, but today they called back and after reviewing the ultrasounds more carefully, they have decided that I have to go on "moderate bedrest" for the next 6 weeks until we can have the follow-up ultrasound to check on the placenta status (which should really be a name of an Indie punk band...."Give it up for THE PLACENTA STATUS!").
As I understand it my limitations are...

- I'm not supposed to be lifting anything heavy, especially my children.
- I cannot do any "jostling" activities like horse back riding, roller coasters, etc. (What pregnant woman rides horses anyway?)
- No strenuous housework (yay!)
- Try and lay down when I can in a given day while going about my normal activities. (ummm...Mom of 2 lay down? Hmmm.....)

I am keeping myself upbeat by dreaming of all of the crafts I will be doing for each week of the "So You Think You're Crafty" contest and watching inappropriate amounts of reality television.

What would YOU do while on bed rest?

I Made It!

2010-06-21T01:46:00.005-04:00

The audition voting results for the So You Think You're Crafty competition are in and I am in the top three! Now I can reveal which project was mine. I think you may be surprised...

click here to find out which craft was mine!

Ramblings of a psycho-pregnant worrier...

2010-06-20T15:13:00.010-04:00

On Friday when we got the ultrasound and learned of the Placenta Previa, I was feeling rather okay about it. As with most of life's bumps, I feel like we'll just move forward and deal with whatever comes our way to the best of our ability.

Since Friday I have been on an emotional downward spiral of fear, including one very awful dream about my existing kids being ripped away from me and not being able to protect them. (sigh.)

This situation is bringing out the worrying mother in me and I have been kind of down. I just want everything to be okay, you know?

In other trains of thought, even as I typed the above, I felt a calm and wonderful reassurance that in every sentence I typed "we". Matty-cat is the ideal husband for me and the perfect father for our kids. In my heart, worrying aside, I know things really WILL be okay..if for no other reason than I have an eternal companion who is my rock and who will weather any storm we come to (and likely be the one firmly holding the umbrella while I cower underneath).

Under the influence of my own horribly abusive father and in the subsequent train of thought that all men were inherently scummy, Matt Ahern came into my life and proved me wrong. And I will always be grateful that I was able to trick such an amazing man into falling in love with me.

I know we can make it through this with God's help. Hopefully this coming week I will be able to keep those thoughts more in the forefront of my mind and let the worrying fade away.

It's a....

2010-06-18T12:48:00.002-04:00

naughty stubborn baby.

They couldn't see the gender since our baby spent the entirety of the ultrasound face down.

And in other news...
I have placenta previa.
Which means possible bed rest and c-section in my future.

Yes....this ultrasound appointment was not so bueno.