Slobbery kisses

I've learned of another aspect of parenthood that makes you realize you hadn't felt absolute joy yet.  Toddler kisses are such a beautiful, loving thing, you can't help but feel your heart swell with love and joy and smile to yourself.  Everett has recently discovered kisses.  We've always hugged and kissed him but he just figured out how to kiss us back in the last month or so.  He started out by giving kisses to the baby (which a heart melter all on its own), and progressed to bestowing kisses upon his mama and daddy.  Just like I can't say no to a request for a "hugger" (yep, he still calls them that!), I can't say no to a "mwah!"  (What can I say?  The boy can convey what he needs to.) 
At first, daddy was put off by the idea of kisses and would only plant one on the boy's cheek or forehead.  The boy, however, had different ideas.  He knows what lips are and he knows they are for kissing.  He will lay a big wet one right on mama's lips, so daddy should be no different, right?  When he was directing the smooch, he would aim it right for daddy's lips and sometimes correct daddy and make him re-kiss if he got the cheek or forehead.  I think daddy's now come around and realized just how precious, and likely fleeting, these expressions of love are and lets E man smooch away. 
Having grown up in a house where hugs and kisses weren't necessarily a daily (or hourly) affair, it's different having this boy constantly hugging on me and nightly requesting at least two "mwahs!" but I love it more than words.  I enjoy this outward show of the affection that I've always seen in my little guy.  He's such a kind-hearted boy (you know, when he's not slapping babies in the face....ahem....anyway...) and I hope he keeps giving his mama huggers and mwahs for a long time to come.

On a completely different, entirely irrelevant, and not at all sentimental note, I was the victim yesterday of targeted marketing.  Whilst watching Teen Mom 2 (shush you!), there was a commercial for this new product.  It was being touted as something to use for your hair on days that you don't wash it.  Well, knowing myself and knowing just how hard it's going to be to try and shower on a daily basis with TWO little boys taking up all my time and attention, I thought to myself, "self, this is an amazing idea.  They created this dry shampoo for ME!  I must buy some."  After I finished those thoughts, the more rational side of my brain said, "you realize that Tresemme knows exactly who watches Teen Mom 2 (silly moms who don't always have time to wash their hair and feel frumpy) and they're trying to trick you into paying $5 for a bottle of shampoo when you could just wash your hair, put it in a ponytail, or not care, right?"  Silly rational side of the brain.  Of course I know that!  Then we went to Wal-Mart yesterday.  And I just decided to see if maaaaybe they had this new, interesting product.  They did.  So I read the bottle.....it still sounded kind of intriguing....and it wasn't THAT expensive....and I don't want to be super frumpy......so in the cart it went!  I tried it this morning and here's the result.  It is not some miracle cure that makes your hair bouncy, shiny, and amazing, but it did do something.  It actually seemed to pull out some excess oil and I felt a little less icky going to work with day old hair.  So there!  Not sure if I'll buy another bottle when this one's gone, but I don't regret the purchase!

Baby Shopping

Today we made an all-day trek to Duluth for baby supplies (a mostly Target trip!).  It was quite successful.  Spendy, but successful.  I got my registry welcome bag full of coupons and used my 10% off completion coupon to buy some more stuff.  Here's the list of things bought today for baby #2.
-Infant acetaminophen - 2 pack!
-Diaper cream
-Johnson's Naturals baby wash
-Baby book
-Halo fleece blanket and swaddle set
-Milk storage freezer bags
-A 4oz bottle intended for BFed babies
-One pack of newborn sized disposables
-Pacifiers
-A FREE six pack of premade newborn formula bottles (I figure we might as well have it around in case we need to supplement again, and if we don't use it, I give it to someone or the food shelf - it's free!!!)
-A Sit N Stand double stroller on clearance for $65!  That's half price!

More for the mama side
-Nipple shield (being prepared this time)
-White nursing tank (they were out of the cute lacy ones in small!  grrr!)
-Lanolin

So yeah....expensive, but I am thrilled.  We also got a look at the Fisher Price Rock N Play Sleeper that I was thiiiis close to ordering on amazon and decided I am not going to get it.  I love the idea and it's a very nice little product, but I don't think it's different enough from the Boppy seat we already have to spend the money on it.

We also made quick trips into Hancock Fabrics, Kohl's, Old Navy, and Eddie Bauer, coming away with very little.  We should have just done Target and home!  Got Erbert and Gerberts for lunch and Culver's for dinner so I am set for fast food for quite a while now.

Amazon Black Friday Sale

Check it out! Amazon is having Black Friday sales all next week starting on Monday. I'm an "associate," so if you buy stuff through my link, I make like half a cent! Amazon Black Friday Sale!

Fun Time in the Cities

Everett and I made our trip down to the cities this Friday and Saturday and despite plans being...unfulfilled?...we had a great time! First, Ev was great on the drive down until we had about 25 miles left and it was rain/snowing. Lovely. We had to pull off, find a nuk, and then he fell asleep. Our first stop was Ikea (where I forgot to take pictures) and we had a great time browsing and eating for about 2.5 hours. They have toys set out for kids to play and Ev thought that was fantastic. I must say that this Ikea's baby/nursing area is nowhere near as awesome as the Ikea in Schaumburg's. Our loot: a potty (!), a beautiful crib comforter, a lovely toy for the first birthday
(one of those beads on wire loop things that you always see in doctor's offices), a kitchen wall rack with hangers and spice rack, a wine rack, and some bag clips. Successful trip.
Then we headed off to the Old Spaghetti Factory to meet Britt and Mel for dinner. SO GOOD! $14 including tax and tip for a full meal. Ev started getting cranky then so we headed out to Kayla's house (because she's awesome and let us stay in one of her guest rooms). In the morning, we went down to the Children's Museum (which, funnily enough, MckMama was at on Friday!). We were supposed to meet up with some moms from thebump but I never found them. Oh well! Everett had such a good time. In fact, he was so enamored with the "habitot" area, that I couldn't get a good picture of him! Every time I tried to get him to look, he would speed crawl away to something else! Evidence:I got one when he started getting tired:
Then we met up with Kayla again and went to Culver's:
Then we did some shopping at the Albertville outlet. And then it was back home. Once again, Ev was great until we had about a half hour left. I stopped once to find his nuk and give him a cracker and that worked for about ten minutes and then I just had to listen to him cry for the last 15-20 minutes....ick. It felt so great to be home! I hate traveling without Brian. Today we carved pumpkins and made a pie and stayed in pajamas. Well actually, that was just me.....hmmm....
While we were gone, Brian played bachelor and went to a high school friend's wedding. That's the weekend recap!

Blahg!

Too much happening, not time to write, and my camera keeps mysteriously making its way into Brian's backpack and off to his office....
Here's the weekend summary. Yesterday, we three went garage saling and found some good baby toys and clothes and a gate for the dreaded day that Everett can crawl up stairs. We spent the rest of the day cleaning and then made a mad dash over to the McP house for Jakey's birthday cake, then over to the H house to deposit Ev and retrieve Christy to go see Big Bad VooDoo Daddy at the Big Top. They were awesome, as usual. :) My only minor complaint is that the concert didn't start until 8:20 and we didn't get to bed until midnight. Ick. Ev was apparently very good for Dr. Gma though and went to sleep without a problem. Today, we went to Duluth because we needed to purchase......our Chariot!!! Yes, the one baby item that Brian has wanted since college is now in our possession. We got a Cougar 1 in orange and it is truly the coolest baby carrier of all time. Now we have the BOB for walking, jogging, and rollerblading, and the Chariot for biking, strolling, and eventually, skiing! Here's a picture of the Chariot (not our exact one, obviously):It does not just balance like that though. Ours currently has two little strolling wheels on the front, but it also has a long arm to attach to a bike wheel and we will get the ski kit which it two bars that attach to a belt for the skier. I'll get some pictures of Ev in it soon, I promise!! Maybe in his BOB too, because it's also awesome. I am now the snobbiest of stroller snobs and I like it that way. Now tomorrow, I have to once more deposit Ev so I can rush off to the dentist here and see what fate brings me.....have I mentioned recently how much I hate teeth in general?

Our Northland Home

Nope, sorry, no pictures. I just wanted to put up a quick note to let y'all know that we made it up here safely, unloaded and returned the truck, and even have most of the boxes unpacked and in their rightful places. We love our new house (as do the cats, who love to disappear during the day now) and the weather has been fantastic. We have two very large shady trees in our yards that keep the house nice and cool all day. We are currently freeloading some internet from a neighbor who doesn't protect their connection and some cable from the previous owners who haven't turned off their service yet. Brian's currently upstairs patching some nail holes in what will be Everett's room so we can paint it blue this week! Brian also starts work tomorrow, so it will be just me and the babe for the first time in a week. We've already had fun hanging out with family, picnicking, and of course, unpacking and organizing. We've made two trips to Ace, two trips to Wal-Mart, and a long walk to the post office, bike shop, bank, food co-op, and grocery store. I am very excited to learn that as of next month, there aren't really any benefits we miss out on by not being paid members of the co-op and I am utterly thrilled to learn that they sell Ev's yogurt, flours, grains, and oils by the pound, wonderful cereals, chips, and dairy products, and any natural baby stuff I could want! Yay! Now it's time to change Ev and head to the lake!

A rusty swingset and new appliances

It's been a while again, so I'm sure I'm not going to record all the important things today.  Oops.

On Monday, we went out to dinner.  No, we didn't get a babysitter and have a romantic date - who do you think we are?  We went out with eight of our dear Purdue Triathlon friends.  (Impressed that we have that many, aren't you?  I am too!)  Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera, but I might be able to post some if our friend Katie puts them on facebook!  It was a great time and Ev was as well-behaved as we could expect him to be.  We tried going to one restaurant, which was closed for the holiday, and ended up at a restaurant Brian's been dying to try.  It was actually a wonderful place and we had the best waiter I think I've ever had in my life!  He even brought Ev a little bowl of sliced avocado for free!  Ev played "pass the baby around the table" and had fun bouncing on everyone's laps and smiling (and trying to grab their water cups and straws, of course).

What else did we do over the holiday weekend, you ask?  Looked at washers and dryers.  I kid you not.  That is ALL we did.  Well, besides a few trips to the apartment playground and pool, that is.  And finally, after much adieu, we have our washer and dryer ordered!  Here are some pictures/links!  I am suuuuuuuuper excited about the washer - dreams.  coming true!  Oh, and don't mind the prices - of course we would only buy these things on sale. 

Ev has had some bad nights lately, so I did some research on amazon and the interwebz and then drove our bums down to the library to borrow The No-Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley.  Her views align with mine pretty well, so I'm excited to continue reading.  I have to keep some logs today and we'll see how that goes.  (But of course, Ev only woke up once last night to prove that I don't need to read the book...silly boy)  I've been trying to come up with a list of things to ask/talk about with Ev's pedi. this Friday and I was trying all day to think of a way to describe this wheezy thing he does (pretty sure he's just exploring his voice, but hey).  Last night, well, this morning at 4:30 am, it hit me.  He sounds like a rusty swingset!  No other way to desc

ribe it!  It's perfect.

And finally, here are some pictures!  This boy smiles for the cam

era better than anyone, and I love it!

Ever discovered this toy on his jumperoo the other day.  Now he likes to gnaw on it.

Here's some proof of his love of avocado, and his love of the feeling of avocado on his forehead.  Check out that awesome bib from Auntie Janelle.

When Everett gets tired of sitting, he will sometimes fling himself backward.  That's okay...when there's a boppy behind him...

We also tried his little mesh feeder with a piece of banana in it (bad decision - banana is impossible to get out of this thing!)  And he sucked on it so hard, it just stayed in his mouth when he removed his hand.

Ikea is exciting

At least, that seems to be Everett's opinion. Since there were some thesis issues on Monday, we found ourselves with a little extra time to stop at the behemoth blue box of beauty in Chicago and stroll through the displays. Ever was in the bjorn with Bri and was doing all right for a while, but really was just exhausted from so much traveling and really wanted to go back to sleep after lunch. To show us how all the bright colors were overwhelming to his little senses, Everett decided to yell. Loudly. At everyone in the store. I really think he scared some people. A couple of times, I tried to muffle the sound a little, but I decided a yelling baby with mama's hand over his mouth probably looked worse than just a plain ol' yelling baby. So he yelled. And people would sort of jump and turn, see that he wasn't upset, just yelling, and then they would smile. As we were walking through the restaurant area, we also got a cute baby comment from two older women enjoying lunch. I was holding Everett and walking by them and as we passed, one said to the other, "Well that's a Gerber baby if I've ever seen one!" Another comment from yesterday - a friend came over and was playing with Everett and said, "you look exactly like your daddy now!" Yeah yeah yeah, I know....not a piece of my genetic material went to that kid....oh well! He's the happiest, funniest, cuddliest baby ever and I wouldn't change him one bit. He is going to love the giant circle in our new house and I'm sure will be crawling, toddling, then running in circles though the living room, dining room, kitchen, and foyer all day long. :)

Chillaxin in Chicago

While Brian is at an all-day interview (with 10 different interviewers!!!), Ev and I are just hanging out in the Deerfield/Northbrook area. The company set us up in a room at the Courtyard Marriott (fancy!), and we have a late checkout, so we've just been doing some work from the room this morning. Here's a shot of Ev enjoying his Sealy Posturpedic queen sized bed last night.We will later head over to the uber fancy Northbrook Court mall which is filled with stores like Baby Gap and Gymboree! Okay, I think they pride themselves more on having stores like Burberry, Coach, Louis Vitton, Ralph Lauren, etc., but I can't afford those and love looking at fancy baby stuff. Ooo, there's even a Janie and Jack....I wish I had a whole bunch of money to spend on dressing this boy up! So yeah, the company is in Northbrook, but considering things like the stores in the mall, and that the average income is well over $100,000, we would never be living in this village. This is, however, Bri's third interview with the company (on campus, phone, and now in person), so there is a good possibility of a job offer. He has another interview on campus tomorrow, and then we're done. The company in Ashland wants a response, so after we hear about these two interviews, it's decision time.
In other news, we think we have our May vacation set up! The Grandparents H have generously offered to let us use a condo week this summer and something opened up on Myrtle Beach, SC in the beginning of May. I'm excited to finally see the East Coast and let Ev see the ocean, and we'll just have a week to relax before craziness recommences (Brian will be working this summer at the lab, I'll be....umm....I don't know!).
Well, we should start packing up our stuff so we can get on with the shopping!!! Ikea is only 25 miles away too....dangerous!

I'm bad. [25w1d]

So I discovered this site called mamabargains.com (which Brian calls baby woot) where they sell off one deal at a time. Well, I get home from work today and what is on the site, but the most awesome looking blanket in the world! It didn't take me long to decide I must have one, so I picked out a color and headed for the checkout. Then I realized shipping would be $8 in addition to the $12 for the blanket (they retail for $50 without shipping normally!). So then I decided I'd better not. I even called Brian and told him about it. Just listen to their description of the blanket: "My oh my! The Star Swaddler Blanket by Baby Star is so super soft and cuddly you'll wish they made them in adult sizes! The soft waffle material makes it a natural swaddler with it's light weight ultra snuggly soft goodness - is it sure to entice your little one to curl up and siesta! A truly lucky star find in this Star Swaddler! 30 x 30 inches All products are formaldehyde free making them safe for baby and safe four our environment! "

Well, I couldn't help myself. I'm not normally an impulsive shopper but darn it I wanted this blanket!!! Look how soft they look!So I ordered one in chocolate with blue trim! Heehee. Snowpea will have a celebrity-quality blankie to tote around!! Take that Suri Cruise!I'm not all bad though. I decided to build up snowpea's musical brain by playing him my favorite classical piece (on youtube, not an instrument, duh!). So I found some Moonlight Sonata and sat the laptop near my belly. Wow, did I get a reaction! I don't know if he was trying to get away from the sound, was conducting his own orchestra, or dancing, but he sure was doing something! So now we've got some Clair de Lune going. He seems to enjoy that too. So I found a new fun thing to do when I want to make snowpea move. :) Who knows, maybe he'll become a musical genius!
I've been doing well, except for killing my feet, legs, and bum yesterday. Brian had a triathlon in Indy (which we had to wake up for at 3:45 AM!!!) and I walked along the canal (twice) as he swam then sat on hard rock for two hours waiting for him to finish. Well, I thought my heels were going to fall off after we got home and took a nap. Then at bedtime, I discovered sciatic nerve pain. That was fun (sarcasm abounding). Luckily, this morning I felt much better and all is well again in the world of Beth and her body. (Ooo, we're now onto Per Te by Josh Groban for music choices now!)

Oh! And the crib is now put together! Yay! Brian was very happy to get it together and likes to look at it. :) Here it is:The crib is currently filled with stuff that we don't have another place for yet. Hopefully we'll figure something out for that soon. (The bunny is named HopHop. He is Brian's from when Christy was born!)

I also still had blue yarn left and decided to complete my blue outfit by crocheting up some mittens. There's still the tiniest bit left, but I'm not sure what I can do with it. Maybe trim the next hat. :)That's all for now. We haven't taken a belly pic yet this week, so I'll post again sometime this week.

We found a crib! [23w]

More garage sale success this weekend! We drove by a couple of garage sales in Laf yesterday (so worthless!) and then gave up and went to Sam's Club to get a membership. We figure we'll save enough in diapers alone to pay for the membership! We did some shopping and then decided we would check out some of the West Laf sales that mentioned baby items even though it was after 10am by then. So we dropped off groceries and went exploring. The first one we stopped at had a crib, but.... it was at least 10 years old, you had to use two hands to put the front down, and the woman had at one point spray painted it and it was chipping in some places. They only wanted $50, but I just couldn't do it. They also had an awesome changing table/dresser for $25 that had already sold. Drat! So we went on to another. It was way out of town in a fancy little subdiv. As we walked up the driveway, the woman says "I still have the crib and dresser if you want to see them!" We say, "actually yes!" She said she saw my "little belly" and thought we might be looking for the crib. Well, it was much better than any crib we've seen garage sale shopping. Most cribs have been 10 years old and I am just not comfortable with that age on a crib. This crib was three years old, obviously in beautiful condition, and the little girl never slept in it once she figured out how to get into her parents' room. :) They also had the toddler bed kit and the full bed kit to change the crib into a bed once snowpea gets bigger. She wanted $45o for the crib with kits, armoire, and dresser. Brian asked if she would be willing to split them up and sell just the crib since we live in an apartment and don't have much room. She said she guessed but she would still want $200 for the crib since it would no longer be a full set. After talking about it, I decided that the crib, two conversion kits, AND a sealy mattress was worth the $200, so we gave her $50 and promised to be back with the rest within the hour. We disassembled it, brought it home, and it's almost all put together now. We are missing two screws for the crib (it was set up as the toddler bed, so we didn't make sure we had all the hardware for the crib) so we need to find replacements for those before it is completely ready. Here's a picture of the crib model (we got it in white, don't have the pull out drawer) so you can see what it will look like. The front does not come down because the curved front is supposed to make it easy enough to lean over and take baby in and Also, those mean old missionaries visited us and convinced us to go to church today, so we took my belly pic for 23 weeks while I was dressed up. Snowpea heard the "din of babies" (Brian's words) during church and decided to join in by jumping all around. Also, whenever I stop singing, he jumps around, so with three hymns, he was having a little dance party in there. My ankles were starting to get sore from sitting with them straight on the ground though. Anyway! We have to go check on Brian's test at the lab again, so that is all for now.

Oops! Forgot this last picture. We are (Brian is) slowly learning about all the places we cannot put snowpea, for storage or otherwise. Here's the latest: (Yeah, that's a rubbermaid bucket...)