Monday, June 29, 2009

4 Months...means shots.

We took Miss Avery to her 4 Month Check up this morning...of course they were running late...here are her stats:


Weight = 16lbs 8oz = 95%
Height = 26 Inches = 95-97%
Head = 17 1/4 = 97%


Random - Olivia and Avery weighed the exact same at their 4 Month Check Ups, to the oz...interesting huh? But Avery is 3/4 of an Inch taller, when she started the race over an inch shorter, she is a growing girl.


We talked a lot about her sleeping issues...not much to be done there until at least 6 months old, so we will keep you all posted. She must have known we were going to talk about her because Sunday Night was one of her better nights, but last night she struggled a bit, so who knows, its hard to prepare because we never know what kinda night we are going to get, hence I go to bed at 9pm every single night, not great for my marriage, but hey, you do what you gotta do.

Oh and the shots...our little brave soldier didn't even shed a tear, she almost giggled...but we split them up so she will get a few more in about 3 weeks.


A few areas of concern were brought up that left me a little nervous, but I am trying to keep a level head and heart about it until we know more. Her heart murmur is still present so if at 6 months we are still hearing it, she will visit Dr. Allen, a Pediatric Cardiologist at MCV to get everything checked out. Apparently "Flow" Murmurs are usually gone by 6 months so they want to rule that out before putting her through a battery of tests, me on the other hand would have rushed her down there yesterday after our appointment to just give me peace of mind, but that isn't how the medical community works. And her head...while its in line with the rest of her body, it has grown a TON in the last two months, visually on the growth chart it was a huge spike and took my breath away, so after thinking about it overnight our Pediatrician called us back this morning and wants to see her again in 3 weeks to remeasure.

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Almost 2....

Olivia drinking out of Riley's Outside Water Bowl....we thought it was gross...she thought it was the best thing since sliced bread, and this girl loves her sliced bread.



Olivia now responds to "How old are you?" with "Two"...and she insists on "Two Gooks", which translated means "Two Books". In just a few short week our little girl will be two years old...and she can't wait.

Avery - 4 Months Old

We spent yesterday morning at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens with Becca, one of my friends from work, Becca photographed Olivia for two hours while she explored the Gardens and Butterfly Exhibit. Olivia had a great time, silly Momma forgot her bathing suit so she wasn't able to join in the fun at the Water Exhibit, next time I will know better. We parted ways at Lewis Ginter and went to brunch at Kitchen 64, if I wasn't on a serious diet there are a few things I would have tried, but being that I wanted to stay on the diet, I had a boring Spinach Salad that was just "eh", not great, not even good actually and I shared some of Olivia's fruit.

Brad took this shot at Lewis Ginter just after seeing the Butterfly Exhibit



Brad and I enjoyed our date night, we made a pact, when we get a chance to get out on our own we are going to try a new restaurant each and every time, there are so many great places in Richmond that we have yet to try, next up Acaia Mid-Town. The Hard Shell was good, not great, we remembered it as great from our last visit, but were slightly disappointed this time around. The Proposal however did NOT disappoint, it was hilarious, almost pee your pants funny. We both laughed out loud several times and highly recommend it, I mean, don't run out and see it in the theaters but put it on your queue as soon as it comes to DVD.
Olivia at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens - June 27th, 2009

Brad and his Dad manged to change out the 3 "outside" door knobs, they are now all Satin Nickel instead of Brass...woof, I can't stand Brass. I have placed an order for the other 20 we need to finish off the house. I don't expect Brad to drop everything and change them all out when they arrive, just a few at a time...here and there. And we have to take each and every door off the hinge to paint the hinges white...urg...it will be well worth it though, I have loathed this Brass junk since we bought the house, I hated that we didn't get to customize it to our liking...
This is how La-La felt when YaYa left on Thursday..


Brad and I spent the afternoon yesterday at Home Depot while the girls napped. We bought Chair Rail for the Formal Living Room, and Crown Molding for the girls bedrooms and our Master Bedroom...I can't wait to see it all hung, it likely won't be complete until after Christmas since it was on our "Winter Project" list, but since we had a 10% off coupon we figured we should just go ahead and get all the supplies now.
Olivia trying to balance...

Friday, June 26, 2009

TGIF'ing...big time.

First let me say, I am in morning...Michael Jackson, really? I was a huge fan, yes the man was a strange bird, but boy oh boy was he talented. Seeing him in concert was on my List of Things to Do Before I Die, and now I just don't know what to do with myself. I had just told Brad a few months ago that I was thinking about flying to London to see him in concert since a US Tour wasn't being discussed. I am going to bring out the CD's and dance around the house with the girls this weekend in his honor, maybe I will teach Olivia how to do the Billie Jean dance I have perfected over the years. And I too am sad about Farah Fawcette's (sp?) passing, what a battle she had...

On a happier note...

We are looking forward to a great weekend with Grammie and PawPaw Turner, they arrived last night and are spending the day with the girls while Brad and I work our little buns off. My Mom (aka YaYa) flew back to Northfield late last night, she couldn't even say goodbye to Olivia, she was afraid she would cry, so she snuck out while Olivia was napping, so cute huh?

I have to comment on the delicious Crab Cakes that Brad and I had last night from Costco, they are the Phillips Frozen ones, they are FABULOUS. I highly recommend them, Brad had a sandwich and I just ate them plain, both were equally delicious.

Tomorrow Morning we are meeting my work friend Becca at Lewis Ginter so she can photograph Olivia for her 2 year Pictures, I am so excited, we have been planning this for weeks and have had to cancel the last two, so fingers crossed everything works out tomorrow morning.

Tomorrow night Brad and I are going on a date...we are so excited. Dinner at The Hard Shell and then we are going to see The Proposal, which by the way looks hilarious. And I can't wait to see the new Katherine Heigl (sp?) movie that is coming out July 24th. Who am I kidding, the fact that I am going to ONE movie before Avery turns 1 is impressive, I shouldn't push my luck.

People are starting to RSVP to Olivia's Birthday Party - I am so excited for her...she has no idea what is going on, but I hope and pray she has the best day as we celebrate her two years of life.

We are starting on some house projects this weekend...I may have blogged about them before, but the list as of now is:

1) Paint Olivia's Closet Door Punch Color
2) Crown Molding in Avery's Room
3) Crown Molding in Olivia's Room
4) Crown Molding in Master Bedroom
5) Paint the Girls Bathroom
6) Chair Rail in the Formal Living Room
7) Switch out Light/Wall Plates on the Second Floor - this is happening soon, the news ones have just arrived, we are moving from the standard white, to a Satin Nickel, I will take pictures to share with you the progress.
8) Change out Door Knobs to Satin Nickel Egg Shaped Knobs...

That's all for now...have a great weekend.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

3 Days of Success....a medal?

I had another successful diet day, another day with extra calories to spare and I was still able to enjoy a yummy Cookies and Cream Weight Watchers Treat.

I have the sniffs, Olivia has the sniffs, even Riley has the sniffs. Seriously, enough with all the sniffs, its summer, time to be healthy, not deal with the sniffs.

I found out today that I will likely be going to Manila on July 24th for a week, from Friday to Friday. I hate that I am leaving the girls, and I hate that I am giving up a weekend with them, I cherish that time since I work all week. It will take us 24+ hours to get there, but we get to fly Business Class so that helps a little bit. I will likely take some sleeping pills so I can snooze on the plane. And I scheduled my appointment at the Health Center for all the shots I need...YUCK. And I have heard the food is HORRIBLE.

And I happen to love the chemistry between Jada Pinkett Smith and Michael Vartan on HawthoRNe.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Diet Day 2

So I am proud to report I am doing well...so far so good. Last night it was Grilled Salmon and Peas for dinner and tonight it was Turkey Burgers (hold the bun) and a small side salad with seriously, the recommended serving size of dressing, which I had always thought was tough, but I realized, its plenty.

I have to say, I really do enjoy the Kirkland Weight Loss Shakes...I have been hungry, so I can't say they are filling me up, but they are delicious. I only have Chocolate right now, apparently our Costco didn't have Vanilla, so I am going to try GNC or the West End Costco for a Vanilla variety to mix it up now and then, and hopefully the options at GNC allow me to mix in some fruit, that would be yummy. For snacks I have been enjoying raw carrots, (Molly told me that only horses like carrots...I tend to agree, but when you are trying to lose this second person you are carrying around on your waist, hips and behind, you are willing to try almost anything), FiberOne Bars, String Cheese and Fresh Peaches from UKROPS...which are to die for, BTW.

Tomorrow I am heading into the office for the day, so I will drink my Breakfast shake on the way, bring my Lunch Shake with me and likely bring a few snacks so I am not tempted to snack with the quick, easy options on campus.

While I am a BIG fan of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, I don't think I will be able to bring myself to watch More To Love...but for summer shows I am a HUGE fan of Mental and HawthoRNe. If Jada and Michael Vartan(sp?) don't make out, I am going to be furious.

OMG....

So seriously, as I type my blood is boiling...I wanted to jump through the TV Screen while watching The Bachelorette. I HATE HATE HATE that Jillian can't see Wes for the snake he really is...

And on a serious note, please send your prayers out to my high school friend Kaisa. Her boyfriend Nick was diagnosed with cancer just a few short weeks ago, he fought with great strength and determination, made great progress and passed away from a heart attack due to a blood clot just yesterday. They were living abroad in Singapore, she will be bringing his body home at the end of the week. Her outlook on life is awe inspiring, her optimism takes my breath away, I wish her nothing but peace at a time like this.

As I type Avery is talking to her Exersaucer toys and begging them to talk back to her. Olivia is hanging out with her YaYa. I took the girls to the Doctor this morning to have Olivia's ears rechecked as she has been running a fever on and off for the last few days, good news is, her ears are clear, bad news is, she is likely just dealing with another cold. I swear, Olivia's health is enough to drink me to drink, I worry about her...she shouldn't have to deal with so much at such a young age, but in the grand scheme of things, I am grateful all she is dealing with is minor ailments...keep your prayers coming for Baby Stellen, he was back in the PICU over the weekend, and will likely be making another trip to Boston for another procedure on his little heart.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Happy Father's Day



We had a relatively low key weekend...Friday was the first day Donna (daycare lady) was off, so Brad hung out with the girls and my Mom for the first part of the day and I came home and worked from home around 1pm. I so wish that I wasn't just starting a new job at work so that I could have taken the whole week off to spend with my darling babes, but its just not in the cards for me, so I am going to have to make the most of my time with them this week. My Mom will be here until Thursday evening and Brad's Parents arrive Thursday Night, we are looking forward to their visit and possibly a date night next weekend while they are still in town.

It was a HOT one yesterday, so after a few errands with Olivia and my Mom we all hung out inside most of the day. One errand of mention...Olivia's 3rd Haircut, but I am not thrilled with it, the lady just took off length and that was the ONE thing I told her not to do, I don't see a haircut in Olivia's near future.

Brad had the best of intentions, he packed my "Pool Tote", even packed me a healthy snack-lunch, and was sending me straight to the pool when I got home from running errands, but it was just too darn hot, my Mom wasn't up for it. Last night my Mom joined us for dinner...our "behind" us neighbors, which really is the "other" neighborhood as we like to call it, had their annual summer bash...probably close to 100 people, the streets were lined with some sweet rides...an El Camino with rims...and that is just the tip of the iceberg. So at 9:45pm we had to call the Non-Emergency Chesterfield County Police Number, we were jamming to their music through Olivia's Monitor and she was still awake rapping along to the beats. Officer Balducci sent a car over and just minutes late it was quiet...AMEN.
(YaYa and Avery - can't you just hear the giggles?)

Brad and I watched Fireproof last night (with Kirk Cameron...aka Mike Sever). Despite the crazy amount of cheese and bad acting, it had a great message, I highly recommend it to all you married folks out there...I for one feel like I have a lot of work to do and the movie motivated me to put the right amount of focus into my marriage. And after the movie was over, I went to check on the girls, I came back to a Fink's bag on my pillow...for all you Non-Virginia or North Carolina folks, Finks is a Jewelry store here...I was shocked, straight out of a fairy tale...why was I getting a present, it was Father's Day weekend after all...so I asked "What is this for?". "For making me a Father". Ladies...its okay to be jealous....he outdid himself. It was a beautiful David Yurman ring...but it didn't fit. He got it sized to fit my left hand, because that is the ring size he knows, my right hand is much bigger...and by much, maybe a half a size, so we have to take it back. I can't wait to wear it and brag about my wonderful husband to everyone one that asks about the ring.

(Olivia telling us "Pretty Hair, Pretty Hair - LaLa's Pretty Hair")



Brad then opened his Father's Day presents...a few shirts, 2 ties, a cycling t-shirt, and some yummy cologne. And about 5 cards, I just couldn't stop with one from each of us...I have a problem, I am obsessed with cards.

(Olivia before Breakfast at The Black Sheep)


Sunday morning Olivia and I took Brad to The Black Sheep for Breakfast, Avery hung out at home with my Mom (God Bless YaYa). Then we rushed home, got everyone ready for a few hours at the Pocahontas Pool, as you can tell, we all had a blast.


(I even allowed a few pictures of myself...from the waist up of course)


Alright, I am about to go where I have yet to go with this blog, I am going to bare all...and no, I don't mean my clothes, I mean my thoughts. Brad snapped a few shots of me playing in the water with Olivia, I almost died when I looked at them. And I mean died, of shock, I was huge, and I mean HUGE with a capital H-U-G-E, I can't deny it, a serious diet is in order. Starting today its ALL BUSINESS. No more cheating, no more excuses. So you all are my witnesses, hold me to it, I mean it.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Milestone...

And I almost forgot to blog about Sweet Avery's first few milestones....

Yesterday at the Doctors Office she rolled from her tummy to her Back and last night she was SOOOOO close to rolling from her back to her tummy, she tries SOOOO hard to get herself over, but her arm gets stuck every time.

And she also started grabbing for toys yesterday...

What a big girl she is...now if she would only start to sleep....last night she went down at 8pm, was up at 11:30pm and again at 4am and then for the day around 7:20am. SERIOUSLY.

Allergic to Riley

I took Avery back to Dr. Shook yesterday morning, she was still super congested and wasn't taking the meds they gave us a few weeks ago, so back we went. Her lungs and ears are clear, but they really want to clear the congestion that she has been fighting for a good 3-4 weeks, so they changed her meds and told us to put it in her bottles. The little chunker weighed in at 15lbs 8oz, I can't wait to see how much she weighs at her 4 month check...

And I mentioned to Dr. Shook that as soon as Olivia finished her meds her snots came back, but that they are clear, she is wondering if Olivia might be allergic to Riley, I really hope not, but just to be safe we are giving her some allergy meds on a daily basis.

Brad is out of town again for work...he takes over the Northern Virginia territory on July 1st, so I am guessing the travel situation is only going to intensify, so I better just get used to it.

There is a chance I might be traveling to Manila for work in July, I would leave on a Friday and get home the following Friday. I can't say I am looking forward to it, but its a must, my new role requires me to visit a few times a year, as I am now own one of our sales driven call centers there.

Avery & Olivia's New Best Friends...

Well my darling daughters welcomed a new best friend to the neighborhood last night, sweet Baby Juliette Grace Koehler entered the world at 6:24pm, weighing in at 8lbs 8oz, measuring 20 and 3/4 inches. And the girl has a FULL head of jet black hair, its precious, she could already wear clippies.

And....Molly found out that the little bean in her stomach is a sweet little girl. Margaret Campbell Harris is expected on or around November 3rd. I am thrilled that my girls will have two close friends just across the street, poor Zack is going to be surrounded by all girls...

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Bye Bye Beasts...See you Soon

(Olivia's Little Gym Beast & Super Beast Spring Semester Class)

(Olivia getting her medal at the Ribbon Graduation Ceremony, we had to recreate the moment because my camera was on the wrong setting the first go-round)

(Olivia showing off one of her many tricks)

(Bouncing on the Air Track - her favorite activity, besides balls and bubbles)


Saturday was Olivia's Little Gym Graduation Ceremony...she was in the Beasts class this semester and they closed out the year with a Beach Party, hence the bathing suit she is sporting. I had a lot of trouble with my camera , not sure why, but the lighting/flash wasn't cooperating, so I apologize for the quality of the pictures.
Olivia is going to take a break from The Little Gym, we have decided to not enroll for the Summer or Fall Semesters, but will likely pick up something sometime next year, maybe a dance class or a cheer leading class, something fun and new. She was starting to get a little bored with it, but overall we LOVE the Little Gym.


(Picture of Dadda and Olivia having Dinner together on Wednesday Night after Brad arrived home from a few days on the road)


Olivia starts swim lessons on Tuesday...yup, I am going to break down and get in a bathing suit for my little Esther Williams.

(The girls feet - Sunday June 14, 2009)


Speaking of bathing suits....Brad and I both took Friday off to have a Day Date while the girls were at daycare, we spent the morning putting out new morning room table together (love it) and then set out to run a few errands. I found the girls new shower curtain for their bathroom, I am so excited, I can't wait until the room is finished, the painter will likely be coming sometime in July. And now on the bathing suit part, we went to the pool at my parents house for a few hours, I decided I didn't need sunscreen, but don't worry I lather my girls up, its just that I love to see instant gratification, aka a burn, and boy oh boy, did I burn. Sure did. I am a straight up LOBSTER, and despite the fact that it feels like my bones are going to poke through my ultra tight skin, I love it, I love feeling like summer is here finally. Brad ran out and got us Fried Chicken from UKROPS for lunch and we just lounged, like we used to do back in the day, BC (before children). We then set out on a mission to pick up my CraigsList finds...and then we spent the evening celebrating the last day of school with the Gordy Family. They are our close friends, both teachers, that live in our neighborhood, they have a last day of school bash every year, it was great to just kick back and relax with friends for a few hours.

(Avery & Dadda relaxing on the deck, this afternoon)


(Olivia throwing a fit because I wouldn't let her go into the Beach while she was soaking wet, wet child + sandbox = not a good time)

My new obsession...



I am thrilled with my recent finds on Craigslist. I have to admit, I am a rookie browser. But I believe I have mentioned that we sold our car on craigslist, and just last week sold our Morning Room Cafe Style Table...we are still waiting on our bed to sell...BUT, that is besides the point, on to what I have FOUND on craigslist.
So I have been in search of a Toy Kitchen for Olivia, I have been debating about what kind I wanted her to have, the real legit wooden ones, the classic-retro one from Pottery Barn Kids, the plastic Little Tikes/or Fisher Price one...I couldn't decide, but I was leaning towards a non-plastic one. So when I pulled up Craigslist the other day I decided to do a search...and low and behold we found our dream kitchen...take a look.
I love it, I couldn't be happier with its condition and the price. Olivia loves to open all the doors, and loves to play with the toaster and mixer that came along with it. Now we are hoping to pass along some hints about Birthday Present Ideas...toy FOOD and anything that will go with her kitchen. Happy Second Birthday Olivia...about a month early.

And on to the next find...which might even top the kitchen, but I will let you decide. The Jumbo Kettrike from Kettler. Zack (aka Zackie) has a Kettler Trike and Olivia loves it, Zack however, hates it, unless of course Olivia wants to ride on it, and then he falls madly in love with it so that she has to get off, so we figured it was about time she had one of her own. So I have spent MONTHS researching which one would be right for her, seriously folks, check out their website, its a bit much, the "Compare" chart sent me to the wine fridge for a full bottle one night, I just couldn't determine which features were must haves vs. nice to haves, so I started to search on Craigs List for them a few months back and never really found any local...I take that back, I found one but it was still listed for close to $200, which is close to their "new" price, but after I found the kitchen on Thursday I decided to give it another try and TA-DA, we found a perfect trike, and guess what...it has a second seat connector, it will be perfect for Avery this Fall, we can strap her in and Olivia can take her for a ride through the neighborhood.


And the third find...a cheapo Fisher Price Big Wheel. While Olivia likely won't fall madly in love with this, however, she will likely make me eat my words, they usually like the $4 toy, rather than the nice ones, we got this so that when she has friends over, yes, I am already planning for when she has friends over, I love to think about her inviting her friends over to play, they will have something to ride on, I don't want anyone to feel left out.








Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Olivia's 2nd Birthday Preparations

The Invitation

I just can't stop planning, I am a crazy planner, who sends out invites to a children's birthday party 2 months in advance, oh yeah, that would be me. I can't wait. I already have it all planned out, nothing fancy, but I hope she has a blast.

Army Wives...let me down.

I have to say, I was a tad disappointed with the season premiere of Army Wives on Sunday. I'm not going to write it off just yet though, I will keep coming back for more, and just for the record, I feel bad for Denise, okay, I said it. I know most people probably feel like she deserves it for cheating on her husband, and its rare I take the cheaters side, but seriously, I do feel bad for her.

Finally...a Hobby.

So for those of you that know me well, you know that I don't have a hobby, but I have been desperately searching for one, that A) doesn't cost a fortune and B) doesn't take a ton of time, both of which are void in my life, yup, that's right, no fortune and no free time. So I have decided where to focus my free time...drum roll please.....PHOTOGRAPHY. I am going to learn how to use our camera and capture my little darlings as often as possible. I am obsessed with getting the girls photographed, and I spend a fortune doing it, so for once I need to stop outsourcing and bring the business in house. My plan of attack...

1) Get Camera lessons from my work friends who are amazingly talented.

2) Utilize my Mommy Friends who are great behind the camera for tips and tricks

3) Read Blogs and do research online for pointers

And maybe, just maybe I will sign up for a class, I don't know if I have time for that, but I would love to give it a try.

Now maybe I will stop spending my dollars and cents on decorations for the house and clothing for the girls, that is my current hobby, but it sucks the life out of my wallet.

This weekend we are taking the girls to Maymont and my work friend Rebecca is going to photograph Olivia for her 2nd Birthday and give me pointers along the way. I cannot wait.

Speaking of photographs, I get to pick up Avery's 3 Month Photos tomorrow, I am pumped.

Brad is out of town again this week, but he will be back tomorrow night late. A quick update on what I like to call Leigh's CraigsList Business...you all know the car has sold (check), and last night I sold our cafe style dining room table (check), now if we could only see the modern metal slat sleigh bed.

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Miss Bumbo 2009







Walking in the Rain


Olivia insisted that we take a walk the other night when it was "RAINING"


Lala, Her Beach & Whalie







Saturday, June 6, 2009

Congrats

goes out to my good friend Adam and his soon to be beautiful bride Kearstin. He proposed yesterday afternoon and of course she said YES. We couldn't be happier!!

Where is the sun?

We were so hoping it would be a beautiful morning, we had great intentions of going to Pocahontas Park to let Olivia explore the pool before she starts swimming lessons next week, but the weather just isn't cooperating, its overcast and only about 73 degrees outside.

As I type I am watching Pearl Harbor and I have goose bumps, it was the closest I could get to remembering D-Day, even though its not all that close.

Olivia enjoyed the Little Gym this morning with Dadda and then the two of them ran errands together, I just smile thinking about them spending some time together just the two of them, adorable! Next week is her Little Gym Graduation. We are going to take a break from the Little Gym, while Olivia loves it, we are going to give it a rest for the summer and might join for the Fall Semester, but that is still TBD.

Rob Ragsdale and his wife Gretchen are coming down this afternoon to spend the night with us. We are looking forward to it, we haven't seen them since their wedding in August. And then tomorrow we are hoping to get together with the Tillar Family for dinner, Olivia and Anna have only seen each other twice in the last 6 months, sad isn't it?

It's Official - we sold the TL. A nice young, local couple bought it and picked it up yesterday. I was sad to see it go...

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Single Momma

Brad left on Sunday around 12 noon so its been just us girls since then...and who could forget Riley. For the most part things have gone very smoothly, dare I say, they have gone well, except for last night...the girls just didn't sleep well. Avery was up at 1:00, 3:30am and then again at 5:30am. Seriously, Avery!! Get with the program! And then Olivia decided that 6am was a great time to rise and shine.

Tonight we are going to Amy's for Cereal and Margarita Night, can't wait. Amy will spoil Avery with cuddle time while Olivia plays with Isabelle and Lily (Lauren's Little Ones), and I will kick back with some Capt'n Crunch and a delicious Margarita. Sounds like heaven right? Brad will be home late late tonight, so you know what that means? He is on RILEY DUTY all night long. You bet your bottom dollar that I am NOT getting up with that dog tonight.

Have you all seen the movie Waitress? With Keri Russell? Strange movie, but I can relate to tuning the whole world out the moment you hold your sweet baby for the first time.

And Bride Wars - great movie, I cried my eyes out, makes you realize just how important friendship is.