cammy came to visit!

It seems that whenever my family comes to visit, we get snow!  Such was the case on Friday morning when I went to pick up Cammy at the airport.  In the few minutes it took to park and go inside, my car got covered in snow.  Cammy of course loved all the snow! We we originally going to get my car mirror fixed, then go to lunch, but decided instead to pick up Britton and all go to lunch.  Her teachers were not surprised to see us show up at 11:00, as they already know how I feel about driving in snow - not if I can help it!

We decided to treat Cammy to a local favorite, BRGR, and got burgers all around.  We decided to just head home after lunch, since the snow was really piling up by then.  Britton was smitten with Cammy, asking her to go sledding and play in the snow together.  While my mom took Britton outside and climbed up and down that hill 500 times, I worked on painting the nursery.

Britton loves eating snow and icicles, and we found these icicles hanging from the swings. Yummy, even though Britton seems a little apprehensive.

Britton got a kick out of pushing Cammy down the hill on the sled.  On one run Britton jumped onto Cammy' back, wrenching her neck.  Luckily there was no permanent damage, and Cammy treated it like a chiropractic adjustment.

Britton checked out Cammy's phone, and wanted to see pictures of Cammy's dog.  She was miffed that there were no photos of her on Cammy's phone!

Saturday was a busy day.  First we went to Britton's dance class, then to the library, then to JoAnns for some quilt do dads, then to lunch at the Double Wide Grill, another local favorite.  After lunch us ladies went to a strip mall nail place for pedicures!  Britton was apprehensive about the chair and foot soak, but she acquiesced to having her nails just painted.  She went with a purple and teal alternating pattern, and Cammy followed suit!  

At JoAnns we picked up birdhouses for a dollar a piece, and Britton and Cammy painted them Saturday afternoon after we got back from the nail salon.  

Britton was not happy about Cammy leaving this morning, but I promised her we'd go visit Cammy and swim in her pool and that held over the breakdown.  We all had a great time and the whole visit just flew by.  We all needed a few more days together.  Luckily we'll get Cammy back soon when I have the baby, then we'll make a visit there afterwards.  

memaw's quilt and table runner: finished

When the hub's grandmother passed away last year (Memaw's mom), she had some unfinished quilt tops left.  As a quilter, I know she would have finished them if she could, because nobody puts so much work into a quilt top to leave it unfinished.  The top is the labor-intensive part.

So, the hub's aunt Judy (Memaw's sister) asked if I would finish up some of her quilts.  Of course I said yes.  Honestly, I believe there must be an unspoken agreement among quilters - please don't leave my quilts unfinished.  Judy sent me three quilt tops and a table runner, with an offer that Memaw and I could keep whatever we wanted and send back what we didn't.  I picked out a quilt top and so did Memaw, then I set out to finish a quilt top and the table runner for Judy.

Because the hard part (the piecing) was finished, I could get a little more creative with the quilting.  I did rows of leaves in the vertical sashing, flowers in the setting stones, and small loopy stipple in the individual "doll" boxes (but not the dolls themselves).  The process took much more time than I originally thought, and by the end that quilt was getting heavy!  

I was lucky to find some extra plaid fabric in Memaw's stash; the same plaid the boy dolls were made of.  I used that plaid fabric for the binding.

The back was a solid blue-grey sheet from Target.  Here you can see the leaves and loopy stipple, which created "frames" around each doll block.

Not-so-hidden heart.  It's tucked down on the bottom right doll block, Judy!

And here is the table runner!  Memaw and I could instantly picture it on Judy's table.  I had to use my loopy stipple on this runner because the fabric didn't want to lay flat.  Memaw had pieced the runner by hand, and it felt sacrilegious to machine quilt it, but I needed the stipple to camouflage some unevenness.  

Another not-so-hidden heart.  I love how this one turned out.  So loopy and carefree.

The backing is a sheet and the binding is from leftovers of Memaw's Swoon Quilt.  Here is my quilt-holder-helper.  Britton loves holding the quilts for me, and then switching to taking the pictures.  Maybe I've got a mini-quilter in the making?

Britton also helped me pack up the quilts to send back to Judy.  I've still got the remaining two quilts to finish, as well as a quilt top that Memaw gave our Memaw (yes, we call them both the same name) a while ago.  Eventually, all the quilts will be finished, as they should be.  

tiny dancer

You know, for the longest time I sang that Elton John song as, "Hold me closer, Tony Danza!"  I know that the correct lyrics are, "Hold me closer, tiny dancer!" but that's not nearly as much fun to sing.  And frankly, it physically pains the hub anytime I sing lyrics incorrectly on purpose (or just sing in general, to be honest), so I can't let a good opportunity slip away.  

Anywho, going the long way to a short story today, we signed up Britton for dance lessons!  It was hard finding a Saturday morning class (of course, Tuesday mornings were no problem, but I don't think my job would appreciate that).  When we finally did, I showed up ten minutes early on registration day just to make sure I could get a spot in the class!  It's a full hour - 20 minutes each of tap, ballet, and tumbling.  Britton's teacher is a high school senior, and I have no idea how a high school senior can be even half of how patient this sweet girl is!  

We sat in for the first class, since Britton seemed a little anxious about starting this new thing with all new people.  The teacher had announced that parents could sit in the first class, but must stay outside for the rest of the classes.  I thought some moms (and dads) were going to lose it, but they made up for it this week by plastering their faces to the windows in the back of the classroom and waving every five seconds.  It was a wonder these kids could get any dance done with all the reassurance these parents needed!

Despite this picture, Britton does actually enjoy the class!  I think the tumbling is her favorite so far.  And doing the "butterfly" (where you put your feet together and bend over your legs) is the move she shows me after every class.  A friend from work, whose daughter was too young to sign up for this course (January through May), tells me that the class is offered over the summer too.  If Britton enjoys it, we'll sign her back up for the summer.

our cruise!

The hub and I booked a cruise before we knew I was pregnant, and dang it all we NEEDED this vacation!  So we moved it to this week, when I would be only 23 weeks pregnant.  No work, no cell phones, no bedtime stories or middle of the night "I can't find Winnie" fiascos, nope, none of that.  We booked the Disney Dream, and let me tell you - people at work gave me the weird eye when I mentioned a Disney cruise without my child.  But the great thing about Disney is that they separate the children away from the adults (if that's your thing), so the hub and I had the run of the adult-only pool, decks, bars, and restaurants.  They even have an adult-only beach on their private island Castaway Cay!

Let me tell you, the rooms on this ship are HUGE!  We always get a veranda room, because I can't stand the idea of being in a room with no window, no fresh air, no balcony overlooking the gorgeous ocean.  The rooms on the Dream are bigger than the Wonder (the other ship we've been on) and the bathroom is different too.  See that rounded wall below?  It's a round bathtub/shower!

We flew into Orlando, then headed over to Port Canaveral.  The hub and I headed to the front of the ship to watch us leave the port.  It was fun, and the seagulls accompanied us!  

We walked around the ship and figured out where everything was.  The hub and I found the adult pool below, and changed into our swimsuits to get in.  It was a perfect 80 something degree day, and the water in the pool was warm.  

On Monday morning we woke up in Nassau.  I'll be honest - walking through Nassau is a beating.  Cab drivers, vendors, frankly everyone and their grandmother is yelling at you, trying to get you to buy whatever it is they have for sale.  There are a ton of jewelry stores and they have great deals, so it's worth it if you can score some new jewelry, but I wasn't in the mood.  A nice jewelry saleswoman did rub my pregnant belly for what seemed like a long time, but I just didn't see anything I could live without.

The next morning we woke up at Castaway Cay.  Awwwww........time to get into the water!  First thing I saw at the beach was these little fish everywhere.  I begged them to give me a fish pedicure, but it was no use and they wouldn't (bad pun intended) bite.  

I pointed out the hub that the color of the water in the shallow area was the exact color I was trying to find for the bathrooms.  He laughed and floated by on his tube!  

The hub rented us some snorkeling gear!  I was scared at first, that I'd mix up breathing through the tube and drown myself (then I saw the stingrays and got really scared with Crocodile Hunter flashbacks), but I just gave it a go and figured it out.  We ditched the flippers - more hassle than they were worth - and explored.

See that tube?  It's a ride called the Aqua Duck. You ride a raft down the tube, and it goes over the side of the ship and around the perimeter of the deck. I wasn't allowed to ride it because of the bun in the oven, but the hub was. 

So he did!

Our last day was a day at sea.  Everywhere we looked was crowded, because there was no port available for people to leave the ship.  We showed up to the Jack Jack (from the Incredibles) Baby Race and cheered them on.  

Then we went to the sports bar and played television them song trivia.  After, we took our daily nap.  Seriously, we are so caught up on sleep, it's ridiculous!  That night we had dinner reservations at Remy, the french restaurant based on the movie "Ratatouille."  The food was amazingly good, better than any restaurant I've ever been to, and we were blown away.  

All in all, a beautiful trip!  It was hard coming back today.  I missed Britton badly, and I was ready to see her (I was ready days ago, really), but I didn't want to come back to cold dreary weather and more of the same work, chores, daily grind.  But it's back to work tomorrow, so I guess I'm left with only my sweet sweet memories!

baby deuce: 22 weeks

Let me tell you a little story.  Last summer, back before Baby Deuce existed, the hub and I booked a cruise.  Something fun, just for us, our little trip away during the icy snowy winter.  We were all set to send in our confirmation for the February 7th date, when the email popped up with some questions.  One question which is "Will anyone in your party be over 24 weeks pregnant at time of departure?"  I pulled up a calendar and quickly figured out I'll be 27 weeks then.  

And so it begins that the hub and I spent the next couple of hours moving our trip to NEXT WEEK.  That's right - in exactly one week I'll be sitting on a giant boat in the Caribbean.  23 weeks pregnant!

As far as the last two weeks have gone, I'm more sore than I used to be.  Going up stairs takes great effort, and I can't get comfortable at night anymore.  I switch from side to side, hugged up on my body pillow, trying to stop my sides from going numb.  Add in heartburn, and I'm just one sorry case!

Not to mention that my gestational diabetes test came back, and surprising to no one, I failed.  Big time. I'm on Day 3 of the gestational diabetes diet, and while my blood sugar is under control I am irritated about not eating what I want when I want.  It's going to be a long 18 weeks without cereal!

Other than my whining about swollen limbs and an insulin-resistant placenta, things are going well.  I have an ultrasound at 28 weeks to check for growth and my low-lying placenta.  Hopefully by then my placenta will have moved up and away from the cervix, like it did with Britton.  Until then, I'm getting ready for my cruise!

forty-one months old

Fresh off our two weeks at home, we're all finally falling back into routine.  Britton loves the recent snow we received, which is a good thing because we're supposed to get even more of it!  Unlike most places we've lived, the snow here doesn't just melt away after a few days.  Luckily, I found some snow pants for Britton, and she is absolutely enchanted with playing in and eating the snow!

Also, I'm relieved to report that Britton had no problems with baby Jason.  Part of me wondered if she would be jealous of the baby, especially with seeing me hold him.  But no, she just wanted to be the helper, and volunteered to hold his pacifier at all times.  

She has, however, had her second ear infection in two months.  One of Britton's tubes came out and the other is on its way.  We are waiting to see if any other infections develop before deciding on tube surgery again.  It's hard because we haven't dealt with ear infections in so long that I thought we were over the whole issue.  

Sadie was told there would be no photos!

Everything else is about the same.  Britton is still eating well, wearing 5T/5, some 6 clothes, and 10.5 shoes.  She wants to help with everything, wants to try it all her way first, and I know that's how she learns so I take a deep breath and just let her go for it.    She's our little fire, and I love that spunk - trying out the four-wheeler, flying down the hill on the sled - she's up for anything!

Likes:  sweets, Cuties clementines, new Disney princess shoes from Jessica, new jewelry from Jessica (I find her rings EVERYWHERE!), roll playing with her dolls, her purple bean bag chair, gymnastics, snow!, being in charge of Sadie

Dislikes:  being rushed, bubblegum-flavored medicine