Potty Purchase?

Our pediatrician recommended buying a potty so that Evelyn coyld get used to seeing it, having it around, etc... She is nowhere near ready for potty-training, but I guess we need to pick up a seat of some sort.

I am completely clueless as far as what different types are out there... Does anyone have recommendations? What do you like/dislike about what you have?

In other news, we are leaving tomorrow morning to go on a little vacation with Trav's side of the family. His parents, brother (Chuck), and brother's wife (Kim) will all be going. Kim is pregnant (about 4 weeks to go) -- so it is their last vacation for a little while :) We are taking the ferry over to Whidby Island and staying in the little town of Langley. Should be fun!! I'll update with pics when we return...

Thank you for being a friend...

Sad day today for all fellow Golden Girls fans... I heard the news this morning that Estelle Getty passed away. How funny was she?! I was/am a huge Golden Girls fan -- and she was probably my favorite.

I found myself singing the theme song this morning while I was getting Noah and Evelyn dressed. It must've been all the hormones that are still raging in my body or something... but I started thinking about all of the important people in my life, thinking about how blessed I am to have some really great girlfriends... and it brought tears to my eyes. Yup -- I'm a dork -- I know :)

"And if you threw a party,
Invited everyone you knew,
You would see the biggest gift would be from me
And the card attached would say,
Thank you for being a friend"

(Click on the song if you want to hear it and see the show's intro...)

Back on the job...

Well -- I survived my first three days back at work. It is Friday just around 5:00 and I am waiting for Travis to get home with the little ones.

Things I learned since returning to work:

1. Getting 2 kids dressed, fed, and ready to go to daycare in the morning is more than twice as hard as it is getting just 1 child ready to go.
2. You must be completely dressed and ready to go before the two kids even get up -- otherwise it is nearly impossible to make it out the door on time.
3. Dropping your baby off at daycare the first day is heart-wrenching. (I knew about this with Evelyn, but you kinda forget what it really feels like until it happens to you again)
4. By the 3rd day it gets much easier. You just have to keep telling yourself "suck it up -- that's life -- you need to go to work -- the baby will be fine"
5. Pumping in the backseat of an Explorer (my new company car) isn't much different than pumping in the backseat of a Trailblazer (my old company car). It is a very non-glamorous part of my day.
6. Even after being gone for 4 months, work is the same. Same drama, same good/bad attitudes of fellow employees, same business relationships with customers, etc... I am a little behind, but I am up for the challenge! (I better be, my boss is riding along with me on Monday and Tuesday already -- ugh!)
7. Seeing your kids at the end of the workday after missing them all day makes you appreciate them & want to cuddle them even more!

Happy friday and weekend to everyone!!

Back to the work & the talk...

Well, tomorrow is my first day back to work. I can't help but be a little bit depressed tonight about it. (Travis helped me try to get over the blues tonight by sharing a bottle of wine with me) I love my job -- and know that I need to get back into the routine... but it will still be hard to have to leave my babies at daycare tomorrow morning. Ugh!

I sat Noah down tonight after feeding him and had a little talk. I wanted to tell him just how much I loved him and not to be sad tomorrow when I leave him for a little while... I told him all about daycare... about all of the other little kids, and that his big sister will be there with him, too. The talk was definitely harder on me than it was on him... he fell asleep pretty much as soon as I started talking!

3 months

Noah turned three months on the 9th:
Look at my chubby little smiler!!
And here is Evelyn, attempting to eat with a spoon. She does okay and tries to use it for a minute, but then eats with her hands (even if it is something like yogurt) -- any tips for helping her figure it out? It is bathtime after every meal when she uses a spoon!!In other news, Noah and I are both losing our hair. His looks like the dark hair is falling out and blonder hair is coming in (Evelyn's hair did the same thing... she was born with brown hair, too) My poor hair... I lost a ton after Evelyn was born, too. I am hoping it stops falling out soon, before I start getting bald spots!

My gym workouts and weight loss are still going good. I hit a small speed-bump while in Michigan though. I can't resist my mom's yummy cooking (especially her omelettes!!). I am now back on track. I figure I would much rather be a bald & fit mommy than a bald & fat mommy!!

Back home

We survived our return flights/travel back to Seattle. I have to admit though -- I got back feeling like I needed a vacation! We are always so busy when we go to Michigan... we try to see everyone and do everything... it is just exhausting!! We had a great time though.

Evelyn loved our trip to Paradise. She was able to play in the sand and go swimming in Lake Superior.

We drove back to Saginaw on Sunday morning and then were able to spend time with Kara and her family. Here is Evelyn and Makena:We tried to recreate a picture that was taken last summer of the three girls... unfortunately Evelyn wouldn't sit still, so this was the best we could do:Kara and I with the big girls:How cute are they!?! (Cambrie and Noah - born 2 days apart)And here is the last picture. I had to include it -- it was pretty funny trying to get a picture of the whole gang... Evelyn started crying (she didn't have a nap all day long since we were traveling) so we stuck a binky in her mouth... Kara was trying to hold down the twins because they were trying to escape... Josh was holding a crying Cambrie... I don't know what Travis and Noah were doing, but we definitely had our hands full :)

Pictures so far...

Here are some pics from our trip so far. Sorry -- you have to tilt your head for some of them. I was in a hurry... We have been very busy ever since we arrived in Michigan. We leave in the morning to head to Paradise, MI. We are looking forward to spending some time on Lake Superior :)

We made it!

Well -- we made it. Both kids did great on the long flight from Seattle to Cleveland. Evelyn was up WAY past bedtime (our flight didn't leave until 11:15 PM), but as soon as they turned off the lights, she was out. Noah took a bottle on take-off and landing and slept the entire time in between. We had two minor mishaps along the flight though...

1. Noah had a small blow-out while he was sleeping. How this little guy can poop like that and not wake up is a mystery to me. I didn't discover the blowout until after we landed. He slept in my Hotsling the entire time.

2. Evelyn had a similar experience -- but a funny story. Here is the conversation between Trav and I right before boarding the plane
Me: Do you think we should change Evelyn's diaper before we board? She feels a little wet...
Trav: No, I think she will be fine.
Me: Are you sure? Sometimes she pees so much that she wets herself in the middle of the night.
Trav: Why did you ask me if you already had your mind made up?
I was a little mad at Trav's short response, and didn't want to seem like the overbearing mom, so we boarded the plane without changing her diaper. Needless to say, about an hour into the flight, Evelyn pees right through her diaper and wets herself and her dad (she is sitting on his lap). I felt a little sorry for Travis, but I couldn't help but giggle to myself a little :)

The second flight was short -- only about an hour. We made that one with no problems, too. It was actually quite comical. Our flight attendant was about 21 years old. She was talking about just how hung-over she was and how little sleep she got last night. It got to the point in her speech when she is supposed to introduce the pilots, and she goes "Your pilots for this flight are... I can't remember... it is way too early in the morning... but rest assured there are two men up front flying this plane" I seriously doubt she is going to win the flight attendant of the month award any time soon :)

More pictures and updates to come... stay tuned.