Elizabeth Rose

A good friend of mine takes amazing pictures.

too busy

I have so many things I want to blog about but not enough time in which to write them all down! I do manage to update my website with my Children's blogs a bit more frequently! If you are interested in keeping up with their lives you can check out my website @ http://web.me.com/shinelikestars77

One day I'll be more consistent in this blog . . . for now, it's time for bed.

'Tis the Season

It's been a lot of fun this year to watch Elizabeth light up as she sees the Christmas decorations all around her. We haven't decorated the house, besides putting a wooden nativity that she can play w/ out. But Grandma Burton has gone all out and Ellie loves the decorations at her house. We've chosen not to play Santa so as she sees the Santas at the mall and in front of houses she doesn't give more than a second glance. I know that we'll have to explain it to her in the future, but for now saying nothing works fine.

She's really into baby Jesus - she talks about him a lot and wants to see the manger scenes that people have set up out in their front yards. She enjoys playing pretend with her nativity set that we gave her today. She is also enamored with snowmen. Grandma Burton put out 3 snowmen in front of her house and Ellie insisted on bringing the littlest snowman inside last time we were there. She carried that little snowman (almost as tall as her) all over Grandma's house!

mix-matched socks giveaway

Simple Finds is giving away socks from LittleMissMatched. I would LOVE to win some for Ellie. She is still obsessed with putting a sock on her hand and wearing it around the house or even out to the park. I often can't find matching socks when I need them and having mix-matched socks ON PURPOSE would make my life a lot easier! So I'm entering their contest AND making sure I get as many entries as I can!! The contest ends in two days (on the 9th) so go on over to Simple Finds and enter it for yourself!

not so much

as soon as I posted the post about naps Ellie started crying (1 1/2 hours after putting her down for bed). After 5 minutes I went in there and she reached for me. I picked her up thinking she had a bad dream and sat down with her on the futon (which is in her room). She immediately wanted to "talk" and read more books. I turned the light on a bit and decided to "re-do" bedtime. It was then that I saw all her stuffed animals were in a pile outside of her bed as well as her pillow and blanket. We read a few books, I sang her a few songs and walked out of the room. Now she's screaming for us again.

I think I'll send Chris in next.

nap update

so Ellie is doing much better with her naps or should I say I am doing better at dealing w/ her when she doesn't want to nap! Thank you to every one who gave me advice. I may still need more in the future! She still has a hard time on some days - she will just cry and cry and cry. As a matter of fact the last 3 nights (tonight excluded) we put her to bed at 8:30 and she fussed for 2 1/2 hours before finally falling asleep. Every time we went in there she just wanted to play or talk. There was nothing wrong! It's so hard to know what to do as a parent in those situations.

But I may try the chamomile tea sometime. If anything it will calm ME down at night!

Mamanisita

I love the Mamanisita blog. Not only do they have great giveaways but they also have great reviews on toys. Including a Holiday Toy List. Check 'em out - and while you are at it scroll down to the bottom of the page and enter some of their giveaways as well!

the kids

Chris put Ellie down for sleep tonight and I put Josiah to bed. We came out of their respective rooms (J sleeps in our room still) and gave each other high fives. We went back in 40 minutes later to calm two screaming children back down :) Josiah had just rolled over to his tummy and needed his paci so I had a relatively easy job getting him situated. Elizabeth wanted to "talk". She watched to talk about "mao" (kitty), annie, doggy and all the other stuffed animals she goes to bed with.

giveaway spree!

It's been awhile since I've blogged about a giveaway. I've entered only a few the last few months and today I went on a "giveaway spree". I found one that I really liked . . . a "KISS MY FACE GIVEAWAY". They have a new kids line and I would LOVE to win!! They don't use any artificial colors, unncecessary chemicals, or animal ingredients (this is a good thing)!

Check out the giveaway for yourself and YOU could enter for a chance to win!

my photoshoot

A couple of weeks ago I did a photoshoot with Josiah for Earth Mama Angel Baby. We went to Lori Dorman Photography in Glendale and she took some pics that they wanted done and then some pics of Josiah & I together. Check out her BLOG and see if you can figure out which cutie is Josiah. She'll be emailing me all the pics that she took so I can purchase some for myself. It was fun - even if Josiah peed ALL over me at one point.

running errands

Today I ran some errands on my own . . . did I mention I was by myself? It was amazing. A friend came over to babysit Ellie and told me she'd watch Josiah too. I was nearly speechless! I left her w/ some freshly pumped milk and took off. It was amazing. I got to Babies R Us, where I had an exchange to make, turned to grab my purse and realized I brought my diaper bag with me. I laughed and was glad that the diaper bag is the one Jenna, from Sweet Baby Creations, had made. It's stylish and could pass for a big bag, unless you looked inside it and saw the diapers inside (check out a pic of it HERE)! I grabbed my bag and took off toward the store . . . when I realized I left the item I wanted to return in the car. Oops. I think I'm more "on top" of things when I have the kids w/ me . . . I don't really know what to do with myself when they aren't there! After Babies R Us, I went to Trader Joes and was surprised at how quickly I could get through the store! I finished my errands in 45 minutes . . . then came home and started dinner.

Which, by the way, was yummy. I had leftovers for Chris and I but made Ellie "Creamy Potato Soup" from Jessica Seinfelds "Deceptively Delicious" cookbook. Ellie LOVES this soup - and it's one of the only ways I can get her to eat potatoes. It has cauliflower and carrots (or you can put butternut squash) mixed in. I froze it in two batches for the future. It's great to have on an, "I'm not feeling good" kind of day!

The Business of Being Born

Just finished watching The Business of Being Born. Excellent movie. I think that every woman should see this before she has children. I think I cried every time they showed another baby being born. While it is true that not all of our births can go as planned (I have friends who had Plecenta Previa, friends who had a life-threatening illness @ the end of pregnancy, etc) there is much in the way babies are being born in America that is not as it should (could) be.

If you haven't watched it, check it out.

no more naps?

Ever since we took the paci away from Elizabeth (it's been over a week now). She is not consistently taking naps anymore (and she's only 21 months). It was last Sunday (the 19th) that the paci's were taken away and last week she took a nap every other day. Today was the day she should have taken a nap (based on the way things had been going). But no, she refused to take a nap. I could leave her in there for 2 hours and she would probably cry the whole time (no exaggeration). Today I tried a new tactic. When it was evident she was not going to be going to sleep I told her she needed to stay in her room and play quietly by herself. We have a toddler gate - which is the only way this can work. It's kind of working. She's been in there for 10 minutes now . . . but not really happy about it.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm not ready for her to give up naps, but perhaps that's not entirely up to me. . . however if she does give up naps how can I encourage "quiet time" w/ one so young? I know I could get some quiet time by sticking her in front of a movie - but I don't want to make that a habit. Help!!

nursing cover

One of my favorite things is my nursing cover. It got me through my nursing days with Ellie and it is working well again with Josiah. My cousin, Danna purchased it for me from “Sweet Baby Creations”. Jenna is a work @ home mom who I met this past August. She does great work while her children are sleeping. She makes nursing covers, diaper bags, “momma” bags, diaper clutches, etc.

The nursing cover allows me to see Josiah while he eats, but covers me completely from any “lookie-loos”. It also doubles as a “mommy-cape” or a dress-up outfit for Ellie!

more calories?

could I not be getting enough calories? I try to eat enough but it seems like 20 minutes after eating a meal I'm still hungry! Josiah is eating every 3-4 hours during the day and his longest stretch at night is only 6 - 7 hours. I think I need to eat more things that "stick to your bones" or perhaps I just need to have more snacks between the meals. Any suggestions?

where I've "been"

You may be wondering where I've been. I've been taking care of two very important little beings, trying to keep my house in order, keeping us fed, making sure bills are paid and trying to get enough sleep to survive.

I've also been updating my children's blogs. You can check them out on our website.

I think I'm going to commit to writing on this blog at least ONCE per month. So don't be disappointed if you don't see much from me over these next couple of months. My children and projects outside of the "virtual" world are more time consuming right now.

I look forward to the day when I'll be able to make this blog (and therefore keeping up w/ your blog) more important!

"Nan Nanes"

Dan Zanes is one of our favorite kids performers. We bought a DVD of his and Ellie loves it. He has wacky hair, catchy songs and they use cool musical instruments. Some of her favorite songs are: All Around the Kitchen, Jump Up and Polly Wally Doodle. Chris and I personally enjoy “Pay me your money down”. We enjoy singing that one throughout our day. I even had a dream where Dan Zanes and Barbara (one of the singers in the band) came over for breakfast!

Another of her favorite kids singers is Laurie Berckner. She has some great songs like, We Are the Dinosaurs, The Goldfish and Elizabeth’s favorite, The Bumblebee. She goes around the house “buzzing” like a bee quite often!

you put that where???

I used the thermometer this past week on Josiah. Since he's only 10 weeks old you can guess where I put it. Well I didn't clean it right away. Instead it sat on the kitchen counter for a few days . . . until Chris walked in one evening. Yep, you guessed it, he put it right in his mouth as I was saying, " No, don't put that in your . . . mouth". I looked at him w/ the thermometer in his mouth and told him where it had been last. There was nothing he could do at that point so he just continued to take his temp with a funny look on his face.

Now, I'd better go clean that thermometer . . .

good book

Earth's crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God,
But only he who sees takes off his shoes;
The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.

~Elizabeth Barrett Browning

I just finished a really good book and this was the quote at the end of it. It's called, "The Shack" by William P. Young and I really enjoyed "escaping" into it. If you are up for a good novel and have a few minutes to spare in your day I would highly recommend it.

Learning to juggle

Yesterday was crazy . . . or perhaps it was just me that was crazy! After Ellie's nap in the afternoon Josiah decided to have a freak-out. He was screaming and I was trying to get them both out of the house so we could go to Trader Joes (grocery store). Finally I had things together. I headed out the door w/ Josiah in his infant carrier, Ellie in the ergo carrier on my back, my keys in my hand and grocery bags on one shoulder, diaper bag on another! As I locked the door I realized that I left the house key inside. Oh well, not a problem since we have an extra key in the back patio - I decided I'd get that when we got home. Made it to the car, put the bags in the front seat and Josiah in his seat. Somehow from his side over to the other side Ellie managed to grab hand sanitizer and was consuming it as fast as she could. I got that away from her, put her in her seat and realized I had only put one shoe on her.

The trip to Trader Joes was uneventful. Josiah fell asleep on the way there and slept the whole time we shopped. I left him in his carseat and put it in the cart, Ellie was on my back in the ergo (a lifesaver). Ellie was so happy, smiling and laughing, giving me "hugs" from behind. She is just like me - needs to get out every so often and when she does it just lifts her spirits! What a social creature she is!

Once we arrived home I loaded Ellie back into the ergo, picked up Josiah's infant carrier, put the diaper bag on one shoulder, one of the grocery bags in one hand and left the other grocery bag beside the truck. Dropped everything but Ellie at the front door and ran back for the last grocery bag. Now I had to get inside. . . Josiah had woken up at this point and was hungry, so I propped a bottle up for him as best I could & took Ellie over to the side of our condo. Placed her down, with her balloon, telling her that momma would be right back. Jumped over the wall, ran to get the key and found the sliding glass door unlocked (oops!), ran inside, opened the front door and ran around to the side to rescue my now screaming little girl (mommmmma)!!

Inside we went while I unpacked and rescued Josiah from his seat so I could change him. My mother-in-law arrived a few minutes later and off Josiah & I went to hang out w/ my ladies group for dinner where I was involved in grown up conversation for the first time that day!

toilet time

Ellie went poo in the toilet this evening. She only went a little bit and then when she saw what she had done she cried. She was very upset so we had to put her diaper back on so she could finish the job!

Now THAT's a good rest

Last night Josiah had his last feeding @ 9:30 and I was in bed and asleep by 11:30. He didn't wake up to eat again until 4:45!!! Then he slept again until 7:30. Most of the nights we were at my parents house (last week) he was going 5 - 6 hour stretches in the night.

Right now he's half awake lying on the couch next to me :)

"Popular to Contrary Belief"

This morning Chris asked me if I slept well. I said yes, Josiah woke up @ 2:30; 4:30 & 7:30 for feedings. He looked at me incredulously . . . but of course he forgot that the night before Josiah slept fitfully the whole night! I thought that I was doing well until I said "popular to contrary belief" and when Chris asked me if I knew what I said & I replied, "of course" and said it again. It took me a full 5 minutes before I realized that I had switched the words around!! Maybe I'm not getting as much sleep as I think I am!

Diaper Sprayer

I've been visiting my family up in Paradise, CA and I'm really missing my "Mini-Shower Diaper Sprayer". I use cloth diapers w/ both of my children. Ellie has a diaper service and I made hemp-fleece diapers for Josiah. I just do the old-fashioned pre-folds. I love cloth diapering and brought a combo of cloth and paper up to my parents house. I was planning on bringing my diaper sprayer from home, but the day before I left it stopped working. It is a great contraption because you just put the dirty diaper over the toilet and spray the nasties off w/o getting your hands dirty. The past 3 days I've been doing it the old fashioned way . . . dumping those nasties by hand and washing them in the toilet. Gross! I purchased a new diaper sprayer and can't wait to be using it again!!

My Nesting Pillow

My favorite item today is my "Blessed Nest Organic Nesting Pillow". I didn't own a nursing pillow for Ellie. I just used pillows to help me nurse her and I didn't think I was missing anything. This time around I was fully prepared to use pillows again . . . until I won the Born Green giveaway back in March. I was sent the Nesting Pillow and have enjoyed using it these past (almost) 4 weeks of nursing Josiah. It's like a mini bean-bag and Ellie even enjoyed laying her head on it today to watch a movie. I've used it to prop Josiah up as well. I really like the way it can change shape and you can change it's "shape" depending on what kind of support you need.

Moby Wrap

I think the next series of blogs that I do are actually going to have a theme . . . I'll call them "my favorites". I'll be writing about my favorite baby & mommy products.

Since I'm sitting here w/ Josiah wrapped to my body w/ my Moby wrap I'll write about that first. He LOVES to be held and since I need my hands free to get anything done the Moby wrap is super handy! I can change Ellie's diaper w/ him - in the Moby wrap. I can make myself (& Ellie) lunch and eat it too - in the Moby wrap. I can do my laundry - in the Moby wrap. I can even go to the bathroom - in the Moby wrap!!

my little man

Josiah is SO different than Ellie was at this age. He is just a little man . . . he even poops like a little man. He grunts and makes a series of farts until he's all done. We were busting up in the middle of the night as it took him a good 10 minutes before he was done grunting. Sometimes I over-estimate his "done-ness". I won't go into details.

updates

I know it's been awhile since I've written anything. Been a bit busy trying to learn how to mother 2 kids, not just one! I feel like I'm constantly juggling!

I have a website up for our family. You can check it out @ http://web.mac.com/shinelikestars77

I have a page for Ellie & for Josiah. It's mainly to keep faraway relatives and friends updated on the happenings of our childrens lives. Hopefully you'll enjoy it too. I also have updated pics on my photo gallery so check those out too!

Here's our boy!

Josiah Wayne Burton

Welcome Josiah Burton

I'm sitting in my hospital bed tonight marveling at this beautiful creation the Lord has given us. He's laying there w/ his eyes wide open - all swaddled and probably getting hungry soon. Such a beautiful little boy - he even has two dimples just like his big sister has!

Now for the story . . . Chris and I went in to the hospital yesterday @ 4pm. They started me on the cervidil @ 6pm and we settled in for the night. Had some good friends of mine come and visit, had my "last supper" and then tried to get some sleep. Cervidil came out at 5am and the pitocin was started @ 5:45. At around 8am I was starting to get pretty uncomfortable w/ the contractions and by 8:30 felt like I wanted to push w/ each contraction. After 10 minutes of pushing out came Josiah! He had the cord wrapped around his neck once but because it was pretty tight they had to do some re-susatation and so for the first 2 minutes I didn't even know what we had! He was pretty white and peely . . . evidence of being in the womb for so long. But he's nice and pink now with his skin recooperating quite fine.

The coolest part of the delivery for me . . . besides seeing him born . . . was talking w/ the doctor afterwards. She must have heard the worship music we had playing in the background because she asked where we went to church. We spoke a bit and then before she left she asked if she could pray for us. It was the sweetest prayer for Chris and I and little Josiah. Afterwards she told me she asks to pray for all her patients after they deliver, but that is special to pray with a sister. I really felt like if all this junk w/ my doctor was just so that I could have this blessing it was all worth it.

Born @ 9:05 am
He was 7lbs 12 oz
21 inches long

Thank you for your love for the Burton Family! I'll post pictures up soon!

the time draws near . . .

Monday was a long and frustrating day. On Sunday evening I spoke w/ my doctor (who was on her way home from a trip up north) to tell her that I wanted to check on the baby before making any further decisions regarding inductions. She called me back letting me know that was fine but that she was leaving the country early Tuesday morning. WHAT the HECK. I was NOT very pleased w/ that because that was the first I had heard anything about her leaving - again, but what do you do?

SO . . . had an ultrasound yesterday and another NST. Everything came back normal w/ the baby doing fine. A little low on the amniotic fluid, but otherwise good. We went to the doctors office afterwords for an exam and I couldn't WAIT to get out of there. She kept going on & on about the "risks" and then asking me how I was doing . . . & did I have any questions. (We had told her already that we were going to wait and be seen by the other doctors she works with). I left frustrated with the whole situation and battling fear. Not a good place for an expectant mother to be in.

She left for almost a month yesterday morning and I'm just glad to have her gone. She is a great labor & delivery doctor, but unfortunately I won't ever have her as my OB again. Mainly because of the way she handled this situation. I feel like she used the "possibility" of something going wrong to try to get me to induce when it wasn't necessary. There was never any real reason for her to induce me this whole time, just "what ifs" and really for her own convenience because she was leaving and I didn't even know about that! I would have probably gone with a different doctor if I had known she was going to be gone only 10 days after my due date!

Tuesday was a much better day. I went into the other doctors office (there are 3 who work out of that office) and met w/ the on-call doctor. His name is Dr. Murphy and he's been practicing for about 40 years. I prayed that morning that the Lord would bring about peace through my meeting with the doctor and that's exactly what happened. Dr. Murphy was so kind and didn't incite fear at all. When he was done answering our questions and giving us his opinion he sat back and just asked us what we would like to do. It was so different than the anxious driven conversation we had with my doctor. We already knew we wanted to give this baby until Friday . . . so we only made one little adjustment. We are going in today at 4pm to start on the cervidil (which should help soften my cervix) overnight and then start the pitocin in the morning.

I am a bit nervous, of course, but at the same time I have a peace that we are making the right decision.

long and frustrating day

Yesterday was a long and frustrating day. On Sunday evening I spoke w/ my doctor (who was on her way home from a trip up north) to tell her that I wanted to check on the baby before making any further decisions regarding inductions. She called me back letting me know that was fine but that she was leaving the country early Tuesday morning. WHAT the HECK. I was NOT very pleased w/ that because that was the first I had heard anything about her leaving - again, but what do you do?

SO . . . had an ultrasound yesterday and another NST. Everything came back normal w/ the baby doing fine. A little low on the amniotic fluid, but otherwise good. We went to the doctors office afterwards for an exam and I couldn't WAIT to get out of there. She kept going on & on about the "risks" and then asking me how I was doing . . . & did I have any questions. (We had told her already that we were going to wait and be seen by the other doctors she works with). I left frustrated with the whole situation and battling fear. Not a good place for an expectant mother to be in.

She left for almost a month this morning and I'm just glad to have her gone. She is a great labor & delivery doctor, but unfortunatley I won't ever have her as my OB again nor will I recommend her to anyone. Mainly because of the way she handled this situation. I feel like she used the "possibility" of something going wrong to try to get me to induce when it wasn't necessary. There was never any real reason for her to induce me this whole time, just "what ifs" and really for her own convienance because she was leaving and I didn't even know about that! I would have probably gone with a different doctor if I had known she was going to be gone only 10 days after my due date!

Today was a much better day. I went into the other doctors office (there are 3 who work out of that office) and met w/ the on-call doctor. His name was Dr. Murphy and he's been practicing for about 40 years. I prayed this morning that the Lord would bring about peace through my meeting with the doctor and that's exactly what happened. Dr. Murphy was so kind and didn't incite fear at all. When he was done answering our questions and giving us his opinion he sat back and just asked us what we would like to do. It was so different than the anxious driven conversation we had with my doctor. We already knew we wanted to give this baby until Friday . . . so we only made one litte adjustment. We are going in tomorrow at 4pm to start on the cervidil (which should help soften my cervix) overnight and then start the pitocin in the morning.

Saturday . . .

Saturday is almost gone and I'm ready for bed. Made Ellie a very cute little top today and cut out a cute dress for her as well. Have plans to make that tomorrow - as well as some shorts for her, finish a skirt for me and make myself a top - maybe two. I figure the more plans I make and the busier I am the faster all this waiting for baby will seem and the more likely for my plans to be interrupted!

We went to the beach today w/ my mom & sister (and Ellie too). I'm glad I went b/c either way I'd be waiting around for baby to come . . . at least we got to enjoy some cool weather - it's been HOT here!

still waiting :)

Thank you to all who've been praying . . . I decided early this morning that I was NOT going to go be induced today. I really felt like my doctor was just trying to do what was convenient for her in the guise of possible "problems" with the baby. I spoke w/ my mom and then called the labor and delivery at my hospital and spoke w/ a nurse there. Michelle was amazing and she answered all of my questions. I ended the conversation knowing that waiting until the 10 day mark (at least) was what I was going to do. I called my doctor to let her know and she just asked that I go in for an ultrasound and non-stress test. Baby came back with flying colors (big surprise) and the doctor's tune was changed from "we've got to get this baby out now" to "there is no reason why we can't wait until Monday". Yeah, that's what I suspected all along. I have a "tentative" appointment set for induction on Monday, but I'm going to connect with her on Sunday night (if I haven't had this baby by then) and decide at that point what I want to do.

I am hoping & praying baby comes by Sunday night and am SO excited to welcome him/her into this world and our lives!

baby's a comin'

Chris, Ellie & I went to the doctor's today. Ellie was able to hear the heart beat - she waved and blew kisses as she heard it. I'm 2 centimeters dilated but was spilling sugar into my urine again. I've had issues w/ that toward the end of this pregnancy. SO . . . doctor gave me the choice of going in today OR tomorrow evening to get started on pitocin. You can guess which I picked! If I don't go into labor on my own between now and tomorrow evening, I'll be going in tomorrow @ 6pm. It's kind of a disappointment (again) to possibly need pitocin so I'm just praying that I'll go into labor on my own between now & then. I have been having some contractions over the last few days so at least we are moving in the right direction. I couldn't feel a THING until after being induced for 12 hours on day 11 w/ Ellie!

As the old children's song goes, "He's got the whole world in His hands"

walking

Went on a 4 mile walk yesterday. . . 2 miles up to the mall & 2 miles back. It was good, but didn't make the baby come today. I went on a short 30 min walk this evening . . . went all by myself - something I rarely get to do. It was nice. I had a good cry too - that can actually be better than the walk itself.

the waiting game

Doctor's appointment went well today. My due date is tomorrow so if I don't go into labor over the weekend I get to go back on Monday for another appointment. My doctor has plans to be out of town June 18th for I don't know how long . . . & so I'm just praying that if baby doesn't come before Tuesday (I hope he/she does) that I won't feel "pressured" into an induction. If everything is fine . . . I'd like to go the full 2 weeks late - of course I'm praying the Lord will see fit to let me go into labor BEFORE we get to that place - and before my doctor is gone again!!

bored . . .

I'm bored, tired and ready for the baby to come. It's not that I don't have anything to do (my mom would always tell me she could find me stuff to do when I complained of boredom), it's just that I'm bored.

I'm sure I won't be bored any longer when the baby comes . . . new life seems to bring a lot of excitement, adventure and yet still a lot of tiredness - but at least there is no boredom!

Integrity

Yesterday we were leaving for our friends going away party when I noticed scratches on our car. It looked like our car had been keyed and I told Chris right away. He was shocked and then when he came over to have a look he realized that he had been the one to do that trying to park in our very tight parking spot in the garage. I was bummed, but thought nothing more of it . . . until this afternoon when I was on my way home. I realized what a lucky woman I am to have a husband who has integrity. It would have been so EASY for him to lie and go with my assumption of our car being keyed. I thanked him today . . . after he had made a WONDERFUL lunch for us all with tuna salad on bagel chips w/ melted cheese on top. I was supposed to make us lunch, but I was running late picking up the bread (that he didn't have) and other essentials.

If you are married, are there things your husband does that you are thankful for?

uncomfortable

Think I finally hit that part of pregnancy where sleep is virtually an impossibility. At least continuous, night-time sleep! I'm ready for baby to come out so I can get some rest - oh wait, who am I kidding? Next comes the around-the-clock feedings! But at least I'll be able to sleep on my back, my belly and any other position I'd like again!

I'm going to get a snack for me and my baby - we're hungry!

baby's coming sometime THIS month!

Went to the doctor's today . . . we're making progress, but no baby yet! It seems like I'm moving along a bit quicker than I did w/ Ellie, so that's good news b/c this time I'm not being induced!

Elizabeth's been a bit sick . . . upper-respiratory junk. I'm hoping to see her better before I go into labor :)

is it June already?

It was a busy week . . . Chris was home, but out of commission from Tuesday - Friday. He was sick and in bed - so I felt like I was soloing it again! But he is better and both Elizabeth & I are happy to have him back, again!

Elizabeth is very much into kissing. Kissing us, asking us for kisses, kissing inanimate objects . . . today she was kissing the wall. Her hands are healing up very nicely . . . we took the bandage off off the right hand yesterday!

Ewwie

Ellie said her own name for the first time today! I asked her where her name was (she has a drawing of her name hanging on the wall) and instead of pointing to it like she usually does she said "Ewwie". It was so awesome to hear her say her own name. And she even did it for her daddy when he got home!

BTW - I received my stroller last week that I won . . . it's so nice. I'll write more about that later!

Burton update

Ellie had a great day today. She was very aware of her "owies" all day and she received lots of kisses from us both. But she wasn't very cranky at all and did remarkably well when we took her into Urgent Care and they put some amazing ointment (Silver Sulfadiazine) on her and bandaged her up. We almost left w/o one tear.

Chris said the left hand had a blister on it the size of a golf ball during the night before popping on it's own. It still has quite a blister, but is healing up nicely.

Ellie "helped" me clean her new dresser today. A neighbor gave it to us . . . unfortunately it has a little bit of sun & water damage since it had been in his truck for 2 weeks and then it rained last night. So in the future I may refinish it - but until then it's great for 2 kids and I already filled the drawers up w/ the new baby's clothes!

This week's task is to set up the bassinet and make sure my bags are packed and ready to go - we're going to have another baby again soon!

baby burns

Ellie had her first major accident last night. Chris was holding her while BBQing and before he had time to think she smacked her hands on the BBQ lid. Poor baby. Her right hand isn't so bad, but the left hand has blisters on it. I had her the first half of the night and Chris has been sleeping w/ her in the recliner since 4am. She cries out in pain every so often. I called my nurse friend before bed to see if there was anything more we could be doing for her - but she let me know besides topical ointments, bandaging and alternating tylenol & motrin there wasn't a whole lot to be done.

The worst of the pain seems to be almost over - then the healing process will be in full swing. It's been a sleepless night - but one I'm glad to have if it means she is being comforted.

counting the days

It's kind of lonely . . . just me and the kid. I've seen plenty of people and we've done plenty of stuff to keep ourselves busy. . . but it's just not the same when evening comes and we are eating dinner w/o Chris. Only 2 more days until he's home and tomorrow I'll talk to him for the first time in two days. He & Micah have been in the wilderness the past two days . . . spoke w/ him briefly on Monday and he'll call tomorrow when he has cell service!

missing daddy

Little Ellie Rose wakes her daddy up most days by going over to our bed, asking to get up and then giving him hugs. Of course, he's not here so we haven't been doing that. Today Ellie took me in there by the finger w/ her moose-puppet on one hand and motioned to be put up on the bed. I put her up there just to see what she would do. It was so sweet - it almost made me cry! She could see he wasn't in bed, but she lifted up the pillow trying to find him.

She's so sweet - I miss him too and can't wait for him to come back . . . soon!

almost the mid-way point!

I am tired . . . Chris has been gone for 6 days now . . . only 5 more days to go.

It's been good. Ellie has a hard time in the evenings . . . she misses her daddy time - but I've had SO much wonderful help! My friend Amy came over twice this week to take her off my hands for a few hours. What an absolute blessing it was! Our friends Mark & Marcy took us out for dinner last night and this Monday she is spending the night at Grandma's. I've had so many other offers of help and am so grateful for them all!

Ellie's sleeping pretty well. I think she may be going through some night terrors b/c she wakes up screaming at least once in the middle of the night and it doesn't take long to calm her down and rock her to sleep - but I hope this doesn't last too much longer!

I've almost accomplished all of my diaper making. Yes, I am making hemp/fleece diapers for the new baby. Prefolds, so they are pretty easy to make and not too time consuming. I think I have about half a dozen to make and I'll be all done!

Now it's off to bed, as soon as I finish one more diaper!

Locked Out

Chris and I locked ourselves out of our house on Saturday. We got home @ 8pm - just in time to put Ellie to bed and then didn't get her into bed until 10pm!

Today Ellie and I were doing some stuff in the garage and when I came back I hung up my keys and decided to go back outside, shutting the door and locking us out AGAIN! That was @ 11am. We got back in @ 12:45. Poor little Ellie . . . she enjoyed herself for the first hour or so, but those last 30 minutes she was crying and knocking on her own door, doing the sign to eat. It was so hard to not be able to explain to her what was going on. She just didn't understand!

Good news is the AAA guy had a key for our house, he let us in and then gave it to us. I don't even have to go get a spare made now!

Favorite Quote of the Day

Chris' words in describing his first impressions of Alaska to me, "It's like Colorado on steroids".

I told him he has to take us all back up there with him one day.

All alone, again. . .

Chris is gone once again! This time for 10 days . . . Chris left this morning to fly to Alaska for my brother Micah's high school graduation. It's supposed to be beautiful up there this time of year AND they are going on a 4 day camping trip at the end of the week.

Almost jealous, except that I definitely would NOT want to be 8 months pregnant on a plane & way up in Alaska.

Food . . . yum!

I LOVE my Deceptively Delicious cookbook! Last night I made the couscous (hidden ingredients were yellow squash & carrots) and everyone LOVED it! I also made peanut butter & banana muffins (hidden ingredient was cauliflower) and they are fabulous!

My freezer now has a container FULL of different purees! It's just like when I made baby food for Ellie!

3rd Trimester Woes

Restless Sleep
Heartburn
Potty Breaks
Swollen Feet
Late Night Cravings
BIG & Tired

Only 5 more weeks to go!

Priceless

First time giving Elizabeth a yogurt pop . . . she LOVED it. Check out more pictures in my gallery - in Ellie @ 15 months!

"Oh Wow!"

That is Ellie's favorite phrase right now. When she gets excited she says it and it's so absolutely adorable.

Ellie LOVES to give kisses - to everyone she sees. When she hurts herself she also comes to me or Chris for kisses . . . so SWEET!

When we ask Ellie to turn around she turns around, and around and around until she gets dizzy and falls down!

And how cute is it when we ask, "where's Elizabeth?" and she covers her face! Today I asked her, as we were walking home, "Where's Elizabeth's house?" and she covered her face . . .

cravings

I just finished my absolute best treat (at least for right now).

Granny Smith Apple (cut into 8ths)
crunchy peanut butter
nutella

Put all on plate together and dip apples into both peanut butter and nutella.

AMAZING.

Now I'm going to bed.

my stroller

Did I mention that I got a double stroller? We bought it on ebay back in December. Found a GREAT deal on an Inglesina. It's an older model but it good condition and maneuvers great w/ one or two children in it. When I went to the Santa Barbara zoo w/ a group of mommies a friend and I used it for her son and Ellie. It moves w/ such ease and doesn't seem as cumbersome as some of the other double strollers out there!

Take a look!

eating

Ellie LOVES to eat frozen whole-wheat mini bagels from Trader Joes. They are GREAT for older babies/toddlers when they are teething.

She also absolutely LOVES hummus . . . loves to dip pita bread into it, loves to eat it w/ her fingers!

Baby's growing!

Last night I was SO hungry . . . I felt like I just needed to keep munching and then the growing pains hit. This little baby must be having a growth spurt! I felt like I couldn't get comfortable all evening long and was feeling a shortness of breath even though I wasn't exerting myself at all!

We are talking to Ellie about the baby more. She can do the sign for baby and she responds very well when she is around and sees little babies. I know it will be quite an adjustment for her, but I feel like she is in a good place to be a big sister. A big sister @ 17 months! I was 7 years before I became a big sister!

Here I go again . . .

Ellie's finally turned the corner in her teething and is doing much better! We had a CRAZY night with her on Thursday night. Shortly after I wrote my last post she began crying and I went in to see how she was doing. We had given her tylenol @ 8pm and it was 8:40. She was bothered by her teeth and so I held her for a bit before she climbed down off my lap and went for the bedroom door. I was curious to see what she would do . . . she walked to the open sliding glass door and walked outside all the way around to our bedroom. She was happy to see her daddy and for the next 15 minutes just wanted to play. Finally we put on a VeggieTale video and she watch 2 of them before getting Motrin @ 10 and going back to bed. At midnight she woke up crying in pain and there was nothing I could do to calm her down. Chris tried giving her a bath - she didn't like that and then they watched an Einstein Video. Finally at almost 1am she crashed and I heard her once more @ 4 and then again @ 5. I was wiped when she woke up @ 8:30 ready to go for the day! But like I said, she's doing much better and the other 2 molars are almost all the way in!

On another note - I LOVE cloth diapering for a variety of reasons and was excited to see an article put out by Time about them. It's a fairly balanced report - feel free to check it out HERE.

Finally, Chris and I spent the evening together. We went out to dinner and then to Barnes & Noble. It was so nice to just hang out w/o the little one running around. We ran into an old friend and caught up w/ him. Then we just sat upstairs and looked at some books. I have decided that I am going to purchase "Deceptively Delicious" by Jessica Seinfeld (recommended by my good friend Amber on her blog Babywearing Buzz). I looked at that cookbook & the two "Sneaky Chef" books and decided I liked the ease and look of Seinfelds book much better. I'll be ordering it online so I'm SUPER excited to get it and start the recipes. If you want to check out some of the recipes for yourself CLICK HERE to go to Oprah's website!

teeth & sleep

Ellie got her 1st two molars . . . I got no sleep last night because of them! She has a temperature today and was not as chipper as normal - but she's made it through and I'll be glad when all the teeth are in!

Last night at 4am I was up rocking Elizabeth and the little one inside was kicking against her . . . I couldn't help but laugh. They are already vying for my attention!

I'm just expecting not much sleep again tonight. . . ah, the life of a mom!

Back to normal . . . sort of

Chris came home last night and the household is beginning to feel like normal again. Ellie enjoyed playing w/ her daddy all morning. They play hide 'n seek on the bed in the mornings - it's cute to watch.

I was able to actually get some projects done while Chris was gone after all. Not as much as I would have anticipated - but that's okay! I'm thankful that I was able to do as much as I could. I'm excited to be sewing again! I'm in the process of making a couple of little girl dresses, a skirt for me, a couple of play toys and hemp/fleece cloth diapers for the new baby.

The dizzy spells that would come and go when I was pregnant w/ Ellie began to emerge again today. I'm getting ready to lay down in a few minutes again. I'm thankful that Chris was home b/c he was able to help w/ the laundry and get us lunch so I could just sit. I had to eat TWO breakfasts this morning. The first one for the baby - the second for me!

High hopes

My husband is gone for a few days in Arizona taking care of some business out there. I was planning on using that time wisely to get some sewing and other projects around the house done. Only problem with that - I became a single parent when he walked out of the door AND oh yeah, I'm pregnant.

Needless to say, I was exhausted last night after Ellie went to bed and after doing the usual clean up of the house I just plopped down on the couch to relax - so much for doing any extra sewing! And tonight doesn't look like it'll be much different. I'll report in in a few days and let ya know whether or not I actually get some of my extra-curricular stuff done!

On another note I did get two of my prizes yesterday from Born Green! I received the mother's milkmate storage system and Charlies soap - which interestingly wasn't even on the list of stuff I won.

All About Ellie

Ellie likes to eat. She is a somewhat picky eater though. And by picky I mean that she likes "good" food. I tried to give her canned veggies the other day and she would have NONE of them. She tried a few and promptly spit them out.

She's picky about her meats too . . . not a huge fan of chicken or beef so I have to shred it into something in order to get her to eat it. I need to try different forms of protein. I think we'll try some tofu - I'll let you know how she likes that!

We went to the zoo today. I took my new double stroller (minus the extra seat) to try it out. It is GREAT! It's not too long, maneuvers wonderfully & has plenty of storage space below. She does try to get out of it when she gets bored - so I've got to keep her moving! We got an Inglesina, used on ebay. It's about 5 years old and shows some wear and tear but for the price we paid I'm happy!

Another thing Miss Elizabeth likes to do is to hide behind the curtains. She will sit (or stand) so still enjoying her "quiet time" until we play along with her. Sometimes she'll be there for 5 - 10 minutes as happy as a lark with her little feet sticking out underneath the curtain.

I WON!!!

You should have heard me here in my house a few minutes ago - I just one the Grand Prize on the latest Born Green Giveaway. Listed below are the things that I won. I am so excited! What fun it is to WIN things :)

1. Baby Planet - Endangered Species Stroller, Monarch Butterfly Edition
2. Jack's Harvest - Gift Certificate Certificate
3. Blessed Nest- Organic Nesting Pillow
4. Laptop Lunch- Laptop Lunch System
5. Mother's Milkmate - BPA Free Breastmilk Storage System
6. Naturepedic - Organic Crib Sheet Set

Now onto my NEXT entry - I'm entering to win 2 fitted cloth diapers and a cover made by Mandi's Menagerie given away by, "From Dates to Diapers". Since I love to cloth diaper I'm ALWAYS looking at what else is out there to make things easier! VERY cute diapers that Mandi makes :)

giveaways

My good friend Amber (baby wearing buzz) told me about a giveaway to the magazine kiwi, dedicated to "green living". I know I would love to win and if you are interested you should check it out too! You'll find the giveaway at Green Kiddos blog. Oh and I loved the quote on the page, "growing natural kids in a not so natural world".

:)

Another giveaway that Amber told me about was the Born Green Giveaway. They have three prizes and I would of course LOVE to win one of them. The link to that one is BABY BUY PRODUCTS - she's got a lot of good information on a lot of different products. Definitely a lot more than I've heard about!

Ellie and babies

A good friend of mine gave birth to her little boy, Micah about 2 weeks ago. He is only 5 lbs 10 oz and we got to take her a meal yesterday and hold her little one! Elizabeth went with me. We had so much fun on the ride there - listening to music, car-dancing and giggling back and forth. When we arrived at Jessica's house I put Ellie down and held Micah for a few minutes - SO TINY! After I handed Micah back Jess and I chatted for a few minutes. Ellie plopped herself down on the floor and put her hands out - obviously indicating that she wanted to hold Micah. I was blown away - it was her very first time seeing a baby that small and she was so enthralled. She also found a baby-doll they had in the house and started carrying it around. I can't wait for her to have her own doll and to see her new baby brother or sister. It's going to be so much fun to see her as a big sister!

teething

Ellie has not been a happy girl lately. I think her molars are coming in and she is a mess - at least when she's awake! The only consolation I have to having a clingy and whiny child is that she is sleeping 12 - 13 hours a night (which is normal) and taking 2 naps during the day adding up to 2 - 4 hours of "me time"!

of trips, fevers, rashes, hair cuts & jury duty

Chris had some work to do on a house out in Arizona this past week so last Tuesday night (the 26th) we drove out to Mesa for a few days. Ellie and I left on Wednesday to visit our good friends Kip 'n Carrie and their two boys an hour south from where Chris was. It was a good visit. At first Caleb (4 1/2) and Joshua (2) were ecstatic to have a little girl around. But after a few days little Josh wasn't as thrilled. "No" he would yell @ her and when we explained that she was just a baby he would frown and say, "not a baby". My favorite thing that happened was when Josh was in the bath and Ellie wanted to get in - Carrie told me to go ahead and after I did Josh looked at me and said, "I don't want her in here". I explained to him that she was going to stay in to which he replied, "I want out". Wish I could have caught that on camera! By Sunday he was back to loving her and being being very tender and sweet with her. What a change!

We gave Ellie bangs . . . I don't have a picture of her new hair cut yet - but I will soon. She was getting frustrated always having hair in her eyes - her hair frames her little face so cute now!

the fever was on Friday - 102.6 but other than being hot she ate well, was a busy little bee and decided that playtime was Friday night from 2 - 3 am (I guess that would really be Sat morning)! She ran a low-grade fever all day on Saturday and by Sunday was doing much better. Then Tuesday morning I took off her pj's to see a light rash all over her little belly and her throat. There's not much that can be done since it's roseola, but I hate to see it all over her!

Chris sent us home on a plane last night - he needed to stay one more day @ the property. I'm @ Jury Duty today - getting "caught up" w/ any and all internet-related things! Elizabeth is hanging out w/ Grandma. It's nice to have a day "off", but I'll be glad to get back to her tonight!

Z Recommends: The Z Report on BPA In Infant Care Products, Third Edition

I LOVE z recommends. It's one of my favorite blogs to check out and has been so helpful in so many areas. One of the things that my eyes have been opened up to since the birth of Ellie is the use of BPA in plastics. If you are interested in reading about it - check it out at the link in the title of this blog.

I'm not going to get into why using BPA-free plastics is important to me - I'll let you do your own reading for yourself if you are interested. But basically the same reason I choose to use organic foods w/ my daughter as much as possible is also the same reason I want her to use plastics that are safe. There are so many toxins in the environment and I know I can't keep her safe from all of them, but at least I can do my best with the things I can control. And according to this article there is a lot more brands out there that are offering "good" plastics now!

Elizabeth @ 13 months

• she "talks" with her hands. She "says" please, more, eat, all done, book, ball (which looks the same as more!) and up. For anything else she want to convey to us she points and says "uh"
  

• she turn the lights off in her room and then shuts her door so she's in the dark
• she is TERRIFIED of the vacuum cleaner and the humidifier. She's getting less frightened of the drain in the tub
• she currently is very "attached" to mommy - but I found today that putting her in my ergo carrier on my back works wonders!
• She LOVES to blow on my growing belly and poke belly buttons of anyone who'll let her!
  

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog site. We'll see how much I use this! I enjoy checking out other peoples blogs and there are a few blogs and sites that I absolutely love which is what really drove me to make my own blog. I really want to share with others the things that I am excited and passionate about and thought that this is the easiest way for me to do it! Plus for those that live far away I hope to take the time to give updates on what is happening in the Burton household!