JCP Professional Pics and Zooo Booo Event

Mike and I had a 10am appt at JCP to have professional pics taken of us for our Christmas cards. I bought the $25 Groupon that included 3 digital and 2 printed sheets. We got dressed up in red, black and white coordinating outfits. It was very weird though getting there. Apparently the store didn't open till 11am, so we went to the wrong door twice before finally going to the correct door. Then someone had to come down and let us in. She had the wrong elevator key and had also locked herself out of the stairwell, so someone else had to come get us. Mike had to walk the strolled up the stairs while I carried Jemma. We finally got in and got ready and had the pics taken. Jemma was not in a very good mood and was quite fussy! All she wanted was to be held by her daddy. It was cute but hard to get pics of her alone. We ended up getting a few good ones, but I didn't buy any extra. I kept bribing her with yogurt crunchies. They also put a stack of three boxes as a prop and all she wanted to do was play with them. Take their lids off and put them inside each other! It was cute but not great for pictures, so some of the pictures were just a mess of boxes. She was very leery of the photographer at first but then she started playing with a teddy bear and Jemma took quite a liking to that teddy bear.

Then after that we went to the Baltimore Zoo for their Zoo Booo Event. Jemma didn't get much sleeping in the car between the two things, but it turned out ok. She has a blast at the zoo. She loved the zebras and rhinos and giraffes and elephants and called the leopards and cheetahs "kitty-cats." We dressed her up as a turtle. She did pretty good in the stroller but we had to take her out a bunch to let her see the animals. She was running around the park like a loon though and loving it. She really does like looking at animals. We didn't realize that the Halloween part was at the front of the park, so we didn't see it till our way out when the park was an hour from closing. We still went in and Jemma did her first trick-or-treating! She got good at grabbing the candy out of the baskets but didn't say trick-or-treat or thank you. She also went through a straw maze with her daddy and got to pick a free little pumpkin out of the "pumpkin patch" which was just a hay area. Overall, it was a nice day for Jemma and us.

I was exhausted when I got home though! I was so sore and that evening when Jemma went running across the sofa, I tried to grab her and couldn't get up! I think spending a day at the zoo is not a good idea for me anymore :)

Patted on the Couch

When I got home from work today, Jemma was sitting next to my mom on the couch watching TV. My mom told Jemma to tell Mommy to come sit next to her. She looked at me and patted the cushion next to her as if telling me to sit next to her. We do that to her all the time and it was sooo cute when she did it back to us!

Crazy Night! New Doors and Meat Program!

So last night was crazy ...

Meat Program:
My parents had a company come out to give us a spiel on a meat delivery program. My mom saw them online and because of her new diet, she thought it was a good idea. The company is Passanante's. The concept seems pretty interesting although I am still confused on the money aspects of it. The guy brought meat with him and we cooked a pork chop. Basically it was around $400 per month for 6 months and they deliver all the meat at the same time and we get a full size freezer as well. We spend around $600 a month on food, so that still leaves us about $200 left to spend to get any extras (milk, eggs, etc.). We will have to see after 6 months whether we are saving money or not. Mike figured out where in the garage the freezer will go, my mom broke the news to him about the freezer instead of me.

Mom's New Diet
So my mom started a personal training program at Fulton Kettlebells that includes some 30 day cleanse type diet, although she calls it a lifestyle change. Basically for the next 30 days, she eats absolutely no carbs or dairy. That was one of the reasons for the meat delivery above. She is learning all about what to cook with and what not to cook with. They are cooking with coconut oil now and making their own taco seasoning. They also started buying their meat at Whole Foods. She has only been on it about 3 days, so we will see how it goes, but hopefully it will be for the best for all of us :) She still makes carbs that the rest of us can eat but she doesn't. Dr. Kalikhman said Mike needs to cut back on carbs anyway, so it is all good timing. 

New Doors
While at the Home Show on Saturday, I made one appt for West Shore Windows and Doors to come out on Tuesday since that is the one day a week Mike gets home from work early. Of course Jemma was super fussy around 6:45 and the meat guy was still at our house. I took Jemma up to bed and put her into bed and sure enough, right as I was sitting down to eat a little dinner, the door guy showed up. I showed him the 6 doors we were looking to replace (the breakfast nook, 2 living room, office, garage, and front door). He was nice enough but of course it turned into one of those sales pitches where he told us we had to sign today or we wouldn't get the best deal. The initial quote was high (somewhere around $2500 for the garage, $7500 for the two sliders, $1200 for the window, $3500 for the glass living room door and $13,000 for the front door!). The front door went down to around $8000 when I took off all the decorative glass. We got a 10% discount from the home show if we purchased in the next 30 days. The garage door didn't make sense and the front door was completely out of the budget. Since we didn't know yet what we were doing about the living room doors, we looked at just the two sliders, since they are the most important anyway. We were suckers and signed on the dotted line yesterday after he reduced the price to around $5400 for the two doors installed. They seem to be pretty good doors and they come with a lifetime warranty. They are triple paned, argon filled doors that are fiberglass and so hopefully will never have any problems and will be much more energy efficient. They were more than we budgeted but seem to be good doors. At around 11pm, he was still there and I went to bed, I was exhausted and Mike finished up the paperwork and my parents wrote a check for 30% down.

 

Finally a second tooth!

We finally got visual confirmation of a second tooth!! She got her first tooth at 10.5 months and she just got her second tooth at 13.5 months. This one is on the top, right above the one on the bottom. She really is going to be a little jack-o-lantern. You know how they get carved with just one tooth on the top and one on the bottom? :)

She is no longer our "1-tooth wonder" :) She was getting really good at using that one tooth though.

I guess that explains the trouble sleeping and the diaper rash lately. In general, if this is teething, it really isn't that bad :) 

Night diaper issues again

So we went a while with having no issues, then 4 nights ago they started again. The first two nights, she had peed through her diaper again and her front was wet and we had to change all the sheets. Then the next night, she woke up at 4:30 and Mike changed her diaper and she went back to sleep. She wasn't we at all in the morning. Then last night, she woke up at 2:30am soaked and Mike had to change her diaper and her outfit then she went back to sleep pretty easily. Not sure what to do anymore ... :/

She knows how to tease ...

So last night she was sitting in her high chair and really wanted my watch so I gave it to her. She was having a blast putting it on and off her wrist. Then she tried to eat it and I said no and pulled it away from her mouth. She tried again and I repeated. She knew she shouldn't be putting it in her mouth and I kept telling her yucky. Then she stuck out her tongue (which she does a lot when we say yucky from her yummy yucky book) and started to tease lick it and put it in her mouth! She would try and get a quick lick then smile about it! Crazy kid ...

Dud of a Carshow then Dunkin Donuts

Mikes dad told him about a carshow in Clarksville every Sunday near 32 and 29, so we got dressed and drove over that direction. But we found nothing! Maybe the season was over. So we ended up driving around for a little while until deciding to go to Dunkin Donuts for a late breakfast. The guy gave Jemma 2 free munchkins, which Mike ate most of. But Jemma loved the bagel with cream cheese!

Jemma has a third word!! DOG!!

So Jemma finally has a third word and it's Dog! She now points at Silky and says "dog." Sometimes the G comes out better than other times. I wonder what her 4th word is going to be

Meet Up at Clarks Elioak Farm

So the Columbia Moms Meet up group had their fall Meet and Greet at Clarks Elioak farm in Clarksville, it started at 10am and we were running late, so we didn't get there till around 10:30 by the time we waited in line to pay to get in. This was the first thing we had to pay for Jemma to do! It was $5 for anyone over 1 and so she cost us $5 ... Mike tried to make me lie about her age but I'm a sucker ..

Most of the older babies were already off by the time we got to the tables and I talked a little to the younger babies mommies while Mike chased Jemma around. Then we went off to enjoy the park. It was mainly Mike and I walking around with Jemma but we hung out with some of the other mommies sometimes too.

Jemma had a blast! She loved climbing on all the Enchanted Forest statues. And she loved looking at the animals. She LOVED the sheep and was jumping up and down and squealing with delight at them. The goats licked all over her face and she got to feed them. We didn't have a quarter to buy the food, so we had to pick some food off the ground for her to feed them.

We left around 12:30, so we were there for just under 3 hours. Jemma was asleep on the way home and Mike carried her into the crib where she took a nice long nap after that.

Wee Sale Greenbelt then Outback

After work I met my mom at the Wee Sale in Greenbelt, traffic kinda sucked getting there. It was practically empty too. I ended up getting a few things: 3 winter outfits for Jemma, one dress for Kenzie and 2 toys. It came to $40 which I thought was a little high, but cheaper than getting them new. Jemma was a little fussy there and we let her run around for a little while. Afterwards, we met Mike and my dad at Outback for dinner. The food was good but Jemma would not for the life of her sit still in the high chair. We were in a booth and she was between Mike and me and we spent the entire dinner feeding her, taking stuff away from her, or occupying her. I wonder at what age they start to sit still in a high chair and eat nicely ... ??

Columbus Day Girls Crafting Weekend

So, as usual, I went away for a scrapbooking/crafting weekend for the long Columbus Day weekend. That meant that Mike got to watch Jemma the entire weekend although my mom watched her when Mike worked Monday. The weekend turned out to be a lot of fun!

8 people went on the trip: me, Becky, Alyssa, Lauren, Candice, Joanna, Liz, and Becca. Me, Becky and Lauren did scrapbooking. Candice did digital scrapbooking. Joanna and Liz did knitting. Alyssa did jewelry making and Becca just brought a book to review and came to hang out. I think everyone was pretty productive. I know Becky finished everything she planned to get done!

I brought Jemma's first year scrapbook and by the end of the weekend, she was just leaving the hospital so I didn't get done nearly as much as I hoped. But that's ok, a lot of the layouts were more involved than I planned. Plus I hadn't printed out any pics, so I spent most of Saturday sorting out pics to send to Rite Aid.

The weather wasn't too nice and rained most of the time, but that was ok since we spent most of the time inside. We did go out on Saturday for a short hike to the Welcome Center and through the golf course.

I used my points to get two 2-bedroom units in Massanutten in Woodstone. They worked out perfect. We ended up having 2 sort of separate weekends because it seemed like Becky and Alyssa didn't want to hang out with us (it was weird) so the 5 of us were in 1 room and Becky and Alyssa were alone in the other room until Lauren showed up on Sunday around lunch.

We watched tons of movies: Les Mis, Titanic, Dirty Dancing, etc.

It was quite a fun weekend!

Doctor Appt

I will be 32 weeks on Sunday, less than 2 months to go :) I had a doctors appt this morning and I am now at the point of doctors appts every 2 weeks.

I have been getting quite a bit of contractions as well and the doctor said as long as I don't get more than 4 an hour and they go away when i rest that I shouldn't be concerned. I am not as sore as I was a few weeks ago which has been nice. But I have been much more tired as well and I feel I need to go to bed much earlier.  Overall, i am feeling pretty good though!

Just at big as when I gave birth last time

We were comparing pics last night and I am as big now as I was last pregnancy when I gave birth! Not good ... I weigh as much too ... 170 lbs. Half my maternity clothes don't fit anymore. I can't imagine getting any bigger. People constantly ask me if I am due any day now or if I am expecting twins!

3 Hour Glucose Test

I failed my 1 hour glucose test and so I had to go back in earlier this week for the 3 hour :/ That kind of sucked but I passed, which is good! Apparently it is an unspoken rule that you are not supposed to go in for the 1 hour test after lunch (oh well ...). The lady at Labcorp even told me I would fail and, sure enough, I did, but only barely (I had a 137 and passing is 139 but they like to see over 129). The 3 hour was rough and they told me during my 4th blood draw that usually they use the butterfly needles (smaller ones) but they only had 2 left and were saving them for children. I still have bruises from all the needle sticks, apparently it really does make a difference if you press on the spot after they take the needle out. I did that on one of the sticks and that is the only one that didn't bruise.

Pumpkin Festival with the Cohens

So Mike and I met the Cohens at Butler's Orchard at 10am to check out the Fall Festival. It was really neat and something we should definitely do again next year! Jemma had a blast! We first took the hay ride to the pumpkin patch. It was a real honest to god hay ride where the bed of the trailer was just filled with loose hay and we sat in it. Jemma of course tried to eat the hay and being 7 months pregnant, it was a little hard for me to get in and out of the hay. The pumpkin patch was fun and Jemma and Max ran around together. Becca and Bret were a little concerned about Benjy being in the sun and so they were trying to keep him covered. Mike went through the kiddie maze with Jemma. We tried to put her in the corn box (like a sand box but with corn kernels) and she cried every time and hated it! We got lunch there, which was a bit of a rip-off but the caramel apples were really good! We did rubber ducky races with Jemma and checked out the animals. She loves animals. Becca and Bret left around lunch because Max was getting tired and they wanted to get Benjy out of the sun. It was a really hot day for it being October!! It was almost 90 out! We will have to go again next year :)

Odenton Yardsale and Highland Festival

So I signed up for the Odenton yardsale at Candice's condo complex. I didn't spend as much time getting ready as I should have, but life is just busy right now.

There was a good turnout at the yardsale, but it was hot, early and in the middle of a parking lot. Mike worked that day, so it was up to me. My mom helped me price things out on Friday night and Mike loaded everything in the car. I was told to bring 1 table and the MP would bring the rest. I didn't know that meant that I would just get 1 table. Oh well. I made it work. I should have packed a second one though. I woke up early with Mike and we got Jemma ready. I took the pack and play too for her to hang out in, although, of course, she hated being in it. We had to take turns walking her around. I forgot sunscreen too which was bad. We put a crib sheet over the top of the pack and play to keep her shaded and towards the end we moved the pack and play over under a tree in the shade. She was like a zoo animal in the playyard and lots of kids came up to look at her, it was pretty cute actually. After a while, she fell asleep in the stroller, thankfully, just in time to pack up the car. 

I made about $70. I think the problem is that I brought mostly clothes, which didn't sell well. I only had 1 table of stuff. If I would have sold everything else I brought (except clothes) I think I would have only made around $110-$120. So I did pretty good when I consider that.

I knew it before this, but I think I am finally sold on the fact that yardsales just aren't worth it. Its really not worth me selling a shirt at a yardsale for less than $2-$3 cause I can get more back if I donate it for a tax receipt. Plus even if I made $200, the amount of time I spent driving there, setting up, selling stuff, packing up, getting ready, etc (8 hours Saturday + 4-5 hours getting ready = 12-13 hours of my time) is ~$15/hour and by the time you subtract out what I could get by donating and getting a tax refund would probably work out to <$7/hour, which just isn't worth my time. Especially when i consider the stress on Friday night to get everything packed up after Jemma went to bed just isn't worth it. I could have just spent 1-2 hours itemizing it, loading it in the car and donating it to goodwill and be done with it. I should have taken the stuff that didn't sell on Saturday to goodwill so I could get a donation receipt but I didn't feel like it, I just wanted to get rid of it. Freecycle is good too cause then at least I know whoever picks it up really wants it and will use it which is always a concern of mine when I donate things to goodwill.

After the yardsale, Jemma and I went to the Highland festival where my parents were volunteering at a Neighbor Ride booth. I parked along the street and walked, it was rough going with a stroller. We first ate lunch at Boarmans Deli and it felt really good to sit and relax for a bit. Then we walked around the festival. They had a really great childrens area with a petting zoo that Jemma seemed to have a good time in. She followed around a turtle that was the size of her for a while! We then said hi to the NR people before heading home.

Earlier Bed Time and Fussy in the Evenings

So starting about 3 days ago, Jemma started getting extremely fussy in the evenings and so we had no idea what was wrong other than that she was tired. So we started putting her to bed earlier. So for the last 3 nights in a row she has gone to bed around 7:30pm and slept 11-12 hours straight! She is also taking earlier naps and sometimes shorter as well (1.5 - 2 hours) and anywhere from 11-12:30. She is definitely down to 1 nap a day now.