Today marks the 14th week since I started doing a stroller boot camp with a group of my friends. That is by far the longest I've ever stuck to an exercise routine. I'm pretty proud of myself!! We take the kiddos to Mills Park, strap them in the stroller, and away we go. It's a full hour of running along with a few stops to do more toning type of work. We use these nifty bands and end up working out our entire body. I feel really great and energetic after doing it. We started out at two times a week. Last month we stepped it up to three a week and in November we will move up to 4 per week. In addition to the boot camp I'm also taking one ballet class a week plus one rehearsal per week. I used to get really out of breath during rehearsals and after doing boot camp and returning to rehearsal I have definitely noticed a huge difference in my fitness level. I can also notice a change in my body. I haven't lost any weight (really that's about my eating habits, not how hard I've been working out) but I can see how my body is changing for the better. My arm muscles are definitely getting stronger and have more tone, my back is getting firmer and has lost one of it's ungodly rolls (HOORAY!!) my legs are getting a nice tone on and the best of all...I don't get out of breath or tired when I play with the girls. I can run up and down the street with them and dance and sing with them and I hardly even break a sweat. Last year at this time I couldn't say the same thing. It's so much easier to love this bigger body of mine when I'm working out and feeding it the right foods because I know I'm healthy and strong even if my jeans are a size 14 :)

We took the girls to Corley Ranch today. This was more for Lainey than Emilee I think. Em's been a lot of times before and I think she's getting a little old for it. But, this is Lainey's first year that she'll even remember going and boy will she remember it! Today is that day that Lainey rode a real live horse for the very first time. If you know Lainey you know how big of a deal that is! She loved riding the horse and she loved brushing the miniature horse. Loved it so much I'm pretty sure we did just that for over an hour.

I've decided...this is THE cycle for me to get pregnant. I got the first month out of the way and now it's really time to focus on that little bean that will be in my belly very soon! Heidi gave me a fertility rock today. I'm taking that as a good sign and she said she got pregnant with it just a couple days after her brother gave it to her. Now, I know I won't be pregnant in just a couple of days. I still have about 13 until I ovulate:) I can't wait to see those two pink lines in a few weeks!!

That's what we are. Nuts. Nuts in the Nutcracker :) It's a lot different this year and we're enjoying the change! Rehearsals all day for Emilee and I've been enjoying my Thursday night romp with the crew :) This is the 21st Nutcracker Pinkerton Ballet Theatre has put on! I was in the first:)

really. It was. Thought about taking just one more test today (13-14 dpo) and took one look at my nipples and decided I didn't need to. Those big juicy blue veins are all but gone. So after I pee I wipe and what is on the paper??? The bright red witch. It's a little unusual for her to be bright red and for her to start in the morning...but she's here! I know my body isn't playing such a trick on me that I would bleed at my regular period time and still be pregnant. So...I'm looking forward to next cycle. I am glad I kept a record of all the symptoms I was having so I can remember that they are totally normal and do not in any way mean I am pregnant.

Symptoms during my 13 day LP...
tender breasts
vein-y breasts
tingly breasts
cramping
burping
loud farts
heart burn
nausea
constipation
lower back pain
gallbladder attack
hard time urinating

I also want to note some pms symptoms that I have regularly but were noted more this month...
1 day before af
watery cm, wet feeling in panties
cramps
let down type of feeling
bitchy
Day of AF
crampy
moody
bloated



I'll be keeping my eye out for these symptoms during my LP every month now...just to see how I'm really feeling during that time. I must really not have been paying attention to myself during the LP the last couple of years because I do not remember feeling any of that stuff. At all. It's why I was convinced for a while that I was pregnant. I'm glad I have a month of looking at my body's signals to compare to next month!

Two other things I'll do differently this cycle...ovulation predictors and no early pregnancy testing. No hpts early because it's just not worth it wondering if I really WILL get that positive even though I already have the negative. AF showing her ugly head is the best/only indicator of pregnancy so I'm going to stick with that "test" instead. The opks...well, I'm going to use those this month instead of temping. I am just not getting enough sleep in the early morning to take an accurate temp. If I don't get pregnant this cycle I will try to figure out a way to get a good temp so I can chart and see if I'm even really ovulating. Who knows...breastfeeding may be keeping me from the big 'O' anyway.

I'm excited for this next cycle! 'O' should be right around my birthday! I think a positive pregnancy test two weeks later should be the best birthday present I could ask for :)

that's what I've decided to be this two week wait. I can be confident that this will work and optimistic...I know that it's very possible that it won't work this week but I think we have a good chance of it happening. Why wouldn't it? I have a great track record of getting pregnant on the first try. The only time it took months was with Lainey and I think it was because I was 4 months post pardum when we started trying. Of course my body didn't want to get pregnant right away lol. So for today I'm feeling very hopeful that it worked!

I do have to say that having the post an entry page as my home page might just work. I hit that home button at least twice a day and when I see this screen pop up I think oh yeah! I should post. Hopefully this will keep up longer than a week ;)

Scot is going with some friends to cut firewood today. This will be their third day out there (not in a row). He seems to really like it and I have to admit it turns me on a little to have such a manly man around the house now:) When we bought this house a big reason was because it had a wood burning stove. We love it! I love heating our house with wood that my husband worked very hard to bring home to us. He's such an amazing guy. I can't believe he puts up with all my crap and is still the nicest husband I've ever heard of. I am soooo lucky! He's even excited about trying for another baby even though he can see how crazy we all are with only two kids lol! Now, if only I could get myself motivated to get going on the school room! I need to get a project done around here...I just can't seem to motivate myself.

so I'm going to try to trick myself into posting more...I've now set my post an entry page as my home page. So. Every time I click on the home button I will be reminded that I want to blog more. We'll see how it works:)

Outside my Window...the beginnings of a beautiful sunset and the forester pulling up the drive

I am thinking...I'm glad Scot is home with dinner...we had such an exciting day I forgot to eat. We started out with a playdate at Sarah and Jimmy's house. Lainey was super clingy but had a good time. Emilee stayed home with Scot and made a cute mask while Scot worked on Halloween decorations. Then we decided on an impromtu trip to the sprinkler park all the way out in Spanish Springs. A good 45 minute drive away. The girls slept on the way and the trip was worth it. Hopefully we can get something like this park here in Carson...that would be great. On the way home from the sprinklers we stopped at whole foods and picked up a few boxes of 'crazy bugs' mac and cheese for Emilee who loves to make this for herself. Scot took Lainey to pick up pizza for dinner and Emilee has ditched us for her friend and open house at the school down the street...

From the school room... we haven't started official "unofficial" school yet but I have been online gathering ideas. I plan on using a lot of ideas from the waldorf curriculum I purchased last year

I am thankful...for two beautiful girls and the man who made them with me

From the kitchen... boring tonight...papa murphys but I've found some amazing real foodie blogs and I'm going to be stealing their recipes from now on~
Our loose menu plan includes:

* Beef Kabobs with Bell Peppers and Mushrooms with Tzatziki Sauce and a Greek Salad
* Roast Chicken with green beans with balsamic tomatoes, basil and bacon
* Ina's Chopped Liver with Nut Thins


I am creating...canned good for our winter pantry

I am wearing...brown sundress and a booby monkey on my shoulder

I am reading...My Life in France by Julia Child

I am hearing. . . .my husband bitching about something like beer

Around the house... messy today but will be clean tomorrow!
One of my favorite things...chocolate smiles from the booby monkey

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week ...baby shower, dinner with amazing women, hair cut, learning some new recipes



A Picture Thought to share

Have a great day!

So...yesterday Lainey said penguin. Perfectly. On the first try. Now, she won't do it again, but yesterday she said it over and over. Thankfully Scot was there otherwise I would think I was looney toons! She pretty much tries to say anything we say. When I'm away from the computer I think of all these wonderful things she says that astonish me every day. Then I come and sit here and I've got nothing. I need to keep a pad with me so I can write this stuff down.

Emilee is turning into such a reader. She's now reading in the morning before I get up, before we leave for school, in the car on the way to school, and in the car on the way home. Plus, of course, at school. Then when we get home she plays for a while and then heads for the books. I love that her school doesn't give any homework (it's a charter Montessori school) so she can spend hours reading in the afternoon as she wishes. That is exactly how I was as a kid. I get tears every time I see her. I love it!

I really am trying to get in the habbit of coming back here every day or so. Not because I think anyone is reading here, I don't think anyone is. But, I do want to have some sort of record of our daily lives. I know the girls will appreciate it and so will my brain when I'm trying to remember things.

I don't have much time at the moment so I'm going to leave a list here for when I come back tonight.

Earth Day festival
Paula and Duncan's
Lainey's talking

I really want to come here everyday and write down little snippets of what's going on, but I never do. I don't know why. I think about it all the time. I need a sticky on my screen or something.

We're all doing great! Emilee had her 7th birthday earlier this month and Lainey is going to be 19 months tomorrow. Emilee is turning into such a lovely young lady. I'm really enjoying our time together now. Two weeks ago I would have been complaining about her crazy behavior and how all she does is do the opposite of what we ask. Now that her 7yr developmental surge is over she's come out on the other side beautifully! As I knew she would. She's so funny and smart and caring. She's really doing well at her Montessori School and is reading at a third grade level now. It's so fun to see her curled up in a chair reading a book. Honestly, for the longest time I thought she was just looking at the pictures, but now I realized that she is really reading all those books! She's doing this book worm proud:)

Little Elaina is growing and learning every day! Lucky for me her developmental surge and teething at the same time. The surge is over and the teething still remains. We've even broken out the motrin a couple times. But, now she's got two mollars on the top and two more coming in on the bottom and she's having a great time chewing and practicing. She's also having a great time communicating with us because she tries to say pretty much every word we do. It's almost like we have conversations just like Emilee and I do, except I really can't understand all of what she says. She's been saying things like Kitty and mommy and daddy since she was about 6 months, but now she says yes, no, sorry, please, thank you, thanks, nonna, bopa, bopbop (grandma grandpa and my brother's nicname is bopbop) Emilee, Katie, Todd, she knows all of her friends names, oww hurt, airplane, bye bye, cookie, chocolate, apple, cheese, water, more, baby, poop, pee pee, the list really does go on and on. Oh yeah, I think she's going to potty train soon. She talks potty talk all the time! Every time she goes in her diaper she tells me, and she has to watch me go all the time and talk about what I'm doing. It's been interesting the last couple of days because my *little visitor* has been here too. I'm excited at the prospect of no diapers by the time she's two, but a little sad too. I love those cloth diapers and I don't want to stop yet. And I don't know how I'm going to find her pants that fit her waist and in length too. She's only 18lb and can still wear 6 months around the waist, but then her pants would be capri's because she's tall too. She's still a nursing fiend and I'm loving it.

I was planning on adding pics to this, but I haven't uploaded anything in a while so I'll come back and do that in a bit when the wee one is taking her nap....

Miss Lainey is 15 months old now. I can't believe how fast time has gone, yet she's been with us forever it seems. I can't believe how much older she seems than I thought 15months was. I guess it's because Emilee wasn't even walking yet (she was taking steps sometimes, but didn't actually walk all the time until a few days after 16 months). Lainey has been walking since 12 months. 15 month old Lainey can do things like blow kisses, wave bye-bye, run, climb, slide all by herself, eat with utensils, help me bake, help me sweep. The cutest thing that she's started to do recently is initiate games. The other day Lainey was walking around with a cookie in her hand. I was sitting on the couch and she comes up and sets the cookie on the cushion and stands there and waits. I (being the piggy that I am) reach to pick up the cookie and Lainey snatches it back and runs a small distance away laughing hard. So, of course I laugh hard too because it's the cutest thing in the world. Then she comes back and sets the cookie down to start the whole thing over and over again. It was so cute because she started it all on her own.

Last night as Scot was leaving for work he came into the livingroom and gave Emilee a kiss good-bye. Lainey was sitting next to Em on the couch and when she saw Scot kiving Em a kiss she scooched closer to him and started making kissy sounds because she wanted a kiss too. That was the first time she'd ever asked for a kiss.

Also last night as the girls and I were finishing up another thrilling episode of AFV I turned off the tv and announced "time for bed!". Emilee groans of course, but Lainey perks up with a grin on her face, runs to the bedroom and tries to climb up on the bed. She's never done that before either. It was so cute, I can't wait to see if she'll do it again tonight:)

I just wanted to record this here because I'm very proud of myself! We recieved our test scores on Tuesday and I got a 94%. I missed 6 of the multiple choice questions, otherwise I would have recieved a 100! The three short answer questions I got 10pts each for. The highest points possible!! For the 1 page essay I recieved 36 pts, also the highest amount possible. He even said only a couple people recieved full points for the essay and it had to be really good to get full points especially if you chose the question that I did because it was the easiest question LOL. It's silly, I know, but I can't help feeling really excited about this score. I never really did well in school, and I know it's because I never aplied myself the way I know I am now. It feels very good to get an A (ok A- LOL).

Lainey has four new teeth. And she got them all at the same time. I didn't even know she was getting them. Last time she was teething it was a 4 month nightmare. I'm not even kidding. A few months ago I bought this for her hoping that it would easy some of her discomfort. Well, I don't know if it was really the teething necklace or not, but Lainey pretty much cut those 4 new teeth without a whimper. I mean there was some crankiness here and there, but what baby isn't cranky sometimes? All I know is we're not taking that necklace off until she's 18 LOL.

I have a midterm tomorrow. I haven't taken a test in over 10 years. I'm a little nervous, but not as much as I would have been 10 years ago. I'm going to be burning the midnight oil tonight with studying though. There are a few multiple choice questions and several short answer (2 paragraphs) and one essay. The short answer and essay questions will be based on our weekly reading of different articles on different cultures in Anthropology. I think I'll do pretty good in this section. Each week we are required to read the assigned article and respond with our own opinion on the article in a one page essay. So far I have received full credit for each response, so I think I'll be doing ok on this portion of the test. The multiple choice questions are based on the textbook and the professor handed out some glossary terms that I'll be committing to memory (at least until after the test tomorrow) sometime tonight. So...wish me luck!

It's also Nutcracker Season! This year Emilee has three parts. This is especially exciting because the last three years she's only had one. I'm still doing the party scene which is tons of fun! Two of my closest friends are also *party moms* with me and we usually get together and have a margarita (or two) before we go to rehearsal. It's a lot of fun. I love that I still get to dance in the Nutcracker and that I get to do a fun activity with Emilee. This year in addition to dancing on our local stage, we're also going to be dancing on stage at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno. The stage there is the second largest in the world and was home to amazing shows like Hello Hollywood Hello. It's been a dream of our dance studio's to perform the Nutcracker on this stage since it started in 1987 (I danced in that first show and 10 others after that and re-joined the cast in 2005). It's an exciting time of year for us and lots of nostalgic moments for me!

Well, it's finally here! My little Lainey is finally walking. I know she's only 12 months old and she's not late at walking (Emilee didn't walk until she was 16 months, still not late, just a bit later), but my back is certainly saying It's About Freaking Time! Since Lainey was about 9 months she's been dragging me through our house by the fingers. That girl loved to walk every where, as long as my pointer's were perfectly placed in her hands. I attribute a portion of my recent 25lb weight loss to all of that walking (the other portion goes to the must-eat-every-hour-nursathons Lainey has on an almost nightly basis).

Lainey's been taking a few steps here and there starting before her first birthday, but they usually seemed kind of forced. Liked she really hated every step we *MADE* her take. Because of this hatred for walking on her own I never really pushed it figuring she would do it when she was ready to. Well, she's finally ready. Yesterday and today she has been standing up on her own and walking to lots of places. Last night she walked from our bed into the living room and tonight she walked from the big chair in the living room to Emilee in the bathroom. All on her own, without anyone begging her.

I'm very proud of my little girl. I'm also *really* looking forward to her getting into everything. Really! I am...

I know it's been too long. I don't think anyone reads this anyway, but I need to come here and write so that I can remember everything that is going on. I really wanted to post my newest tattoo. I found a shirt on-line that had a picture very similar to the one I had put on my arm. Because I've finally been loosing weight (25lb down 25 to go!) the shirt hasn't been fitting as nicely as I would like, so I decided to have it permanently inked into my skin. I really wanted something to represent my relationship to breastfeeding, not only little miss Lainey, but also my effort to become a La Leche League leader and as a member of our city's breastfeeding task force. The task force is a group of women that is working to get breastfeeding more welcome in our city. Our first project is getting the local businesses to hang the international sign for breastfeeding in their windows so women will know they are welcome to feed their babies and they know that it's safe and they will be supported if anyone does say something. I'm honored to be a part of it and thrilled that breastfeeding Lainey has gone so well and we've been at it for over a year now. One year and eight days to be exact!

Anyway, here it is....




I think she's beautiful. She's even more lovely now that she's all healed and the rose is a much deeper red and her cheeks and lips aren't quite so *pink*. I have plans for many more tattoos, a lot of them having to do with birth and my daughters. I also have a trip to LA in the works and am working on an appointment with someone at LA INK (not on tv though;). I'm very excited for this and it will be a treat to myself after I loose those other 25lb!

My husband is amazing! He really is. At this very moment he is out shopping at Trader Joe's with miss Lainey while Emilee is at school. That means that I am at home by myself with nothing to do but relax. I get to relax you see, because my wonderful husband picked up the house before he left too. Oh and did I mention I took a two hour nap with the little miss this morning while he did the picking up? Like I said, he's amazing!!

It's been a long time hasn't it? I haven't even gone back to see when the last time I posted was. I know that I was still pregnant and was trying to find a new midwife. Well, I found her and I had the most amazing birth I could have expected. Actually it was exactly how I pictured it to be, which is pretty amazing and a little freaky. I'm happy to announce that we have a baby girl! Elaina Marlee was born September 19, 2006. On International Speak Like a Pirate Day!!! This announcement is a bit late, as our daughter is now six months old! Her birth was amazing and came on the day that Emilee and I both predicted.

I started having contractions around 3am after doing a little nipple stimulation the night before. Who knows if that's what got things going or not. I was one week and one day late! Finally, I got to go to the end of a pregnancy and a little past! Exactly what I wanted, although by the time I was late I was so ready to have that baby:)

Contractions continued throughout the day but never got very regular. Around 8am, Scot, Emilee and I went for a walk around the neighborhood. I was the stereotypical pregnant woman stopping every so often to sway through a contraction. By the time we got home I was ready to lay down and try to get some sleep for a while. I slept in between contractions until about 10am then I was up for the rest of the day. Around 12:30 I decided to call Suzanne (my wonderful midwife) and let her know things were going on. I had tried to feel my cervix several times and couldn't feel anything that I could distinguish as anything. She was on a hike and would head back to her house and pick up her assistant and her apprentice and be on her way. I decided to get somethings done around the house to get ready, like fold laundry. The contractions were strong but very manageable and still weren't regular. At 1:30 Susanne called me to let me know she was on her way down the mountain and I told her I was folding laundry. She said when she got here she didn't believe I was really in labor after I told her that LOL. Once Susanne got here I had her check me just so I could know what I was feeling when I was checking myself. It turns out I was in labor and I was 6cm dilated. Whoohoo! Susanne and her "entourage" sort of just blended in to the background and let me do my thing. I hung out with Emilee for a while and watched Snow White on the birth ball. For some reason the birth ball made the contractions stop, but every time I would get up to do something I would have a big one. Finally the tub was ready and I got in at 4pm. Once I got in the tub I kicked into active labor. I pretty much spent from 4-6 moaning and mooing like a cow. What an amazing pain reliever moaning is!!! I couldn't have done this at home with out making a sound. Around 6 I asked Susanne to check me because I was feeling pushy. I was 9cm with a little lip. I decided to get out of the tub and sit on the toilet for a while. Holy CRAP!!! I will never in my life do that again LOL. I lost control a bit when I sat on the toilet but once I gained it back again I went to our bed to rest a bit before I pushed. I was planning on a water birth, but getting out and on the bed just seemed right to me. My daydreams of the birth were always of laboring in the tub in the living room in the late afternoon sunlight and giving birth on the bed we had made our baby in. I think I layed on the bed for about 15 minutes before I really felt ready to push. Susanne tried to get me to push on my side since I had already been laying that way, but on my hands and knees is where I really felt comfortable. Seven minutes after I started pushing miss Lainey made her entrance....in the caul! I couldn't believe it! We thought my water had broken in the tub, but when I started pushing we realized that it hadn't broken at all. So, Lainey had a water birth anyway :) I wasn't thrilled about it at the time because it pretty much felt like I pushed out two heads. First I pushed out the bulging sack and then Lainey's head, tons of fun I tell you:) After that is pretty much a blur now. Susanne helped me clean up and checked over Lainey. Emilee was right there next to me the whole time and saw her sis be born. Scot helped catch Lainey and cut the cord. My mom and sister were there to cheer me on. Lainey was born at 6:37pm and I believe we were left alone as a family around 9:30. It was wonderful to have her here instead of a hospital. Everything I needed was right where I knew it was and it was very peaceful.

Fast forward 6 months.....now we have an amazing, bright, beautiful, mellow baby girl. She pretty much held her head up from birth and we even have a picture of her smiling the day she was born too. And I don't care what anyone says, it's real. You could see it in her eyes. We believe she's a very old soul and she's definitely been through life a few times! She pulling herself to sitting and then to standing around 11 weeks (using my fingers) and started sitting up unsupported at 4.5 months. She's been showing signs of crawling since about 5 months and today crawled a tiny bit by moving her arms and one of her legs. I'm betting she'll be fully crawling within a week. She's now stared to pull up on things within the last couple of days. She's exclusively breastfed. A fact I am very proud of, since I don't really feel I gave breastfeeding my all with Emilee (a fact I will deeply regret until the day I die {actually my only real regret}). We have experimented with a few foods, but nothing official. We won't start replacing bm with solids until after a year or more. I plan on bfing her until she is ready to wean. I love bfing so much, although it does mean I get much less sleep than I'd like. That's ok though, this time is so short compared to the rest of her life and I'll take all the cuddles and snuggles I can get!

We are thrilled by this little girl everyday. I can't believe that she's here, yet it feels like there was never life before her. I've learned so much about myself and the mother that I aspire to be from her and Emilee too. They are my greatest gift and I love them more than life itself.