God is Good.

First off I got a snuggie.
Secondly God is good. Like really good, like monumentally good! It happened last night that I was reminded just how good my God is. I was laying in bed, being hormonal and depressed about everything from not having enough money to get the home we want to the fact that fish in a bag won't take off nationally. You know the mood, I'm sure you could list just as many depressing and bad things happening in your life right now. The fact is when you look you find them. (everywhere) So that's where I'm at, when all of a sudden my baby monitor begins to play Amazing Grace. Now I must stop you should you be thinking that God gave my daughter voice for the night, he did not. He simply used what he already set up, he's great like that, He doesn't always use miracles to get to us. Our baby monitor picks up other frequencies sometimes. Like taxi cab transmissions (that's the most common) or cell phone static. But it's never done this before. It was just what I needed to be reminded of. That even when all I can think about or see is negative I have a God with grace big enough to cover it all.. like all of it, with excess. My God is good, no my God is Great!

Another List Post

My life is exciting I swear it, if you just read my blog you wouldn't know. I mean not that I DO much. Mostly we just sit around and play all day. But recently we are doing this little bit of nothing in a different place. No we haven't moved (yet), just upstairs. Think if you had to spend all day inside, in two bedrooms of you house... oh and add everything you have in your living room, dining room and storage closet into the mix (in your two bedrooms). That's what we are currently doing. Here are some things you might want to try to occupy your time with should you find yourself in this situation:
Take pictures of yourself. Go for a walk. Read all your books (backwards). Unpack all the toys you own or can find in the mess that is your living space and draw a still life. Brush your teeth four or five times daily. Listen to music/ watch more wiggles than you ever wanted to. Drink lots of coffee to keep you going.

Others we are going to try include growing new toys, and easy bake ovening a pot roast. :)

Walk the Dog

Going through some pictures today... came across one that made me laugh.. we are still sick here, but laughter is good medicine so we figured we'd share our meds...

Sicky :(

AGH... life is stinky here, literally, between cleaning diapers, underwear, vomit sheets and clothes... it's no fun. I dont like it when we are all sick :( If you would like to come and clean up my house or just give me an hour of rest, the back door is unlocked :) Hopefully we are all better tomorrow.

and don't forget the paint fumes.. yes they are still painting the living room...
so we are all trapped in the upstairs two rooms.. one person can rest (poor hubby).. while the other plays with Claire, who although sick is very energetic during the day.

Things I Learned on my Vacation:

1. sippy cups experience the same pressure change as you do on a flight. This makes every liquid act as one that is carbonated. The liquid squirts out all over everything when you try to open the sippy cup in the air. or in your bag when you aren't looking.
2. It is hard to leave those that you love.
3. Flight attendants come in all personalities. From those that will offer to hold your child while you go to the bathroom to those who run over your sleeping child with the beverage cart and then glare at you.
4. WY is cold.
5. Fly into WY in the daylight, they say it's beautiful. I don't really know what WY looks like because we drove through it at night mostly or in a snow storm, or during a snow storm at night.
6. Dog hair travels very well
6.5. Never let grandma go shopping the day her granddaughter comes to visit... it's too tempting.
7. Never leave your husband alone at home for more than 24 hrs. or bad things will happen.
7.5. Hats knitted by grandmas are warmer and lunches shared by grandpas are much yummier.
8. It is nice to see people you love.
9. I love my family :)
10. It is ALWAYS worth it to stay a couple more days.
11. It is hard thinking back on the time you had with those you love when they aren't with you.

I miss you family.

Another Ones Bites the Dust...

Eat Cheesecake from Jrs. in Brooklyn - Check!

I think, I had cheesecake and they said it was Jrs. and it was in the red and white box, BUT later I came to find out that some Jrs. cheesecake is really not made in Brooklyn, it's like fake Jrs. like knockoff handbags and fake okely glasses. :( I'm choosing to believe that the cheesecake I ate was from Brooklyn and crossing it off my list

but still hopeing my husband will take me to Brooklyn on that date he planned before our lives turned around. :)

One Down...

See the big tree: CHECK!


and cross off Skate at Rockefeller center, the rink is WAY smaller than they make it seem in the movies. :( Not at all romantic as you schlep around the ice bumping into strangers

Here's Lassie...

One time my family went on vacation, we saw Lassie. My mom wanted a picture, they said "get ready for a photo opportunity" Then Lassie stood on a rock and posed for about a minuet for a photo-op. My mom has a great picture of Lassie's butt as she left the stage.
I have similar pictures of Cirque de Sole. It was my Christmas present from my mother-in-law. I went with her and my two sisters-in-law. It was amazing! There were people who balanced on things all stacked on top of each other:
People who hula-hooped with several hulahoops and could do a standing split while spinning the hulahoop on her foot:

There were men with sticks that acted as tightropes and people walked on them a did flips on them:

And some girls who flew from the ceiling doing amazing things with their bodies:
Overall it was AMAZING! and at the end they shot snowflakes into the audience twice, so much fun. I guess I'll just always have the memories while the pictures are not what I will remember.

Where Did You Get That Pig?

Claire got a pig (it roars) from cousin Megan, whom she has never met. But loves a lot since she sent her this great pig!
So I'm sitting in the kitchen and Jimmy says from the dinning room "Where did Claire get this pig". I say "What Pig?" And she waltzes into the kitchen with it. All proud of herself. She loves it. And thank you Megan.
The other gifts that have been sent to our house are safely tucked away till actual Christmas... Hopefully they make it till then. :)
Merry Christmas!

Its a Marshmallow World

It snowed here. We made a snowman. Claire got too cold at the end to get her picture taken with the snowman all finished up. But she helped grandpa build it. Christmas in 4 more sleeps!

Things to do when you live in New York:
-Go to the Bronx Zoo

-Go to the top of the Empire State building (don't wait in line)
-go to a farm to acquaint yourself with animals other than pigeons and squirrels

-Escape to somewhere exotic in the summer
-visit the beach on Long Island

-Go to a Mets game
-eat the pizza


Things still on our list:
-meet someone famous, or at least recognize them on the street and act too cool to care
-eat cheesecake from that place in Brooklyn
-Italian ices from somewhere famous
-Go to the statue of liberty and discuss how long it's been since you were allowed up in the torch
-Skate at Rockafeller Center
-See the BIG tree

Don't Stab Yourself with a Fork

Claire is getting better, almost proficient with a spoon and fork, she prefers to use them at most meals and refuses to eat apple sauce off a spoon I am holding. however with this new skill comes great responsibility; don't stab yourself. She just hasn't figured out that when the thing on your fork falls off and lands in your lap, you do not stab at it with your fork to try to pick it up. We'll get there.

Here to stay is the new bird

How time flies and babies grow! Christmas time already and time to decorate and get in the spirit. I've been in the spirit for several months now and am thrilled that I can finally play my christmas music loudly and dance around without feeling strange for doing it in shorts and a t-shirt. Claire is also getting into the spirit:

I can't believe that last year she fit INTO the stockings, stuffed them full but could fit in them. We tried this year, no such luck. Well I'm off to get some apple cider and maybe talk my husband into a christmas tree! :)

We Have a Fish

Actually we have two whole fish tanks, one saltwater and one freshwater. They are loved by all of us, including Claire who likes to watch the fish swim around. She also tries to catch our poor little clown fish every chance she gets. All of our saltwater fish are neat, some of them eat sand and some are just pretty to look at. but in the freshwater tank; we have this fish... It came to us because it swims upside-down, neat huh? We thought so, but what we didn't know is that he'd hide all the time so you can't even enjoy his odd nature. Then he got even stranger... he lost his fins, I am not lying. Then he started to look kinda sicky, now we call him the leper fish. I tried to take a picture but I'm not good at the underwater shots. :( It's amazing that he's still alive, and Jimmy asks if we should kill him or if he's in pain several times a week... I figure he seems happy enough to squirm around upside-down with no fins, let's see how long he'll live. I like him, he's the strangest fish we'll prolly ever own.

Black Bean Brownies

So I made these brownies today. I made them with black beans. Weird I know, but someone told me how to do it and it intrigued me. You just take a brownie mix and a 15 oz can of black beans and you mix them together (you puree the beans first). And voila! Brownies. As I was mixing them I kept thinking how I was wasting a perfectly good brownie mix and I almost stopped myself but I made them and they looked delicious. And tasted good, not fabulous, but I'm not sure they would have if I put eggs and such in them instead so... I did add some caramel and chocolate chips, you can't go wrong there. I'm thinking they would have been a wonderful thing to make if you are a college student, or have the pantry of one; since all the ingredients are shelf stable and you don't have to try to buy just two eggs to make a batch of brownies. They are also healthier more fiberious. (you know what I mean, my computer doesn't, it wants me to change fiberious to fiberglass) (silly steve). So that was my adventure today, I'm making pre-made lasagna for dinner.(I did make it, just not today)

Back to the Doctor

So here it is folks, baby number 2!

(7 weeks 3 days)

This was taken at my Dr's appointment that went on for-ev-er. Mostly my fault. I went in and they told me "we need to take some blood" "ok" I said. Then the nurse proceeded to take out at least 6-8 viles. "Gotta fill all of those?" I asked. She confirmed it and in an attempt to make small-talk with the lady I said "Wow that's a lot of blood" "Are you OK?" was her immediate response. Mind you she hasn't even touched me yet, and is on the other side of the room. She says "the last girl that said that passed out on me" I assured her that I was fine and she started taking blood, one vile, two..., I'm starting to feel a bit light headed, I debate telling her, I mean she was really jumpy, so I keep it to myself. It's getting worse, so I tell her "I'm just telling you, i'm feeling a bit lightheaded, nothing big, just letting you know" she says "Oh" and continues to take the blood. five viles..., I'm about to pass out and I notice that my hand looks a little pale. "I think I need to lie down for a second." So she lays me down and the next thing I know, there are three people all around me, "She looks pale" they are saying. poor girl, I was the second one to go down on her today. She was pretty upset. Someone else finished drawing the blood.
It made me miss my mommy.

Looking for Some Mom Wisdom

Does anyone know if the buds that grow out of potatoes are poisonous?

What Could This Be?

Babies are like Mcgiver, they know how to make the biggest messes possible with what is given them... like a cup, a fork and some raviolis become a huge mess of floating cheese that spills out onto the floor where you step in it. :(
Cans of soda = time bombs. Yes a can of soda dropped from the height of an infant CAN and most likely WILL explode all over EVERYTHING!
So from this we should all learn to look outside the box, explore our inner child and as Tim Gunn would say; "make it work". No problem is too large or too complex.

Utensils

Claire is working on her motor skills and table manners.. we are progressing rather well by our estimations. Poking things with forks is our new favorite lunchtime pasttime and oatmeal is our spoons morning friend. Check out our progress.

We even lift our pinky like a lady :)

Things Outside my House

So a couple of months ago Con Ed came and made a mess of noise outside my house. Then yesterday I saw these bright orange signs out in front of our house. I thought the worst but was pleasantly surprised to find that they were going to be filming a movie there! How exciting, we can watch it and be like "There is our house". Depending on what type of movie it is... There is no information about the title "Every Day" yet seeing as it doesn't come out till 2009. Although it is raining this morning so perhaps Helen Hunt will not be ringing my bell to ask to use my 'powder room' like I had a dream about last night.
But Helen, if you need to powder your nose, I cleaned the bathroom this morning. :)


Wait they are here and the stars are right outside my window: