adventures in mommy-ing

time flies when you're having fun

2012-01-28T19:37:00.001-08:00

Really? It's 2012? That's hard to believe. Especially when I start doing math related to this date. Like, I graduated from high school--gulp--19 years ago. College 15 years ago. K and I will celebrate our 12th anniversary in February. I've been a mom for almost 6 years. Where o' where did the time go?

But I'm trying not to dwell on dates and years. Because there are so many great things happening NOW...so I'd rather focus on that.

For one, I've been trying to build my business back up. I'm embracing social networking with a vengeance, from Facebook (like my biz page!) to Twitter (follow me!) to LinkedIn to my biz blog. The issue, however (as always), is trying to find a balance between getting work done and being an attentive mom. While Miss M is in school all day, Miss A is not. And she naps intermittently so I can't always count on time in the afternoon to work, which means lots of late nights. So the struggle continues, but still, I wouldn't trade this situation for anything. Thanks to K, who works hard to make this possible! Anyway--now that I've shamelessly plugged my links--I'll move on to family stuff.

So what's new with...

...Miss M? Well, she's really grown. And I mean that in many ways. Literally, she's growing! We can't keep her in pants long enough to cover her ankles for long. But she's also becoming more mature in other ways. She's reading really well, and writing, too. The things they learn in kindergarten are waaaay different from what I remember. She surprised me recently by counting by 10's and 5's...something I'm pretty sure I didn't learn to do for another couple of grades. She's overcoming her shyness a bit, too...while she still doesn't love speaking in front of groups of people, she's doing better. She makes friends quickly and has decided she loves ice skating (we went last week). Her imagination is as fired up as always, which is always neat to see. Now, if she'd just get out of that dawdling stage (mornings are not fun in our house)!

...Miss A? She's a typical 2-year-old at times, but more often than not she's really fun to be around. Her language skills are excellent...while she's been communicating quite well for a while now, she asks questions and gives answers in pretty good detail. She's lovable and loves giving kisses, hugs, and "I love you's." We're working on potty training somewhat...not hardcore, but when she shows interest we definitely take advantage of it. Recently I've started taking her to story hour at the libraries, and she has been enjoying it. One thing we're struggling with, though, is hitting. Usually she hits M, but occasionally if she's angry, it's me. She get a time-out in her room when she hits, but it seems like this goes in one ear and out the other because she'll turn around and do it again a few minutes later. (Feel free to chime in if anyone's dealt with this!)

Here's a brief visual recap of our past few months:

Tradition: building the gingerbread house!

M's girl scout troop caroling at a nursing home

Princesses!

Great indoor project: playdough gingerbread men

Cousins!

Ice queen

One of those rare naps (love that she fell asleep book in hand!)

Date night at White Castle. Yes, the entire house is build from burger/fry boxes. Plus a fireplace & chair inside.

Clearly we've been having fun, and we hope the new year is going well for you!

fall fun

2011-10-18T14:14:00.000-07:00

So often fall escapes us in Central Illinois. We've been known to go from 85 degree weather straight to super chilly days almost overnight--but not this year! October has been beautiful, and we've definitely been taking advantage of it with lots of outdoor activities. While I'll admit I've been putting off raking the front yard (thanks to the neighbor's trees that have dumped their loads on our property), I think the time procrastinating chores has been well-spent. Check out some of our latest adventures!

Ropp Family Roundup, complete with carmel apples and hayride.

Trip to Lake of the Woods in Mahomet:

Kindergarten field trip to Rader Farms (and I got to chaperone!)

Pumpkin party at Grandma Joanne/Grandpa Ronnie's:

And of course, our own fun fall crafts! I've found a great site, No Time for Flashcards, that offers tons of awesome ideas for doing stuff with kids. I borrowed these two projects from the site.

Halloween sensory tub. Beans, dried noodles, creepy plastic creatures, and a pumpkin spoon for scooping and dumping. I'm trying to make a different sensory tub each month, using various themes.

Marshmallow ghosts! Maddi's is the first one and Ali's is the second. Great, simple craft for even young toddlers. For Ali's, I put one glue dot on at a time and let her add the marshmallows.

Hope you're enjoying the season as much as we are!

September (test)

2011-09-18T10:28:00.000-07:00

Ok, what gives? I can't find my blog online. It doesn't turn up in a Google search, and when I type in the URL I get a "page not available" note. So I'm trying to post a quick update to see if it will publish. If not, I'll be in full-fledge panic mode...I've got 5 years of motherhood chronicled here!

Deep breath in, and exhale out. Ready to click the publish button. Fingers crossed. 3...2...1....

...and...I'm back. For real, I guess. Not sure what was going on, but the site seems to work for me now. Apparently it was working for others as well, as I received some reassurances via Facebook, so my worries were unnecessary. And since I'm here, might as well add a quick update.

What's new?

Kindergarten! Miss M is loving kindergarten. She doesn't seem to be worn out in the least by a full day of class. She has become quite the monkey at recess, spending all her time on monkey bars. In return, she's gaining superior upper body strength and two hands full of lovely blisters. Makes me cringe to see them but for the most part they don't bother her. Ahhh, to be a kid again. I truly believe as we age we become wimpier.

Ali is in two-year-old mode! Tantrums are a daily part of life now, but she's easily distracted--usually--so that's a good thing. She's darn cute the rest of the time. (And she knows it!) She's very social and isn't afraid to get involved in activities. We went to a story hour last week--her first one--and she sang, danced, clapped her hands, and answered questions about the stories. "What shape is this?" "Ummmm, a circle!" "What color is the frog?" "Ummm, green!"

I have tons of new pics, but sadly I lack the time to sift through the masses right now. Here are a few from the latest folder...enjoy, and see you back here soon, hopefully!

Fancy butterfly girl

Sweeeeeet cooooorn!

Happy birthday to Ali!

summer's end (almost)

2011-08-11T19:22:00.000-07:00

Somehow this summer has flown by. Usually things mosey along at a reasonable pace until July. Then, for some reason, time kicks it up a notch. And now here we are in the second week of August, and school starts next week. This is a big deal this year, because Miss M starts kindergarten! She's very excited. And Little Sis is excited because Big Sis is excited. ("Look!" she exclaims when we drive past the school. "Maddi's tinderdarden!") And I'm kind of excited because I will not have to listen to arguments and crying all day long. But I'm also fearful because this is a big step...I'm releasing my firstborn into the care of someone else on a daily basis, for a large chunk of time each day. (Why is it necessary for 5-year-olds to spend all day in school? I still don't really get that one.) But I should relax. She's friendly and will find new pals. She's smart and will do fine academically (she's been reading Dr. Seuss on her own lately). So what I really should say, in the spirit of Alfred E. Newman is: "What? Me Worry?"

All this aside, we've had a great summer. Let's see if I can do justice by narrating with pictures:

Water fun with a friend.

Sumer staple: freeze pops.

Garden girls.

New baby alert! My sis had her first kiddo in July. Can you tell which is the real baby belly?

Farm fun. (Meow.)

In business selling sweet corn.

Riding a bike...2 wheels!

Can't believe she'll be 2 this month! A has a great sense of humor, and she's very verbal. Talks, sings, and dances all the time!

spring-a-ling

2011-04-15T11:47:00.000-07:00

Oh, wow. It's been ages since I've updated. (I seem to start too many posts with this sort of wording...) But better late than never, right! So what's new? Well...

Miss M is preparing for kindergarten next year. She's registered and everything, and at this point seems to be excited about the adventure. She just turned 5 and is really starting to act, talk, and look more mature. Almost gone is our preschooler...it's nearly time to call her a "big kid" grade-schooler!

Ali is developing quite the vocabulary! She's putting 2-3 words together and communicates very well. She also throws tantrums quite well. It's as entertaining as frustrating, I have to admit. Her first 2-word phrase was--no joke--"Ali toot." This evolved into "Mama toot," "Daddy toot," "Kappa (grandpa) toot" and so on. The kid definitely has a sense of humor

M is starting to read. She practices reading signs and the books we get from the library, and is doing very well. I haven't deliberately worked with her on this, but we read all the time and she loves to write her letters, so it's nice to see she has some inner drive and that it's paying off.

A still loves to dance and now likes to sing. Her favorites are "Toe, Leg, Toe" from a kids' cd, "How Much is That Doggy in the Window" (modfied version) and "The Wheels on the Bus." She can also identify piano and vibraphone when she hears them on a recording, and every time she hears vibes, says: "Daddy bibes!" Impressive!

We survived this years' long, cold winter and are thrilled to be heading into spring. Been spending lots of time in the backyard and at local parks. Kevin and I are looking forward to walking on the trail again. And I'm itching to get back in gardening mode (although we have already been able to harvest green onions, thanks to K's mini-greenhouse experiment last fall). We look forward to trips to Iowa City for the jazz festival this summer--Kevin's band is a featured group--and local trips to Starved Rock and Moraine View State Park, among other places.

Happy spring, y'all!

Birthday gift: a couple of molly fish.

Spring means redbuds in bloom and line-drying!

Clover girls.

days, weeks, years

2010-11-21T19:41:00.000-08:00

How did it get to be almost Thanksgiving? Last I turned around it was summer. Or at least Halloween--now it's almost December. Yikes!

I just uploaded the most recent pictures from the camera, and as I'm perusing the newest shots I notice our digital photo frame shuffling through pics from what I think was late July or early to mid-August. And I noticed that Ali is, these days, looking much more like a real toddler and less like a baby (which she truly was in the pics at just under 12 months) every day. How does that happen so quickly? She's almost 15 months now, so of course she isn't a baby-baby anymore, but she's still a baby, at least in my mommy mind.

On the same note, Madison has grown a ton lately, too. Not just physically (although I'm having a hard time keeping that girl in shoes--seems we buy a size and the next thing you know those feet have lengthened even more!) but also developmentally. She is in the "why" stage and asks tons of questions. She also verbalizes things in a more sophisticated manner than even a few months ago. Her descriptions of things--dreams, events, friends--is very detailed and she has a pretty impressive vocabulary. And...she's starting to read, just a little bit. She loves to write her letters and is always asking how to spell words so she can copy them down on paper. I've received several "cards" where she has written "I love you mama." *wub*

Well, I could go on and get all sappy about how time flies with little ones but I won't put you through that. Instead, I'll put up some of the pics I've just uploaded. You can experience Halloween with the Harts (featuring a caterpillar and butterfly) and some fall fun in general that we've been having!

At the Ropp-Rader Farm Roundup (Dad took these pictures)

Pumpkin carving party at my in-laws'...on 10-10-10 (also Kevin's bday!)

Halloween!!

I stole this idea from a friend who posted her pics on Facebook...this is a wonderful Thanksgiving project! Traced each girls' hand on colored paper & cut them out. Asked what they (well, I asked Madison to answer for both of them) were thankful for and wrote replies on each handprint. I also did one for Kevin and me. Attached leaves to a hastily drawn tree trunk...this neat display is now gracing our kitchen wall!

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And finally, a couple of totally random pictures. Had to add these b/c they're cute!

This was in September...Madison wanted to make Christmas cookies. Why not?

Little drummer girl

Whew, that's a lot of pictures. Thanks for looking if you made it this far, and happy Thanksgiving to all!

happy bday to Ali!

2010-10-01T19:56:00.000-07:00

I know this post is about a month late but hey, better late than never, right? I've been working at night after the girls go to bed so my free time has been pretty limited lately.

It's hard to believe our little Alexandria Leigh has turned one! It's been a wild year. Last year at this time I felt like I was barely keeping my head above water. A was born right as school started, so Kevin wasn't around and I had to learn to deal with the challenges of having a newborn and a preschooler pretty much on my own. That's when I learned the true definition of "mommy guilt." I never felt I could be totally fair to both girls as one always needed something, leaving the other shortchanged somehow. However, we persevered and pulled through that always-difficult first year. And now we've got a 4-year-old who has adjusted--somewhat--to the idea that EVERYTHING doesn't revolve around her (heh) and a 13-month-old who is mostly a happy, energetic baby.

I remember documenting Miss M's achievements on this blog so I'll do the same for A. It's a good way to take notes on what happens when, because as much as you think you'll remember their milestones forever, so much happens so quickly that you just...well, don't!

Ali is a walking pro. I mean, she started at 8 months so it's old school for her now. (I do not say this to brag as walking this early was not a cool achievement--it was a pain, actually!) Her balance has gotten better but her feet still move faster than her body sometimes, so she crashes and burns frequently. At least she has quit bonking her head every time she trips! Also, she:

- can say several words (mama, dada, chee (cheese), baby, bye-bye, duck, and, thanks to Madison, poop.

- now feeds herself with a spoon. This is a new development and she's actually pretty good at it.

- has 8 teeth.

- will not drink milk--cow's milk or any soy-type. She eats lots of yogurt and cheese, however, and she's still nursing a bit so I'm not too worried about it. And since I've got a nursing toddler, this might be a good place to share a link I read today and related to (sans the twins part):
http://familyorganic.blogspot.com/2010/10/breastfeeding-beyond-one.html

- is still kind of a dependent sleeper, but we're working on this slowly.

- is a total bundle of energy. That girl doesn't stop for anything. She's the one we'll have to keep an eye on to make sure she doesn't dash away from us in parking lots, and she's also the one I'm thinking will end up with a broken bone or two during childhood. She's so impulsive. I'm sure this will translate into some good qualities as she grows older, but for now it just makes me tired!

I've written way more than I initially intended, so I'll quiet down and get to the bday pictures.

At the zoo on her birthday (trip with just the four of us)

Birthday party!

Miss M is doing great, too. School has started and this year she really, really loves her 4-year-old preschool class. Many of the same kids are in her class, plus her teacher from last year is with the 4 y/o's this year, so much of it is familiar to her. I can't believe she'll be in kindergarten next year!

It's late and I'm tired (and I've probably typed more than anyone wants to read, anyway) so I'll wrap this up for now. Happy fall, everyone!

life in the fast lane

2010-08-12T09:34:00.000-07:00

That's what life is, once you have kids. Each day seems to speed by faster than the previous one, and the next thing you know...you have an almost-one-year-old on your hands! This time last year I was begging the gods (and I'm not really a religious person) to get this baby OUT of me. I was sooo uncomfortable. Sleeping was anything but. I felt huge. My maternity clothes seemed to be shrinking. And I had to pee like, two hundred times a day. Looking back, I do feel I should be grateful it wasn't a hot summer like this one.

So yes, our baby Ali turns one on August 24th. We'll have a cookout for family as a celebration a week or so later. I haven't decided on a theme yet...but will probably do something simple like animals. Possibly windmills or the American flag as she seems to be fascinated by those items.

Life in general has flown by this summer! We've had a lot of fun, taking some family trips, going to a local lakefront beach, and meeting friends for playgroups. Miss M took a ballet class through the park district and loved it...she wants to do it again in the fall. Kevin has enjoyed his summer and is beginning to lament the end of his free time. All in all we've had a lot of fun...here are just a handful of pictures to prove it.

Blueberry picking

My dad took the next two (Iowa City)

Look out! Attack of the scary baby!

Sisters!

keepin' it straight

2010-06-07T20:52:00.000-07:00

There are several places now where I post photos...here, Facebook, and my beloved mom's forum. So I don't want to copy myself too much and post the same stuff everywhere, all the time, so I will try to be mindful of which pics are showcased in each place.

So let's see, we've been B-U-S-Y! This summer is going to go fast. Between playdates, work (K and I have worked out a schedule where I get to work in the morning and he watches the girls, and in the afternoons we switch--and boy it feel good to actually use my brain again!), and life in general it seems like the days are already speeding by. Hard to believe we're into June!

Let's catch up a little.

Madison finished her first year (well, half year actually) of preschool. The classes had an end-of-the-year program that was fun to watch. M didn't sing (true to form, although as soon as we got home she made us all sit down in the living room and watch her dance. Silly girl.)
Here she is with her bff from class:

This week she starts ballet class...it will be interesting to see how that goes. She's already saying "I don't want to go" but that's a standard Madison line that's uttered whenever she know she's going to try something new. Often when we give her a little push she ends up having a good time, so I hope that's the case with the dance lessons.

Ali, at 9 months, is astounding everyone she meets with her WALKING. Yes, that's right, the girl is a walkin' fool. She took her first timid steps at 7.5 months, was toddling around unsteadily at 8 months, and now only crawls to get to something to pull herself up on to take off again. It looks so funny because she's so small.

There she goes!

Nice shot of the girls together.

These are the only pictures I am posting today because Blogger is being kind of a pain to work with, but if you haven't seen the video Kevin put together, "Maddi's Gardening Show" yet, be sure to check it out! (It's in the previous post.)

Happy summer, everyone!

Maddi's Gardening Show

2010-06-04T18:39:00.000-07:00

Here's a great mini-movie by Kevin featuring none other than our very own Miss M!

Four-year-old Maddi kicks off her very own gardening show by demonstrating how to plant tomato plants step by step. Complete with bloopers at the end! May 28, 2010

I have many pics to share but will have to find time to select favorites, so please come back soon
for your Hart Family Fix!

spring has sprung

2010-04-16T08:36:00.001-07:00

Lots has happened since I last posted (as usual). Free time is scarce these days, so that's why there's a whole lotta pics following this text. We've got to cover a birthday, Easter, and fun stuff in general!

Madison turned 4 on March 21. She had a whole birthday week, since we just did stuff on her actually bday as a foursome and celebrated with friends and extended family the following weekend. She wanted a My Little Pony party, so I got busy tracking down MLP items. It's not so hard since all things 80's seem to be making a recurrence! It was our first year for a kids party, too, and I just decided to make a day of it and have the kids portion early in the afternoon and the family party afterwards. It was a very noisy, busy day, but I think everyone had fun...especially the birthday girl!

Ali is growing, growing, growing! She's just shy of 8 months and is doing all kinds of things. She started crawling about two weeks ago, as well as pulling herself up to stand, and...oh my word...she's even taking steps between Kevin and I. This girl's on the fast track to walking, I think. Scary! She continues to be a very happy, smiley kiddo. Her sleeping issues are getting better...she's actually taking naps in her crib now, instead of having to be lying next to someone. And she's sleeping for a 3-5 hour stretch at night now, which doesn't sound great but after going through a period where she was waking every half hour, it's actually pure bliss!

Here are a few (ok, actually there are many!) pics of happenings as of late. Enjoy!

The birthday girl...proud to be 4!

The cake. It turned out ok...far from glamorous, but it wasn't anything to be overly embarrassed about.

Daddy and Ali people watching.

Fun at the museum!

Finally, some nice days. We can get out and walk again!

Easter girls.

Takin' a snooze on a walk.

More museum fun.

Thanks for looking. Hope everyone's well!

c'mon, spring!

2010-02-24T19:17:00.001-08:00

We're now at the point where it seems winter will never end. Maybe this year has been particularly bad because we had such a nasty fall--all of October was cold and rainy, and hardly any time was available to enjoy the beauty of the season due to busy schedules and overall icky weather. But as has been proven every year prior to this one (at least in my 35 years), winter does eventually come to a close. March is almost here, and with it comes daylight savings time, a few lucky warm days (often followed by more snow but I'll take what I can get), and the official start of a new, promising season.

We've kept busy this winter, actually, hitting the libraries, the Open Gym, playdates, etc. But I'm itching to get out and walk, and I know Miss M glances wistfully out the car window every time we drive by one of the local parks. Don't worry, child, we'll get there...until then, you have had something else to keep you busy...preschool! That's right, Miss M is officially a preschooler. We got lucky when I visted preschools, thinking of next year, when one had an opening in the 3-year-old class. She started at A Child's View at the beginning of the month and really seems to enjoy it. I like it because it gives her some structure 3 mornings a week and, ok, I admit it, I also enjoy the break! Handling one kid at a time is way easier than trying to balance the needs of 2! The only problem is what to do with the pages artwork she brings home every day? I haven't been able to toss any of it yet, but I also know we can't save everything. Guess we'll see how much has accumulated at the end of the year and go from there.

Ali is, as of today, 6 months old. She's doing great (except for sleeping/napping issues but that's another story)...she's sitting on her own for longer periods of time, loves trying to manipulate her toys, is very alert and responsive in general, and is for the most part a really happy baby. She's starting to whirl herself around when on her belly, so I know creeping and crawling is next to come. Time to baby proof!

I'll post some pics of the girls in a sec but first I have to mention that on Friday (2/26) Kevin and I will be celebrating our 10 year anniversary. Neither of us can believe it's been that long already...an entire decade just seemed to fly by. But it's full of wonderful memories and I look forward to making many more in the next 10 years and beyond!

Posing for the camera...with some of that artwork I mentioned in the background.

Ali grinning at Grandma.

Lovin' the exersaucer! (Hi Mom!)

Maddi wanted me to take a pic of her giving her sister a hug. Ali was clearly like, "Let GO of me, what are you doing?" *choke, gasp*

Trying to add a little bit of spring to the table. They're egg carton tulips.

Recent playdate with friends!

catching up, again

2010-01-23T20:47:00.001-08:00

It's been a while since I've updated! Christmas was crazy and after that school resumed, meaning Kevin is back to teaching and my days are full with the girls, so I haven't had time to post much. And then there have been some nights where I just didn't want to sit in front of the computer at all, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

We do have some news to share...Madison is going to be attending preschool starting in February! I was looking into schools for next year, and one of them had an opening for the 3-year-old class right now. Since I kind of regret not starting her at the beginning of the year, this seemed a good opportunity. We visited the school last week and she had a blast, getting involved right away. (Of course it helped that she was immediately "adopted" by another little girl!) I'm both excited and nervous. When did she become old enough to go to school?

Ali is almost 5 months and doing super. She is the smiliest baby of all time, I swear. All you have to do is look sideways at the girl and she breaks out into a big grin. She's a pretty content baby for the most part--our only real challenge is naptime, as she is perfectly happy to sleep on or next to someone but not by herself, in her crib. Small potatoes, I guess--it could be worse. She's sitting up pretty well on her own, but hasn't completely rolled yet from belly to back. I'm sure that'll come soon enough, though.

We keep getting comments on how much the girls look alike, so I dug up some pics of Madison from when she was around 5 months and wow, baby-wise, there's definitely a resemblence! Check this out:

Obviously 5 months is in the height of the oral stage, as both girls have whatever's nearest in their mouths. Can you tell which kid is which?

And more pics, just for fun.

My alien growth:

Gingerbread house project!

Spongebob visits Eastland Mall. We don't watch the show so I just told M that he was a giant cheese, which of course that's exactly what he looks like.

Mmmm, coffee.

halloween and other adventures

2009-11-13T19:59:00.000-08:00

It's been about a month since I posted, which means we've taken a month's worth of new pictures. We've done quite a bit in the last several weeks, I now realize looking back. Not sure how we've managed to squeeze everything in between busy schedules and icky weather (October was the wettest, dreariest, most depressing month ever!) but we've certainly kept active.

Everyone is doing well. Madison is making great strides in her artistic endeavors...she's drawing people with faces and sometimes they are even granted arms, legs, and an occasional lucky so-and-so gets 3 or 4 fingers. Also, she can write her name, all by herself, with no help at all. She's gotten really good at writing letters. I wouldn't be surprised if the girl is reading before she starts kindergarten, too. We certainly don't drill her, but we read to her all the time and she's beginning to recognize words!

Ali is about 2 1/2 months now. She's smiling and cooing a lot, and we think she's maybe laughed a couple of times. She's a cuddle bug and loves to be held. We have lots of pictures of her but since I'm bad about printing pics, her cute little mug has yet to grace photo frames in the house. I feel badly about that, and hope to at least get our family photo scheduled soon. Here are a few snapshots of random photos:

Happy baby (& big sis's hand)

Polka dot girls

Birthday cookout (Mom's & Kevin's)

Smiths/Harts/Rzeszutkos

Halloween was fun this year. There were a few opportunities to dress up--first for the library Halloween story time, then trick or treating on our street, and finally at the mall that evening. We really got our $7 worth out of these costumes! I scored both costumes at Goodwill, paying only $2 for M's Tigger--we made the mask though--and $5 for Ali's pumpkin. Love, love LOVE me a good deal! ;)

Tigger treat!

Sleepy pumpkin

K & M on his fav bench, outside the Garlic Press

Me and the girls

Miss M with her friend Logan

Photo op at Starved Rock...clan of Harts

I'm sure you are tired of scrolling--ha!--so I'll wrap it up. Until next time!

Hart Family Update

2009-10-12T20:30:00.000-07:00

Do you hear that? I don't. And I'm lovin' it!

My dad took Miss M to the park and the museum today and Ali is napping (poor thing has a touch of a cold I think) and the house is absolutely quiet. Although I have a pile of housework to do, I wanted to take a few minutes to update the blog.

I've been keeping a mental list in my head of all the things I want to mention, but by the time I find a few minutes to update I'm too tired to recall everything I wanted to talk about (let alone type everything!). So, I'll keep the commentary short and just state the basics. We're adjusting to life as a family of four, and everyone seems to be finding their place once again.

Madison is a wonderful big sister. While the novelty of having a baby in the house is beginning to fade for her, I think, she still is a big help. Kevin clearly enjoys being with his girls when he's home, and I am beginning to feel as if caring for two children is actually doable!

Ali is 7 weeks old...hard to believe she's almost 2 months already! She's still quite the sleeper but is having more periods of alertness during the day. She sleeps great at night, but getting her down in the evening has been a challenge. We had about two weeks where I swore she had colic. The last week has been considerably easier however, thanks to two things: GRIPE WATER and my MEI TAI CARRIER. I don't know exactly how the gripe water works, but it's a miracle invention. Stops fussing in its tracks and usually brings on the sleepies. The carrier is a cozy way for A to doze off while being close to mama, which makes sense as she's still technically in the newborn stage.

Here are some new pics of everyone, thanks for looking!

Trip to the Fall Festival put on by local Ropp & Rader Farms. We went last year and had a blast. This year was super fun, too! Here's M feeding the calves:

Decorating a supersnack cookie:

The four of us on a hayride. A is under the yellow burp cloth. It was really bright out and she didn't appreciate the light in her eyes.

Daddy and Maddi on a big ol' stack of haybales:

The corn sandbox returns!

A enjoying the farms. Ha!

Punkin' baby...caught you smiling!

Ha! Caught you again! (Loving on Daddy.)

The girls, chillin' on the couch.

Welcome, Alexandria Leigh!

2009-09-15T14:36:00.001-07:00

Our family's newest addition was born on August 24, one day past my due date. Alexandria is a big name for such a little person, so we’re calling her Ali.

I already wrote out Ali’s birth story to share on my fav discussion forum, so this may be more info that you want to read (LOL). But as you parents know, time is limited (I’ve been meaning to update this blog for a couple weeks now and am just now getting around to it!) so I’ll just copy what I posted earlier.

On "Labor Day" verything went smoothly and actually, relatively quickly. Sunday morning (the 23rd) I had slight cramping, which progressed to irregular, very low-key contractions. This continued all day, not becoming regular until about 7 pm. The contractions were about 5 minutes apart then, but still not very strong at all, and only in the lower pelvic region (not the back). When they were about 4 minutes--around midnight--apart we went into the hospital, as per my OB's instructions. It still didn't really hurt though, so I wondered if they'd send us home. After the nurse checked me and said I was at 6 cm and 90% effaced, though, she said she was pretty sure we were there for the duration.

Since it didn't hurt really, still, I didn't ask for any medication. I was even able to walk the halls, which was nice. This also seemed to intensify the contractions a little bit, but they were manageable if I just concentrated on getting through one at a time. The next time the nurse checked me I was 8-9 cm dilated and she went to call the doctor. By the time she got there it was time to push. I don't think I pushed more than 10 minutes, probably less actually, before Ali entered the world at 5 a.m. exactly...7 lb 5 oz and 18".

This experience was sooo different from when I had Madison. I think I just got lucky with a relatively short labor and no real pain until the last hour or two. If the labor had been longer and more intense I may not have been able to do it naturally, but I'm very grateful for this experience! And I had an awesome nurse (Thanks, Trish at BroMenn!), she was very supportive. And of course, a great partner, Kevin. He let me squeeze the crap out of his hands, arms, or whatever happened to be near me during the more intense contractions.

I also have to credit an awesome book I read called Baby Catcher. It was written by a midwife and detailed her patient's experiences...all natural births. Many were at home, but some were in the hospital. These womens' frame of mind during childbirth was very inspirational, as was the fact that they all seemed to be up and about doing things...walking around, frying bacon and eggs, even fishing on a fishing boat (!)...immediately after childbirth. And in my limited experience it's true...I felt much better after giving birth to Ali than after Miss M was born.

So far it’s been going well at home. Madison is a great big sister and really seems to enjoy having Ali around. She will play with her and “read” to her, and loves patting and kissing her head. It has been a little difficult juggling two kids, but not too stressful. The hardest part is that Ali, when awake, pretty much just wants to nurse. That’s when Madison needs something and of course I can’t get it for her. I fear the novelty of being the big sister will wear off when she hears, “not now, I’m feeding the baby” for the zillionth time.

More updates about both kids to come as time allows…but for now, enjoy the pictures!

the waiting game

2009-08-18T09:25:00.001-07:00

So this is the week of my due date--technically August 23 (Sunday). It's so weird thinking that at any time labor could start, I'd head to the hospital at the recommended time, and we'd become a family of four! But I'm ready. Everything is ready, actually. We moved the furniture around in Miss M's room to make way for the crib (well, we don't have a crib yet but the pack n' play is set up to mark the spot) this weekend, all baby clothes and washable items are clean, my hospital bag is packed and my body is totally ready! I'm tired of not being able to bend over and pick things up. I want to shave my legs comfortably again. I'd love to roll over in the middle of the night and not be dragged down by a basketball belly. But most of all, I want to meet this new little girl!

Last week we had a beautiful day and decided to take advantage of it, since it was Kevin's last full free week before school started and we didn't know what would be going on this week. So we headed to the beach! Now remember, we live in Central IL so it's not like we were able to relish squawking seagulls and splashing waves. Around here it's more like dodging geese (and their excrements) and taking care not to swallow lake water. But we do have a couple of nice beaches to visit in the area. We tried to hit up Comlara Park/Lake Evergreen, but apparently they're only open weekends now. So we drove to Moraine View State Park
and luckily, their beach was open. We enjoyed a very relaxing afternoon, and Madison love, love, loved playing in the sand and water!

Other news: this has been an exciting season for gardening! I have really gotten into all aspects this year, even the dreaded chore of weeding (admittedly, however, I've slacked off recently due to the struggles associated with bending over to grasp the annoying suckers). So far we've been able to enjoy the "fruits" of our efforts by consuming delicious green beans, cucumbers, sweet corn, and finally, tomatoes! Had our first round of BLT's last night and boy, were they good. Recent garden pics:

And one final pic for good measure. Miss M, at the exciting age of 3, has moved on to a "big girl" bike. Our neighbors found it as someone had pitched it curbside and thought of her. It's really in good condition...could use a couple new tires, but we can take care of that. And we found a pair of training wheels at a garage sale ($1) so we're good to go! She doesn't like to go fast and chugs along at a snail's pace for now, testing the brakes every 30 seconds, but hey, it's a start! We've got a beautiful bike trail system in town so before too long we'll be taking family rides. Maybe next year, when Baby will be big enough to ride in the trailer and M has mastered the bike thing. Here she is:

And yeah, yeah, I know...no helmet. We haven't gotten one yet.

For the time of being she's wearing a baseball hat to prepare for having something on her head. Of course, growing up *we* never wore helmets, but it's the thing now so I guess we'll confrom.

That's it for now. Thanks for reading if you've made it through this novel of updates. Hopefully next post there will be news/pics of our new little one!

Miss M's first haircut!

2009-07-27T13:23:00.000-07:00

Finally it came time to give Madison a haircut...her first *real* one. (This only took 3 years and 4 months!) I've trimmed her bangs many times and even once tried my hand at evening out the back, but this is what I consider her first actual cut. We took her to the same place Kevin and I go and had the same hairdresser tackle her locks. She did a great job! I was apprehensive about losing some of the length, but it was looking so scraggly back there that I understand why it had to be cut. Now her hair is to the middle of her neck and really looks cute...it lays so much more nicely and is a perfect summer cut. Of course I had to bring the camera for the big event!

She never did smile but seems happy to have had the experience. Here's a view of the back...it flips up a bit in back since there's some curl to her hair now, and looks super cute.

And on the preggo front...I'm now 36 weeks. Only 4 to go if I make it to term! My goal is to get most of what we still need this week, which isn't much. We still don't have a crib but probably won't need that right away. We'll use the mini-crib in our room for the first few months and the pack n' play has a bassinette feature, which I figure we can place in the girls' room to "mark" the spot until we find a good deal on a crib. I don't think M used hers until she was at least 6 months, anyway.

HOpefully I'll manage to get everything done before this baby decides to make an appearance!

2009-07-10T19:49:00.000-07:00

We made our annual trek to the Iowa City Jazz Festival again last weekend. It's become an integrated family event, with both my folks and Kevin's attending. This year one of his sisters and her husband also came along. Got some good shots of everyone here and there, like these!

And in case anyone is wondering, here are some pregnancy tidbits:

It's almost week 34. In one more week I'll technically be considered full-term! For the most part this pregnancy has been fairly easy, until just recently when I’ve begun to experience a few of the joys of the third trimester. Like...

...peeing every 15 minutes
...intermittent pressure in the abdominal area
...lots of pokes and jabs in the ribs and bladder (it’s so weird when you can feel an elbow or a knee)
...general minor physical discomfort

The last part really gets to me. I’ve been a pretty fit/agile person for most of my life, and now when I take a walk I feel pains that make me have to slow down. I resurrected a Pregnancy Yoga DVD the other day (took a break after I was able to get out in the nice weather regularly and start walking…mistake #1) and realized the exercises I thought were so easy before are now actually difficult. I feel like such a wimp.

But all in all I really don't have much room to complain. Some ladies have it so much worse!

And here's a fun story...today when Miss M and I arrived our Friday playgroup at the park, we were greeted by one little boy who eagerly steered us toward some picnic tables with food and gift bags. Turns out the ladies decided to throw a shower...which was a total surprise and super sweet of them. I received some adorable otufits for the baby as well as some much-needed practical items, and M was given a couple big sister gifts. Here's one of them, a tu-tu!

What a great group of gals. Their generousity is much appreciated. What a nice start for the weekend!

31 week u/s pics

2009-06-23T20:08:00.000-07:00

I realize I promised ultrasound pics for Baby No Name a while back but I still haven't scanned them. However, I had a second u/s today to see why I haven't gained as much weight as my doctor thinks I should (everything's fine! measurements are good and baby weighs 3 lbs, on target) so I have a couple of really good pics to share now!

You can totally see her face here. Amazing, especially for a regular u/s and not a 3D one. And she has Miss M's chin...which also happens to be my mom's chin. Cool!

Profile shot. That little blob above the nose/mouth is a hand. She kept putting it in front of her face like she didn't want her picture taken. I guess she's already taking after my sister.

And we can't forget big sis. Here's a nice one my dad took recently:

Thanks for looking. More updates as stuff happens!

school daze

2009-06-17T19:28:00.000-07:00

After much debating, I finally signed Miss M up for a preschool class. This isn't a year-round class but a summer session through the park district. Last week was her first time attending and as much as I worried about the waterworks being turned on when I left, she surprised me! She was a bit clingy as we entered the classroom, but I noticed a play kitchen set (the girl loves this sort of thing) and steered her toward it, and that was the end of her needing me for anything. I was able to leave guilt-free and we've since had 3 sessions of school, which she really seems to enjoy. On one hand I wish I had her signed up for the fall, but I still am uncertain about how to deal with getting her there plus the needs of a newborn right around the same time. I do plan on looking into having her start, if possible, mid-year in January. I think this is going to be really good for her and since she enjoys it so far, well, why not?

I am now 30 weeks pregnant. That means only 10 weeks to go! It's unbelievable how quickly time has passed. I still feel pretty good, but there are moments of discomfort every now and then, as Baby No-Name seems to enjoy sitting directly on my bladder. I also tend to get sore when walking...it's a feeling of having a stitch in the side when running, but it's just the ligaments stretching. So I walk through it and eventually it subsides. Baby No-Name is pretty active all day and night long. Kind of keeps my mind at ease, though.

I'll have to take some pictures of M at her school and post them...until I get that done, here's a recent one of Maddi and Daddy at Miller Park!

ages and stages

2009-05-26T19:47:00.000-07:00

Unbelievable…I’m almost in the third trimester! One more week to go and then it’s time for the home stretch. I haven't talked a ton about this pregnancy, so I'll post an update on that aspect of life first.

This little girl (yet unnamed…more on that later!) is a very active one. I remember Miss M mostly being active in the evening, after 9 pm. This kiddo is active throughout the day. I wonder what that means? In terms of preparing for her arrival, I’ve done a couple of things on my list. First, my generous neighbors are handing over a few baby items I wanted but didn’t have with M (Boppy for nursing, baby swing for inside). Second, I ordered some cloth diapers/covers in small sizes. This time I’m being realistic and not planning on starting cloth right away. I figure I will need some time adjust to parenting two children, so I figure I'll wait until she's a couple of months old (or until she fits into the small sizes) before diving in. Besides, I can’t see spending the money on newborn sizes that will fit for such a short time--they grow so fast! I already have 2 dozen prefolds that I ordered but didn’t use with M. I just ordered some covers for those as well as some of our favs, BumGenius one-size. These have three different size settings so they can be used all the way through until potty training. Now that’s a great way to save money!

We've been spending a lot of time outdoors since the weather's been nice (as we do every spring/summer). But we've also had a bit of rain, so we've had to come up with indoor activities as well. Here are some pictures of "fun stuff" from recent days.

Purple girl posing with matching lilacs

New achievement--she's mastered using a mouse! Now on to computer games (Clifford, Sesame Street) geared towards preschoolers!

The drumset has made another appearance in the basement. Jammin' alone and with Daddy:

dis and dat

2009-05-14T20:53:00.000-07:00

This is going to be a mish-mash of thoughts/news, so bear with me while I get it all out! I've got a ton of great new pics to share, but haven't uploaded them to my computer yet. But here's something just as entertaining, if not more so...a couple of videos of Miss M showing off her jazz knowledge. Not bad for a 3-year-old (and a 2-year-old in the older one)! Telling the world who her favorite saxophonist is (thanks, kiddo):

Jamming at the dinner table to a revised version of 'Salt Peanuts':

I am now 25 weeks pregnant and starting to feel like it. I'm not uncomfortable really, but I am at the stage where my clothes look like crap on my current frame. Most of my old shirts don't fit, save a couple of T's. (I've been in special stretchy pants for a little while now.) I bought some new stuff but it's a little baggier than I'd like. I know I'm only going to get bigger, so I don't want to buy smaller sizes, but for now I'm feeling frumpy. Thanks to my wonderful husband and daughter, I have two new tops--summer style--to wear. Great, thoughtful Mother's Day gifts!

I got a mild lecture from my OB last week about not gaining weight fast enough. I'm up 12 lbs from my pre-preggo weight, and I eat all the time! I'm just not eating cake and ice cream all day long. Plus we've started walking since the weather is nice again, so I'm sure that has something to do with it. So, I indulged in a fabulous ice cream cone this afternoon and at fast food for dinner, too. Doctor's orders, right?

I still have to scan and post pics of the ultrasound. No names yet, not even clever nicknames, so here I'm referring to our fetal friend as Baby X. Original, yes?

I'm sure I forgot to mention something, but that'll have to wait for another post. I want to put these videos up on my jazzwriter blog (http://www.jazzwriter.blogspot.com/) before I forget. After that, it's time for bed. 'Night, all.

spring fling

2009-04-28T19:18:00.000-07:00

We've been outside a lot lately since we had a few warm & sunny days. Last fall K planted green onion bulbs throughout our gardens, and they've been up for a while. Finally they're ready to dig up, which is good news for him and Miss M. Not so good for me, however, since I don't like them and whoever eats these things carries around an onion odor on their breath. Help! I'm surrounded!

Another sure sign of spring is the early season flowers blooming, like these tulips on the ISU campus.

Other news...I've been thinking about some of the differences between my two pregnancies. Physically there hasn't been much...no morning sickness, moderate weight gain, feeling pretty good in general. But I did everything by the book with my first pg in terms of diet and exercise. I avoided all the no-no pg foods: hot dogs, lunchmeat, fish, and as much as possible, caffeine. This time, while I still eat fairly well, I've allowed myself occasional indulgences when it comes to deli sandwiches and dogs. My downfall, however, has been the coffee. During the first trimester I didn't drink any--couldn't, really. It never sounded good at all. Now, though, I treat myself to about a half cup a day (I'd guess maybe it's 8 oz), which from what I've read is acceptable (and by the way, it's usually half regular/half decaf). But I still feel guilty. I should probably cut it out for good.

Also, with my first pg I read all the time about what was going on developmentally with the baby and with my body, and I thought about the pregnancy about a zillion times a day. This time it's not on my mind as much. It's not because I'm not excited...I am! But I chalk it up to being busy caring for and keeping a 3-year-old occupied. That takes a good chunk of the day as we're always doing things and running here and there--errands, playdates, story times, etc. Again, I shouldn't feel guilty since this is a very different time in life, but sometimes I do. Guess once you become a parent the guilt just piles on in one form or another.

Speaking of the baby, I don't think I mentioned this yet here but we found out we're having a GIRL! I would have been pleased either way, but I have to admit it will be a little easier knowing that we're set on clothes and the fact that the two will be able to share a room (meaning we get to keep our office!). A 3-year age difference is pretty good...would have liked for it to be a little bit of a smaller gap, but some things you can't control (more on that another time). I hope the two girls become close. My sister and I fought all thoughout childhood, and while it's probably mostly because our personalities are so different (and yes, ok, I was kind of a meanie), I think it also has to do with the fact that we're 5 years apart. I mean, what does a 10-year-old have in common with a 5-year-old? You don't share friends or interests, usually. I guess only time will tell. I wonder if there's anything a parent can do to encourage friendship between siblings?

Ok, one more picture and I'll sign off. This weekend our friends came to visit. They have a little boy so M had a playmate--I thought that for the most part they played together well. Here's a pic of her giving Noah a friendly hug.

Easter fun

2009-04-14T19:16:00.000-07:00

The holidays just keep getting better as M gets older, and really "gets" the fun activities that go hand-in-hand. This year we dyed Easter eggs, participated in a few egg hunts, and of course, got stocked in the candy department. I'm thinking the Big Bunny really should have brought a new toothbrush and some toothpaste for her basket!

Dying eggs...

Crazy egg hunt...we won't be doing this again! While I believe the folks in charge tried their best to organize things appropriately, there were just too many people.

Hope everyone had a nice Easter holiday!

3 years old!

2009-03-23T20:01:00.000-07:00

Unbelievable. We just celebrated Miss M's 3rd birthday. Where has the time gone? I truly don't know.

It was a fun day! We had a family party plus one of her best buds, and this year she didn't seem to mind being the center of attention. Well, not that she ever has...but she certainly wasn't shy about opening gifts or anything like that. She did, however, voice her opinion that we were NOT to sing the birthday song. So we chorused a hearty "Happy birthday Madison" instead.

I'm not thrilled with a lot of the pictures I took this year, so I'm anxiously awaiting to see the ones my dad shot. When I get a few from him I'll probably add those here as well. Speaking of pics, I know why you all visited this blog, so here goes...

The theme was ladybugs...as you can see from the cake and accompanying cupcakes!

Make a wish...

Getting some help from her buddy Karsten, when opening gifts.

A nice shot of my dad and Miss M.

Loving the bouncer she got!

And these are always fun...comparison pics!

1st birthday

2nd birthday

3rd birthday

and baby will make 4!

2009-02-27T12:31:00.000-08:00

With this post I have some exciting news to announce...come August, the star of this blog, the one and only Miss M, will become a big sister!

We've just started telling folks other than family. I still feel safer waiting until the first trimester is over, and now that I'm almost 15 weeks we're more comfortable sharing the news.

When I was pregnant with Madison, I kept a journal of how things were going. It was a separate blog, actually, posted to keep family and friends updated on our progress. I was looking though the printout the other day and realized I started posting at 13 weeks. Since I’m already worried about giving Baby #2 equal time—you know, where there are a zillion pictures and videos of the firstborn but half as many for any subsequent children—I figured it’s only fair to keep a pregnancy journal for him/her, too. I'm doing that in Word, but I may post entries from time to time here as well.

So far this pregnancy has been nearly identical to my first. I have had no morning sickness (didn’t think I’d be that lucky!) and have only the tiredness/exhaustion that comes with the body working extra hard to grow a little person during the first several weeks. I’m coming out of that now, so I’m feeling really good. I had my 12 week appointment two weeks ago and everything is going fine. Dr. Dutta (my new OB…Dr. Galvan, who took me when I was pregnant with M, left the practice) caught the baby’s heartbeat right away and it was perfect, at 160.

One think I’d like to do (but keep forgetting) is take pictures of my growing belly, week by week. I’ve seen people do this and it’s a really neat way to document growth. I’m just now showing a bit, so this would be a good time to start!

I do have ultrasound pics from the 8 week mark but haven't scanned them yet. If I don't get around to that (quite possible!) I will be sure to post the ones from the big u/s, which will occur around week 18, I believe. That's the one where we'll know if we'll have a girl or boy.

Hope everyone is surviving the winter doldrums. The good news is that Feb. is almost over...March is right around the corner! I know that doesn't mean warm weather necessarily, but at least "March" *sounds* springlike!

my funny valentine

2009-02-13T19:50:00.000-08:00

You know the best part about almost-3-year-olds? They're pretty much game to try anything new and exciting. I made some sugar cookies the other day for Valentine's Day with the idea in mind that Miss M would get a kick out of decorating them.

We invited her friend Karsten over to help, but I forgot to take pictures of the kids that day. They both enjoyed using (and even more so, eating) the icing and sprinkles. M and I finished the rest yesterday, and I was on top of things enough to get the camera out this time. Here are some pictures from our artsy, edible event!

Mustard/ketchup squeezy bottles work wonders when you're trying to keep a mess at bay!

The sprinkle Queen

Ta-da! The completed batch.

we're goin' to the gym, gym, gym...

2009-01-28T13:26:00.000-08:00

...And we finally got to take Daddy along! Since he was on break, we were able to all go to to the Open Gym at Rising Stars. What a great resource to have in town when you're looking for ways to burn off excess energy in toddlers/preschoolers...especially during these winter months when we're stuck inside all the time.

The gym has several in-floor trampolines, a big foam block pit, hula hoops, giant balls to chase around, stuff to climb, ropes to swing from, etc. I really think they need to have one day a month dedicated to adults, however. I'd LOVE to play on everything without having to worry about stepping on a stray kid!

Kevin thought it was cool, too. We took some pictures, but the lighting isn't great so they're a bit dark. Still, you can see some of the fun things to do...and you can tell how much Miss M loves this place!

Hmm, is it safe to jump?

The foam pit! Watch out, it eats socks....

Maddi and Daddy pose

january blues

2009-01-05T13:29:00.000-08:00

Is it spring yet? Now that Christmas is over, the excitement of get-togethers and decorating and cookie baking is over. We're left with really cold, really cloudy, really depressing how-much-longer-can-I-take-being-stuck-inside days for the next few months. Well, good thing at least Miss M has a new stash of toys to pass the hours!

Here are some snapshots of our latest activity, dabbling in Play-Doh with fun accessories.

Winter is also the time for illnesses. Seems we three keep passing stuff around. Right around Thanksgiving we shared colds and M had a bout with strep throat, and now there's some weird stomach bug going around. Hopefully we'll all feel 100% before the week is up. And hopefully everyone out there is staying healthy!

happy holidaze!

2008-12-14T19:43:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I've posted. Between the holidaze that's setting in and the illnesses we've recently endured (colds for Kevin and I, strep throat for poor Miss M) I haven't had a lot of time. But now I have a reason to post...we took pictures for our holiday cards this weekend--which I am supposed to pick up tomorrow and hope to get in the mail early this week!

You'd think that we'd just use the professional pic for these cards (which we have yet to have taken for 2008...yikes, better get on that), since every year it's a job and a half getting M to sit still AND smile. Last year we took, like, 100 shots and she was blurry in every single one of them. This year was challenging as well, but finally we captured one that was ok. Kevin did a little fine-tuning, and we're all happy with the results. So, without further adieu, happy holidays from the Harts!

big girl pics

2008-11-18T07:52:00.000-08:00

If I've learned anything in the past 2.5 years of being a parent, it's that there's a milestone around every corner. They just keep coming...and while many are bittersweet, they're all exciting. Here are two of Miss M's newest achievements...the first is....

The move to her big girl bed! This furniture is part of a bunk bed set, where the beds can be used also as two twins or a trundle set-up. Right now I want to use a single bed, as I'm sure bunk beds would only instigate trouble (climbing, jumping from the top bunk...shudder). This is part of a matching bedroom set that I had in my room as a kid. (There we go, recycling again!)

I put on the blue bedspread first but after picking up a yellow one from my folks, decided to use it as it matches the room's decor better. Both were used by me as a kid, too!

The second milestone is...*drumroll please*...and I'll let the pic speak for itself:

YESS!!!! Finally, M's hair is long enough for pigtails! I don't have the right kind of bands for little girls' hair, but you can bet now that we can use them I'll pick those up on my next shopping trip.

pumpkin fun

2008-11-01T06:58:00.001-07:00

This year I was super excited about Halloween. I've been preparing Miss M for the big day, explaining how trick or treating works, doing practice runs (sans candy), making decorations, etc. So when yesterday morning hit I felt like *I* was the kid! After decking M out in full ladybug attire, we went to the library for a special parade and story time. Later in the day we headed out for tricks or treats on our street, then headed to the mall for an indoor ToT adventure. It was a blast, she really "got" it this year (even if she got shy when it came time to shout "trick or treat!") and seemed to enjoy dressing up. The fun isn't over yet, because we have a kiddie Halloween party to go to later today.

Here are some pics of our pumpkin carving experience. I haven't uploaded photos or ToT yet, but will do that soon and of course post 'em here. Hope everyone had a safe, fun Halloween!

Helping Daddy carve the pumpkin.

Maddi and "Buddah" (she named it).

Maybe we should use this for our Christmas cards?

Ready to canvas the street for goodies. It's strange to out when it's still light, though...

Trick or treating at the mall with best bud, Karsten the Pirate.

Halloween fun continues on Sat. at friend Katie's party.

craig n' me

2008-10-14T13:20:00.000-07:00

I have a new best friend. His name is Craigslist...I'll call him Craig for short.

Craig has turned me on to some wonderfully awesome deals recently. The first was an ad for toddler-sized clothing, for sale by a local mom of 3. I went over to her house one sunny Saturday morning and picked through a pile of clothing in Miss M's size. Came away with a big shopping bag of stuff--including a great winter coat--for just $13!

The second deal Craig hooked me up with was a halloween costume. I had been planning on making a no-sew ladybug outfit for M until I saw a listing for a 2T ladybug costume, mint-condition, for just $5. Picked that sucker up yesterday (cheaper than I could have made one!).I LOVE getting good deals. It means you can save money for other things (gas, food, gourmet coffees).

I know some folks refuse to buy secondhand anything for their kids, but I figure what the heck? Most little ones grow so fast that they don't get a full season's wear out of clothes anyway, and you can get stuff--sometimes brand-name--waaaay cheaper than buying it new. Plus I'm in the recycling loop, using things that otherwise might be thrown away.

So, thank you, Craig! I'll be turning to you for more advice--I could really use a few things for the house and maybe, just maybe, you can help me out with that, too.

FALL!

2008-10-06T12:48:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful weekend to engage in fall-type-stuff, so that's what we did on Saturday. There are a couple of farms on the edge of town that join together to hold a fall festival, complete with pumpkin picking, hayrides, petting areas for the kids & animals (kids pet the animals, not the other way around :), and more. We visited both farms and enjoyed just about everything there was to offer. Miss M had a blast. Here favorite by far was the "corn sandbox"--a giant tub filled with dried corn and stocked with lots of little shovels, rakes, and dump trucks. When we got home I had to dump the corn out of her shoes, pockets, and even the hood of her jacket!

Feeding the calves.

Way cool hay stacks to climb. She went all the way to the top with Daddy later!

"It's just the right size for me!"

The awesome corn-sandbox.

And finally...what's fall without pumpkins? (We brought home 2.)

Later that evening we went to an outdoor movie...The Wizard of Oz. Surprisingly, M sat thru the ENTIRE movie!! The first half of it she stared, wide-eyed, at the screen, absently dipping her hand into the popcorn bag that she was hoarding. The second half she spent on my lap, snuggled under a blanket (it was a chilly night). We don't have pics of that, but, true to form, Kevin took plenty of video.

Hope everyone is enjoying the season as much as we are!

sleepless days

2008-09-14T12:16:00.000-07:00

I think it's happening...really happening this time. Miss M has been hit or miss in taking her nap for the last 2.5 weeks, and I really think she's close to giving it up. AAAAGH! Tell me, experienced mothers with older children...how did your kid go about dropping the afternoon (and only) nap? How old were they? Did they quit cold turkey, eliminate it gradually, or what? And how much earlier did you put them to bed once the daytime naps were history?

This means, of course, that I am doomed as a WAHM. There will be no time to work unless I get up at 6 am to do it. I'm probably going to have to lean on a few folks who have been offering to help out, I think.

Other news? It's been rainy as HECK here. Everyone gets a little cranky when the days stretch out endlessly (especially when those days are no nap days), so I've been trying to find ways to keep life interesting and fun. Here are some of our adventures!

Singin' in the rain

Tiptoe thru the downspout

After an afternoon of fingerpainting, a bath was the only way to get all the goo off. Combine blowing bubbles with bathtime and there you have it, a solid hour of entertainment!

holidays and harvests

2008-09-02T09:31:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend. Ours started out pretty busy, but ended on a relaxing note. Sunday Kevin and I had to go to Chicago to play for a wedding reception, so Mom & Dad Hart came to stay with Miss M. They had a great time by all accounts...M was a perfect angel (or so was reported) and Grandma Joanne and Grandpa Ronnie got to spend some one-on-one time with their granddaughter.

Monday we had a Labor Day gathering with the family. It was a bit steamy out but it's been much worse, so we braved the humidity and hung outside for a good part of the afternoon. The trick is finding the best way to cool off. Here's what M does:

And my dad's cool-down technique:

It's also time to reap the benefits of gardening with late summer veggies:

little lady

2008-08-21T14:00:00.001-07:00

Just wanted share a quick pic captured at my friend Nikki's wedding recently (and congrats to Nikki and Cory, BTW!) of our little lady. Isn't it hilarious how she's got her legs crossed?

the august rush

2008-08-17T13:19:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've had time to update...things have been pretty busy. Last week I was balancing 3 projects, but I've since completed one of them and have made decent headway on the remaining two. One is a pretty labor-intensive article feature that includes a series of interviews with 4 people plus communicating with a publisher. I've been trying to as much done as possible before Kevin is back to teaching (tomorrow, eek!).

We're making more strides in our family-based quest to become "greener." The latest step: we're on board with reusable bags. I recieved one free in the mail just for taking an online quiz, so when I went grocery shopping I brought that bag with. Kroger also sells reusable bags so I picked up two more. That day I brought home only FOUR plastic bags from the store. That's opposed to the usual dozen, so I'd say that's making pretty good progress. I've since bought one more Kroger bag (an insulated one) and ordered 3 string bags from reusablebags.com.

Another perk, besides doing our part to lessen the impact on the environment, is that I don't have nearly as many bags piling up in the garage. We do recycle the ones that accumulate, but I always forget to take them in (we don't enjoy curbside recycling in our town).

Let's see, a Miss M update...we're all underwear, all day long now (at home anyway.) She's doing really well with letting us know when she has to go potty. We do use pull-ups for going out and at bedtime/naptime, but overall I'm happy with her progress. And for anyone wondering, I did have a bye-bye diaper party. We packed up all the cloth and put them away in a box. That seemed to do the trick...now she doesn't fight me when I go to put underwear on her. Yay!

Also, Madison is developing quite the imagination! The other night I went to tell her goodnight and found not Maddi but an elephant in her bed! :) Also, she had Data and Jordie from Star Trek Next Generation in the bathtub with her a couple of days ago. Thanks to Kevin, I guess our kid is on her way to becoming a Trekkie!

I haven't had time to upload any new pictures lately, but I'll be certain to do so with my next post. Hope everyone is enjoying these final days of summer. Can't believe September is nearly here!

potty party

2008-07-25T20:04:00.000-07:00

It may be the mom in me, but I believe Madison is really a smart kid. I don't have anything to compare her to, of course, since she's our firstborn, but I seem to get comments from strangers a lot about how well she speaks, that she knows her letters and numbers so well, that she can sing a few songs at just 2 years, etc.

I'm sure this will have its downfall. It's got me paranoid that the next kid we have will be a little slower developmentally and I'll be worried sick about it. Miss M walked on her own at 11 months...if child #2 doesn't walk by its first birthday I'll panic. If fit doesn't use the "expected" number of words by 18 months I'll have a heart attack. I now understand why my parents always told me they didn't have gray hair until they had children. I think I understand now, and I'm not even stressed out yet!

But for such a bright little girl I'm getting a little frustrated with our potty trainng experience. It's going well for the most part...I'm putting her in underwear at home most of the time, and when she's wearing it she is really good about getting to the bathroom when she has to go.

But lately she's wanted to wear diapers, not underwear, and when she's in a diaper she doesn't make an effort at all to use the toilet. I'm contemplating playing the mean mom card and deeming diapers in the house off-limits. She could then choose to wear underwear or go nakey. I've also been tossing around the idea of getting some pull-ups for outings and naps. I don't want her to wear them all the time, as I've heard they're too much like wearing a diaper, but I'm not brave enough to chance going out in underwear. I'd love to be able to put the cloth away (although I will miss cute cloth butt) and not buy any more disposables--except overnight diapers--at all.

So...calling all experienced moms or dads who've been through this...what would you do?

Here are a couple of shots of Miss M at Grady's, a local place that has all kinds of rides plus pizza and ice cream. We went a couple of weeks ago and picked out the rides that were suited for a 2-year-old.

Taking a ride on the train:

Harley girl!

Thanks, as always, for reading & looking!

girls just wanna have fun

2008-07-21T10:00:00.000-07:00

*UPDATED w/ PICTURES!*

This weekend we were quite the socialites! Two parties in two days used to be nothin', but when you're embarking on a series of social activities with a toddler they can become exhausting outings quickly.

Saturday we had a birthday party to attend for one of Madison's friends. It was really a party for the kids AND adults, and we had a great time. There were kids to play with and toys (someone else's toys...always much better than your own!) and food and games (a pinata and pin the tool on the toolbelt...cute) and good company. Miss M had a great time...and she didn't even seem to mind when, as I was trying to coax her into leaving for the evening, she insisted on 'one more time' climbing up the little slide in the pool (never mind we had already changed her out of her swimsuit and into her clothes) and she slipped and fell right in. I saw that one coming but you know, sometimes they have to learn for themselves. I expected tears but all she said was, "Oops!"

Sunday we went to a family sweet corn party up in Herscher. Got to explore the farm a bit, and we had great fun listening to our echoes in an empty grain bin.

Today is recovery day. We don't have any plans, except to check out Kevin's ISU faculty concert this evening, and I plan to keep it that way.

Finally, I got around to adding a few pics!

Taking a swing at the pinata:

Collecting goodies from the pinata:

Playing with the birthday boy:

The awesome cakes from the party. The theme was tool time, so these creative edible goodies fit the bill!

waterfun and all that jazz

2008-07-09T14:04:00.000-07:00

Right now I should be working as the lil' one is snoozing, but seeing how I am researching blogs for an article, the more I read about them the more I felt the urge to update my own. So, here I am.

We took our annual trip to Iowa City this weekend. The Iowa City Jazz Festival was our motivation, as it has been the past 8 years. It's turned into quite the famiy event with both Kevin and my parents joining in on the fun. Good times were had by all!

Kevin took a lot of video of the bands but I don't think we got any pictures of the groups performing on stage. However, I have a host of images of the three of us at the pool--thanks Dad--that I think you'll enjoy. Miss M loved the water, giving me the nudge I need to make the trek to our local public pool. (It's sooo far away...like a 10 minute bike ride.) Here are some of those pictures, enjoy them! Also, if anyone is interested in reading a recap of the festival you can check out my jazzwriter blog, but please wait a few days until I have time to write & post! I'm hoping to do this Friday evening.

Riding the Daddy-fish.

Pink arm floaties!

3 of Harts.

Madison takes a boat ride

2008-06-25T13:41:00.001-07:00

Since we're in a Curious George phase right now (classic books...I still love them!) I figured it was appropriate to create a title ala H.A. Rey.

Sunday was absolutely gorgeous so we hopped on the bikes, strapped Miss M in her bike trailer, and headed to Miller Park. We couldn't remember if they had paddle boats for rent on the lake, so we wanted to check that out. Lucky for us they did, and Madison loved the experience.

Here's a bonus shot of Miss M modeling her evening gown/blanket. Crazy kid!

the great outdoors

2008-06-16T12:28:00.001-07:00

We had a pretty fun weekend. It was beautiful so of course we spent most of it outside. Saturday there was a concert downtown (sponsored by our friends at WGLT), so we hopped on the bikes and trekked down the trail. Madison liked it a lot, and she made friends quickly with a little boy sitting next to us. They danced, played with sticks, and shared snacks. She's a social one, that girl! Next we hit a local carnival. Miss M took her first train ride. It was a little Amtrak and she loved it! And on Sunday we celebrated Father's Day by having the family over. My folks & sister and bro in law and Kevin's folks all came. Except for a super duper wind gust that practically lifted everything off the ground and the brief rainstorm that followed, it was a great day for a cookout. The sun came out later so we headed back outside.

Blogger's photo uploader is working now so here are the pics!

Dancing with her new friend at the GLT Summer Concert:

Mmm, ice cream with Daddy. What could be better?

She's still talking about the train ride!

green news, green thumb

2008-06-12T13:40:00.000-07:00

We've accomplished two things so far this summer that we've been wanting to do for a long time. Here they are:

Kevin made a rain barrel last fall but he didn't hook it up until the spring. We're using the water for our garden, plus my flowers. (Thanks Mom Hart, Master Gardener extrodinaire and generous contributor to my plant stash!)

The clothesline is great. It takes stuff almost no time to dry, especially the diapers! When I lined dried my AIOs in the basement they took 2 days. Now I need only an afternoon of outdoor air.

And, well, since I just uploaded some photos to my computer, here are a few more for ya!

Getting ready to go to a wedding. Look how grown up Miss M looks!

madison visits madison (again)

2008-05-30T09:33:00.000-07:00

A couple of weekends ago we took a trip to Wisconsin. Kevin wanted to kick off his summer break right, by taking a little trip to "get away from it all." We were hoping for some nice, warm weather but it ended up being a bit chilly. The sun peeked out for a while on Monday, though, so we enjoyed it while it made its appearance. Here's a few photos of us on the Terrace at UW. Gotta love the giant orange chair!

twinkle twinkle

2008-05-17T06:38:00.001-07:00

Nothing's cuter than kids captured on video, right? Here's the latest from our budding musician-child (and no, we're not pushing her!):

http://s69.photobucket.com/albums/i67/cahart/?action=view&current=2008-04-14_twinkle_drum_384.flv

with a spring in your step...

2008-05-02T06:37:00.000-07:00

I know, enough with the spring comments already. But I can't help it...it feels so good to get outside! When it's not raining that's where we spend the bulk of our time. Here are a few pictures of our outdoor activities lately.

At the park:

Having a snack at her new picnic table:

Posing for our annual picture with the tulips:

We also belong to a new playgroup! Well, it's not exactly new...a group of us who attended Storytime each week at the library decided that since the program is on hiatus during the sumer, there's no reason why we had to stop meeting. So the plan is to continue to get together on Thursday mornings (when Storytime has been held) and visit a different park in town each week. The kids are around the same age (2-3) so it's nice for Madison to get some social time. Well, I get social time too...that's part of my motivation, I have to admit!

oh, go fly a kite!

2008-04-22T12:06:00.000-07:00

Spring is in the air! And with the warm weather and fresh breezes, so are kites. I picked one up for Madison the other day (a $1 bargain kite) and she's been enjoying flying it. She's pretty good about holding onto the string spool--she only let go a couple of times.

We've been spending a lot of time outside. The backyard is starting to look like a playground with the sandbox, swing, slide, kiddie picnic table, and assortment of balls. We've been walking a lot and going for bike rides. It feels soooo good to get out again. And I think everyone's mood is improved by doing so!

the party!

2008-04-01T21:16:00.000-07:00

The big birthday party was this Sunday. We hosted 17 people--all family--and brought the house down. This little 2 year-old sure knows how to enjoy a party!

The train cake (I spent 3 hours decorating it the night before):

Trying to show everyone how old she is using her fingers:

Riding her new trike:

And just for fun, comparison pics from last year's birthday and this year's:

birthday girl!

2008-03-24T13:41:00.000-07:00

It's been pretty exciting around here lately. Last Friday was Madison's birthday. My big-little girl turned 2. We kicked off the big day with a visit to her pediatrician, who announced Miss M is perfectly healthy. The doctor asked the usual questions: is she eating well? YES...some days the girl is like a garbage disposal. Is she running and jumping? YES...she has more energy than *I* know what to do with. How many words does she know? I have NO IDEA...but it's A LOT. Does she speak in 3-4 word sentences? NO. She's been using LONG sentences (for a 2-year-old anyway)...like her favorite this past week: "We go to museum on the birthday. Maddi's birthday!"

Which brings us up to later in the day. She had been talking about going to the Children's Museum all week. I promised her we'd go on her birthday, and we talked about how her birthday was only three, two, and finally one day away. So when she woke up from her nap Friday afternoon and was told we'd go the museum after dinner she was so excited. My parents came with us and got the biggest kick out of seeing her run around the place. Miss M's favorite part is the food area, where there's a grocery/diner section stocked with plastic food. She loves filling up the shopping carts and looks like she's on one of those 15-minute shopping sprees. Here are some pics from the museum:

Since Easter was this weekend we won't have her party until next Sunday, so that's something else to plan and look forward to.

I've got Easter pics to post too, but will do that when I have more time. Hope everyone had a great Easter weekend!

mud pies

2008-03-04T13:23:00.000-08:00

We, in the Midwest, were treated to a dose of spring this past Sunday. The temperature hit 60-something and the rest of the snow melted. I cheered this change on wholeheartedly and urged my little family to get ready to hit the outdoors, we were gonna celebrate! So we took a nice long walk and later, after Madison's nap, I took her outside to hang out in the front yard. And I got a glimpse of what this spring and summer is going to be like: within seconds, she was grabbing fistfulls of mud from one of my side flower beds. Now I wouldn't have minded so much, but the tips of my tulip bulbs are actually beginning to break through the soil and I REALLY want to see some color in my garden areas as soon as possible so I was at a crossroads: do I freak out and pamper my plants but dissuade my child from exploring? Or do I say buh-bye to tulip town? I chose an alternative solution, to redirect Miss M towards another special mud spot. I let her dig in the raised bed at the side of the house. There's nothing growing there yet so she was free and clear to muck around in the mud to her little heart's content. She had a blast. I guess I need to make sure she's in really old clothes whenever we're outside this season!

And by the way, our dose of spring was gone the next day. Yesterday was rainy and cold, and today we're supposed to get 2-4 inches of snow. It's snowing right now. This is the longest winter EVER, I swear.

Here's a neat picture my dad took over the weekend:

screwy society

2008-02-16T12:35:00.001-08:00

Madison hasn't breastfed in 9 months, but I remain a supporter and advocate of feeding babies the way nature intended. So when I came across this cartoon I had to laugh and roll my eyes at the same time.

This is the first in a 5-day series on the topic. To see the rest of the storyline go here:
http://news.yahoo.com/comics/uclickcomics/20080211/cx_ss_uc/ss20080211;_ylt=Aj9HJv136A7kNvLQX927sLmcocwF

everybody jump now

2008-02-08T13:56:00.000-08:00

The end of winter can't come soon enough! We've had the most incredibly crappy weather this week, everything from snow to sleet to slush to rain & thunderstorms. Ugh.

I'm doing pretty well with my resolution to get out with Maddi on a regular basis. We've been hitting the story hour at Bloomington Library, which has been fun. There are several moms who are there most every week so I'm able to work some adult chatting time in. And Miss M is able to be around other kids her age which is cool, too. We also hit an open gym last week which she loved! They've got in-floor trampolines, a foam pit, giant balls to chase, jump ropes, and a big area to run around in. We'll definitely go back there...what a great place to visit when you can't get outside and your little one needs to burn off some energy! I got to burn off some energy as well since she didn't want to do the trampoline by herself...I had to go too. Together we bounced "Just like Tigger!" (Her words, not mine.) Eeek...now I know why my OB told me to continue doing kegals AFTER giving birth (and here we are 2 years later, sheesh)!

I have some cute stories to share later, but now I have to head to pick up the car from getting an oil change/tire rotation. We put a ton of miles on that thing and it's getting some well-deserved maintainance in hopes of convincing it to run for another 100,000 miles.

deal or no deal?

2008-01-27T12:39:00.000-08:00

Finally Kevin and I have equipped ourselves with boots. He has a pair of old snowmobile boots that are falling apart, and I only have a pair of low-topped sh*% kickers. Since we've had a little bit of snow and will hopefully get more before the winter is over, we ventured out to track down a couple of pairs. We hit the jackpot at Target, finding boots for $12 (for him) and $10 (for me). They were marked down from $60 and $50 respectively. Score!

Since it's warming up a little and we're supposed to get rain tomorrow, plus our restless toddler was tired of being cooped up all morning, we hit the backyard to make use of the little snow that's out there. Here are some pictures of our morning fun:

2008-01-19T20:03:00.000-08:00

I've had a few ideas running through my head for posts on this blog, but of course when I actually have time to sit down to write I can't remember any of them. And this from the queen of list-making. Guess I forgot to make a list specifically for blog topics.

Ah well.

I am finally getting my behind in gear to put together a scrapbook of Madison's first year. I selected 9 months of pictures about 6 months ago but never got around to printing them. So I just spent the last hour uploading photos to Shutterfly so I can send them to Target and pick them up tomorrow. Usually I just take a flash drive or CD and upload them at the store, but the last several times I've made a trip there the equipment has been broken. This online process took forever, but at least I didn't have to stand in line with an antsy toddler only to discover the trip was futile. We'll see how long it takes me to actually get these photos into the album once I have them in hand!

I was reading, today, on a website that talked about development and babies/toddlers, that a 22 month old should have about 50 words in her vocabulary. I think Miss M is doing pretty darn well...I have no idea exactly how many words she's capable of saying, but she's been speaking in simple sentences for about a month now so I'd say she's doing ok. It's amazing how quickly language develoment works its magic! And it really makes you think about what you say before you say it...just because the kid doesn't repeat what she hears right away doesn't mean it won't eek out of her mouth a few days or even a week later!

My realm of child-laden friends is growing! Our good friends Erin and Andy welcomed their son Noah into the world at the tail end of January. They were happy for the timing as it means they get their tax write-off for 2007. I went to visit last Tuesday and Madison did pretty good around the baby...mostly because she didn't want to go near him. She calls him Baby No-No. :-)

I also want to give a happy birthday shout out to my friend Kim's boy, Sean, on his FIRST birthday!

And there are other b days approaching...Miss M will be 2 in March...unbelieveable. And her twice-yearly playdate buddy, Logan, has his 2nd approaching in Feburary. Where oh where has the time gone?

The feature picture in this post showcases my Play-Doh talents. Madison is always requesting that I craft dogs, cats, bunnies, teacups, snakes, and other miscellaneous items out of this malleable substance and so of course I oblige. My latest creation features a few characters from Thomas and Friends. Can you name these trains?

back to our regularly scheduled program...

2008-01-13T20:12:00.000-08:00

Well the holiday is now officially over. Kevin goes back to all his schools this week, and Miss M and I go back to our weekly routine as a duo. So here I am, making a list of possible things to do. The weather's not so nice now, so I'm searching for indoor activities.

I think we'll be checking out the reading program for toddlers at one of the libraries as it's every Thursday and you don't need to register to take part. Libraries for kids today are so different from what I remember. We didn't have play areas...both libraries here each have two different sections for kids to read, play, and socialize. We didn't have reading programs for babies and toddlers...both libraries here have ongoing activities year-round for kids. It's really nice to see the children's departments really making an effort to reach out to children...tearing them away from the computer and video games. There's nothing like a good book, and I hope Miss M realizes that for a long, long time.

With Kevin going back to work, that also means my own working hours will shift once again to naptimes and after bed. Unless I decide to hire someone to come over for a few hours during the week to play with Madison, which isn't really practical since my workload is unpredictable. One week there's a lot to do, the next there's practically nothing. I haven't bothered to drum up clients for quite some time as I can't balance more than 2 or 3 projects at once while caring for a toddler all day. Fortunately, I've made some very good contacts who still send work my way without me having to solicit at all. Nice, and I appreciate that greatly!

2008, ain't it great?

2008-01-04T13:25:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! Hope your holidays were wonderful. We enjoyed all of it and spent much of the time with our families. Here are a few pics of Madison with some of her Christmas gifts...she loved everything, especially the magna-doodle thingie that I had to take back as the handle was broken. Of course I can't exchange it because the store hasn't gotten any new ones in. Grrr....

New chalkboard/easel:

Santa brought a sled! Now if it would just warm up enough so we don't have to worry about frostbite.

Grandma Smith made this neat apron for my chef-in-training:

These blocks are also a favorite of Daddy's:

Oh, and I should mention that I got to go out on a DATE! For my birthday Kevin arranged a night out, sitter included. We had dinner, saw Enchanted, and enjoyed coffee and some leisure reading at Border's.

let it snow!

2007-12-17T19:39:00.000-08:00

And it did just that on Saturday. I think we got about 4 inches, maybe 5. Our gracious neighbor came over to tackle our driveway with his snow-blower. It rocks to have neighbors like that. As soon as I finish baking some holiday cookies (which is what I will be doing in just a sec) I need to take some over to say thanks.

I am a bit late in getting our Christmas cards out this year, but tomorrow they will be in the mail. Started doing photo cards last year and we're continuing the tradition this season. Here's the one we're using for our cards:

It turned out ok. Madison didn't want to hold still so she's a little blurry, but I don't know if you can tell on a computer screen. We also had our annual family photo taken last week, and as soon as I have time to scan the pic I'll post that, too.

There's a ton of stuff to do over the next few days so I may not get a chance to update again until after Christmas. So...happy holidays to all!

22 more shopping days

2007-12-04T07:18:00.000-08:00

Does it bother you when you hear this sentence that I used as the title for this post? It kind of gets on my nerves as it's just a reminder of how commercialized the holiday season has become. Don't get me wrong...I enjoy shopping for gifts for family and friends as much as the next person...but I also wish the season was more about togetherness and less about dollars.

One part of the holidays I really love is decorating! Nothing cheers up a room more than lights, and our living room is looking pretty good right now. We put up the tree last night, and had lots of help from Miss M. Here she is, thinking how nice her blanket would look as an ornament:

potty mouth

2007-11-22T07:30:00.000-08:00

Looking for a unique Christmas gift for your toddler-in-training?

http://www.uncommongoods.com/item/item.jsp?source=rss&utm_medium=rss&itemId=16430

Isn't that hilarious??

reality check

2007-11-21T20:42:00.000-08:00

Afternoon at Starved Rock State Park

I discovered something about myself the other day: at this point in time, I have very limited interests. I am thinking now that I am a very boring person.

A week ago Kevin and I were both supposed to play a gig together, so we dropped Maddi off at my parents' house a little early so we could have an hour or so of "free" time beforehand. We had dinner (gourmet McDonalds, I'm ashamed to say) and then headed to Barnes & Noble for coffee and leisure reading. Except I couldn't come up with a topic that interested me. In that huge store, the only thing that appealed to me were parenting books and mothering magazines. And I refused to look at any of them, because I felt like since this was my one night out in, like, forever, I needed to focus on something other than being a mom.

Don't get me wrong. I love being a mom, and I love being the nurturing figure in our little family. But I'm more than that, too...or at least I used to be. So now I'm on the lookout for a new hobby or interest, or something. I don't want to be that person who has nothing to say, the conversation killer. I guess it's time to take a look at life and find something to kick my @$$ into gear, eh?

going...going...green!

2007-11-13T20:49:00.000-08:00

Adventures with Play-Doh

I guess I've jumped on the green bandwagon. I don't mean to make it sound like a fad as I sincerely hope it's not. But I was just thinking about some of the changes we've made in the last few months and I'm pretty happy with what we're doing. We may not be able to afford a new hybrid car or a solar-paneled house but why not do what we can with what we've got? Here are a few of our green achievements:

- Kevin made a rain barrel this fall. Although it's a little late to use it this season, we're both excited about next spring, and how we'll use it to use rainwater to feed our veggies and flowers. We also intend to put up a clothesline in the spring so I can put out some of the laundry instead of using the dryer for everything.

- If you've read my previous posts, you'll know that we've begun cloth diapering. I have built up a pretty nice stash of dipes for Miss M and I am feeling good about not putting as many disposables in the garbage. We still use them for bedtime, naptime, and some longer outings, but at home we're cloth almost all the way.

- I've started saving plastic bags from the store to send to the recycling center. I would like to start using some of the reusable bags in the future. I've also stopped throwing away cardboard boxes from cereal and cracker packages and started putting them in with our recycling pile for newspapers.

- Compact flourescent light bulbs are slowly taking over our house.

I know there's probably a lot more we could be doing (like fixing the leaky faucet in the tub) but one day at a time, right?

boo! to you

2007-10-29T13:06:00.000-07:00

I am a sucky mommy. Halloween is in two days and I still haven't gotten a costume for M yet.

I saw a really cute monkey outfit (how very fitting!) at Target 2 months ago, but I just wasn't prepared to think about Halloween in September, ya know? So I didn't buy it. Of course that's the one costume that sold out immediately and they haven't gotten any more in so...I guess our little monkey won't look the part. I also refuse to pay more than $15 for a costume she'll wear for a few hours, max, one night. I mean, we are only taking her to a couple of the neighbors houses, and maybe have her dressed up while kids come to our house.

I may go the home-made route and use this cute bunny hat my mom made for her...I can dress her in pink sweats and put together a cotton tail and she'll be a huggable, squeezable (cheap) little hopper for Halloween.

i should be working right now...

2007-10-14T12:31:00.000-07:00

...but it's Sunday and I don't feel like it. Even though the house is quiet (naptime) and I should be productive, I'm wasting time online as usual. Happens to the best of us, doesn't it?

So, we're trying cloth! Got my trail package and it's been interesting. I for one LOVE the idea of cloth. I don't mind the laundry and I am looking forward to a less stinky diaper pail and not having to haul heavy diapers to the trash every other night. Madison...well, I'm not sure she loves it as much as me. It's a change, that's for sure. She tolerates two of the brands ok...BumGenius and FuzziBunz are winners, but she seems to hate Happy Heineys. I think they are too wide between the legs for her. I haven't tried the prefolds and don't plan to...I like the ease of pockets and all-in-ones (AIOs) and I don't want to have to worry about trying to fold them so they aren't bulky. M doesn't stay still for diaper changes very well, so she'd never stand for it.

So, I think I'll be keeping my BG and FB, and I'm in the process of ordering some more. Man, they make some cute diapers. I can totally see how this becomes an addiction for some mamas. I'm thinking for baby #2 (when we're at that point) I will do cloth all the way. We could save a ton of money!

Here are a couple pics of Maddi and her new diapers:

Not feelin' the love with her HH:

That's better! A snug BG on her little bum:

catchin' up

2007-09-30T20:13:00.000-07:00

Well let's see, what's been going on? We've had kind of a rough week, I guess. First Madison had her 18 month appointment on the 21st, which went ok except she would NOT hold still for the weight/measurement checks. So I'm pretty sure those are inaccurate, considering they weighed her in at a full pound less than her 15 month appointment. Then she had to get one booster shot plus HepA (no MMR yet, we're delaying that one) and she wasn't too happy about that. Then she had to have her hemoglobin checked which came back low, so I had to take her back the next week to have it re-checked. The second time they did it though the vein in her arm, not the little finger prick like the first time, and it was horrible. She was so miserable, and I felt horrible for her. Fortunately her levels were fine this time, so I don't have to worry about adjusting her diet too much.

Speaking of diet, we did have to adjust a bit this weekend, to mainly bland foods. Last week she began vomiting. Occurrences were intermittent (every other day in fact) and she acted just fine otherwise. After she threw up again on Friday I called the doctor and recieved a little bit of reassurance...the nurse said she had 3 calls exactly like mine that day. So some sort of viral thing is going around...which I'm pretty sure she picked up at the doctor's office. At her WELL BABY visit. Harumph.

We were going to take our yearly trip to WI this weekend but because I wasn't sure how M would be feeling we decided not to go. Turned out she was just fine...no more vomiting...so I'm hoping the bug is out of her system.

On a fun note, I was finally able to meet up with my friend Delaney and her son, who is just a month older than M. We've been trying to find time to meet for months and this time the stars aligned. We met at Brookfield Zoo and had a super time. The toddlers had their own sort of conversation ("no no no" "NO NO!" "Ablagoobly?" "Doo doo hiiii!"), it was really cute. And we mommies chatted about life in general and parenthood. We used to do shots, now we do diapers. Boy have times changed!

I will add pictures tomorrow, running out of time tonight!

to cloth or not to cloth?

2007-09-17T13:11:00.000-07:00

I am considering--again--trying cloth diapers with Madison. I say "again" because I got gung-ho about cloth diapering (CD) before she was born, buying roughly $100 of supplies (2 dozen prefolds and 3 covers) and using them about, oh, two or three times. Looking back, there are a couple of reasons I gave it up without a fair trial. First, I didn't realize that every time a newborn relieves itself poop is in the picture. I just couldn't see doing laundry every other day when I was sooo tired from the rigors of new motherhood. Also, when I tried putting the diapers on her they always seemed way too big. She was a small baby, and I think what happened is the diapers/covers were meant for bigger babies, even though they were a size small.

So after all this, why the renewed interest in CD? Well, I'm tired of lugging smelly, heavy loads of disposables out to the trash. If one child is producing that much waste (the dirty diapers I mean, not necessarily the pees/poops) just think of how many tons of soiled diapers are disposed of daily around the world! This summer we've started thinking a little greener and this is one area where I think we can improve.

Also, I've heard that once potty training begins, it's a little easier for toddlers to know when they've gone because cloth doesn't wick moisture away from the body like disposables do. Food for thought for the future.

So...I'm researching CD. This time I'm reading tons of articles and asking people I know about their experiences. I'm considering a trial package from Jillian's Drawers that offers an assortment of CD types for a $100 deposit, with the option to return what you don't like. If you return them all you get your money back minus $10. If you decide to keep some, the price is adjusted accordingly. Since there are so many types and I'm not sure what will be right for us, this sounds like the best way to go. Plus, I can always sell the ones I bought (they really are practically brand-new!) and use that to pay for some of the new stash.

Here's Madison with her latest obsession: her alphabet mat. She LOVES letters and is always pointing out the ones she can identify...which is a pretty lot impressive for an 18 month old I think!

inside, outside, upside down

2007-09-07T18:50:00.000-07:00

I've had a lot of thoughts in the last few days about what to post here next, but it's been hard to find time to get online to do much. Now that school has started again and Kevin is back in teaching mode he's not home much during the day, so it's just Maddi and me. She's a good kiddo but a handful sometimes, so I have to watch to make sure she's not turning the TV on and off repeatedly or dancing on the coffee table.

Today we went to the Children's Museum. Cool place...lots of hands on stuff for little ones and they even offer toddler time programs...I think we'll go to some of the upcoming planned events. I didn't bring the camera today, but here are a few other recent pictures you might enjoy of our little acrobat. She's doing somersaults now!

little cutie patootie

2007-08-20T20:04:00.000-07:00

I was thinking tonight about how sad I'm going to be when M becomes a teenager (or pre-teen) and doesn't want to have anything to do with us. :-(

Of course I don't remember going through that I-hate-my-parents phase at all so maybe there's hope.

Anyway, here are some new pics of Miss M!

introducing: jazzgirl

2007-08-08T14:06:00.000-07:00

I really, really should be working now but I just had to take a minute to post this video. See how proud daddy is of his little drummer girl...who can actually keep the beat at 16 months!

http://s69.photobucket.com/albums/i67/cahart/?action=view&current=madisondrums768filmcontent.flv

of poop and product recalls

2007-08-01T19:05:00.000-07:00

Today I came across a list of topics intended for this blog. I made the list quite some time ago and now I'm glad I did, because some of the items listed might have been forgotten. There's a lot of good material there, especially memories from Madison's early weeks/months. Like her very first poop...and I know you want to hear about this!

So the story goes...she was in her mini-crib at the foot of our bed, and it was the middle of the night. We're all sleeping and suddenly the girl lets out a supremely loud yelp. Kevin and I both jumped up and looked at each other. "What's the matter with her? What happened? Is she ok?" We both panicked. She was only a couple of days old and something terrible had happened but we didn't know what.

But we soon found out. The little girl had her first massive b.m. Filled up the diaper and the some. Scared the crap (literally) out of her. Of course being new parents it took the two of us to change her diaper, and if I remember correctly it took about 20 minutes. (Hey...we were inexperienced, what can I say?)

Ok, on to cleaner things, sort of. Heard about some serious product recalls today, a bunch of Fischer Price stuff. Parents: check to see if you've got any of these items here: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml07/07257.html

And now for our picture of the day...Little Drummer Girl!

we're goin' to the zoo, zoo, zoo...

2007-07-23T19:17:00.000-07:00

Actually, we already went. Last Friday. To Brookfield Zoo. We saw lions, tigers, and bears, oh my! And a near fight at the ceramic kangaroo display between two mothers who wanted to take their kids' pictures without having other kids crowd their own out. (Claws in, ladies!)

Anyway, here are a few pics from our adventure.

trips n' tales

2007-07-09T13:55:00.001-07:00

We made our annual trek to the Iowa City Jazz Festival last weekend. It's turned into quite an event, with both sets of our parents coming along plus a few friends here and there. This was Madison's second appearance at Iowa City...and I daresay she liked it more this year than last. Of course, last year she was only 3 months old and cried most of the time. This year there was so much to explore...grass, steps leading up to campus buildings, Whitey's Ice Cream...there's lots to do in this neat-o little downtown.

Campus area, on, of course, Madison St. As you can see, the wee one is thrilled about this. Zzzz...

After the festival we headed over to the Field of Dreams movie site:

With Grampa Ronnie, checking out the kids playing ball on the field. Remember the house from the movie? Still there. And the bleachers where the little girl fell? You can see them to the right of Grampa and Maddi.

Let's see, what else is new? Ah, today was the first day of swim class! M did very well. She did cling to me for the first 10 mintues or so, refusing to turn around and look at her fellow swimmers, but after a while she relaxed and participated in a game of chase the (rubber) duck. Today was a great day for being in the water as it's terribly hot! Yippee for Midwestern summers, ha ha.

these times they are a-changin'

2007-06-25T20:15:00.000-07:00

This weekend my friend Erin came to visit. She landed a teaching job at a college in Ohio this past year, and when her summer sessions are done she's returning home to Denver. She had some time to spare over the weekend so she came back to town to visit a couple of friends. Home base for her was at our place.

For the first time in, oh, 15 months I went "out." I mean "out" like nightlife "out"...drinks and stuff, at a real live bar. Two of them--bars and drinks--actually. It was fun but kind of weird. I am in a very different place these days, being a maternal-type character. I was tired at 9:30 pm (the time we actually left the house) and by 1:45 am when we got back I was practically a zombie. But I didn't want to be the weenie who called it a night so I stuck it out. I even had a couple of drinks, and lo and behold I did not get buzzed. I guess it was because they were spread out over a course of 4 hours.

Anyway, it really was fun to hang out with a girlfriend. And Madison made a new friend...she loved Erin (well, except on day #1 when E was looking at one of M's books and M was upset b/c she couldn't look at it, too...she was trapped in her chair eating breakfast and cried for the next 15 minutes). And I have to be grateful to E for putting up with all three of us...me, M, and Kevin, whose lives are completely centered around parenthood and child rearing. I feel kind of bad that I'm a lousy friend to hang out with at night and that half of what I talk about revolves around my daughter, but that's just where my life is right now. I don't regret it, though. There isn't any place I'd rather be these days.

summertime....

2007-06-19T20:09:00.000-07:00

At the playground

Modeling swimsuit #1...I took it back because it *just* fit her and I'm not sure it still will by the time her swim lessons roll around come July!

The new swimsuit and wading pool.

Little artist!

With Daddy on Father's Day.

I haven't been updating our site here as much as I'd like to. Things have been busy...lots of deadlines hit me at once and squelched any sort of creative commentary I might have had for recent developments in parenthood/toddlerhood. Not sure I'll be all that creative now as it's late and I'm tired, but I do have some new pictures to share.

Summer is in full force and we're making the most of it! Lots of outdoor type-things are in our daily schedule: park trips, walks, bike rides, swimming (in the little wading pool for now...swim lessons for Maddi at the local pool later in the summer).

Madison is adding new words to her vocabulary pretty routinely. Of course, many words are still attempts at the full word..."ba" is universal for ball, swing, sheep sounds, and any multi-syllable words that begin with "b." Her new favorite words include "tractor" and "dirt." The two go hand-in-hand as we've been watching the new Uptown Normal plans take shape. Everything is torn up and under construction, and there are always lots of tractors digging in the dirt. M loves it!

Hope everyone is having a great summer so far!

summer fun

2007-05-20T19:16:00.000-07:00

My future's so bright...I gotta wear shades.

Yummy, that swing tastes good!

You cruise, you snooze.

Well, I got to celebrate my second Mother's Day this year. The weird part is I tend to forget that I get to celebrate, too. Seems like I spend the few days before the holiday shopping for mine and Kevin's moms. Last year we had both families over to our place (with a 2 month old I didn't want to do a lot of traveling at the time) so I was busy making preparations for company, and this year Kevin and I had a gig in Peoria in the afternoon. Mom & Dad Hart came over to our place and we all drove over together, then we went to my folks' afterwards and grilled out. It was a very busy day! But we had a nice time. Kudos to ALL mothers...it's hard work but definitely worth it.

We've got a new form of recreation! Finally got the bike trailer put together so we're able to really utilize the bike trail. Good timing too, because if we keep walking like we have been we're gonna need to replace the wheels on the stroller. Madison seems to like it, and she's even conked out in it a couple of times (see last pic above). What a good deal...she gets to be hauled around, enjoying a cool breeze on her rosy cheeks and taking in the scenery without lifting a finger. I know she likes it because every now and then I hear a "Yay yay yay!" from her little compartment. Anyway, thought I'd post a few recent pics for all to enjoy.

had a good read lately?

2007-04-30T19:51:00.000-07:00

I've been lax about updating but with the nice weather (finally!) we've been doing a lot of outside stuff. Then at night I've had work to do. Gotta keep the diapers on the bum, ya know.

Madison is 13 months now and she's doing great! I continue to be amazed at the progress she's making physically and mentally. Her latest accomplishments include matching shapes with her shape-sorter, eating just about everything we eat (including ice cream), and adding a number of words to her vocabulary. Most notably:

Flower (owa)

Yo-yo

Magazine (ma)

Backyard (ba)

Swing (ba)

Puff (puh)

Ok, so most of these would be indeciperable to anyone but us. And it's true, "ba" seems to be universal for a number of nouns. But I'm darned proud of my girl for trying. She knows what she wants to say and we can understand her most of the time, so there's real communication happening. It's so cool.

She's not a baby anymore, really. She's a walking, talking toddler. I still can't believe it. And she's a whole lot of fun. One of our latest discoveries is the park...she LOVES the park. I'm also thinking of signing us up for infant/toddler swim lessons with the park district...not because I think she'll actually learn to swim, but because it sounds like a fun opportunity to get involved in some sort of organized activity. She likes other kids and I'd like to be around some other moms!

I could post a ton more updates but I have a newsletter to finish, so that's all for now. Hope everyone is enjoying their spring!

somebunny loves you

2007-04-09T20:04:00.000-07:00

It hit me this weekend that this year was NOT Madison's first Easter! She's becoming a holiday veteran now with two Easters under her belt.

We had a little egg hunt Sunday morning. Hid 6 plastic eggs and she found them all. Kevin suggested we put goldfish crackers in them as incentive to keep looking, and it worked. But now I think she thinks eggs are called "crackers" (or "ca-ca"). I hope we didn't confuse the poor girl!

happy birthday Madison!

2007-03-30T18:46:00.000-07:00

Well, my baby turned 1 last week. I can't believe it...she's getting big so fast. On her birthday we took her to the park where she happily played in the dirt. The big party was last Saturday, and the little party was this past Tuesday (my folks ended up with water in their basement due to the rain, so we took some cake, decorations, and their granddaughter to them).

She's picking up on things so quickly now. She understands so much--it's amazing how she's learned it. We can ask her to go get a specific book and almost every time she comes back with the correct one. She can also follow simple instructions...put the __ in the __, look at the ___, etc. She knows what a lot of objects are around the house.

She's walking like a pro. In fact, we bought her her first pair of sneakers the other day. Also, she's trucking along pretty well and she's almost running when she gets excited.

She is also adding more words to her vocabulary. In addition to mom, dad, banana she says ball, cracker, and water. Probably nobody but Kevin and I can decipher these last two words, though.

I guess this is my brag post! Hope you enjoy the pics from her birthday celebration!

almost 1 year...

2007-03-15T09:23:00.000-07:00

I swear this has been the fastest year of my life. That sounds funny, the way I worded it, but I think you know what I mean. Madison's birthday--her FIRST birthday--is next Wednesday. We now have a toddler on our hands, not a baby! Although she'll always be our baby....

We're having her party the weekend after her birthday and I'm hoping it's nice out, because I think there'll be a lot of family coming. She loves Winnie-the-Pooh so we'll be doing a Pooh theme. I already picked up some themed napkins, plates, and noisemakers but I only bought enough for a small crowd, so I guess another trip to WalMart is in order. And I've got to order the cake (Pooh, of course). And balloons! This little store downtown has helium balloons with Pooh characters on them. Gotta have those, they're so cute.

Huh. I never thought I'd be going crazy over a birthday she probably won't even remember, but there will be pics and videos that she'll be able to see later.

I'll be sure to post pictures from the party, of course. Until then, enjoy this shot my Dad took of her recently. Too bad she's not wearing her White Sox outfit!

"y" not?

2007-02-23T20:23:00.000-08:00

You know what's cool? I now have an excuse to watch Sesame Street. I used to watch it as a kid. And now that I have a kid of my own I feel comfortable wasting an hour in front of the TV singing along to silly songs and giggling at Cookie Monster. Not that I'm encouraging Madison to veg out in front of the boob tube, but Sesame Street *is* classic viewing.

Today's episode had a really clever segment with Nora Jones. She's sitting at the piano, all depressed, because a friend of hers was supposed to meet her and didn't show. Turns out her friend is the letter Y. Guess what song she sang in her bluesy state...yep, "Don't Know Y." I thought it was really clever, but that' s probably just mommy brain kicking in.

Well, Madison is officially walking. She hasn't crawled in about 3 days. She treks through the house, up and down the hallway, carrying toys or socks or whatever she gets her little hands on. It's so funny, she still seems so little to be cruising around like that. The girl is so proud of herself, as are her parents.

I've been wanting to post this video for a while...Kevin put together a segment of her doing a little shopping at the mall. Be sure to turn the volume up on your computer. Enjoy!

http://s69.photobucket.com/albums/i67/cahart/?action=view&current=materialgirl364.flv

itty bitty steps

2007-02-14T19:57:00.000-08:00

Let's see, what's new in the Hart household?

Well, we were snowed in yesterday. Got 13" of snow, so of course we weren't going anywhere. To celebrate, we all stayed in our pajamas all day.

Now on to more exciting news...Madison is officially walking! She'll teeter between Kevin and me, and there have been a few occasions where she was standing up, holding on to something, and she'd let go and take a few steps on her own. It really does look funny because she's so little.

She's been practicing with her stroller at the mall. We'll go to one of those sitting areas and she'll hang on to the basket and do laps around the benches. We've got a great video of this...if I ever figure out how to upload videos I'll post it.

Happy Valentine's Day!

two steps for babykind

2007-01-25T09:25:00.000-08:00

She finally did it...and it's exciting and terrifying at the same time. Last night Madison took two steps on her own! She started by standing and squatting a few times without holding onto anything. Kevin put a sticker on her hand and she wanted to grab at it, but she had to let go to do so. When she let go she was standing on her own, which she's done on occasion before, for very short periods of time. But then I took the sticker and told her to come get it, and she took a couple of steps towards me before plopping down on her butt. I don't know if she'll remember today that she was brave enough to let go yesterday, but one thing's for sure...she'll be walking before her first birthday, I'll bet. Yikes! I'd better get myself a new pair of running shoews because I understand that's when things REALLY get interesting. Yay Madison!!

wordplay

2007-01-19T09:14:00.000-08:00

Madison, where's 'Mommy?'

Ma-ma.

Madison, can you say 'Daddy?'

Da-da.

Madison, what are these?

Nananas! (bananas)

This is an example of the conversations we've been having with our daughter these days--usually the same conversation multiple times each day. It's a game and none of us are tired of it yet! And since she's responding with words, I consider them real conversations. She understands a lot more than she can vocalize. She can identify a bunch of objects, including her stuffed animals (Pooh, Puppy, Bunny, and Dolly Madison), balls, piano, blocks, rings (the stackable kind), the window, Puffs (her beloved Gerber Puffs), and a lot of other things. It's really cool being able to communicate with the munchkin.

I also would like to say congrats to my friend Kim and her husband who just gave birth (well, Kim's the one who actually gave birth :) to her son Sean Michael. Kim is an old friend...we go waaaay back to our kindergarten years! You can read about their exciting news and see some pics on her blog. Welcome to mommyhood!!

Oh, and thanks to my friend Delaney and her son Logan (see previous post) for letting Maddi pose in the coolest of all vehicles..the Weinermobile!

schedules, playdates, and misc. stuff

2007-01-08T15:04:00.000-08:00

Well it took 8 months, but M is finally on a fairly predictable schedule. I haven't wanted to mention this for fear of jinxing it, but for the past month she has pretty much been getting up, napping, and going to bed (well, this was slightly altered due to holiday madness but we're working on getting her to bed a little earlier).

It's SO nice to be able to plan the day around naptimes. Before everything was haphazard...she'd be fine, we'd go out, she'd get tired and cranky. Bad situation. You never knew where or when sleepy Madison would strike. The only problem now is that she still refuses to nap in her crib. Actually, the real problem is that she won't go to sleep without someone laying down with her. It can be Kevin or me, it doesn't matter (although I've started calling him the Madison Whisperer because he can get her to conk out really fast). So our new tactic is to spread a blanket on the living room floor, lay with her until she crashes, then get up and go about our business. It's only slightly inconvenient...we have to be quiet, but there are a number of things we can get done that don't require noise. This is another time I'm thankful to work at home, and that Kevin has a flexible teaching schedule so he's home during the day a lot also.

I had to include a pic or two from our most recent playday. We FINALLY managed to visit my friend Delaney and her little boy, Logan, who is just a month older than M. It was nice to spend some time with an old friend, and as an added bonus she's a mommy friend too. I don't have too many of those.

Well, predictable naptime #2 is over for the day. Gotta attend to the little one!

maddi's first xmas

2006-12-30T15:50:00.000-08:00

Well, here we are, our first Christams morning as a little family. We're all still in our jammies (see, now that I'm a mom I use cute words like "jammies" and don't even think twice about it). If you look at the clock you'll see it's actually almost afternoon. Let's just say it was a very relaxing a.m.!

I think Madison enjoyed her first Christmas. We spent Xmas eve (actually, the day before the eve) at Kevin's folks' and Xmas day with my family. We had to teach Maddi how to unwrap her gifts, and after a while she caught on. I'm sure next year she'll get the hang of things a little better and will be tearing into stuff like crazy. I hope everyone reading had a nice holiday...happy New Year!

xmas time is here

2006-12-18T20:30:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe Christmas is in one week. While I'm doing pretty good with shopping this year, I have not started baking the customary cookies I dole out to friends and neighbors (I should be doing that now...guess it'll be a late night) and we have yet to put our tree up. Sigh.

But one holiday mission has been accomplished...we finally got our Christmas cards mailed! It was a pain in the neck this year, actually. Instead of hand-writing 50 cards (there's no time for that this year!) I wanted to do a family photo card. We had a nice portrait taken at Sears, but since they charge an unreasonable $1/card and you can get prints at Target for a "that's more like it" .34/card we thought we'd just scan our pic and make a stop at Target's photo center. Here lay an obstacle...you can't scan n' print professional photos unless you have permission to reproduce them from the original source. I guess in a way this is a no-brainer, but on the other hand, why can one spend $50 on a CD of prints and make all the copies you want, but potentially spend $300 on a package of prints and not be able to make additional prints outside of Sears? Makes no sense to me. (We didn't spend $300, by the way, we're way to cheap for that.)

So anyway, we took our own pics. And to be honest, I like them better than the "professional" portraits! We made up 2 different cards, so if anyone reading this wonders what the other card looks like, here are both photos.

I may not get a chance to post again before the holiday, so I'll wish everyone a Merry Christmas now!

here she grows again

2006-12-05T20:20:00.000-08:00

I can't believe M is 8 months...and she'll be 9 months on Dec. 21! I was thinking odd thoughts the other day and it occurred to me that, if you count her age from conception, she's actually going to be 18 months. Weird, huh? I guess that means she's technically an "older" baby.

Anyway.

Today was the last day of the Lapsit program at the library. We've been going on Tuesday mornings for the last 4 weeks and M seems to really enjoy it. Story hour is a combination of singing and movement activities, a couple of books read by the group leader, playtime (a box of toys comes out for the kids to play with for a short while), and finally...bubble time! Her favorite part is watching the other kids...with the exception of one little boy they're all older than she is (age is 0-23 months). As big as she seems to me, she looks like a real baby next to these toddlers...they have hair and she still doesn't have much, although it does seem to be getting "whispy-er." They can walk and and she can't--on her own--yet. But she doesn't care...she's forever watching and learning, drinking everything around her in. I think she's going to be a very observant, thoughtful girl.

sleep dep. and other zzzzz's

2006-11-14T19:48:00.000-08:00

I wonder sometimes if I will ever sleep for 8 straight hours again. M has been waking up at night again after a nice spell of sleeping 6-7 hours straight. It started when she had a little bit of a cold and escalated from there. For a while she was up 6-8 times a night and I didn't think I'd ever get to sleep again. Now she's back to waking up twice each night now for the most part, while it's not perfect it's a heck of a lot better than getting up every hour. And she's so predictable...depending on what time she goes to bed, she'll sleep 4 hours, usually until 11:30 pm or 12:30 am. I'll get her back to sleep and she'll sleep 4 more hours. Then I'll put her back to sleep and she'll crash out a couple more hours until it's time to get up, usually between 7 and 8 am. Some nights, like last night, I CAN'T get her to go back to sleep unless I bring her to bed with us. The she's out like a light immediately and won't wake up until morning.

While she's great to snuggle up to I don't always love bringing her to bed. I have to sleep in one position as long as she's there. I have one arm around her so she doesn't roll off the bed. I can't put her on my other side as I'm afraid Kevin will smoosh her--he's a pretty violent tosser and turner.

This is probably all my fault anyway, as I'm doing exactly what the "experts" say not to do...nursing her to sleep for naps and bedtime. But the one-on-one time is nice and since I'm home with her all the time anyway I say why the heck not? So I'm invoncenienced for a while, big deal. I'm already seeing just how quickly she's growing up.

But I am starting to think that putting a baby down in her crib and having her fall asleep on her own is a myth.

hallow's eve

2006-11-01T18:27:00.001-08:00

This year was Madison's first Halloween. To all those who told me becoming a parent rejuvinates your interest in various holidays...you were absolutely right! We had a blast dressing her up and taking her out. She visited a few neighbor's homes (for the record, I declined all attempts to load us up with candy as it was obvious that she's not anywhere close to being able to eat it yet) and received the appropriate "oohs" and "aahs." Here are a few pics of our bzzzzy bee:

Showing off her stripes

Me 'n Maddi...hey, you didn't think I'd go out without a costume, didja?

WAHM? SAHM? What am I, anyway?

2006-10-24T19:48:00.000-07:00

Every new mother must, at some point, realize that her (pre-baby) idea of what life after baby will be like is actually very different from her initial expectations. In my case, this situation has been reinforced routinely over the past 7 months. Here's my take on it, at various times:

B.B. (Before Baby)
I led a dual career…my days were spent tending my freelance writing business. I was very active in networking groups and the local chamber of commerce. I had an eagle eye out for clients who might have a use for my copywriting services. I spent the days in my home office working on marketing projects to further my business or writing drafts for assignments already in progress.

My evenings, at least a few times a week, were often dedicated to playing gigs (for those of you who don't know, I play saxophone—mostly jazz music). One afternoon a week I taught lessons at a local music store.

(A.B.) After Baby
What did I expect would happen after having M? Well, I figured I'd cut back on gigs a bit. I have done this—somewhat by choice (I'm a bit more selective about which gigs I take) but also because of various situations out of my control, as the jazz scene is not exactly prospering in Central Illinois (a steady Friday night gig was cancelled and a semi-steady seasonal summer gig got cut back). I do still teach lessons once a week. So I suppose the music portion of my life has remained primarily unchanged (with the exception that I'm pretty sure I won't be able to practice again for the next 18 years).

My "day job," however, is the real shocker. One of the reasons I decided to launch my writing biz was because I wanted a career in which I could work from home, for the sole purpose of when we had kids I'd be able to be home with them. What I didn't know is how little work actually can be done with a baby around. It really is difficult to check and respond to email when you have to keep jumping up to make sure Juniorette isn't sticking her hand in a light socket or something. And it's nearly impossible to embark on work that actually entails thinking…I, at least, need time to get into a groove, and the 15 minutes up for grabs during M's naps just aren't conducive to the process.

So, I've already dropped one of my networking memberships. I'm considering dropping my chamber of commerce membership because the events I need to attend are not at convenient times. Besides that fact, I don't know where I'd find the time to nurture new relationships right now if I did meet prospective clients. So for now, I'm relying on a few existing clients who continue to send me work (thanks, guys). And the work I do have, I conduct at night after M is in bed. I can steal a few hours this way, anyway.

How do I feel about this? I'm not sure. Some days I'm kind of bummed about it. I feel like I worked so hard to build up a client base and now it's merely being tossed to the wind. I feel that maybe I could maintain some of these relationships if I only worked a little harder…but by the end of the day I'm so exhausted that I don't have the energy to put the time and effort towards finding new business. And I'm afraid that, if new business started to come to me, I'd not be able to find the time to meet my obligations. I certainly don't want to make a commitment and not be able to follow through.

Other days—most days, actually—I'm thrilled to be the primary caregiver of M. I'm with her everyday and I enjoy watching her explore and learn. She doesn't have to spend her hours in daycare with a bunch of other kids, seeing Mommy only in the morning for a bit and at night for an hour or two. It's just that every now and then I get so tired…being a mom is hard work, harder than I ever imagined. The 24-7 parenting thing is a very real thing.
I know my situation is far from unique. But it's new to me, and I'm still figuring out how to adjust. Maybe in January I'll look into having someone come to the house a couple of afternoons during the week to look after M while I devote more time to my biz. For now, though, I need to make peace with the fact that I've gone from gung-ho businesswoman to homebound matriarch. I've decided that the matriarchal position can be a self-esteem booster, though. I have a family to take care of now, not so much by bringing in money, but by meeting everyone's needs in a variety of ways: physically (hugs, kisses), emotionally (encouragement, reassurance) and by doing things women have been responsible for for years (putting dinner on the table, keeping everyone's clothes clean, etc.). I resisted this role for quite a while, but now it seems like I have a reason to take pride in these tasks which once seemed so mundane. I've got my own family…not just the family I grew up in, with my own mother and father and sister, but a family I've helped to create. And that's something to be very proud of.

Madison visits Madison

2006-10-17T21:11:00.000-07:00

We took a trip to Madison, WI this weekend and had a super time (never mind the little love tap our rear bumper received early in the drive--we're ok, it's ok). Our first stop was Starved Rock State Park...thought we'd take in some hiking. As you can see from the picture below, M enjoyed this immensely. :)

Madison (the city) was nice, although the weather could have been a little better. It was a bit breezy but we all dressed warmly. Here are a few pics from our trip:

Enjoying the soothing sounds of the UW campus fountain

At Governor Nelson State Park, Lake Monona

Chillin' after lunch at the UW Student Union

First stop: Starved Rock State Park (wake up, Madison!)

Is it bedtime yet? We're sleepy and that king sized bed looks awfully cozy....

welcome to wail fest

2006-10-10T20:39:00.000-07:00

Ah, silence. I'm enjoying it as I sit at my desk and listen to nothing. But I'm not relaxed, not quite. Any moment a wail might be emitted from the other room. After about a month and a half of sleeping great, M has returned to waking up at night and crying. The only thing that calms her down is to bring her to bed with us, which is something I'm not really wanting to get in the habit of doing. Although I guess we're already in the habit seeing as how we've used this solution for the past two weeks. But both mommy and baby need their sleep, and if this is the only way to get it, so be it.

She might be teething, but her gums don't seem swollen. And she's fine during the day--it's just at night that the extreme fussiness ensues.

She sounds anxious/scared when she cries, not uncomfortable or in pain. Maybe she's having nighttime separation anxiety? She calms down when I go get her and pick her up, but as soon as I try to lay her back down in her crib she starts up again.

Oh well, I guess this isn't anything new. I'm sure all mothers go through endless months, on and off, of sleeplessness. I will grin and bear it, and hug my little snugglebunny, because next thing I know she'll be off to school, then hopping in her friend's car to head to the mall, then packing her bags for college. Everyone says it happens that fast and if the last 6 months are any indication of how quickly time flies, I've gotta believe them.

are you a baby person?

2006-10-04T19:44:00.000-07:00

I totally wasn't, until Madison came along. People would ask me if I'd like to hold their babies and I'd always find some excuse not to. I pretty much pulld from my own supply of stock excuses, like:

I'd love to but I'm getting over this cold...
I dunno, babies just don't seem to like me and I'd hate to make him/her cry.
Wish I could but I'm such a klutz...I'd hate to drop your baby! And you'd hate me if I did so...thanks but I'd better not.

Then we had our own little live sugar booger and I couldn't use these excuses anymore. After all, it was our kid. And I was the mommy. Mommies are expected to snuggle with their babies. There's just no way around it.

Fortunately, my fear of holding an infant diminished as soon as Kevin handed her over to me in the delivery room. And now I'm just another baby-ga-ga female. We go out and I'm following strollers with my eyes, trying to sneak a peek at what's inside. Is it a boy? Girl? How old? Does he have any hair yet? Are all her limbs present and accounted for?

I guess it just took me a little longer to realize how cute babies really are. Of course, I think M is the cutest baby ever, and she gets cuter every day. She's got this little round head and cute eyebrows, cute tiny fingers and toes. And she does the cutest things. Ok, so they are kind of weird pasttimes, but hey, whatever keeps the kid occupied. For instance, she loves shoelaces. She's really into untying shoelaces. And paper...she's got a thing for paper items. Newspapers especially. And magazines. I think she likes the crinkling sounds they make, but they must have a pleasant flavor 'cuz she also likes to eat them. No, scratch that, she likes to try to eat everything. Like bathwater...since we started bathing her in the big tub, she thinks it's fun to try to drink the bathwater. Yuck. I try to discourage that. Especially since I don't know if she's peed in there...drinking her own urine? That can't be healthy.

So anyway, since I'm going on and on about cuteness like a crazed mommy, I might as well post another pic of our cutie. Enjoy and until next time...mommy on!

yes, we do still exist

2006-09-27T21:23:00.000-07:00

And you thought this was one of those blogs that had only a handful of posts, only to be abandoned and hogging a precious corner of cyberspace. Well, almost, but the Jazzmom Mommyblog has been resurrected. It's just difficult sometimes to sit down and get anything done at the computer these days. When I am able to steal a few minutes here and there I tend to spend my time on my personal addiction, a message board for preggos and parents.

So here's the update...Maddi is now 6 months old! She sits up, she laughs, she smiles (a lot), and she's creeping and getting into stuff. The girl has a penchant for newspapers. She likes to eat them. Well actually, she likes to eat anything she gets her little hands on. New fascinations include shoelaces (untying them) and books (pulling them off the shelf). She's a part-time solids eater now (dinner only, she's still primarily a booby baby), and has like everything except butternut squash. Avocados took some getting used to, but now she'll chow down on them with gusto.

It's time to share this blog with family and friends who may be interested in what's going on in the Hart household, now that I'm making a commitment to update a bit more regularly. Just beware that, since my prime computer time is late at night these days, some posts may be full of nonsense, dribble, and more of the like. I'll try to include some pictures so you can ignore the words and just enjoy pics of our little Cute Bunny.

milestone madness

2006-07-11T20:22:00.000-07:00

[IMG]http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i67/cahart/sittingup.jpg[/IMG]

We're well into Maddi's 3rd month and boy, are things ever happening! I think she's really starting to become aware of the world around her. She's smiling a lot, she loves "talking" to us, she can sit up (with help to get into position, of course), and apparently she rolled over today from back to belly. I missed it, I was teaching lessons this afternoon. And Kevin missed it, because he was in the other room for a sec (not to worry, she was on the floor).

Another big milestone is that we moved her into her own room a few days ago. The poor thing really was too big for her mini-crib...she kept getting her legs stuck between the bars and hollering when it happened. I miss having her in our room, but I know this is the way things are supposed to be. And now she sleeps GREAT (once we get her down, that is...which is another story). I'm the one who keeps getting up every hour to check on her. Sheesh. I've become a paranoid mommy. Is there any other kind?

welcome to adventures in mommy-ing!

2006-06-28T11:03:00.000-07:00

Another blog?

Yes, it's true. I've just set up blog #3, the other two being my professional blog (which is miserably out of date) and my "fun" one. During my recent pregnancy I maintained a blog to keep family and friends from afar updated (archived at http://www.babycrowd.com/jr/online/jazzmom/), but since it's now inactive and, not being preggo anymore, kind of obsolete, I decided to start a new one.

Here I intend to post my adventures in mommydom. As a first time parent I'm learning new things every day. In sharing these observations in a public space, I figure:

(1) Occasional venting will serve as therapy for a sometimes frazzled new mommy

(2) My own lessons learned will be passed on for other folks to learn from

(3) Certainly there are other benefits but I'm unable to grasp them currently. Need more sleep. Urghh...

Wish I were creative enough these days to think up a better title for this blog, but the other ideas I had were already taken. Knowing that, I guess my ideas have even less originality than I thought. Thus we have, as an offshoot of my Jazzwriter blog, a URL entitled The Jazzmom Blog. Hey, it works. Although I'm not above changing it if inspiration slaps me in the face sometime soon. I'll keep you posted.

Until next time, let the adventures continue.

Mommy on!