Shopaholic & Babies Take on the South

Income Tax "Refund"...? More Like Bonus.

2012-01-27T09:48:00.001-05:00

Let me start this post out by saying that if you are in the same situation, PLEASE post a comment below. I am beginning to wonder if we are the only ones this is happening to...

Back in January of 2010 when Cole was 6 months old, I can remember preparing our income tax return and seeing that even though I had only worked half a year in 2009, we were due to get a big fat check for more than $6,000! There is no way we paid more than about $1,500 in Federal witholding/Social Security/FICA that year, and yet the government was essentially cutting us a bonus check of $4,500 for the year. Hmmm. So we chalked it up to the fact that we had a baby that year and went about our business...spending money like it was our job ;-)

Here it is, January of 2012 and Vera is 6 months old. We now have a service doing our taxes for us (GL Advisor - they take care of Jake's loan management and all that jazz and do free tax prep & filing), but I have done quite a few tax refund calculators and have determined that AGAIN we are in for a refund check of more than $7,000! This time I KNOW we have only paid in about $1,200 for the year (as Jake worked half the year in 2011). Yes, we did have an additional kid, but are we REALLY going to get a second "bonus" from the Federal government?!?!

Apparently our cash is stemming from the EIC - Earned Income Credit. Here is more information on the subject (as it is much too boring for me to elaborate on at this moment in time)...

Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC or EIC)

Using their calculator I have determined that about $5,011 of that "refund" is through EIC, but that next year when Jake has worked a FULL year we will only qualify to receive $650 in EIC cash. Sadness. But not really...because after all...WHERE is this money coming from?

(Thanks mom & dad...Jake's mom & dad...and all the other people out there paying a 49% tax rate...your contribution has been noted and will be used to purchase a mini-van for the Eichenbergers...either an Odyssey or a Routan...you'll understand if we don't send a thank-you as there are so many of you it would be impractical.)

The Empty Calendar Day

2012-01-25T17:08:00.000-05:00

Today is Wednesday...the day I had NOTHING planned...well, nothing except to stay home all day and slow cook a roast in my oven (thanks Pioneer Woman). Naturally today became the world's busiest day, though. A good friend of mine called me up in a panic this morning around 10am, wanting to let me know about this knock-down, drag out sale at our Food Lion up the street. Apparently it is one of the twenty-something stores that have been underperforming and thus is going out of business. They marked EVERYTHING (sans liquor/beer) to 50% off! Needless to say I immediately slapped on Cole's shoes, strapped Vera into her car seat, and drove like a madman 0.2 miles to the grocery store to see what they still had (all while calling another friend to continue the notification chain).

Thank goodness for Mum Mums because they kept Vera quiet and happy the entire shopping trip. It only took me about 10 minutes to browse the pantry-type aisles, grab my goods, and then head to the checkout. I was too afraid to get much frozen or refrigerated stuff since the lines were uber long and in 15 minutes the friend who called me had only moved up TWO PEOPLE in her line. Luckily the lines started moving quickly and we only waited about 20 minutes in the checkout lane.

What did I buy? Hmmm...weird stuff. Duck sauce (I know, but 50% off?!), Grape Fanta, about 16 different types of spreadable butter (light, olive oil, cinnamon sugar...the list goes on), and BBQ Kettle chips were all in my cart, plus a ton of other stuff. I must say that baby food is where I made it big...paying $0.55 for every TWO 3.5oz containers was totally awesome, as was 50% off the freeze dried yogurt melts (which are ridiculously expensive with insanely small packaging). Of course later I lamented what I had forgotten to buy...and I felt like I was in Supermarket Sweep. I should have looked for Blue Bell ice cream (half off an $8 container would have been great) and I probably should have stocked up for the next couple years on diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, yada yada. I just kept thinking about how limited our space is and how I really did NOT want to move 6,000 lbs of food to our next rental in April.

We made it home at 11:30am, just in time for me to get refrigerated/frozen foods put away, feed Vera, and then turn around and hop in the car again. Vera has yet to have her flu shot (she was a July baby and just turned 6 months on the 5th, the first available time that she *could* be vaccinated), and so Jake signed us up this morning for his afternoon clinic so she could get her first of two. Although I was glad to get the first one out of the way today, it was a LOT to accomplish. Plus we decided to do an impromptu "lunch at work with daddy" and so I swung through the Checker's drive through to order a wholesome meal for us.

Cole loved eating with Jake and seeing the clinic, where he spends every single Wednesday afternoon beginning this past July and ending in June of 2014. The nurses were "ooohing" and "ahhhing" over Cole, Vera, and Cole's "skateboard," bahaha (which he LOVES...the attention, that is...well, and the skateboard). Vera did pretty well with the shot...initial stick was nothing, but the actual vaccine was a different story and she wasn't incredibly happy for about 3 seconds...but then calm again. Once we got situated and everyone was buckled into the car again for our drive home it was 2pm...and I was thinking there was NO way I could get this roast and mashed potatoes done for tonight.

I got home around 2:15pm, got Cole some Grape Fanta (per his request), situated him on our bed with PBS on TV, changed, nursed, & put Vera into her crib, and then put Cole down for his nap. Phew. Ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous. Keep in mind I am not mentioning the incessant "do you need to go potty?" questioning I have to do with Cole...and the actual pottying he does (which is a TON)...both in restrooms and using his travel potty in the back of the SUV (don't judge...we live in Georgia...and it works). All of this was done by 2:40pm and FINALLY I had some time to fix this roast...and these mashed potatoes.

PW's Perfect Pot Roast

PW's Creamy Mashed Potatoes

And now I am sitting on the couch blogging while Jake plays games on the computer (he got home WAY early at 4:15pm!), Cole sleeps in his toddler bed, and Vera babbles to herself in her crib. Aside from my back KILLING me from standing while cooking (I guess it is an occupational hazard), I am pretty good. Life is pretty good.

I Heart Zappos.com

2012-01-23T20:49:00.001-05:00

That swim suit I blogged about the other day? Well, it came today (super fast and super awesome service) and I was psyched to try it on. It is BEAUTIFUL! And the best part - I need to exchange it for a size *smaller*...ahhhhh. Smaller. I like that. And because I originally wanted it in the beautiful Truffle color and they actually HAVE that color in this new size, I totally opted for it this time around. I will say that the Cream was gorgeous as well, but I don't want to feel like I can't do absolutely anything in this suit...(you know...eat...play in the sand...get baby food all over it...the usual).

I was able to quickly and easily exchange this bad boy with the help of "Kevin," my friendly Zappos.com agent, via instant message. They are shipping me the new one ASAP (next day shipping AGAIN) without even charging my card again - how cool are they? Pretty cool. I'll leave you with the Truffle version of the suit...which hopefully will fit PERFECTLY!

Disney Dream Here We Come!

2012-01-21T22:06:00.000-05:00

We have less than two months until Jake, the kids, my mom, and his parents board the Disney Dream in Port Canaveral, Florida and I just started trying to prep for everything. Naturally one of my first endeavors has been to find a *cute* bathing suit that will actually look good on my post baby #2 body, which has been a chore. After pouring over website upon website, I *think* I have found a winner and so I went ahead and ordered it from Zappos.com earlier today (free next business day shipping!) I happened to have a 20% off coupon from a good friend (thanks Amanda!) which helped offset the cost...and I am hoping when I try it on I am thoroughly amazed. Bahahaha. I'll first say that I WANTED the truffle color (a beautiful medium-dark brown), but they didn't have it in my size, so I opted for the cream with contrasting belt. Who knows what it will look like, but here's to hoping I don't have to return it...

Michael Kors Cascading Ruffle Bandeau Maillot in Cream

We also bought Cole new swim trunks and a rash guard from Target...

We bought Vera's rashguard a few weeks ago from Gap...

But don't you just LOVE this little number for Vera...?

Or this little ditty from Juicy...

Or maybe this one?

Decisions, decisions.

Glorious Food

2012-01-18T21:32:00.001-05:00

Tonight I took it upon myself to make something completely different for dinner. No, it did not include a salad, bread, or anything remotely close to a vegetable, but it *was* good.

Buffalo Chicken Wontons

I changed it a bit - decided I didn't want to stink up the entire house with the smell of oil, so I baked these suckers at 400 degrees for 10 minutes after laying them on a greased pan and dousing them with cooking spray. The texture wasn't near as good as what it would have been fried, but what can you say? My deep fryer has a weird, broken lid and I am looking to replace it, preferably at Costco, but I know I SHOULDN'T. Anyway, I also folded the two bottom corners together to form...errr...some other shape, not sure what I would call it. I also paired it with ranch as opposed to blue cheese. Over all a pretty great, simple dish...would be excellent as an appetizer (but if I was serving this at a party, I would certainly fry it this time around).

A side note - I would seriously recommend Texas Pete's Extra Mild Buffalo sauce if you are ever in the market for a good one. Super flavorful, but an excellent option if you have kids and thus don't want to burn their faces off at dinner...just a thought.

Tomorrow I am making tostadas with refried beans, seasoned beef, shredded cheddar, taco sauce, tomatoes, lettuce, and (Lord willing) sour cream...but I still have to *get* that. We'll see if I have the strength to drag Vera into yet another grocery store tomorrow after my urology follow-up here at MCG (Cole will be at Mother's Day Out). I am *also* making what I hope is an exact replica of the cheap Mexican restaurant queso. Check it out below...

Queso Blanco

P.S. We officially turned in all of our passport paperwork (first time applications for Jake, Cole, & Vera and a name change for me) in Aiken this morning...Disney Cruise here we come! Cole can't stop talking about going to visit Mickey on his "boat" (the Disney Dream).

Lazy Lazy

2012-01-13T10:46:00.002-05:00

I want to start by saying I am truly ALWAYS lazy...well, except for these rare moments of awesomeness (but I could count them on one hand). There are extraordinarily lazy days, however, and today is one of them. Part of it can easily be blamed on this hideous stomachache I have had since early yesterday evening...hopefully that will be done today and not ruin Jake's ONE day off (in a bazillion days) tomorrow.

In between laying on my stomach with a heating pad and "helping" Cole (I use the term loosely as he really just wanted my attention), I did manage to make what I am hoping are some truly inspiring meatballs. They are currently simmering in my brand new programmable crock pot...thanks Jake. I had planned on making a caprese salad...sliced mozzarella & tomatoes with a homemade balsamic reduction...plus a nice, crusty French baguette (a la Costco)...we'll see if I can get that far today.

Well Vera has been awake and talking in her crib for quite some time and our pest control guy is here...guess I have to stop being EXTRA lazy and just limit it to regular lazy. But I will leave you with the recipe for our dinner:

Crock Pot Spaghetti & Meatballs

A Few Vera Purchases

2012-01-11T16:03:00.001-05:00


Pleated Flutter-Sleeve Dress (Baby Dedication) & Foiled Dot Dress

Brocade Bow Dress (6 Month Portraits)

Bow Ballet Flats

Ballet Flat Tights


Ribbed Waist Sailor Jeans (going to buy these with my reward $$)

Welcome, 2012!

2012-01-11T15:19:00.002-05:00

It has definitely been all quiet on the ~~Western~~ Eastern Front over the past few weeks, which is, of course, my fault. We headed to Atlanta on Christmas Eve and I ended up having a MASSIVE kidney stone attack while we were there...a couple, really. I went to the Emergency Room (finally) at Piedmont Hospital to get the pain under control and also to get IV fluids. They scheduled me in with the urologist for the following morning. He was an incredibly nice guy but told me that he could not figure out WHY my local doctor would have me undergo a retrograde pyelogram, see a stone (that is MASSIVE), and then NOT take it. He promptly scheduled me the following week for ANOTHER retrograde pyelogram plus ureteroscopy with laser (to break up the stone) and told me they would need to leave a stent in for a few days.

I am happy to say that I am *finally* DONE with that stone and all the craziness it caused. They showed me the pieces of it...which of course were huge. The stent was moderately painful and kept me pretty addicted to my pain meds, but I had it taken out on Monday. That day I had a SUPER painful (3 percocets) episode, which the doctor described as totally normal since the ureter is now swelling and fluid is backing up into the kidney (temporarily). I am still having *some* pain but have only had to take 1 percocet if it gets bad enough, so I am on the mend.

Today the kids and I celebrated our arrival back in Augusta (after being gone for 2.5 weeks!) by heading to Costco with friends. Jake is back on days and I am trying to get back into the swing of cooking/cleaning/yadayada. I am mostly just wasting time on the internet while watching DVR'd bad reality shows (woo hoo Dance Moms!)

I guess I should put something in here about New Year's Resolutions...peer pressure. My resolution is to be as organized as possible in 2012. This includes storing old toys out of the way and de-cluttering the play areas so that Cole and Vera are more likely to USE those areas! I also know that organization leads to cleanliness, at least for me, because it allows me to easily vacuum, mop, wipe up, etc. Here's to hoping I can see this resolution through...

P.S. Check out my next post about Vera's new dresses...

Christmas Wish - Granted

2011-12-17T09:25:00.000-05:00

I have to say this Christmas seems more exciting than the last few because Cole is actually old enough to know what is going on...almost knows TOO much about what is going on. We have decided to do a "Faux Christmas Morning" this year due to a very complicated schedule that doesn't allow Jake time off for Christmas. Add to that my kidney stone issue...

Yesterday morning, bright and early, I had a Retrograde Pyelogram (with possible stent placement, but that didn't happen). I was pleasantly surprised at my experience and have to say it was even less painful/weird than my lithotripsy experience. The nurses we dealt with were all stars. The residents (anesthesia & urology) were excellent. And I have to give a big shout out to Darcy's husband, Eric, who really took care of us and made sure everyone treated me extra special in the OR ;-)

I had zero nausea waking up from anesthesia and virtually no pain from the LMA (partial entubation - the worst part about the lithotripsy last time around). Apparently for my weight the "appropriate" size LMA is actually not appropriate at all, so this time around our anesthesiologist used the next smaller size - genius. I did have a plastic taste all yesterday in my mouth, but it was definitely a small price to pay.

Let me get to the really good part. When I went in I just KNEW they were going to find nothing...no stone...no structural abnormalities...nothing that would explain my intense episodes of pain as well as more chronic, long term moderate bouts of pain. After all, my scans were looked at by at least half a dozen different urologists and radiologists and everyone seemed to concur that there was no way the 10mm calcification shown was actually in my ureter and yet not becoming an obstruction (and thus making me incredibly sick 24/7) and concluded it *must* be a benign calcification in my ovary instead. I was told this over and over throughout the past 5 months (ever since Vera was born), and although my body was telling me it was a definite kidney stone, my mind was beginning to believe the "professionals."

I have to give credit to an amazing 5th year urology resident who spoke to me on the phone for over 45 minutes one evening on his drive home, however. He said even though they are pretty positive this calcification was NOT a stone in my ureter, they could never be absolutely sure based on the imaging they had (multiple KUB X-rays & a CT scan). He also mentioned that he had seen kidney stones do some pretty crazy things. This lingering doubt kept me questioning my pain and was really the primary reason I went ahead and pushed to have this procedure done.

When I woke up from anesthesia I was greeted by an incredibly friendly, young nurse who said that I woke up beautifully and you couldn't even tell I had been under. I felt slightly dizzy, but was so shocked it was all over...you feel like you have lost time...strange feeling. A couple minutes later my main urology resident appeared next to me and said "Well, you were right! It is a stone...and it is big - 10mm definitely. I would have lost that bet." These have to have been the best words I have heard since "It's a girl!" 5 months ago, haha.

Our next step is already underway - I am watching and waiting and taking Flomax every day to see if it will dialate my ureter enough to allow this massive thing to LEAVE. I have my doubts as I seem to have gotten the dang thing pretty far down while PREGNANT when my ureters were hugely dialated. Then I had Vera and everything went back down to a normal size. Hopefully the Flomax can do what pregnancy did for me and more. I have a follow up appointment back at the Urology clinic next month where I am guessing they will schedule an additional procedure if I have yet to pass the stone. That would involve a ureteroscopy (a bit more invasive, but still no actual incisions) where they break up the stone by touching a laser to it and then grab the fragments with the end of the scope. Unfortunately lithotripsy really is not an option because the stone is far too low and they could accidentally damage other organs (namely my left ovary - not good).

Right now we are praying I can pass this thing on my own with the help of the Flomax, but we'll see what happens. For now, I got my Christmas Wish - a REAL kidney stone diagnosis!

Houston, We Have Tenants.

2011-12-01T15:02:00.001-05:00

I completely spaced on writing about this earlier, but...dun dun dun...OUR INDY HOME WAS LEASED! Completely with our permission, of course. It spent March through mid-November on the market with no bites...17 showings...pretty much all positive feedback...but nothing. Although renting out your place in November is less than ideal as the renting market is at its lowest during that timeframe, we were lucky in that the moment they put it on the market for lease the house got 3 showings and then was almost immediately rented out. I should say not only was it rented, our tenant signed an 18-month lease! That means we should have an easier time renting or selling since the lease will be up in May of 2013.

I love that instead of spending money on the mortgage, HOA(s), utilities, and property tax each month, now we are actually covering our costs AND putting money away. Ahhhhh, it feels nice. Of course if we could have sold it, we would have. The whole "buying and owning a home" experience was fine initially, but unfortunately our "selling a home" experience completely trashed any ideas I had about buying a home again in the next 5 years. At this point I would be completely OK with renting for an indefinite amount of time rather than duplicate our current situation where we have what seems like a bazillion dollars of our own money tied up for what could be forever.

I think it is true what they say about how our generation could quickly become a generation of renters, much like the vast majority of European nations. Not being able to move when you need to is not going to fly very far...and gone are the days where buying a house was a true foolproof investment. I won't go so far as to say that I regret purchasing our home in Indy as we ended up paying the cheapest rent EVER and could never have done that without buying, but for now our life doesn't allow us to remain in the same place even if we want to...and so if selling a house is next to impossible right now, we simply can not buy again until that is no longer the case.

This Week's Menu

2011-11-29T17:20:00.001-05:00

In keeping with the prior posts, here are some pictures of our menu for the week...

Monday
Crock Pot Soup (thrown together in the morning)

Tuesday
Cheesy Enchilada Casserole (made earlier in the afternoon then baked before serving)

Wednesday
Honey Sauced Chicken (crock pot)

Thursday
Taco Stuffed Shells (utilizing taco beef leftovers from Cheesy Enchilada Casserole)

Friday
Chicken Lettuce Wraps (utilizing Honey Sauced Chicken leftovers)

Saturday
Scooter's Spaghetti (freezing leftovers for later)

Sunday
Vacation - fast food

Cyber Monday Purchases

2011-11-29T16:44:00.001-05:00

Instead of rambling on and on about what I bought yesterday, I thought I would just post some of the pictures...(I had a $40 Gap reward certificate that I used on some of the purchases...)

KidKraft Espresso Corner Kitchen ($179 from Wayfair + 2.5% Ebates cash back)

KidKraft Metropolitan Train Table ($169 from Costco)

Shawl Pullover Sweater ($34.99 from Gap + 7% Ebates cash back)

Rosette Body Double ($16.07 from Gap + 7% Ebates cash back)

Big Stripe Mittens ($6.97 from Gap + 7% Ebates cash back)

Striped Headphones Hat ($13.27 from Gap + 7% Ebates cash back)

Shawl Collar Knit Top ($17.47 from Gap + 7% Ebates cash back)

Vintage long-sleeved T ($17.47 from Gap + 7% Ebates cash back)


KitchenAid Professional 600 Series 6-Quart Stand Mixer in Gloss Cinnamon		($259 from Amazon + $50 rebate)

P.S. Sadly the amazing stand mixer isn't for me, but amazing nonetheless ;-)

Thanksgiving

2011-11-28T12:41:00.001-05:00

We had a pretty excellent Thanksgiving holiday this past Thursday. All the stars aligned and Jake managed to be off Thursday, Friday, Saturday, AND Sunday and even was home early on Wednesday so we could leave for the lake before the real traffic hit (ha - traffic in Augusta...there isn't such a thing). Our friends Darcy and Eric and their kids came and joined my parents, Jake's parents, and my aunt, uncle, cousin, and her husband and adorable little girl for the festivities at Reynold's Plantation.

We had all of our "standard" menu items, plus a couple new things I wanted to try out. Mom made pretty much everything (even the appetizer I was supposed to do as I ended up being super late since we walked 9 holes that morning). We had...

Appetizers
*'lil smokies (my recipe - in cranberry sauce & bbq sauce)
*veggies & dip
*olive tapenade & provolone stuffed bread
*baked brie (the only thing I actually made that day, and of course it ended up being done right as we sat down for the real meal)

Main Event
*turkey (surprise)
*Honeybaked ham
*stuffing
*noodles (a Kentucky family favorite, great with stuffing)
*mashed potatoes
*gravy
*cranberry sauce (a la dogfood can - my FAVORITE)
*salad
*green bean casserole (courtesy of Darcy)

Drinks
*sweet tea
*spiced hot apple cider (ok, so technically I *made* this...but it was plopping a spice mix in cider and heating it on the stove)

Desserts
*pumpkin crunch (courtesy of Jake's mom)
*key lime pie (courtesy of my aunt Robin)
*cookie dough pops (I made these in advance back in Augusta and transported them - turned out pretty good but I will probably be using a non-staining sprinkle variety next time...green and red didn't go well all over my mouth)

Clearly we had some pretty awesome food that day. The next day, Black Friday, my mom, mother-in-law, and myself left the kids with the guys and headed out to *shop* (I use the term loosely as we were in Greensboro, Georgia...not much "shopping" to be done, really). We got some pretty good deals and had a lot of fun. Friday afternoon Jake, Jake's dad, me, and my dad all went out and played 18 holes of golf at the Creek Club. I didn't play super well, but didn't play really badly either...just so so (except for my one and only birdie on a par 5...eat it).

Saturday was spent shopping a bit more, but not before we got our mani/pedis done. We played 9 holes at the National course in the afternoon where I played MUCH better. And we finished out the day with an excellent dinner at a new Italian restaurant in Greensboro.

Well, I would go on, but Cole is talking about how he got soap on the floor, so I should be on my way. I'll be back to talk about today, Cyber Monday...awesome.

Lazy Sunday Morning

2011-11-20T10:04:00.001-05:00

I got up today fully anticipating that I would try to make it to church with the kids (sans Jake, since he has zero days off this weekend), but alas, here we are...not at church. Instead we are watching Ruby & Max while I let Vera take her beloved morning nap, which she only gets to take a couple times each week. My "to do" list is about a mile long with the usual chores, but is even LONGER right now with Thanksgiving being this week. I need to pack everyone up, make cookie dough pops, AND get together all the ingredients I am bringing to make a few recipes at the lake.

Just thinking about all of this makes me tired.

The rest of our day includes an early lunch of grilled VeryVera pimento cheese sandwiches followed by an early nap for all three of us (fingers crossed). I *should* be tackling some of the things on my list, but in the words of Scarlett, "I'll think about it tomorrow...After all, tomorrow is another day!"

Costco CRAZINESS

2011-11-16T17:12:00.001-05:00

Yesterday we headed to Costco with Darcy and her kids. We totally looked like a combination "octo-mom," me with Vera strapped to me (in her Beco Gemini) pushing a Costco cart with Cole and Elina, and Darcy with the twins sitting in her cart. It was PACKED! Whew! Absolute mayhem. And sadly no one was moving quickly...ahem...oh well.

I had a massive list and only managed to get about 50% of it, but given the packed conditions, I would say that is pretty good. And some of the things they didn't end up having, so those items don't count ;-) Here are a few things I did manage to grab...

*frozen chicken breasts
*lean ground beef - which, I might add, I already sectioned off into one pound bags and tucked in the chest freezer
*frosted mini wheats - clearly for Jake
*pack of 3 golf gloves
*Huggies wipes
*programmable Crock Pot and Little Dipper - this is my Christmas gift from Jake, he just doesn't know it yet
*queso dip - tried it out already and it is EXCELLENT
*paper plates

Can't wait to go back!

The Blessing of Friends

2011-11-11T14:28:00.001-05:00

I'll admit it...I was incredibly worried about moving to Augusta because I didn't want to have to make NEW friends. I love my old friends in Indy (shout out to you, Susan & Ashley!) and I hated the idea of being 11 hours away from them. Sadly that feeling has not changed. BUT I somehow made some of the best friends anyone could ever ask for here in Augusta. Our group of friends all have kids around the same age, which is a great perk for playdate time at the park, and we continue adding to the group all the time ;-)

It actually all began on this blog...well, actually on the "Lives of Doctor's Wives" blog that I have contributed to a couple times. Back in March on Match Day I announced that we had matched at MCG here in Augusta and that we would be moving all the way down here from Indianapolis. Immediately I was contacted by a sweet gal in Chicago named Darcy who said she was in almost the same boat, her husband having matched into a residency program at MCG as well. The best part? She had a 2 year old as well! Make that TWO 2 year olds - adorable twin boys :-D And strange enough, she also had a little baby girl who was a few months old. Little did I know I would be having a little girl a few months later! Well, I mean I knew I would be having a baby, but we didn't know the gender ;-)

Darcy and I emailed each other back and forth over the next few months to trade information on home rentals, local real estate agents (ugh), local grocery stores, and good places to go with preschoolers. I don't know what I would have done without her help throughout those months! Once we moved to town, Cole, my mom, & I totally barged into their home one day to meet Darcy's family. Sure enough they were just as nice as they seemed, if not nicer! I swear this is beginning to sound like an eHarmony ad. Ahhh. Oh well. Anyway, a few weeks after meeting for the first time we had already had a TON of playdates with the kids, who hit it off and became fast friends.

Around the same time I met yet ANOTHER truly amazing mom, Mary Elizabeth, whose husband is a fellow pediatric intern with Jake. She has the cutest little 3 year old, Israel, and immediately Cole was totally enamored with him. I think Israel is his idol...and he is the topic of conversation at least once each day, as are Darcy's twins "Bant and Caw-tuh" - otherwise known as Brandt and Carter in Cole's Augustan inflection that he has already managed to pick up. I knew after meeting Mary Elizabeth that her and Darcy would totally hit it off...and of COURSE I was right ;-)

After I had Vera and was out of the picture for a bit while attempting to adjust to life with two kids, and being amazed at the same time at how Darcy had to just go from zero to 2 in a span of seconds! I can still remember our first real playdate out of the house after Vera was born. Darcy and I happened to be at the Columbia County Library playground (which is totally awesome, btw) on a Friday morning. As we were both running around like chickens with our heads cut off trying to *find* our children and prevent them from walking off with some crazy stranger, we happened to meet an AWESOME mom, Meredith, and her handsome son, Hayes. "How old is Hayes?" you may be asking. Why Hayes is 2, of course. And when was he born? The day before Cole!

I mean how weird...but by this point I really should have figured it out that I was meeting all of these amazing moms for a reason. In fact, I couldn't have made it any more perfect for myself here in Augusta. I am so grateful that the Lord's timing is perfect and that even through the pain of moving away from my friends in Indianapolis, he has brought me group of incredible moms that I have the privilege of calling my friends.

To Darcy, Mary Elizabeth, & Meredith - I love you all!

4 Months Postpartum Update

2011-11-06T14:59:00.000-05:00

With Cole I was lucky when it came to getting "back" into shape. Really lucky. Of course I never worked out prior to Cole being born, ha, so what I really mean is looking the same as I did before the pregnancy. I was back down to pre-pregnancy weight at 6 weeks, and then by 12 weeks I was back to high school weight (aka 10lbs less). With Vera I lost a lot by 6 weeks, but seemed to have stalled out at 10 pounds over where I wanted to be. Of course I was not shocked as this was par for the course being the mom of a little girl who nursed 5 minutes at a time every couple hours. As Vera grew bigger and began treatment for silent reflux, we noticed her start to eat for longer periods and space herself out a bit, which was awesome.

I can now officially say that I am 1 pound less than what I was pre-Vera (and Cole). YAY!

I'm totally cool with continuing to lose weight, if that is what happens ;-) But if I do, I am going to have to do better cutting calories AFTER Vera stops nursing...whenever she decides its not her cup of tea anymore. After Cole weaned himself I managed to gain back those 10 pounds extra that I had lost, hehe, which was fine as it is probably what I "should" be...but it is the greatest feeling to be able to fit into your old clothes...and have room to spare, right?

This Week's Menu: Utilizing Leftovers

2011-11-06T10:30:00.001-05:00

If you are like me, you despise eating the same thing day after day...thus leftovers are a sore subject in our house. Jake LOVES eating leftovers. Strange. Anyway, I at least recognize the cost savings in using up leftovers, so I have embarked on a new journey - creating *new* dishes using frozen/refrigerated leftovers. I figure this way I am able to eat new things each day, but still use up expensive chicken/beef that we have leftover from other meals. Here is the menu for the week at our house...

Monday - Crock Pot Baked Potatoes, fully loaded with whatever we have in the fridge (shredded cheddar, butter, sour cream, salsa) & 2 Ingredient Lemon Bars

Tuesday - Beef Stroganoff w/ Egg Noodles (freezing leftover beef for next week)

Wednesday - Buffalo Chicken Flautas, using leftover chicken from last week's lime chicken tacos

Thursday - Chili Cheese Cornbread Bake, using leftover chili that I froze from last week

Friday - frozen pizza (super cheap Totino's of course) & Morton's Steakhouse Wedge Salad

Saturday - shredded Chicken Caesar sandwiches (freezing leftover chicken for next week)

Sunday - chili w/ spaghetti (freezing leftover chili to use next week for Sloppy Tater Tot Casserole)

I am *hoping* that this menu means only a very small trip to the grocery tomorrow...we'll see.

Here are my ideas for next week's menu...thinking more on leftovers...

Monday - Buffalo Chicken Soup, using leftover shredded Caesar chicken
Tuesday - Puff Pastry Pot Pie, using leftover beef stroganoff
Wednesday - Crock Pot Baked Potatoes Fully Loaded
Thursday - Sloppy Tater Tot Casserole, using leftover chili
Friday - Lakehouse
Saturday - Lakehouse
Sunday - Taco Night, (save leftover taco meat for Mexican Casserole)

How do you all use up your leftovers? PLEASE enlighten me!

P.S. Check out my Pinterest page for the recipes for the vast majority of these meals...

Real Fall Weather

2011-11-05T15:36:00.002-04:00

Today is a prime example of why I really like living here in Augusta, if only for the weather. The high for today is 59 degrees and people are totally bundled up from head to toe. Of course to the natives, 59 degrees in November is "unseasonably cold" as nearly all of next week we will be in the low 70s. In fact, the average high in December in Augusta is 58 degrees, and January (their coldest month) it is 56! Ahhh. Love it.

Off topic - check out Vera's 4 month pictures I took last night (on FB)...horrible lighting...ridiculous camera settings...but oh well.

New Kidney Stone Regimen - DUMB.

2011-11-05T10:31:00.000-04:00

As if drinking over 3 liters of water (PLAIN water, mind you) wasn't enough of a punishment, how about putting 2 teaspoons of hideous metal-tasting CRAP into a shot of whatever you can find to cover the taste THREE times a day?!?! And come to find out there is actually a potassium citrate PILL I can actually take...but who knows why this nephrologist prescribed me the liquid form...as though I am a toddler. Needless to say I will be giving his office a call on Monday to say "hahaha - very funny - now prescribe the real stuff."

So far today I am only 8oz into my required 100oz. It is going to be a long day.

Sooner or Later...We're Gonna Make It.

2011-11-04T15:22:00.001-04:00

Here are a few random updates from my oh-so-boring life...

I am now officially a Costco Executive Member. Opening day - November 16th - here in Augusta, baby! Darcy: ARE YOU READY?!
I am *totally* applying for the Costco AmEx...I know, not very interesting, but it is my life.
I am supposed to be on a low salt/low oxalate diet. To that I say "low oxalate, shlowoxalate, ha." This essentially means I can never eat outside of my home again. Try again, nephrologist. Try again.
Steak 'n Shake Chili replica was good - not the same, but pretty good. I'll post my recipe below.
You all have GOT to listen to this Mat Kearney album. Wow. Seriously.
I am embarking on a "spend less" spree...for the 18th time in a row. Lets see if this lasts.
I already ordered our Christmas cards & return address labels - JEALOUS?
My kids are *still* napping...aaaaaaaah. Bliss.
Isn't Pinterest awesome?
I have used the paddle attachment on my stand mixer this week TWICE to make absolutely PERFECT shredded chicken. Do it - it will change your life.

Amanda's Faux Steak 'n Shake Chili 3-way PLUS Cheese

Ingredients

1lb lean ground beef

salt & pepper (to taste)

2 cans chili (I am thinking any brand will do...Chilli Man, Bush's, Castleberry's, yada yada)

16oz ketchup

2tbsp white vinegar

2tbsp brown sugar

16oz cooked spaghetti (al dente PLEASE, none of that mushy stuff)

Heinz chili sauce

Worcestershire sauce

shredded cheddar cheese

*In large dutch oven, brown ground beef and season w/ salt & pepper; drain off excess fat.

*Pour in chili, vinegar, brown sugar; simmer on low for 30 minutes (or longer).

*In separate microwave-safe bowl, combine 4 parts chili sauce with 1 part Worcestershire sauce; heat until warmed through in microwave.

*Serve chili on top of cooked pasta; add special chili sauce & cheddar cheese.

Don't forget the saltines!

Doctor's Appointments Galore

2011-11-04T15:01:00.000-04:00

I had two follow up appointments yesterday - one at the Nephrologist's office, the other at the Urologist's office. Here are some basic takeaways from the visits...

*I am a kidney stone factory (but I guess I knew that already).
*I have 3 *new* stones in my right kidney (hip hip hooray!), but no worries...they are all "small" (as in less than 5mm, bahaha).
*I have ZERO stones in my left kidney, even though that was where my most recent episode of pain was located.
*Two radiologists finally concluded that what they thought was a massive stone (over 1 cm) is PROBABLY a calcification in my ovary as shown in the CAT scan w/ contrast & 2 KUBs that I have had done.
*I opted to wait this one out. If I have any more pain on my left side, I will go in and they will do a pyloregram where they shoot dye into my ureter through the bladder to further investigate that calcification. If I have pain on my right side, I'll just have to grin and bear it (with the help of good 'ole "perky" Percocet) and assume that it is one of the 3 stones in there moving...should be able to pass all of those w/o incident.
*I am now on potassium citrate because I have super low citrate levels and don't seem to absorb any of the citrate I get in my diet (called hypocitraturia). Not sure why I have this, but it could have to do with my chronic stomach issues which may interfere with my absorption of citrate...who knows.
*I am under strict orders to drink at least 3 liters of water each day. Still trying to figure out how to do that and still be able to care for children...or myself...there doesn't seem to be enough time in the day to drink that much.

40 Minute Nap Problems - Vanished?

2011-11-04T14:38:00.001-04:00

I thought I would put up a short post on our struggle with the infamous 40 minute nap, as made famous first by Cole and now by Vera. With Cole I was able to elongate his naps through a combination of utilizing the swing (to transition him more smoothly through sleep cycles) and also just with time (ugh). Vera was headed down the path for the past few weeks, and although her disposition is almost always sweet, it was making it very difficult for me to get anything done given that I only had 30-40 minute increments to work with. I will say, however, that I did not have children for my own convenience, and so I was really trying to go into all of it with a positive attitude, knowing that it was merely a developmental phase.

I did notice that Vera's room was pretty bright during the day and wondered if that was contributing to the early wake-ups. You see, back in Indy we bought Cole blackout panels for his room in the throes of his sleep regression, trying to "fix" all of the issues we were having. I thought "what the heck" and bought Vera two grey tie-up shades for her two windows. I have been absolutely amazed at the results. WE HAVE OFFICIALLY KICKED THE 40 MINUTE NAP OUT OF OUR HOUSE! Hopefully it is for good. Vera is now taking 3 2-hour naps, on average. Sometimes they are 1.5 hours...sometimes 3.5 hours (yeah, that was crazy), but much MUCH longer than before.

Word to the wise: if your child sleeps fairly long stretches at night but is having a hideous time with short naps, buy the dang blackout shades. Worst case scenario is that you are out some cash...but at least you have some curtains to show for it.

Steak 'n Shake Craving

2011-11-02T09:50:00.003-04:00

Ever since we moved here to Augusta, I have had an insatiable craving for Steak 'n Shake's chili 3-way (plus cheese). Is it horrible for you? Of course. But I have to have it. And today is the day.

For those of you who have never had the delicacy (i.e. you have lived in Augusta your entire life...sadly they do not have a Steak 'n Shake here), you are missing out. You are also probably missing out on Steak 'n Shake's special "Caramel Apple Milkshake," only available around Halloween. Ah. Be still my heart.

Back to the chili - here is the "official" definition:

Spaghetti topped with chili, extra chili beef, and our special chili sauce will make a taste bud’s day! Double the chili beef on Chili 3-Way for an additional cost.

Of course I add cheese to this bad boy...which makes it even more excellent. They *do* have a chili 5 way that includes cheese and onions, but I really just can NOT do the raw onions...a bit too much for me.

So tonight I begin my official pursuit of authentic chili 3-way with the help of a few simple ingredients: spaghetti, ground beef, chili sauce (Heinz, Castleberry, & Texas Pete...just to cover my bases), ketchup, worcestershire sauce, and (of course) shredded cheddar cheese. I'm sure I'm missing something integral, like a few shakes of banana pepper juice, but this will have to do. I'll be back here later to let you in on the secret...that is, if I ever find it.

Ships in the Night

2011-11-01T15:42:00.000-04:00

Yup. Still listening to Mat Kearney. Halloween was great...tons of kids...mom & dad came and helped Cole go trick-or-treating in the neighborhood...buffalo chicken sandwiches were terrific...great day. Of course I *did* have to get two fillings re-done earlier that afternoon, but aside from that everything was just peachy.

Tonight I plan on making a Kraft recipe - "Fuss-Free Ravioli and Cheese Bake." Looks excellent and super easy, so we'll see how that turns out. I am also debating on whether or not to attempt a Target run post-nap with the kids as we are in desperate need of diapers for Cole.

Speaking of Cole, the poor little guy is a bit under the weather. This morning he woke up with a weird, hacking cough. Luckily mom spent the night and was nice enough to watch him while Vera and I went to our Side by Side bible study (for medical/dental wives). We are also dealing with a CRAZY diaper rash with Cole. He is very used to moderate diaper rashes, but this is one of the more severe ones...eh. Poor kid now requests that we NOT use wipes...and yes, we have resorted to sticking him in his shower instead...you do what you gotta do.

Just found out last night that Jake actually has Thursday, Friday, Saturday, AND Sunday off for Thanksgiving - craziness! We are truly blessed. I am hoping to make Thanksgiving treats to bring to the lake...specifically edible chocolate chip cookie-dough on a stick, covered in white chocolate and sprinkles. Mmmmmm.

On the kidney stone front we still don't know anything, but Jake is hoping to bring home my CAT scan today (no worries, HIPPA, I filled out the blasted form) so I should be able to tell if the radiologist believes it is a kidney stone in my ureter...or if it is just some "random calcification" elsewhere. I have my follow up appointments with the nephrologist followed by the urologist on Thursday afternoon. I will be really happy to have these ridiculous appointments STOP eventually.

Hey Mama

2011-10-29T11:33:00.000-04:00

Sitting here listening to some Mat Kearney...in my pajamas...after having eaten my weight in some Publix brand cinnamon rolls, first dipped in melted butter and cinnamon & sugar, then baked...drinking ~~spiked~~ spiced apple cider...perfect October day. It is 48 degrees right now and we actually have the heat on today - craziness. Of course the high will still be 63 - yay. We also have our very first frost advisory for tonight as they anticipate it will get down to...wait for it...wait for it...36 degrees! (This one is for you, Ashley...hehe).

So I'll go ahead and give a little update - did my second ever CAT scan, first with contrast, though. Wow, that was a weird experience with the contrast. My entire body got INCREDIBLY warm...make that hot...especially my mouth/throat/face. It was totally painless, however, and I was DONE at 9:10am with a 9:00am appointment - truly miraculous.

Mom came to watch the kids during my appointment and so we decided to head to lunch at Red Robin, which was great. We were also able to drop the dogs off at Petco for grooming and wow - they look amazing. Of course I feel like I spent a fortune, but they never get groomed so we'll go with it this time.

Recently I have played a couple rounds of golf...which is funny because I really haven't played since my senior year in high school, my last year on the Male girl's golf team (2003). I say funny because I am now playing better than I ever played in high school, but I think it is because now I actually find it to be fun. I bought some awesome (and awesomely cheap) ECCO street golf shoes that are spikeless and are truly more comfortable than my tennis shoes (which desperately need replacing). And I now own a dress skort, a regular skort, and some nicer khakis...hopefully I'll be able to add some cooler weather outfits to my golf wardrobe. I much prefer to play when the high is 75 and under and even managed to play 18 without getting tired...I did get a strange neck injury, but got over it within a few days.

Cole and Vera are doing great. We are dealing with some pre-three year old tantrum stuff with Cole as he is less and less "distractible," which is always fun. He is still mostly obedient, however, especially when it comes to sleep and staying in his bed for naps and at bedtime (with a few exceptions, hehe). Vera is finally getting over her 2 week sent of sleep regression and turns 4 months this time next week. She is incredibly quick to catch on to falling asleep independently and for that we are eternally grateful.

I can remember Cole screaming, on average, about 3 hours each night in his crib...sometimes we would come in incrementally to check on him...sometimes we wouldn't (thinking it was more cruel than kind)...finally we graduated to an hour or less. Vera, however, started out crying maybe 20 minutes and now only intermittently fusses for 10 minutes or less on average before falling asleep while gazing at her Fisher Price singing fish (lol). I really did not realize that *this* was what "sleep training" was for many parents. WOW. My eyes have been opened.

I do think that parenting Cole, a high need infant and toddler, has given Jake and I a well-rounded perspective when it comes to what we think about parenting styles. I think if I had started with Vera I would be very quick to judge those who practice attachment parenting as "crazy hippies." The fact of the matter is that if you have a high need kid, attachment parenting is often the best option and the one option that will not totally squash their vibrant personality. I had to be one of those "crazy hippies" while raising Cole for the first couple years.

Of course I can say the same thing about Vera as if we had never had her, I would be quick to judge those who are all about parent-led options, thinking "yeah, right...ALL kids put themselves to sleep after whimpering for a few minutes...HA!" Having these two kids has been an exercise in humility and has taught us one major concept: all children are different, even if they are from the same parents, and thus require different parenting styles. The "my way or the highway" view on parenting is simply ignorant in that these differences are not recognized.

A Return to the Wide World of Solid Foods...but Not Quite Yet.

2011-10-26T13:29:00.000-04:00

Last time around I started solid foods with Cole right at 4 months...November 16th of 2009 (I'm a stickler for timing, ok?) Unfortunately it was a pretty comical attempt as he still had the tongue thrust reflex, not to mention a severe hatred for rice cereal (can you blame him?) We quickly moved on to oatmeal with some moderate success around 5 months but only combined with apple, and then tried vegetables - big negative. Fruit was last and of course was loved by Cole, but by this point he was 6 months old. I swore that the next time around I would be delaying solids until at least 6 months, mostly for convenience sake, but also because research indicates that breastfed babies technically do not need anything else for the first 12 months.

I have been seeing some excellent additions to the baby food options that were around when Cole was a little one. We loved the pouch purees and pretty much lived on those alone. Here are a few things on my list for Vera beginning January 5th of next year...

Gerber Graduates Fruit & Veggie Melts

Gerber Graduates Grabbers Squeezable Fruit & Veggies

GoGo squeeZ Applesauce on the Go (love the new peach flavor)

Ella's Kitchen 1 Baby Food

Ella's Kitchen Baby Brekkie

Ella's Kitchen Fruit + Rice

Plum Organics "Just" Line of Fruit Purees

Plum Organics Cereals

Plum Organics Super Puffs

HappyBaby Pouches

Sprout Pouches

This Week's Menu

2011-10-24T16:13:00.002-04:00

Monday

Slow Cooker Sausage Breakfast Casserole

Pumpkin Muffins

Tuesday

Crock Pot Baked Apples (sans nuts)

Wednesday

Wanchai Ferry Sweet & Sour Chicken (don't judge...I can't do homemade EVERY night)

Thursday

Lime Chicken Tacos

Friday

Our weekly frozen pizza night...courtesy of the Red Baron.

Saturday

Cream Cheese Sausage Balls

Can't decide what else to make...hmm...

Sunday
No cooking day - we will be at the MOPS Family Picnic followed by a Trunk or Treat Fall Festival at First Baptist Church of Augusta - wahoo!

Fa-la-la-la-la...la-la...la...KidneyStone.

2011-10-17T20:52:00.000-04:00

Hark the Herald Angels Sing...more like Hark - I feel a large rock trying to smash through my ureter. No real reason why I had this song in my head...ahhh, oh well. So I haven't updated in a while because we took a little trip ~~down memory lane~~ to MCG on Wednesday evening where we waited for a fairly obscene amount of time to be seen by an attending. No worries guys - no one got preferential treatment for being a resident's wife HERE. Ha. Comical. It is times like these I wish I was a pediatric patient as I have a feeling it doesn't quite operate the way the adult side does.

Anyhow, we had a rousing trip there with a ton of fellow ER people...waiting...detoxing...you know, the usual. I, no doubt, looked like one of those drug seekers. Per usual I could not stop moving because the pain was so intense. I'll spare you the details and skip to the good part. Forty-five minutes after taking a SECOND perocet, I FINALLY got relief (8:45 PM). I nursed Vera, who had been hungry since 6:00 PM as she has decided she no longer takes bottles when I am gone (yes...awesome), right there in the waiting room. Surprisingly enough I got zero stares. I know. I was shocked too. So I floated on cloud nine for quite some time through the haze of way too much percocet and phenergen.

We got called back around 9:15 PM where I spoke to a super nice EM resident and gave him my schpeal. He listened patiently and then went back to talk with the attending about my case. Meanwhile a nurse came in and gave me a shot of Torodal, again - worked like a charm. Then we waited...probably 45 minutes...while in the treatment room...Cole screaming...Vera screaming...the works. Around 10:00 PM the attending comes waltzing in after giving his residents an *awesome* life lesson about how to get people to help you when they say they won't (?) and merely says "So. You *think* you have a kidney stone?" Cue narrowed eyes.

I should have stopped right there, stared back and said "Correction. I know I have a kidney stone. Are we done here?" Instead I ever-so-nicely gave him my schpeal over again (for probably the 100th time thus far in my kidney stone treatment path since 2009) to which he said that even though the KUB showed a 10mm stone 2 months ago that we didn't know for SURE that this episode of pain was that stone moving. Uhhhh, yeah. OK. Sounds good. I suppose it was just a tainted Cherry Coke from Friday's. Yeah, that makes you want to throw yourself out of a moving vehicle.

The attending went on to say that he would not be admitting me since my pain was clearly gone. I said something like "Well of course it is gone. I just had two percocet and a shot of torodal. I should hope it is gone. Just what am I supposed to do when this comes back?" He then states that he thinks it will not come back because I probably already passed the stone. By this point I am really trying to contain my hysterical laughter. Clearly there is no training for kidney stone pain/treatment/whatnot wherever he did his residency. According to

Check Out Cole's New Pics!

2011-10-06T22:35:00.001-04:00

http://real-lifephotography.blogspot.com/2011/10/mr-cutieand-sister-too.html

Step Class...Wow

2011-10-05T14:13:00.000-04:00

So for the past week or so I have been planning on going to the Kroc Center's BodyStep class by Les Mills. I was *hoping* a friend would go with me (ahem, Darcy & Meredith), but sadly both my friends (hey, don't laugh...we are new to Augusta...I do have one more friend, Mary Elizabeth...so three total) either had kids sick or were sick themselves, so it was just me by my lonesome. I was inches away from NOT going...having anxiety attacks about going alone...but I finally found a tiny bit of strength and pushed through. Turns out the instructor is totally awesome - incredibly nice and approachable - and she managed not to laugh out loud at me.

Let me start by saying I actually *do* have some step experience as I took two semesters of it in college to help satisfy a physical education requirement (hahaha). I also did it on a cruise...once...don't recommend that one unless you are a balance beam olympian. But no matter how much (fake) experience I had, it was no match for my horribly out of shape body. Sure, I could blame it on having given birth three months ago...and then two years prior to that...but lets face it, that has nothing to do with me being out of shape. I pretty much refuse to work out. I never make time for it and have never thought it was worth it to be "in shape" as long as my body still fit into the almighty size 4. Well size 4 has come and gone...size 6 is the new 4, didn't you know? Ha.

But really my desire to get into shape now, at age 26, is not because I would like to be a size 4 again...or because I would like to weigh 117lbs again like the high school days. No, I want to be in shape so that I have enough energy to get through the day with a two year old and a three month old. And I guess I also want to be able to utilize at least a few pieces of my old wardrobe...I'll be honest.

Anyhow, the class was WAY intense and after about 10 minutes I was wishing I had just gone with 1 riser instead of 2. Then at the 20 minute mark I was thinking "WTF - when is the freaking cool down?!" Little did I know, the class was a full 60 minutes of high energy step aerobics followed by 10 minutes of legwork (ouch) and 5 minutes of cooldown. I thought I died, but I was just delirious. It did feel pretty awesome to know that I had successfully completed the entire class, though, and I think I may start going weekly. Heck, I think I might start going Mondays AND Wednesdays. It can't hurt, right? The best part is that the Kroc Center's Child Watch program is supreme...eat your heart out YMCA. My little ones were cared for by the sweetest older lady EVER and two younger gals who pretty much adored Cole. Did I mention there is a train table? Yeah. We'll be back.

P.S. Next time I am bringing water. And Darcy. And Meredith. And Mary Elizabeth.

Because Apparently I Have the Time Now

2011-10-04T15:59:00.001-04:00

I figured I would blog again since I found myself sitting here on the couch doing absolutely nothing. Now I won't say that I don't have anything to do...the entire first floor of the house could use some serious cleaning...and I mean deep cleaning like busting out the steam cleaner. But let's face it: the first floor is picked up and *most* of the toys are in the playroom...so I consider that a success. Both kids have been napping since about 1:00 PM...yes, that is 2.5 hours now...wahoo!

I was just sitting here contemplating how different life is the second time around with a newborn. For us it is EXTREMELY different given that Vera is so much more independent than Cole was at this age. Sure she loves being held, but she will also tolerate sitting in a bouncy seat or swing and is content to merely look at everyone. This is a foreign concept to me. Sleeping patterns are similar to Cole's (he was always a great sleeper but went through a rough patch where he simply could not GET to sleep...we were greatly helped by a sleep consultant). Vera takes about 3 naps each day for anywhere from 1-3 hours each and goes to bed at night at the same time as Cole and sleeps at least 7 or 8 hours before waking for a feeding. Here is our typical schedule:

4:30 AM Vera wakes up for an early morning feeding, goes back to bed
7:30 AM Vera wakes up, eats, gets dressed & ready for the day
8:00 AM Vera hangs out in the MamaRoo while I get dressed & ready
8:30 AM Cole wakes up, gets dressed, & eats "breck breck"
9:00 AM Vera goes down for her morning nap (sometimes I will shower during this time with Cole in our room watching something on PBS...a la "Dinosaur Train")
10:30 AM Vera wakes up & eats
11:00 AM We run our errands for the day -or- Cole plays outside while I clean up the kitchen, wearing Vera
11:30 AM Ideally this is the time where Vera takes a catnap in her carseat -or- swing
12:30 PM Lunch time for all three of us
1:30 PM Nap time for Vera
2:00 PM Nap time for Cole
4:30 PM Vera wakes up & eats
5:00 PM Cole wakes up & plays outside (for as long as possible)
6:00 PM Vera goes down for her last nap of the day
6:30 PM Jake comes home (on a good day) & we all eat dinner
7:00 PM Vera wakes up, family time (either outside or inside in front of the TV)
7:30 PM Vera eats, Star Wars time (when Jake & Cole watch an episode of Clone Wars on our bed)
8:00 PM Cole & Vera go to bed for the night

Whew! That was much more involved to type out than I thought it would be. Well it comes pretty easy to all of us, especially Vera. She is amazing when it comes to putting herself to sleep. I swaddle her (using the miracle blanket -or- the swaddle strap), put one of her blankets (aiden & anais muslin) up by her face, and pop the pacifier (mam newborn) in her mouth. It takes about 60 seconds of holding her before she closes her eyes. I place her in the nap nanny (to help ease her moderate reflux issues) in her room, keeping the blanket up by her face (I know I know SIDS nazis...deal with it...the blanket is the thinnest ever), and although she is awake she settles herself within the next 5 minutes. About half the time I have to go back in within those first 5 minutes to give her the pacifier again, but then that is it. I really have yet to have to go in a second time for the initial part. About 25% of the time I *do* have to go in at the 40 minute mark and help her get through the end of one sleep cycle to the beginning of the next...but I am able to give her the pacifier again and typically avoid even picking her up.

Again, this is all a foreign concept to me. Cole ate for hours and hours and hours and needed the famous "Five S's" (Dr. Harvey Karp, "Happiest Baby on the Block") and would only fall asleep nursing for the first 6 months. I finally can see the other side of the equation and no longer think that people who dole out well-meaning advice about not nursing your child to sleep are on crack cocaine. There are actually BABIES out there who do not demand it! I am still a firm believer that many kids (probably 20% or so) are high need and I will never say a single word about ANYONE who rocks and/or nurses them to sleep - you do what you have to do to get some sleep yourself. I 100% defer to Dr. Sears on that one. Enough said.

Of course this is not a Cole bashing session...Cole would always allow me to do other things while nursing - talk on the phone, surf the web, eat, drink...be merry. Vera, on the other hand, does not. She rules with an iron fist and unless I am 100% focused on her, she will stop nursing abruptly...and then be mad about it. She requires that I contort myself into all sorts of ridiculous poses in order to get her in whatever position she chooses when it comes to her meal times. Much of this has to do with the reflux (she loves eating while leaning forward, almost on her stomach). Speaking of which, we have had quite a bit of success with Prevacid and I am hoping that after this first refill is done, we will officially be done and she will have outgrown it. Side note: I think it is incredibly ironic that I had zero acid reflux while pregnant with Cole...and, to our knowledge, Cole had no reflux issues. Then all of the sudden while pregnant with Vera I had acid reflux for the first time in my life (didn't know what it was the first couple times)...and Vera has serious reflux issues (which are reflected in her crazy, insane arching that prevents her from ever sitting upright anywhere unless forced...and her frequent refusals to eat anything).

Well I think she is up, so I'll go now before she wakes Cole.

It is Finally Fall in Augusta

2011-10-02T10:10:00.002-04:00

Beginning yesterday, with a high of 68 degrees, we officially entered Fall...at least in my book. I have been taking advantage of the weather by shutting off the A/C for the very first time since moving here and leaving about 25% of our windows open (no worries - we have screens...even if they ARE 27 years old). I have also been leaving the sliding door open (screen door closed) which has been interesting, to say the least, given Cole's curiosity and love of the outdoors. I will look around, call his name, but no Cole. I take one look outside and there he is...perusing the premises (again no worries, we have a fenced backyard). Of course I *thought* "oh wow, this is a great, safe outlet for Cole to get all of his energy out...I mean what could go wrong?" How about him finding an ant hill and digging his way to China THROUGH it with a toy hand shovel? Yeah. Yesterday he came walking in the house scratching his neck, arms, legs, and back and saying "Ant, mommy, ant." AAAAAAGGGGHHHHH!

A second shower later Cole is finally free of about a hundred or so ants that decided to crawl on him, into his clothes, and bite the heck out of him. Luckily he came away with only a dozen or so bites...but they swelled into these little bumps which look pretty itchy/painful. He doesn't complain, however, just says (over and over) "Ants gone, those ants gone." Now we have a running ant commentary every time we go outside...me telling him not to bother the ants again...him telling me "don't worry, mommy, ants gone."

So although Jake is on 12 days straight of working with zero time off to spend with us, our big consolation prize is getting to spend quite a bit of outdoor time, start to pull out our sweaters, and actually think about bringing a blanket for Vera's car seat. Thank you Fall.

I guess that means it is also time to trash the blow up pool in the backyard...clean out the "water table" filled with pinecones and pinestraw and put it in the shed. Yeah. We are behind. But then again you should take a look at our lawn...I'm surprised the neighbors haven't called the HOA on us for neglect.

Almost Perfect

2011-09-30T16:38:00.001-04:00

Don't you hate it when a day is shaping up to be totally awesome and then one TINY little thing sets in motion a huge catastrophe that ends your "perfect day"? Yeah. Same here. Today we headed to Darcy's house for a playdate with her amazing kids - Brandt, Carter, & Elina. Cole had a great time despite his lack of ability to share (ha)...we spent zero money (yes!)...and had a great lunch of grilled cheese sandwiches, salsa & chips, carrots & dip, and orange soda (breakfast of champions). We came home, utterly exhausted, and I put Vera down for a nap followed by Cole. Amazingly I was able to literally just lay Vera in her nap nanny (we are doing this now because of her insane reflux arching) and she was out...I should have known it was too good to be true. I put Cole down and after less than one sleep cycle...maybe 30 minutes...Vera was awake. Naturally I had just lay down to try to take a nap, funny. Now we have been awake...together...her screaming half the time...me trying to feed her...rock her...shush her...give her the pacifier...put her in the swing...put her in the bouncer...back in the swing...on my lap on her stomach...the list goes on. Of course this is my fault because I didn't take the time to swaddle her as I was trying to put Cole down quickly afterward, so this afternoon is a sad reminder that we are very dependent upon the swaddle to get us through each sleep cycle. Blast.

Anyway...Cole is now officially up and Vera is still awake---yay for opposite nap schedules. Gotta go try to put Vera down for the 8th time and get Cole up...then I get to endure Cole's incessant whining for hours before Jake gets home...which could be at 6:30 or it could be at 9:30...whatever MCG thinks is cool.

Extra Money? Sure - we've got LOADS.

2011-09-27T13:47:00.005-04:00

I can't help but hear a "chuh-CHING" in my head every single time I whip out my wallet to pay for something these days. I mean first the car acts up, and then $100 in diagnostic tests later the dealership says it checks out 100% OK. Nice. Go to the dentist...find out I have nearly a dozen cavities that need to be filled (thank you Vera). First trip - 2 fillings = $100 (that is the 20% that I pay WITH insurance, mind you). Second trip - 4 fillings = $125. Awesome. I go to the grocery yesterday to buy food for our dinners this week...then I realize after I get home that I have somehow left the ground beef...AFTER paying for it. $4.25 gone. Just this morning I left out an entire (full) gallon of whole milk and chocolate syrup after getting Cole a refill amid trying to find his missing tennis shoe. $4.00 gone. And that shoe? Yeah. Still haven't found it. $50 gone. Last Georgia Power bill for this (excuse my French) POS rental we are in? Why that would be $428 folks. And that house back in Indy...you know the one with the $200 HOA fee? Yeah - it still exists...and we pay for it...every last bit of it. Called this morning to inquire about the $1700 refund check we are owed from the hospital since idiot me actually PAID the medical bill I received instead of waiting for MCG to pay it (a resident perk)...yeah, that will be 4-6 ADDITIONAL weeks (they cashed the dang thing on August 18th...and then were payed AGAIN by PPG two weeks ago...didn't start the refund process until I called a second time this morning...crooks).

Good thing we have PILES of money that just fall off the trees in the ~~forest~~ yard out back.

Long Time, No Post

2011-09-14T23:30:00.000-04:00

I wish I could say that I haven't been blogging because I have nothing to blog about...but alas, that is not the case. Take today, for example. I drove to the gas station before heading out to run some errands this morning (specifically Gap for Cole's MDO pictures tomorrow and Target for Disney trip stuff...oh yes, I didn't tell you about our Disney trip? Yeah...see...I told you...I'm a loser with this blog). After getting gas and actually putting my Discover card back in my wallet proudly (instead of dropping it on the ground and having to cancel the card an hour later after thoroughly panicking), I took a left to go up the hill on Furys Ferry Road and noticed the transmission was being weirdly sluggish.

I got in the left turn lane to check out what was going on in the safety and security of our bank parking lot. I barely made that left turn! Every time I hit the gas, I could only accelerate to about 20 mph and yet the RPM needle was going CRAZY. First I checked my parking brake, as I am known to be the idiot who drives with it on...but no parking brake. Then I check to be sure I am, indeed, in drive...and sure enough that is at least where the gearshift looks to be. Luckily I was able to limp (20 mph) back down Furys Ferry, into our neighborhood, and just barely up our incredibly tiny hill of a driveway.

First thing's first, I thought. I should go in, (sadly) wake Jake up (did I mention he is now on nights? No? Hmm...), and make sure he thinks it is worth it to call the Volvo dealership first. He agrees with me and so I give them a call and explain what is going on. A really nice guy tells me that yes, it is most likely the transmission. Of course the XC90's transmission has ALREADY been replaced...don't ask...but if you do a google search for "Volvo XC90 transmission" you will come up with quite a few uber angry people posting about their lemon cars.

I called trusty AAA and they came within the hour, towing the car to the dealer so they could look at it. After waiting a few hours, I got a call back from the nice guy at the dealership...instead of hearing that I have to get my transmission replaced and pay them a gazillion dollars, he tells me they have no idea what caused the issue. No error codes on the computer. Drives totally fine for them. YEAH. RIGHT. I could have totally fainted right then and there.

So not only do I have this sneaking suspicion that our transmission is going out and will do so at a VERY inopportune time when I will no doubt be stranded with my two children in the Augusta heat and humidity while my husband is at home sleeping, I had to pay $105 to find out that there is apparently nothing wrong with my car. Oh, and to make matters worse, I REALLY need an oil change...and my car was at the shop all day...nice.

Here are a few other things that have happened since I last rambled...
*Mom, Cole, Vera, and I are going to Disney World next week and booked the trip barely two weeks in advance, something we NEVER do. We needed to use up our AirTran tickets (from when they cancelled our NYC flight way back when...Cole wasn't even walking at the time, lol.
*Cole has Mother's Day Out pictures done tomorrow - I'm hoping they are cute even though my plans to head to Gap to buy him a new outfit got derailed.
*Vera went to her two month appointment Monday and got roughly 23 vaccinations. In a word - smart. I am currently reaping the hideous benefits of those vaccinations in an incredibly fussy baby who literally will not sleep. I am not going to be a happy camper if she ends up with encephalitis because of DTaP.
*Oh yes, and prior to this, Vera went on Zantac followed by Prevacid for what we believe is silent reflux (primary signs: crazy back arching, head always turned to the side and upward, 5 minute feedings, and screaming instead of nursing). The Prevacid seems to be helping.
*Jake is on nights through the end of this rotation...positives? Pretty much none. Negatives? It is late and there are way too many to list.
*News flash: I still have yet to pack for Disney. Need to get on that.
*Darcy & I (and our kids) started attending Side by Side, a bible study at our church that is for wives of doctors/dentists...free childcare...score.
*We had our very first MOPS meeting this past Tuesday and it went very well! Oh yes, I am a discussion group leader for the Martinez group... :-D
*Cole had a pretty awesome playdate at Monkey Joe's...we ended up going down the MASSIVE slide in the back...multiple times...note to self: wear less baggy shorts next time.
*Weather here in Augusta is FINALLY tolerable!
*Our family joined the Augusta Kroc Center...can not WAIT to start working out there (waiting until Vera is 3 months so she can go to child watch with Cole). Cole is already obsessed with the aquatic center, which is pretty cool.

OK...that is enough for now. A ton of other stuff has happened, but honestly I can't even remember half of it at this point. And I really need to get on that packing...

Food at the Eichenberger House

2011-08-24T15:30:00.003-04:00

Here is a recipe from this month's Everyday Foods magazine that we tried last night---it was pretty good :-D

Sausage & Rice Stuffed Peppers

serves 8
active time: 25 min
total time: 55 min

*3 1/2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for baking sheet
*1/2 lb sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
*1 zucchini, diced small
*1 medium yellow onion, diced small (yes, I did substitute the frozen chopped onion here...sue me)
*1 garlic clove, minced
*coarse salt & ground pepper
*1/2 ounce Parmesan, grated (1/4 cup)
*4 cups cooked long-grain white rice
*1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs (I think not---I substituted Panko)
*4 large bell peppers (any color - I used green), halved lengthwise, seeds and ribs removed (don't be a total idiot, like myself, and remove the tops...just take the whole pepper and slice right down the middle, leaving the tops intact...you'll thank me later)

1. Preheat oven to 400. In a large skillet, heat 1 tsp oil over medium-high. Add sausage and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon (? or plastic...or metal...whatever you fancy), until browned, 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon (or tongs...or your hands...scratch that), transfer sausage to a medium bowl. Add 1 tsp oil to skillet along with zucchini, onion, and garlic. Season with salt & pepper and cook until vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes.

2. Add zucchini mixture to bowl with sausage, along with Parmesan, rice, and 1 tsp oil; stir to combine and season with salt & pepper. In a small bowl, combine breadcrumbs and 1/2 tsp oil and season with salt & pepper. Brush a rimmed baking sheet with oil and arrange bell peppers, cut side up, on sheet. Divide rice mixture among peppers and top with breadcrumbs. Bake until breadcrumbs are browned and peppers are tender, about 30 minutes. Serve warm.

per serv: 462 cal; 7 g fat (2 g sat fat); 14 g protein; 85 g carb; 3 g fiber

So what's on the menu for today? Why yes, it is Stovetop Chili Mac - check it out!

Home Tour

2011-08-22T16:11:00.001-04:00

So as you may have heard by now, we are not too thrilled with our rental home here in Augusta. From the outside it looks pretty cute, and even when you walk in you might be inclined to say "oh how cool!" But that is where it stops. There is a list about a mile long that I have created stating why this house is essentially nonfunctional and virtually un-sellable. As a homeowner myself, it severely irks me that humans who totally disrespect their property even exist on this earth, but alas they do...and they are the owners of this home. I'll spare you the gory details that include rolling hills and valleys in the floor, gaping holes on the sides of the (cheap) laminate, beautiful granite countertops with massively visible seams, and last but not least (my favorite) - the unusable outlet below the desk with no drilled hole for cords. And I certainly won't mention the water heater that warranted roughly half a dozen visits by a very kind electrician and his son, with whom we are on a first name basis now, or the dishwasher that, when turned on, smells like a sewer pipe burst in our kitchen. I may have already lost you, but bear with me.

We have tried to make the house look presentable without spending even more money on repairs and upgrades that are the homeowner's responsibility. I have not truly cleaned the house, so when you look at these pictures, stand far away and squint...it will make things look much better (and you'll get to see it from my current perspective - nearly blind...but that is for another post on another day).

HOME TOUR

First Day of Mother's Day Out 2011

2011-08-18T12:28:00.001-04:00

Today was Cole's first day of mother's day out this school year. How does it feel to be able to get a few (uber important) things done out and about as well as around the house? In a word - awesome. How did Cole do at the drop off? Well, let's put it this way...while I was signing him in, he was beating on the door and yelling "DOOR YOCKED! DOOR YOCKED!!" The teacher opened the door and he ran in without so much as a passing backward glance. I stayed a few seconds longer to make sure he didn't then randomly melt down, but no. Cole was already on to bigger and better things than boring old mom...you know, like toy trucks and baby dolls with matching carseats. It is a good feeling knowing that if you have to leave your kid somewhere, they really love it there. We love the program and even though we don't attend the church and could certainly go somewhere closer, the people are awesome (and the rates are unbeatable as well!)

Today has been fairly productive thus far. Vera and I did some serious grocery shopping followed by some organizing in the kitchen. We have yet to tackle the three loads of laundry, but I figure I'll do that while Cole is napping this afternoon. Did I mention how much I love mother's day out days? Yeah.

Tonight we are branching out and trying one of my Everyday Foods Magazine recipes...here it is:

Fusilli with Chicken & Peppers

Serves 4
Active Time: 35 min
Total Time: 35 min

*coarse salt & ground pepper
*3/4 lb fusilli or other short, twisted pasta (I am using piccolini)
*4 tsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
*1 lb chicken cutlets
*3 medium bell peppers (1 yellow, 2 orange) stemmed, seeded, and sliced into 3/4-in strips
*1 medium red onion, cut into 8 wedges
*2 tbsp roughly chopped fresh parsley (fair warning here - I am not using this as I hate buying fresh herbs, using two freaking tablespoons, and then trashing the rest a few days later when it gets old and decrepit)

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water. Drain pasta and return to pot.

2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 2 tsp oil over medium-high. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt & pepper. Cook chicken until golden and cooked through, about 2 minutes per side, flipping once. Transfer to a plate and let rest 5 minutes. With two forks, shred chicken.

3. Wipe out skillet and heat 2 tsp oil over medium-high. Add bell peppers and onions, season with salt & pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are lightly browned and softened, about 15 minutes. Stir in parsley. Add vegetables and chicken to pasta. Toss, adding enough pasta water to coat pasta, and season with salt & pepper. To serve, drizzle with oil.

per serv: 528 cal; 10 g fat (2 g sat fat); 37 g protein; 72 g carb; 5 g fiber

Proceed with Caution: Birth Control Ahead

2011-08-01T19:39:00.004-04:00

When I tell you what happened to me today, you will probably brush it off and say that I am exaggerating. I assure you - I am not exaggerating anything. Today Cole was pretty excellent up until about 1:30 PM. At that point I decided to feed Vera, something I do about 10 times each day on average at this point. Cole continued playing in his playroom while I sat on the couch and read email with Vera. My phone rang...it was a nice lady from Georgia Power calling to schedule our Energy Audit (we have been paying $500 a month for electricity...yeah, nice). The conversation couldn't have lasted more than about two minutes, but nonetheless Cole decided he had enough of me ignoring him for two other people. I hear this faint "poo poo dipe" and before I know it, Cole is standing in front of me, poopy diaper in hand. He got it EVERYWHERE! And to make matters worse, I had to stay on the phone about 20 seconds longer after that point and couldn't even say a word to Cole. AAAAAAAAAAAAAGH. Needless to say Cole went down for his nap immediately after I cleaned him (and the living room) and changed his diaper

Did I also mention that Vera decided not to sleep from about midnight to 3am last night? Yeah. Lets hope that tonight is better... On a more positive note, I did manage to get some things done yesterday evening and today.

A Few Numbers

2011-07-23T21:21:00.001-04:00

Well as of today I have reached over 10,000 pageviews! Yay! Of course I realize this is really nothing in the scheme of things...perhaps if I could write a bit better...be a bit funnier...you know.

In other news I have been watching the scale like a hawk ever since I gave birth. With Cole I dropped pounds like I was in a competition with myself. I had a feeling it would be much more difficult with any kids I had following Cole, though. Two days after having Vera I had lost a whopping 20lbs---YES! I naively thought this trend would continue, but alas, it is 16 days later I have (only) lost 10 additional pounds. Haha I'm an idiot for thinking I would lose 40lbs in 4 days, I know I know.

Good news is I only have 10lbs to go (but I would love to get down to high school weight which would be an additional 10lbs...). If you have had a kid, though, you know that it takes MUCH MUCH longer to not feel like you are a bowl of jelly...ewwww...sick. And if you are me, it takes even longer because you blatantly refuse to do any sort of exercise. I am hoping it will cool down soon so I can at least bust out the double stroller and use it in the neighborhood.

Sadly I gained nearly 40lbs this time around...aghhhhhhhhh (and I gave birth at 37wks 3days...wow, Amanda). I gained 35lbs with Cole and gave birth at 39wks. Let me tell you it is DIFFICULT not gaining a bazillion pounds when you are pregnant. For me it is always the hardest at the end...but I know other people struggle with the second trimester more. I think the 24/7 nausea through the beginning and middle of my pregnancies pretty much stops weight gain, or at least puts it on hold for a bit.

Needless to say it is nice to finally be able to resume normal activities again...you know---bending over, walking more than a few feet at a time, and fitting through a standard doorway. Well, I've got to go "exercise"...I mean feed Vera. This eating every 3-4 hours that Vera does is NOT going to get me to my goal weight like it did with Cole. Time to start donating to a milk bank.

Different

2011-07-22T13:28:00.001-04:00

I haven't had a ton of time to blog, but surprisingly enough I DO actually have almost as much spare time as I had pre-Vera. Of course this may seem a bit shocking, but honestly aside from feeding her about every 2.5-3 hours life is very similar. Cole is still sleeping like a champ during naptime and overnight, which really helps. Vera sleeps her longest stretches at night and typically goes 11pm to 3:30 or 4am, then eats and goes back to sleep until about 8 or 9am.

Vera's entire personality is an about face from Cole's as an infant. She rarely cries and when she does, there is typically a concrete reason for it. Feeding her is very different as well. I just took a quick look back at Cole's schedule back in January of 2010 when he was 6 months old. On average he was eating 2-3 meals of solids each day and still nursing every 2-2.5 hours each day! Vera has already spaced herself out more than that at only 2 weeks old...crazy. Of course much of this has to do with Cole having some severe feeding difficulties in his first 4 months...which shaped the way he thinks about food (definitely a comfort eater, ha).

All of the issues I thought I would have, like trying to put Cole to bed while Vera is screaming, etc etc, are actually non-issues. There are still logistics problems (aka getting into and out of the car/carseats/stroller), but I have found that planning ahead and taking my time can fix many of these issues. I have also found the iPad to be an amazing tool to keep Cole busy if only for a couple minutes.

Keeping the house clean is still a joke. Most of the time I clean everything up and right behind me Cole comes along and destroys even more. Luckily we have a playroom that is messy all the time, but houses the thousands of toys that Cole has (and rarely plays with).

Well it is officially naptime now and so I should get Cole down while Vera is sleeping in the swing. We have a TON to do before Cole's 2nd birthday party tomorrow!! All I want to do is nap...

Vera Reese Eichenberger

2011-07-12T16:41:00.002-04:00

Here is her story...

Monday, July 4th, 2011

Fireworks are going off...our idiot dogs are barking...Jake is working...and little Coley is in Greensboro with my mom, having just attended his very first day of a week long Kindermusik camp at Reynold's Plantation. I *thought* I had been having some pre-labor type signs all day, but I had been having those feelings since the week before at my first "weekly" OB appointment. I was SO tired but knew that I should take advantage of being 100% by myself and go ahead and do some cleaning. I think I only managed to vacuum the first floor and pick up a few toys...after that I sat on the couch and watched TV until about midnight. I went to bed thinking about the next day when I would go to my second weekly OB appointment, wondering if I had made any progress.

Tuesday, July 5th, 2011

I woke up a mere two hours after going to bed, so right at 2:00 AM. I walked to the bathroom and BAM. Water breaks. I stood there thinking "hmmm...maybe that wasn't my water..." but all it took was walking around a few steps and I realized that there is no way anyone could hold THAT much pee...bahaha. Immediately I try to create a game plan. Jake is still at work but was due to get off right then (he worked a 5-2am shift), so I fumble around with my cell phone and manage to first try his cell (no answer) and then call the paging system and enter his number. He called me back within about 60 seconds and said "Uhhhh hey..." to which I said "Yeah, my water broke." Then I heard random cheering in the background...apparently the other residents knew that if he was getting paged in the Emergency Department it was *probably* not work related. I guess since I was a ticking time bomb it didn't take much for them to realize why I was calling.

Jake got home around 2:30 AM and by that point I had each of my bags lined up in our room. At this point I did finally start getting some contractions and they became regular and fairly intense quickly. We got in the car and I used an iPhone app to track the contractions. By the time we got to the hospital around 2:55 AM or so the app was saying that the average time between my contractions was about 2.5 minutes. I thought that could NOT be right, but we parked in the garage and walked toward the door. Naturally this door was locked after hours (REALLY?!) Luckily Jake brought his ID tag and was able to open it...otherwise I would have bashed it down. We took the one elevator that goes to L&D and were immediately ushered to a room. The nurses did their thing while I waited for one of the residents to come check me. He walks in the room and I can already see the skepticism. I wanted to start the conversation out with "...and no, I did not pee myself repeatedly. This IS indeed amniotic fluid...go on, use the strips, check it under a microscope for ferning, do your thing, but you WILL be admitting me."

Seconds later he turns to Jake and says "wow, this will be the most positive result you will ever see." I. Told. You. So. I immediately asked for anesthesia and the resident said he would go work on that. The nurses started hooking me up to the monitors just to find that the monitor in that room was broken. I then walked down the hall to yet another room where the monitor did work...yay. They stuck me with an 18 gauge needle "just in case" I needed a blood transfusion during a C-section...ummm no thanks. I felt like I needed to be sewed up once they took the IV out later...plus all of my IV fluids were leaking out of the gaping hole in my wrist. By this point the contractions are really crazy intense and the nurses are ooooing and ahhhhhing at the monitors (yeah, not helping). I asked for anesthesia a second time at this point and was told that they were going in to a procedure but would be coming here first and even if they couldn't get here, we could get IV drugs (like Stadol). I was *OK* with this option even though it was less than ideal.

A (new) second year resident walked in the door with a frown on her face. "Well, anesthesia is actually going into a procedure right now and so we can not get your epidural..." WHAT THE?! Nothing burns me up more than a severe lack of time management. By this point it was 4:00 AM and I had been at the hospital for over an hour asking for an epidural. This should NOT have been a surprise. I stare back at her, deadpan...actually make that a glare. "So what about the IV drugs...Stadol?" "Yeaaaaahhhh...we can't get you that either because they need to authorize it." At this point one of my nurses is like "Hold on one minute" and runs out of the room, attempting to get me the drugs I was so eloquently promised an hour before. Jake then says "Can I give verbal authorization?" She is like "No, you can't." At this point she leaves the room which was probably one of the smartest moves she made all day because I can safely say that this was one of the angriest versions of Amanda that you could ever meet.

From 4 to 5am I was in excruciating pain and now realize I was probably in transition. I can still remember the pain vividly. My birth experience with Cole, although probably not as great for him, was very positive for me. Unfortunately because of this one, measly hour, I am now reconsidering how many children we have biologically. I have officially passed 4 different kidney stones and because I had adequate pain relief available to me, I can say that the pain was doable. The pain during this hour was in no way doable. I could go on, but I will stop because I don't want to become one of those crazy women who tell every pregnant person they meet about their "hideous" experience where they had insane back labor and had fourth degree tears in 16 different places, lol. (BTW - that was in no way my experience).

Around 4:40 AM the anesthesiologist finally came to do the epidural, which managed to take him over half an hour to put in...?!?! Sitting still so he could put it in was crazy...I was shaking everywhere. Once it was in he did a couple test doses and I started to feel less and less on my left side. Unfortunately then the pain only intensified on my right side and never did take on that side even with more medication. I told Jake that I NEEDED to be checked because I felt like I needed to push (and really had felt like that since the anesthesiologist came in). Naturally I was totally complete and so once the residents came in, I started pushing. It took about 3 practice pushes plus maybe 5 real pushes and Vera was born! That portion of this birth experience totally trumped Cole's birth. His head was incredibly large, much larger than Vera's, and I can remember the doctor looking at me and shaking his head as if he had already written me off and was wheeling me into the OR. Pushing Vera out was a breeze in comparison.

Vera had the cord looped once around her neck, which proved to be a non-issue, and scored an initial 8 followed by a 9 on her APGAR tests. She is absolutely perfect in every way, just like Cole :-D Vera is very calm, cries only for a real reason, and loves being awake and alert but is quiet during this time (which is so weird to us!) She is working each day at nursing and is getting better each day, especially thanks to the pediatric surgeons who did a frenotomy on her tongue tie last week. We are seeking out craniosacral therapy to try to help her with her latch and feel like it will help her like it helped Cole.

Cole is adjusting to life with a newborn. He thinks she is pretty cool but is trying extra hard to get our attention so as not to be "left behind." The good news is that both kids are sleeping pretty well...Cole is still taking one afternoon nap each day from about 2-4:30 or 5pm each day and then going to bed around 8pm and waking around 8am. Vera sleeps in 3-5 hour stretches each night and manages to go back to sleep fairly quickly after eating.

Thanks so much for all of the congratulations and well wishes! Until I get our CD of her first portraits, I'll leave you with this...

And We're Back!

2011-07-10T18:53:00.004-04:00

As many of you know, Vera Reese Eichenberger graced us with her presence this past week on Tuesday, July 5th at 5:22 AM weighing in at 7 lbs even and 19 3/4 in long. Of course this was a fairly big shocker as we didn't anticipate she would arrive until closer to the middle/end of July. Vera was due July 22nd but was born at 37 weeks 3 days and so is considered "late preterm" (full term is now considered 38 weeks for quite a few OBs now given the recent studies that have been published).

Cole is definitely adjusting...pushing limits...adding new "tricks" to his repertoire (including screaming at the top of his lungs at random times)...and finding new and inventive ways to gain his much-needed attention (most recently smacking himself on the mouth/nose as hard as he can and then screaming about it). Such a character. He has done very well with Vera, though, and so far we haven't had any real "close calls" as far as injuries go. He recognizes that she is pretty tiny and "breakable" as Jake says...but he does LOVE to get in her face and say "HEY DERE DEAR(A)!" I guess we asked for it naming her something that started with a "V." He does think it is fairly obnoxious that she sleeps nearly all day...

The kids and I spent the weekend at the lakehouse while Jake worked quite a few 4-1a and 5-2a shifts. It allowed him to get some much-needed rest while we got acclimated to having Vera around. Good news is that she is very laid back and incredibly quiet. She rarely cries and when she does, it is actually for a real reason, which is AWESOME! Bad news is that she has gotten off to a rough start nursing. Although I half anticipated her having a virtually non-existent suck reflex, I was pleasantly surprised that was not the case...not in the least. She did, however, have a mild tongue tie that the pediatric surgeons were able to quickly and easily correct last week by doing a frenotomy. This definitely improved her nursing, but it is also taking some practice for her to really figure out how to be efficient and less vampire-like. Sound familiar? Yeah.

Although we had Cole checked out by an ENT in Indy after he was born to check for the possibility of tongue-tie (who assured us he did NOT), we think he *does* have a mild tongue tie. About 20% of tongue tie cases end up being hereditary. Of course that begs the question, who in our family would have that? It turns out it *may* be Jake who carries that genetic info...NICE. Hahaha. Of course if we lived a few decades back the midwives would have simply swiped a sharpened fingernail under both our kids' tongues and I would never have had to know the pain of trying to nurse through the issue...I am definitely glad they used something a bit more sterile for us, though ;-)

My next post will be Vera's birth story...thinking I'll tackle that after Cole is asleep and we have had the next feeding.

Things I SHOULD Be Doing...

2011-07-04T18:05:00.000-04:00

vacuuming downstairs
unloading & loading dishwasher
unpacking remaining boxes
cleaning bathrooms
organizing the nursery
picking up Cole's new room
making the beds
re-organizing & picking up the playroom

Instead, this is what I am doing...

sitting on the couch
eating a day old McDonald's cheeseburger
debating on picking up some Krispy Kremes
semi-watching a taped Lifetime movie (nothing but the best...hey, it is a holiday...give me a break)
wishing I had an endless supply of Zaxby's cherry Fanta sitting right next to me
hoping we don't lose power (again) in yet another storm
overanalyzing every twinge as a possible sign of imminent labor

This, folks, is what we call the waiting game. You feel trapped in all of the waiting...and then it breeds laziness. I had a nesting spurt a few days back, but now I am just done and pretty much ready to have baby dos instead of waiting to be surprised by them. I would at least like to have the motivation and energy to complete our to-do list...hmmm.

I have another weekly appointment tomorrow morning, so I'll be sure to keep you posted if the doctor has any insight on timing...of course they never do, but whatev ;-)

First Few Shifts

2011-07-03T17:57:00.000-04:00

So far Jake has worked two shifts (and is currently working his third) in the Emergency Department at MCG Children's Hospital here in Augusta. I am happy to say he has not run into any "surprises" and IU seems to have done more than enough to prep him for this position as a first year. The first two shifts were 4p-1a and today and tomorrow he goes 5p-2a. I am happy to say that Tuesday is his first "day off" starting at 2am.

Today we checked out another church here in Augusta and my parents came down and attended as well. We had a great lunch at Longhorn celebrating Jake's 26th birthday afterwards (yay!) Then we packed Cole's bags and sent him with my parents to the lakehouse where he will attend a Kindermusik day camp Monday through Friday of this week for a couple hours each morning. He is really looking forward to getting to swim at the pool..."pool night pool night" was all he would say as he was leaving.

Part of me is hoping I'll spontaneously go into labor this week so that I won't have to worry about getting Cole anywhere, but then the other part of me would rather have a more "fully cooked" child who doesn't struggle so much with nursing...hmm. It is a toss up. Of course it is already planned out, I just don't have any of the details...for now I am trying to relax, clean up the house, finish unpacking everything, and make sure all of the unfinished "projects" finally get attended to.

Oh and I almost forgot - Jake got an iPad 2 for his birthday :-D Cole will love it, hehe.

July 1st - The First Day of the Rest of Our Lives

2011-07-01T15:36:00.000-04:00

Today marked the very first day of work as a physician for Jake :-D Instead of simply handing over gobs of cash to someone to get to "practice" his skills, he is now actually working for a paycheck. Amazing. To celebrate, we headed to lunch at Takosushi, one of our favorite places here in Augusta...actually the one we went to was in Evans, but whatev. And in case you are wondering what specialty would allow Jake to have a lunch break with his family on his very first day, no worries - this month he is in the ER and thus has quite a few 2nd shifts. Today he starts at 4pm and goes until 1am (probably more like 1:30 or 2am), so instead of having dinner together we just did lunch. We tried to prep Cole before his nap that daddy will not be there for dinner after he wakes up, but that when he wakes up in the morning he will be there. He looked really sad and kept repeating "din-din, din-din, din-din daddy!" When he isn't on a 4-1am shift it is a 5-2am or an 11-8pm. I'm not complaining, however, as 9 hour shifts seem like cake compared to what I was expecting.

Today also marks day one of our GHSU-MCG benefits! Yay! We are working on getting temporary ID cards today just in case I need to head to the hospital early. Which reminds me---I am 37 weeks today...officially full term. How crazy?! To celebrate this milestone I have been contracting randomly for the past week or so...the contractions become regular but only when I sit down (weird). Although there will never be a "good" time to go into labor at least when you look at Jake's schedule, it would be nice if it happened sometime next week during the week. Cole will be in a Kindermusik day camp from 9:30-11:30am each weekday morning next week and will be staying at the lakehouse with mom. It would be nice for me to only have to worry about getting myself to the hospital and not have to determine last minute childcare for Cole once I realize I am actually in active labor.

Well I should go "plan" dinner since it is just Cole and I...basically cooking for one (which I despise).

36 Week Check-Up

2011-06-28T12:09:00.001-04:00

I'll warn you right now - if you don't want a brutally honest update about this pregnancy thus far, stop reading.
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OK, so for all of you still out there reading, Cole and I went to my 36 week check-up today downtown at MCG. Per usual they saw us almost immediately, but sadly we ended up waiting maybe 15-20 minutes on the doctor (she is UBER busy right now), which of course makes sense considering it was Cole's first time coming with me to an appointment in Augusta :-( He was pretty good with his fruit snacks, however.

I turn 37 weeks on Friday, and so since I was so close to being full term, she asked if I would like to be checked. They were doing the group B strep testing today anyway, so I decided it would be better to know where I am progress-wise rather than wait another week wondering. Well wow. To give you some background, with Cole my water broke and I went in and found out I was 3cm dilated (of course the fake second year *thought* I was at 6cm...but we'll not go there this time). What am I now? At 36 weeks? Why I am at 3cm. Right. Now.

Of course many times dilation means absolutely NOTHING for some people (hahaha Ashley) but it does mean one thing---those "Braxton Hicks" contractions I have been having have actually caused cervical change...which Jake would then correct me and say that they were NOT Braxton Hicks contractions given that one of the definitions is that they do not bring about cervical change. Oh well. We could go around and around on that one.

I'm pretty much good to go as long as this kid can wait to be born until July 1st (for insurance purposes), although 38 weeks or later would really be best given some of the recent studies on 37 week kids. Plus I am uber lazy...and if I have to teach a kid with zero suck reflex how to nurse I think I may lose my mind entirely.

So there you go. Your daily dose of TMI, courtesy of moi.

Baby Countdown

2011-06-25T21:44:00.000-04:00

Well folks, we are down to a mere 27 days until the due date. I am uber thankful that our psychotic heat wave that involved quite a few days over 100 degrees (highest reaching 104) seems to be OVER and we are back in the low 90s now. YES! I guess in a way it was a positive in getting us acclimated quickly. Now 95 degrees in the shade feels pretty doable, crazily enough. Of course it is hard seeing Indy's highs considering this is part of the (very short) timeframe where we actually LIKED Indianapolis' weather. Ahhhh oh well.

Today we went to a pool party cookout for the pediatrics residents and met some great people! Cole loved being in a real pool instead of the ridiculous whale baby pool we have sitting on the deck, lol. I am also thinking that the baby is now FULLY engaged as of this evening...can't even remember feeling crazy movement that low with Cole...ever. Of course Jake is concerned as he thinks it is still too early for that and thus it would mean we may have an earlier delivery. We'll see. I have my last of the "every two week" appointments on Tuesday morning and then it is every single week...so weird that we are incredibly close!

We plan to try another new church tomorrow, but this time our friends Darcy & Eric will be coming with us which will be great :-D It is so nice to have already found friends in Augusta---yet another reason I feel like we were meant to be here...that it is so obviously in the plan for our lives.

I'll be sure to try to post a quick update if I go into labor tonight...hahaha...

Lately

2011-06-22T21:37:00.002-04:00

Here are a few items we have collected over the past few weeks to try to make this house more of a home...

Eclipse Yellow Blackout Panels
Cole's Room

Pottery Barn Kids Tribeca City Skyscraper Quilt
Cole's Room

Pottery Barn Kids Tribeca Builder Sheet Set
Cole's Room

Cindy Crawford Prelude Interlined Pinch Pleat Panels
Living Room

Whole Home Luxury Interlined Taffeta Drapes (in cream, not as pictured)
Master Bedroom

West Elm Ruffled-Circle Quilt in Platinum
Master Bedroom

West Elm Ruffled-Circle Euro Shams in Platinum
Master Bedroom

West Elm Organic Cotton Frayed-Edge Sheet Set (personalized in feather grey)
Master Bedroom

Almost forgot to mention Cole's awesome new stuff...

Prince Lionheart weePOD in Blue

Monty Stool by Hoppop in Aqua

I am About to Sabatoge Security Networks

2011-06-22T15:50:00.000-04:00

We cancelled our service back in May and paid an ENORMOUS buy out fee. Now we are getting past due notices...and after already having to pay our bank a $30 stop payment fee to prevent them from withdrawing money without being authorized back in May, they have now charged us $39.99 AGAIN this month. If this customer service idiot doesn't call us back ASAP I am filing with the Better Business Bureau.

Oh wait. I'm too angry to wait for a call back when I have been promised one about 16 different times by this company. Filing complaint now.

Jake's First Day of Orientation

2011-06-20T13:45:00.000-04:00

After quite a bit of miscommunication (which seems to be a common theme thus far) we found out that Jake actually was due to begin his orientation this morning instead of next Monday! After lamenting over the many things we had not accomplished since we *thought* we had another week of freedom, I finally came to grips with the facts. Jake will officially become a PGY1 next Friday! For now he will be in orientation for the next two weeks...unpaid...zero benefits...but hey, that's for another post altogether.

Today was surprisingly great, at least thus far. We started off the day finding out that as long as we could get to this uber remote area in Columbia County where recycling is dropped off, we could purchase a recycling bin for only $5! Cole and I set off on our journey (sans GPS since I just got the iPhone and apparently no one that uses an iPhone needs a free, talking GPS system...get with the program Apple...Android is miles beyond you there), and amazingly enough we got there. An incredibly nice guy helped us pick up our bin, loaded it with 5 free reusable shopping bags (yes!), two travel mugs, an activity book, and plenty of stickers for Cole---score! He even loaded it in our trunk for us...what a great guy.

Because it was such a long trip there and back (total of close to 30 miles), we went through quite a bit of fruit snacks (the snack of choice on the road for Cole). I decided today was as good a day as any to take advantage of our Monkey Joe's a mere mile or so from the house, given the heat advisory. We spent about an hour there and I think Cole thoroughly wore himself out. He even made me go with him on the uber high slides...yeah, probably not a good idea pregnant, but oh well.

We came back home, only thanks to the promise of fruit snacks in the car, and I dug out our leftovers from yesterday's lunch at Chili's. Cole had mac & cheese and cinnamon apples while I finished the other half of my toasted/grilled ham & swiss (which is divine, by the way...I reluctantly got it since lunchmeat is a no-no, but it was served VERY hot so I think we are cool) and a few french fries. Cole and I had about 6 glasses of liquid between us...big genius (emphasis on BIG) went out to the car this morning with ZERO drinks. Dumb. I have learned that in Augusta you should never be without a massive jug of ice water from about April through September while out and about.

Right now Cole and I are *resting* before his nap, watching Scooby Doo and now Chuggington. I wish I could just nap during his nap at 2pm, but I really need to pick up everything that Cole has destroyed since we got home. Plus I STILL have not even attempted to pack my hospital bag and I think that should be a priority as well. Perhaps I'll take a nap on the couch after that...all it takes is a soap opera on television and I'm out.

Not sure when Jake will be home today, but I am hoping it is earlier than 5:30 or 6. I would LOVE to go ahead and make/freeze my next meal late afternoon/evening - Chicken Spaghetti. The sour cream noodle bake went great---we ended up eating half right then for dinner a couple days ago and freezing the remaining half. I am thinking I may do that this time as well since I have no other possible dinner plans.

Ok ok enough with my to do list. I am 35 weeks along so far...will be 36 weeks on Friday. At this point I feel like I could go into labor at any time which is much different from Cole, but we'll see if that feeling means anything at all. My goal is to go at least until 37 weeks, preferably 38 weeks, because I know how hard nursing a 39 week old was and I am NOT interested in taking on the additional challenge of teaching a preemie with zero suck reflex to nurse. Yeah. Frustration to the extreme. Jake is guessing they will arrive on July 8th...not sure why he thinks that, but OK. I am thinking July 15th...a week before the due date...just like Cole. I am *slightly* concerned that this baby may be larger than Cole, though. How scary is that?!

Alright, well 15 minutes until naptime so I should go prep.

Can I Get a Break...Please?

2011-06-18T16:00:00.000-04:00

Apparently I went to some crazy pregnant woman support group a couple years back and mistakenly raised my hand when asked who wanted to volunteer to take on the world's kidney stones for other people...while pregnant. Yes, folks. I am on my fourth kidney stone as we speak. Kill me now. Here is a little recap of my (now screwed) medical history when it comes to stones...

*July 2009 - 2 weeks before I give birth to Cole, I am struck with my very first kidney stone experience. After heading to the women's hospital in the middle of the night, thinking I must be in labor since I felt like I was going to die, they decided my excruciating pain must have something to do with Cole's position in-utero. Lets just say this was a major joke. People: if your child could ever get themselves into a position that causes you THAT much intense pain while pregnant, everyone would be only children with zero siblings. Luckily I was able to see my doctor the following morning and through my hobbling & crazy appearance, my doctor decided we would treat the pain as a kidney stone. A mere 24 hours after the intense pain began, it stopped suddenly and I passed the stone at home. Success. I gave birth to a weird, ugly, 6mm rock two weeks prior to giving birth to an incredibly cute kid...and yes, labor was a piece of cake compared to that nonsense.

*March 2010 - Fast forward a few months and BAM. Don't you wish you got that CT scan after you had Cole, Amanda? Uhhh yeah. At the end of March, while staying with the in-laws in southern Indiana for the weekend, I woke up with the same CRAZY pain as before...except this time may have been a bit worse, if that is possible. After an ER visit with a CT scan that showed not one, but two kidney stones (one on each side), I finally saw a Urologist. He scheduled me for a lithotripsy two days from then and I took pain medication in the meantime. The surgery (sans scalpels mind you) was just OK...was not a fan of going totally under...felt gross afterward...wasn't a huge fan of the stent they put in either, but the 7mm stone was gone. Worst part was that I was nursing Cole and had to "pump & dump" for 24 hours due to the anesthesia they used during the procedure. Naturally Cole rejected any hint of formula...although thinking back we should have tried chocolate milk, bahahaha. He lived on water and baby food and was fine, though. Although I wanted them to do a second lithotripsy as soon as possible for the stone on the other side, knowing we wanted our kids spaced fairly closely, they wanted to "wait and watch" blah blah blah. So I said "oh well."

*April 2011 - Yup, another one. My second one as a pregnant person, third one in general. YAY! I went to the Women's Hospital after the Percocet at home was not cutting it and got put on a morphine pump. Over the course of my stay (a little over 24 hours) they changed my morphine pump roughly 4 times. Boy was that an experience. Anyway, that evening I passed my third kidney stone...6mm...the nurses were cheering and my nurse was showing off the stone to practically anyone who passed by the nurses station. Instant celebrity? Oh yes.

And so here we are, June 2011...nearly 2 years from when I had my very first kidney stone episode, experiencing the wonder and magic that IS passing a kidney stone...for the fourth time. I feel like instead of giving birth to my second child in a couple weeks, it will actually be my sixth. Ahhhhhh.

Productive Day

2011-06-17T22:40:00.000-04:00

Here are a few things we got accomplished today...

bought master bedroom drapes (originally priced at $42 each, marked down to $19.99, plus an additional 15% off our entire purchase thanks to my coupon, and a $25 gift certificate that Jake had...each panel ended up becoming about $11.99)
set up master drapes...they look pretty good...taffeta looks totally fake, but whatev...they are uber thick, energy efficient so I am happy with them
bought groceries for three meals I plan to make and freeze over the next few days
took advantage of Sonic's Happy Hour (bought large chocolate shake for Jake and large cherry limeade for me...grand total: $2.35)
bought gas...$3.39/gal...oh yes
put away all groceries
printed out first three recipes to make and freeze pre-baby
raked the entire backyard - the storm a few days ago brought down some massive pine branches, pinecones, and those stupid little briar ball things
lost Simba, our youngest sheltie, temporarily - he simply pushed the gate open (horrible gate, don't ask)
found Simba (literally 10 seconds later) on the other side of the house at the opposite gate...just hanging out...crazy dog
swept the deck - still looks horrible, but oh well
raked the driveway to get rid of what looks like debris from a hurricane
anchored Cole's bookcase to the wall in his new room
cleaned up as Cole proceeded to destroy everything in the nursery and his new room
gathered laundry...finishing up two loads as we speak
unwrapped all large pictures and had Jake hang them all
unwrapped all small pictures...gave some frames away...not sure what to do with all the other ones
finished packing baby dos' hospital diaper bag

And now I am going to move my car to a safer place that doesn't involve being directly under a massive, old magnolia tree during constant storms tonight...tomorrow...and the day after.

Freezer Meals

2011-06-16T23:00:00.002-04:00

I have officially made out my list of dishes that I plan to make and freeze (in our brand new chest freezer - YES!) over the next two weeks. It is my goal that I have at least a couple weeks worth of stuff that can just be plopped in the oven once baby dos makes his/her arrival. For your viewing pleasure...

Sour Cream Noodle Bake - we have had this and absolutely LOVE it!

*Freeze WITHOUT green onions before baking

Chicken Spaghetti - never tried it, but the reviewers pretty much rave about it

*Freeze before baking

Cowboy Calzones - love the idea of baking them, then freezing, and putting them in the microwave whenever you want one!

*Freeze AFTER baking & cooling (microwave to heat up)

The Best Lasagna Ever - this really is the best lasagna...ever...trust me...

*Freeze before baking

Olive Cheese Bread - have not had this one but looks like my kind of snack...errr...meal...

*Flash freeze initially before baking and then place in a freezer bag in freezer

Twice Baked Potatoes - tried it and this is awesome!

*Freeze WITHOUT green onions before baking

White Chicken Enchiladas - wow, the picture is pretty amazing on this one

*Freeze before baking

Three Cheese-Stuffed Shells with Meaty Tomato Sauce - stuffed shells are a standby for freezer meals

*Freeze shells by themselves before baking; also freeze meat sauce separately

Houston: We Have a Showing

2011-06-13T21:08:00.000-04:00

Today we received an email saying we have a showing scheduled for tomorrow morning...we are ECSTATIC! The last showing we had was on May 7th...yes...you heard me right...well over a month ago. I thought this was supposed to be PRIME TIME for house hunting?!

I have decided that from now on when people ask me what I would like my superhero strength to be it will be the ability to snap my fingers and have ANYONE'S home sell...like our friends, the Ernstbergers...or our awesome neighbors.

Yeah. I'll start working on that.

Volvo...How I Love & Hate You...Simultaneously

2011-06-10T10:18:00.000-04:00

As you know from my previous post, Jake was due to drive from New Albany to Augusta all day Thursday. He pulled out of the driveway in the S40 around 7am and immediately noticed something was wrong. After getting some advice and poking/prodding around, he determined that the ball bearings in the wheel had gone bad and come loose. This may sound like a fairly minor deal, but alas...this was the SAME wheel that had this problem a year ago! And to top it off, we have ANOTHER wheel losing the ball bearings now too! That would be 3 different issues in the past 2 years...ridiculous.

After calling a bazillion people and getting the same response "we can work you in beginning of next week," Jake finally settled with Sam Swope Honda in Louisville who said they could work him in that day. He told them I was pretty far along and due soon...maybe that was the trick ;-) They had the car done yesterday at 4:30pm and Jake started driving just after that. He wanted to drive all the way through to Augusta, but around midnight when he hit Atlanta, he thought better about it and stayed at the carriage house at my mom and dad's house. This morning he got up at 6am and drove the 2.5 hours or so to Augusta. We are so happy to have him home!

Now I get to call the Volvo dealership here and get an appointment to have the other dumb wheel fixed.

Not So Bad

2011-06-10T10:11:00.000-04:00

(Written Wednesday, June 8th)

This morning we put Jake on a plane to Louisville so he can drive back down our S40, which we left in New Albany with his parents. I have NOT been looking forward to this day, probably because it marks the very first day (and night) that I will be completely alone with Cole in Augusta. When I say "alone" I really mean it. We have yet to even meet our neighbors and aside from our nice property manager, John, and Cole's mother's day out director, Patti, we know NO ONE HERE. Under ordinary circumstances it would be fine. I know who to call if anything goes wrong with the house or with Cole or whatnot, but at 33 weeks pregnant it brings a whole different level of uncertainty to the situation. Driving myself and Cole to the hospital while I am contracting and in preterm labor is NOT my idea of a normal birth experience. Of course that is worst case scenario...otherwise known as my middle name.

Anyway, even though this day had been looming for quite some time, now that it is here I am finding it is not so bad being on my own. Cole has actually been pretty good today! First we drove back from the airport (Cole cried for the first 5 minutes or so, wailing for "dada" on the "heh-tane"...or airplane for all of you who do not speak toddler...but it quickly changed to "dada drive heh-tane"...so our son thinks Jake is a pilot, oh well) and went straight to Publix with our short grocery list. Cole got to ride the "big truck" attached to the back of the cart which worked out for maybe the first 10 minutes or so, but then came the "all done! all done!" We pushed and managed to get through the check-out relatively unscathed, unloaded the groceries into the trunk, returned the cart, started the car, and got Cole buckled in (all while he was yelling "drive car drive car!")

I *finally* let him "drive" the car when we got home...sitting in the driver's seat, door open, keys with me...to which he said "keys mama...keys" HA. While he was having his fun I unloaded and put away all the groceries. We then made "tune"...aka tuna salad, ate lunch, and headed out on the deck to play in the pool. The dogs were pretty neurotic, per usual, but Cole had a great time "swimming" in his 1ft deep inflatable pool. I was actually comfortable outside thanks to our new market umbrella and our re-used bistro chairs. I was finally able to drag Cole back inside for some "chew new" (chocolate milk), a diaper change, and "teedee" on "mama's bed" pre-nap. This seems to be his new routine and I think it will work well when the baby arrives. He went down super easy for his nap as he is an excellent sleeper and loves his crib...hopefully he'll love his big boy bed just as much, but we'll see. We hope to make that transition in the next few days or so (once we complete all of our "projects" in that room).

During Cole's nap I was able to sort through the mail, email people who needed to know about our new address, clean out the fridge, create my "to do" list, update our shopping list, fold laundry, and now update the blog. I am *hoping* to run to the Fifth Third to make a deposit, but that may be pushing my luck as they close at 5pm (UGH). Thank goodness we opened checking & savings accounts with Wells Fargo as they are on every corner...one is even within walking distance from our house. Of course that is entirely a new blog post...having to slowly but surely switch accounts and then eventually closing the old one...aghhhhhhh. We'll leave that for POST-baby!

I can officially say that today and tomorrow are prepping me for being "by myself" at least 6 out of 7 days each week...the difference will be that Jake is only a few miles away in an emergency situation, not driving the 9 hours from Louisville to Augusta!

Another Update

2011-06-04T23:09:00.000-04:00

Today was yet another productive day for us, wahoo. While Cole napped we managed to unpack about 3 large wardrobe boxes worth of clothes plus an additional 3 regular boxes of random stuff. I even had time for a short nap before Cole woke up---score! Pre-nap we also managed to hit up Target for one of our many lists. Just now I even sorted out a MASSIVE stack of papers so they can officially be put away...of course I should totally put them away now, but will I? Nah. I'm tired.

Oh yes, we watched the Last Exorcism tonight and although the ending left something to be desired, all in all it was a fairly nice flick.

I keep remembering things---tomorrow we are officially trying out our first church in Augusta --- First Baptist Church of Augusta, to be specific. This is where Cole will be attending Mother's Day Out beginning this Fall and so we thought it should be one of the first ones we try...going to the 11 o'clock traditional service. Of course we'll have to get there uber early to figure out what to do with Cole/where to go/what papers to fill out/you name it.

OK, now I am really going.

More on Augusta

2011-06-03T22:46:00.000-04:00

Today was a day packed with work...LOTS of work. My parents stayed the night last night and we began the day at IHOP, always awesome, but of course Cole was not having it after about 15 minutes naturally. They left for the lake this morning after breakfast and Jake and I got to work --- first on the list: JC Penney for curtain rods for the living and play rooms and 8 panels for the living room. This was probably our 6th store we went to looking for window panels over the past week...Target, Bed, Bath, & Beyond, Kohl's, etc etc. At all the past stores we were finding so-so selection and OK quality but ridiculous prices. I really refuse to buy a window panel I only sortof like for $40 bucks a pop. Sorry. Anyway---Penney's was a success as we bought 5 curtain rods and 8 panels for the two rooms! I would love to take pictures and post them, but the rest of the house looks like a mess and so that will be saved for later...

We came back home (after getting Cole his cookie & cherry icee, as promised, from the Great American Cookie Company at the Augusta Mall) and started working on installing the hardware. Sadly it was then that we realized the second battery for Jake's drill had decided to die on him...yessss. I just love spending gobs of money on this whole moving fiasco. We put Cole down for a nap and proceeded to clean every set of blinds in the play room, living room, and dining room. In total it was 8 windows...many of them QUITE large. And no, we're not talking busting out the swiffer duster---oh no, these babies really should have been taken down and dipped in bleach water, but who has time for that? I Windexed the crap out of them and wiped each of them down meticulously---both front and back. It took FOREVER. Meanwhile Jake penciled in where he needed to use the drill...the nonexistent one of course.

Cole woke up around 4:30pm and then at 5pm we headed to Lowe's to buy a CORDED drill. Yes, it may seem ridiculous, but I am so tired of depending on shotty cordless drills that hardly ever work when you need them to (either because you forgot to charge the battery or because the battery itself is dead/dying). We also decided to look at mowers, which of course was a JOKE because it means we get to drop another $400 bucks or so on something ELSE for this rental home (that was left hugely in disrepair...will get to this one later). We did NOT purchase the mower today because we'll probably end up getting one online...an electric, self-propelled one...so quiet you can mow the lawn in the middle of the night (which we'll probably have to do so as not to die of heat stroke at any other time).

We came home, popped a frozen pizza in the oven, and got to work ACTUALLY drilling in the window hardware. Jake was a champ and totally did it all himself...and it looks amazing. Now all of the rooms on the first floor that we had planned on doing window treatments for actually have them up! I also utilized our brand new and super powerful hand vac along all of the baseboards on the first floor and even on the ceiling in places where huge fuzz balls had collected due to the fans having NEVER been cleaned. I also cleaned one of the three fans on the first floor...the other two will have to wait for another day. I even hand vac-ed the carpeted stairs, although Jake and I both agreed that was a mistake as I could barely walk afterward. The playroom is devoid of ALL boxes...success. The living room is *close*...although we still need to vacuum and place the rug, place the floor lamp, figure out what to do with the hugely hideous cable box and DVD player, and place all of our large portraits in the correct rooms.

As for the bedrooms, Cole's *new* bedroom (the one he currently is NOT staying in as we haven't yet transitioned to the infamous big boy bed at this time) looks pretty OK...new bedding looks amazing, still needs two window panels, and of course we need to take care of the 6 or 7 boxes in there (ugh). The nursery (where Cole is currently living) is looking pretty good...although get ready for this one: after much contemplation and heartache, Jake and I have decided that in order to save some much needed cash, we will be using Cole's old crib bedding for the new baby.

Of course it is pretty awesome bedding, but I had high hopes of doing a yellow and grey themed room for the new baby, which included some pretty nice (and uber expensive) new bedding. If I did that, our nice, chocolate rocker would feel very out of place among the grey and yellow...so it would be a trade off. Sad part is that the room is painted a nice shade of yellow, but it just isn't jiving well with the Dwell Alphabet bedding which is a couple shades of blue paired with chocolate and white. Good news is that I think I will be re-using the mesh sheer white IKEA panels that we had been using for each corner of our four poster canopy bed as the window treatments in the nursery. It doesn't get a ton of light, luckily, so the sheers should spruce it up nicely without overwhelming the room.

OK, I realize I am getting entirely too domestic now, so I'll go. I am hoping to post some GOOD pictures soon...just give me a week or so to break down a few more boxes and continue my cleaning streak.

Adjusting to Life...in a Sauna

2011-05-31T23:34:00.000-04:00

Is it fun to feel liberated by starting over in a brand new city in a beautiful area of the country? Yep. Is it awesome to feel 100% bogged down by the daunting task of unpacking nearly 11,000 pounds of your own useless CRAP that you never use while attempting to settle in to your new home? Nope. And even attempting this move at 32 weeks pregnant should be illegal in all 50 states. I have pretty much zero energy and yet the chaos in our house is driving me crazy. To top it off, we seem to be on the brink of an ant problem which is only getting worse given that I can hardly clean any surfaces since they are buried under about 12 inches of useless stuff.

We are trying to figure everything out about living in Augusta...getting our Georgia driver's licenses...running to Lowe's...grocery shopping...running back to Lowe's...going to Buy Buy Baby...and Bed, Bath, & Beyond...realizing that we'll need 10 window panels alone just to bring some life to our living room...AAAAAAAAAGH. We come home from running errands simply to add countless other items to our neverending list and then instead of relaxing, we end up drowning in moving boxes. Jake and I have the world's largest give-away stack going and we plan to continue purging everything that we can possibly live without throughout this next year.

OK, I'll stop being Debbie Downer now. I had my very first OB visit in Augusta this morning and it went so well! I felt like I had the most personalized care I had ever experienced! So strange given that MCG is a teaching hospital...oh well. I feel like it should be a great experience. Our doctor even helped alleviate my fears that Cole may not have a caregiver for a while depending on when labor begins---she said MCG is totally accepting of *anyone* being in the delivery room...she even said last week one family had their two year old there (being taken care of by the patient's husband obviously). My goal is to NOT have Cole in the hospital with us at all, but it is nice to know that if we need to bring him at least initially before my mom can get to Augusta, it will be a non-issue for the hospital.

I am measuring right at 31 weeks, which was surprising to me since I feel like if anything I am larger than I should be. Total weight gain thus far: 30 pounds. AAAAAAAAAAGH. Shoot me in the face. And with that I shall leave you all and head to bed...

Last Blog Post from Our Home in Indy

2011-05-23T09:00:00.000-04:00

We are *still* packing, folks. It is insanity. I mean HOW MUCH CRAP can one hide in their 1700 square foot home?! The answer is quite a bit. I have these goals of getting to Georgia and miraculously NOT feeling like I am 7 months pregnant and get a huge burst of energy...so that I'll be able to clean out a lot of the junk that we brought WITH us in this move and "start fresh" at this new place. I mean the positive is that we have done a huge clean sweep with all of our food...so it will be nice to start over with that. The problem is just all the extra junk in the way of desk supplies/"important" papers/old toys...the list goes on. I hope that our new, expanded storage areas help us stay organized.

Oh, and have I mentioned Jake is seriously considering never moving again? Yeah. So although it is sad to be leaving our home and all of our friends, we are trying to think positively and are getting excited to be done with this move. Ideally we would love to have an offer on our home as we leave, but alas that was not in the plan. Oh well. It's OK, though, because now we are literally made of money...right Ashley? I can not wait to begin refuting that one...bahaha.

See you all on the flip side...in Georgia.

First Schedule Info from MCG!

2011-05-19T10:02:00.000-04:00

Jake just got a call from one of the Chief Residents in Pediatrics at MCG giving him some preliminary schedule information for his first couple of months. Because the baby is due July 22nd, they have graciously (tentatively) scheduled Jake for a week of vacation beginning July 21st. Prior to that they will have Jake on Peds ER from July 1st-20th. It may be more intense since they are frontloading the rotation, but it will work out really well with our family's schedule. To make it even better, they have scheduled him for an elective rotation for August which may allow him to have better hours during that month (if outpatient - think 8-6p or so). Yay!

Big Boy Bed

2011-05-17T21:44:00.000-04:00

Let me start from the beginning...originally Jake and I had planned to keep Cole in his crib as long as possible, at least until 2.5 but we were not opposed to leaving him until he turned 3. We would RATHER not buy another crib, however, because as much as I am DYING for the new Alma Papa Crib in grey (shown below) that folds away and yet is a full size crib, I am NOT dying to pay an extra $700 that is not in our budget.

So the decision was made to try to keep baby "dos" in the beautiful cradle (so graciously loaned to us before Cole was born from the Survants---a handmade family heirloom) for as long as possible - probably 4 months or so, while Cole stays in the crib. Then life came and smacked us in the face with a rental home that, while pretty awesome in some ways, has zero guest bedroom to house our Ikea Malm bed frame (pictured below) plus uber nice pillow-topped Serta mattress.

Thus began the quandry---what should we do with this perfectly good bed? Could we store it in the attic? Perhaps, but honestly I would rather not store a mattress...especially knowing about how spiders (specifically brown recluse) LOVE burrowing deep in traditional mattresses and then laying their eggs. Sick. Sick. Sick. We could give it away, I suppose...but then again both components are only 6 years old. Or could we just use it as a big boy bed for Cole?

The bed frame is really low profile, which makes it an (almost) perfect choice for Cole's first bed. The only problem is that it is a QUEEN. Toddler bedding typically is only found for toddler, twin, or sometimes full size beds. Not to mention we would need a heavy duty waterproof mattress cover...again, something rarely found for queen size beds. Then there is the issue of the size of the room, which is quite small. If I had to guess I would say Cole's room is 9ftx10ft. I hate to "junk up" his room with that massive queen bed shoved up against two of his walls, next to the one window.

And there is the obvious issue that Cole may not take to this "big boy bed" - then where would we be? So I thought that maybe we could have his crib AND the queen bed in his room, just in case. But then he has ZERO space in his room for anything and we would have to disassemble and reassemble the crib in order to move it to the nursery eventually. NEGATIVE.

What does all this mean? (Besides random ramblings that no one *really* cares about) Jake and I have decided to take the plunge and move Cole to the queen size big boy bed when we move. If it backfires on us, he'll sleep in his portable crib indefinitely until he can handle the big boy bed. Sound like a plan? Hmm. I'm still not convinced, but he's a great sleeper so we'll try it.

New Signature

2011-05-16T22:50:00.000-04:00

Yay! I am so excited that I *finally* created a signature...check out how to create yours from MyLiveSignature.com!

Why Have I NEVER Tried This Before?!

2011-05-15T20:37:00.000-04:00

Jake and I wanted dessert tonight, but having already put Cole in bed and not wanting to go out in the horrible, cold rain, I started scavenging around to see what we already had that I could make. I found a roll of reduced fat Pillsbury cinnamon rolls in the fridge...expiration date was 4 days ago. Bah. What do I care? No really, I do care about expiration dates...most of the time "too much" in Jake's opinion...but I mean good grief it was less than a week so I was good.

Anyway, in a stroke of pure ~~genius~~ luck, I decide to dip each of the cinnamon rolls in melted butter and roll them in a GENEROUS mixture of cinnamon & sugar. I then baked them on an air-bake cookie sheet about 2 inches apart at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. WOW. It is the easiest thing ever and it will blow your mind.

We officially have a new favorite dessert. Or breakfast.

Graduation

2011-05-14T15:55:00.002-04:00

Just a short one today...

Jake has officially graduated from the Indiana School of Medicine...or should I say Dr. Jacob Andrew Eichenberger ;-)

Update: Temptu Sunless Tanning Kit Review

2011-05-12T14:43:00.000-04:00

I *finally* got around to trying out Temptu's Sunless Tanning kit last night and yet again, I am impressed! The face prep, the first step in the process, feels great going on your skin and I can totally see myself using it even without the sunless tanner. The second step is to use the actual sunless tanner air pod. I was a bit hesitant at first because I have had some INCREDIBLY bad sunless tanner situations...you know the times when you swear that you washed your hands and lower arms in about a gallon of soap plus scalding hot water and yet STILL you are randomly a brownish orange tint around your knuckles and in between your fingers? Yeah. Been there. Done that. Temptu was a huge breath of fresh air when it came to applying the sunless tanner to my face, however. I never had to even touch the stuff - awesome. PLUS it had a great scent, not that hideous sunless tanner smell that no one seems to be able to cover up. This morning when I woke up I was pleased to find ZERO streaking and a very subtle tan. You can build the level of tan by simply adding more of the sunless tanner each day and skipping the facial prep if you want, and I may try that tonight. I still haven't used the bronzer (didn't think I needed it as I was going to sleep about 5 minutes after doing the first two steps), but if it is anything like the blush and highlighter, it should be excellent as well. Over all I HIGHLY recommend the sunless tanning kit!!

Temptu Review

2011-05-11T15:35:00.000-04:00

On Tuesday I received a truly awesome array of Temptu products from Sephora...the airbrush system itself, a set of two air pod foundations, a blush air pod, a highlighter air pod, and...wait for it...the new sunless tanning system for Temptu (including a tan prep air pod, the actual tan air pod, and a bronzer air pod). Although I have not yet used the sunless tanning system, I have heard some pretty awesome things about it :-D I have, however, tried out everything else and I am DEFINITELY impressed! Temptu is incredibly easy to use and aside from some basic beginner mistakes, I managed to quickly and easily apply an entire face full of make up in probably 3 minutes, tops. I think once I have done it a few more times I could easily get that number down to 1 or 2 minutes.

Some of my "beginner mistakes" were to try to shove the air pod onto the airbrush wand without first pushing in the tiny button on the side. In my ridiculousness, I simply thought the button was only to release the pod and that it would simply "snap" in. Although it does fit without pushing the button at the same time, sometimes certain pods will not fully engage and thus you end up spraying nothing but air on your face...which can work if you are going for the Marilyn Monroe feel, but can be pretty upsetting if you actually want to use the product. My other mistake was to use the highlighter exactly how they suggest...in a "C" shape around your eye (following your cheekbone down and also going up around the top of your brow). Next time I plan to do this only on my cheekbone, and perhaps on the crease of my eye if I get that awesome at applying it. I have the champagne colored highlighter and it looks great, but not up on my forehead over top my brow...then it just looks like I spray painted some type of cream color up there...weird.

Over all - EXCELLENT product. I hate the fact that this thing costs an arm and a leg, however. If you are looking for a time saver, look no further than Temptu.

(I hope to provide an update once I get around to using the sunless tanning system on my incredibly white face).

29 Week Comparison

2011-05-10T20:10:00.000-04:00

29 weeks with Cole

29 weeks with "Dos"

Security Networks = What a Joke.

2011-05-09T15:52:00.000-04:00

Oh, Security Networks --- we will never be using you again. We are tired of your constant lack of communication. We are also tired of finally hearing from you things that no one has EVER mentioned...like, say a $99 relocation fee. Or the fact that the $10 monthly discount you promised can suddenly not be granted. You can kiss these customers goodbye.

The Big 26.

2011-05-07T21:11:00.000-04:00

Today was pretty great...ultrasound first - didn't go perfectly, same with Cole, but got a few good pictures. Apparently I carry my kids pretty low which can present all sorts of challenges when it comes to getting those "perfect" 3D images. Good news is that I have had zero problems delivering babies thus far...so I'll take the trade off ;-) Initially I thought it might be a girl based on the pictures, but now I am thinking that it is a boy. Basically we are totally undecided yet again. Waiting is a pain, but we'll find out soon enough!

Then we headed to Keystone at the Crossing to pick up a few things from Brooks Brothers for Jake. He got a ton of great stuff - shorts, slacks, linen oxford, navy blazer, a couple of summer bow-ties, and I can't remember what else. We ate at the food court, headed home, changed clothes, and then went back out for a friend's wedding (all while Cole stayed home with my parents to take a nap).

After the wedding we watched the Derby and were stunned that NBC could jack their broadcasting up so royally for the actual race. You couldn't hear ANY of the announcer...only the one at the track (which was uber loud and obnoxious). NBC can kiss that goodbye for next year. Oh well.

We had a nice dinner at Applebee's and just came back in time for these massively weird storms...lets hope that there aren't any tornados in Indy tonight.

Excited for this Derby Weekend to Begin!

2011-05-05T21:26:00.000-04:00

We have a TON of things to look forward to this weekend...well, mostly me, haha. Tomorrow Jake and I plan to hit the theatre in the morning after taking Cole to mother's day out to see "Something Borrowed." I read the novel by Emily Giffin (along with most of her other stuff) and really liked it...plus I am excited to see Ginnifer Goodwin and John Krasinski who are both in the film ;-) Then we will pick up little Coley in the afternoon, hopefully after an excellent nap, just in time to see my parents who should be arriving in Indy around then.

Skip to Saturday morning when we have our elective 3D/4D ultrasound scheduled! I think Cole will really like seeing his little brother or sister up on the big screen...especially since he LOVES the "teedee." Then we'll head to lunch followed by a nap for Cole. While Cole is napping Jake and I will head to a friend's wedding, which should be fun. Then we will all head out to watch the running of the Derby at home (something that Indy has no knowledge of at this point in time) and then we'll eat dinner somewhere for my birthday (big 26, ha). I can't really decide what I want to eat that night...hmmm...

Oh and the presents...I can't forget the presents! Technically I already know what they are because my *hints* are very specific...to the point where I go ahead and order the gifts myself so as to get the absolute best deal with all of my coupons/promo codes/cashback/etc etc. My birthday gift from Jake is this massive amount of Temptu airbrush makeup from Sephora. YES! We're talking the actual system, foundation, blush, highlighter, and an entire airbrush sunless tanning set...plus a ton of free samples and my free birthday gift, score. Mother's Day gift is this awesome, handcrafted, stamped necklace with Cole's birth information on it :-D I can't wait to get to see and use both!!

Of course I am HOPING that our house will show sometime during this chaos. Naturally it won't, but oh well. This awesome weekend will have to suffice for now...

A Truly Productive Day

2011-05-04T19:59:00.000-04:00

Sadly today did not include a showing...or even a mere showing schedule...but we did get a TON done! We started off the day by calling the movers we chose (All My Sons) to officially schedule the move (delivery of goods Thursday, May 26th). This was followed by an invite to head to the Monon Center for Toddler Open Gym with Leigh (Tyler) & Susan (Skyler), which we happily accepted. We got there just in time for the beginning of the open gym but apparently the entire Monon Center was closed while they refinished the floors...oh well, instead we had an excellent time at the Chick-fil-A on 86th in front of BRU. The kids explored the indoor playground, ate, and then explored some more. I was happy to *finally* have some adult conversation outside of our home and slurp some much needed diet lemonade...I could live on that stuff.

The afternoon was filled with an uber long nap from Cole (2pm-4:45pm), a violin lesson, and a ton of check marks for my massive to do list. We figured out that the rental home DOES indeed require natural gas as the furnace & water heater are both gas...so I went ahead and set up our account (complete with a $60 fee to simply put the thing in my name...really GA Natural Gas? Really?) Jake called our security company to hassle them about how exceedingly high our monthly rate is, especially when compared to alternatives in Augusta. I *think* he was successful in that we may be getting $10 taken off the bill each month for the remainder of our 36 month contract...yesssss. Now we just have to wait for them to call us back (which won't happen, we have done this before...dumb).

We also got the USPS change of address done and Jake emailed his contact at MCG to change the address with them too. I called our insurance company to add a renter's insurance policy to our account for the rental home, change our address with them, and make a few changes to our current homeowner's policy. Jake called three different trash removal companies and we chose an awesome local one that is giving us 2 trash pickups plus free recycling for $75 each quarter. Score! I also managed to buy Jake's graduation gift...but for now I'll keep that one a secret as you never know if he is lurking around here ;-)

Tonight I plan to order our change of address postcards from VistaPrint...of course I'll probably have to get expedited shipping (ugh), but oh well. Anyway...I'll stop boring everyone with our mundane moving crap.

Moving Checklist

2011-05-03T21:36:00.000-04:00

sell Indy house
~~choose OB & schedule first appointment~~
~~rent home in Augusta~~
~~choose & register for Mother's Day Out program for Cole~~
~~order appliances & schedule delivery (washer, dryer, & chest freezer)~~
order "We're Moving" postcards & mail
change address w/ USPS
change address w/ MCG
set up movers - calling tomorrow!
have all records transferred (OB/Gyn, family doc, dentist, vet)
transfer utilities in Augusta (~~water~~, ~~electricity~~, trash removal, ~~cable/internet/phone~~, home security)
cancel cable/internet/phone & home security in Indy
choose pediatrician & schedule first appointment
choose dentist/pediatric dentist & schedule first appointment
visit churches
register cars in GA & trade in driver's licenses
find vet w/ boarding facilities
pack/move/unpack

OK...I need something to eat after looking at this.

Dinner Tonight - Crock Pot Baby Back Ribs

2011-04-30T09:24:00.001-04:00

This morning I pulled out the old trusty "Fix it and Forget it" crockpot cookbook I got at one of my wedding showers way back in 2005. I had dog-eared quite a few pages, marking both recipes I had tried and loved and also others that I really wanted to try. I bought some baby back ribs from Kroger a while back and finally defrosted them over the past couple of days in the fridge, so what better idea to slow cook some ribs!

Here are the basic ingredients...

*baby back ribs (1 rack)
*salt & pepper to taste (optional)
*2 onions, sliced
*16-24oz BBQ sauce

Cut up the ribs into serving-size pieces (like my mom, I use kitchen scissors to do this stuff...it is utterly ridiculous to attempt to get out a massive knife and cut these suckers...way too much effort); season with salt & pepper if you wish (I TOTALLY spaced on this one, duh) and dump in crock pot; place sliced onions on top (I only used 1/2 an onion, Jake isn't a huge fan of onion); and lastly, dump on the BBQ sauce (as much or as little as you like). Turn crock pot on high for 1 hour then crank it down to low for 8 more hours. We plan on completing the meal with baked beans and corn on the cob (buttered w/ salt & pepper and grilled in foil...the best way).

Not much of a recipe, I know, but pretty easy (aside from the blood & guts feeling when you are cutting up those ribs...eh). It is a great thing I am in my third trimester...I wouldn't have made it through the rib-cutting expedition nearly as unscathed a few months ago. I'll have to update you all to let you know if this ends up being any good. I would say it has quite a bit to do with the BBQ sauce that you use. Personally, we LOVE Open Pit BBQ sauce, but it doesn't tend to stand up to slow-cooking very well much past 4-6 hours and starts to have a more "burned" taste. This time I am trying Stubb's BBQ sauce as it is thicker and looks like it may be fine for 8-9 hours...

Now off to the grocery (with the rest of the Saturday masses) for all of the random stuff that we just realized we are missing.

*UPDATE* Over all pretty good! We really love that Stubb's BBQ sauce :-D

27 Week Comparison

2011-04-29T22:38:00.000-04:00

27 weeks pregnant with Cole

27 weeks pregnant with baby "dos"

A "No TV" Day (...for Cole, that is)

2011-04-28T10:06:00.000-04:00

So far Cole has managed to make it a full hour with zero television this morning! Of course he has brought me the Wii-mote a couple times yelling, but I would say we are making progress. Right now he is aimlessly putting his stickers all over this notebook we bought him...awesome. Let me start off by saying I have pretty much zero qualms with kids watching television provided it is age appropriate. The problem is that I have started feeling like a slave to our television because it seems as though Cole HAS to have it on every waking moment...even though he only rarely sits down in front of it to actually watch.

Of course this habit began only because of myself and how utterly lazy I am when it comes to keeping Cole entertained. I like to blame this on the layout of our house being strange...if only the loft was an extension of the FIRST floor...or "if we had enough room for a kids table and chairs"...or "maybe we should buy Cole an easel." Yeah. I'm sure all of those things would turn him into a totally self sufficient almost two-year old. So that is where TV comes in. We like the channels that cater to his age group and don't include mindless commercials...Nick Jr. is pretty good, Disney Junior seems to be even better, and occasionally we'll turn on PBS.

We also have learned the joys of the portable DVD player in the car. It is honestly a lifesaver with Cole for trips longer than about 30 minutes because he actually manages to stay quiet instead of shrieking at least halfway to our destination. Now that we have the screens set up on the backs of the headrests I realize that we need to take them down so as not to be constantly asked for "teedee" every 2 minutes while making quick trips to Target or the grocery store.

I know Cole has the genetics to be a TV fiend like myself, but I hope we can maintain some kind of balance between life in the real world and Chuggington in the meantime.

Blessings in Disguise

2011-04-26T14:39:00.004-04:00

First check out the song if you haven't already...

Blessings

Laura Story has written quite a few memorable songs, among them Chris Tomlin's "Indescribable," but this would have to be one of my favorites. Although she wrote it about her life and death experience watching her husband undergo countless surgeries to remove a brain tumor, I feel like it is so relevant to all of our lives in general.

Would Jake and I have knowingly chosen the more difficult route of moving 11 hours away for a specialty that we hadn't really even considered, even if we knew it was the path that was chosen for us? In a word - nope. We tried our hardest to stay in our "comfort zone" of Indianapolis where we have lived for four years, had our first child, and own a home. Our plans were totally thrown out the window, however, when we found out that we would actually be moving across the country to a small town, all the while trying to get everything packed and ready with a toddler running around. Oh and the house - yes - selling our house in a still very bleak market. And did I mention the child we are expecting in July? Moving in the third trimester should be outlawed in most states.

The hardest part about making this leap of faith is that it seems like wherever we turn we are constantly reminded, or rather bombarded, by the fact that pretty much no one *wants* us to move and would rather us stay where we are. Moving is tough, but this will be our third big move. First we moved from Louisville to Nashville...then Nashville to Indianapolis...and now Indianapolis (the furthest North we have ever lived) to Augusta (the furthest South we have ever lived). We both feel like moving has shaped us as people and will continue to make us more flexible and understanding when it comes to social norms in different areas of the country. It also helps us really pinpoint where we would like to settle down. I am *not* the type to ever want to regret something, and so I love that we have been able to move around in our twenties so that later we don't regret staying in the same place our entire lives.

No matter the negativity, our family is keeping an open mind and a positive attitude about Augusta. Visiting our second time a couple weeks ago fully reminded us of how much we truly love the area. It will be a nice change to be so close to everything we use on a daily basis...Jake's work/hospitals, church, Publix (my favorite grocery store in the whole world), dentists (pediatric & adult), doctors, mother's day out, MOPS & MOPPETs, Target, Buy Buy Baby, shopping malls, the vet...all within about 5 miles of us, most within 2.5 or 3 miles! We also love that Augusta is filled with unique restaurants and Southern boutiques.

Yes, residency will suck, there is really no way around that. But we will take the perks that come with a smaller program, including Jake being fed home-cooked Southern meals by little old church ladies while in his daily conferences :-D We are also a mere 70 miles from the vacation house where Cole can frolick in one of roughly half a dozen different pool complex options, even including an indoor one for the winter. We plan to embrace the 20+ degree warm up that we will see during the winter months and will NOT be sad to wave goodbye to the treacherous ice encountered pretty often here in Indy.

We *will*, however, miss friends and family here - we really wish we could just take everyone with us, but alas, that is probably not feasible. Jake and I are excited to see what is in store for us with the birth of Vera Belle -or- Asher Glenn in July and throughout his three years at MCG for this pediatrics residency. We may end up being here for three more years if they decide to give Jake an unfunded internal medicine residency, or Jake may end up really loving a pediatric specialty (neonatology, infectious disease, GI, the list goes on) in which case we may stay a few more years in Augusta or move to yet another place to fulfill his fellowship. Who knows!? The possibilities are endless...and we are open to everything provided it is God's plan. For now we know that Augusta is God's plan for us and always has been.

Back From West Palm Beach

2011-04-25T14:53:00.000-04:00

Well we had a great time in West Palm on our "girls' trip"...ate a ton of great food and had some excellent times on the beach. Jake and Cole seemed to have a nice time in southern Indiana for Easter week/weekend as well. Oh and have I mentioned that last week alone our house showed THREE times! We even had a couple who was super interested...enough for us to be in their top 3 properties :-D This gives us hope that we will, indeed, sell our place and in a reasonable amount of time.

Things are going well with the rental process on the house in Augusta, or should I say Martinez (pronounced mar-ti-NEZ). We are just waiting on a call back with specifics on when we will take possession of the home, which should be in mid-May. Right now Jake and I are up to our elbows in quotes/estimates on movers. We are trying to determine who can give us the best rates on loading, driving, and unloading everything (with us packing everything in advance). Sadly Jake's program covers zero in moving/relocating expenses :-( I guess no need throwing that in to the comp package when all of these applicants are stumbling all over themselves to try to get in to most residency programs...bah. Of course it would be awesome to close on the house and use some of the money to pay the movers...one can dream I suppose.

A Great Day

2011-04-19T18:59:00.000-04:00

So normally I'm 200% negative when it comes to my blog entries, but today will be different. We had a GREAT day! Productive is a great term to describe it...cleaning up the house for our showing this afternoon, packing for my trip to West Palm Beach tomorrow, doing two full loads of laundry (including folding everything and putting it all away...I know, I am amazed as well), running quite a few important errands (USPS, Lowe's, Home Depot, & FedEx), having a great play session at Monkey Joe's with Cole, and finishing out the night with dinner at Stir Crazy which was phenomenal! Really, if you haven't been there you have GOT to try it. To top it off, pretty much every stoplight I went through was green (we are talking at least 95% of them, really)...most of the crazies stayed away from my car (huge plus)...and we ran into virtually zero traffic despite the fact that we were out and about from 3:30 to 6:30pm. When we got back to the house we saw that 3 cookies had been eaten, so probably a realtor and a couple stopped by...too bad the dogs can't talk and tell us how the couple liked the garage, haha. Hopefully we'll get feedback soon!

Our New Home!

2011-04-17T22:36:00.000-04:00

City Select

2011-04-13T21:01:00.000-04:00

Attention loyal viewers (hehe) - the 2011 Baby Jogger City Select will be landing at the vacation house on Friday :-D I am psyched because it will arrive just in time for us to greet it, bahahaha. Cole will be staying with Jake's parents in southern Indiana while we head down to Atlanta and then travel onward to Greensboro on Friday. Saturday we will go on to Augusta in the morning and meet with our realtor to look at a few for sale properties as well as rental homes currently available. We are *hoping* that when we come back on Sunday we will KNOW definitively where we will be living for the next three years...that would be awesome.

Next week I have make-up violin lessons Monday so that I can leave Wednesday for a girls' trip to West Palm Beach, Florida with Jill & Tiff. I am so excited! Of course I am NOT excited about looking like the lone, beached Orca while everyone sports their AWESOME figures on the beach ;-) I did go ahead and buy a new swim suit...of course it is maternity (naturally)...don't judge...

Here's to hoping I look OK on the beach.

24 Week Pregnancy Comparison

2011-04-04T21:06:00.002-04:00

24 weeks with Cole

24 weeks with Baby "Dos"

Drumroll Please...

2011-03-31T21:49:00.000-04:00

When it comes to one of the biggest questions that has been weighing on my mind OUTSIDE of Match Day, I have *finally* buckled down and made a decision. Yes, folks...I have finally decided on the double stroller we will be purchasing shortly. Here are a few pictures:

The 2011 Baby Jogger City Select - illegally rigged up to hold our Orbit Infant seat

Our chosen color - Amethyst

I am hoping to actually purchase it and have it shipped to the vacation house in Greensboro at the beginning of April. Excitement all around! Try to contain your joy. It IS a thing of beauty, isn't it?

Home Tour

2011-03-29T19:48:00.000-04:00

Want to check out our awesome digital home tour? Cool...it is right...

HERE!

Kidney Stone #3

2011-03-28T10:56:00.000-04:00

I love how now when I am asked about my medical history, Jake has to *remind* me to mention that I have a (very new) history of kidney stones. It still sounds totally ridiculous to me. I mean yes, the men in my dad's family did have kidney stones, but the women did NOT and I really thought I was in the clear. The first kidney stone that I had I was able to pass on my own merely two weeks before Cole was born in the beginning of July 2009 and it was roughly 5mm. The second stone, 7mm, made its presence known in April of 2010. Because I was NOT pregnant the course of treatment was drastically different. They did quite a bit of imaging (KUBs, CTs, etc) and determined that this one "would probably not pass" (whatever that meant) and the worse news, that I had yet ANOTHER stone on the opposite side just sitting there. About 36 hours after my initial pain, I went in for the lithotripsy and then had a stent put in immediately following the procedure which stayed in for a week or two and was then removed.

I wished so badly that they could have just blasted away at the other side during that procedure, but they do not do this as it risks damaging BOTH kidneys thus putting you into kidney failure...nice. When we went back to the urologist for a follow up about 6 weeks later I really thought they would want to set up another lithotripsy to get rid of the last and final stone, once and for all. I was wrong. Apparently they wanted to go with the ever-popular "wait and see" approach. Unfortunately because Jake and I knew that we wanted our kids to be a couple years apart each, this meant going into another pregnancy with the possibility of having a kidney stone attack. The good news is that I went into the entire thing anticipating the worst and carrying narcotics with me everywhere I went...

Fast forward to Saturday after lunch when suddenly I started showing symptoms of what I *thought* could be a UTI. Of course I have never actually had a UTI...and then I slowly realized that these symptoms were identical to how my first kidney stone attack began two years earlier. Knowing I would most likely be in some pretty significant pain pretty quickly, I laid out my beloved Percocet and Zofran on our bedside table. Like clockwork the searing pain began at midnight and so I took my meds and called the on-call doctor.

The pain started to subside within 25 minutes and we decided to tough it out at home until it got worse. In the meantime we had Jake's friend, Matt, come to the house and spend the night upstairs for the night just in case we needed to leave for the hospital...obviously we did NOT want to wake Cole up. Right at 2:30am the pain broke through again and we decided to head to the women's hospital.

The held me in triage for observation until about 6am or so at which point we decided there was no way I could manage that level of pain at home. They admitted me to the high risk unit and I have been here ever since! Yesterday was a total blur from about 11am on, which is when they started the morphine PCA drip. The morphine helped take the edge off, but I was still left with what amounted to a *really* bad lower backache on my right side. I was so drowsy I could barely even check email or look at text messages without falling asleep mid-sentence.

I am beyond blessed, yet again, because last night around 8pm I noticed that the pain had really left me and I was no longer having to push the button for morphine. A mere two hours later I passed a MASSIVE rock. It was ridiculous. Everyone asks if it hurts at the very end, like in childbirth - the answer is NO. In fact, unless you use a strainer, most people would never even know they passed anything...I know...total TMI...but that is me ;-)

I am still at the hospital waiting to be discharged, but I am so relieved that I was able to pass yet another stone on my own without any real intervention (aside from pain management, HA). No doubt these people think I am some psychotic drug seeker based on my pages yesterday..."ummm, yes, I am still in a significant amount of pain..." followed closely by "is that morphine pump *really* on?" This morning my awesome overnight nurse was telling me how she was "bragging" and showing off the stone to her co-workers, bahahaha, and I mentioned that I started getting this raging headache and thought it might be a side effect from the morphine. She started laughing hysterically and said "uhhh yeah, you had quite a bit of morphine yesterday." Gotta get your money's worth I suppose...

House For Sale!

2011-03-23T15:00:00.000-04:00

Are you an IU medical student or resident looking for a home only a few miles from campus and the hospitals? Look no further. Three measly miles away from the IU medical center *plus* detached two car garage *and* fully fenced in back yard. What more could you ask for?

Check out the link for more pictures and contact information: virtual tour.

First Post...Post Match

2011-03-19T22:32:00.001-04:00

Lets just say that Thursday, March 17th, 2011 is a day that will live in infamy...at least for the Eichenberger family ;-) In a single instant our entire future was changed...totally without our knowledge until that fateful time when Jake read aloud what was written on the paper inside his red envelope at 12:34 PM. We will soon be moving to Augusta, Georgia where Jake will begin his categorical pediatrics residency at the Medical College of Georgia, and we are over the moon excited!

Of course we go back and forth...it is sad to be leaving some pretty awesome friends (Susan, Leigh, Kara, Matt, and of COURSE Ashley, Luke, and Noelle!) I don't know how we'll ever find other people nearly as wonderful... :-( And sad to lose a pretty great mother's day out program here. We also have family fairly close by and it is sad that Cole won't get to see them nearly as often as he has been able to in the last 4 years.

But on the positive side we will be increasing our temperatures pretty dramatically, and Cole, our "Florida boy," will be able to play outside nearly every day of the year! Take a look at Indy's average temps vs. Augusta's average temps throughout the year...

Our Beloved Indy Weather

The Awesome Augusta Weather

As you can see, I am thrilled with this change. Thoroughly. Of course there is the issue of moving in June and delivering a baby in a strange, new land with a strange, new hospital and a strange, new OB practice. Ahhhh, oh well. I should be counting my blessings that this pregnancy, just like my pregnancy with Cole, is 100% normal and boring to most OBs. But don't you dare attempt to wheel me into the OR on account of an awards banquet you are just dying to get to...you'll be sorry.

The Day Before...(the World Ends?)

2011-03-16T13:38:00.000-04:00

Just kidding. But really, tomorrow is a hugely significant day for our family. In fact, it probably ranks up there with getting married and having Cole, strange as that sounds. A few people have asked where we are hoping to match, and although it would be cool to say we matched our #1 ranked program, part of me is really rooting for some other programs down further on the list. On the one hand, we would like to remain in Indy to be able to keep the same doctor/hospital when it comes to delivering baby dos. On the other hand, we would relish the opportunity to get to move somewhere new...preferably warmer ;-) Basically we are trying to keep an open mind about everything, especially now that we know that we at least matched with one of the programs Jake ranked on his list (which is awesome).

Today Cole and I had a great time at the toddler open gym at the Monon Center with Susan and Skyler. We followed it up with a great lunch of turkey subs at W.G. Grinders in Carmel---big shout out THANK YOU to Susan for buying lunch! The outing really helped Cole's poor attitude, at least for the past 3 days or so. The only sad thing is that I didn't get a call to show the house while we were out...ugh...left it in perfect (ha, relatively perfect) condition and even put the dogs in their crate in the garage. Ahhhhh, oh well. This afternoon I plan to relax a little bit and then teach a violin lesson at 3:30pm.

In pregnancy news I am feeling pretty good, but today had a sudden-onset sinus headache that is *pretty* freaking intense. It could be any number of issues...allergies...pregnancy rhinitis...sinusitis...you name it. Unfortunately one of the only things I can do is try to drink hot liquids, use a neti pot, and pop tylenol (which we all know doesn't work...at...all...thus the reason us pregnant women are allowed to partake...ugh). Well, I should get to planning my lesson now.

This time tomorrow the waiting will be over and we will know our new home for the next four years! The suspense is killing me...

Ultrasound Comparison

2011-03-15T14:36:00.000-04:00

Cole at 20 weeks

Baby Dos at 20 weeks

Cole was head down whereas this baby is breech (transverse) with its head on my left side, feet on my right side.

JAKE MATCHED!

2011-03-14T12:25:00.001-04:00

I just got the text from Jake today at 12:05 PM that he did, indeed, match into a categorical residency! This is awesome because it means we do NOT have to worry about scrambling tomorrow...which is this hideous process where you call up a list of all the programs that didn't fill and you beg them to let you in. Very glamorous. And stressful. But now we know definitively that Jake was placed *somewhere*...we just have to wait until Thursday to find out where.

Three more days...that is all.

Dinner Menu for the Week of Match Day :-D

2011-03-13T21:37:00.000-04:00

As I have previously mentioned, in anticipation of Thursday's "festivities" (if we can even begin to call it that), I tend to overly obsess on other, extraneous things. Today it has been cleaning up the house and prepping it to go on the market (tomorrow afternoon). And now we are sitting here resting and I am obsessing, yet again, on what we will be having for dinner this week. Here are my "super important decisions" as for our meal plan...

Monday
Spicy Shredded Pork

Oven-Roasted Asparagus

Tuesday
Pasta with Tomato-Blue Cheese Sauce

Fresh Green Beans

Wednesday
Perfect Pot Roast

Perfect Potatoes au Gratin

Thursday
*Dinner Out with Fellow Medical Students to "Celebrate"*

Friday
Cheeseburger Soup

We Made an Offer on Our Second House :-D

2011-03-10T22:52:00.000-05:00

Perhaps I shouldn't call it our second house quite yet as we have a few contingencies that need to be fulfilled. The first of these is that Jake will match into the med/peds residency program at Indiana University in Indianapolis. Good news is that we will be able to fulfill that contingency next Thursday, one way or another :-D Second contingency is that we will sell our existing house, which is due to go on the market on Monday. Jake and I finished taking the pictures of the house this evening and hopefully we can sort through them over the weekend to decide which 20 or so we would like to include on the MLS. The last contingency is fairly standard, that this home passes the inspection or inspections. Of course I am getting ahead of myself because our offer has not yet been accepted...I'll keep you posted :-D

In the meantime, I'll leave you with a picture of the front of the home:

Another Comparison - Pregnancy 1 v. Pregnancy 2

2011-03-09T11:10:00.000-05:00

20 weeks pregnant with Cole

20 weeks pregnant with Baby Dos

Happy Anniversary to Jake

2011-03-03T21:53:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, March 3rd of 2007 Jake and I got married in a tiny church in Prospect, Kentucky. We left the church to go to the reception and found that it had started snowing (and NO, this was not Indianapolis snow...this was Kentucky snow...just enough...but not too much)...perfect day ;-)

A Sad Yet Real Side Effect While Anticipating Match Day

2011-03-03T14:20:00.000-05:00

So you may be asking yourself "what does one do to pass the time as you count the days until a decision is handed down as to where your next four years will be spent?" I have an answer for you. Well, I have two answers. The rational, normal people go about their daily lives and continue to be productive citizens. And then there's me. I have taken up obsessing over other things that have nothing to do with Match Day...namely the soft release of the Bugaboo Donkey!

It started a long time ago, back when the Kind & Jugend expo was taking place last year...but the obsession has intensified tenfold today when I received an email from one of my favorite baby gear retailers, Magic Beans, saying that I am finally eligible to pre-order my very own Bugaboo Donkey! Initially I was so excited I didn't know what to do with myself. I am now absolutely flipping out in the opposite direction because as much as I want (and *think* that I need this ridiculously priced, unnecessary, additional stroller), I have never laid eyes on the thing in person or had a chance to plop Cole down into one of the seats. Bugaboo blatantly refuses to release seat dimensions at this point, so I am left wondering---is this seat similar to the Bee? Or perhaps the Cameleon, but slightly narrower?

The seats hold a MAX of 37.5lbs each...UGH. This is entirely too low of a maximum weight in my opinion. The Baby Jogger City Select, the other double we are attempting to decide between, has a max weight of 45lbs per seat, MUCH better. Of course I won't even go into the very obvious price difference...of roughly $750. AAAAAAAAAAAAAGH. That is another luxury stroller! Wow. And more than our monthly mortgage.

The rational side of me, which comprises roughly 10% of my mind, is saying "go with the City Select 2011 and wait to purchase it until after you have moved...then use that "extra" $750 to buy one of those designer leather gliders for the living room." The irrational, crazy side of me (the other 90%) is saying "pre-order that Donkey NOW before they are all gone and you are stuck waiting until the Fall for the real launch!"

Is any of this REALLY that important? Nope. Does it *seem* like a life or death decision at this moment in time? You bet it does. Would I rather pay $1500 right now to find out where we have matched early and totally screw the double stroller? YES.

(Of course chances are I would still be pining away for the Donkey & City Select later...I'm such a loser).

Cole and Baby Dos

2011-02-27T10:02:00.000-05:00

19 weeks with Cole

19 weeks with Baby Dos

Lemi Shine

2011-02-25T21:09:00.000-05:00

http://www.envirocontech.com/products/Learn-More-about-Lemi-Shine.html

Over the past few months or so Jake and I have been struggling with a (fairly new) dishwasher that seems to no longer clean our dishes. On the contrary, this dishwasher actually makes our dishes dirtier. Cups and glasses come out with a white, chalky film and have detergent stuck to the bottom and the sides. SICK. I had tried almost everything there is to try...vinegar loads, dishwasher cleaner, using enough jet dry for an entire neighborhood, and finally buying the uber expensive Cascade Complete detergent paks. One night about a week ago I was scouring dishwasher message boards...yes...this is one exciting life that I lead people. Someone mentioned using "Lemi Shine" as being this miracle product that helped bring her dishes back to their sparkling beauty...getting rid of all of that hard water buildup.

Today we purchased Lemi Shine at Target while Cole was happily playing at his mother's day out program. We came home and followed the instructions on how to use it for the first time which included running an empty load first. Immediately after that load we both noticed that the top rack was WAY easier to pull out than it had been in the past. Apparently all of the hard water deposits totally clogged everything up to the extreme. Next we ran a smallish load with the Lemi Shine plus regular detergent to see what that did. The results? Truly amazing. See for yourself...

Obviously the left glass is with Lemi Shine...the right without. UNBELIEVABLE. I love this product and plan to buy stock in the company.

The Best Lasagna. Ever. No really. It is.

2011-02-25T20:20:00.000-05:00

I'll have to admit, I was INCREDIBLY skeptical when I began following Ree Drummond's recipe for "The Best Lasagna Ever." You see I am a ricotta girl. I love ricotta. I eat it in pasta, on pizza, in stromboli...you name it, I put ricotta on it...well, not really...but you get my point. The Pioneer Woman's recipe calls for lowfat cottage cheese instead of ricotta and although I grew up having cottage cheese as a side to virtually every dinner I ever ate at home, I thought it might "dumb down" lasagna when compared to my beloved ricotta. Nonetheless I took the plunge and followed her recipe completely as I trust her when it comes to my kitchen...she has not steered me wrong thus far.

Well well well...let me just say I am glad that I trusted Mrs. Drummond. WOW! I am fully astounded by this lasagna. I wondered while making it how such mundane ingredients could lead to something that wasn't 100% ordinary. Well I was wrong for doubting you, Ree. I was SO wrong... Even Cole thought it was the best thing he had ever eaten after dropping his fork midway through and shoveling handfuls of lasagna into his mouth as fast as possible.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/the_best_lasagn/

Try it people. You will love yourself for doing this.

Shopaholic & Babies Take on the South

Income Tax "Refund"...? More Like Bonus.

The Empty Calendar Day

I Heart Zappos.com

Disney Dream Here We Come!

Glorious Food

Lazy Lazy

A Few Vera Purchases

Welcome, 2012!

Christmas Wish - Granted

Houston, We Have Tenants.

This Week's Menu

Cyber Monday Purchases

Thanksgiving

Lazy Sunday Morning

Costco CRAZINESS

The Blessing of Friends

4 Months Postpartum Update

This Week's Menu: Utilizing Leftovers

*Real* Fall Weather

New Kidney Stone Regimen - DUMB.

Sooner or Later...We're Gonna Make It.

Doctor's Appointments Galore

40 Minute Nap Problems - Vanished?

Steak 'n Shake Craving

Ships in the Night

Hey Mama

A Return to the Wide World of Solid Foods...but Not *Quite* Yet.

This Week's Menu

Fa-la-la-la-la...la-la...la...KidneyStone.

Check Out Cole's New Pics!

Step Class...Wow

Because Apparently I Have the Time Now

It is Finally Fall in Augusta

Almost Perfect

Extra Money? Sure - we've got LOADS.

Long Time, No Post

Food at the Eichenberger House

Home Tour

First Day of Mother's Day Out 2011

Proceed with Caution: Birth Control Ahead

A Few Numbers

Different

Vera Reese Eichenberger

And We're Back!

Things I *SHOULD* Be Doing...

First Few Shifts

July 1st - The First Day of the Rest of Our Lives

36 Week Check-Up

Baby Countdown

Lately

I am About to Sabatoge Security Networks

Jake's First Day of Orientation

Can I Get a Break...Please?

Productive Day

Freezer Meals

Houston: We Have a Showing

Volvo...How I Love & Hate You...Simultaneously

Not So Bad

Another Update

More on Augusta

Adjusting to Life...in a Sauna

Last Blog Post from Our Home in Indy

First Schedule Info from MCG!

Big Boy Bed

New Signature

Why Have I NEVER Tried This Before?!

Graduation

Update: Temptu Sunless Tanning Kit Review

Temptu Review

29 Week Comparison

Security Networks = What a Joke.

The Big 26.

Excited for this Derby Weekend to Begin!

A Truly Productive Day

Moving Checklist

Dinner Tonight - Crock Pot Baby Back Ribs

27 Week Comparison

A "No TV" Day (...for Cole, that is)

Blessings in Disguise

Real Fall Weather

A Return to the Wide World of Solid Foods...but Not Quite Yet.

Things I SHOULD Be Doing...