Next Project.

We still have our few last fixes in the kitchen to do, but thankfully, we've moved on to our next pre-baby renovation project, this time, more minor.

Our plan is to turn the office into Ellie's big girl bedroom and leave the nursery as is for Lambeau when he arrives. I'd like to have Ellie sleeping in her new room sometime in February, and it looks like we're on our way. Last night we sold our breakfast nook on craigslist, after a few weeks of flakey people emailing about it and then never showing up to see it. I gave the guy who bought it $50 off if he promised to show up at the correct time, and he did! Everyone wins. That was the biggest step in cleaning out that room.

Then of course, I went into crazy nesting mode at 7:30pm and started to tidy up in there. The office has long been a dumping ground - the filing cabinets are full of movies and video games that we haven't watched or played in years (a lot are still in their wrappers, actually.) Two of the filing cabinets actually have our files in them, but we can move them back into our old cabinet. The other seven of the nine bottom drawers are just filled with JUNK. And right now (possibly because I'm nesting) it feels like our whole house is filled with JUNK. I keep wishing I had an empty closet someplace, and then remember that the key is not saving everything, but getting rid of everything that isn't of sentimental value. No use holding on to a bunch of clutter just so that it can sit in a container some place. I also realize that in three years, all of the giant baby gear that's inhabiting my garage will have gone to the consignment store, and that will help. No matter how small that stuff looks in the box, once you put the play mat or the jumparoo together, it never goes back to it's original small and easily stored size.

Ellie and I stopped by Target today, where thankfully a lot of their organizing items were on sale. I bought a big sterilite tub, and anything from the office cabinets that doesn't fit in there is going to have to go. Thankfully, tomorrow a local charity is doing pick ups if you leave your donations at the end of your driveway! But in order to store the tub, I have to clean out a big swath of my closet. By the time Lambeau comes, I feel like we'll have dug through every nook and cranny of this house and cleaned and organized. It's a nice thought, though a little daunting when I'm huffing and puffing on my hands and knees, trying to drag stuff out from under the bed and from dirty corners of the garage. Tim is equally as displeased, because he is my hauling and storing man servant, responsible for shoving all large items into the rafters.

Ellie and Logan Sitting in a Tree!

Our friends Cory and Natalie are in town for a few short days as part of a stop over from their previous life in Okinawa Japan and their new life in North Carolina. We're SO happy to welcome them back to the US of A, and so glad that we could steal a few moments with them. I'd left my week open knowing that they'd be in town, and tonight we were able to pull something together. Ellie and I headed over after her nap (after I woke her from her nap to travel) and Tim snuck out of work a little early. Sorry minions, we have childhood friends to see!

Last time we saw them, Ellie and Logan were six and five months old, respectively. Now Logan's little brother Dylan is a seven month old outside baby, and Ellie's little brother is a seven month old inside baby.

At first, the two year olds couldn't get out of each other's way, which happens sometimes. It's like they become dedicated to being toy stealing, screaming jerks. But by the end of the night, they were playing Sesame Street together and gleefully chasing each other through the house. And while Dylan started the afternoon by crying when I kissed him, he ended up cuddling into my chest for a good portion of the visit. I am a lucky godmum.

They all enjoyed duck feeding time at the lake

Some good Sesame Street "friends" time. Dylan chewed on the house, so it was a hit with all of the children

 Chatting and chasing

A very sweet hug goodbye

Hooves!

We took Ellie today to get fitted for a new pair of kicks. Poor little thing, she has her mama and Grizz's genetic code. At two years old, she's already a size EIGHT. Eight wide, actually. I mentioned something about it on facebook, and only one of her little friends wears a bigger size, and it's Jonathan, who is a head taller than she is. Most of the girls are just now moving into a size five (which Ellie wore when she was one.)

The good news is we got her some really cute sequined sneakers, and she was delighted not only with her new shoes, but with the little smoothie that she devoured.

She certainly has grown up since her first trip to Stride Rite.

Hilarious!

Me: You need to take a nap, and then when you wake up, how about we go to the mall?
Ellie: That'll be GREAT! That'll be TERRIFIC!

(as I was putting her in the car after Trader Joes)
Me: Oops, don't sit on your buckle, silly!
Ellie: (bursts into hysterical laughter) I sit on my buckle?
Me: Don't sit on your buckle!
Ellie: (hysterical laughter) I sit on my buckle?
Me: Don't sit on your buckle!
(lather, rinse, repeat the entire drive home.)

In other news, I've taken two steps towards preparing for the second baby this week, and I'm feeling quite proud. We called to set up a consultation for new blinds for the kids rooms. The one in the office is completely broken, and while I don't need black out curtains, I'd like to be able to keep Ellie's soon to be new room shady if it helps her sleep.

And this weekend I finally picked up a double jogging stroller. My BOB stroller has been the best money I've spent on baby gear, and has been a complete sanity saver for me. Thank to Fitbit, I estimate that I pushed it more than 1,500 miles in the first year I owned it (no joke AT ALL) and it rides so smoothly that I can push it with one hand while jogging. Even jogging uphill! Still, as much as I love the single BOB, I didn't want to buy a double one new, because I think it'll have a shorter life span, and there's a lot of nice doubles available on craigslist. So yesterday I met a lady in San Clemente and exchanged a wad of cash for her fabulous used stroller. And the best news? It fits in the Fit, without having to put the back seat down. I already knew that the double wouldn't slide into my trunk (thanks to my friend Kelly letting me try to jam hers in my vehicle) and I didn't think it would work in the Fit. Oh, how silly I am to underestimate the Fit. The Fit has been nothing but GO! since the day we bought it. I have priorities, and they are fancy jogging stroller first, and car second. I would have gotten a new vehicle if it meant the BOB would fit in the trunk. Sad but true! The good news now is that I got a great deal on a nice used stroller, and will get a gently used Honda Fit for zero dollars. I will be taking Tim's UCLA Engineering license plate frame off of it though.

The Bee Song.

Two versions of Ellie's favorite song recently.

For those of you who maybe don't understand toddler the song is:

Here is the beehive but where are the bees? Hidden away where nobody sees. Watch and you'll see them come out of the hive, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5! Bzzzzzz! (with tickling.) For reference, she used to freak out and start crying when we'd actually sing the song in music class.

Back in the Saddle.

While it was nice to have Tim home for two weeks, I must admit, I am thankful that he's back in the office and Ellie and I are back in our routines. We had a lot of late nights, a lot of long boring mornings (with lots of whining for TV) and lots of crappy naps. But the last few days we've been walking in the morning, having a good lunch and nap and then living life in the afternoons (or bothering Gigi. Depends on the day.)

Ellie has been cracking me up lately with her Midwesternness. She's said "supper" instead of dinner and "bubbler" instead of water fountain for awhile, but the other day she told me "you betcha!" and I just about died. Soon she'll be making hot dishes for everyone. Plus last week I got her to yell "GO PACK GO!" to a stranger in the Trader Joes parking lot who was wearing a Green Bay sweatshirt.

She has also showed the first bit of interest in using the restroom IN the restroom (instead of in her pants.) I must admit, I am a little nervous about the whole thing, because if she can't be fully potty trained by April, I'm not terribly motivated to try. If she could just wait until after the baby is born and I have my mother of two sea legs under me, I'd be happy to take her to the toilet every fifteen minutes for days on end. But I know I can't hold her back, so when she asks to sit on the pot, we go and sit on the pot. She got all mad the other day when she pooped in her diaper and I changed her, and I said "if you don't like having your diaper changed, learn to poop in the toilet." She then asked to use the toilet and got SO MAD when despite all the straining, no more poop came out. She doesn't quite get that she has to go to the bathroom BEFORE the poop. The best is when I use the bathroom and she congratulates me. Thanks for the help kid.

It's also funny that she sings a song from Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood every time she uses the bathroom ("if you have to potty, STOP and go right away. Flush and wash and be on your way!") Sometimes she'll remind me of all the steps. Again, thanks for the help kid. For those of you not in the know, Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood is a cartoon that features all of the puppets from Mr. Rogers Neighborhood, with similar messages about kindness and learning and imagination. She LOVES it. We have all the episodes taped on our tivo, and no matter how many times she's seen them, Ellie always wants to watch them again. Except for the one about being angry - that one freaks her out.

Also freaky, this guy.

I guess now we know where Ellie learned her best moves.

Ringing in the New Year.

I've never been a huge person for New Years partying, so I don't feel bad about not being able to blow the roof off NYE now that I'm a parent. Thankfully, many of my girlfriends feel the same, and so we got together for a fancy dress/casual food and drink party, which ended for most of us shortly after 9pm (it was New Years in New York!) We ate, we drank, we watched the ball drop, we wrangled kids who were growing crankier by the minute, and we were all in bed at a decent time. Which was great, because Ellie had her worst night of sleep in months. She apparently wants to party into the wee hours. Or pout. Whichever!

Pre party shopping at Gigi's house

Everyone in their fancy dress

Ellie and Clare doing some basic home repairs. Just because you're in a party dress doesn't mean you can't be handy around the house

Unrelated to the New Year - all of the ladies in the tent