Sledding Seth....

Thanks so much for the encouraging words yesterday. I really needed them, and I truly appreciate them. I have to admit I gained about this much weight with Seth, but I swear I'm eating better this time around than when I was preggo with Seth. I worked really hard after Seth's birth to lose my weight. I was running 4 miles and lifting weights (4 times a week), and it was all off by the time Seth was 6 months old. I was hoping to not have to work that hard again... LOL!

And nope Kristin.... we haven't announced Bean's name yet. We're waiting for his arrival first... but I tell you, its a GREAT name, and it goes fantastically with Seth, LOL! And Theresa.... its gotta be the First Cousin thing then... b/c I swear I did read that you couldn't smell! Ha!

I have spent the last 2 days getting over 250 pics of the LAST YEAR printed at Walmart and then put in order in an album, with appropriate quotes/ anecdotes/ dates. (This doesn't count the few pics I DID have printed out, like Seth's birthday, our beach trip, and and Halloween.) I can't believe how far backed up I had gotten.

It's been snowing pretty good here the last couple days, so Nate and I packed Seth up and headed to a nearby hill. He had the BEST time sledding with his dad. OK, I admit it... I went down once too....














LOL~ he did NOT want to come home.

Have a great Wednesday!

Baby Schtuff....

I had my 32 week appointment yesterday. Everything is normal, everything is fine. I somehow gained 5 lbs in the last 2 weeks, and I feel like crying. I now weigh the same as Nate. I am just completely baffled where the weight is coming from though.... I hardly eat lunch because I'm not hungry for it, and I eat well balanced breakfasts and dinners. I hardly snack. I do admit to snacking on chocolate when I DO snack, but its not ungodly ammounts or anything.

My Dr. actually asked me if I was wearing anyting different today, like heavier shoes or sweater or something.... kinda like she was surprised to hear about the weight too.

Where is it coming from!?!?!?

Bean had his first hiccups Sunday night, that was really cool.

One weirdo thing about this pregnancy that is different with Seth's, is that with Seth I had a dark linea negra. It took almost a year for it to disappear too. With this one, I have the slightest faint line, but NOTHING compared to the first. Isn't that funny?

Kristin~ you asked about my To-Do list.... well its just stuff like

Bring down Cradle, fix Crib (as in raise the mattress)
Set up swings
wash clothes
buy baby book, silver ID bracelet
Finish Seth's baby book (LOL!!), take him to Chuck E Cheese

You know... all this random little stuff. I've already taken care of ordering the ID bracelet. Its a latin custom to put jewelry on babies... Seth has his silver ID bracelet. I even have my own tucked away safely.

I also picked up Bean's baby book~

Isn't that cute? You can see it here at Babies R Us.

As for the Seth "stuff".... ROFLOL! I think once my baby hit 11 months old, I went into this denial that he was about to turn one and not be a "baby" anymore. So last night actually, I pulled his out ( a beautiful classic Pooh memory book from Hallmark) and was filling in details and making a list of photos I still needed to finish it. I also need to call his Pediatrician and get a couple details to update his medical pages. And the Chuck E Cheese? Well, I thought it would be nice to do something with Seth, one last time just "the three of us."

And while I was working on the photos needed list.... I totally realized that Digital Photography and Digital Scrapbooking actually has a Con.

I have been TERRIBLE at keeping up with getting photos printed out. I spent over an hour last night picking out photos and then burning them to a disk. From the last year. YEP~ from the LAST YEAR. When I shot 35 mm, you HAD to turn that film in to see what you shot and get your photos. I think with digital you can see them instantly, or even when you scrapbook them, get THOSE prints back, that I tend to forget I needed to print out the 4x6 photos.

So I'm off to Walmart right after this entry to print out a year's worth of photos. Isn't that terrible of me? I need to get caught up.

****************

Today is the last day to submit your Love Stories! Read HERE for details! Winners announced on Monday!

My New Creative Team....

Lena Bradenburg

Sabrina Lopez Dupre

Christina Kirk

Kresta Littleton

Kellie Penn

Sandra Stanton

I had so many wonderful responses for my call, and this was freakishly hard to decide. Because there were so many wonderful applicants, I decided to add 6 girls instead of 4, AND take on a Guest CT member for each month for the next year!

And my first Guest CT spot~ Paige Eckenfels

These girls already join my fabulous team of Traci Branscum, Tegan Coffman, Melanie Colosimo, Laura Kannady, Julie Lopez, Angelina Schwarz, Novita Solihin, and Darla Vasquez.

Be sure to check out everyone's gallery. I am so in awe of all my girls' talents. How blessed I am!

And for the other wonderful ladies who applied... I am really sorry I couldn't choose everyone. But be on the lookout, I will be sending a special goodie in the email, just for you! :)

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Finally did my Christmas LO! And boy is it a BUSY one, LOL! But isn't that what Christmas is about?

Credits: Janet Phillips Template, Holly McCaig's Good Tidings kit, Michelle Coleman's glitter edge, stocking, stars, bling, snowflake, holly, and present. Gina Miller's light strands, Amber Clegg's button. Font: Pea Jenny.

Its my first time using a template.... you can see it here~ Janet Phillips' Holiday Pack.

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Over the weekend I made up a list of "To-Do's" before the baby gets here. I feel so unprepared. The list could take me... oh, maybe 3 days to do everything, so I am pushing myself to wait until mid-February. No point in washing his clothes now, or setting up a swing when there are 7 weeks left or so.

And can I tell you, my sleepless nights streak continues. I have no idea if its truly is because I am so uncomfortable and hot, or if it's just God's way of preparing me for a newborn's sleep habits. Couldn't He just wait a little longer? LOL~ its been a full week now of tossing and turning. Did I mention there are still 7 weeks left? I seriously could just cry.

Well, I have to dash. I have another Dr.'s appointment and I need to get out of my PJ's.

Ta-Ta!

Pajama Talk....

Today it is finally the winter I am used to, and it looks like a beautiful Winter Wonderland outside! Big fluffy snowflakes swirling around and everything is covered in snow. About time!

Nate came home at lunch yesterday sick as all get-out. He kept trying to say it was just a sinus allergy thing... but I've never seen a fever so high and such an achy body with "just allergies." So soley taking care of Seth yesterday, along with all the cleaning responsibilities and cooking, and bathing/ bed.... it wore me out! Nate's feeling better today, and I am taking it easier, LOL!

BUT, because of the snow and his sickness, our date to PF Chang's tonight has been called off. Oh well, there's always Valentine's Day....

This morning was the first morning that Seth got up at about 6 am, ready to play. I heard him by his door (we have a baby gate up) saying "Up! Up!" then a couple minutes later I heard some of his toys go off, LOL! So I went in a laid down with him for a little bit and he fell back to sleep till 9 am! I am glad to have gotten that little bit of extra rest. Every night this week I have not been able to fall asleep before 1 am... my Philippa Gregory books are waaaay to GOOD to put down before 12:30 and then our stinkin' room is so hot. And I AM covering the vent, and turning down the heat around 10 pm. LOL!

Check out these PJ's I ordered for Nate a couple days ago.... They are HERE at Red Envelope. LOVE their stuff!

They customize them with your name in the heart, LOL! Like him wearing your name on his heart or like a tattoo! I couldn't help myself, I thought it was cute.

And then I got to thinking.... Nate owns more Red Envelope stuff than I do! What's up with that?!?!?! LOL!

I was also thinking, you could prolly make your own graphic with your name like that, and then upload it to Cafe Press and have a T-shirt made. Of course I thought of that after I ordered, but then again at CP, it'll be made on the front of the shirt and not the arm.

Oh! I am so excited! Old Navy restocked their Nursing PJ's and matching Baby Sleeper sets, so I was finally able to order one in BLUE last night! It is going to be so cute to wear in the hospital! I AM a bit disappointed that once they restocked their sizes... their sale went off.~ But at least Bean and I can match in the hossy. Here it is in Blue~




And they only had the whole set preview in the pink~ but I thought I'd show that to you as well! Just imagine its all blue, LOL!


You can see them HERE at Old Navy.

Wasn't Grey's Anatomy last night terrific? We watch all the CSI's (we tape the Vegas one and then watch it promptly after GA) and Grey's is my girly indulgence during the week, LOL! I can't wait to see the 3 shockers next week! I kinda like the Alex and Addison thing... can't wait to see where that goes too! I was just over at the Grey Matter Blog, and just read that George's Dad's story was based on a real life event! Awww...

TGIF!!

Lovenote kit & Contest....

New~ Lovenote

Remember those special lovenotes passed back and forth between you and someone special? Here is your chance to scrap those memories! Lovenote kit is perfect for scrapping the ones you love.

Included in Lovenote are 8 textured and worn papers, 3 heart gems, 3 stitched ricrac, 3 tags, 2 satin bows, 2 stamps, 1 glitter heart, 1 rusty frame, 1 rusty doodle, 1 Pua shell large bracket, 1 Pua shell photo prong, 1 fabric heart doodle, and 1 fabric heart trim. Also included is a full Pua shell alpha, numeral, and symbol set.

There are also seperate paper and element packs available as well.

You can get it HERE at The Digi Chick. There is an introductory price of 20% OFF till midnight CST, tonight!

And look! I scrapped using the kit! LOL!


The little bit of journaling reads "de mi basia mille" which means "a thousand kisses."

And now check out these FABULOUS layouts done by my Creative Team! These gals really make my job so easy and wonderful, LOL!

And now, for a ...... CONTEST!!!

What a great way to express your love!

Email your love story in story form to andreaburnsct@hotmail.com

You could win her new Lovenote kit, AND have your story published on her blog.

Entries due by Jan 25.

Babies & Rings....

Does anyone here read Glamour Magazine? I have a subscription, and I really enjoy it. Over the weekend I got my February issue. Inside there is a story about a mother who gave birth to a baby at 27 weeks. The whole point of the story was that she blamed herself for being too active before the birth, and the giult that followed that. Her son ended up being just fine, and is a happy active boy today.

My point of this ramble, is that they showed this picture of the small baby right after he had been born. It completely amazed me that there was this baby, already looking like a baby. Yes, he was small, and very thin.... but it was an honest to goodness baby. And then I realized that my own son, in myown belly, at that moment, was already 3 weeks older than he. Three weeks fatter, and 3 weeks further in development.

Isn't that amazing? Doesn't that boggle your mind? If I were to give birth tomorrow (Lord Forbid!) my son would have a great fighting chance. And he's already a baby, KWIM?!?!? I know I'm not expresing myself very well right now. When Seth was born, I was just amazed and astounded that a couple hours before I was just pregnant. Then Seth came out, and he was an honest to goodness baby with all this hair and distinct features.....

I can't wait to meet this bean!

***************

Today is the LAST day I am accepting applications for my Creative Team Call. Midnight, EST is the cut off time. I have recieved some great applications, and am sweating at the idea of actually really reviewing them and coming to a descision. Hopefully I'll have it narrowed by this weekend!

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I am a self proclaimed dork, LOL! Ya'll know that one of my all time favorite books is Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. Well, there is this wedding scene that takes place when Claire is forced to marry Jamie. He gives her this silver ring with thistles on it. Years later, (and in a different book!) she removes it for the first time and actually sees an inscription. The ring reads, da mi basia mille. It means A Thousand Kisses.

Well, do you know how excited I was when I recently learned that a jewelry company got permission from Diana Gabaldon to recreate the ring? The site for orders launched on the 15th, and I bet I was one of the first to make an order. LOL~ my mom made hers a couple hours after I made mine.

Here is a pic of the ring~

To get your own Claire's Ring~ Click Here

I ended up getting the silver ring, with antiquing, and with the engraving. In my opinion, it wouldn't be Claire's ring any other way.

I think Nate is going to hold it back for Valentine's though. Which is fine! :)

Happy Wednesday!

Three Things....

Melanie tagged me yesterday, so here you are! :) I'll be back with my normal rambling tomorrow morning...I promise! :)

3 Things Survey

THREE NAMES YOU GO BY:
1. Andrea
2. Beatrice (a lovely nickname from Nate)
3. Mrs. Burns

THREE SCREEN NAMES YOU HAVE HAD:
1. AndreaBurns
2. raggedy_andrea
3.

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:
1. hair color
2. Smile
3. curves

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU DON’T LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:
1. Stomach
2. Thighs
3. Skin (I've been battling acne for 12 years or so!)

THREE PARTS OF YOUR HERITAGE:
1. Cuban (50%)
2. Scotts
3. American Indian, Cherokee Nation

THREE THINGS THAT SCARE YOU:
1. Anything happening to my kids/hubby
2. Spiders
3. Whatever is hiding or lurking in the dark

THREE OF YOUR EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS:
1. coffee
2. hugs and kisses from my boys
3 . comfy clothes at night

THREE THINGS YOU ARE WEARING RIGHT NOW:
1. blue maternity sweatsuit
2. wedding ring
3. Silver Earrings

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE BANDS OR MUSICAL ARTISTS:
1. Dave Matthews Band
2. Dixie Chicks
3. Casting Crowns

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE SONGS:
1. Let's Be Lovers by Dave Matthews
2. While You Were Sleeping by Casting Crowns
3. Shout to the Lord

THREE THINGS YOU WANT IN A RELATIONSHIP:
1. Honesty
2. Romantic
3. Loyal

TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE (in no particular order):
1. I love photography
2. I lived in Peru for 5 years
3. I once worked as Regis Philbin's assistant

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS ABOUT THE PREFERRED SEX THAT APPEAL TO YOU:
1. Smile
2. Eyes
3. broad shoulders

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE HOBBIES:
1. Digi scrapping
2. Photography
3. cooking/ baking

THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO REALLY BADLY RIGHT NOW:
1. get a decent night's sleep... and on my belly!
2. Move out of our house and into our dream house in our dream location.
3. Spend time with my grandparents

THREE CAREERS YOU’RE CONSIDERING/YOU’VE CONSIDERED:
1. School Teacher
2. Digi Scrap designer
3. write children's books

THREE PLACES YOU WANT TO GO ON VACATION:
1. the beach
2. a tour of Scotland/ Italy/ Australia
3. Cruise to the Caribbean

THREE KID’S NAMES YOU LIKE: (not counting Seth's and Bean's names)
1. Audrey
2. Nolan
3. Claire (Nate thinks this is a guy's name... um... okay)

THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE:
1. To Travel the world as much as possible
2. Watch my kids get happily married, have their own families, and believers in Christ
3. Build our dream home in our dream location

THREE WAYS THAT YOU ARE STEREOTYPICALLY A BOY:
1. I can eat many men under the table, LOL!
2.
3.

THREE WAYS THAT YOU ARE STEREOTYPICALLY A GIRL:
1. I LOVE girly clothes/ skirts!
2. I like to have my nails/toes done.
3. I love to shop

THREE PEOPLE THAT YOU ARE TAGGING: Theresa, Kim, & Sarah

Preggo Pains....

Pregnant in my third trimester, things are NOT fun anymore. For one things, the baby likes to push down on my bladder. Here I am sitting unaware, and BAM! Extreme pressure on my bladder and I am desperately trying to not have an accident, until the baby lets up. For two, I have become very uncomfortable. I can't get a decent breath, my back is achy, and I am constantly trying to find a good position to get comfy in. But its doesn't happen, because this heavy baby shifts to which ever side I am entertaining. For three~ it is a Party in my Pants come 10 pm, and Bean parties ALL NIGHT LONG. For four (will my complaining ever end... LOL!) the last two nights I have been up till 1:30 or 2 am, because our bedroom is stifling hot, and my husband has been snoring. Nate disagrees about the heat, as he's cuddled under the quilt. No kidding though, last night I was so hot, I had to get up and walk around to keep from getting "physically sick."

Needless to say, I am very tired this morning.

My mom just called and told me the most interesting piece of info, ie. boys and potty training. She was talking to some of the moms of boys that she teaches with, and they ALL told her that boys tend to PT later, around 3 or so. Then one teacher told her that she read somewhere that boys don't physically feel the need or sensation to pee as early as girls do. Isn't that interesting? It would explain why Seth would pee on the potty, declare to be done, and literally come to me a minute later saying "wet... wet." And indeed wet.

Food for thought, 'eh?

Credits: ScrapArtist Simple Pleasure papers and lace. Michelle Coleman's Chelsea's Dream flowers, Lighter Shade of Pale stitching, and her Hand Stamped Alpha. Nancie Rowe Janitz's Bleached Linen's buttons. Katie Pertiet's Grace kit Trim. Debbie Knorr's Bent It photo templates. Fonts: Pea Jenny & 1942 Report.

The pics are of my dad (in Cuba 1957), myself (in Peru, 1981), and of course, Sethro (in PA, 2006)!

Journaling reads: They’ve always said that you looked like me. Imagine my surprise when I found an old picture of my father. I see a whole lot of his young face in your features. Then again, no one can deny the resemblance between us either.

And.... the finished product of my purse! The blue looks a bit brighter than it does in real life, but you get the idea! I LOOOVE it!

Have a good Monday everyone! I know I'll try to have a better one!

Winter's Grace & SALE!

oh. my. word.

there was poop everywhere a couple hours ago....

That just about made me puke. SO GROSS.

It was like cleaning after a dog, except it was Seth's. And of course he tried to "clean himself up" and now one of my white handtowels is in the wash.

(sigh)

Its only been 4 days.... when can I wave the white flag and just admit that he isn't ready for Potty Training? Its just my gut feeling that he isn't ready yet. He is now in diapers, and maybe I'll try again later this summer, but definitely again when he turns 3 in Sept.

But to make it all better, a couple hours later~ Guess who said "I love you" for the first time to his mommy today, unpromted?

New! Winter's Grace~

Winter's Grace is a soft and snowy kit perfect for both boys and girls. The color palette is both frosty and chilly, and sure to suit your winter layouts perfectly.

Included in Winter's Grace are 8 textured and worn papers, 3 buttons, 3 tags, 3 glitter snowflakes, 3 satin ribbons, 2 fabric borders, 2 crotcheted snowflakes, 2 frames, and 2 twisty ribbons with snowflakes hanging off of them. Also included is a full glittery snowflake alpha and glittery numeral and symbol set.

You can get it Winter's Grace HERE at the Digi Chick.

Introductory sale price of 20% OFF till midnight, Friday the 12th,CST! There are also seperate paper pack and element packs available.

Some fantastic Layouts from my CT featuring Winter's Grace!

And FYI! I am having a HUGE Retirement Sale!

Aqua Floral

Baby Boy Mine

Baby Girl Mine

Embrace

Fresh

Months Paper

Pretty Posie Paper

Simplicity

Sour Apple

Homecooking & Add On

Motherhood

This also includes any coordinating paper packs. From the 10th to the 14th. Once the sale is over, the kits are GONE forever! Get yours while you still have a chance!

Beautiful Baby....

I had my 30 weeks appointment yesterday, and everything is completely normal, completely fine. I passed my Gestational Diabetes test, which I thought I would.

I've gained a total of 30 lbs, which my OB says is fine... but is freaking me out. I now weigh 5 lbs less than Nate... ACK! I must try to eat better the next 8 weeks and not gain as much.

She commented that Bean was "big" but nothing to worry about. I go back for another sono in 4 weeks to check on the breech position, but she says he still has plenty of time to turn.

I asked about the chance of tearing, and she said that there is less chance I'll tear this time around. 1) I'm a bit more stretched out since having Seth and 2) she doesn't think I'll have to push as long this time around. (I tore up both sides inside, and had to push for an hour and a half with Seth. He was only 7 and a half pounds.) It was a big relief to hear, but I am still skepticle.

Oh~ and she is NOT changing my due date. I thought maybe she might since Bean was measuring ahead. When I asked her about it, she said that the 7 weeks sono is the most accurate. There is a big difference between a 7 week baby and an 8 week baby. I guess that makes sense, b/c of lung development and such... So March 20th it still is! I am now seeing her every 2 weeks.

Potty Training was fantastic on Monday. Only 1 accident all day. Yesterday.... not so much. He had 5 or 6 accidents, 1 of them being poop. I got really frustrated at about 6:30 and threw a diaper on him for the rest of the night. I wish I hadn't done that now. I'm going to give it the rest of the week. If the lightbulb hasn't gone off by the end of the week, I very may well just wait till he's 3 in September. When I was coming down the stairs last night I dropped our brand new timer. DOH! So now I really have to watch the clock like a hawk and run out to WalMart later.

These are my first real nice shots from my new D80! Seth is still loving his big boy bed, and we are too! I can't get over how easy the transition was! Western PA is notorious for poor light and rain, so when the sun popped out 2 morning ago, I took full advantage. Regis and Kelly started their Beautiful Baby Search yesterday, and I went ahead and submitted the first photo.

Nikon D80, 50mm, F2

Have a great Wednesday!

Creative Team Call

Andrea Burns is looking for 3 or 4 active, enthusiastic, and inspirational digital scrapbookers to become part of her creative team.

Details:1. As a part of my team, I ask that you create 3-4 LO's a month. You will receive a minimum of 2 free kits to work with each month.

2. You must create 1 to 2 original layouts with each kit you are given and post to at least 3 major online galleries (2 must be TDC & DST) and e-mail me the links to the layouts. You must properly credit me as the designer in your gallery postings.

3. I prefer that you become an active member of the posting forums of the galleries you post to. I feel that if people "know" you, they will pay more attention to your work in the galleries.

4. You can be a member of any other design team or website creative team as long as you are able to keep up your commitment to complete the layouts for the kits you have received.

Application:

1. Please download a sample of my work here:

Link 1

Link 2

(please only download if you plan to apply)

2. Create a LO using the sample items. You may supplement a couple items into your LO, as long as my items are still the main focus.

3. Email me your LO to andreaburnsct@hotmail.com sized to 100k.

4. Along with your scrapbook page, please include the following information in your e-mail.

Complete name and contact information.
A link to your most complete online gallery.
A short description of your scrapping style and what you feel your strengths and weaknesses are.
Any additional information you want to share.

Deadline is Wednesday, January 17th by Midnight EST.

BBB & Potty Time (Am I Crazy or What?!?!)

I cannot get over how well Seth has transitioned to his Big Boy Bed. I had nightmares from listening to different people that there would be a struggle keeping him there... that we'd see his face at 3 am.... LOL! But he has done really, really well. He doesn't fight it, he actually welcomes it. And he stays put. One time, during one of his naps I heard a toy go off, and by the time I got to the door, he was already half up in bed, LOL!

I think he was so used to us coming to get him from the crib that it extended over to the BBB, b/c he waits for us to come get him out of the BBB too. I can't believe it!

Last night he stayed awake in the bed for a while, but at least he's stayed put.

Today marks another big day.... we have started to Potty Train! He has all the signs of readiness... why not, KWIM? Keep your fingers crossed for us please! We are doing the cloth Training Pants, every half hour potty time approach.

A Special Request!!! .......If you still have your Dec. issue of Parents, I'd love to have "The Best Baby Names" story out of it. I accidently recycled my issue before tearing it out. If you are going to get rid of it, I'd love to have the story, torn out and folded to mail is just fine! Just leave me a way to contact you, and we can talk addresses. THANKS!!!

ETA: I've got the article coming now, so don't worry about it anymore! LOL! THANKS!

Here are some pics of Seth sleeping away in his BBB!! I can't get over what an easy transition this was for us!!!

Story time with Daddy on the first night.

And now... napping....

By now, MANY of you have heard about those fabulous Princess Purses over at Paper Princess. I got one for myslef and for my lovely sister in law, before Christmas. I finally got around to making some inserts for the purse, and I can't wait to get them and show them around town! I'll sport the blue one until Feb, and then sport the Valentiney one!

Michelle Coleman's Merry LIttle Christmas papers and snowflake pin, all you need is love trim, Nancie Rowe Janitz's frosty flourish, and Holly Jolly felt swirl and snowflakes. Traci Murphy's photo frame.

Everything from Michelle Coleman's All You Need Is Love kit and Traci Murphy's Photo Frame.

Ack! There's the timer... its Potty Time!

29 Weeks Sono....

Nate and I were both a bit confused about what we were getting done. We were both so excited because we thought it was one of those really cool U/S's.... but those are 4D. We just had a regular one and one that was 3D.

Here's Bean!! (and yep, he's still ALL boy!) These are all of his face.

And the 3D one... which in my opinion isn't all that much better than the other ones....

He's measuring at about 30.5 weeks, so ahead by 10 days. She calculated my EDD 10 days earlier to the 10th. Bean is already 3 lbs and she could already see plenty of hair on his head, LOL! Bean was playing with his tongue and opening his mouth, it was really neat. At the moment he is in breech position with his head over on my left side. Another neat thing~ he was laying his head on an artery. The blood flow was making the artery pulse, acting like a bouncer/ rocker for Bean's head. Isn't that sweet?

Last night was Seth's first night in the Big Boy Bed. He did GREAT! We explained that it was bedtime and NOT playtime. He stayed in bed! YAY! I just checked on him and he did move and lay down at the foot of the bed, but I flopped him back into the right place. He stirred for a moment and I kissed him telling him he did a good job staying in bed and that he was such a big boy. He whispered back "big boy" and went back to sleep. awwww.....

Today I have plans to finally finish a winter kit that has been half finished for about 3 weeks, LOL! I love how it has turned out, I'm just in the middle of elements.

Bear Cookies

My mom has been making us Christmas Bear Cookies, and my sisters and I have been decorating them every Christmas, for as long as I can remember. It was one of the traditions we had that all of us loved and enjoyed. And now I'd like to share it with you! :)

****************

Teddy Bear Cookies

1 to 2 rolls refrigerator sugar cookie dough
decorator icing
m&m's, sprinkles, other various candy

Preheat oven to 350*. Cut dough in 1/4 inch slices. Use 7 slices for each bear. On ungreased cookie sheet arrange as so:

*feel free to right-click and save the diagram picture for future reference.*

Bake 12-14 minutes. Cool on cookie sheet 3-5 minutes, remove and cool completely.

Decorate as desired.

****************

There you go! Super easy, and of course LOTS of fun, especially for the kiddos, LOL! We made them last week, a little late. Usually we do them before Christmas, but this year it got away from us and it was actually New Years Eve! This was the first year Set really actively participated, and he actually ate more icing and m&m's than decorated, but it was still fun and I still think he had a good time.

















You can decorate them however you like. Seth's is holding a present, mine held some flowers and had earrings, my mom's had a complete sweater set on, LOL! And I do suppose that they don't have to be specifically "Christmas." I guess you can make them whenever and decorate according to whatever... like Easter? Anyways, I just wanted to share one of the Lopez Family Christmas traditions with you, and I hope you enjoy!

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Well, I am really excited! I'm off today to go get a 3D sonogram of the Bean! I never had one with Seth, so this will be so different and exciting! Let's hope Bean is still a bean... I've been preparing for him that way, LOL!

Seth's Big Boy Room....

Three days of work, and I'm finally done! This used to be a guest room/ Nate's Playstation room with a full size bed. Now its Seth's Big Boy Room!

Ideally, I would have painted the walls, maybe a soft blue to coordinate with the bedding. Maybe after the new baby comes! I don't think it looks terrible, so, oh well.

Here you go!






Grand Opening was this morning, and Seth is STILL in there going to town with his new Christmas toys!

Once I pick up a bed rail, we'll start naps in there, and hopefully by next week, he'll be fully moved in, sleeping there all the time.

Other than that, I canvassed the neighborhood yesterday and got my 5 signatures needed for the Barking Dog complaint. We'll turn it in today and hopefully by tonight or tomorrow we'll finally have some peace!

I've been promising you all the Christmas Bear Cookie recipe and directions... and this is all coming tomorrow! Complete with pics of every step, LOL! Better late than never right?

Nesting....

Can we say "Nesting?"

LOL! I am smack in the middle of moving Seth over to a BBR, and cleaning out the nursery for Bean. I am almost done. But after that, we are moving the computer downstairs and making the computer/ guest room, solely a Guest Room. Its a smaller room, and usually guests would store their luggage in what will now be Seth's new room. I don't want that anymore, so I am moving the Computer out, so there is more room for their luggage.

LOL! I've got Nate pretty busy too. I've got him pulling nails, pounding new ones, moving heavy furniture. I'm even going to have him modify Seth's wall name letters. They used to hang by a ribbon... fine if its in a nursery, but now too babyish. He's going to remove the ribbon, and drill a hole in the back so they can hang by a nail.

AND! I found the SAME font used for those letters, and rather than buy a whole new set for Bean, Nate will just MAKE the letters for a fraction of the cost.

So yeah, I guess you could say I'm nesting, since this is a pretty big project that has taken a few days, and has a couple days left, LOL! Not to mention we also undecorated for Christmas yesterday too! We are on a roll!

I need to pick up a bed rail for Seth's new twin and then we'll start off with naps in there. He is already anxious to sleep in it, and he loves how his new room is turning out.

Here is my 28 week belly~



And the progression, 16, 20, 24, 28 weeks~

Yesterday I had my Rhogam Shot, FINALLY! They were too busy for me last week, and I HAD to get this shot within 28 weeks, and within 7 days of the blood draw from Friday.

Every day I called they were "too busy" to see me. I'm sorry, give me a break... this was for a flippin' shot! How long does that take? Anyways, I finally got in yesterday afternoon, but it still took them an HOUR to administer everything.

One nurse would come in and check the baby's HB, then leave. 20 min later, another one came in and took my blood pressure. 20 min after that, I signed a consent form for the shot. And FINALLY I got my shot in my hip, all undignified with my pants around my thighs.

(sigh)

The kicker is that there were only 2 women in labor, both around 3-4 cm, and I saw at least 5 or 6 different nurses, so I have NO clue what was taking so long.

Welp~ must run, I have more laundry to thrown in, and I need to run to the Police Station to fill out a formal complaint against the barking dog. He is STILL barking ALL day and ALL flippin' night.

Happy New Years!!

Happy New Years!

Last night we had a youth event, we took 11 kids Bowling. I hadn't been in 6 years, but I did have a really good time, LOL! Afterwards we had a lock-in at the church (I didn't plan on staying.) We watched Lady in The Water, and then we hung out till midnight. I came home shortly thereafter.

Today we are undecorating from Christmas. I am also in the middle of putting together Seth's big boy room. His twin bed is all set up, that room's closet and dresser is all cleaned out. I just need to clean up the junk on the floor, transfer clothes and personalized stuff on over, and set up a couple of his toys. I want to wait for his room to be all together before we try sleeping in there.

I also have to see if the Maternity Ward isn't too busy for me today for my Rhogam shot. They were last Thursday, and I only have a couple days to get this shot taken care of.

Tonight we are having Kielbasa and Sauerkraut for dinner.

Christmas Recap: I got my lovely new camera, some perfume, a set of queen sized sheets, some earings, monogrammed cuff bracelet, monogrammed necklace, a set of books, a cast iron skillet, a black backdrop, and my biggest surprise.... Nate got me the Willow Tree Holy Family from their nativity set. I'll try and collect the rest of the pieces throughout the year.

Nate got a couple PSP games, 2 marshamallow guns, a rocket, 2 pants, 1 shirt, a work coat, a couple small tools, a Router, and a bunch of money.

Seth got the Little People Garage and Zoo, a couple dump trucks, the Actions Sounds trike, Cars DVD, Sesame Street Tool Bench and accessories, a bunch of Bob the Builder vehicles and Cars figures, and whatnot. He made out like a Bandit, LOL!

LOL~ Did ya'll notice the change of PJ's towards the end.... he had a nasty bout of diarrhea during presents... that lasted for the next 2 days!

New Years Resolutions:

1) Scrap MORE! I plan on making more pages! Last year was pitiful, and I don't think I'll have a problem once the new Bean comes.

2) Keep a cleaner house! Clutter and mess drives me BONKERS, but this year with a toddler I let things slide a little too often. I want to be much better this year.

3) To become MUCH better about keeping my quiet time with God, along with persistant Devotionals. Its so easy to become "too busy" and this year I am going to deepen my walk with Christ.

4) Be back to pre-pregnancy weight by Thanksgiving, LOL!

How about you?