My little ham

Karina ate ham tonight!!!! 


I am beyond ecstatic!  My girl who won't eat vegetables, meat, or anything healthy, ate HAM!!!!!!!!!!  I wanted to start singing and crying at the same time.  What a relief.  Now I just have to get her to eat it a second and third time!

What? "Designer" Disposable Diapers?

Apparently, Pampers has introduced some fancy prints that are going to cost more than regular disposables.  I guess cloth is really making a comeback, since the disposable companies seem to to be trying to compete with them now.  Huggies, you may know, has a new "denim" diaper.

I say, if you want prints or a cloth look, just go with actual cloth.  You'll get cuter diapers, save money, and help the environment and your baby.

A Little Outing

Around here they've been advertising this little farmers market on Saturday mornings in downtown.  Karina and I took off one morning to go check it out.  It was a bit disappointing.  There weren't as many vendors as I expected, and the lines for the fresh fruit stands were really long.  And it was hot.  But downtown is cute and nice, so before we left (after driving there, I didn't want to just leave after 10 minutes) Karina and I strolled down the street to see what we could see.  We stayed in the shade and here are a few things we came across.

I hope you can see this cute little duck.  See his pool?  He was swimming in it.

It is so hard to see, I'm sorry.  But he's in it!

We also saw some pretty flowers, and the hydrangeas were gorgeous.

Karina had a great time, as you can see.  So did I!  She is so much fun to do these little things with because she is so happy all the time.

Gymboree, I hate you (because I love you so much)

Look what they're doing to me.  LOOK.  Look how stinking adorable their new line of clothes is!  How am I supposed to afford to buy ALL of it?  Because I LOVE ALL OF IT.  They're killing me.  Check out the new stuff at Gymboree or in a store soon, I assume.

Poppy Ruffle Swing Top

Poppy Dot Puppy Sock Two Pack

Poppy Dress

Poppy Sandal

Poppy Dot Dress

See what I mean?  It's just wrong, wrong I tell you.  Now, how long can I hold out until I am forced to go buy at least one of these things?  Probably not very long!

Karina's Speech

Well.  It turns out Karina is having to have a speech evaluation because she doesn't talk.  At all.  Several months ago, she would say Mama, Dada, and Duddy for doggie, but now she says pretty much nothing.  So she's going to be set up with an evaluation to determine if it's just her personality or if there is something wrong.  Coincidentally, BabyCenter.com's bulletin email today was about just that--speech delays.  There was a warning signs list with it, and the only thing on it that Karina has is not saying 15 words.  So I'm hoping it's just that she's busy learning so many other things (wait til you hear what she did today), but I'm wondering now if it's not a problem.  Either way, I guess we'll find out soon.

So today, we had finished up our dinner and I was cleaning up in the kitchen.  Oh, a little background information.  First, our dining room floor is about 1/2 inch lower than our hallway and kitchen floors, which were installed by the previous homeowners and are tile.  The dining room is laminate floor and there's a little threshold between to two rooms.  Also, Karina has a ride-on toy that is like a car, and that's what I call it, her car.  So what happened was, as I was cleaning in the kitchen, she got on her car and started coming through the dining room towards the kitchen.  She got to the threshold and couldn't get over it.  So I said, "Karina, what you need to do is get off your car, push it over the bump, and then get back on it." And she did.  My child followed multi-step directions--some of my third graders couldn't do that!  I was shocked.  I never really expected her to do that, when I said it. 

So she clearly has no hearing issues, no comprehension issues, she can point out all kinds of body parts and animals and objects in books when asked, she follows directions, she does make some noises, but she won't say any words.  Oh, and she also will sign for things, too.  Anyway, I guess I need to stop worrying about it, but I can't.  It's so silly to worry about it.  The other non-fantastic news is that her picky eating has affected her weight, and she hasn't gained any.  So she's dropped to the 40th percentile for that, which is also worrisome, mainly because I can't force-feed her.  Sigh.  Working on that, too. 

Well.  This is a nice bummer of a post.  Hopefully I'll have good news soon, or at least a date for the speech evaluation.  I'm waiting to be called about that.  I'll post when I know something.

The New bumGenius Diaper

Well, they announced today that the diaper that's replacing their old onesize 3.0 is a newer version of that same diaper.  It is slightly bigger to accomodate larger babies, it is available in velcro or snaps, which it wasn't before, and it comes in 3 new colors as well as the original five pastels.  The new colors are even lighter, Bubble, Noodle, and Sweet.  Bubble is a pale bluish color (they are really hard to see online), Noodle looks like a soft peachy color, and Sweet is a pale green.  Cotton Babies is taking preorders.

Diaper Covers on Etsy

I have found a site on Etsy called kdbspace that has some really good diaper covers.  I like the design of them and they don't leak.  I found that a lot of the fold over elastic-edged covers or diapers leaked through the elastic, so even if they were really well made covers/diapers, they'd leak.  At least for Karina they do.  Anyway, I found this site, I can't remember how, but she had one diaper cover on sale because the sewing on the velcro had caused a little bunching on the inside.  Well, I didn't care about that, so I bought the cover to try it out.  It's great.  And today, she had it on and she had, um, a rather large mess inside (What's the opposite of exaggerating?  I'm doing that.  It was a blowout.  It was all contained, but wow).  I was impressed because not only did this cover hold it all in, it was really easy to clean off with my diaper sprayer.  The elastic area is stiff, but it doesn't roll down or rub her tummy and the stiffness doesn't bother me.  The legs on her covers have gussets, and they did a good job helping to hold in her mess today.  She makes other items too, but mainly the diaper covers.  She even makes dolly diaper covers.  She has fabric covered ones in different fabrics (here is an example),

solid ones in a variety of colors,

solid ones with a little ribbon accent (cute) to match the color of the diaper,

and ones with crossover velcro that will go to an even smaller waist setting. 

I bought two more covers from her after trying out the sale one.  Since my beloved Wonder Wraps are, for all intents and purposes, being discontinued, I am glad to have found another cover that works well.  You can find kdbspace on Etsy.  Oh, one other cool thing is that they live on their sailboat and it's completely powered by solar and wind power.  Pretty cool!



PS Nobody paid me or gave me anything to do this review.  I bought the diaper covers and tried them and liked them, so I wanted to share about her site just because of that. 

A Girl and Her Purse

That's my girl.  My little 18 month old child, going for a walk with her purse.

Never mind that it used to be my purse.  I gave it to her a long time ago.  I figured she'd like the bright colors on it.  She does.  Plus, she likes putting things in it.  You may or may not know, I don't remember, that she likes to carry anything resembling a container with a strap.  But this was the first time she wanted the purse on her shoulder.

Before we even got started on our walk, I was able to get some really cute shots of her hanging all over the nasty fence in our front yard that's left over from the previous owners and which my lazy overworked husband has not fixed yet.  No matter.  She's still cute.

My Shampoo

This is the shampoo lineup in my shower.  Well, one's a bodywash but that's not important.  I use lots of shampoos in the hopes that one of them will finally, magically make my hair look movie-star perfect.  (Sound of me laughing so hard I fall off my chair and bang my head) Sometimes I shower after Bill comes home and he keeps Karina downstairs, but other times I just take her with me.  Now that she's bigger, she can do this.  It's kind of cute, actually.  She laughs and plays.  And organizes my shampoo. 

Oh yes.  You see, I did not set my shampoos up like this.  She did.  First, she handed me one to use.  Then she took all the rest down and played with them on the floor of the tub.  When I told her it was time to get out, this is what she did.

Nice People (You, Reading This)

I just have to say, in my very short time blogging, and personal blogging at that, not giveaways or anything, I have come across a bunch of other blogging moms and ladies and what nice ladies they are!  I am still always surprised when I get comments from people on this blog, because I think of it as small and not too exciting.  It's just my little blabbing place.  So thanks to all you really, really nice ladies (and men, though I don't think I've "met" any personally yet) who have taken the time to A. read this blog at all, B. follow this blog (double thanks), and C. leave such nice comments.  You rock!

I've had some new people commenting recently, too;  welcome! 

Thanks everyone for making me feel so good about my blog! 

Diaper Accessories

I am inspired by a post at the Knickernappies blog on diaper accessories.  It was really well done and lists one mom's diapering must-have accessories.  Mine is pretty similar, so here goes:

Wet bags: large and small.  2 Large size for the nursery.  Pail is optional.  I don't use a pail, I just put the diapers in the bag until wash day, when I haul the whole thing down to the washer and wash it with the diapers.  I have one being washed and one clean.  Several small ones for the diaper bag.  I have about 5 of them, and don't need that many, but it's good to have several so that when they're dirty or being washed, you still have one or more to put in the diaper bag.  My favorite wet bags are Monkeyfootdesigns  (or find them on Etsy here)and Natural Baby Company ones with drawstrings.  They smoosh down really small.

Diaper sprayer: I love mine.  It's a life saver, really.  After a horrific experience when we changed my daughter's formula, I am not ever giving this accessory up!  If it breaks, I am immediately buying a new one.  No matter what.  They are so easy to install, and they really make diaper mess cleanups easier.

Diaper safe cream:  I am now a complete Grandma El's convert.  We tried a couple other brands, but this one works like a charm for us.  Every cloth diapering mom needs a diaper safe cream for those times the baby might get a rash.  Karina has sensitive skin and is more prone to rashes than some babies might be.  Grandma El's clears them up quickly, and it's safe for the cloth diapers (Some creams will cause your diapers to repel.  Not a good thing.)

Flushable liners: Before we had the diaper sprayer, I used these all the time.  They were great, but they aren't any good if the mess is, um, really messy.  I'll just say this.  Sometimes, those liners just aren't going to do their job, through no fault of their own.  They are very helpful though when everything is working normally, if you catch my drift, and my husband loves them.  I don't use them anymore, though.  I use the Imse Vimse  ones because they can be washed and reused if they are only wet.  (That site's in some other language.  Find them at your favorite online retailer in English: Diaper Junction, Nicki's Diapers, and Baby Cotton Bottoms carry them.  There are also other brands out there, but check to be sure you can wash them.  Not all are washable, but most are flushable or disposable and biodegradable.)


As for the other things on the Knickernappies list, I either don't use them or need them at this time.  The sheet savers I had didn't work so we stopped using them.  I just had to find a good night diaper routine quick.  And, though I tried cloth wipes, I found I couldn't stick with them and went back to the disposable ones.  And of course we have a changing pad on our table.  I have several covers that I rotate using.  I actually got the changing table at a yardsale for $5--really--and the pad and 2 covers also at a yardsale, I think that was $5 too.  I just washed everything and voila. 

I suggest that you also check out the list over at the Knickernappies site, because you might want to see what that mom does and what she likes to use.  Maybe there will be things on her list that speak to you, even though they might not have been things I use.  It's a really great list.

bumGenius diapers

I got an email today from Cotton Babies announcing it is discontinuing it's wildly popular bumGenius one size 3.0 diapers. 

This on top of losing my Wonder Wraps is almost too much to take!


Get 'em while you can.

Bye Bye to my OB

I have the best--THE BEST--OB ever.  I've been going to him since I was 18, except the time I lived in Florida with Bill.  Ugh.  Anyway, I found out today he is going to retire sometime in the next year and I'm so sad!  He is so wonderful.  Let me tell you a few things.  First, when I went there the first time, I was hysterical, my mom thought someone had gone into labor, and he was so perfectly calm and reassuring.  He was SO nice to me.  I was SO scared.  Over the years, I learned to really trust him, to the point that when my daughter was born, I basically told Bill, "We don't do anything unless Dr. L says to."  While I was at the hospital, I didn't sleep for about 24 hours (I went into labor around 10pm Christmas night, just as I was going to bed, and then I couldn't fall asleep at the hospital; Karina was born at 10pm on the 26th) and when Dr. L came in to check on my progress around 9:00pm on the 26th, I burst into tears and said, "I'm so tired!  I've been awake for 24 hours and I'm so tired!"  He just stayed really calm, as usual, and reassured me that Karina would be born soon and I just had to be strong a little longer.  I said, "I'll do anything if you tell me to!"  I was sooooo tired and out of it!  When they didn't want to admit me to the hospital (my contractions were 2 minutes apart and they HURT but they didn't want to admit me.  So how did they think I was going to know when to come back???)  he made them.  He is just the best.  He actually talks to his patients, like they're actual people.  My good friend had her son delivered by Dr. L, and when she was in the hospital, Dr. L had gone in to check her.  When he came out, my friend's dad asked how she was.  Dr. L said, "Well.  She's pregnant."  He's just funny like that.  I am SO going to miss him.

Today he told me that if I got pregnant tonight he might still be around to deliver the baby.  Um.  I don't think that is going to happen, although I told him Bill wouldn't object! 

You know, it's just too hard to describe a person.  Just trust me.  This guy is the best.  Local women are all going to be crying when they find out.



Don't leeeeeeeeeeave me, Dr. L!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cloth DIaper Awards

Thanks to Kelly's Closet/DiaperShops for sharing this on Facebook.

These two ladies, Kim and Ida (websites below), are running a cloth diaper awards survey at http://www.clothdiaperawards.com/.  It's your chance to vote for your favorite diapers, to share your experiences, and to add any other information you think is important.  There are categories for accessories, too, like diaper sprayers, wetbags, and diaper bags.  It was a really great, thorough survey, and if you use cloth diapers, and you would like to take part in this survey, head on over there and have fun!  You can have the option of being emailed when the results are in, too, if you want.
http://www.treeswillbend.com
http://www.thegirlisamom.com 

Lipton Tea Makes Me Me

I love tea.  No wait, I LOVE tea.  But not the flavored, green, or iced versions.  Just regular, plain-old, Lipton hot tea, with milk and sugar.  Mmmmmmmmmmm.  Yummy!  I drink a lot of it.  That's because I used to drink a lot of Pepsi, which I also love.  After Karina was born, though, I couldn't shed all my baby weight, and I was getting sick of carrying around this extra weight that was really starting to upset me.  I used to drink one 12 ounce soda a day.  It was not as hard as I thought it would be to give up, because what had happened was that Karina got older and bigger and was now reaching for my soda.  She reached for it so much, that I couldn't drink it if she was awake, and when she took her naps, I'd make a cup of tea to soothe me (because tea, in my world, is instant, hot, soothing bliss).  I was never finishing the sodas, and I got tired of pouring them down the drain.  So I stopped drinking them.  Now Bill rarely drinks soda, too.  We just don't keep it in the house.  Some days, I do.  It's not like I've sworn off it forever until I die, but I just don't have it around.  Ah, the tea, the beautiful tea that has replaced my need for Pepsi (sorry Pepsi, I do miss you!).  I have a cup in the morning, a cup with Karina's lunch around 1130, another when she takes her nap around 1230/1, and sometimes another one later on.  It just depends.  If I go to my mom's house, I will have one or two extras.

See, it's their fault I drink tea like this.  When I say "their" I mean my mom and my grandmother.  When I say "fault" I don't mean it in a bad way.  My grandmother, Nana, came here from Scotland, where they drink a lot of tea.  Her kids grew up with it.  Now I have, too.  And oh, how I love it!



By the way, Lipton and Pepsi did not in any way sponsor anything I wrote here.  I just really like Lipton tea and Pepsi, and everything I said here is my own personal opinion that I just randomly decided to write about.  I didn't get any money to say any of this.  Even though I am sort of a walking advertisement for them since I love them so much, but that's okay.  They still didn't pay me.

Doll

This doll is called "Darling Timey Tell" because she wears a watch.  When I first saw this doll, I thought she looked an awful lot like Karina, only not as cute, he he.  Now, in the light of the morning, maybe not as much as I first thought.  But she's still a really cute doll.  And she does somewhat resemble Karina.  She needs some dimples and straighter hair.

I found her at heritagegeneralstore on Etsy.

Playtime with Uncle David and Erin

Today, my brother and his girlfriend Erin hung out a lot at the house.  Usually, they're pretty busy when Erin's in town, but today they were here a lot.  It was so great.  During Karina's nap, we just sat around and talked, and then after dinner, we all (including Bill) went out in the backyard to play.  Karina has a big blue ball that's almost as big as she is, and she was chasing it, and kicking it, and throwing it.  She really likes playing with Erin, and has warmed up to David so much lately.  Karina was running all over the yard with all of us.  Then she found the frisbee.  Bill, David, Erin, and I started throwing it to each other, and Karina wanted to get in on the fun, too.  We were carefully throwing it to her, but then she decided to be bossy and tell us who to throw it to instead.  So she would point to someone, we'd throw it to that person, and she would laugh.  Then that person would throw it to Karina, and she would run and get it and take it to Bill, and then tell him who to throw it to!  It was so funny.  Bill wanted to videotape her, but by the time he got back, she had stopped playing that game.  We were outside for about an hour, until after 7pm.  It was so much fun.  It's so great seeing her grow up and play more and more.  She is so much fun!!

Sorry, my readers

I recently took off my word verification and have had some spam comments and one was ick.  So the captchas are back.  I'm really sorry.  I know it's really annoying, and maybe I'll try turning it off again later.  I just hate dealing with morons.  :-)  Unfortunately, it means you guys have to deal with the annoying captchas.  I am really sorry.

String Cheese

Karina likes cheese and she and I eat a lot of it.  We eat it a lot because, not only do we love it, she needs it.  She can't have any peanut products because of the stupid allergy, and she won't eat eggs yet.  But, as my brother would say, I digress.  Karina and I normally eat plain old American cheese, or string cheese, and sometimes we have cheesy biscuits made from Colby Jack cheese (mmmmmmmmmmm good!).  The American cheese and string cheese I tear up and put on her plate with the rest of her meal (usually lunch).  With the string cheese, she will put huge chunks of it in her mouth if I don't tear it up small enough. 

The funny thing is, she hates the tiny shredded strings that inevitably peel off when I tear the bigger pieces off for her.  You know how when you peel the string cheese you get those little wispy strings?  She hates them.  She won't eat them.  She hands them to me and makes a whining noise because she doesn't want them on her fingers!

Post at Crazy Lewis House

I just saw a funny post for Wordless Wednesday at Crazy Lewis House.  Here is the link if you want to see it.

http://lewiscrazyhouse.blogspot.com/2010/06/wordless-wednesday_08.html?showComment=1276103948130_AIe9_BG3-mZlk3mXz4dR9Ec-g_DjGGIvmEQyD_XXkTXxyFYoaCdkNGxvA7yrBCV3PmQz3Hn1g-_lrXTeyK2LPnVC4ZFBCiU1EtsO3qhsHb1zjETIHqrytNVIIa3TdTqqtWLkJmF1EcDxmRaTxIB1FciBssSrYtmIMsUthemQg5uCIWFhlNwG3gWWtc4OCe-UpuEottjnbLZxdSTN4NCrdY20hcxUW3sTMA9Jj64LRWPVdK2RImyULq0#c3058285806961627275

I Think Too Much

My whole life, I always wanted two kids, a girl and then a boy.  I wanted to have my first child by 26 and my second by 29 and be done before thirty.  HA HA HA!!!  My mom quotes John Lennon (?) to me:  "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."  Anyway, I'm halfway to my dream family, with my amazing daughter, and though she's still little, I am thinking a lot about the future second child.  Life changed so much when Karina was born, for the better.  I know, because of my friends who have kids, that the second one is going to change life even more.  But that's not my real issue.

My issue is that I love spending my time 100% with Karina.  I know that once there's another baby, I won't be able to devote myself to her completely like I do now.  And I know, intellectually, that this is a good thing for us, and will help her become independent, learn to share, etc.  But oh how my heart aches thinking of sharing myself with another child!!  Even though I know, intellectually, that I will love that new baby just as much as I love Karina...emotionally I can't grasp it. 

I feel kind of silly thinking about this so much, but I'm 34 and time's a bit short for me. 

Outdoor Malls Were Not Designed for Hot Weather

Today I went out by myself for a few hours.  Mom, Bill, and I all agree that Karina and I need to spend a little more time apart, both for her and my sakes.  Karina's doing a lot better with her separation anxiety, most of the time, but her mom....well, I am doing okay.  I'm fine as long as she doesn't cry.  If she cries, I would rather poke my eyeballs out with forks than leave her. 

I went out to this outdoor-mall trendy-area they've been working on near my house.  We used to have a "real" mall there, all inside, with air conditioning.  They tore that down and built one of these new trendy outdoor shopping center places, which, in my area, are all named things like "City Towne Center" or "Citye Pointe at Towne Centre".  They all sound the same and there are about 6-8 of them in the 6-8 city area I call home.  Instead of air conditioning, we get to walk around outside, in the weather, which is fine, if it's 73 degrees and 0% humidity.  It was neither of those today, but I went anyway (It was 98 degrees and the humidity felt like about 472%). 

I wanted to go to Target (my home away from home) and this mall-town-center thing is right there next to it.  There's an H&M store there and Bill suggested I check them out (Crazy, I know.  Why does Bill know about this store?  I don't know, but he told me to go and I'm sure not going to NOT go shopping if he tells me to!).  He had heard they have good prices or something.  They did have good prices, but they were so trendy that I felt very out of place (nothing new).  Except in the little kids' section.  Now that was nice.  I could have spent $200 in a minute there.  And they really do have good prices.  I got some cute socks with little roses on them, a pretty turquoise dress with a flower print border (only $10!), and two $5 cotton summer dresses, all for Karina.  I don't have pictures yet because they're in the laundry.  I found nothing for myself, because like I said, I felt really out of place there.  I am not a trendy or with-it kind of person, and never have been.  I doubt I ever will be. 

After I left H&M, I went walking down the sidewalk in the heat and passed another store I've always been curious about, which is Forever 21.  I went in on a whim, and I felt out of place a little, but I did see some other women who were definitely not teenagers shopping in there.  Their prices were pretty good, but I shop on the super-cheap, so I didn't buy anything.  However, they did have some really pretty, lacy, white blouses/tops that I loved.  I was so tempted.  I am such a sucker for white, lacy summer shirts and dresses. 

The last place I went in was Gymboree, which is a dangerous thing to do.  They were having their 30% off everything including sale items sale, and I wanted to buy everything.  I didn't, but I did get her a shirt that says "monkeying around", a cute ruffly dress where the ruffles alternate pink, brown, and white all the way down, and two pairs of socks to go with her new red outfit that my aunt just gave her.

After that, I returned to the heat and walked back to my car, which was parked in the Target parking lot.  Thankfully, I have a great little car that I love and which has fast-working AC.  Karina was happy to see me when I got home, and Bill reported she had been playing with an empty lemonade container for almost an hour, screwing and unscrewing the lid.  There's nothing like coming home to my child, and I never knew how good that would feel. 

A Day at the Water Park

Kelly, Erik, our kids, and I all went to the local water park on Tuesday.  The weather was perfect, started out cloudy and cool, and turned sunny and hot!  Karina did not like the life vest, but got used to it.  She rode with me down one ride, called Cowabunga, which was a short slide that basically makes a sharp L into the pool.  We rode in a double tube, the shape of an 8, with one hole and one hole with a bottom, where Karina sat.  I was really nervous, but Kelly had her youngest son in one, and he's 4 months younger than Karina.  I figured, if she and Erik could do it, so could we.  Karina did not like it too much.  I did not like it too much.  I thought it was a little too fast.  Apparently, I was supposed to let my butt drag on the floor of the slide to go slower, but I think I'm not too willing to do that, either!  So we didn't go on any other slides, but next time, we'll do this one again.  Like Kelly said, exposing her to it will help keep her from being too afraid when she's older.  And she had the life vest on.  Then we moved on to the floating highway, where you wear a life vest and float around.  I did that in the summer when I was pregnant with Karina.  We did it together today.  She didn't like it very much, I think because the lifejacket kept riding up and forcing her to lay on her back, which of course put the sun in her eyes.  I would have taken her on the lazy version, where you go in an innertube, but she was asleep by then.

At lunch, we took off the lifejackets, and I had a hot dog and ice cream.  And a soda, which I have been good about avoiding lately.  It was sooooooo good.  Karina had food from home, though, because of the stupid peanut allergy, and I couldn't find any allergy info online for their food.  I would have to contact them directly.  Then we went over to another play area, which Karina loved, because we didn't put her lifejacket back on.  Kelly and I talked about it:  we aren't leaving them anywhere, they aren't on a ride, and the lifejackets were making it really hard for them to walk.  So we decided it was okay as long as they weren't on a ride, and it worked out great.  She loved it! 

She was walking all over the pool area, walking without holding on to me, even!  She was doing so great!  She even went up onto the play platform (where the little slides come down).  I was disappointed that the really little kid area was closed.  It has some really short little slides that I think Karina would have liked.  She was asleep by the time we got to that area, though.  When I realized it was 1:45, and she usually naps by noon, I decided to just put her in the stroller with the back down and the shade up and see what would happen.  Once she fell asleep, I put a blanket over it to make it darker, and she was out for 2 hours!  I was so surprised.  I thought she might sleep for half an hour, being that we were in this noisy park and all.  That was great, but it meant I didn't get to do much for those two hours.  Then she woke up as we were getting ready to leave, and eating more ice cream!  In all, it was a really great day.  To make it even better, as we were walking out, they had some birds on display.  There were two macaws, one red, and one blue and yellow, and a green parrot.  Karina has seen birds like this in her books, and it was so cool for her to see the real ones.  She loved them.  She was laughing and pointing at them, and the birds were making all kinds of noises.  The blue macaw was moving on his perch in such a way that he looked like he was dancing!

I hope next time Bill will be able to come with us.  Tickets aren't cheap, but fortunately I can now go back all summer for free, just have to pay to park.  When Bill does eventually buy his ticket, he'll get the same deal.  I think he will have fun, too.  Too bad it will be a lot more crowded later in the summer.  Going the day Kelly and I did was great.  School here is still in session, so local kids weren't there, and the whole place was practically empty.  We didn't have to deal with any lines--not for rides, food, or getting in.  It was fantastic.  I can't wait to take Karina back again!

Our Honeymoon

As I said, our honeymoon was to Niagara Falls and several cities in Canada.  (I love Canada, except this one lady I'll tell you about soon).  We spent several days at Niagara Falls, in a hotel that overlooked them, and holy mackerel was it ever better than I imagined.  I didn't think they could possibly have rooms with such great views, but I highly recommend going there if you haven't. Pictures simply don't do it justice, but these are two of our best, I think.

When we left there, we drove to Toronto, where it stormed and then we walked around a little craft fair in a park that we found.  The hotel we stayed in was the worst of the whole trip.  (This is the craft fair)

Oh, and I forgot to tell you about the bed and breakfast we stayed in on our way up to NF...it was in New York and it was this old Victorian mansion in a little college town.  We walked around the neighborhood, got pizza and ice cream, and relaxed.  It was so cute!  I loved the house.  I just think those old Victorians are stunning.  So that was first, then the falls, and then Toronto.

Then we went to Ottawa, which has some of the most amazing architecture I had ever seen.  Plus, you can walk right up to their capital building if you want.  There were no gates or visible guards.  We took a little boat ride in the evening there, too.

This is the top of the capital building...I think it might be called the Parliament building, so if I'm messing that up, I'm really sorry.  Also, I could be completely wrong about some of these...it's been three years, after all. 

 

This building is a government building, I believe, but to the right of it is a whiter colored building, and that's a hotel.  They told us that when they built the hotel, the owner went all over Europe buying furniture for it.  He thought he'd be smart and send it over in the most reliable way he could find.  So he put it all on the Titanic.  

Gorgeous view of these government buildings as we took our little cruise.

Next was Montreal, where we spent two nights.  The full day we were there, we rented a tandem bike and rode around the city.  I tried really hard to speak French, but mine is so bad, and I just butchered it more than anything.  The people would listen to me try, and then say, "Just say it in English."  Here is me on a bridge we rode the bike across.  I still can't believe we did it.  Then it's me, just looking tired, because I was.  By the end of the day, I was fake-pedaling and totally letting Bill do all the work!  (Til he caught me, he he!)

 

This is the bridge we rode the tandem bike across.  Oh.  Heavens.

View while on the bridge...oh yes.  We did.

 (View from the bridge)

Next we went to Quebec City.  On our way there, we decided to stop for lunch at one of the little sandwich places along the way.  We went to the first one, sat down, and waited.  For the longest time, no one came.  Finally this woman came over, stood there with a grim expression and said nothing.  I said, "Bonjour" and tried to give her our order in French the best I could.  I guess I was too stupid for her because she got up and walked away.  So did we.  So that is the only person in Canada I do not like, hee hee.  We went on to another place, and the people there were amazingly friendly and helpful.  I don't think they spoke any English, or not much, and our waitress very patiently listened to me give our order in French, and was just as nice as could be.  We tipped very nicely there, as well.  The city, once we got there, is very old, and has a wall around it.  I remember it being a little chilly there.  There's a huge castle-like hotel, and water nearby.  Some boys were trying to throw a soda bottle over the balcony towards the water, but every time, the wind just blew it back to them!  We wandered around that city, too, and then finally went back to our hotel.  (I got to speak French there, too, and to use my phrase that meant, "Sorry, I don't speak French very well.").  That was our last Canadian city.

 

This is a view of the city below us as we stand up on the hill above it...it's kind of hard to describe.  Sorry.

A cute little street, like many of the streets in Quebec City, inside the walled part.

From there, we drove back into the US, where the customs people in Maine were very interested in my toothpaste tube.  I guess they were bored.  Finally another car pulled up and they hurried and finished with us.  We drove through Maine and then started to look for another bed and breakfast.  We found one very late at night in Connecticut, I believe.  It was another old house, very cool.  More of an American style, though.  But they had the most comfortable bed ever.  I fell asleep so fast, I didn't even get to enjoy the luxuriousness of it!

Then, back to my mom's to pick up our stuff and the wedding cake topper, and then the final leg, all the way to Florida.  The wedding cake top made it all that way, sat in the freezer for almost a year, then drove back up north with us when we moved from Florida. When we ate that cake topper on our first anniversary, it tasted just as good as the day we got married!!! 

And of course, we bought a house not long after that, and then found out Karina was on her way.  And now, here we are, at the three-year anniversary mark and she's almost a year and a half.  Wow.  Time flies.

Our Wedding

I started planning our wedding from Florida.  We would be getting married at a park back home, outside, in June.  The park was one of the places we used to go to alot before we moved to Florida.  The Nature Center had a big conference room with an outdoor patio, and the price was really reasonable.  Mom and Stephanie were huge, immense helps.  I made all the invitations myself.  Stephanie arranged my flowers for the bouquet, corsages, and decorations.

Mom insisted on paying for the reception, which was catered by a church member who owns a catering company and is the absolute best in town, I swear.  I had a pink dress.

  I figured it was my second wedding, so I could wear anything.  It was a pretty pink prom dress, with just enough sparkle.  I randomly found it at JCPenney and bought it a year earlier. 

Danise came into town just for me, and she wore a cute prom dress, too!  Hers was short, black and pink.  I loved it.  

It was a small wedding, mostly family and really close friends.  Stephanie was my photographer, and she did a fantastic job.  The pictures she took are gorgeous.  Bill's family all came, both sisters, uncle, and mother.  I had never met his youngest sister, so it  was nice to finally meet her.  Mr. Thomas, my former principal, also came, and I'm so glad, because you may recall he recently passed away.  Kelly was there with her oldest son, and I remember him playing with the little bells we had in the basket for when we left.  Instead of rice or birdseed (which hurts, by the way), people could ring the bells.  He took all the bells out of the basket, and then put them all back in.  It was so cute.

My former pastor, and friend, officiated, and he did a great job of meeting in the middle between me, the Lutheran, and Bill, the atheist.  My dad escorted me, and it's a good thing because, right before it all started up, I started to get all emotional, and he is an expert at getting people to stop crying.  Phew!

My cousin Colleen didn't think she would make it, because she was deployed, but the got sent back due to storms.  She took a taxi more than 40 miles just to make it to the wedding.  She arrived halfway through the reception.  I felt so bad, but so happy that she had come.  That was a really special moment, seeing her arrive.

We had cake that was so delicious I can't possibly describe it in words.  We also had a chocolate fountain, of which I did not partake nearly enough.  The whole thing lasted only a few hours, in the afternoon, and it was so perfect.   In short, the day was perfect.

We stayed in town for a few days to visit with Bill's family and Danise, before they returned to their homes.  I remember sitting in my car with Danise eating our lunch because the restaurant we'd gone to (someone wanted really fresh seafood) wasn't nonsmoking and Danise has asthma.

I didn't want to sit in the smoke, either, so I was glad for a good reason not to!  Bill brought our meals out to us and as it rained, we sat in the car and talked.  It is SO hard to have a dear friend live so far away.

Our honeymoon was to Niagara Falls and cities in Canada.  We drove the entire thing, which lasted 2 weeks.  That was great too, but I'll save it for another post.

How We Met

June 2nd is Bill's and my 3rd wedding anniversary.  Wow.  Three years isn't very long, but it seems like forever (in a good way).  Bill and I met at my old school.  He is an engineer, and at that time, his employer had a fantastic partnership with my school where their employees could donate an hour of their time, with pay, to tutoring kids at my school.  The first years we had the program, we had so many Study Buddies that all but 2 students in my class had them. After a couple years, their budget got cut and they could no longer pay the tutors.  Sadly, most of them stopped volunteering.  A few remained, though, including Bill.

One year, I moved up to fourth grade.  I was lucky enough to get two Study Buddies, and one was Bill.  As the year went on, apparently (he says) he tried to flirt with me, but I'm all business at school, so I didn't see it.  Then, coincidentally, a friend of mine threw a party he also attended.  Her fiance worked for the same company, knew Bill, and had invited him to the party.  It was the infamous Janet Jackson Superbowl (and yes, that's how we refer to it here).  Well, I got there and my friend was feeling bad.  She was feeling sorry because there were not as many (read: zero) single guys at the party as she was hoping for.  As we stood talking about it, in walks Bill.  He proceeded to flirt obviously with me all night, declaring at one point, "I don't want to sit there, I want to sit next to her!"

When I left the party, I figured I would just give him my phone number at work.  We kept talking about getting together to discuss the students (yeah, right).  Finally, I got his information from our tutor coordinator, and emailed him because we were going on a field trip the day he was scheduled to come.  His reply included a suggestion that we meet at the pizza place across from the school after work one day and talk.  And that was our first "date".  It was right around Valentine's Day.  We did not talk about the kids at all. 

Then our real first date was a hockey game right after my birthday, which is a week or so after Valentine's Day.  I remember him asking if I wanted anything to eat or drink.  I wanted a soda.  As he walked off to get it, I said, "NOT diet!" and he replied, "You are quite the woman."  That was a real compliment from him.  I remember being so excited that he had said that.  We had a great time and went for ice cream afterwards.  Then, we just kept going out. 

We had been dating for a while, I think about a year or so, when we found out his company was expecting a ton of layoffs.  Bill, not having worked there very long, could potentially be one of them.  His only option to guarantee staying with them was to move to another center.  He picked one in Florida.  We spent a year apart and it was awful.  He had told me that he wanted to marry me.  I kept waiting for him to propose, and thought he was going to at Christmas when I visited him.  He didn't.  On the day before I had to leave, I told him, "Look, when I go back, they are going to hand out Intent to Return forms at school.  If I tell them I'm coming back, I will be coming back.  But I can't do this long-distance thing anymore.  It's too hard and I'm sad all the time.  What do you want me to tell them?"  Then he told me he had intended to propose but something happened and he never got around to buying a ring.  So, in the little town of Titusville, we went ring shopping.  We found a beautiful ring at Sears, with three stones.  It's technically an anniversary ring, I think, where the stones stand for past, present, and future, but I wanted something completely different from my first engagement ring.

 Here is a picture of my engagement ring and wedding ring, because I can't find the photo of just my engagement ring.  This is a dessert I had on our honeymoon.  It was exactly as good as it looks in the picture.  Yum!  But there's the ring; I hope you can see it okay.

I returned home, filled out my Intent to (not) Return form, cried over my resignation letter, and everything else, and moved to Florida with Bill.