Today I Got a Bit Crazy.

I mean, what else can you call a gal who loads up 3 babies, by herself, and drives 45 minutes (not including the ferry ride both ways) to go to the mall.  With 3 babies.  By herself. 

I wish I had thought to take a picture once we got there.  I had Ash in the front of the double stroller, Britt in the back and Elle hanging off the front of me in the Ergo (baby carrier).  I call it a "pack-pack."

Our mission was to simply peruse Gymboree and find three cute outfits that match for really cheap.  Why?  Because we're getting our pictures professionally taken by Tony's cousin on Saturday. 

I think we succeeded in our mission. 

Here's a sneak peek of the cuteness the girls will be sporting (it's even more adorable on them):

I was amazed at how awesome the girls were.  Britt was the only one who did laps around the store.  Ash glued herself to the little TV and Elle slept the whole time.  We went to McDonald's (yuck) for lunch.  When will someone else come up with a cheap, fast, and easy place to get lunch?  And put it in every single mall across the country? 

Good day.

Oh, and Tony is in Idaho looking at housing and filling out job applications.  It's so weird to not have him here...........

Today I Fought the Monsters Under My Bed.

Spiders count as monsters, right?

Right. 

(stock photo)

I go back and forth as to whether I should use the space under our bed for storage.  I just really like to get the most out of every square inch, if I can.  But, those storage buckets make for wonderful spider web frames (especially with all the items that get randomly lost under there).  Not to mention the bit of a pain it is to pull everything out during cleaning.

But that is what I did today and I'm happy to report that there are no more dust bunnies or arachnids hanging out under my sleeping space anymore!  It was not a pleasant chore, but I don't have a ginormous belly to use as an excuse anymore, so it had to be done.

I don't really have anything else earth shaking to blog about.  My days have been full of the little things.  My favorite was probably when  I busted out a pint of strawberries for snack time, this afternoon, and hand fed them to Ash and Britt (to save their clothes and avoid any messy clean-up).  After we'd eaten every last one, Ash wrapped her arms around my knees, hugged my legs and said, "Thank you, Mama."  **warmed up heart**  I love her spontaneous gratitude. 

(stock photo)

Oh, and that town home I had my heart set on in Idaho?  Gone. 

Poop. 

Today I Felt the Winds of Change.

It's official.  We'll be moving to Idaho next month.  If we can get the town home we I fell in love with (online) last night, I will be super stoked.  If not, I'll probably go back to being secretly sad about all the family and friends I'm not going to be able to see regularly, because we're not moving to Utah instead.  Tony will be driving over there sometime next week to look at housing and we may be relocating as soon as 2 weeks from now.  Crazy!

Today I Snapped a Picture.

Have you ever done the 365 project?  The one where you make a personal commitment to take a picture every day?  There are also weekly projects too (I'm secretly wishing I'd taken that one on instead).  I just found another blogger whose given the 365 project a little extra kick in the tush.  Fat Mum Slim has been coming up with these fun monthly lists for what to take a pic of (instead of the whatever randomness I've been doing) and I'm thinking of playing along in March.  So, keep me accountable ok?  And I'll try to post the majority of them. 

(another 365 photo.  ash and britt had been watching a dvd but decided to turn their chairs so they'd be facing and watching elle.  as you can see, elle wasn't interested in being the entertainment.)

Well, I've gotta get back to the spring/summer clothes.  I'm going through storage bins to see what we've got that we can use to dress the girls in this upcoming season.  I'm happy to find that Britt has a lot of hand-me-down shoes.  Yay!  I'm going to have to let a lot of stuff go though.  We have toooooooo much of stuff that none of them can wear this year. 

Today I Did Not Cry.

I didn’t cry because I took Elle to the doctor and the little bean weighs almost 11 pounds! **cheer** Which means she’s almost off the charts! And her head has grown a full inch around since she was born (my mom would say big brains need big garages). And she’s in the 75th percentile for height.

So even though Elle has been a totally random weirdo about nursing - when she does eat, it’s enough that she’s growing and staying healthy. All that frustrated sad sobbing I’ve been doing over this issue was a waste. Why do I stress out over things for no reason all the time?!?! Seriously, I have on several occasions in the past couple of weeks been a weepy puddle because my baby rejected me again and therefore wouldn’t eat. Completely pathetic.  And might I add, being rejected by a baby is the worst kind of rejection. In my opinion. I did figure out, a couple of days ago, that if I pump and put the milk in a bottle, she usually drinks at least half of it. Another relief. So – I’m not bawling and my baby is getting fat. Life is good.

(i've decided that when i don't have any good related photos for my post, i'll just stick in one of my 365 pics.  here's britt playing outside with one of her aunties and an old, broken stroller.)

P.S.  Oh, and Ash and Britt are getting along nicely too. Britt has completely accepted her baby sister and Ash is now acting baby-ish and insecure. I’m a tad worried, but am trying not to make a mountain out of a mole hill. I’m sure we’ll get it worked out. Kids have been acquiring younger siblings for many, many hundreds of centuries without long-term issues. Don’t sweat the small stuff, right?

P.P.S.  I just realized that all three girls have been very different growing newborns.  Ash was long and skinny.  Britt was short and fat.  And Elle is long and big.  Does that mean the next will be super petite?  Hmmmm. 

Today I Cooked. ALL Day!

Literally.  All I did was take care of my little people and cook.

I know.  I am supposed to be taking it easy.  But when you aren't allowed to have dairy (remember Elle's reaction to it in the breast milk), you can't just grab a cheese stick or a bowl of cereal and call it a meal.  I actually have to make stuff now.  Because of Elle's reaction to dairy (and I think soy), I'm having to make a huge dietary change and that also means more kitchen time.

And it's working out well due to my new obsession with a certain cookbook.

Here it is: 

Our Best Bites, by Kate Jones and Sara Wells.  I made Tony's birthday cake out of this book and it was goooooooooooood!  And my cake looked just like the cake in the picture!  I'm always so thrilled when that happens.  Aren't you?  **happy face**

(the cake before candles and cutting.  my first time making ganache.  good stuff.)

(and here it is after the celebration.  i admit to having a piece with ice cream.  but it wasn't even remotely worth the sad baby i had to rock and comfort later on in the wee hours of the next morning.)

So - almost everything I made today was from their cookbook and blog. 

I made hummus, pita chips, non-dairy sour cream (not from Our Best Bites),

(source.  the link is for the roasted red pepper hummus recipe found on their blog.  i'll bet it's as good as the plain stuff I made.)

Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette,

(source.)

French Bread Buns,

(source.  these were good.  they did take a long time to rise, but the taste was worth having to have the forethought to start earlier when dinner isn't really on the radar.)

Black Bean Soup,

(source.  not as exciting as i had hoped.  maybe because i couldn't put cheese in it.  i did put non-dairy sour cream, which tastes just like real sour cream, in it and that was good.  of all the recipes i tried today, this is the one i liked least.)

and a Galette.

(source. this was right up my alley.  it's supposed to look rustic and rustic comes easily to me.  i cheated and used canned pie cherries because it was super fast and easy.  yum.  and i also used earth balance spread instead of butter, even though the recipe specifically says not to, and it tasted great.  hahahaha!)

So, not exactly a laid back day but it still felt good and right.  The house is a mess, but my kids are happy and so is mah belly!

Today I Won my Ebay Auction!

Woohoo!!!  **doin' a happy dance**

I have had the hardest time trying to find a nice, but inexpensive blessing dress for Elle.

Ash had a beautiful April Cornell dress I found on Ebay.

(a tad big, but oh-so cute!)

(this is what she wore under the gown.  gotta love those shoes nana bought for her before she was born.)

Britt wore a gorgeous Biscotti dress I got from an online boutique.

(britt's gown was a non-traditional pink, but i looooooved it.)

(haha at that funny little face she is making.)

I pinned quite a few amazing dresses that were either too big for an early March blessing day or too high of a price tag for my budget.

I just got a steal on Ebay. 

Elle is going to be wearing a lovely, lacy, long April Cornell dress for her blessing day! 

(not a very good pic, but it was the one on the auction.)

Can't wait to take pictures of her in it.

Oh, and Elle lost her umbilical cord on the 10th and is 3 weeks today!  Getting big. 

I'd also like to say thank you because several of you were so sweet to tell me to slow down and take it easy and I hear you.  It was good to be reminded.  The nursing issues seem to be a tad easier.  Elle likes it best when I lay down while nursing her.  Not exactly convenient.  And as for the random irritation she has, I just have to try to feed her more often (like, hourly) and hope she's in a good mood.  If she's not, then I button my shirt up and we do something else and if she is, then she gets to eat! 

Today I Cut, Folded, Fed, Washed, and Much More.

I'm spinning about like a top today and tomorrow promises more of the same.  I'm not ready for Valentines Day nor for my husband's up and coming birthday party. 

My poor grandparents are getting their valentines late this year.  I just finished them up today.  And I have to completely re-think my mom's valentine since the tea pot I ordered from Amazon arrived with a big chip out of the top.  **angry**

(the valentines for grandparents - pictures in a fold out book of course!  got the idea here.)

Tomorrow, I've got to put together all the valentines for my siblings and my kids and make cupcakes, a cake and dinner.  So - now you know what I'm doing tomorrow, just in case a post doesn't happen.

And on a different topic - nursing woes!  I think I must have a fast/heavy let down because Elle sounds like she's drowning sometimes and randomly get very mad at my boob.  I'm also suspecting she may have some reflux issues.  That would cause a bit of a nursing aversion in her, right?  **sigh**  I was frustrated to tears over this today.  Or maybe she's irritated with the way I hold her head or something?  I remember once of the nurses at the hospital saying babies don't like having the back of the heads held a certain way.....  Wouldn't it be nice if all babies learned their mother's language in the womb?  Then they could just be born speaking full sentences and be able to tell us exactly what is going on.

Oh shoot.  It's almost midnight!  Gotta go move the laundry and take a shower while Tony's here to hold the baby.  If I don't get on tomorrow then Happy Valentine's Day (for those of you who celebrate it)!

Today I Mailed Out Some Valentines.

Spoiler Alert!  If you are one of my sisters (which includes those of you who've married my brothers) - please don't read this post.  I want to share these cute ideas before Valentine's Day, but I don't want family to see what going to be showing up in their mail boxes (even if it is for the kiddos). 


If you're not a sister, feel free to behold the cuteness in this post.



*

<3

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<3

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<3

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<3

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I bought up a pack of bath toys which happened to hold just enough sea creatures for each of my nephews and nieces to have one with two left over for my girls.

The girls painted and decorated the valentines.  Ash especially enjoyed the painting part.

(britt, painting the card she painted.)

And if you are wondering about that pic of the girls I attached to each valentine, here it is:



Elle is NOT yelling, she's yawning.  :)

Today I Laughed at a Blog Post.

Not that I don't regularly chuckle at posts I read, but this one got a good belly laugh out of me.  So, of course I HAVE to recommend that you click on over there and read it yourself.  And that's all I'm gonna say.  Well, I will say I may have been turning slightly green with envy.......

The post is at Modern Parents Messy Kids. 


Elle is 2 weeks today!

(cuddling with daddy)



Today I Was Majorly in the Trenches.

It's gonna be a short post.  I'm exhausted and my day started with Britt screaming in her room (my alarm clock).  I went in to find her standing in her bed, butt naked and nothing else in her crib - no blankets, toys, or sheet.   **sigh**  And yes, she had peed all over her bedding and mattress.  On a side note, she is ending her day by screaming as well because I won't allow her to take her pajamas off.  Her diaper has a ring of duct tape around the tabs, so hopefully tomorrow will begin differently.  All three of my girls had grouchy, rough days which means yours truly did as well.  But, I'll spare you the gory details.  The day is over and as Annie said, "The sun'll come out tomorrow."  I'm counting on it!

I'm also sharing a cute picture that has been circulating amongst my Facebook friends.  Not really related to bad days, but cute nonetheless!

Today I Got Pictures in the Mail.

Did I mention that when I was in the hospital, after having Elle, a photographer came by to take photos of my baby and me?  It was a fun little, ten minute photo shoot and my only regret was that Tony had gone home to take a shower and spend a couple hours with Ash and Britt, so he isn't in the pics with us.  A day after the photographer visited, she posted the pictures online so we could share them with family and friends and, of course, look at all the package options we could buy.  I wanted the CD so I can have as many prints as possible.  The CD came today so I thought I'd share some of the cuteness!  It's so nice to have some really well done pics of Elle on her birth day!
















For those of you who are local, the photography business is Bella Baby Photography and Amanda did the photos.

Today I Had to Remind Myself to Take It Easy.

I have been feeling more energetic with each day.  My body is slowly flushing out all the excess fluid.  The baby is a really good sleeper (except for one night, which I will tell you about late in this post).  Today I got all ambitious and started to attack my sorely neglected to-do list.  Then I noticed an increase in aches and bleeding.  Not a scary amount, but enough for my body to get the message across.  "Wait!  Hold on!  We're still healing here and will be for many weeks to come.  Stop doing and go take a nap."  So I did.

As for Elle's one and only bad night so far -  she was up with terrible gas from 1am to 4am (Saturday morning), just about screaming non-stop.  And I know why.  Dairy.  I had been suspecting that might be an issue when she got a bad, bleeding diaper rash not long after coming home.  I had chicken alfredo that night and thought, "If anything will show me whether she truly has a dairy intolerance, this will."   Worst.  Night.  Ever. 

I'm now completely off dairy for as long as I will be nursing Elle.  It's not going to be easy, but totally worth it.   I'll trade ice cream for sleep any day!  Feel free to e-mail me your fave dairy-free recipes.

(elle looooves her woombie.  it's the easiest swaddler we've ever had.  it does look kinda hilarious though.)

Today I Was Happy about the Little Things.

It has been so nice to have all the continued help from my mom and sisters.  Ash and Britt spend a lot of time playing with their younger aunts and uncles these days.

Elle is back up to her birth weight!  Yay!  24/7 feeding worked.

I don't have a UTI (I thought I did).  I'm still dealing with all the lovely hurts and pains that come with giving birth.  But, I am gradually getting better and for that I am grateful.

Tony took care of dinner today.  I love it when he does that. 

The prayer that Ash said at bedtime tonight made me laugh.  I don't catch most of what she says when she prays but I definitely heard something about "watching movies" and "candy."  Haha!

And just for fun, pics of my babies - all sleeping, all taken within the first month of their lives.

(ash)

(britt)

(elle)

What little things made you happy today?

Today I Was Re-thinking Blogging.

This is not a post about why I'm not going to be blogging anymore.

This is a post about balance.  My life-long quest for balance.  This is something I've been thinking about for quite a long time, actually, and shoving out of my head as fast as the thought would enter.

Well, I'm not fighting the thought anymore.  Though my computer time is done, for the most part, during my free time, I still feel a lack of balance.  I love blogging.  Unless I can't think of anything to talk about.  Then it feels more like a chore.  But there are a lot of other activities I love too.

The problem is, I am usually on the computer for ALL of my free time.  Not so cool.  I have been crafting more, lately.  And loving it.  I need to do more things like that and less of the sitting in front of my lap top during my free time.  And the same goes for my husband.  We both need to unplug and do a couple more mutual activities. 

So, here is what all this means for my blog.  I will be setting myself a daily computer time limit.  When this limit is up, it's gone.  No more computer for the day.  If that means I haven't finished writing my daily post, oh well!  So - though my goal is still one post every weekday, I may not be able to finish a post in time, which would mean finishing up the next day.  So, I may only get a few posts up in a week.  And I'm ok with that.  Hope you are too.  We'll see how it goes. 

Today I Have a Fat Foot and a Semi-Skinny Foot.

Weird title, I know.

At the hospital where Elle was born, they pump you full of fluids when you have an epidural.  I think they give more than the other hospital at which Ash and Britt were born.  I have had majorly swollen legs, ankles and feet for a week!
This afternoon I noticed that the swelling has started to go down, but only on the left side of my body.

{insert confused face here}

So..................  what is going on? 

(please ignore my poor toenails.  they haven't seen the inside of a nail salon since summer and it's not like I could bend over the watermelon and paint them myself!)

I hope this doesn't mean my right kidney is having issues.  Mom said it could be that I stand, or even sit, on my right leg more.  Which is probably true, but would that cause a delay in my deflating on one side of my body? 

I just hope it all gets sorted out soon.  It is a very annoying feeling to be this full of water.