Beach Vacation

Hello friends. I'm still here - it has just been very busy lately. I know the rest of you have busy lives as well, so I can't really use that as an excuse for not blogging. I have enjoyed reading all your posts, I just haven't gotten around to it myself. The longer I wait, the more there is to write so I'm jumping in now before I have no hope of getting caught up.

Lydia recently began noticing jewelry. She now has a few of her own "neckaces" that she dons daily.



We had a really nice time spending a few days in Hilton Head with Josh, Liz and Kate. The condo had great views to the ocean and the layout of bedrooms suited our needs perfectly. It was a relaxing time and as Liz has already noted, there are definite changes that accompany vacationing with little ones. Naptime and meal times were the things that really determined our schedule with Lydia.It just isn't possible to bask in the sun on the beach all day or be gone from your lodgings for hours on end, or to skip lunch or have a late dinner. We also didn't get in any long walks on the beach. As my father-in-law noted earlier this year, walking with a toddler is not so much about the destination as it is the journey. Once she got over her fear of the sand, water and waves, Lydia really enjoyed the beach and ocean. I was totally surprised that she was not interested at all interested in the shells or anything else that had washed up onto the beach.
Being pregnant also changed my MO a bit. I lathered myself with sunscreen every day (I even used Lydia's spf50 after I burned in a few spots the first day!!!) and I had to have a chair no matter whereI was stationed. No sunning on the beach towel for me! It was nice to get the chance to stretch out on my stomach again for the first time in a while. I dug a little hole in the sand and got cozy for a short time. We also bought a beach umbrella which I really wouldn't have considered except for Lydia... but as it turned out I probably used that shade way more than she did! It was so nice just to "get away" and have Ben around and spending time with us all day. We read more than is ever possible at home and made daily trips to the beach and the pool.

Any doubts as to where we had lunch on our way there?

That is another change in traveling with a young child. They need to get out of their carseats and let out some energy at regular intervals. We broke the trip into two segments by stopping for lunch after about 3 hours on the road. Then as hoped, she fell asleep for a good portion of the final leg of the trip and woke just as we were nearing Hilton Head. (I thought we were in trouble for sure when she had played with all of her little toys, already done some drawing and then started asking for lunch at 10:30!!)
She says "I get out?" when she wants to get out of the carseat. We heard that alot during the trip. Also "Here! da beach. We're here!" - we heard this for the first time the morning we left when we pulled into J and L's subdivision which is a 5 minute drive from our house!





Although I don't have any pictures of her pool play time, Lydia loved the pool. I'm confident she will thorougly enjoy Mema and Papa's new pool that was just finished.
Lydia loved going into J and L's room to "see Kate!". She also loved the doorknobs at the condo because they were that lever kind and she could open doors at will. No one was guaranteed any privacy unless the door was locked!She liked posing with Kate and wanted to hold her after a few shots. Of course when she is done, she practically shoves Kate aside and moves on to her other activities.

Riding on the luggage cart was lots of fun.

Sleeping with her faithful friend on the way home.

Ok this is enough for now =)

The past week

Wedding Day: 9 March 2007

Dressed and ready for pictures...

Elias and Becky: husband and wife!

The weekend was a bit of a whirlwind - but very fun. Various out of town family members flew or drove in on Thursday and most made it to the rehearsal dinner that night. Friday we met up in the Cornelia area for a quick lunch before church and reception decoration ensued. Family and a few of Becky's friends were invaluable help in this endeavor which Elizabeth headed up. I felt pretty worthless after the smallest of tasks --being pregnant can cause that I suppose. In the end everything came together and the service was a God-honoring blend of both cultures. The reception location was unexpectedly lovely for a town that size and the meal served by Elias' family was a traditional Guatemalan wedding meal. Having missed her nap in the midst of a very hectic day, Lydia was, at this point, almost a basket case. She drank two cups of punch ("wah-duh") and was not remotely interested in the dinner. She lasted long enough to eat a few bites of cake and then I had to put on her p.j.'s and prepare for the drive home. She was asleep within minutes of hitting the road.
Saturday the family members who were still in town gathered at our house for the day. Lydia remembered Carl and Rita from their visit at Christmas and she had everyone's names learned and intelligible before they left. She learned the word "precocious" (co-cious) from Uncle Carl and the phrase "I'm a genius" from Aunt Sue.

Trisha, Sue, Rita and Carl stayed at our house while here for the wedding

In other news, I've been trying to prepare myself for potty-training Lydia. I bought a cushy seat for the toilet as well as a little child potty. (A few previous endeavors by Grandma Kathy to sit her on the toilet had resulted in immediate tears and great distress, so I was a little fearful of whether she would take to sitting on it - even with the child seat.) After the wedding commotion died down I thought we'd ease into the training process. The cushy seat is great and Lydia's fear of sitting on the big potty went away when she saw and tried out the Elmo seat.



The past several days I've been talking up going potty like a big girl and have put her on the seat at various times. She loved it - and getting to read a book on the toilet is somehow perceived as particularly wonderful!
Tonight after dinner we put her on the little potty downstairs and to my (almost) disbelief - she went after just a minute of sitting there. We made a huge deal of it and I quickly brought her the treat I'd decided to use as a motivator - chocolate yogurt raisins. She gobbled them up immediately while I explained that anytime she went on the potty like a big girl I would give her a treat. I was sure she wasn't paying any attention to me as she stuffed the raisins in her mouth. Not more than an hour later after bathtime we were all sitting on our bed and she told me she had to go. (She does this by grabbing her diaper and saying "poop." While she has never been right about it being poop, she will do this occasionally when she is just wet.) So off we went to the potty again -this time upstairs on the Elmo seat. Her diaper was dry and I could not believe my ears when after a short time I heard some dripping into the toilet! Before I could even begin praising her, she looked at me and said "treat! treat!"
I would love to believe that she is truly "getting it" but I have a feeling there will be ups and downs and that it just can't be as easy as it was tonight.

Here is the proud girl in her new Dadoo (Dora) p.j.'s that she was delighted by at Wal-Mart today.

Pictures, wedding, birthdays

After a bike ride with Daddy to the playground

She likes this "hat" quite a bit

Lydia enjoyed their quick stop by our house earlier today

Guess who loves spaghetti?

Lauren and me at 21 weeks

I almost didn't post that last picture - I really don't like to look at pictures of myself! Anyway, my bump is visible for those who don't see me often -so this pic is for you all!
Tomorrow I'll get a haircut - yayyy! It's been at least 5 months by my count...too long, especially when your last cut was a short style! Honestly I was too sick to care what my hair looked like for a long time, but now it is really bugging me. (I tend to operate that way with my hair in general. I can go a while without cut, but when it starts to bug me - I have to do something today!)Plus my sister-in-law is getting married next weekend. That occasion has spurred me into taking action!
Liz and I had a bit of difficulty deciding on and finding something appropriate to wear to this wedding. Neither of us can really wear our regular dressy clothes, yet we didn't want to make a large investment in something that would be a "one-time" wear in a larger or maternity size! As it turns out, after several tries for new items for me - I'll end up wearing a dress I already own. (I have a lot of "formal" type clothes that I wore to my recitals and concerts etc. I hadn't really considered any of this stuff, but one of those dresses still fits and doesn't look tight or awkward. So - problem solved.)
Today is Ben's birthday! I just finished making a chocolate cake. Tonight we're going Mexican with the meal per his request. His mom (who arrived Monday) made some fresh tortillas. (If you have never had a homemade tortilla - you're missing out. I had heard stories of how they can be eaten plain or with a little butter when they are homemade. Now, I love bread, but that did not sound appetizing to me. Well, five or so years ago I had my first homemade tortilla and now I know what they meant! They are sooo good.) We ordered some fajita meat "prepared" (already seasoned) from a carniceria nearby and I'll make some "real" Mexican rice to go with it all. Fresh fruit to top it off --- mmm I can't wait! (After the sickness with pregnancy, when my appetite returns I feel like I enjoy food even more!!)

Wanted: Another Pup!

Last week while at the midwife, a small tragedy occurred. Pup was lost. Lydia played with him in the room while the midwife saw me, but somehow we left the room without him. At the car, we realized he was missing and went back to retrieve him. We both went in separately and checked with the nurses in the room and retraced our steps to the car. No luck. Pup had vanished in 5 minutes!
Thankfully we still have 2 Pups left. (At this point you're laughing thinking, "that's not enough?".) If you've ever seen the way she loves on this poor animal you know why we need several! He receives daily love bites on the face and ears - causing him a few minor injuries -and basically goes everywhere with her. He is the only toy that has the privilege of riding in the seat of her toy shopping cart - everything else gets thrown into the the basket area. She usually wants to be able to see him at meal time - especially breakfast. She has tried to give him a bath. She has tried to put a diaper on him. He watches "dd's" with her. He always sleeps with her and she cries pitifully if she throws him out of the crib and can't get him back. Recently he aquired his own "banket"- even though she doesn't have anything like that for herself. Now she wants to tow that thing around with him too.
All this to say, I'd really like to have another spare. Pup goes into the washing machine at least once a week and I don't know how long he'll last! SO - if any of you ever happen to see a Pup and can pick it up for us, I will happily cover all costs! I've found this stuffed animal at the Osk Kosh outlet stores for about $6. Unfortunately, they are out of him at Discover Mills. So if anyone likes to hit other outlets nearby and can pop into that store... we'd appreciate it!

Input

Today has been such a beautiful day! I took Lydia to the park this morning for some much needed outdoor playtime. We met friends there and the mommies chatted while the girls were in various states of "play." I had to meet up with Ben at lunchtime since he took both our cell phones to work today (and we don't have a home phone.) It was weird to be "incommunicado" - if only for a few hours!
Now Lydia is napping and I'm trying to get a grocery list together. It is not going well! I feel like I make the same things too often. Probably because that is "easy" - but it also gets boring!! Anyone want to share some dinner recipes?? (Sometimes I wish I could just call someone in the morning and have them tell me what to make for dinner...wouldn't that be nice on occasion - not having to come up with a meal plan?)

Also, does anyone have any good children's worship or praise song CD's to recommend?

She loves to find our shoes and put them on. Actually walking in them is quite the challenge...

The artist - So far all coloring surfaces have been limited to paper. She prefers regular paper to a coloring book. (love that hair!)

Mommy's helper

Best Strawberry Cake

1 pkg white cake mix
1 pkg strawberry jello
1 -10 oz. pkg frozen strawberries in syrup
4 eggs
3/4 Cup oil

1.5 pints whipping cream
2 pints fresh strawberries

Grease 3 cake pans and line bottoms with wax paper. (This is critical! I use Crisco and then cut a circle of wax paper for the bottom of each cake pan.) Mix first 5 ingredients in mixer. Pour into prepared pans and bake about 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Slice berries (saving some whole ones for garnish if you wish), sprinkle with some sugar and smash them to produce extra juice. Beat the cream, adding sugar to taste, until it is stiff. (If you've never made whipping cream before, try it. It is so easy and cannot be compared to Cool Whip! Beat it in your mixer until it starts to get stiff and add sugar a little at a time. The important thing is to be sure you don't get any drops of water in the cream or it won't whip up.)
Remove cakes from pans and allow to cool. Pierce a layer with a fork and then spoon the berries on top -drizzle the juice over the cake too! Spread some whipped cream over the berries and top with another cake layer and begin process again. The top layer should not have any berries - just the whipped cream. Use the remaining whipped cream to ice the cake when it is assembled. (I add some toothpicks between the layers to add stability.)
Plan to make this cake at least a day ahead as it only gets better the longer the strawberry juice soaks into the cake layers. Don't forget you'll need to refrigerate this cake!
This is a pretty easy cake to make and it always gets rave reviews. I've made other kinds of strawberry cakes and tasted other versions, but this one wins hands down in my opinion!

Baby J #2

Well friends and family, today was my 19 week appointment with the ultrasound tech and the midwife. The tech was so kind and very helpful by pointing out all the organs and bones and body parts she was looking at. (Neither of us has very fond memories of our previous ultrasound tech - she seemed quite grumpy and very tight-lipped. You had to ask for every bit of information.) This woman was quite the opposite. She was chatty and informative and kept saying "what a beautiful baby!" I actually got the impression that she was a Christian too just by some comments she made. So she started by looking the baby over and taking all the measurements and then the hunt for the gender began! Baby's legs were crossed and was quite sqirmy, but she eventually felt confident in pronouncing that this little baby is...a girl! I was actually a bit surprised as I thought I had seen something else between those legs! Ben claims he knew right away that it was a girl. So here we are...soon to be the parents of two girls. I'm excited. I never had a sister and always wished for one. This little girl and Lydia will be almost exactly two years apart. I hope they will always be close and enjoy each other as sisters and friends. (Another plus is that all of Lydia's clothes should work out seasonly just perfect for this baby. Fewer shopping trips??? That's one sigh of relief for Daddy!)
The next question is...what about names? Since I've been encouraged by some of you just to "tell all" here is what we're thinking. We reserve the right to change our minds at any time, but we like the name Lauren Olivia. The middle name is not set in stone, but 'Lauren' is a favorite of mine so that is likely to stick. I'll scan in the ultrasound pictures as soon as possible!

Pictures

As Liz has posted, Lydia is fascinated by Kate - she even has a special high-pitched"Kate" voice. She loves to get right down on Kate's level to talk to her and look at her. Whenever I am on the computer she comes over to get "up here" and see "da bebee."

My baby is growing up!

Lydia and I are both happy that Ben returned safely late last night from his 5 day trip to Portland. She asked about him many times during each day. She learned the word "trip" (tip) as I tried to explain that he wasn't at work, he was on a trip. Each time we got in the car she would get excited and talk about "Daddy!!" as if we were going to see him. It was pretty sweet.
Her vocabulary just seems to be growing by the day. Here are some of my favorite new words:

becksis (breakfast)
syrpup (syrup)
wahduh (any drink is water)
Nee-nee (Brittny)
Cah-dine (Caroline)
Losis (Lois)
beer (bear)
kitchen
up here
ahh done
ready, go
sim (swim - in the bath)
bubbus (bubbles)
open
cose (clothes)
kip (clip - for her hair)
bipuhs (diapers)
tank, mom (thanks mom - She used to say something that sounded much more like "thank-you" and then that stopped. This is what she says now and it is kind of amusing because she never calls me "mom" any other time - always mama or mommy.)
There are many more, but it gets to a point where you can't chronicle every single achievement! I put the majority of little milestones and stories on the blog as my way of saving the little memories. I'm sure some things become even harder to remember as your family grows!

After baths when I wrap her up in her towels I ask her, "Who is Mommy's bundle of joy?" She says, "ME!!"

Her favorite song is "The Wheels on the Bus." She says, "da bus, sing, da bus"! She would have me sing that song endlessly I think. At the end she chimes in for "all over town" by saying - "da town." Her favorite hand motion is for the wheels - but she doesn't always like to join in. Most often she just grins as you sing it.
We've been working on teaching her the first couple of children's catechism questions. 1) Who made you? A: God. She learned that one a couple of months ago but it has been very slow trying to get her to answer the second question. 2) What else did God make? A: All things. Sometimes she will say "tings" but not often. Last night as we prepared for bed I sang some songs, said the Lord's Prayer and asked her the questions. We talked again about the answer to #2. I asked the question over again after talking about "all things." So I asked, " what else did God make?" She answered, " a mess." (I had to chuckle to myself.) This probably comes from me constantly reminding her at meal times not to make a mess with her food.

More Diapers

This morning I heard Lydia chatting happily in her crib. It is so nice when she wakes up like this instead of crying for someone to come and get her. I opened the door and before I could even step in the room she was shouting, "da bipuhs! da bipuhs!" (the diapers). She had reached around the outsided of her crib and gotten into the stash of new diapers in her diaper stacker. (She only had 2 in the crib - thankfully!) She was trying very hard to get one on Pup. (He was on his back, she spread his "legs" out and she was attacking a diaper trying to get it to fit on etc....) She didn't even want to get out of the crib because she was so intent on Pup wearing a diaper. I sat in the chair to wait and finally after some talking about going downstairs and eating breakfast she was ready to get out.
In other news our family has just gotten over bad colds which lasted about two weeks. Dealing with a child who feels miserable but can't express what hurts gets frustrating the longer it goes on. I did take her to the doctor because the first night was terrible - she was feverish, she threw up and was having a really hard time breathing. (I thought immediately of Bethany and Avalyn. I cannot imagine how scary it must be when she is having asthma attacks.)I was thankful that I didn't start to feel bad until Lydia was well.
I am 17 weeks pregnant now. I think"morning" sickness (what a misnomer) is finally over although I still have an occasional spell of nausea. We should find out next week if this baby is a boy or a girl. I think we've settled on a girl's name, but we're still not set on a boy name. Last time we didn't decide Lydia's middle name until we were on the way to the hospital! I am officially wearing maternity pants as of about a week ago. My jeans stopped fitting comfortably about two weeks ago. My belly is so sensitive that I can't stand anything squeezing me. I'd probably be in sweats all the time if it were appropriate!! I'm still in that awkward stage with the shirts. Most of my regular ones look too small (or at least too short for my taste) and the maternity ones look like tents. Oh well. Like Stephanie, I enjoy my baths almost every evening. These are purely for relaxation which means a lot of times I get a shower and a bath every day. My skin is practically cracking between this extremely dry weather and the hot water!

Prayers and Diaper Changes

A couple of cute things we've witnessed recently but can't seem to catch on video or in a picture.

1) Lydia has started "praying" on her own. This usually happens around naptime or bedtime when we're cuddling. She folds her hands and starts jabbering away. A few intelligible words are mixed in - mostly peoples' names. This continues for a short while and then ends with very firm, "A-men." (She knows that prayers end with "amen" and she freely uses this when she thinks the prayer has gone on long enough - both at home and even at church!)

2) Last night after work, Lydia and I joined the impromptu gathering at Joss and Liss's house for his birthday meal. We missed dinner but I did sample the selection of desserts! While there Lydia entertained us with her antics. She had us all in hysterics when she got into her diaper bag and proceeded to give Pup a diaper change! This began by laying out the changing pad and placing Pup spread eagle on the mat. Then she got a wipe and began wiping him thoroughly. After he was "clean" he got several hugs and then she retrieved a diaper and placed it on top of him. She was engrossed for about 5 minutes (especially while she was wiping him), but then she realized we were all watching her and that was the end of it. We were all nearly in tears as we tried to stifle our laughs!

The point at which

the stepping stool will now reside on top of the fridge.

While in the dining room checking email today, I realized Lydia was being suspiciously quiet in the kitchen. I peeked around the corner to see that she had pushed my little step stool across the kitchen over to the sink where she was standing on it and playing with one of her sippy cups that I had washed and left by the sink. The child sees something once and she's got it down.

the tv cabinet must remain closed unless in use.

Another recently aquired "skill" is her ability to operate the tv, dvd player and sound system either manually or by remote. She knows exactly which buttons to push to make all of them work. I didn't realize she could work them manually until one morning when I went upstairs and a few minutes later heard the baby einstein music playing. I looked over the balcony and she was proudly grinning up at me saying, "dd, dd!". (Oh, and I've also caught her opening up the dvd case, removing the disk, opening the disk drive and placing the dvd inside!) I guess this is a clue as to how many "dd's" she has watched over the past few weeks while Mommy laid on the sofa! Thankfully I no longer spend my mornings, afternoons and evenings in the horizontal position, but it has been a bit difficult trying to break her of continually asking, "dd, watch?". We're still working on that!

bibs

Does anyone have any advice about bibs? I am so disgusted with the plastic ones I've been using with Lydia. (Those plastic ones with a softer "fabric" backing.) They always seem to smell bad - it is so gross. I scrub them thoroughly after each use, hanging them to dry, and frequently soak them in laundry detergent (or toss them in the washer). Does anyone have any tips? Or do you have a wonderful bib you'd like to recommend?

Feeling Better

Thank you all for your kind inquiries and your prayers. Things have been looking up considerably since my last visit to the midwife a week ago. With a little encouragment from Liz, I had been psyching (sp?) myself up to be extra pitiful. I was almost prepared to beg for some medicine. As it turned out, I really didn't have to.
I had gained a whopping half a pound since my visit a month before. I'm still below my "pre-pregnancy" weight (which they don't know) but since I have some extra to spare, I don't think it matters. Anyway, I saw a different midwife this time. She was much more sympathetic and just generally pleasant. When she asked why I thought I hadn't gained more weight I was pretty frank...puking and all day nausea...?? When I laid down on the table she said my belly looked "small." As she got out her measuring tape she said, "How tall are you, 5'4"?". My brain was blank. Was I 5'4"... or maybe it was 5'6". No wait, everyone accuses me of thinking I'm taller than I am. 5'5"?? I told her I couldn't remember and that if it was important I thought the nurse had that in my chart. She laughed and then said my belly was measuring in the normal range but on the low end. Then she told me that she thought I had a long trunk and perhaps that is why I seemed small. (Good grief!)
Anyway, we chatted a bit and I explained that I had tried all the "natural" remedies for nausea without any relief. She then told me she was going to prescribe something "to see if you can't get to feelin some better." I almost cried. (I hadn't even been reduced to getting on my knees to beg!) She also told me to eat whatever sounded good to me....even potato chips or french fries and to be sure I ate often. So I walked out feeling encouraged and with my prescription. Yayyy!!!
So far I'm attributing my feeling better to the drugs. Maybe I was about to turn the corner regardless. I am still waiting for that "everything is normal" feeling to return. Hopefully it won't be too much longer, but I am thankful that things are finally looking up!
P.S. My next appointment is in mid February which is when we'll find out if it's a boy or a girl!

Trying to catch up...

I thought I'd post some pictures chronicling our past two months or so! I like to send out a Christmas card with a picture now that we have little one(s) in our family. Well this year I was feeling so crummy that we never could find the right moment to get a family picture. Eventually I just decided we'd send one out just of our child - after all she's the one everyone wants to see! Here are a couple shots (of many) from our impromptu little photo shoot.



Below is the Christmas card photo. Many of you were on the list to receive one, but I misplaced (and still have not found) several of my address books... Anyway we have twenty or more extras around here - guess I could scratch out "Merry Christmas" and write "Happy Valentine's Day" instead! I smile every time I see this picture.

Here are some photos of our day at the hospital when Kate arrived!

Here Lydia is with a couple of her most favorite gifts - the kitchen from Mema and Papa and the doll house from Joss and Liss. (When the dollhouse was out of the box, one of the first things she attempted was to squeeze Pup through the front door...it was hilarious.)


She is fascinated with "gasses" - she points them out whenever she sees them.



Uncle Patrick and Aunt Susie -(Shoe and Pat or But) -Ben's sister and husband who spent several days here with us over Christmas.



Lydia seems to love her little cousin. We weren't sure what she would think of sharing the limelight, but she hasn't been as jealous as I expected. Whenever Kate makes any noise Lydia is quick to remind us "baby! baby!". She loves to look at her and it is very cute how she squats over the infant carrier to take a peek. She always wants to touch her and it is amazing how gentle she has been. Here are some sweet pictures from the first time Lydia got to "hold" Kate. I didn't post the last one where we took Kate away and Lydia was crying with her arms stretched out!

Pregnancy the second time around

Wow. So much has happened since my last post. I'm sure it will take me a couple of posts to give any kind recap on what we've been up to this past month. Since I don't have access to posting the pics right now, I'll stick to my pregnancy woes.
This pregnancy started off different than my last....that is to say I haven't been hugging the toilet everyday from the very beginning. That is a defininite plus, let me tell you! I've still been struggling a lot with fatigue and all day nausea. And I have still thrown up....just not as frequently as before.
Ben has really been wonderful. He takes care of me and Lydia and does everything. He has been bringing me some breakfast in bed every morning before work as this seems to help me. Then he gets Lydia up and fed before he leaves. I am thankful that his job can be flexible like that when we need it. He can even work some days at home - or even an hour or two before Lydia wakes up so that he can get his work done.
Lydia has had some adjustments to make to this "new" Mommy as well. We have been staying at home when at all possible. I know she gets so bored playing on her own and entertaining herself all day. I have to say that Baby Einstein DVDs have been a wonderful way to allow me some rest time. (She gets the remote and walks to the TV saying, "DDD? DDD?".) As soon as i'm feeling better we're going to have to curb this trend! She is used to getting out and doing errands, going to the park, meeting Daddy for lunch...I had not even been to the grocery store in at least a month until earlier this week, and that was not an experience I' d like to repeat any time soon.
On Tuesday I decided I felt well enough to get out to the store for a quick trip. We were out of all our staples and didn't even have anything for lunch. On the way out the door I grabbed a pile of clothes that have needed to go to the dry cleaners for about 3 weeks! (Unfortunately when I dropped them off I realized I had grabbed the wrong pile of stuff -- oh well, I left them anyway!) Then as I was heading into the grocery store, Ben called to tell me our new washing machine was going to be delivered in the next 30 minutes. (Our old one stopped working Christmas week when all the family was here!) So I hurried in to make a much needed deposit at the bank and also to get a sub sandwhich for lunch. As I was leaving the deli counter I started to feel terrible. I started to get tunnel vision and then my hearing became very faint. I was getting weaker and dizzy and felt I was passing out. Thankfully Lydia was in the cart and I just had to sit down in the middle of the floor. I got up and struggled to the register to buy my lunch and the man at the check-out was quite concerned. He was very nice and helped me sit down and then got me some water. After a few minutes I felt somewhat better and I made it to the car. (I think the cold air and the water helped.) I felt that I could drive safely and I knew I needed to get home to meet the delivery guys! I was practically in tears upon arrival and they were already there waiting on me. I was so shaky I couldn't even unlock our front door! I took them upstairs to the laundry room to get the old washer and then they informed me that since it still had some water in it they weren't allowed to take it away. I couldn't believe it! Well, in the end they did take it away (without spilling any water on their way out) and they hooked up the new one. What a morning!
Right now Lydia is laying on Pup while the B.E. Dvd is going and still attempting to play with her doll house with one hand. She just spilled my ginger ale on the floor and has already had way too many pretzels. We're both still in p.j.s and it is 12:30!!!