Toddler-ease

I'm not sure if you speak Toddler-ease. I'm pretty fluent in it right now, but I didn't use to be. Here's a quick reference table for Toddler-ease, in the specific region of "Eden-ville."

skeery: mascara (as in, "Mommy, you have pretty meek-up [see below] and skeery on!)

meek-up: make-up

aminals: animals

uhn-ner-wear:  underwear

need beeg one: need a lot of something

dorsey door: grocery store

Kee-im: Cam (as in, "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!...Kee-im! Kee-im!" like when she hears Kevin call my name)

choff-cloff: washcloth

Sometimes, I want to pull my hair out from Eden's tantrums and shenanigans. But then some times I could just squeeze her to bits.

What's been up with us?

Life has been pretty good for us lately. I found this awesome app called Motivated Mom 2013 that has changed my life...well, the part of my life that revolves around cleaning our house. It's basically just a to-do list, but I didn't have to create it and it's not overwhelming and that makes me very happy. :)

So I've had lots of time to take lots of photos of my girls. You'd like to see them? Okay, sure! :)~

Eden loves to play outside, and despite my fervent pleas to Kevin never to teach any sons we may have to pee outside, apparently our child has learned the fun of this activity on her own.


One day I need to sit down and catalog all the ways my girls are different. One major difference: Winnie LOVES to eat. Anything. It's crazy and wonderful to me. Eden has never been crazy about eating, but Winnie definitely takes after Kevin on this one. Here she's enjoying some acorn squash.


Eden, on the other hand, loves to dance. "I need dance! I need moo-sic!" is heard often at our house.


Winnie turned 9 months old on January 12. She is taking steps sometimes, she's eating everything under the sun, she's got 4 teeth, she's growing growing growing!


This is Eden's favorite relaxing activity: watching Thomas the Tank Engine or Elmo or Barney and sitting on the couch with Sparty.


Meanwhile, Winnie loves to climb into the laundry basket when I'm trying to fold laundry. She thinks it's hilarious!




That's all for today. More next week! Toodles!

Christmas Post, Part 2

Okay, onward with our journey through Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium.

Last time we checked, Kelsey and I had visited Maastricht to go shopping. After that we all went on this steam train ride to see the German version of Santa Claus. Santa wasn't so bad, but he has a sidekick named Black Peter who looks like the Grim Reaper. Seriously. It's like the Pope smashed with Halloween. Very creepy.



This is us on the train.


Random happy Winnie shot:


The Petersons' Christmas table for Christmas Eve feasting:


Winnie took her first steps on Christmas eve so I took some photos of her feet (sort of) to document their size. Goofy idea, but whatevs. (Pardon the food crusties around her nose.)


Christmas morning Kelsey made breakfast and we opened gifts.


Winnie and Eli hanging out:


Later that day their little boy Grant decided to drink a bottle of Children's ibuprofen as well as paint with the contents (he was okay - nothing happened) so he and Winnie got a dip in the bath (Winnie joined him just for something to do).


The next day we all went to Brugge, Belgium. For me to get chocolate. That's the only reason. Just kidding. Sorta.

Our walk down a side street.


It was cold. Winnie was bundled.


Loved the doors. So many bright colors. It inspired us to paint our own front door purple. Really. (Photo for you soon.)






Me and Winnie:


Random shots around Brugge:








Then we ate lunch with surprisingly good spaghetti at this restaurant with hot pink embellishments.


The square:


More strolling (notice the hair!)


Anyone notice anything...unsavory...in this photo of chocolates?


This is the chocolate store (which is not the store that carries the chocolates above) that we traveled 2 and a half hours by car then who knows who long walking to get to so I could buy Belgium chocolates. Isn't Blake cute?




This is the Petersons' house:


And the Petersons' road:


We found a flight from Ramstein AB to Boston Washington International Airport (BWI). So Kelsey drove us to Ramstein then we stayed the night on base and got up the next morning and made it onto a flight to BWI.

This is the only time Winnie slept on the flight: the first 30 minutes and the last 30 minutes. It was 8.5 hours long. It was a loooooong flight. Less comfortable than the cargo plane. This was a regular commercial aircraft (called the Patriot Express because it shuttles people back and forth between the US and Europe).


Luckily we were able to rent a car and stay the night at our friends the Masseys' house in Alexandria. Then we visited them (they weren't home when we stayed there) at their family's house in Charlottesville, VA.


Then we drove the rest of the way to my mom's house in SC.

And that was our trip to Germany. Very fun. Very relaxing. Very glad to be home (only because I couldn't take another second of sleeping with Winnie in the same room).

Toodles!

Oh wait, I forgot to tell you. I have a new website for my doula business! www.mongtomerydoula.com. And I'm officially on facebook...well, at least as a doula I am. I'm Montgomery Doula. I figure it's a good way to network and get my name out there via word of mouth. Hopefully it works and I get some more clients this year.

Winnie update

I took Winnie to the pediatrician this morning and he said it's an allergic reaction to something. He doesn't know what, but he said it's no big deal at all and that I may never end up figuring out what the cause is. I asked if it was ringworm maybe and he said no way. Whew! So I just have to give her Zyrtec for a week and apparently she'll be fine. It doesn't seem to bother her, so I'm not worried (too much). I'm keeping a food/rash diary to see if maybe I can pinpoint the culprit, but if the pediatrician isn't worried, then neither am I (too much).

Later today I'll finish the Christmas post.

Toodles!

We interrupt this program...

*I am going to the pediatrician to double check about this. Poor kid has had more afflictions in her 9 months of life than Eden has in her 2 1/2 years. Must be second kid syndrome (i.e. exposure to more germs)??*

Calling all moms and anybody who knows about rashes.

What is this?



Sorry it's blurry. Baby's movey.

Anyway, I know it's caused by some kind of food. I am having the hardest time pinning down the cause. I keep thinking I figure out what's giving Winnie this rash and then I don't feed Winnie that food and she gets the rash again. It's not itchy or painful (from what I can tell). It goes away in about 2 days. Then comes back. It's always on the backs of her thighs, under her arms and sometimes on her torso.

I'm stumped. It doesn't seem to bother her at all, though, so I don't really want to go to the pediatrician because I feel like they'll just say, it's something she's eating.

We'll return to regularly scheduled blog posting tomorrow (i.e. the rest of our Christmas adventures).

Christmas Adventures - Part 1

Greetings to everyone and Happy 2013! I am really looking forward to starting this year and leaving the end of last year behind. Mostly because the past 4 months haven't been the easiest because of the lack of sleep (I was getting about 2 hours of sleep total each night). But Winnie's belated Christmas present to me (she gave it to me Jan. 5) was sleeping through the night. Thank. Goodness. I feel so much better. So now I have a much better attitude about life and am ready to conquer the world (or at least clean my house more regularly and cook dinner).

I bet you're wondering how our travels to Europe went. We had such a good time! We stayed with our friends Kelsey and Eli, who live in northwestern Germany, and we visited The Netherlands, Belgium, and parts of Germany. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's rewind a bit and go in order...

Two days before we left for S.C., we found out Ruby has bone cancer and has about 2-3 months to live. The last time Kevin deployed Bobo died. I hope this doesn't start some trend or something...



She had a biopsy, and she kept bothering her stitches despite the cone of shame, so I had to create my own cone of shame. Can I get a What What for the redneck collar I made Ruby from insulation piping and, oh yes, that's duct tape.

So anyway, she's doing okay. Limping a lot, but still feisty enough to escape from the car yesterday and run away through the neighborhood for a few minutes. (Side note, she stayed with our neighbors while we were gone.)

Winnie turned 8 months old.


So we left for S.C. We drove for 6 hours in the car on Thursday, dropped Eden off at my mom's house in Lexington, then drove the next morning to Charleston AFB (2 hours) with Winnie. We got on the plane (a KC-135 - a refueling jet) with 7 other people going to Germany and flew 8.5 hours to Ramstein AB.



The cargo plane was great. It is so nice to be able to fly in one of those. Lots of room (even though it doesn't look like it) and it's very relaxed.





Kevin and couple other people slept on top of the pallets of cargo during the flight.




Then we arrived in Germany in the morning and drove with Kelsey 3 hours north to her town near Geilenkirchen. So we were riding/driving for almost 20 hours straight. Winnie was a champ. She only started to get really cranky on the ride back to Kelsey's house (sorry, Kelsey).

Then she crashed (Winnie sleeping, I mean. Not Kelsey driving.).


While we were in Germany, Winnie really started walking around (assisted).




While we were in Germany, Kevin, Eli, Blake, Winnie, and I visited Koln (Cologne) and the Christmas market and Cathedral there.









The food alone was worth it. We ate some kind of awesome sandwich, potato pancakes, crepes, hot cocoa, some nut streudel thing, and mushrooms in sauce. There is a reason we gained weight while we were there.

Kelsey and I went to Sittard in The Netherlands to this great market that is there every week. I wish there were markets like this near me. The fresh produce and food...oh, my, I'd weigh 1,200 pounds.







Kelsey made me the customary cobb salad that I love.



Isn't Grant cute?



Kelsey and I also went shopping in Maastricht in The Netherlands. They also had a Christmas market with to. die. for. Belgian waffles. Holy confection, Batman, are these awesome!



And sorry to leave you on a cliffhanger, but Winnie just woke up so I'll have to pause in my blogging and go deal with her. More later today or maybe tomorrow. Toodles!