Chocolate Chocolate Everywhere....

This morning was Van and Bonnie(local radio hosts) third annual (i think?) chocolate breakfast. It was free so Rudy and I thought we'd go. My parents were going there too but couldnt stay because the line was massive. As we got there some lady was pulling out of the spot closest to the building so I parked there and stayed in the car with VE while rudy waited out in the cold line. We switched after a while and after an hour of waiting we finally got in. It was much different than I expected and i thought it was going to be a sit down breakfast with like chocolate chip pancakes, chocolate waffles etc....NOPE it was like black friday. Wall to wall people pushing and shoving to get to the different rows of vendors. They all had free samples from chocolate dip to chocolate wine and cheesecake. There were 6,000 people there from 5-9 am. CRAZY. Rudy tried a chocolate bacon brownie...yuck. he hated it. It was fun to get out and go and take Vaughn and she got to eat a few bites and thought that was pretty cool. It was trully insane though. Worse than black friday, worse than the state fair. I am NOT a crowd person so I was ready to leave and just go to perkins but rudy loves those kind of things so he helped lighten my grouchyness.

Vaughn and I hung out with rudy afterwards and then ran some errands in des moines. She was pooped so we came home and she's now resting....resting...not sleeping :(

Gotta go get ready for the trip this weekend. Leaving tomorrow morning I think.

Little Miss Social Butterfly

We just returned from Vaughn-elise's Kindermusik class. She had so much fun. There were maybe 10 or 12 kids there ranging from about 6 months to 16 months. Alot of the activities involved sitting on the parents lap but the teacher (mrs. Jenn) encouraged walkers to be allowed to get up and explore the room (which was lined with mirrors...not so fun for me, but she loved it.) all the moms kept saying how much fun she was and how she liked they she encouraged their kids to "come out of their shell." She was pointing out all the other kids eyes, ears, nose etc and dancing all around the room. She played with pretty scarfs and shakers and the teacher was very impressed with her good sense of rhythm and ability to move about like she does. that felt nice. Rudy went with us so he could see what she would be doing. I dont think he will be going everytime but it was nice to have him there...(for me too so I wouldnt feel strange the first class, and for her and for him.) I guess they are going to start a daddy and me class on the weekends so depending on how she does, he may take her to taht sometimes. It will be nice for her to get out and enteract with other kids and learn some new songs in the processs.

Otherwise, I am still trying to get rid of this migraine Ive had for two days. Grr. I hate them.

Going to Bettendorf this weekend....the weather should be much better than last time...hopefully.



Otherwise,

So, VE had fallen asleep and woke up making a strange noise. I went back to check on her and for the second time this week she had thrown up all over everything. Poor thing was COVERED in it. Not a dry spot on her pants and she had taken her socks off and had throw up chunks between her tows. She just looked so sad. I put her back in her pjs and washed her bedding,clothes, pillows and blankets and laid down with her in my bed. She wimpered for a bit and then fell back asleep. Poor thing. I wonder whats going on. Hope she isnt getting sick! She hasnt acted like it but why the throwing up then?!?!

It is Wednesday? Tuesday? I dont even know! Today has been good so far. VE slept until 8 oclock!!!!!!! (holey cow! I know!) and we decided to go to the library today. Frankly I am tired of reading bubbles bubbles every single day 80 times a day. She has TONS of books but for some reason wont sit through any of the others. I think its a stage but thought it would be fun to let her get out and play in the play area. Rudy met us there and played with her while I picked out some books for her and some magazines for myself. She had alot of fun and was suprisingly well behaved. AT about 10:30 all the kids started coming in for story hour. I had planned on leaving before then but Rudy said why not let her try it. So we stayed for about 25 minutes and there were alot of kids there and she was not into the story so we took off. There is laptime story time tomorrow for kids more her age. We may attempt this...not sure.

I think we are finally narrowing down to 1 nap a day...not sure, but thats what the past few days are proving. She is not wanting to nap at all and has been asking to go to bed and then laying in there and talking for about 30-45 minutes off and on. I wont hear her for a while (she's not crying, just laying down and having a converstation with herself.) and then she'll sing a little song and then be silent...eventually she falls asleep so i am letting her do this...hopefullys he will get used to a mid day longer nap vs two naps. Anyways, good day so far. Hope it keeps up:)

monday mondaya

Thats today...feels exactly like a Monday. Ve went down late last night..like 8:30 and was up at 6 again today and then did not take a morning nap and has not been wanting to fall asleep for an afternoon nap. Not sure what the deal is. Went to walmart this morning and got a few groceries....rudy wanted us to go with him so he could get an eye exam but the eye docs werent there on Mondays. weird. Quick trip there and home. Im just feeling restless today. Needing to get out and about. Feeling the need to decorate and organize. I am SOOO excited for garage sale season I can hardly stand it!! Hopefully I can get my own place soon so I can actually get things at garage sales this year and have somewhere to put them!

Anyways, borning day today. Hope you all are having a more exciting day than I am!

So my sister inspired me to investigate how to change layouts on blogspot. I got it figured out. i didnt even know it was possible. I know I change my myspace layout occasionally(though i dont even use myspace anymore) and always thought the layouts on here were so boring- so now we can all make our pages more "personal"...yay!

this weekend...not alot went on- but i feel like it flew by! I went to Church with Molly again on Saturday night. I really do like it. Its awkward because we dont know any of the songs they sing and the ones we do know they really change up and we get all lost:) Its just nice being around other people (200-300) other people my own age...literally. all in their 20's and early 30's. the pastor is 24 and while some may think that doesnt give him alot of experience to preach on, he is on the same level completely w ith those he is talking to so he knows the struggles and everything that go on with people in this age group. Its really interesting and nice to feel like the sermans are directed toward you. We do coffee afterwards which is nice too, we get to chat about the message and how thigns are and its just nice to have that girl time to kick back and breathe and relax. Its weird not going to church on Sunday mornings though. Its weird for me not to take vE to chuch too. I think we might try out the walnut creek (the mother church to the downtown church) some sunday so I can take vaughn-elise. I want her to grow up in church but it doesnt start til after her bedtime so thats no good. She is too little to remember going or getting anything from it obviously but i still like the thought of her being there. We will see. For now though- Saturday evenings work well.

Nothing going on this week until Thursday when VE starts her music class. We are going to bettendorf this weekend for Rudy's moms birthday and may or may not stay there for the super bowl. I could care less but of course Rudy wants to watch it. I like the atmosphere but would rather be shopping, or sleeping...or something. Hawks, Bears- count me in all the way. Otherwise, I will watch but dont care one way or the other.

Scary story- Vaughn elise knows how to get out of her crib now. Not sure what to do. She has started throwing her leg over the side and trying to pull herself over. She could easily do it, luckily I always catch her. What do you do when this happens???!!!! She is too young(i tihnk???) to get a toddler bed but obviously too tall and adventurous for her crib. Yikes. Any suggestions????

Its friday!

This week has been pretty blah. Nothing much going on. Im feeling tired and restless and am really really really ready for the cold and wind and snow to go away for a very long time. Vaughn-elise is growing out of her winter pajamas and frankly im not about to buy new ones for just another month. She has grown two inches since October (when she started wearing them) so it might come down to cutting the feet out of them. Blah. They are nice carters ones so I hate to do that. I have been putting her in the last two or three pair that still fit and then on the other ngihts just putting her in sweat pants and long sleeve onsies. It works I guess. I hate not being able to go outside and get fresh air and lately I have just had a heavy heart...feeling moody and ready for some change.

Vaughn-elise has been moody this week too. Not sure if its from her shots on Wednesday or what but she has been throwing fits like she has never done before. She throws herself back/forward and today dropped to the ground in a fit before I could grab her and smacked her face on the bedrail, instantly she got a HUGE goose egg and it turned blue within seconds. I felt horrible for her. I just dont know how to stop her from doing it. She has been very clingy too which is unlike her, wanting to be held all the time.

Next Thursday she is starting Kindermusik in Waukee, its a program where young children (devided into appropriate age groups) and thier moms go and play insturments, learn songs, dance around...it should be fun for her. I have been to Music together and loved that but she on the waiting list for that program so we will see how she does in Kindermusik. I think she will love it. I dont know how "loose" they are with their program but I am assuming for her age group they wont be TOO structured. We'll see. I am excited for her though to get involved in somethign and hang out with other kiddos doing her FAVORITE thing on earth....dancing. (Which she now calls "d-g-ing) too cute.

She has started saying mommy a hundred times in a row. No waiting for me to answer, no question for me, nothing. Today I lost count at 40 times in a row...mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy,mommy, mommy. Its adorable but driving me crazy:) this is such a fun age for her. I love it, and its challenging....everyday.

Lets see...whats new?
So saturday my sweet friend Molly and I decided to try out a new church, its called the downtown church. It is a branch off of a bigger church in des moines but it is only for people in their 20's (maybe early 30s?) Its in an old warehouse and frankly it looks more like a bar or an old art studio than a church. It was awesome! We will definetly be going back. ITs been so long since I have really felt like the message pertained to my life or that I was getting much from it. It was awesome. The music was fantastic, the lesson was very well done, everyone was super friendly and there was all sorts of people there (mohawks, peircings, preppy, single parents.) Molly and I talked about how you just feel excepted there, regardless. It was cool. We went to dinner at centro's before hand and then for coffee afterwards.

Sunday we just hung out. Matt and maria, rudy, myself and VE. I made dinner and we just sat around and watched football.

Today has been fun. I woke with a migraine but took medication right away and its been waring off quickly. VE slept ALL NIGHT LONG. She fell asleep at 6 and slept til 7:15. WAHOO!!! I was so excited. SHe hasnt done that in a long time. I have stopped giving her a bottle when she wakes up at night and will just let her fuss for a while and then if she's still upset I will someitmes walk around the room with her and put her back down before she falls asleep. Aparently she forgot how to self sooth without the bottle because since I stopped, she is doing great.
We played with Play-dough this moring for the first time ever. It was so fun to watch her. She sat in her highchair for 40 MINUTES and had the most fun Ive ever seen her have...squeezing it, making balls, conecting the balls, putting them on top of each other, picking htem up with the spoon, putting them in a cup. I just gave her two colors (yellow and orange) and you could really just see her little mind working. She didnt once try to mix the colors!? She was so enthrawled with it! I was hesitant to do it thinking she might be a little young but I picked some up at the store the other day when it was on sale and I am so glad I did. I gave her a slotted spoon and she would make designs in the dough and then try so hard not to mess them up when she was playing with them. Too funny. It is exciting to see the things she gets into and the things she could care less about. We got done playing with the playdough and washed up and then she grabbed my hand and said "night night mama" and started walking back to the bedroom, so now she's asleep.
I have her 15 month apt tomorrow morning...right in the middle of the inauguration speech. Darnit! Ill update you all on that though. I always have lots to ask at those apts.!

Have a great week everyone!

wahoo for poop!

I forgot to blog about a super exciting thing that happened the other day! Vaughn elise has been very very interested in the big girl potty, wanting to play with it and recently wanting to sit on it while we are going potty too. So I have encouraged her to do that...i just let her pretend. The toher day she was acting like she had to go so I took her diaper off and let her sit on the potty. AND SHE POOPED. I got so excited when I heard the "plop" that I started dancing and screaming good job hunnie! She got scared, and tried to run off...poop hanging out of her booty and all. I didnt know what to do. HAha, i didnt want to pick her up and get poop on me but didnt want her to sit down and get it on the floor either so we had to be inventive....she was terrified...crying the whole bit. Poor thing. But i was so excited. I think it was an acident that she went becuase she never has before and has never peed or anything in the potty. Too funny. We'll keep working on it:)

This weather is making me feel like a hostage. I mean seriously, negetive 25...are you for real? Thats just....wrong. Cold doesnt bother me....risking my life by walking outside absolutely gets under my skin. I worry about the poor animals outside. In fact, Im thinking of sneaking sadie inside tonight. She is in the garage...but that has no heat. It breaks my heart.

we had a great day playing today...Vaughn is really into building towers. I love her excitement when we stack one on top of the other,...she claps her hands and jumps up and down ..too cute.

Today she said the funniest thing. We were in the bedroom playing and she tripped on something and toppled over. I said "Vaughn-elise are you okay hunnie?" and she looked at me, patted her tummy, cocked her head to the side and plain as day said. " Mmm maybe." It was soo funny. What one year old replies...maybe? And when did she hear that anyways? When I talk to her its always with yes or no. Too funny- she's a personality I tell ya.

we had a great time at jump n jacks last night and definetly need to go there more often. Gets alot of her energy out too. She was asleep before I backed out of my parking spot!!

Everyone say a little prayer tonight that this weather passes and we can at least get above 0...heck 5 degrees would feel great!

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY ANDRE!!!!
We love you sooo much!

CROSS YOUR FINGERS:)

This morning was my test for the 2010 census. I was nervous because it was a test of basic skills (which I am horrible at tests.) so I got dressed up and went in the blizzard down to the testing site. I was the youngest and most overdressed person there in my black dress pants, cute shoes and dressy top. Everyone else was in flannel ad jeans or a sweatshirt. Yikes. I suck at predicting dress codes. Anyways, good news was that I got EVERY SINGLE QUESTION right. YAY. I am really hoping I get hired. THis would be perfect. Make your own schedule, I could still be home with Vaughn, could work around school work etc. I am REALLY hoping this works out. Only downfall is I dont know when to expect a call....they said it could be next week or not til the end of the year depending on the position they want us for and how good our test score was.

I think we're getting sick around here, chest cold and stuffy noses, hoping it doesnt last more than a few days and doesnt turn into something worse.

Hope everyone stays out of the blizzard and has a great week. Something about the winds of the blizzard is oddly comforting to me. I love hearing the windows rattle and the wind come through the fireplace. Cozy.

Tomorrow is Sweet Andre's FIRST BIRTHDAY. I am so excited for him. What a little sweetie. I am excited to celebrate with him:)

weekend getaway

This weekend we went to the Quad Cities this weekend to get Rudy's new car. (whoop whooop) Its always nice to get away and its always nice to get back to our normal routine. Vaughn missed her toys and her bed. The second she got home she was all about seeing everyone and getting into her toys. she didnt sleep well this weekend so she was in bed early tonight. The loved to see her and how she changes and are always amazed at her sense of rhythm. "Its in her blood" is what they say. I say "her mama's a pretty good dancer too ya knows?" haha. My lungs are definetly still recouping from the amount of smoke I was around this weekend. They just dont do well in that enviroment. My whole body feels different, I wheeze, my sinus's swell up, my head hurts, my hair and skin feel greasy. Vaughn seemed very bothered by it too...she coughed alot, wheezed some. It broke my heart. Some people handle the smoke just fine, but I never have. I think its nice that they let us stay there but I am thinking that from now on I will have to stay elsewhere with Vaughn. That stinks-I wish it was different but its just not and its the easiest way. We look forward to seeing them and its always nice to have a weekend getaway. Wish the drive was shorter. Vaughn did very well in the car though, I was so proud of her!

Tomorrow morning I go in for my interview for the census. Wish me luck. I think have to go get my books for DMACC. YAY. Time for school again. :) I am sort of excited to start learning again....trust me, thats a statement I never thought I would make! haha.

This will be a good week. Lots of snow, but it should be good :)
Hope everyone had a great weekend!

happy hump day

Not much to report on. Just trying to figure out my college stuff today. BORING. I got my w-2 and tried to file this mornign while rudy was here. (Im sorta anxious) and i couldnt becuase IRS doesnt accept files until Jan. 16th. LAME. Also I dont have two of my forms that I "need". (though the information is online.) Frustrating.

We went to the library with amanda and the kiddos today. That was fun to get out a little bit.
i had to stop by my old work to get my w-2 and its so different. all the offices which used to be spread out over a massive building are now in a tiny little area and there's lke 15 people left. It was super strange and so quiet. It was weird going back in there. oh well.

lazy day the rest of the day. i like these kind of days. Maybe ill dye my hair later? Who knows. a crazy spell just might over come me.

frumpy and slumpy.

Thats exactly how I feel lately. Just in a rut. Physically, I am just completely drained. I am feeling fat, lazy, scraggly, bulky and dry (my skin is horribly dry and I look like ashes.) I am SO needing a makeover. I wish I could afford to go to the gym, then to the spa, get a body wrap and then a massage, head over Aveda and get my hair done and then off to get mani's and pedi's. I can dream though right? I am thinking that I need to definetly start working out. I think one of the main factors is I have pretty much stopped drinking water since I moved in with my parents. I dont know why that is, aside from the fact that at work we had filtered water that I would drink around 100 ounces a day of and then at the apt rudy and I bought large jugs of water. I guess I dont like the way faucet water tastes and am too broke to afford bottled water everyday. Anyways, i need to get back in to the routine of 8-10 glasses a day- I felt so much better. Also, being off my meds due to no insurance I am sure is playing a role, plus its winter and that never helps. IDK, Maybe Ill die my hair at home and try some home spa remedies. Rudy's main Christmas present to me was supposed to be a super nice juicer. Well, I was the one tracking the order since he let me pick out which one I wanted and just order it myself. This was the beginning on Dec. Nope- UPS lost it, that JUST MY LUCK. SO for the past 3 weeks I have been calling the company 3-4 times a week checking to see if they shipped my replacement one yet and they keep saying the shipment is pending. ITs rediculous and their customer service sucks and it takes forever to get through because if there are no reps available it says "thanks for calling, due to high call volume, we can not take your call. Goodbye." and it hangs up. ITs just nuts. Im so ticked off. TOday I called and cancelled the order all together and told them I want my money back. So, now I have no juicer. Im super mad because I was really looking forward to doing juice fasts of veggies and fruits this year. I guess maybe I can find another one i like with the money I get back.

Also, this might not be something to blog about but I am curious if anyone has tried this. I am interested in doing a whole body cleanse. I am pretty convinced I have a parasite (been doing lots of reasearch and it seems to fit the bill....also they can cause hypothyroid and hypoglycemia as well as water retention, puffy belly, headaches, muscle aches, fatigue etc.) all things I have. So I wanted to start doing a 60 day body cleanse. You start with a colon cleanse, then parasite cleanse, then liver, kidney and galbladder and blood. It sounds prety easy but I am a little worried about the first two!!! Has any of you dont this? Its not like cleaning out with laxatives or for a colonscopy- its way different. They also suggest coffee enimas- apparently it activates the liver and gets it clean without the bad cafine going into your system?!? Not sure. What are your thoughts? ever tried this? If I do it, I am sure it will be a big blog topic so get prepared! :) I just need to start feeling better and I figure with all the drugs/radiation etc that has been put into my (along with unhealthy foods etc) I should probably do my body a favor and rid myself of some of the toxins. When I had my endoscopy a few years ago they said that there was apool of bodily toxins just sitting in my stomach and my body doesnt seem to realease them. Strange. But it makes sense with how I feel. Anyways, enough ranting.
I am off to meet a friend for coffee. (healthy, no?)

some pictures....

I just love this precious little face all suprised. By what I have no idea.

I remember doing this as a child. Gross.

Unicorn.

It was a busy and fun day today. hung out this morning after another horrible restless night. I dont know why but she is waking at night ALOT. Not always crying, sometimes just whining like she is in pain or uncomfortable, super super gassy. Sometimes she wakes screaming. When/if I put her in bed with me she sleeps better but is still restless, rolling all over, kicking etc. (Sometimes I think she needs to trasnsition into a toddler bed, sometimes i think she is too young for that. When she gets stuck in the crib bars or even rolls into them she wakes up....but in the same breath i think she would get out of a toddler bed when she wakes up. This could be dangerous. )
We then went into town in hopes of going to a play area with gabs and dre but i staked out the jordan creek mall and my sister the valley west mall and there wasnt a parking spot to be found at either mall. Its nuts. I figured with the holidays being over the malls would be bare. I guess most people had today off though. We will have to try again next week.

We met rudy after a test he had to take for work and we wnet to lunch. VE loves to see her daddy and its fun when she doesnt expect it. She was perfect perfect perfect at the restauarant. I was soo proud.
We came home and played alot and the took a bath. Now that she has a lot of new bath toys from Christmas and a baby she bathes with her she is in love with baths. She would stay in there all night. Its cute. She washes' her babies hair, ears and pours water on her head like i do her. Its too cute. She is learning to tip her head back and thinks its so funny.

Tonight I got to do laundry at the laundry mat. First time since college (and that was very rare- maybe once.) Not as bad as I thought- in fact, it was nice to sit in there by myself and read and look at cookbooks and just get some breathing time in. Not that I want to hang out there everynight but it was okay. I was scared at first and asked my mom a bunch of questions. But it was super clean and the owner came in to check on everyone and sweep up. Im not scared anymore! haha

Vaughn's rash is looking much better. It is still there but lessening by the day....except for her poor face, which is still pretty bad.

have a good weekend everyone!

HAPPY 2009 EVERYONE!

Well its here! Another year. That to me is so exciting and yet comes with a lot of hesitation- as though i did not make enough of 2008, it went too fast, Vaughn-elise grew up way way too fast in 2008. It makes me sad and happy that this will be here second new years, second Valentines day, second easter, second summer, and 3rd of every other holiday (halloween, thanksgiving, Christmas....) its just insane to me.

I actually did not make it to midnight last night. I know I know....what 25 year old stays home and goes to bed early on NYE? Well, a tired mom with a sick baby I suppose. VE woke up at 11:30 and I went back to lay with her and though I would go back out at 11:45 and watch the big festivities on tv. I was wrong. I passed out too! I was so exhausted today and Im not sure why- I think its from VE sleeping so restlessly. I guess a mother never rests when she knows her baby is not fast asleep, right? I ended up having to nap for an hour or so this evening just to make it through.

anyways, what do you have planned for 2009? i think its smart at the new year to take a few min. to reflect on the best things/most monumental things that happened the previous year and make a list of goals for the new year. I know "resolutions" usually fail, but i think its good ot make them anywyas. Its good to have goals and something to work for. So here goes

In 2008:
*I worked with some great people at EVO and learned alot about what i want/dont want for my life.
*I was able to move back in with my parents and take some time to myself to figure some stuff out.
*Even though rudy was not living with us he was still able to come and spend time with us almost every single day.
*We celebrated some of VE's first holidays which was lots of fun and will hopefully be the start of many traditions!
*We got to travel to Arizona for my cousin's gorgeous wedding. It was a great break and VE's first out of state travel:) Great memories!
*I lost my job at EVO. While this was definetly not in the plans- I feel like it ended up being a blessing. In the small picture- money is tight. In the big picture- this is precious amazing time I have with my daughter and I feel like it was supposed to happen this way. I will leave my future employment up to God and where he wants me and even though i am looking hard for jobs (now up to 115 applications) I am trusting that in this moment I am where I am supposed to be. Raising my amazing daughter and that that will change when its time. I would not give this time back with her for millions of dollars. This may be the biggest disguised blessing of the year. (though i think my parents would disagree:)
* I have been able to pay my bills even without a job. this is huge for anyone who knows me! I think God is really providing for me.
* I have been able to start a weekly tradition of doing coffee with a sweet dear friend molly. It has been the break I have needed during hte week just to take a few hours after VE goes to bed and sit and chat with a friend who is on my level and I love her to pieces. It makes me really appreciate true friends.


Now...2009 (can you believe that?) resolutions/ goals

*I want to regain my healthy lifestyle. I want to start doing daily juicing, get back to drinking 8-10 glasses of water a day start working out again, watching what i eat ect.
* Get down to 130 lbs.
* Start a scrapbook for vaughn-elise
*Get back to Wilmington for a few days and visit friends.
*pay off all credit card debt and be able to start saving
*Medical trascription certificate (starting that on jan. 12th!!)
*Start finding ways to make money at home. I want to start making things and open up a small store on etsy.com
*Get my own place.
*video taping more of Vaughn-elise's everyday activity.
*Get organized and declutter
*start and finish the book 5 from starbucks-a goal setting workbook for where you want your life to be in 5 years and how to get there.
*ENJOY EVERYDAY OF THE YEAR!