chocolate covered strawberries with a side of temper tantrum please...

just when you think you have the most angelic, precious, polite, and fun toddler in the world she throws a gargantuan knock down drag out screaming at the top of her lungs temper tantrum with no discernible impetus and no apparent end. it's a good thing wegman's has supplied me with the ingredients for chocolate covered strawberries so i can eat them and pretend it never happened...

tuesday tell all part 2 ~{maybe i'll start a series}~

well, it's tuesday morning and i'm enjoying my morning me time before amelie wakes up (she's been going to bed at 9:30 and waking up at 8:30 or 9 these days). i'm so thankful she's a dependable sleeper--hopefully she will teach her sister her good habits! i think today will be grocery day as the cupboards are nearly bare. as a side note: i <3 wegmans!!!

i know i've said it before but i'll say it again, i love my husband a lot. he took amelie out for a walk for almost two hours last night! he's so patient and does everything she wants to and she LOVES him for it--as soon as daddy says it's time for a walk, amelie forgets i exist and gets so excited about strolling, sliding, snacking and swinging with daddy. and what did i do? i sat around missing them and then got over it and took a nice long bath =-)

things i'm craving during this pregnancy:
1. mini chocolate covered donuts by enteman's mmm...breakfast, lunch and dinner
2. sour cream and onion potato chips, they must be herr's
3. mozzarella cheese sticks from applebee's only
4. spaghetti (e!?!? hahah sarah!)

my aunt sent me an email forward so i figured i'd read it and it was full of Maxine comics--which are sometimes funny to me--it must be the hormones b/c every one of them made me laugh out loud--i though i'd share one:

here's what my little angel is doing this week--i can't wait to meet her, i'm head over heels for her already!
Week 29
Your Baby's Development
Now that organ and nerve development is almost complete, your baby will start gaining weight very quickly this week — mostly in the form of body fat. This fat will provide insulation for Baby and will fill out most of the wrinkles in her skin, making her look like a plump, healthy baby.

In addition, Baby's brain continues its important developmental work this week. In fact, it is growing so quickly now, it may cause her flexible skull bones to swell slightly. The folds and fissures of the brain continue to develop, allowing room for important interconnections between nerve cells. During this week, brain wave patterns begin to look like those of a full-term baby.

By this time, your baby may weigh just under three pounds and is a bit less than 14 inches long.

Other important developments in the 29th week include:

Baby will begin to produce prolactin, a hormone that will help your body produce colostrum. (Colostrum is the first breastmilk you’ll produce and is filled with nutrients and immunity-enhancers.)
Insistent kicking action will occur as Baby's muscles develop. Later in this trimester, these movements will slow down as Baby gets bigger and the uterus gets more cramped.
Baby's skeleton will continue to harden.
Baby's lungs will continue to mature.
Baby's downy lanugo hair will begin to shed into the amniotic fluid. She may still have some on her body at birth, but this will fall off in the first week or so.
Toenails will continue to grow.
Retinas will continue to develop.

much ado about monday

so it's monday again--another weekend has flown by and amelie and i had a nice day relaxing. we did some laundry and went swimming at the grandparents and i have packed a few more boxes...i really want to pack as much as possible, as soon as possible so that as the weeks go by i can relax a little bit--i'm worried about overdoing it.
m.v.w. it still up to her late night antics--resting during the day and squirming all around at night--it's nice to have company during my wide awake in the middle of the night moments (or hours as the case may be!).
here are some pictures of amelie practicing her stacking and sorting skills--and i know what you're thinking--YES, she is a genius!;)

amelie oddities
1. she is currently obsessed with yogurt--she wants to eat it 3 times a day
2. she loves wearing bandaids and couldn't go to sleep last night until i put one on her (unwounded) knee
3. she only ever wants to be carried when my hands are full of groceries, laundry, trash etc.
4. she is finally letting me put barrettes and pony tails in her hair--she tells me she wants to look pretty and as soon as we get home from an outing promptly pulls them all out.
5. i hug her so much it's a wonder she doesn't explode. i love that kid.

jumpin' bean

i can't believe it's already sunday! my parents left for home early this morning and steven is helping his brother move (good practice for our move in a few short weeks) and i packed my first box today....bleh. i'm not looking forward to the process but am excited about the end result of moving! amelie is being precious and had fun all weekend playing with granny and pop-pop (i think she wore them out though...). here's a movie of amelie jumpin'!
undefined jumping



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the granny and grandpa of the north

so, my parents are here for the weekend and it's great to have them! here's a picture of amelie eating the special krisy kreme that they brought her! my mom is helping me scrub all the nooks and cranny's of the apartment so i don't have to inhale too many toxic fumes and my dad is helping by entertaining amelie and doing a few odd jobs. we went shopping together this morning--which is so fun with amelie now b/c she's really good in stores--and will either hold your hand or hang onto the cart which is a huge sanity saver! that's about all to report--a nice quiet day with family!

mixed bag

things i've learned today
1. never buy anything from walmart and have it shipped site to store. ever. i'm sticking with target for always.
2. it's cheaper to buy large plastic bins for packing than it is to buy cardboard boxes.
3. the toys your daughter always neglects look much more fabulous after you've hidden them for a while and then taken them back out.
4. target sells wicked cute placemats for .99


i'm glad it's friday! my parents are coming down tonight and staying for the weekend, it will be good to see them. it's been a longggg/stressful/lonely week--one of those kinds of weeks where i wish i could live near my new york family and friends-bleh. i am so thankful for my sweet husband and baby girl--they are my sunshine!
amelie playing with her long neglected toys:

Water World

Today Amelie and I headed over to Granny and Pop-pop's to do some swimming! Amelie did not like the looks of the water once we got there so I had to dump out the pool, clean it and then Amelie helped to refill it. Those darn pools don't seem to stay clean for long! We had a lot of fun splashing and now we're home for a nap!

Not too much else to report--I did get the new harry potter from the library last night and finished it this morning--it was really good! Probably one of the strongest books of the series although definately PG 13! I'm a simple girl who likes neat and clean endings to her stories so I was very happy!

Here is the chain of events from this morning:

"Yucky!" loosely translasted: "MAMA! Clean this pool!"

Amelie loved using the hose to fill it back up!

Maybe I'll just stomp in the mud instead--this is much more fun!
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sometimes you feel like a nut; sometimes you don't

so, the good news is that we got the apartment! the bad news is that now i have to move in a month...bleh. this will be the fourth time we've moved since we've been married--6 years... i don't enjoy moving--but every time we've moved has been for a very good reason so i suppose that makes it easier. God has given just the right place at just the right time--but i tell ya, when we decide to be settled somewhere i'm going to put my roots down until the Lord takes me home--enough already! i had a mini panic attack last night just thinking about it--got any boxes anyone? =-)

things i miss:
1. my sarah(s)--my sister friends
2. wide open spaces
3. my brothers
4. NY fresh air
5. the time i used to have to write letters

things i have in abundance
1. traffic
2. laughter
3. kisses and hugs
4. food, shelter, necessities
5. time to blog

tuesday tell all

amelie last july at my brother's wedding
amelie this july at my brother in law's wedding

things that make me happy today/everyday in no particular order:
1. my hottie husband
2. my amelie and especially her "still-looks-like-a-baby-when-she's-sleeping-face"
3. how people on ebay will give me $20 for something i paid $2 for...
4. how people on ebay accept $2 for something i would pay $20 for...
5. my sarah(s) of the west and east
6. no debt (for a whole year, woo hoo!)
7. God's provision, perfection and patience
8. m.v.w. and her all-night raves
9. amelie and steven's dance parties
10. my husband's good sense to take amelie out to play for over an hour each night--and that he goes down the slide with her a million times and tells me all about it like he gets just as excited as she does.

girls names i liked then: boys names i liked then:
1. isabella 1. aidan
2. amelie 2. ewan

girls names i like now: boys names i like now:
1. marguerite 1. deacon
2. aurelia 2. elijah
3. maeve 3. jacob

so today is the big day we find out whether or not we are moving! at this point i will be happy either way--although i think our gas budget would be MUCH happier if we lived in heights! so we'll see and i'll keep you posted...

m.v.w. and i are cooking along--here is her update for the week!
Week 28
Your Baby's Development
This week marks an important milestone for Baby's brain development. Until now, the surface of your baby's developing brain was smooth. During this week, Baby's brain begins to form its characteristic grooves and indentations, allowing the brain’s surface to expand while it develops within Baby's tiny skull.

At about two pounds four ounces and 13.8 inches from head to toe, your baby has certainly come a long way!

Other important developmental advances continue as well:

Baby will continue to add layers of fat under her skin, and will get plumper with each passing day.
Hair on Baby's head will continue to grow.
A boy's testes are usually completely descended into the scrotum by this point.
A girl's labia are still small and won't yet cover the clitoris. The labia will grow closer together in the last few weeks of pregnancy.
Baby's lungs are now capable of breathing air.

water water everywhere and not a drop to drink

it's a lovely cool but drizzle-y day--i love this weather! it's such a nice break from all of the heat! amelie loves to splash around in it (mama actually really likes to splash too!!).

we had a very nice morning at miss megan's house and amelie was thrilled to play with all of her little friends! here is a picture of their pudding party! we even were honored with the first play date appearance of little miss molly--i forgot to snap her picture, she's such a cutie! i can't wait to meet my little miss m.--i know it will be here soon, but it's getting very exciting!!
after a nice lunch with daddy we are home albeit without drinking water--our complex is working on the pipes today but at least gave us notice so i have water stored up for this afternoon--we should be ok =-)
say a little prayer for us as steve is applying for our heights apartment option tonight!

wedding bells

well, the big day has come and gone and it was lovely! it was a beautiful weather for an evening wedding and everyone looked fabulous. with the low humidity and the soft breeze it was a far cry from the other two weber weddings--ours was about 97 degrees with 100% humidity in no air conditioning and steven's brothers was about 100 degrees and 100% humidity with no air conditioning for the wedding or rehearsal--someone finally got it right!


it was interesting trying to entertain a 2 year old during the ceremony while taking pictures and trying to enjoy myself/hear everything....oh well, she was fairly tame and here's a picture of amelie trying to entertain herself during the ceremony!


the food was nice, amelie was mostly like a little lady--that is, until she hit the dance floor! if my camera hadn't died i would have taken a few shots of her workin' her groove thing! she literally danced on the floor for about 2 hours with daddy and i guarding her body from catastrophe--he signature style was a spin that never stopped--for two hours--you could see from across the room her eyes would go blurry and she would fall--it was a little stressful but she slept well! even steven and i got to dance to some of our wedding songs which was a nice trip down memory lane.


we had a lovely evening and now mama is staying home from church to recover--it was a long day for a pregnant lady in uncomfortable shoes taking care of a toddler for most of the night by herself!


ryan watching micayla walk down the aisle

self portrait by amelie (who was desperately looking to be entertained)

the kiss

*t*m*i* or newsflash(es)

yes, i know, it's too much information--however! i'm extremely proud of myself for being able to paint my toes in the style of a french manicure while 7 months pregnant--it came out very well i might add--yay me! maybe i'll do it again someday when my belly isn't so copious.

also

we looked at an apartment in heights on friday and really liked it! it's rec. new carpets, paint and light fixtures and although it isn't bigger then the one we live in now it's right off of 4th ave! on the first floor! is in heights!!!! so we'll see what the Good Lord's will is--monday we apply! if the door is open, yay for heights, if it's closed, yay for not moving!!!! so we'll see and i'll keep you updated--we should know sometime the middle of next week....

*t*m*i* OR newsflash(es)

yes, i know--too much information, however! i am very proud of myself for being able to accomplish a nearly impossible feat--painting my toe nails in the style of a french manicure while 7 months preggo--yay me! it turned out smashing and i might do it again someday when i can actually reach my toes a bit easier!

also

we saw an apartment in heights on friday and liked it--it will be much better with new paint and carpet (which it is rec.) and my fab. furniture and it's in a great location--right off of 4th ave. in heights--monday we apply so here's to hoping that we get it or not...i'll be content either way--it would be great to be in heights and yucky to move--so, we'll see what the LORD decides, b/c that is always best.

what a good girl am i

Last night was Uncle Ryan's wedding rehearsal which went well, although it took us an hour to get there, started an hour late and got mostly rained out (it's an outdoor wedding)... Praise the Lord for my even tempered baby girl who was a joy and just plain fun to have around while we were waiting--she's better at waiting sometimes then her mama! We had a very nice dinner with the bridal party and assorted relatives at Coconut Bay--an Asian Rest.--they had some awesome chicken but I was scared to touch anything else due to the "mustn't eat raw fish during pregnancy" thing and also the "I hate eating anything that lives in water b/c they stink and taste gross" thing. We also found out that Amelie really loves wonton soup--seriously though, does anyone know what the stuff inside the wonton is? A disturbing turn of events came when I opened my fortune cookie and it was sans fortune, weird...

On another note, this is me lately:


We're looking at another apartment in HH tonight! I'm praying for closed doors (literally) if it isn't the Lord's will....I'll keep ya'll posted!

yay for friends!

amelie and i had a very nice morning today playing at church with some of our good friends! amelie is always thrilled to see josh and jessica and i am always thrilled to have a chance to talk with their mamas, so it was very nice! after a lot of playing daddy made us a pizza lunch and now we're home to relax before uncle ryan's wedding rehearsal tonight! it's going to be a busy weekend, but it's full of family stuff so we're excited! hopefully amelie makes it through a late rehearsal and rehearsal dinner though!

last night i made amelie a special treat--cupcake filled ice cream cones (only slightly less messy than ice cream filled ice cream cones)! here is a picture of her enjoying it!

wacky wednesday

amelie must be growing cause boy! that girl is sleepy! i had to wake her up this morning at 9 and she's already tired enough for a nap!
we had a lovely little morning visiting josh and his mama--it's been too long! amelie was very excited to see many familiar toys and had a grand time pulling out everything she could find =-) we also got to meet daddy for lunch which is always the best! we love daddy! here's a picture of sleepy amelie!

"mama! i need a hat!" OR *a girl must accessorize...*

man, oh man! i love this kid. she was hilarious last night! mama had decided to highlight her own hair for uncle ryan's impending nuptials--not b/c it's fun mind you, but to save $$. praise the Lord i didn't fry my hair off and that i have a husband who isn't averse to using the little pull stick to get the back of my hair out for the highlights--good job and thanks honey! so anyways, amelie thought i was wearing a hat and really really really needed a hat of her own so that we matched--as you can see from the pictures she is much cuter then me!!! so--the hat incident spurred on an accessories bonanza during which amelie repeatedly pulled out every hat, stocking, sock, and shoe she owned over and over and tried to place as many on her body as possible. yeah, i love that kid.

not too much is planned for today--i think we might go swimming at granny and pop-pop's and maybe see daddy for lunch. steven starts a new master's class today so we have a busy weekend ahead since we ALSO have uncle ryan's wedding!

here's what m.v.w. is up to this week!

Week 27
Your Baby's Development

This week marks the beginning of the third trimester — and a big developmental change as Baby's fused eyelids finally open. The lids have been closed since early pregnancy to protect the developing retina at the back of the eye. The retina is the part of the eye that receives light information, and transmits the information to the brain for interpretation. The retina develops its normal layers during this week.

Although Baby may not have grown much taller, she now weighs more than two pounds. Right now, your baby looks like she will at birth, just a little thinner and smaller.

Other developmental changes include:

Lungs, liver and immune system are still developing.
As hearing continues to develop, some scientists suggest Baby may start to recognize your voice, although sounds may be muffled because waxy coating still covers the ears.

Response to sound will become more pronounced as the development of the auditory nerve is completed.
Baby's brain continues to grow and develop rapidly.

amelie's adventure

just in case you forgot what it is like...

annoying/reassuring pregnancy symptoms of the moment:
1. 24 hour, 7 day a week heartburn--which is apparently incurable no matter what i do, eat, don't eat, don't do etc....sleeping sitting up is no fun
2. vivid, disturbing dreams all night every night
3. ever changing over flowing emotional overload (darn those hormones)
4. a nice mix of fatigue and insomnia--who can figure it out
5. being prodded internally almost constantly (although, i wouldn't trade this one for anything!) it seems she is a party animal--quite the opposite of amelie in utero.

ok! no more complaining! i'm so thankful for this little baby and am really anxious to meet her! i have actually been feeling very well lately (now that the 5 months of nausea are in the past! ha!) and am counting down the days until i see her face.

sleepy sunday

yesterday went so quickly, i can't believe sunday is nearly over with (i turn into a pumpkin around 9, so the day doesn't last long when you add my 2 hour nap in!). we had a nice morning at church and had to leave a little bit early b/c my brother in law, who works for raymour and flanigan, was able to meet us at the store today and get us a groovy discount on amelie's new mattress! so while steve spent the afternoon testing out mattresses, amelie and i used the ones readily available in the house for napping! to add a little excitement to our day, we're heading out for pizza tonight--yay!

mmmm ikea....

so today i got to do a little shopping with my mother in law at ikea! ikea is always so fun b/c each time they have a ton of new things that i wish they had put in their catalog so that i could have been financially prepared to buy them all! i got a few odds and ends for amelie and the baby's room and granny ended up treating me to everything in my cart--YAY for granny and her generosity! we had a very nice day shopping and eating lunch at cheesecake factory--what a treat! i missed my honey and my amelie but it was nice not to have to chase anyone around! daddy and amelie had a nice day bonding together and picking up groceries and now i'm going to work on putting things together for baby weber!

is it that important to you?

so, amelie loves to play games with our hearts and has always rejected telling us she loves us--with words anyways--she tells us everyday with hugs and the sweet things she does...but for months i've been trying to get her to say the words. even while driving i would try to trick her into saying it--mama says, "i..." amelie repeats "i..." mama says, "love" amelie repeats....mama says, "mama (of course)!" amelie says--blankie! donut! stroller! and for the last two weeks she has been torturing me by saying--"i love you gigi!" but actually she says it all cute like, "i wuv ooo gigi." anyways, today we finally tricked her into expressing her love for us verbally and it was worth the wait. i love that kid and tell her a million times a day--it was nice to hear it once though ;-)

friday--here already?

this week has gone very quickly! we've been busy but i've definately begun to feel like we're on our own--we had very full days throughout the school year with me working part time and now we have a LOT of time on our hands....it's fab to be with amelie who is such a big girl she's a breeze to entertain...now who will entertain the mama? i think that will be m.v.w.'s job in the fall! we're still prepping the house for her arrival and rearranging things which is very exiciting!

i had a dr's appt. yesterday and it seems as though everything is going along smoothly--no news is good news! i've officially gained 5 pounds so far--can't wait to see how much i store away in the next few months--big YIKES!

we've brought a lot of amelie's baby things out of storage and some of her old toys too--much to her delight! i asked if i could take her picture today and she said she wanted it with her house so here it is!

how do you spell trouble? *c*l*i*m*b*

Amelie was playing quietly in her room (which should have been the first indication that something was amiss...) which means she is usually filling her crib with all of her stuffed animals and anything else she can put her mitts on in her room...and so, i eventually went in to check on her and found this:

that's right...somehow amelie is now tall enough to climb into her crib, which probably means she's also tall enough to crawl out--DARN IT! oh well....it's a good thing the big girl bed is coming soon!

also, amelie is fascinated with all of the baby stuff (toys, gear, clothes etc) that has been popping up in our house for m.v.w. here she is "testing" the musical play mat!

donut delivery service

for the past week or so amelie has been getting up and playing immediately with her kitchen. she loves to plate up all the food pieces we have and then serve them to gigi (the dog) or dump them out or store them in odd places.... well, today i decided to unload the dishwasher as she was playing and after about 10 minutes she brought out two plates, each one with a dodo (donut)--one for me and for her! i love her and it makes me proud and smiley that she thinks of me--even if it is just a fake donut =-)

this morning she also helped me in the kitchen by starting the dishwasher and getting out the broom and sweeping up the little dog food pieces gigi had knocked out of his bowl! amelie's name actually means, industrious/hard-working, which i think is one of the most important things you can instill in your child--a work ethic (after of course a love for JESUS!)--it just makes me feel a little bit better about the day when i see she's learning and helpful and sweet. i can't say it enough--i love that kid!

here's a picture of our "breakfast!"