Mini Maternity Shoot

We went to the local reservoir to take some maternity pics this morning. We hope to do this a few times over the next twelve weeks. Here are two pics from the shoot.

Mini Video Time

I really need to get my video camera going. I took these two clips with my phone.

Here is Eliza trying to make a tree with a cookie stamper. She is also saying and signing tree. In the second video Eliza is trying to pick up cotton balls with a Strawberry Huller.

My Lil Sweetie Patootie & Pregnant Mama Sliding

Eliza is such a little cutie. If I could eat her up she would be gone in one gulp. Of course we have days when I want to pull out my own eyelashes- but usually they don't last long. I love snuggling up with her in bed at night while Pete and I cover her little face with kisses.

I think she is getting more used to the idea of a new baby. She loves when I read Biscuit and the Baby and she has also been requesting her big sister book. Last night she held a conch shell to my belly so that baby could hear the ocean. Too sweet. I almost melted. She also likes to hear the baby's heartbeat. When I ask her when the baby is coming she says August in the cutest little voice. I know she has no clue wheat that means-but it is cute anyway.

We have had lots of transitions in the past few months. She is no longer using her Binky during the day. She still gets it for naps and bed time. I don't see that ending before age 2. It is her comfort item and I think it would be cruel to take it away. Sometimes she wakes up at night crying if she loses it in the bed, so I know she isn't ready to say goodbye.

We are no longer rocking her to bed at night. Instead we lay in the bed listening to her lullaby music while she calms down and falls asleep. This usually takes about 45 minutes. She spins around and around, kicks the wall and crawls all over us. She usually jibber jabbers nonstop. Pete and I stifle our laughs at some of the things she says. It is like her brain is emptying out from the entire day. After this routine she usually passes out. We are usually passed out too.

We are still cosleeping. I think we have decided as a family that we are just not ready for it to end. I know it isn't for everyone but it works for us and we actually love sleeping together. In my nesting frenzy I decided to make Eliza's room a playroom and move all the sleeping stuff into our bedroom. Our bedroom is kinda shaped like an L. Now our bed and dresser are in the little part of the L and E's bed and her glider are in the big part of the L. I am thinking I might get an Mini Arm's Reach Cosleeper for E's twin bed so I can sleep there with the baby and E can continue to sleep in our bed. What matters is that everyone gets as much sleep as possible and I am pretty much willing to do whatever works.

The Home Stretch

I can't believe that I am almost in my third trimester. I am 27 weeks and one day pregnant. Holy Moly! This morning I went and did my glucose test. The orange drink wasn't too bad. It is the waiting that stinks. It makes me all jittery and I could barely read my book. I REALLY hope I don't have to go back for the three hour.

Overall I love being pregnant. I feel great. I have had quite a bit of Braxton Hicks but nothing terrible at this point. I never really experiences this with Eliza- or at least I didn't realize what is was at the time. My sleep has been decent enough. I am not really uncomfortable at all yet. BONUS! I have only had like three leg cramps in the middle of the night.

I have had two dreams about the sex of the baby. In the first dream I had a little girl. Then I was like, WAIT! it can't be a girl-I am supposed to have a boy. And of course I had a boy too. VERY STRANGE! Apparently the fact that I was pregnant with twins had gone unnoticed. I am pretty sure this was an anxiety dream. My husband said that if we have another girl we are done. However, if we have a boy then we can probably have a third. So, although I could care less about the sex of the baby- my husband's words must have penetrated deep into my subconscious to torture me in my sleep.

In the second dream my water broke and I went to the hospital. However, I didn't go into labor soon enough so they decided I needed to have a C-section. When the baby was born it was... A GIRL! AND the baby looked exactly like Eliza.

I am pretty sure I ma having a girl. If they tell me it is a boy-I might need them to double check.

I have been majorly slacking with taking belly pics. I was so diligent when I was pregnant with Eliza. I used the timer on my little snap and shoot to take pics every week. This time we take them with my husband's camera and well we actually don't take them with the camera. I am hoping to snap a picture very soon for another comparison.

I am doing a baby poll again at Expectnet- so head on over and have a guess!

Wordless Wednesday

Muffin Tin Monday

Here is my muffin tin from yesterday. Red, White and Blue! We had strawberries, watermelon, bananas, blueberries and yogurt! Check out more great muffin tin ideas over at Her Cup Overfloweth.

Happy Memorial Day

Good nights and good mornings with the Good Night Lite

I have only ever met one mother who says that she gets enough sleep. She is either lying or completely insane. I don't even have any kids and would definitely like to sleep more than I do, so I can't imagine how my body is going to react to even less sleep. Luckily my hubby continuously reminds me I will not have to worry about waking up with a baby for another 20 months at the minimum. But enough about my problems...

How many of you have a child that feels the need to rise and shine at 5 am? Most likely it's because the sun is out and they feel it is an acceptable time to start the days activities. Either that or kids secretly enjoy playing with their moms & dads while they are half asleep. And how many of you have trouble getting your kid to bed at night, especially during these summer months when it isn't even dark out yet at their bedtime. Whether you have both of these problems or just one of them, I suggest you read on.

I recently got my niece Layna the Good Night Lite for her 4th birthday. I have heard her parents complain many times about her getting out of bed way too early in the mornings, and when I sleep over she loves to come wake me up around 6 to play. This gift was just as much for my brother and sister in law as it was for her! Basically the Good Night Lite is a behavior modification tool that teaches your child when it is acceptable to go to sleep at night and wake up in the morning. It is designed for ages 3-5 which is too young to understand a clock so telling them they can't get out of bed before a certain time is pretty much useless. It comes pre set for bed time at 7:00 pm and wake up time at 7:00 am but the times can be adjusted to whatever fits your family's schedule. When the bedtime arrives, the moon face comes on to show the child that it is time for bed. In the morning, the sun face comes on to show the child it is ok to get up. Two great features about it are that it is 6 inches wide to completely cover the outlet for safety, and it also automatically shuts off during the day to save electricity.

My niece was so excited to get this, even though she had no clue what it was. She just thought it was a totally cute regular night light and named it Sunny. It only took me about 5 minutes to explain how it works and what to do when you see the sun and moon faces. I heard rave reviews from my sister in law the next day when Layna didn't come into their room until the time she was allowed to. She also used to keep asking for more stories at bedtime in order to drag out the process as long as possible, but now she sees the moon and knows it is time to get in bed.

Here is what the images on the Good Nite Lite look like. For more information, or to purchase one for yourself check out their website.

Oh the controversy...

It seems that potty training or potty learning is a hot topic among parents. I guess I hadn't given it much thought until I started the process with Eliza. I do prefer the term potty learning. My daughter is not a dog and I am not training her. She is learning about how to use the potty. She is learning how her body works.

Also, I don't usually give much thought to ANONYMOUS comments-but someone commented on my last potty post and it made me think.

It made me think that it was a RIDICULOUS comment.

Anonymous said...
Did you ever just think that maybe that your daughter is just not ready?

NO! I never thought of that. This is almost a laughable comment to me. In fact, I did laugh out loud.

I would NEVER make Eliza do anything if she was not ready. I am not making ELIZA go on the potty. Also, nobody can make my daughter do anything she doesn't want to do. She is strong like ox-both mentally and physically. Potty learning is not about making her do something, it is about teaching her how to be more independent.

We encourage her to pee and poo on the potty. There are no tears. There is no struggle. She is never forced to sit. If I ever sense that she is upset in any way we stop. When I said potty training was not for the weak I was JOKING! Eliza was being silly in the photo I posted.

Here she is 30 seconds after that last pic was snapped. She is watching her potty video AGAIN! Trust me-if I never have to watch the Potty Train DVD video again I would be thrilled. However, E asks for it every day. The she goes and gets her potty seat so she can sit and watch.

I find it interesting that parents are so concerned about their kids being ready for the potty. There are so many books and sites dedictaed to this topic it is baffling.

ok ready?

Here are the books you don't see...

Is your child READY to sleep through the night?

Is your child ready to sleep in a room all alone?

It is acceptable to let kids cry in their cribs when parents decide they are ready to sleep through the night. If you let your children cry at night you are teaching them how to fall asleep on their own. Why are parents so concerned with whether their child is ready to go on the potty and give little though to whether a child is ready to sleep alone? Let me make sure I have these popular guidlines for proper parenting straight. Parents can decide when it is ok to sleep train. Parents can NOT decide when it is ok to potty train.

I see the warm months as the ideal time for potty learning. Eliza usually spends time naked around the house. When there are accidents we clean them stat and don't make a big deal. We have a solid 3 months of warm weather that make it easy for her to get to the potty fast. Once the cold sets in it is much more difficult to undo layers of clothing to make it to the potty on time.

AAAHHH the warm weather. Going natural is the best. What could be more fun that playing with your sand and water table while your cheeks feel the breeze.

and that is my mom. Isn't she cute?

Eliza's Spidey Senses

Eliza thinks she is spider girl or something. We had some tantrums at the park on account of this apparatus.
My 20 month old daughter can climb almost all the way up. When she is one bar from the top she tries to stand.

Sicne I am only 5'2 I can't reach her. Since I am pregnant I am not about to climb all the way up- although I did try.

I haven't seen any other kids Eliza's age even go near this part of the playground. I guess it is her spidey senses.

Potty Seat or Pillow?

We have been working on this potty stuff for a little over a week. I will just say potty training is not for the weak!

Eliza never actually uses the potty seat she is using as a pillow. She is scared of sitting the big potty.

I think I have finally figured out Eliza's pee habits. However, the trouble is getting her to sit and/or stay on the potty. I liken her potty habits to that of a college kid at a bar. She wakes up and I can usually get her to go on the potty- depending on if she woke up on the right side of the bed. After that she usually goes about 2 hrs before breaking her seal. Once the seal is broken she can pee and pee and pee until her nap time at 1. She the will most likely use the potty after nap time and the cycle begins again.

Here she is in her Gerber cloth trainers. They hold pee just a smidgen better than a regular pair of undies. This is what she wears around the house when I can actually wrangle her down long enough to put ANYTHING on her body. It seems I have a nudist on my hands. I am hoping to get some Imse Vimse Organic Training Pants. I can't see myself ever using pull-ups. However, I need something with a little more absorbency for when we go outside or on walks or on long car rides.

Additionally, she has a weird poo phobia. I think she is scared of her own poo. If she poops in the potty she won't sit back down on it until I clean it. Only then she will sit on it and pee. I guess she gets scared shitless.

In better news! Eliza's baby doll is fully potty trained. She can sign potty, use the potty, flush and wash her hands. Obviously Eliza knows the routine-she just doesn't want to follow it herself.

Dying to try Grobaby Cloth Diapers!

I have been wanting to expand my cloth diaper collection for quite a while. On twitter I heard about a great diaper system called Gro Baby and I have been wanting to try them out. I think they might be my #1 choice for baby#2.

What makes this diaper unique is that you don't have to change the outer shell each time you change the diaper. You just snap in a new soaker and voila! This means it will be easier to fit cloth diapers into my diaper bag that isn't exactly cloth friendly.

Other great features of Gro baby

Grows with Baby
Adjustable Rise Snaps
Soft Organic Cotton Inner
Reusable Outer Shell
Snap In Soaker Pad


Read more about Gro baby here

To become a fan of Gro Baby on FB click here.
They are currently holding a Facebook contest to win a free diaper!

Wordless Wednesday

Let's Get Growing!

I am amped that we have started our garden and in just a few short weeks we will have scrumptious fresh veggies available.

This is our plot before...

Here is our busy little gardener getting down to business. I am sure she will love helping her daddy out this year.

Don't you just love her little digger set?

Voila!

What's growing?

Peter planted

bell pepper

jalapeno pepper

habanero pepper

tabasco pepper

chile pepper

sweet banana pepper

eggplant

broccoli

cauliflower

cucumbers

tomatillos


Yes! We have a lot of peppers. We are peppery people.

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers;

A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked;

If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,

Where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?

anyone have a good pickling recipe?

T-Mobile Mom to Mom Quiz

T-Mobile Mom to Mom Quiz: "

Take the fun, Mom to Mom quiz and discover your parenting style.

"

Muffin Tin Monday

This is my first week participating in the Muffin Tin Monday carnival. I have often used a muffin tin for Eliza's meals and/or snack so when I stumbled upon Her Cup Overfloweth 's weekly muffin tin blog gathering I was psyched.

This week's theme: Choose Your Own Theme

I was inspired by the book Eating the Alphabet by Lois Ehlert and by the start of our garden. I decided to fill my muffin tin with only foods you can grow.

Here is the result...

The lineup included: carrots, cantaloupe, cucumber, tomatoes, strawberries and broccoli.

YUM!

There are no refills unless all cups are finished. Otherwise, Eliza would pack herself full of some food and not others. It usually works out really well! I have a zillion ideas and can't wait to come up with more fun muffin tin meals.

Hop on over to Her Cup Overfloweth for more great Muffin Tin ideas! There are some very creative moms and dads out there!

Here is just ONE example of a very creative parent. Last week's theme was literature. This mom came out with a Very Hungy Ctaerpillar Tin!

National Endangered Species Day & Kiss My Face Giveaway

Today is National Endangered Species Day. Take some time to talk to your kid's about animals on the endangered species list and to celebrate endangered animal success stories.

There are not many products that I feel compelled to blog about. As many of you know, I am always on the hunt for safe affordable products for my family. An awesome company called Kiss My Face recently contacted me regarding their all natural kid's line. I was familiar with their adult line but did not realize they had a line out just for kids. I had the opportunity to sample these products and I am now in lust! They smell divine and work great. Eliza especially loves the orange U smart Self-foaming Hand Wash. Anything that makes potty time more exciting works for me. Each and every product is free of all the yucky stuff that makes me cringe. Kiss My Face products contain no animal ingredients, artificial colors, or unnecessary chemicals.

The Kiss MY Face kids line features endangered species like Peter the Panda. Eliza loves Pandas and her dad's name is Peter. What a perfect match. Kiss My face is also raising awareness about National Endangered Species Day through their website. Check out www.kissmyface.com/kids for fun facts, videos and activities. The online coloring pages will be an instant favorite!

The Kiss My Face Kids Collection includes

Self-Foaming Handwash
Toothpaste
Toothpaste with fluoride
2 in 1 Shampoo and Conditioner
Bubble Wash
Self Foaming Shampoo and Body Wash
Lip Balm
A Whale of a Soap

Look for these awesome products at Target, Whole Foods, and anywhere else natural products are sold. If your store doesn't carry Kiss My Face- you can request that they do!

WIN!!

Kiss My Face toothpaste with Fluoride

Kiss My Face Detangler

Kiss My Face Kids 2 in 1 Shampoo and Conditioner!

One Entry

Leave a comment telling me which product you would most like to try.

Extra Entries- please leave an additional comment for each extra entry!

Add my button to your blog

Tweet about the contest!

Make sure you leave contact information!

Contest ends May 22

OB Recap, Potty Training and Bye Bye Binky

I had my 24/25 week appointment at the OB today. I can't believe I have one more four week appointment and then start going every two weeks. WOW! This appointment was much better than the last. I met with a different doctor and she is very sweet. She assured me that if I wanted to try for a natural birth the nurses would be more than happy to help me along. She even said words like shower and Jacuzzi which made me feel a LOT better.

The baby is measuring at 24 weeks. I have currently gained about 19lbs. I now weigh around what I did when I became pregnant with Eliza. It seems I will probably gain about 35lbs this time around-same as last.Overall, I am feeling great. I have been having some Braxton Hicks here and there but nothing constant.

and now onto The Joys of Potty Training

Eliza is now wearing Gerber cotton trainers during the day. During naps and outings she is wearing cloth diapers. I put her on the potty every two hours. Or I should say I encourage her to sit on the potty every two hours. I am trying to track how often she pees but it is a tricky business. Sometimes she doesn't pee for two hours and then she pees every half hour for an hour and a half. What is with this wacky pee behavior? She just wants to test me. We have had more luck with the poop because it is VERY obvious when she needs to go. She gets a very serious look on her face and I know it is time. However, she HATES to go sitting down. She is much more comfortable doing it in a standing position- well because that is how she has been doing it for quite a while. I need to remind her to sit because she tries to run away mid poo. She also seems to have an obsession with toilet paper and flushing the toilet. Flush, Flush, Flush!


Bye Bye Binky (at least during the day)

I have decided to crack down on Eliza's binky use during the day. I know she loves her B-but she really doesn't need it during the day. I have decided to take it away when she wakes up in the morning and only give it back for naps and bed time. So far she is doing great with the transition. However, I think the BINK will stay part of our bed time and nap routine for a little longer. It is really her only comfort item and I am not going to take that from her until she is ready or a little older.

Story Time and Benefits of Signing

So I decided we would attend story time at the library this morning and it was a lot of fun. Free fun in this economy is a plus! Additionally, spending some time at the library made me think even more about the benefits of signing with babies and toddlers. It is no secret that I am passionate about signing.

One of the moms noticed that I was signing to Eliza during the program and asked if I did it because Eliza needed it or if I just did it for fun. Her daughter receives speech services and signing was recommend to help reduce frustration. I explained that I just did it for fun and that it really has become a part of our everyday lives. I can't imagine not signing at this point.

Another mom commented on Eliza's vocabulary and once again I explained that I believe signing is at least partially responsible for her success. Eliza probably has about 200 words- probably more- at this point. She is putting more and more words together in different ways everyday. She is a total chatterbox and picks words up quickly and easily. She is extremely confident when it comes to expressing herself. I can't help but attribute her success to ASL.

When you sign with a child you are increasing his/her vocabulary. For example, if you read Brown Bear with your baby you may only say bear, duck, horse etc. one time. If you are reading and signing you will probably say each word three- four times. Not all people learn the same way. I am NOT an auditory learner. You child may be a visual, spatial or tactile learner. If this is the case then signing will empower your baby to communicate and make sense of their world.

It frustrates me endlessly when I hear people say that children who are taught to sign will be lazy when it comes to speaking. This is so untrue! Signing reinforces the use of verbal language. Signing is not some trendy thing to do with your baby. It is a valuable tool in helping your little one communicate. Kids are like sponges and can soak up so much information before age 5 it is unreal. Signing is a fun way (you can sign with songs, finger plays, games, storybooks, audio books) to take advantage of their sponge brains.

I am tempted to volunteer at the library to teach a signing class. I am not sure if they would even want me to volunteer but I feel the need to share this with other moms. It is fun and a great way to bond with your child and I strongly urge you to SIGN WITH YOUR BABY or TODDLER! I haven't had much luck with my baby signs class biz yet-,mainly because I can't seem to find a location. However, I am willing to hold small in home classes. If you are interested in a class (and live in Jersey) please let me know.

This was posted on YouTube yesterday. It is one of E's favorite songs. Laure Berg is the founder of My Smart Hands and is one smart momma!

Wordless Wednesday

Poo on the Rug and Signing to My Cats

"Mommy... Poo Poo."

Not my favorite thing to hear these days. I am just wondering why Eliza poos on the rug when she has a potty sitting right next to her.

I am all about letting her go diaper free- but I have rug and pee and poo on the rug are NO fun. I feel like I just brought home an 8 week old puppy. I wish I had a backyard so I could let her her run around stark naked and not worry about mess.

in other news...

I have started signing to the cats. They were annoying me for food the other day and I signed wait. I didn't mean to but I guess it is just a habit. I think Gary actually understood what I meant.

Maybe I can teach Gary to go on the potty.

and some interesting Potty Training Info from Potty Training Concepts

In the 1950's, almost a 100% of children wore cloth diapers and 95% of these children were trained by the age of 18 months.

In the 1980s, about 50% of children wore cloth diapers, while the other 50% wore disposable diapers and only about 50% of the children were potty trained by the age of 18months.

Today, almost 90-95% of children wear disposable diapers and only about 10% of children are potty trained by the age of 18 months.

Today, the average age for potty training is about 30 months with the age ranging from 18-60 months.

All Aboard- Potty Learning Begins - TOOT TOOT

I have been loosely trying to potty train E since she turned 18 months old. Actually, we first introduced the potty to her when she turned one and she has been sitting on it on and off since then. I figured it was a good place for her to rest while I was using the potty. At 18 months I tried to get more serious about helping her learn but something went awry. I actually think she scratched her back on it one day because after that she would cry if I sat her on it at all. I decided to take a break for a few weeks and then give it another shot.

She is almost 20 months now and I have started working on it more and more with her. She has been asking to watch her Baby Signs Potty Train DVD so I have been letting her watch that in place of her usual Signing Time DVD. She sits bare butt on her potty while watching the video in case she feels inspired! Just the other day she was inspired to poop on the rug next to her potty while watching her video. :) Then she came to get me in the kitchen so she could show me her masterpiece! I actually think she started to go on the potty, got scared, and tried to walk away mid movement. Oh well. it was actually an easy clean up.

I let her sit on the potty whenever she asks. Considering she is such an active kid, she is really good about sitting and reading her books. We usually sit for a little bit before nap time. This past weekend I started putting her on the potty when she first wakes up in the morning. She is almost guaranteed to pee when she wakes up so I know she will feel successful. We have been doing well with this so far so I am feeling encouraged too.

I am not really in a rush for her to be potty trained. I know her personality type usually trains a little later. She is really very busy and I can see her never wanting to stop to go potty. However, she has been letting me know more often when she is going in her diaper. She is also sticking her hands down the back of her diaper after she makes it dirty. I think she is trying to separate the uncomfortable diaper from her body which is a good sign. I know that if she isn't trained by the time baby arrives we may have to put it off for a few months so we are taking a stress free approach to the training.

If your ready for a pair
Of big kid's underwear
Get on board toot toot
The Potty Train toot toot

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!

I'm Moving to Bhutan

On Thursday night I watched the Micheal J. Fox special Adventures of an Incurable Optimist and I have been thinking about it ever since. The man truly is an inspiration. What hit home hard was the realization that he was my age when he woke up with his first sign of Parkinson's. I think he made me happy just watching hm on TV. Is it possible for positive energy to come through the television?

I must admit that while I have always wanted to be an optimist I think I am a born pessimist. During the portion of the show when they were discussing the difference between optimists and pessimists I could definitely relate to the dark side. In most challenges I have to think of all the things that could go wrong before I can actually get down to the work of solving a problem or dealing with an issue. It was crazy to hear that I might be genetically predisposed to this reaction. Although I think we are certainly born leaning towards one side or another, I also think that nurture plays a huge role in how we learn to view the world. Although, I do lean towards pessimism, I am generally an optimistic person. Maybe that is why I am such a Star Wars fan?

Gross National Happiness vs Gross National Product

The other night my husband and I were watching TV and Beth Ostrosky popped up in a commercial. That woman is always so damned chipper. I passed a comment that I need to talk to Beth to see how she stays so happy married to such a pessimist. She is married to Howard Stern who in my opinion epitomizes pessimism. I actually DO like parts of Howard's Show- no judgement please- but one can't deny he is a pessimist. I am not equating my husband to Howard, but at times he can be a bit of a pessimist too. My husband quickly replied that if he had as much money as Howard he would be happy. I find this line of though endlessly interesting and absurd. I do NOT associate money with happiness. I associate happiness with things like friends and family and doing what you love. This country is all about making money and yet it seems that not many people are truly happy.

Now cut to the MJF documentary where he visits the country Butan. This is a place where the government measures Gross National Happiness instead of Gross National Product. YES! They believe everyone should be striving for happiness. And * GASP* money is not the key to this happiness. “The four pillars of GNH are the promotion of equitable and sustainable socioeconomic development, preservation and promotion of cultural values, conservation of the natural environment, and establishment of good governance.” I think these people have the right idea.

Our constitution includes the pursuit of happiness-but how can we pursue something when so many have lost sight of where it originates.

If you missed the documentary it is worth seeing for the segment on Bhutan alone. Read more about Gross National happiness in this New York Times article.

“Happiness is inward, and not outward; and so, it does not depend on what we have, but on what we are” Henry Van Dyke

Feeling Funktafied

The sun finally came out for a bit so I can stop singing The Sun'll Come Out Tomorrow. It is a good thing because I was really starting to get into a funk being stuck in the house. I seem to be very sensitive to the weather. I need more year round sun. I am like superman and I was losing my superhuman mommy powers being cooped up in this house for days.

I think another reason I have been feeling funky is that I spend almost no time alone. I am always with Eliza or with Eliza and Pete. I know it is important that I get away a little but I never do because I don't know what to do with my time. I am not a shopper, so sending me to the mall would be like torture. I enjoy the book store but how many times can you go there? And then I just want to buy a zillion books. I would probably spend half of the time in the kid's section looking through books and thinking about Eliza. The problem is that I am a WE person. I like to do thing with other people. I am not a big fan of spending time alone. Whenever I think of doing anything I think of doing it with Pete and Eliza. I feel like we get so little time together that I want to spend all of our weekend time as a family.

However, I have signed up for five weeks of prenatal yoga and I am looking forward to spending some time with me. If I enjoy the classes I will consider signing up again.

Another thing is I spend almost no time with Pete without Eliza. When I was pregnant with E we said we would make time to do things together. I don't know what happened to that idea but we have done things together maybe 3 times in 18 months. Unless I plan something for us to do together- we do nothing. At night Pete is watching TV or on the computer and I am usually reading or in bed. We try to chat for a few minutes in the morning (my preference) or at night (his preference) but it is hard to discuss anything of importance in a short amount of time. We really need to make an effort to have US time before the baby is born.

I think all of this is why I am feeling a little funktafied lately. I mean all of these things in addition to the crazy pregnancy hormones.

And the Winners Are....

Congratulations to Erin and Alicia!  I don't know what the heck happened with my listings on Prizey.net but they apparently never went through.  Luckily for you two ladies, your names were chosen to win the copies of Chicken Soup you asked for!  Please send your shipping info to heatherbookman@optonline.net and I will get them out right away.  Happy early Mother's Day everyone  :)

The Benefits of Audio books for Young Readers

I recently signed up with audible. If you are not familiar with the service it is an online source of audio books. My dad is a huge fan of audible and listens to audio books on his way to and from work. When I had a long commute I often passed the time with audio books. I listened to Gone With the Wind and enjoyed every minute of my commute.

For Christmas my mom purchased a set of audio books for Eliza. Some of them are for younger kids and some for older. I have been playing them on and off while she played in her room for a quite a while. Lately, she really started loving one of the books called Little Quack's New Friend. She sits on her bed listening intently. It is really crazy to watch. She laughs and responds to the story.

After seeing her interest I decided to sign her up for Audible kids. They have tons of titles and the prices are reasonable. You can download some books for only 0.99.

Obviously this does not replace reading with your child. However, I think it is another great way to share literature with kids. Audio books usually employ lots of great character voices (which makes dialogue more distinct) and sound effects that make the story even more enjoyable! More importantly audio books promote visualization which is key to comprehension. Also, even very young children can be taught to play stories on their own which promotes independence.

If you want to check out a sample you can hear all of Dear Zoo and Brown Bear for free. E loves both of them. AudibleKids

You can also check out Harper Collins for a list of even more audio books.

The Great Double Stroller Search

Let me start by saying I do NOT have expensive taste. I do not own pricey clothes, jewelry, handbags, shoes cars, etc. (OK my diaper bag was a little pricey but not really when you consider all the use it gets! ) Name brands mean nothing to me at all. However, I seem to have expensive taste in double strollers. Twice now I have been out and seen double strollers I LOVE. Later when I finally check the prices online my jaw hits the keyboard.

I have posted before about how much I dislike my Graco. I dislike 99% of the stroller they sell at Target, Babies R Us etc. I walk- A LOT! I need a stroller that can handle my walking. I also need soemthing that accomodates my 5'2 stature and my husband's much taller stature. I have zero intention of purchasing a stroller I dislike this time around. However, I just think these are overly expensive and I am getting so frustrated.

Here are the two double strollers I love- and their ridiculously high price tags.

Bumbleride Indie Twin $659

Phil and Ted's Double Sport Buggy $504.90

How much is too much for a stroller?

I Have a Diva on My Hands

I am starting to get a little worried about how Eliza will react to a sibling. I think she really enjoys being an only child. I know it will all work out in the end but I am still concerned about the transition.

We have told her there is a baby in my belly. She knows something is going on for sure. She sometimes points to her belly and says baby. However, if my shirt is up and my belly shows even a little she gets very upset and tries to pull it down. She says sorry over and over again. She always says sorry if you are doing something she doesn't like. I honestly don't think she likes attention going to my belly instead of to her. I can't think of any other reason why she would get so upset. My husband can show his belly all he wants and she doesn't get miffed one bit.

We have some of her old things upstairs like her swing, bassinet, bouncy seat and high chair. She knows they are for a baby and likes to say, "baby swing, baby chair" etc. I am just not so sure how she will handle it when there is actually a baby occupying the swing and the chair.

I want to pick up a couple of books to read to her about becoming a sister and about adding a new addition to the family. Unfortunately, I am not sure it will really help at all. She loves to read books about going potty but when it comes down to it she would rather read about it than have it be her reality.

I don't know what to say except that I think I have a little diva on my hands and she has no intentions of sharing the spotlight.

Eliza Signing Update

Recently Eliza has started making her baby dolls and stuffed animals use sign language. It must have been about a month or two ago that Eliza pointed to her baby doll's hand and said E. The doll's hand is scrunched up to look like the ASL letter E and she believes the baby is signing that letter. I NEVER would have made this connection. She also wants me to make her toddler sized Elmo sign things like read, play, dad, and book. This can get tricky because Elmo only has four finger. However, it is really very cute.

Seeing her make her dolls sign made me step back and think WOW- she must really view signing as an important part of communication. It also makes me excited that she will sign to her little brother or sister. She still signs quite often (although there is a decrease in signing as she talks more) and and tries to say almost every word she signs.

I have lost track of how many signs she knows. There is a different count for receptive and expressive signs. Sometime she surprises me with a signs I didn't even realize she knew. For example, when we went to the beach she was ecstatic. She kept signing the word sand and saying sand, sand, sand. In quite a few of the beach pics you can see her signing the word sand. I had forgotten she even knew this sign.

Here she is signing sand!

The other day we were listening to her favorite CD, Elmo at the Ochestra and she heard the word "ready". She immediately signed the word ready to me. I am often amazed that all of these signs are stored in her brain even though she doesn't use them regularly.

I know this is not the greatest video but if I try to capture her with the regular video camera she is constantly pulling at it so she can see herself. I am prompting grin the video but she normally does it without any encouragement.

While writing this post I decided to print out the Signing Time Progress Charts to try and figure out what she does and doesn't know. I will try to update later.

Eliza on Skype

I joined Skype the other day. I didn't even realize I had a camera on my computer until Rose told me! Anyhoo, now Eliza and I can video chat with Rose and Alessia. It all feels so very Jetsons. Yes- they live across the street-but we were on quarantine this week because we were unsure about the Coxsackie.

Pete suggested he get a camera for his work computer so that he could check in with us during the day. Eliza is very attached to her daddy and would LOVE to see and talk to him on the computer. I am just not sure if she would totally understand that he is at work and not right there in the computer.

Eliza is looking at her daddy. He was across the street picking up some of Alessia's yummy birthday cake!

Let me know if you are on Skype! It is free for Skype members to video chat.