On my left shoulder

There is this little devil that sits on my left shoulder. It doesn't try to get me to do bad things, per se, but it does try to get me to spend money. I like to leave it at home but lately that hasn't been possible - it is everywhere with me. Yesterday in Target, this little creature talked me into buying some cute (and yes, they are cute) new black shoes (for me). It told me they were "fancy," and that word pretty much sealed the deal. The fact that they were on sale made them more enticing. This little devil is named Emma.

Taking this girl shopping is asking to overspend. At least this time she was convincing me to buy something for MYSELF and not for her. But still, I don't know if I would have bought those cute black shoes without her whispering into my ear, telling me how cute (and fancy) they were, and then finding my size (!!) and putting them in the cart. She sure is one little girly-girl, sitting on my shoulder, making me spend spend spend. She must go to preschool next year so I can shop with Tyler, the angel on my other shoulder, who hates to shop and throws a fit if I want to go look in the women's department. Thank goodness for little boys.

So, here is a picture of my $9.99 purchase, thanks to my 4-year old diva.


She also tried to get me to buy a hundred baby girl outfits. There, I drew the line.
*YES, I do need a pedicure. That polish has been on for over a month - can you believe me?? I'll take care of it today and maybe post a more flattering picture of my feet. :)

It Feels Like the First Time

Some things never get old. Riding a rollercoaster brings the same thrill the 10th time as it did the 1st. Eating a piece of Key Lime Cheesecake Factory cheesecake still brings a grin to my insides. Hearing a child FINALLY say "mommy" for the first time warms my heart no matter how many times his older sister said it (much earlier, mind you).

One other thing that never gets old is watching and feeling a tiny baby wiggle around inside of you! It's magical, and exciting, and feels like you're doing it for the very first time all over again. I remember my very first doctor appointment with Emma...I was 16 weeks along and we not only heard her heartbeat, but also got to have THE ultrasound and find out we were having a girl! We were thrilled (and I was SO glad I dragged Spencer to that one very important appointment!) and I remember calling almost everyone I knew - because I wanted to shout it to the world. Tyler's ultrasound (again at 16 weeks) was just as exciting and we were ecstatic to be having a little boy, and again I wanted to tell everyone I saw.

So...this is me shouting it to the world. Again.

This is the "alien" shot of her face. Creepy, but still so fun to see!
*the ultrasound was this morning. we saw the baby's lips and even the tongue (the tech said she was drinking - gross, but cute too). and in true form, her legs were crossed most of the time. i guess i have another emma on my hands.

*everything with the baby looks wonderful. There was a little scare with possible placenta previa but now everything appears to be perfect! a big relief.

*i am due in november. spencer needed someone else to share a birth month with him.

* i was hoping it was a girl only so that i wouldn't have to be the bearer of "bad" news (of a boy) to emma. phew! she's been calling her a girl for weeks and wouldn't accept the alternative as a possibility.

*luckily, tyler doesn't seem to have a preference. yet.

*i am terrified of having 3 kids at home all day. wish me luck!

And here is my other darling daughter, and her reaction to the news of a girl.

Serious question

When your two-almost-three-year old can pretty much completely diaper himself...does that mean I need to get serious and finally potty train him? I mean, he gets that little diaper under his own cute bum after a change like he's been doing it for years (like me). Is it bad- the level of disdain I have for this whole potty training thing - after only having trained one child thus far?

Yes, I am a lazy mom.

Blessed with cheesy smiles

I am having an especially difficult time with this lately...you tell your kids to "smile" and you end up with ultra-cheesy pictures - way more than you know what to do with.

I'd love tips on how to get them to SMILE - you know, real smiles. Emma is queen of doing this, as my dad recently realized after he took 100 pictures of her and one or two of them were cute enough to really do anything with. The rest? Fake smiles. We distract them, try to get them talking, tickle each other and do bunny ears. But such things don't get the real smiles to come out. However, sometimes these silly grins are just as fun as the sincere ones, and I treasure these pictures just as much!

So...here's to all the cheesy grins we are blessed with on a daily basis!

In Stitches

I don't really know what to say about this picture other than we laughed until we cried when we saw her (at 10:30, as we were going to bed). Yes, she was asleep. No, we don't live in an igloo. Like I've said before...never a dull moment with this girl around. (We often find her wearing odd things - or wearing nothing at all - when we're going to sleep. This one takes the cake.)

You CAN try new things

Rushing through Costco this afternoon, I saw (and heard) how Emma truly is MY daughter. She might look nothing like me, but she has a lot of my traits. Costco is wonderful for all their samples and Emma has to try everything, no matter how disgusting (or how organic) it might be. Tyler, on the other hand, doesn't eat very much period. And trying something new for him is absolutely out of the question. After she finished an eggroll, I listened as my kids conversed.

Emma: "Tyler, this was yummy. And so was the soymilk."
Tyler: "It's yucky." (He hadn't tried it)
Emma: "No it's not. You should try new fings (things)."
Tyler: "No."

It brought a surprisingly large amount of surprise (delight? smugness?) to my insides that I heard my daughter using the same line I use so often...WITH SPENCER. Emma might be just like me but Tyler is just like his dad. From this simple conversation, I have discovered a few other ways in which Emma takes after me:
*She is bossy. She's telling her little (but not by much) brother he should be trying new things. Hilarious, coming from a 4 year old. I am sure it will continue and will only get more extreme as they get older. My parents used to call ME the "police" for being bossy and trying to boss my siblings, especially my OLDER brother.
*She is nurturing. She encourages him to expand beyond what he's comfortable with, because she thinks it will make him happy and that he will like all these things he currently avoids.
*She's a know-it-all. Enough said. :)

Next year at Gualala, Spencer WILL try the abalone. No more Mrs. Nice Guy. I'll keep bugging him with "You should try new fings" until he gives in. Then again, maybe Emma will be the police. After all, she tried the abalone...and liked it.