Yuk!

Ryan and Coranelle out to lunch while I was sick. Yup, Super dad!


Whew! I feel like the last few weeks have just been rough... like we cannot really catch a break. Last week, we discovered that Coranelle really likes Edamame beans. We certainly overfed her, but she is so picky and eats so little that we just let her eat until she was done. Apparently, her body didn't process the soybeans super well, or so we thought. The next morning, she seemed to have thrown up in her crib a little and I proceeded to wash all her sheets, stuffed animals, PJ's, etc. I gave her a bath and she seemed totally fine, so I assumed she had just eaten too much. Later that day, I left her at the Rec center child care, only to be called 10 minutes into my workout. Coranelle had diarrhea and had had a huge blowout. Yikes. They didn't want to pick her up because she was covered, so she was totally upset, and I was totally embarrassed. They had to call in the cleaning crew and I couldn't stop apologizing. Of course, once I picked her up, I was covered, so we had to come home and do more laundry and take showers.

Thursday night, I came down with some nasty stomach flu and have never felt sicker in my life. Truly. I was in the bathroom every 30 minutes from 11pm- morning. I was so exhausted from dry heaving and so nauseous that Ryan had to stay home from work Fri. I could hardly move, let alone eat and there was no way I was going to be able to take care of Coranelle. Meanwhile, Ryan took Coranelle to a lunch with co-workers Friday only to bring her home screaming with another huge blow-out. So, there I am, barely able to stand up, holding a gross, screaming child while Ryan got a bath going. Ryan was fantastic. Super dad really. He took perfect care of both of us, brought me flowers, bought soup and sprite and made sure I was drinking.

My test was on Saturday and really difficult to re-schedule. I fortunately slept Friday night and pulled myself together enough to sit through the 3 hour, 80 page test. I think I passed too, which is great. I came home to Ryan not feeling well either and we both just tried to survive the day. We were so anxious to put Coranelle down for her nap so we could rest. We made it through and we seemed to get better really quickly, which I am so thankful for! Unfortunately, I didn't get to fully recover, because now I am back to regular pregnancy nausea. But, I can certainly handle that a lot better than whatever we had this weekend. Hopefully, we are done with that for a long time! Thanks to everyone for their kind words, prayers, and dropping off delicious food! Hopefully, we can get back to normal this week and Coranelle and I can have some fun outings and I can relax and get some things done, instead of studying during naps.

Yesterday, we had Coranelle's child dedication at our church, and below are a few pictures.
Lots of kiddos being dedicated. Coranelle was upset that she had to be held. There were stairs behind us that she'd rather play on.
Coranelle being good and fully entertained with her Auntie Claire's coke bottle during the dedication. She is really hard to take pictures of now because she never sits still, so this is the best we have.

second excuse

For dinner tonight, I ate a bowl of Malt-O-Meal. Ryan wanted enchiladas for dinner and I had to go buy them already-made. I couldn't stomach chopping garlic and onion and I cannot even think about chicken. I just now had half a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. This morning at 6:15 am, I was sitting on our bathroom floor dry heaving. There are many days where I FEEL as if I could throw up at any second, but don't. For about the past 5 weeks, I cannot open our vegetable drawer without gagging. Keeping up with Coranelle has suddenly become exponentially harder as she runs circles around me and I can't help but wish she'd share some energy with me- as I don't have any. Are you getting what I am hinting at? My second excuse for not blogging very often.... What if I added that, despite the weird eating habits, feeling sick and uncomfortable and tired, that it is all worth it and I am excited and blessed. Get it now?

Yup, I am pregnant! With baby Mork #2. The expected due date is April 14th. Coranelle and her little sibling will be about 23 months apart. This time, I knew a week before the pregnancy test came back positive that I was pregnant. I remembered the "off" feeling I had felt with Coranelle. So, by my birthday, I was sure there was another one on the way. We knew before Stefan and Rachael's wedding and tried (horribly unsuccessfully) to keep things quiet so that we didn't steal any of their "thunder". But, they found out immediately and were wonderfully excited and supportive.

We are thrilled and thankful that it has been a healthy pregnancy thus far. I am almost 11 weeks along and we got to hear a strong, healthy heartbeat at 8 weeks. It was reassuring to have everything checked out and I am thankful and relieved that so far, all is well. I have to be honest, when we found out I was pregnant, I was equally as nervous as I was excited (even though it was planned). You see, having an infant with a two year old (and not just ANY two year old), seems a bit daunting. When I have rough days with Coranelle and I just feel like she consumes all my time and energy, I cannot help but wonder how I will handle nursing, being sleep deprived, soothing a fussy baby and keeping up with Coranelle. But, what good is worrying going to do? I am sure that God will give us the grace and strength to get through it.

Coranelle clearly doesn't fully understand what is coming, but we talk about it here and there. Now, when I say the word, "baby", she comes and points to my tummy. I am going to try to find some books on little siblings and possibly get her a doll to help her get used to the idea. I am totally up for other suggestions to help a sensitive child adjust to a new baby. I think she will be a good helper and an incredibly sweet sister (once she adjusts). She is always helping me at home now. When I sing her clean up song, she always happily helps put all of her blocks and legos away. If I need her to bring me something, she does it cheerfully. Another way she has helped me out hugely in the past few months is her willingness to be watched by others. Two days a week, I take her to the rec center day care for an hour (you cannot beat good $2/hour childcare). She has done pretty well and only cries until I walk out the door. I always return to a smiling child, thrilled with all the new toys and kids to play with. She has also finally adjusted the child care at church and every weekend, Ryan and I get a one hour chance to sit together quietly and really listen and be recharged, challenged, encouraged, etc. Coranelle loves the volunteers and they love her and I always pick up a kid who has been running around and playing so hard that her little cheeks are flushed and her sweet head is sweaty. These periodic breaks will be great for a little extra time with baby two. And it ensures that Coranelle will do okay spending time with other people who love her when I cannot focus all my time on her.

Before you make your judgments about the space between my two kids (or lack thereof), let me explain. Stefan and I are just 21 months apart, and although the first year was really tough on mom, things worked out. Of course, Stefan and I fought as kids. But, we were also friends and a good support team as we grew up. Now, I feel like we are very close for siblings and I like the age difference. I don't think waiting another year or two would make the first year that much easier or make kids fight less. Secondly, had I waited a bit longer to get pregnant, baby two might have been born just a day or two before Coranelle's birthday and I thought that might be nice to avoid so each kid could have their special day. (Petty, I know, but somehow important in the planning). I also did not want to be 8 months pregnant in the hot summer. So, April it is and that seems perfect. Plus, after April 15th, my mom is done with tax season and more available to help. And, after the beginning of June, Grams (Heidi) is done with school and she can help out over the summer. Finally, I'd like to get back to teaching before I completely forget what I am doing and so having kids closer together just worked for us.
This is Stefan adjusting to having a little sister (me).

I am thrilled to meet the new little one and see what their personality is like. I think the grandparents are really happy to be looking forward to another grandchild. I am excited to see Ryan with another baby, as he has proven to be a better father than I ever could have imagined possible. He's currently taking great care of all of us. When I don't feel well, he eats ramen with me. I get a back rub every night! He's always making sure I'm getting snacks and drinking and taking my prenatals. He rearranges his schedule so he can watch Coranelle and I can take a nap or rest. He's truly been awesome. But, that's no surprise to those of you who know him.

That's all for now, as my lack of energy has affected my ability to string coherent thoughts together at this very late hour of ... 9:39pm. Any suggestions for Coranelle or me or us are always welcome!

PS The addition to the family is why we upgraded to a bigger vehicle with more cargo space. :-)
Stefan and me- a mere 21 months apart.

taking action (with much hesitation)

Once again, many apologies for neglecting the blog. I have two excuses. I'll disclose one now and the other can wait for another blog. I scheduled to take my ESL endorsement test Sept 25th and have been making the most of my "free" time studying and preparing for the test. There is a lot I feel I need to re-familiarize myself with and a lot of philosophies, politics, legislation, and theories that I need to learn. I really hope to pass the test the first time, so it means setting a pretty strict schedule for myself to be prepared. I am actually enjoying the studying and feel like the books I am studying would have helped me immensely more than my college courses for the type of students I had when I was teaching. So, I have one and a half weeks left to cram. Yikes!

Today, I had my first heart to heart "discussion" with my daughter. I had to put "discussion" in quotes because, clearly, a 15 month old cannot really converse with words. Regardless of her lack of words, my child has volumes full of body language and she never ceases to amaze me. Let me explain. Ryan and I have been noticing that the hair pulling habit has not ended- rather she has a whole new terrible bald spot. Gulp. This one is in the back of her head.

So, her hair seems to be long enough again that she can gets her little hand around it and yank. Thank the Lord that she does not appear to be eating it. (I've checked her diapers). Instead, I seem to be finding it on her PJs in the morning and stuck to her stroller and clothes. Anyhow, Ryan and I have been discussing this in her presence and I have talked to a few other people about it while she's around. I finally stopped and thought about it today and realized that Coranelle probably understands a lot of what we are saying and I don't imagine that she likes being talked over. So, I sat her down in her bumbo seat before lunch today (yes, she is still tiny enough to fit in her bumbo seat) and we had a chat. I told her that it made me really sad that she is pulling out her hair and that her head looks ugly with all the bald patches. I told her that I really don't understand why she is doing it, but it stresses me out and makes me sad. Meanwhile, Coranelle never stops looking into my eyes. When I told her that it made me sad, her bottom lip started to quiver. She was very remorseful and listened intently, sitting still. I explained to her that she was a really beautiful girl and I wished she'd be more gentle with her hair. At that point, she gave me a weak little smile and gently stroked her head. I asked her if she could always be gentle, and she nodded in earnest. Then, I told her I loved her tons and tons, and she responded by holding her arms out and giving me a big hug and sloppy kiss. Wow! That kid. I swear she is an intuitive psychologist trapped in a 15 mo old's body. Obviously, I don't have my hopes set on this discussion fixing our problems because when she needs to self soothe, her habit is still there. But, she is a pretty amazing girl.

Next step is that we have to cut her hair again. This makes me terribly sad, but Ryan is right. Her hair is going to look ridiculous if we let it grow out right now, given she has three big, bald patches. She needs to have her hair all the same length. I hate that we have to cut it again (almost as much as I hate the fact that I am blogging about this again). I am so incredibly weary of having people ask me - every time we are out- how old my little boy is. Seriously people, girls do not have to be dressed head to toe in pink, with ribbons and bows. Notice the purple flowers on the pants, or the pink stripes on the shoes. Sorry, I am overly sensitive to this. I realize there could be a LOT worse things to be dealing with. It's just an explanation for why I don't want to cut the hair again. So, we- I- took some action.

To preface, I had a sort of vision of what I wanted Coranelle's ear piercing experience to be. I remember mine (and this could be wrong Mom, but this is what I remember) and it was a great memory. I think it was a Sat. morning right before the annual Easter egg hunt at Stanley Park. I believe I was 5 and excited to get the ears pierced. So, mom took me and it was just us and I felt pretty special. When my ears were done, I got to show them off at the Easter egg hunt and everyone made a big deal about how pretty my ears were. I was hoping Coranelle's experience could be something like that.

But, we never imagined our child would be pulling all her hair out. Last night, Ryan finally relented to letting me pierce Coranelle's ears so that she wouldn't be mistaken for a boy once we chop of all her hair again. So, this afternoon, we went to Claire's and got her ears pierced. She has adorable ears and now they are studded with pretty purple decor. It was traumatizing, just like the shots, but we got through it. Not what I had imagined ( restraining and holding a wailing, flailing child), but that's life. She hyperventilated for a bit, but I think that was more on account of me taking away her wet, sticky lemon sucker before we got into our "new" car than the ear piercing.
The new earrings in the new car. They are smaller than they look in this photo, but you can see the purple marker they used to mark the spot. We couldn't get all the marker off after the piercing because Coranelle was so mad.

Speaking of which, yes, we got a new car a few weekends ago. It is a beautiful "dolphin gray" 2003 4 Runner. More on why we got the car soon, but I'd love to humor any guesses in the meantime.

So, I took some (possibly controversial) action today and we'll see how things play out. In the meantime, if you're the praying type, I'd love some prayer for handling this situation and that Coranelle will break the habit before it's diagnosed as some sort of mental disorder. I'm not being totally dramatic- google trichotillomania.

Hugs to all and thanks for reading.

This picture was of our date on Saturday. We went mountain biking in Lyons while mom and Steve watched Coranelle. We got to enjoy lunch out and run some errangs, all while Coranelle was an angel for her grandparents.

little moments

Coranelle went in for her 15 mo appointment today and I thought I'd give a little update. I don't have all the paper work in front of me because it is still sitting in Ryan's car, but I'll give a few rough stats. She weighs about 19.5 pounds. I thought she had broken 20, but I guess we were wrong. That puts her back down in the 5th percentile. She is 31 inches (53rd percentile). Her head is the 81st percentile, so I guess she's a smart little cookie.

She now has bald spots on both sides of her head as she seems to be still pulling her hair out. So, we discussed this concern with the pediatrician and didn't learn a whole lot. We just need to keep her hair short (which makes me terribly sad) and distract her from the habit when we can.

Ryan got to come with me to the appointment this time and it was nice to have his perspective and have him hear everything from the doctor and help entertain Coranelle as we talked. Once again, I almost cried as we watched Coranelle receive her shots, but Ryan was much stronger about it. She's currently upstairs, sleeping off the trauma of 3 shots, a hemoglobin test, and her finger nails being clipped. Poor little one.

The pediatrician asked me if Coranelle was getting any easier for us. I didn't really know how to answer. I wouldn't necessarily describe my days with her as easy, but it makes me sad that people see her in that light- as a kid that is so hard that we might not be enjoying parenthood. I know I have done my fair share of worrying about her, and complaining about her, but I have to make myself clear... we LOVE her so much! She is such a gift and though she is not a super chill kid, we totally enjoy her personality.
Here are a few of the things that I get to enjoy on a daily basis with Coranelle:
1. Her big wet kisses on our cheeks with her tongue out
2. Her huge smile in the morning when I come to get her out of the crib
3. The intelligent way she signs "more", "help", "all done", "bath", "bed", "change", "please", and "I love you".
4. When she anxiously chooses a book and crawls into your lap to hear you read it
5. Sometimes, when you're sitting on the floor, playing with her, she'll run into your arms and give you a big hug
6. The way she loves to push her stroller around everywhere and help out
7. I sweep often and Coranelle loves to grab the broom and help me out
8. The way she babbles and chats in her carseat
9. I love it when she is shy in a crowd and holds on to the back of my legs until she feels comfortable
10. The way she can look deep into your eyes and read your soul

She is so smart and affectionate and sweet and we are so thankful for the last 15 months.

whirlwind

I think I'll let this post be mostly pictures, for I fear that if I write out everything that has happened in the past few weeks, I'll write a novel. And, you know what they always say, "A picture is worth a thousand words".

We are home this week, trying to settle back into a routine after having my dad, Kyle and Christina in town for a while and celebrating Stefan and Rachael's wedding. We had one day to recover from the wedding festivities before flying with friends to Green Bay, WI to spend a week in Eagle River with another set of friends.

It was great fun to see my dad and spend some time catching up. Kyle and Coranelle got a long pretty well and it was fun to see them interact. The wedding was beautiful and a ton of fun. My mom and Steve put on the rehearsal dinner at Stefan and Rachael's pool house and it was great to catch up with a lot of friends from HS. The wedding was down at the Botanical Gardens at Chatfield. The weather was perfect, the couple was gorgeous, and it was a lovely ceremony and a fun party afterwards. I enjoyed dancing under the stars and seeing lots of family and friends.
It was exciting to see my brother marrying such a perfect woman and we were honored to be a part of their special day.

Our trip to WI was a blast. It was awesome to travel and vacation with friends that have one year olds. We stayed at a wonderful house, just a few hundred yards off the lake. Amy and Vann have lots of family in Eagle River that we got to meet and spend time with. Between both families, they had pontoon boats, speed boats, kayaks, canoes, tubes, water skiis and every other fun water toy you could imagine. On the days with good weather, we spend most of the time on the boat. I learned to ski on one ski, which was really exciting for me! On the days with rain, we enjoyed going into town, reading, and just catching up with friends and playing with our girls. It was truly a wonderful week and we hope to return sometime in the future. I am SO thankful for such great friends and the opportunity to vacation with them!

That's all for now, and as promised, here are the pictures;

All the bridesmaids and the happy couple.The groomsmen
The first time Stefan and Rachael saw each other.

Daddy and daughter on the big day.
Enjoying the gorgeous evening with my baby!
The whole family!



Having some dinner at the rehearsal.
Jenny and me kayaking in Eagle River.

Adelaide and Charlie on the boat.
Playing on the playset in the rain.
Amy. Vann and Charlie headed on to the pirate ship.
Checking out the pirate ship on our date night

Ken and Ryan in the canoe.
Charlie and Coranelle in their twin suits.
Jenny smiling big on the tube.
Coranelle and Ryan on the pirate ship.
Coranelle loving her watermelon.
Playing with all the toys and kiddos.
Up on one ski!
swim time!
cute naked butt!
hanging out in the hammock.
Had to add this one of Coranelle eating Grams's ice cream when we were celebrating PopPop's birthday.

affirmation

A fort at Grams and PopPop's house
Venturing into the fountains on her own.
Enjoying a carrot from my garden
After the hair cut.
The balding spot before the hair cut.


So, I guess I have neglected my blog for a while. Things have been busy!

Here is a quick update on the hair situation. After talking with my dad about the terrifying possibility of having to put Coranelle through the trauma of stomach surgery to remove hair that wouldn't pass, we promptly cut off all her locks. It was quite sad for me, but Coranelle doesn't seem to miss it one bit. For a few days, she would pretend to pull her hair and eat it, but couldn't grasp any hair to pull out. For the most part, she seems to have broken the habit. I put her on a vitamin supplement, in case the hair eating was related to a deficiency of some sort. I think that we have passed through the storm for the time being.

In other news, we are headed into a very busy few weeks! My brother is getting married very soon and we are so excited for their special day. Stefan and Rachael are truly wonderful for each other and I have never seen Stefan happier than in these past few years that he has been with Rachael. It will be great fun to see them "tie the knot". Ryan and I are both in the wedding and we are honored and very much looking forward to it and to seeing lots of family and friends. We are just hoping we can keep Coranelle awake and happy so that everyone can enjoy the festivities! My dad, step-mom and little brother are coming out later this week and it is the first time I have seen them since June of 2009! Coranelle was 2 weeks old! I am really looking forward to catching up with them and taking Kyle (little brother) and Coranelle out to do some fun things while they're here. My dad has less than one month left of cancer treatment and couldn't be more ready to be feeling better and have a little more energy!

We also have a vacation coming up and I am counting down the days. We are headed to Wisconsin with some great friends with girls Coranelle's age. One couple is from Wisconsin, so we are staying there with them and looking forward to hanging out by the lake and relaxing on the boat while enjoying great friends and company.

On top of all of that, I am currently working to get my Linguistically Diverse endorsement, more commonly known as my ESL certification so that I can continue to work with immigrants and English language learners when I head back to teaching. I might have a few more classes to take, but have been working on applications and studying for a test I will have to pass this fall with tons of information on it. There seem to be lots of jobs around here for ESL teachers and when I go back, that's what I'd love to do. So, I am trying to study all the ESL resources I can get my hands on to prepare for the test.

Now, for the "affirmation" part of the post. To give some background, I've been feeling a bit as if people, both strangers and not, have been judging me or looking down on me for staying home with Coranelle instead of going back to work. I had a dream the other night that a family member told me I was just wasting space because I wasn't bringing home a paycheck. I feel as if, when I get into a conversation with old friends, working moms, and random strangers that after people ask me what I do, and I answer, they feel as if they have nothing more to say to me. It's almost as if, when you are not a "working" member of society, you're not worth people' s time. I feel like this mindset in much different now than when my mom stayed at home with us as kids. As a mass generalization, it seems that women are placing more priority on careers than on families. Sometimes when people ask me what I do, they tend to assume that I must just sit around and watch TV all day. A working mom asked me earlier this year if I was enjoying my one year vacation. Ummmm... changing diapers, soothing a screaming child, endless lists of chores and planning doesn't quite strike me as a vacation. Anyhow, I've been feeling this way for a while. Even my closest mom friends work, at least part time. Do I need to go back to teaching? Is it worthwhile for me to stay at home? I even started looking at job openings (which there aren't), but I looked anyhow.

And then Saturday at church, our pastor was talking about priorities and how quickly time can escape us. On a side note, he mentioned how important he thought it was (if financially possible), for a mom to take a few years off and spend them with her young kids. He spoke about how quickly kids grow up and how easy it is to miss out on it. He also mentioned that no one can replace the role of a mom. Now, this was just a quick thought of his, but it really spoke to me. It was what I needed to hear. And it came from someone I give authority to in my life. I was actually surprised that he went on that tangent and felt so strongly about it, but I was glad. I needed to hear that what I am doing is important and valued. I won't lie and say that it is hard but at the end of the day, it is always worth it. Because, honestly, at the end of every day, I cannot tell you with confidence that the sacrifices that we make so I can stay home seem utterly and totally worth it. Some days, but not every day. Not on days when I pick up my child from the rec center child care, and they tell me she was super fussy. And then look over at my friend's baby and tell me that the other baby was a perfect angel. Not on days when she is ripping her hair out and eating it.

Let me make myself clear... I am NOT writing this post to say that the way we chose to do it is the perfect way. It's not. If families need dual income, want dual income and can make it work for the mom to work, that's awesome. I am not saying one way is better than another. If some moms just want to go back to work, wonderful. There are certainly days that I would like to as well. Absolutely NO judgment here. But for me, it was the little bit of affirmation that I needed. I got asked at a BBQ the next day, if I was going back to teaching. I also got two job offers for the coming year. I could confidently say that I was going to stay home with Coranelle until it got closer for her to go to school and then I would go back. I could proudly say that the time I had with her was short and precious and I was going to soak it in while I could, before I blinked my eyes and she was walking through the doors to Kindergarten. It was just a little piece of encouragement I needed to hear so that I didn't feel like wasted space or a worthless person who wasn't contributing to society or worthy of someone's time in a conversation.

So, for any other stay at home moms out there who have ever felt the same, for my own mom who stayed home with us- what you do is invaluable. Thank you. I know you don't get paid, I know you don't often get a whole lot of respect or affirmation, but thank you. And to all you moms who are working and being moms- thank you! The juggling you do to provide for you family and care for them is extremely honorable and incredible. Way to go!

Battles

She looks quite innocent here, I know. But, she was really quite devious yesterday and I have to take a moment to vent. Do other moms out there feel like they are fighting a battle ALL DAY LONG? I have felt like that quite often lately. I am not sure if it is because Coranelle is teething like crazy, or if it's because she knows so clearly what she wants- but she can't articulate it.

Yesterday- Battle 1- changing her diaper. Why is this such a hassle? Why won't she listen when I say "Don't touch".
Battle 2- getting her dressed. She's crying, twisting, rolling and thrashing around. Geez!
Battle 3- putting her hair in pigtails to keep her from ripping her hair out. She was throwing her head around and screaming. I would like to prevent her little bald spot from getting any bigger before her Uncle Stefan gets married in August.
Battle 4- Breakfast- she sees something she thinks she wants, so she won't eat her oatmeal. Instead, she spits it out all over herself and me. When I peel the banana and offer it to her (since she's been saying "naNana" over and over)- she rejects it.
Battle 5- Sunscreen. Such a painful task
Battle 6- Short walk in the stroller- She's yelling and crying the whole time. I give her juice, snacks, toys, etc. and she's still throwing a fit. So, we stop at the Rec Center so she can play at the indoor play place. I figure she is ready to get out and run around.
Battle 7- the indoor play place. Now that she's out of the stroller, I'm apparently not allowed to put her down. She just cries and wants to be held. What?
Battle 8- Diaper change all over again.
Battle 9- Nap time. She's clearly tired, but spends at least a half hour kicking, thrashing and whining in her crib.
Battle 10- lunch time. No kidding- the only thing I could get her to eat was cottage cheese.
Battle 11- getting the swim suit on for a play date, then getting into the car seat
Battle 12- trying to prevent her from drinking the pool water or walking into the pool
Battle 13- changing into clothes and diaper
Battle 14- finding that she had pulled out both rubber bands and eaten them. Given, these are like tiny braces rubber bands, but still. At this point her hair is sticking up in two long points- almost like horns and she's in all red. Yup, she looks like a devil child as we walk up and down the aisles of Sprouts.
Battle 15- She sees the box of strawberries in the cart and really wants some. But, they're not washed or paid for so I refuse and she melts down.
Battle 16- another nap
Battle 17- leaving for Body Pump
and it goes on. I think you get it.

Anyone else have days like this. It's like nothing we do is fun to her. I have to stop and wonder on days like these if it makes any difference that I am home with her. So, I looked into some preschools around the area. Did you know that some preschools charge $1,534 a month per child! Whoa! I guess I'll just keep pushing on at being my own preschool and trying to keep my little one entertained and as happy as possible.

For those of you reading that are pregnant or have young infants, I am not writing to scare you. Keep in mind, Coranelle is one of a kind!

Speaking of the peanut, I'm going to go start all over again with Battle #1 and pray that today goes a little more smoothly!