Benjamin Pictures!

You'd be surprised how many things in a hospital can entertain a toddler. Sorry for the crookedness of the shot, I was holding a newborn at the same time. But you were looking for Benjamin pictures, weren't you?


Here is Daddy, Benjamin, and big sister Olivia. I wish there was sound, you'd be able to hear her say, "Baby!"


Here is Daddy changing a diaper. I had yet to change a diaper at this point.


Here is Benjamin, a whopping 24 hours old at this point and ready to go home! Let's compare him with his sister at this age (Technically, she was 48 hours when she went home, but close enough):


She was a bit more tense, wouldn't you say? This is a perfect comparison of their personality differences.


Such a doting older sister.


She demands that she be able to hold little brother. We just have one rule: Don't touch his face.


Hmm... maybe we should have made a rule about covering his face with blankets?


And one last picture of our adorable little man.

The Timeline

This was me at 8-9 cm dilated, probably around 4:45-5:00pm. The common reaction to this picture is: "You sure don't look like you're in labor!" To which I respond, "I wasn't having a contraction when it was taken!" That was one benefit to not being induced. I actually experienced the God-given breaks inbetween contractions where I was able to relax and play dolls with Olivia. She thought her baby was in labor, too, and kept putting her in bed with me.

Here's the timeline: I had called Josh after putting Olivia down for her nap at 1pm, he caught the 2:00 bus, and was home by 2:15. We watched an episode or two of M*A*S*H and waited for the contractions to get closer than 5 minutes apart. They never did, but I had a feeling I should at least get checked out at the hospital, even if they did end up sending me home. So we packed the suitcase and called the people who were to be taking care of Olivia and warned them this might be it and to stay close to their phone. At around 3pm, we woke up Olivia, got her ready to go, and were on the road to the hospital by 3:30. We arrived at the hospital at around 4 and were admitted and I was in the bed by 4:30. Olivia's babysitter didn't arrive until around 5.


At 5:55, Benjamin David Zapf was born.

I highly recommend raspberry leaf tea. And prayer!

Benjamin David Zapf

We were released from the hospital at 5:55pm yesterday and waited just that long to fill out the birth certificate information. We are so decisive like that. The middle name comes from Josh's dad, which we thought made sense due to the fact Benjamin was born on his grandpa's birthday. And it sounds good together, don't you agree?

But before I move on from the name, let's get one thing straight. His name is Benjamin. Not Ben. Not Benny. Not Benji. So far, we haven't come across a nickname that sounds anywhere as good as the original whole first name. If we do, we'll let you know. But for now, the only acceptable name is Benjamin. :-) That was the reason we delayed so long in finally putting his name in ink.

Benjamin is his sister's opposite. He is so calm and quiet. He sleeps most of his young life away, including at night so I'm not complaining. But I know that can't last forever; I'm just enjoying it while I can. Olivia is loving her baby brother. She comes and sits on the couch next to whoever is holding him and points to her lap so that you know it is her turn now. But she requires constant supervision as she loves to poke him in his soft spot on his head, as well as his eyes and, well, face in general. She loves his little hands. Since she is not allowed to poke his face, she uses his hands to do so instead.

Josh is the doting father. I think I may have only changed two or three diapers so far. What a blessing he is! And he is playing with Olivia as well to make sure she doesn't feel left out, which she doesn't seem to be so far. He is so adoring when it comes to his little boy. He enjoys putting him in BLUE clothes that have SPORTS on them instead of frills and ribbons.

Josh's mom is here helping out and I'm sure I would be nothing but a frazzled ball of nerves if she weren't. She feeds Olivia and cleans up her messes, she does the laundry and grocery shopping... I'm pretty sure I could get her to clean the bathroom before she leaves, too... ;-)

And as for me, I'm doing well. Recovery from childbirth is a slow process, but as surrounded as I am with love and help, I'm sure I'll be good to go in no time. I can't get over how blessed I am to have two beautiful and healthy children. God has blessed this whole event down to the smallest detail.

And with that, I leave you with pictures! I don't know how often I post, but I'm sure you'll be waiting with baited breath for more to come in the future.

Sorry, I've been waiting for a day now for the pictures to upload to Picasa. When they finally do, I'll put them up. Sorry again.

baby's here!!

Hey y'all, Ashley here! Beth asked me to let all her readers know that her baby arrived safe and sound this evening. Here is what I posted in my own blog about it:

I am SOOO happy to announce to the whole blogging world that the newest little Zapf was born today at 5:55pm! He was delivered completely naturally, so kudos to Beth!! Beth is tired, but doing well. Her new son is 8 lbs and 13 ounces, and 20 1/4 inches long. Beth reports that he has dark eyes and hair, and he has the most quiet and content personality (especially compared to his older sister!). Olivia is completely the doting sister, and (so far) isn’t jealous at all! Beth told me that before she would ask Olivia where “baby brother” was, and Olivia would point to Beth’s tummy. After the baby was born today, Beth asked Olivia, “Where’s baby brother?” Olivia then pointed to the baby! Such a smart girl!

As soon as I get a picture, I will post it here! Oh, and as soon as Beth tells me the name they’ve decided, I will inform you of that too. :-)

A special message to Joel from Beth: you'll have to come visit her in the hospital so call her!

Still Here

Turns out I got some sleep last night. Praise the Lord, because I don't know too many labors that pause for a good eight hours so that the mommy can sleep. Okay, so there were a few contractions during the night, and they started back up regularly at 6:45. But overall? My God is gracious and my baby already knows his nights and days. A genius, I tell you - just like his daddy.

Contractions

So anyone who's talked to me much the past couple weeks knows I've been getting Braxton Hicks contractions pretty regularly. Braxton Hicks don't hurt; they just make my uterus hard as a ball. It's more amusing than anything.

Well, something's changing. They hurt now. So much so that I have to sit down.

Every 8-12 minutes.

Everyone Else is Doing It...

Whoops, forgot to blog yesterday. Bet you thought I had a baby. Nope! So here's something for you to read while you wait... and wait... and wait some more.

The Five Love Languages

My primary love language is probably
Physical Touch
with a secondary love language being
Words of Affirmation.

Complete set of results

Physical Touch:		11
Words of Affirmation:		9
Receiving Gifts:		7
Quality Time:		2
Acts of Service:		1

Information

Unhappiness in relationships, according to Dr. Gary Chapman, is often due to the fact that we speak different love languages. Sometimes we don't understand our partner's requirements, or even our own. We all have a "love tank" that needs to be filled in order for us to express love to others, but there are different means by which our tank can be filled, and there are different ways that we can express love to others.

Take the quiz

Now I tag Jes and Joel (because he hasn't blogged anything significant in awhile...)

Am I Missing Something?

I was a week early and completely unprepared with Olivia.

Yet I can't help but wonder if God has given me this extra time before Baby Boy so I could learn/realize/prepare something I haven't yet figured out.

It's beginning to feel surreal. I was prepared for labor last Wednesday, but the anxiety I felt while approaching that due date has only decreased each day that has passed since. I don't spend much time imagining him in my arms anymore. I don't contemplate the 2 a.m. feedings anymore. I quit rehearsing in my head how nap schedules will work with two children. I stopped planning the difference between changing boy diapers and changing girl diapers. Not to mention all the imaginary labor pains I interpreted every ache and twinge to be. The more I think on such things, the slower the time passes. I think this belly might just be permanent.

This is not pre-post-partum depression. I DO long for my baby boy to be in my arms. I just can't figure out why he's not here yet. What am I missing, God? Why am I not ready yet?

Little Thief

Caught in action.

My Celebrity Look-alikes

My cool celebrity look-alike collage from MyHeritage.com. Get one for yourself.

When Toddlers Do Laundry

P3170026
Originally uploaded by thezapfs.

I was getting ready to throw a load in the washer this morning when I noticed my Downy ball rattled a bit more than usual.

Look closely. Yep, that's popcorn. In my Downy ball.
And it's not easy to get out, either.

I love life with a toddler!

Change Is Good!

So I had my first ever 40 week prenatal appointment today. I only got to 39 with Olivia. And I made an appointment for next week. A 41 week prenatal appointment. What do you think? Will I have to cancel? I told the doctor today that I'd prefer to go to 42 weeks rather than get induced. He said that would be fine and that means if I make it to next week, they'll give me a nonstress test. Then I'll have another appointment three days later and a final one at 42 weeks. Then they schedule the induction.

But that really has nothing to do with change, or why Change Is Good.

The change is the extra centimeter that I dilated over this past week! I'm up to THREE centimeters! Something's happening! Question is, will it happen fast enough to beat the two week deadline that modern science has put on my pregnancy.

Is My Child the Only One...

... who regularly turns blueberry pancakes into face paint?

Some people wonder at our anal-retentiveness that we insist our 20 month old eats naked. Let this be proof that we have ample reason. There might have been perhaps 6-8 blueberries in that pancake. She found them all.

(By the way, that is her Eating Smock which she eats in when it's too cold to eat naked. It's one of my old T-shirts and now is covered with spaghetti, chocolate, and blueberry stains.)

Pockets

Olivia found her pockets.
And then began spinning.
And then fell down.

How Do You Teach Sharing?

It seems there are two ways a parent can attempt teach her child to share.

1. While playing with the child, the child comes to take all of the parent's toys, leaving the parent with nothing. The parent can refuse to give all her toys away, thus giving the child a real-world example of when to share and teaching the child that she cannot have everything she wants and must share with others.
   
   Or...
   
   
2. While playing with the child, the child comes to take all of the parent's toys, leaving the parent with nothing. The parent can freely give the toys to the child, showing by example what sharing looks like.

Which way would teach a 20 month old the correct concept of sharing? I feel that in #1, I am teaching her selfishness, but in #2 I am teaching her that she can get her way everytime.

In case you couldn't tell, there was an instance recently where I had to decide which path to take. Olivia and I were playing with dixie cups. She loves the fact that they stack into each other. But she wouldn't let me have any. (I wanted to try speed stacking)

She kept trying to take them away from me and I attempted to teach her to share using method #1. This resulted in a half an hour temper of tantrums as she kept trying to come and sneak my cups away from me.

Then I came to the realization that there are two possible ways to teach sharing and that I might possibly be teaching selfishness with this technique. So I switched over to method #2. But I only gave her half of my cups. I told her, "I'm going to share my cups with you." "Would you like me to share my cups?" Well, she gladly took what I was sharing, and then screamed for the rest. She even tried bartering. She came up with a book and offered it to me. Then tried to take my cups. She brought me my tea (it was luke warm and half-empty, don't go calling DCFS). While I was thanking her, she tried to take my cups.

So there I am, sitting on the couch, holding my remaining three dixie cups (along with a book and a mug of half-empty tea), and praying to God for direction and wisdom.

Oh, and Olivia is screaming and crying throughout this whole process.

And then I switched whole-heartedly over to method #2. I asked, "Would you like me to share my cups?" And then I gave her my last three cups. And she smiled. Her collection was complete. (Humming the song from the Little Mermaid now...). And I'm left there wondering if I did the right thing.

I come over here to blog my dilemna and Olivia calls out to me. She wants to share her cups with me! She would give me half her stack and then take them back one at a time to stack into her one big pile. Then she would give me half again and repeat the process. Each time she gave me some of her cups, I would exclaim, "Thank you! You're sharing with me!" Eventually, everytime she gave me half her cups, she would stop and applaud herself for her good deeds.

So I don't know if it was one method in particular or a combination of all of them, but I think we might have learned something here today...

Happy Due Date To Me

That would be the song my mother-in-law just sang to me over the phone.* Creative, isn't she?

So today is it. According to the ultrasound predictions, I should be giving birth any moment now.

Wait for it...

Wait for it...

Yeah, still pregnant.

But don't you worry about me. Or that baby (who is actively hiccuping as I type this). I'm actually very pleased that he's behaving the way he is. He's acting like Josh already. How blessed I would be to have a son like my husband! Josh was a week late, by the way. Only, when his mom went in for her appointment a month before her due date, her doctor told her he would be coming any day. So instead of only being a week late, it seemed more like he was a month late. So, as I'm pretty sure I don't have a month left, I'm think I'll be okay.

Well, that said, you can rest easy. (And I know from the amount of phone calls I've received today, some of you are more anxious than I am!) I don't have a baby yet. I'll let you know when he comes. :-) Or you can just suspect when I stop blogging that I've most likely had my baby.

*She, of course, substituted "You" for "Me".

Anger Management

So I've been trying to post pictures for the past couple days and Blogger won't let me. Not through Picasa and not through the normal upload process. Anyone else having this trouble? Until I figure it out (or you do for me) you'll just have to put up with written posts. Like this one:

Olivia has progressed from unbridled rage to a form of anger management. Only, we're not sure how healthy her particular form of "anger management" really is.

See, she bites things.

And not just a playful nibble. In the middle of a tantrum, she will look around for a suitable object (amazing that she does this in the heat of the moment), most of the time it's in her hands or she's wearing it. Occasionally, it's the couch. Then she grips it with her little teeth and growls like a rabid little animal while shaking her head back and forth ferociously. Most times she'll test out a couple things before finding her preferred biting object. It's so humorous to see her running around the room biting things.

But we need to work on not laughing because this is most likely something that should not be encouraged. Especially when the suitable biting-object is her own finger.

Who Needs Words?

Olivia doesn't. Let's count the words she can and does say:

1. Tur-toe (turtle)
2. Pup-pay (puppy)
3. Bee-bee (baby)
4. Mo-ah? (more)
5. Do (We haven't figured out yet if this is "do" or "you". It's always been used as a command when she wants us to do something.)

(Note the distinct absense of the typical "Mama, Dada, and No".)

Everything else is pretty much just sounds. Our favorite is "Widgeh-widgeh-widgeh-widget".

But don't you dare assume that she's slow in any regards! She's managed to get along just fine with other ways of communicating. Mainly pointing and dragging us around the apartment until we come across what it is she wants.

Other accomplishments that I'm rather proud of her for:

1. Putting together a complex geometric puzzle without mistake (and this puzzle includes pentagons and hexagons (which I get confused when I try to put the puzzle together)).
2. Taking out DVDs from their case, opening up the DVD player, taking out the DVD in there and replacing it with VeggieTales.
3. She helps unload the dishwasher and knows where every utensil goes (which of the three drawers, or up on a hook!).
4. She dusts!
5. Before she goes to bed each night, she takes her two baby dolls, puts them on their own shelf, covers them with their own blanket, and places a book on them for them to read - should they have troubles falling asleep.
6. She knows where "Baby Brother" is. (The trick is, will she understand when he's on the outside that he's the same "Baby Brother" that was on the inside?)
7. I could go on and on.

The point is: You can read all the guidelines and listen to all the critics and become a nervous wreck because your child isn't doing things exactly like their children are OR you can trust that your child will develop into her own person at her own time. Thank the Lord I have such a beautifully unique child! How boring would life be if she were exactly the same as everyone else's child?

I Give Up

There is no point what-so-ever in trying to compare different pregnancies, labors, or children. God has taught me this before my second child has even been born. Isn't He nice like that?

With Olivia, I felt no contractions until my water broke and had her five and a half hours later (who knows how much faster that would have gone if I would have know that being upright and moving is much more productive to labor than simply laying on my back watching Sponge Bob Square Pants). With this baby, I've been feeling regular Braxton Hicks contractions for the past two weeks and haven't dilated since week 37. Yep, I'm still at 2cm. The only difference is that the head is now in a -1 position as opposed to the -2 it's been for the past 2 weeks. That means it's a little further down. Not exactly what I've come to expect from my weekly doctor appointments that I had with Olivia where I progressed by 2cm each week.

So I'm left with no predictions. No way of controlling this process. You think maybe that's why God gave the "gift" of childbirth to women instead of men? I think we tend to try to organize and control our lives a lot more than men do. And childbirth (right alongside child-rearing!) is the opposite of "control" unless you want to do the whole induction/epidural combo. Which, as I already explained in a previous post, I don't want this time.

So I put it in God's hands. Here You go.

I've also decided to try Raspberry Tea. Even though it's not *supposed to* cause labor to start, it has been proven in some studies to make your contractions more efficient. I was drinking this while pregnant with Olivia and I didn't even know the benefits! I was just more of a stickler about caffiene and this was my favorite flavor herbal tea.

Terrible Twos

I have decided I want nothing to do with the Terrible Twos.

You mothers of children aged two and older are laughing at me right now.

Let me explain myself:
I've come to the conclusion that I do not want to use or hear the phrase "Terrible Twos" in reference to my daughter. What is there to benefit from labeling a child as "Terrible" for an entire year of her life? I should not make her actions seem worse than they are by using that phrase. Also, I cannot make her actions acceptable simply by using that phrase. And I should be building my daughter up in the eyes of others, not tearing her down. I am proud of her. Quirks and all. Bathtub poopies and all.

Disobedience is a frustration to parents. As are temper tantrums. But there is a reason for them. My daughter is learning how to live with boundaries. She is learning what to do with her free will within the guidelines we have set up for her. It must be a frustration to her during this time in her life. She is realizing her independence and her responsibilities all at the same time and is trying desperately to figure out how to mesh them together and still keep everyone around her happy, including herself.

Labelling this stage of her life as "Terrible" puts a bad taste in my mouth and mind before she even has a chance to disobey. How unfair to her. This is a wonderful stage of discovery and learning. Conversely, it can also be tempting to let disobedience slide when you have a ready excuse such as the "Terrible Twos". This is also unfair to her as she needs stability. Right is right and wrong is wrong, no matter what age you are.

Becoming a parent has given me so much more appreciation for the ultimate patience and love of God. I'm 24 years old and I am still trying to mesh together my free will and my responsibilities. And He has yet to call me "Terrible."

Bah. Nothing. Nothing At All.

So I went to the doctor again today. Nobody wins. Nobody guessed that I would be exactly the same as I was the week before. No changes what-so-ever. 2cm and 80% effaced. And I've been having Braxton Hicks contractions all week. I didn't get those at all with Olivia, so I was convinced that I must be progressing faster this time. Nope.

But God is in control and He knows best. So I'll just trust that He's got a reason for this delay of progress.*

So any takers on next week? Will I still be pregnant next week? If so, how far along? I will be 39 weeks next time I go in, which is when I was induced and had Olivia last time.

*For those of you not following this story closely: With Olivia, I progressed by 2cm every week from 36 weeks until I reached 5 cm and then was induced at 39 weeks.

Oh, and you people guessing times that the baby will be born, be sure you put an a.m. or p.m. so I know how nice (or mean) you're being.

Is My Child the Only One...

Who sees the bathtub as one big toilet?!

Okay, I know it's normal for the occasional poopy to slip out during bathtime, but my child has an unusually high percentage rate. I'd say at least 75% of the time. That's 3 out of every 4 baths that have to be repeated. I have to hold the squirmy child in a towel while the Daddy (bless his heart) cleans out the tub, cleans off the tub mat, cleans off the drain stopper. (He used to have to clean off ever single letter of the alphabet as well, but we stopped giving her toys until she's old enough to control her colon).

So if you ever stay with us, rest assured, our tub IS very clean. It gets cleaned out very well just about every other day. I know some hotels that aren't that clean.

My Own March Madness

Ok, I've seen all you and your basketball pools and what-not. Well, here's something that interests me far more.

Let's see who can guess the closest on the following:
1) How dilated will I be on Friday?
2) What day will Baby Boy be born on?
3) What time will Baby Boy be born?
4) How much will he weigh?
5) How long will he be?
And the bonus question: What name will we ultimately decide on?

And because I have no prizes to give out and no way to organize it, this will be a free pool! What a great value! Of course, if anyone wants to organize it for me, I'd appreciate it greatly... *cough* JEREMY *cough*. I think the prize last time was one glorious goldfish! Who won that, anyway? Was said goldfish actually ever delivered? If so, is he still alive? If not, is he still alive?

Okay, leave lots of comments because that's how I validate my existance.

2 cm & 80%

So I'm a bit behind in one category and a bit ahead in the other. (Considering with Olivia at 37 weeks, I was 3cm and 75%.) But congratulations to Ashley!! Tell me what you want and I'll cook it for you next time you come over. Oh, and I'm officially declaring a tie between Ashley and Jes, since Jes wanted to choose 2 cm, but Ashley beat her to it, so she went with 2.5, even though she knew they didn't measure in half centimeters. So you can both come on over - just tell me by the Monday before what you want so I can shop for it. :-)

But I'm excited. He almost didn't check my cervix because the nurse asked if I was having contractions or any other sign of labor and I said "no," like I always do. And when she told me he might not check me until next week then, I said, "Oh, but I was 3 cm dilated at this point in my last pregnancy. I didn't feel the contractions until they broke my water - and at that point I was around 7cm." Her eyes got a little bigger and she decided maybe the doctor should check me after all. Hehe.

But the reason I'm excited is because that means this pregnancy is turning out to be very similar to Olivia's (which, as mentioned above, was rather painless until the intervention). And since I've decided to do this labor with as few interventions as possible, maybe this one will be even more painless. The doctor told me to call if I did start having contractions and they were five minutes apart, but then he looked at me and said, "Or if your water breaks, which seems might be more likely." He said if that happens, to simply call on the way to the hospital. I told him I still had a few hours in between water-breakage and birth last time, but he told me they go quicker the second (and third, forth, so on) time.

So my hope and prayer? That since I'm letting my body (and God, of course) do things the way He intended, maybe my water won't break until I'm fully dilated and ready to push. And maybe I won't feel contractions until then either. And since this is my second baby, maybe the pushing stage will go much more quickly (read: less painfully) and I won't be as tempted to get the epidural.

Why don't I just get induced and get the epidural? Because induction is not a natural thing and could have dangerous side effects leading to emergency C-sections (also not a very natural thing and a major surgery). And induction leads to more painful and more intense contractions. During labor you are supposed to have at least 60 seconds in between contractions. Because of the pitocin, my contractions came three at a time with less than half a minute in between each set of three. And why do I not want an epidural? Because 1) It's rather boring to just lay there in bed because you can't move your legs and 2) my body wasn't made to give birth laying down flat on my back. That leads to more complications that could (and did, in my case) make for a longer and more painful recovery. I decided this time that I would rather go through a couple hours of intense pain than a couple weeks less intense, but still debilitating pain. And because there has been research done that proves a link between breastfeeding problems and epidurals. And because epidurals involve sticking a needle in your spine.

I'm glad this pregnancy is following so closely to Olivia's because I have some idea of what to expect. With Olivia, when they told me I was dilated, I thought I would give birth at any moment. Instead, it took a few weeks. Now I know more about how my body works. I'm still praying for a March 9th delivery (have I explained that? It's Josh's first day of spring break), but I'm okay with whatever God deems best.

So what do you think I'll be at next Friday?

Baby Zapf NEEDS You!

So... the database... something something... broken... something something... the old Zapf baby voting site is down. And it is unclear at this time whether or not the results will ever be recovered.

So go here to the new site and PLEASE VOTE AGAIN! The baby could come at any time now! (Or we could have another month). Help us name our child!

I Don't Nest

So the "nesting instinct" is this supposed universal response to clean and prepare everything for the arrival of your unborn child. It's supposed to get more intense as the birth draws nearer.

Yeah, I get lazier as the birth draws nearer. I just sit here and think about how extremely difficult it would be to get up right now. To even lean forward. You're lucky I'm not on the couch with my feet on the coffee table. That is my preferred position for the 9th month and it was when I was pregnant with Olivia, too. Ok, so now that I take the time to look back (thank goodness for Blogger), I see that I did go a bit crazy with the laundry aspect of preparing for baby. But that's it. and since most of it has been used already and therefore is already washed, and the few boy clothes we have gotten have already been washed... there's nothing else to do but sit here and blog about how I don't nest.

Actually, though, besides the lack of nesting, I experience an additional decrease in the desire to do things I've normally been doing for months now. For example: it is my responsibility to clean up the dinner dishes. Josh cleans the spaghetti off of the floor, cabinets, high chair, and tray; and then I clean up the dishes. Well, I put away the leftovers... aaaaand sat down at the computer with the chair as reclined as it can get while still allowing me to reach the keyboard.

And cleaning the bathroom every week? It's every other week now. Even if we have company coming over. I'll take a square of toilet paper and get all the dust and towel-lint off the back of the toilet and the corners of the tub and call it a day. Of course, I was chastised by Josh when he caught me standing on the side of the tub cleaning the tiles one Saturday and was told to let him do that from now on (that was going to be a post in and of itself called "How to Get Your Husband to Clean the Bathroom for You" and was going to include the following steps: 1) Get pregnant, 2) Wait 9 months 3) Let him catch you standing in precarious positions on slippery surfaces with the dizzying smell of Lysol drifting out of the toilet bowl).

Okay, well... now that you know the truth about the ninth month, or mine anyway, I'm going to hoist myself up to take care of the dishes because even though the intrinsic reward of satisfaction in a job well done doesn't motivate me enough, the extrinsic punishment of all the bugs that will gather does.

Pick a Number Between 1 and 10

So I've broken down my last month of pregnancy with Olivia so that I can convince myself there will be some sort of predictability with this one.

At 36 weeks, I was 1 cm dilated.
At 37 weeks, I was 3 cm dilated, 75% effaced, and her head was at -1.
At 38 weeks, I was 5 cm dilated, 90% effaced, and we forgot the head-number-thingy.
At 39 weeks, I was 5-6 cm dilated, 90% effaced, and I went in the next day to be induced.

So here I am, 2 years later, at 37 weeks again. On Friday, I go to the doctor. Josh says I'll be 1 cm. I want to say I'll be 7, but I'm pretty sure I'll be setting myself up for disappointment, so I'm going to guess 3cm and play it safe. Anyone else want to play? Just pick a number between 1 and 10. The winner gets... dinner at our place the next time you come visit. :-P

Help with Leather Stains

So during Olivia's bath tonight, she successfully doused the Daddy's pants with buckets-full of water. After several minutes, he realized his black leather wallet was in the pocket which was most wet. So he responsibly took it out and wiped it dry on the belly of my shirt (that I was wearing). I now have black leather-stained streaks on my nice light pink shirt. Any advice on how to take those out? :-)

Double Standard

They wouldn't have taken away Jack Bauer's sword....

A Zapf Dozen

It's not a normal dozen. It's not a baker's dozen. It's a Zapf dozen. Yep. I made blueberry muffins from scratch. Followed the recipe religiously*. Whereas the recipe said the yield would be a full dozen (that's 12), mine was a Zapf dozen (10).



*Reading this online recipe, which differs slightly from the one in the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook I have in my cupboard, I wonder if the fact I didn't thaw the blueberries and that I used whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose white had something to do with the 2 missing muffins?

Shameless Promoting of Pampered Chef Products Under the Guise of a Really Good Recipe

I made this for dinner tonight - to the delight of ALL... well, Olivia was distracted all through dinner... found out later she had really needed a diaper change, so her opinion doesn't count. This was my first attempt at pasta where the sauce didn't come out of a jar - go me!



The Pampered Chef ®
Smoky Chicken Fettuccini
Recipe

6 slices bacon
1/2 cup diced onion
6 large cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 cup coarsely chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated smoked Provolone cheese
8 ounces uncooked fettuccini noodles, broken in half
1 cup frozen peas
2 cups diced cooked chicken
1 cup half and half
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons snipped fresh parsley

1. Bring water to a boil in (8-qt.) Stockpot. Meanwhile, cut bacon into 1/2-inch pieces using Santoku Knife. Cook bacon in (12-in.) Skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from Skillet; drain on paper towels. Drain grease from Skillet (do not wipe out).


2. Dice onion using Chef’s Knife. Thinly slice garlic using Ultimate Mandoline fitted with thin slicing blade. Coarsely chop bell pepper using Food Chopper. Coarsely grate cheese using Deluxe Cheese Grater; set aside. Add onion, garlic and bell pepper to Skillet. Cook over medium heat 2-3 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Remove Skillet from heat; set aside.


3. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions (see Cook’s Tip). Add peas to Stockpot; carefully drain pasta and peas using Drainer. Add pasta and peas to Skillet. Add bacon, cheese, chicken, half and half, black pepper and salt; toss well to coat. Cook and stir over medium heat until sauce is slightly thickened and mixture is hot. Sprinkle with parsley; serve immediately.


Yield: 6 servings

Nutrients per serving: Calories 370, Total Fat 13 g, Saturated Fat 6 g, Cholesterol 75 mg, Carbohydrate 36 g, Protein 26 g, Sodium 380 mg, Fiber 3 g

Cook's Tip: A simple way to adjust the consistency of pasta sauce that is too thick is to remove about 1 cup of pasta cooking water using the Nylon Ladle before draining the pasta. Stir a small amount into the sauce as needed.

Smoked Provolone cheese is smoked over applewood for a full-bodied, smoky flavor. Plain Provolone cheese can be substituted for the smoked Provolone cheese, if desired.

© The Pampered Chef, Ltd., 2001

And the Award for Best V-Day Gift Goes to...

My very own Joshua Jeremy.

I HAVE to tell you what Josh did for ME for V-Day. :-) I have the best husband ever. He listens and cares and loves me SO MUCH!

Recently (for the past 6 months) I've been telling him my love language is gifts. Problem: We're broke. So I decided love notes count as gifts. So for this V-Day, Josh got me TEN presents! (HA! I win!) He typed up ten reasons why he loves me, cut them out, and taped them up all over the apartment.

*Sigh*

Now, whenever I look in the mirror, I'm reminded that he loves me because I'm intelligent. Whenever I look at our wedding picture, he tells me I'm beautiful. Whenever I'm cooking over the stove, I hear him say how grateful he is that I take care of him. When I'm doing dishes, I read about his appreciation for my hard work. When I glance at his many diplomas and awards, I see that he has recognized my encouragement and support. When I reminisce over our high school dance photos, he confides that I'm his best friend. When I put Olivia down in her crib, I am called a wonderful loving mother. When I open my Bible for devotions, I am admired for my love of God. When I walk into the living room, he calls me sensitive and caring. When I turn on the lamp (how clever is this?) he reveals his love for my bright, cheerful nature.

Those notes are still up. They will probably be up until we leave this apartment. Just like the "I Take Car" post-it from our last apartment. I feel neglectful that I hadn't posted about this until now, but I had to wait until a day when I hadn't already posted twice because I wanted to make sure you read it!

Suspicious Behavior

So I was checking my email/reading some blogs today and I noticed that Olivia was being very quiet. Too quiet. Hmmm... Is she dropping things in the toilet? Dragging our dirty laundry all over the apartment? Has she figured out a way to get the turtle out of his Rubbermaid home?

Nope, she was laying on the couch right behind me, totally engrossed in book. How adorable!

My V-Day Dinner

So you know that our Valentine's Day started out with the wonderful opportunity to sleep in, followed by some delicious blueberry pancakes. Then we took Josh to school and Olivia and I had to hustle to get everything ready for when he came back home.

We headed to Kroger's and picked up two packages of cream cheese, one 8 oz container of sour cream, some bubbly grape juice, and laundry detergent. Sound like the ingredients to a very romantic evening, no? Hey, the laundry doesn't stop - not even for holidays. And the rest of the ingredients (sans fizzy drink) were for my first ever attempt at cheesecake! I had asked Josh what dessert he wanted for V-Day, expecting something like heart shaped cookies. But no, that's not the way guys think. My guy thinks of cheesecake. And the recipe I had found called for the cake to cool in the oven for 5 hours! And when I asked him which meal he would choose for his V-Day celebration, he choose Chicken and Sausage Paella (which takes 4 hours to cook, plus prep time!) And by the time we got home, it was noon! OH, and did I mention Olivia had a doctor's appointment at 1:00? But then I realized I had not received a reminder call, and that was strange. Since the weather had been rather blizzard-y, I thought maybe I had better call to make sure everything was still running on time over at the health clinic. The recorded voice informed me that there was too much snow to deal with sick people today and that I needed to reschedule.

Whew.

So I start on the cheesecake. The crust went rather well, just graham cracker crumbs and melted butter. I can do that. Olivia helped make the crumbs. But hers were the crumbs that fell on the floor as she ate the remaining crackers. She wasn't really much help, but she had fun. I started on the filling. That's when I realized something wasn't quite right. I was using my largest mixing bowl and it was filled to the brim with my cheese mixture. I'm not very good at measuring volumes in my head, but I did think to myself more than once, "I think this might be a bit much for a 9 inch pan." Sure enough, when I went to pour it in, I filled it up with half still left in the bowl. So I quickly made another crust and filled another 9 inch pan. Yep, that's right. for this family of three, I made TWO cheesecakes. And I put them in the oven and set the timer for an hour like the recipe instructed.

But then I got to thinking. Two pans... with half the mixture in each... wouldn't that require half the time? So I kept going back and checking the progress. I started noticing cracks in the edge of the cakes, so I opened the door, took a picture and sent it to my friend, Jes, whose mother is a renowned cheesecake expert (or so I hear ;-)) and she said, 1) Something's wrong if they're cracking but 2) they're not done yet and 3) you shouldn't be opening the oven door! Crap. Ugh. Whoops! So I kept watching (through the window) and when they started to turn a little more of a golden color (by that time, they had cracks that rivalled the Grand Canyon) I turned off the oven, opened the door, and let them cool for the suggested time of 5 hours.

I put Olivia down for her nap, only an hour and a half late, went back to the kitchen and was met with this:


What a mess! There was not a square foot left to make the Paella! The breakfast dishes were still sitting dirty on the stove and I had even expanded the mess to the dining room table! Oh, and yes, that's our washing machine drainage hose leading into our garbage disposal. Did I not mention I was doing laundry while making cheesecake? Such a multi-tasker. So I unloaded the dishwasher, loaded the dishwasher, ran the dishwasher, thanked the Lord I have a dishwasher, and then got started on the paella.

When that was all done, I dared another look at my cheesecake attempts. This is what I saw:


I have never seen the Cheesecake Factory ever serve anything remotely close to this monstrosity.

I had to pick Josh up from school right before dinner because the buses weren't running (Yep, but he still went to school - now that's dedication!). On the way home, I broached the subject of my gift to him. I told him I had made him something (I had not told him I was actually going to attempt cheesecake. This was to be my present and a complete surprise). I told him it was something I'd never made before. And that... it wasn't going to look right. And that he was supposed to just force a smile and tell me, "It looks great, honey" when he saw it. He laughed and agreed. We got home, he basically sprinted inside to the fridge, and fulfilled his oath (after a brief laugh) and told me my cheesecake looked wonderful. Sigh. Even sounds good when you *know* it's fake.

So this was our Valentine's dinner:
Main course: Chicken and Sausage Paella


Dessert: Salvaged Cheesecake


It really did taste like normal cheesecake (thank you, God!). And once it was cut up, you could hardly tell it used to look like this:

I'm Losing Her...

I'm losing my baby girl.

I always knew she was her Daddy's girl. They have a special bond I could never duplicate. She sees me all day; I'm old news. I'm big and immobile; the Daddy can get down on his hands and knees and play. I do most the disciplining since I'm with her most. All these things contribute to her preference for the Daddy over me. Except at night. She has always pushed the Daddy away and wanted me to put her to bed. This is partly why I never encouraged weaning. I always said I'd let her decide when she was ready to stop. I loved being the Chosen One for one small part of the day. Yet, in the back of my head, I knew this time was coming...

The past two nights, my baby girl has pushed me away and clung to the Daddy at bedtime. We've tried this before - thinking it would be good preparation for when the new baby boy comes. She has always gone willingly to the rocking chair with the Daddy, but then, upon discovering it wasn't playtime, would scream and cry for the Mommy. Which made my heart swell. The past two nights, she has not. My heart has deflated. She has successfully gone to sleep with the Daddy. I am no longer the Chosen One.

I always knew they grew up too fast, but this is ridiculous. She's not even two yet and I want my baby girl back.

The Disgruntled Bundle

After the first snow storm, we had to wait a week or so until the weather finally warmed up (above 20 degrees) enough to see what Olivia thought of the snow. I already had a sneaking suspicion that she wouldn't like it. The first day it snowed, she would cry at the sight of it. Since then, Josh had taught her that it was called "snow" and that one should be excited, not afraid, about it. So she would point to it out the window and squeal. But if we got too close...

Well, we decided it was time to get close. After all, GMOM had bought her a lovely snow suit for Christmas, and Josh had talked me into buying an inflatable toddler sled that currently had only seen use zooming around on our carpet with all sorts of different stuffed animals and dolls in tow.

So we started the bundling process:

Olivia was okay with it at first. She likes getting dressed up. Plus, she had her juice sippy. That makes all things better.


By the time we got to this point, though, she had run out of juice and was getting rather hot. Please note the scarf - personally knitted just for Olivia by her Auntie Sassa. (I have gotten compliments on it whenever I go out, Sassa!) And also, note the Wal-Mart bags on her feet. Why buy boots until we know for sure she likes the snow, right?


Yeah, she didn't like the snow. She would just scream and cry in that sled while Josh pulled her along. So I came up with the brilliant idea of going to get the baby doll and taking the baby doll for a sled ride to show just how safe it was. As soon as I put the baby doll in the sled, though, Olivia rushed over and immediately rescued her. We tried putting Olivia back in the sled, and it worked this time, now that she had her baby doll to cling to. She still never once smiled. But she had stopped screaming.


Look, I'm having fun...


Josh is having fun...


Joel is having fun...


Olivia is crying.

So we go back inside. We take off all the many outer layers of warm, protective clothing...


And Olivia promptly climbs back onto the sled, without her dolly; and with a huge grin, demands that Josh take her for a ride around the safe confines of the apartment.

She's So Blue-Hoo-Hoo*

Due to the recent blizzard:


Josh didn't have to catch the 6:48 bus this morning and we were able to sleep in until *gasp* 8:30 because Olivia didn't get up until *gasp* 9:00!!

So what did we do with our free morning of no class? Josh made blueberry pancakes! And Olivia set the table:


Olivia loved the pancakes:


Ok, so she really just loved the blueberries:


But our free morning is over and Josh has finished digging our car out with the popcorn bowl, so it is time to take him to school (he can't get any studying done here; wonder why?), and then pick up the final ingredients to his v-day present. :-)

*That's from VeggieTales; for the uneducated among us.

Truffles!

I was going to save this for a Valentine's gift to Josh, but he got impatient and I had to make them early. :-) To be fair, Josh helped out a lot with the rolling and coating and general messiness of this project. Don't they look yummy? Yeah, they're gone now.

Olivia Learns Personal Hygiene

It is not uncommon anymore to find Olivia walking around with Q-tips sticking straight out of both her ears. I would have a cute picture of such, except I said to her, "Oh, baby, you only need one!"* And she promptly put them both (very used-looking) back in the bathroom drawer. I'll be ready with the camera next time...

*I know it's unwise to let toddlers walk around with things sticking out of her ears. I'm familiar with the nothing-bigger-than-your-elbow rule. I do tell her not to do this - it's just so cute and she also does manage to get quite a bit of wax out.

NOT What a Pregnant Mom Needs to Read...

So I was checking out the world news today and found something that made the prospect of childbirth scarier than it already is.

Check out this baby!

Meet the Basketball

To Register? And Vote!

What is acceptable in today's culture? Do I get a second baby shower? I don't need any big things. We have the crib, the pack n' play, the car seat, the stroller, the toys, the bouncer, etc. What we don't have are baby boy clothes. I've heard it's acceptable to have a second shower when you have a baby of a different gender, which is our case. Well, in all honesty, we had a good Christmas and Old Navy had a great after-Christmas sale. So our baby boy will definately be well-clothed for the first three months at least. So I guess what we'd need more than clothing is diapering necesities. I haven't spoke much of it since we started last January, but we use cloth diapers. It has saved us a ton of money, and it is so much better for the environment. But speaking of money, we started when Olivia was six months old - so we have nothing for newborns. Well, culturally acceptable or not, I registered at a few online cloth diapering stores for newborn supplies. And Ashley took the time to teach me how to add those links to my sidebar. So I thought I'd explain what they were and why they were there. If you find it culturally unacceptable, then ignore them. I promise I won't be offended and will love you anyways. Especially if you were one who gave us baby boy clothes at Christmas. :-)

And on a different note: Jeremy has FINALLY gotten the old voting website up and running. This baby boy needs a name, people - and he needs YOU to choose it for him because his mother can't make up her mind. Keep in mind these factors:
1) I like multi-syllable names - preferrablly three syllables, but I can live with two.
2) I like names that are not in the top 10.
3) I like names that are easily spelled. He's going to spend his entire life spelling out his last name - give him an easy first name!

Olivia Plays the Piano

Olivia loved staying at Gammy and PopPop's house over Christmas break. One of the things she loved the most was the piano in the living room. She would climb up on the bench and just start playing... making sure to hit all the keys, of course.

Get to Know the Homemaker in Me!

Stolen from Onward and Upward

Aprons – Y/N? If Y, what does your favorite look like?
I have two - my Pampered Chef apron which is denim, and a white apron with my name painted on in big green letters with daisies decorating the letters. Larissa made if for me as a wedding present. By the way, Larissa, was that washable paint? I've never washed it for fear of ruining it, but it's getting kind of gross...

Baking – Favorite thing to bake
Cookies! Chocolate chip, peanut butter blossoms, buried cherries, sugar, ginger, snickerdoodles... is there a bad cookie?

Clothesline – Y/N?
We wouldn't have a yard to put it in. We have two drying racks that are constantly in use (we don't use the coin operated dryer to save a $1.25/day).

Donuts – Have you ever made them?
I'm sure any donut I attempted could never measure up to a melt-in-your-mouth-fresh-from-the-conveyor-belt Krispy Kreme, so why bother.

Every day – One homemaking thing you do every day
Sweep the kitchen floor - after every meal! Such is the life of the mother of a toddler.

Freezer – Do you have a separate deep freeze?
We barely have room for our appliances as is! But I would love one.

Garbage Disposal – Y/N?
Couldn't survive without it!

Handbook – What is your favorite homemaking resource?
The only one I have is Crystal's blog - Biblical Womanhood.

Ironing – Love it or hate it? Or hate it but love the results?
Since we line dry everything, I just give wrinkles clothes a really good shake and they usually dry so that we don't need the iron. I'm also not sure where the iron ended up with the last move...

Junk drawer – Y/N? Where is it?
We used to have one in the kitchen, but this apartment doesn't have enough drawers (only three!) So the contents of the junk drawer got put in a small tupperware bin and resides in the storage closet within easy grasp.

Kitchen – Color and decorating scheme
Color? Your typical apartment kitchen - cheap fake wood cabinets and cupboards with white walls and linoleum floor. Is there any other kind?

Love – What is your favorite part of homemaking?
The feeling of accomplishment when the day is done, the house is clean, and the people I love are well-fed and happy.

Mop – Y/N?
Once a week.

Nylons – Wash by hand or in the washing machine?
I rarely wear them, but when I do I usually throw them in the washing machine

Oven – Do you use the window or open the oven to check?
I always look through the window first, but decide that doesn't give me a good enough view, so I open the door.

Pizza – What do you put on yours?
Meatlovers - I'm so healthy.

Quiet – What do you do during the day when you get a quiet moment?
I'm an AIM addict. It's my social interaction time. When Olivia's awake, though, I only get one or two words typed before I'm pulled away. Naptime is usually spent entirely in front of the computer.

Recipe card box – Y/N? What does it look like?
One of those cheap >$1 plastic index card holders from Wal-Mart. But more often now, I use cookbooks and I have a menu that lists all my favorite meals and the pages where I can find them - sorted into meat categories (i.e. chicken, pork, beef, etc.).

Style of house – What style is your house?
Apartment on the second floor. We get the heat from the downstairs neighbors and the noise from the upstairs neighbors. It's a two bedroom recently equipped with a washer hookup ;-). It's 965 sq. ft. with one bathroom.

Tablecloths and napkins – Y/N?
I'd love cloth napkins! But right now we just have placemats.

Under the kitchen sink – Organized or toxic wasteland?
It's organized - except for the conch shell and random vase it's all cleaners.

Vacuum – How many times per week?
About 2 times, maybe more depending on how messy Olivia is.

Wash – How many loads of laundry do you do per week?
I do one per day, sometimes two. Rarely any on Sunday - It's the Sabboth! :-) (More like, the family's all here and I don't feel like doing it).

X’s – Do you keep a daily list of things to do that you cross off?
I should more often - I'd get more done!

Yard – Y/N? Who does what?
No yard to speak of. We do have a balcony. We split the resonsibilities... we both do nothing.

Zzz’s – What is your last homemaking task for the day before going to bed?
Either a load of diapers so they can hang dry and be ready for morning or the dishes if I've waited til the last minute (heaven forbid!)

I tag Jes! :-D

My Husband Loves Me (and This Apartment) So Much...

In an effort to persuade me not to move, Josh has illegally* installed our washing machine.

This is our dining room before the washer. It's a little messy because Olivia was awake, so my apologies. I have found it's impossible to keep the floor picked up until she is asleep Oh, and Josh left the milk out. The kitchen is to the left, I was taking the picture from the living room. Oh, there's Olivia's head! Can you find it?

This is the view from under the sink. The 1x4 board had to be attached to the back of the cupboard, and the metal tubing was all his work as well. (The board is there for the tubing to be attached to). He says this was the hardest part, purely because of the lack of elbow room while he had to manuever all this.


Here is the only damage he had to incur. He says it's fixable, but he most likely won't bother with it when we move out. I say, they should pay him for his efforts, and when we leave, they can up the rent, advertising their one and only apartment with a washer hook-up. Those are the hot and cold water pipes, by the way.


The hot and cold water pipes then run the length of the cupboards. He has since attached them more securely with brackets.


And this is our new laundry room/dining room/reptile room. It's a little bit of a tight squeeze for now, but we plan on eventually moving the reptile bit into Olivia's room, but that requires rearranging her furniture. For once, we're thankful we have such a tiny table! Oh, and I forgot to point out that there is a drainage hose going along the back of the counter (you can just barely see the beginning of it - it's black). At first, Josh had cut it so that it went to the first of the double sinks. But then, we found out that sink doesn't drain fast enough. I found this out one morning when Olivia was being particularly clingy and fussy. She would NOT let me leave her room. She would yell at me, pull me back in, and then shut the door. When I finally escaped, I went to the kitchen to check the new washing machine set-up and found a quarter of an inch of water covering everything; it had even gotten into the cupboards. So I cleaned it up, and when the washer drained again, I realized the problem, and had to hold the hose so that it would spray into the other sink, where the garbage disposal is. That sink drained much faster. Josh had to buy a 79 cent adapter to connect that hose to another hose to make it long enough to go to the other sink. He still hasn't trimmed it down, so it's about 2 feet too long and gets in the way a bit when I am rinsing off the dishes. But it drains! Whoo hoo! I have a washing machine again!

So it looks like we will not be moving to a townhouse. But I've come to the realization that I really do like our one floor apartment. I just wish it were on the bottom floor and that no one lived above us. But I like that I always know what Olivia is up to, and I'm always just a split second away. I like that I don't have to go up and down stairs to go to the bathroom or put things away. And now our apartment is cheaper, since we don't have to pay $40 in quarters each month for laundry. Although, we'll see how much the water bill goes up next month.

*We honestly believe we are actually not doing anything "illegal." We have read nowhere that tells us we can't install a washer. But we also didn't ask permission for fear of being told "no."

Olivia Loves Annabelle

Olivia loves puppies. It was such a thrill for her to get to live with one for a whole week! Watch her chase Annabelle through the house, then participate in Annabelle's trick.

Olivia Sings VeggieTales

On Christmas morning, Olivia loved opening up her presents. Her favorite (and our favorite to watch) was opening up a VeggieTales DVD. She realized at once what it was, and started rocking back and forth, singing the theme song! Of course, only the extremely talented can pick out the tune, but it's there!

It Got Cold

So we were GOING to go to the library this morning. I bundled up Olivia (complete with gloves), packed the diaper bag, collected the movies to return, made sure her diaper was okay, gathered the recyclables (I like being able to do multiple things when I go out), and headed out to the car. Only to find the doors frozen shut. I finally got the key to turn so I know it was unlocked, but the door wouldn't open. Olivia started to cry, I think because she was sensing my frustration, and I think she also was a little afraid of the snow. So we came back upstairs and now she's watching this wierd VeggieTales called Autotainment or something like that and putting shoes on anything with feet.

Oh well, at least it's finally cold out. Olivia got a really cute fleece and an equally cute sweater for Christmas and it hasn't been cold enough to wear them until now! Sigh. I live vicariously through my daughter's wardrobe.

Olivia's First Time on Ice

Josh took Olivia out on the ice when they went skating. We didn't think she'd like it, but she surpised us all.

Olivia's First Time in Skates

Olivia got kicked off the ice for not having skates. So we got some (amazingly, in her size!). She didn't quite know what to do with her feet.

Olivia Improves Her Skating

She's figured out how to keep her ankles straight. It takes a lot of concentration, though.

Olivia Skates Like a Pro

Towards the end, she was looking pretty professional.

My Little Artist

Here's what Olivia did while I was cleaning. Such a big girl! Actually, this was only part of what she did. She also got her own rag and helped me dust. She liked spraying the rag with the polish. And then she got out the jar of shells and dumped them out all over the coffee table. This is what it's like to clean with a toddler. She constantly cancels out any progress I make - and looks adorable while doing so.

Friday: Cleaning Day

I'm so proud of my accomplishments today! Usually, I vacuum and clean the bathroom and call it done. And this week I've been especially lazy and behind because I just came back from a wonderful week and a half at Josh's parents' house where my only chore was laundry! But after reading some controversial posts on housekeeping, (which I was going to link, but they have been removed due to their controversial nature), I was re-energized and ready to go.

I cleaned off my "Pampered Chef desk/place where we put things small enough or sharp enough that Olivia would hurt herself with them" and moved the turtle and crab there so that they're finally out of our bedroom! That's something I've been wanting to do for a long time. They used to be on our dresser, which I was always upset about because I'm so proud of the fact that our bedroom furniture matches, I hate to mess it up by making half of it host to creepy crawly reptiles and such. Also, it makes it really hard to dust when you have to move habitats around. And the Pampered Chef desk was cluttered with assortments of forgotten mail, paper clips, broken necklaces, etc.

Oh, but the real pride behind my accomplishment lies in the fact that in order to clear off the PC desk, I had to first clear off a shelf on our one and only bookshelf to fit the PC binders and paperwork. And in order to do I had to clear off the computer desk to see what would fit on the shelf with my PC stuff (the computer desk was littered with all kinds of papers and books with titles like: "Multivariable Control Systems" and "Principles of Mathematical Analysis".

So I didn't think I'd blog about something as dull as this, so I didn't think to take any "before shots", but afterwords, I felt so proud of myself I had to document the occasion with pictures and a blog. So here's my clean apartment! (Or rather, the parts of my apartment that are clean.) :-)

Here is the finished bookshelf. (The shelf I cleaned was the top one - I know the others need help as well, but that's another Friday). I know it still looks cluttered, but I promise it's a lot better than it used to be! I'm just simply amazed we're making do with only one when we had three in our last apartment. But that's when we had an office and could put up really cheap black plastic Wal-Mart shelves and just tell company not to look. Now our "office" is in the living room.


Here's the cleaned off computer desk! Sigh, see the beautiful wood? There's so much of it, too! I'm pretty sure before I started there wasn't any wood showing.


And here's the former Pampered Chef desk. Again, you really can't appreciate how nice this looks because you can't compare it with what it was before. But trust me, this is a HUGE improvement! But best of all....


Here is the new and improved non-animal habitat dresser! I was so proud when we got it because it came with a matching bed (matching furniture *gasp*!). And it was all a gift from God through the secretary of the school where I taught. She was moving and was going to throw it out! But again, notice the nice shiny wood. Sigh.

But now I'm starting to feel guilty because I should have been cleaning the bathroom during Olivia's nap, but instead I just sat and was satisfied with what I'd already done. I suppose Josh did just clean out the tub yesterday (Olivia still thinks the bathtub is a toilet). But I should go do the rest of it while Olivia is still napping.