7 Years Hitched - Day 1

I wish I had a ton to tell you about my day, but I really don't.  It was busy and that pretty much sums it up.  I always dread orientation because I am so worn out after, but it wasn't too bad tonight.  I really can't complain.

There was one BIG highlight today.  Remember how I mentioned that my volunteer had tickets to the last Oprah show?  Well, she stopped by my office to tell me how it all went.  She said it was incredible! The sheer amount of big stars was overwhelming.  She had amazing seats and was able to see everything perfectly.  She's a cute young thing and said she almost fainted when Michael Jordan walked onto the stage.  She has a big crush:)   The best part...she brought me a memento!!!

It's the bag and magazine that she received at the show.  I thought it was so sweet that she gave it to me!  I'll treasure it forever.

That's pretty much my day.

So, in just a few days, Mark and I will celebrating our 7 year anniversary!  I can't believe it's been that long!  It really flew by.  I truly couldn't be happier or feel more blessed than I do.  I can't tell you all of the things I love and adore about Mark, but I can tell you about a few.  I thought I might do a little "Week of Mark" where every day I tell you a reason why I love my man.  Like I said, there are a lot more, but I'll choose a few.

 7 Reasons Why I Love Mark William Murrill

#7  He's super hot!  I know I'm starting with something totally and utterly superficial, but I can't lie, my guy is amazingly attractive.  From the first time I met him, I was attracted to him and my attraction for him has only grown... and grown.  Sometimes I look at him and I just smile.  He is just so darn cute!  I love his adorable style and his hot bod.  I truly don't know another guy that can put together an outfit like this man.  It's truly a skill that he's got done pat.  He's just perfect from head to toe.  I am so lucky.

I love that he's confident enough to try something as daring as a MOHAWK!  

 I love his scruffy face

 I adore it when he wears hats.

I love his smile!  It's soooo sweet. 

Never Assume

This morning, I did some house cleaning.  I swept the living room/dining room and this is what I finished with.  Mind you, this is from ONE room.  

You probably saw this and thought two things: 1) Wow, Stephanie must NEVER sweep! and 2) They must have a big dog.  Well, never assume anything, because neither of those things are true.  I swept last on Friday, and we weren't even home at all on Saturday.  Also, there is no dog.  I want you to answer me one thing...where did all of that yucky come from?!!!  It's really only been two days.  Oh, well.

After Rosie's nap, we decided to take another stab at Hobby Lobby.  Being a girl who learns from my mistakes, I made sure to feed her well.  She did great and I was able to get the paper for the top of the table and paint for another project.  Here's the paper...

I love this color green.  Don't you think it will look so cute on a white table?! 

We also ran to the mall to get a few things.  You will never guess who I parked by and didn't even know it...Melissa and the boys.  I came out of the mall and there they were, in their van getting ready to leave!  Monroe was so excited to see them.  We had a great time chatting.  What a fun coincidence!  

So, look what I got while I was at the mall?!!!!

A body brush!  Let the new skin regime begin!  

I'm pretty excited to get started with this new skin thing.  I really hope it helps.  I will let you know if I see improvement.  When I got home I started to try it out on my arm.  Monroe was looking at me very intensely and then quickly ran to her room.  She came back a few seconds later carrying this:

Her brush!  She started brushing her arm, too.  Later she found an additional brush and wash brushing herself with both hands.  She totally one-upped me.  

I didn't end up doing anything on the table or chairs today, but I did get all of the supplies. I guess that's a step in the right direction.  I also didn't finish the project I was working on last night.  I'll show you a picture when I get it done.  It's not turning out as amazing as I had hoped.  That's how it goes sometimes.

I've been craving some interesting things lately and apparently Monroe is on the same wavelength.  All of the things I've been making she has been eating most of.  Yesterday and today, I sauteed fresh spinach in olive oil and garlic with a tiny bit of parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.  It was yummy, but I literally only got a few bites.  Monroe devoured it!  She started crying when it was gone, so I had to make her more.  She's almost gone through a whole bag of spinach!  I'm glad she likes it, but I really, really wanted some.  

Another strange food that I have been craving is mushrooms.  My mom used to make this spaghetti dish with an amazing sauce.  She would saute fresh mushrooms and put them on top with shredded cheese melted on top.  It was so good and I couldn't stop thinking about it today.  I didn't have any spaghetti, but I did have fresh mushrooms.  I sauteed them with garlic and melted just a tiny bit of cheddar cheese on top and put it over rice.  It was really good, but Monroe took a liking to it as well, and ate most of it. I think she must be going through a growth spurt.  I can't keep her full!

So someone told me the other day that I never put pictures of myself up, so I took one today.  

Here I am today at 25 weeks!  That's one big baby!!!       

This is me at 26 weeks with Monroe.  Is it just me, or am I bigger now?!  

I've got work tomorrow.  I have to do Orientation, so that means a longer work day, but that's okay.  Hopefully it will be a great day (positive thinking).  

I hope everyone has a wonderful night and day tomorrow.  I just keep thinking about all of the people in Joplin and other areas where the storm caused such intense devastation.  It's just heartbreaking.  It sure makes my problems seem pretty small.  Please keep them in your prayers!  Love you! 

Weekend Update

I know it's been a few days.  I fully intended on blogging every day, but I have been so sleepy lately, that I just haven't been able to make myself.  Just to prove how sleepy I have been, I feel compelled to tell you another TMI story.  On Thursday night, I ended up falling asleep on the couch after we got home from dropping Stephen and Michelle at the airport.  Mark woke me up and I headed upstairs to go to bed.  I went to the restroom, washed my hands and then into my bedroom to climb into bed.  As I started to try to get into bed, I realized something was making it hard.  I looked down and noticed my underwear were still around my knees from when I went to the restroom.  Somehow, I never pulled them back up.  Yes, I was sleepy.

Friday proved to be a little bit rough.  My child seemed to be possessed by something not of this world.  We were leaving Hobby Lobby after a very uneventful shopping trip and I started to put her in the carseat. All of a sudden, a switch flipped inside of her brain and she started throwing the biggest fit ever.  There was kicking, hitting, screaming and the grand finale...Hair Pulling!  I couldn't believe it.  If we were at home, she would have gone straight to her room for time out, but we weren't home and I didn't really know what to do. I waited until she finally started to settle down...well, at least she had stopped bucking and I headed home.  She cried for a few minutes as I started driving, but she ended up relaxing.  We prayed and sang Jesus songs together the rest of the way.  We had to skip the planned stop at the park, because of the tantrum.  In her defense,  I realized when I got home, that she was starving.  She ate like she hadn't seen food in weeks, but still, that doesn't give her the right to act like a crazy banshee.  The rest of the day, she was a perfect angel.  Go figure!  The following photos were taken just minutes before we left for the infamous hobby lobby tantrum.  She looks so sweet and angelic.  How was I to know what was to come?!

 Rosie and her favorite chair.  She loves it!  

My favorite little person!  Such a sweetie.

I haven't seen much of that side of Monroe, so this newest stuff has been such a shock to me.  We have been prescribing to the "Love and Logic" parenting book/cd set.  Hopefully, we can get passed this little hiccup in the road of parenting.  On a happier note, Monroe has started being more loving and cuddly than ever.  She will just come up and hug and kiss Mark and I all the time.  It doesn't get much better than little girl arms around your neck.  I just love that kid, even when she's holding a clump of my hair.

Sabbath was a great day.  We left home at 9:30 a.m. and didn't get home until after midnight!  There were at least five times that I mentioned I wished I had my camera with me.  Sadly, I have ZERO pics to show of all the fun.

Mark taught Sabbath School so the day started early.  We had lunch at Mike and Melissa's and ended up spending the whole day with them.  We went to the park, to downtown Hinsdale to play around the fountain and back to their house for a movie.  True to form, I fell asleep halfway through.  I really wish I could stay awake, but there is something about watching movies at night that does me in.  Poor Mark always has to talk me through rest of the movie on the way home.  It kills him.

Today, we've taken it pretty easy.  We went to Target, grocery shopping and to the bank.  We also did a little work outside and I finished sanding the two little chairs.  Tomorrow, I'm going to sand the table, buy the white paint and pick up the paper I'm going to mod podge on the top.  I found the paper I want on Friday, but I wasn't sure how much to buy.  I'll get some pics of the progress tomorrow.

This afternoon, as I was taking my shower (don't judge me), Monroe was playing in her room.  I started hearing her walk passed the bathroom into the living room and back, over and over.  I would call to her and she would come see me, so I wasn't too worried, but I continued to hear the pitter patter of little feet. When I got out of the shower, I found that she had somehow gotten into the new box of diapers.  She pulled out every diaper and brought it into the living room.  She also brought out the packaged diapers that she couldn't get open.  She was dutifully working away on the project for quite awhile.  She was completely devastated when we had to put them all away.  To each their own.

I'm really starting to buy into the wives' tale that when you are pregnant with a girl, she steals all of your beauty.  I'm not saying I was anything to start with, but I swear...this kid has taken any and all good things I had going for me.  My skin is at it's all time WORST.  My facial skin has started getting age spots, and is starting to break out.  My hair is dry and lifeless. You should see my nails!  They have never looked so dull. This kid even stole my legs!  Not only are they much bigger (I can't completely blame her, I also blame Mexican food), but the skin is dry, cracky and ugly.

To try and combat this little thief:) and try and feel a bit better about myself, I have decided to start really taking care of myself.  I'm going to try and start doing my nails/toenails weekly, work on new hairstyles, walk every day, drink tons of water and experiment with a little something called drybrushing.  What's dry brushing you ask?  I recently read an article about the benefits of brushing your entire body with a dry natural bristle body brush.  I know it sounds weird, but everyone that tries it, swears by it.  Apparently, it is supposed to make your skin supple and glowing.  I used to think that's what pregnancy was supposed to do, but as you can tell, it's not been fulfilling it's part of the bargain.  I'll let you know how it goes.  I'm going to get a brush tomorrow.

I think we may have nailed down the name for what must be the "Most Beautiful Baby in the World".  Of course, it ended up being the first name we had come up with months ago.  I think I just needed to make sure I loved it.  Mark still wants to do a little more "shopping", but I think it's pretty much decided...maybe.  I'm not sure.  I know, I'm nuts.  

I'm feeling a little better about the vegan cooking thing.  I'm getting more confident and am starting to feel a little more adventurous!  By the way...Jenny, if you are reading this, when things settle down around your place, I would love to get some recipes from you:)  This week's menu:

Veggie Quesadillas
Crunchy Asian Salad
Dinner Roast and Mashed Potatoes
Roasted Tomatoes and Artichoke Pasta 
Veggie Fajitas (yes, again...we were inspired)
Rice and Beans (with fresh veggies on top)
Grilling (corn, veggie burgers, etc.)

Tonight, I'm going to do a bit of crafting.  I have something I'm working on that I'm pretty excited about. Hopefully, I'll get it done tonight, so I'll have something to show you tomorrow.  We'll see how it goes:)

Here are a few pictures that I took today...

 One of my tomato plants!  They are starting to take off.  I can't wait for them to actually start fruiting!

An update of my cilantro pot.  At least in this picture, you can actually see green!  Keep your fingers crossed on this one.

 This was Rosie this afternoon.  She kept pulling down her dress and would say, "Boobees!" and I kept explaining why it was so important that we don't do that...ever.   

This was Rosie working on her "Diaper" project this afternoon.

I almost forgot to mention a big milestone in the Murman family (In case you didn't know, that's Murrill and Baughman mixed together).  Mattie Belle Baughman graduated from Kindergarten on Thursday!  I can't believe it.  I remember holding that little person in my arms at the hospital after she was born.  I like to consider her part mine.  I'm so proud of the young lady she has become!  

Back when we were both much younger and smaller

The grown-up Mattie Belle Baughman  

My computer's power is dying, so I better go.  I haven't been able to proofread this, so just feel free to correct all mispellings/grammatical errors in your head.  Thanks!  Love you! 

Here they come again...

The tears, that is.  I hate when family leaves.  We had such a wonderful visit with Stephen and Michelle.  It was so low key and easy.  They are such amazing people.  We love them so much.  Monroe REALLY loves them.  She had a blast with them and I'm so glad that she was able to spend so much time together.  It was very hard dropping them at O'Hare tonight, for all of us.  

I mentioned that they were easy guests, but let me describe just how easy they were.  Not only did they save us lots of money on daycare, take amazing care of Monroe (even bathing her), and prepare us yummy meals, but they also did the laundry!  Can it get any better?  Well, in fact it can.  We came home from work this evening to find this...

Michelle had made bags full of pizza pockets for us to freeze and eat over the next few weeks.  They are even vegan!  I can't get over these people!

We saw something pretty amazing tonight.  We were on our way to the airport and were on a very busy  4 lane road.  All of a sudden we look over and see a mommy goose and her babies starting to cross the road.  We luckily were able to miss them, but there was tons of traffic behind us.  We were scared to death that they wouldn't make it across.  We looked back and every car seemed to have gotten the memo and came to a complete stop.  The little family was able to make it safely across.  How heartwarming!  I wasn't able to get a picture, but I found this one online and I thought we could all just pretend.

I think I mentioned in a previous post that Melissa and Max went on a little trip to Washington State a few days ago.  They went to visit her family there.  She thoroughly enjoyed herself and we were all glad that she was able to spend time with them.  While there, she found the CUTEST gift ever for Monroe.  I just love it and can't wait for Monroe to use it.  She was pretty exhausted tonight and was already in her jammies, but I wanted to take a picture of her in it.  Here it is...

 An adorable little apron!  So cute!  I can't wait to cook with her.

Well, that's my news.  I'm not working tomorrow, so hopefully my posts will get a little more interesting for awhile.  I'm not making any promises, though.  

We are getting closer on the name front, but really it changes from hour to hour.  One moment I think we've got it and then the next, I don't know anymore.  I'd love to get it nailed down by the end of this weekend.  That's probably the only complaint I have for Stephen and Michelle.  They were supposed to get that taken care of while they were here.  I guess there is no such thing as the perfect guests. Just kidding:) 

Short but Sweet

I really don't have a lot to share today.  Work was a little tense, so I am very happy to be home.

When we got home, once again, we were greeted by the smells of yumminess.  Tonight it was Thai Peanut Pasta.  It was incredible.  Would you expect anything less?

Yummy Pasta!  Thanks, Stephen and Michelle!

I am getting very sad that they are leaving tomorrow:(.  Luckily, they were able to get another flight and are now leaving late in the evening, rather than early tomorrow morning.  They also wanted to watch Monroe again tomorrow, so she is super excited about that.

Tonight, Melissa and the boys came over to see Stephen and Michelle.  It was great fun and we were sad to see them go.  We don't have a whole lot going on tonight.  We are just watching the Bulls/Heat game and taking it easy.  

So, like I said, not too much going on around here.  I sign off. Have a great night!

Fajitas Make Me Smile

Hey, friends!  I have to admit, I had a hard day today.  Work was fine, but I really had a tough time working when I knew Stephen, Michelle and Rosie were having so much fun at the zoo.  I wanted to be with them so bad.  It really made me start thinking about how much I want to be at home with my kiddos.  Man, I'm sooo ready to leave the work force.  I know I'm not quite to that point, but it doesn't hurt to dream, does it?  Actually, I'm starting to think it might hurt to dream, because my days are getting longer and longer and I think it's stemming from all of that wishing I wasn't there:)

When we got home from work, we walked into the sounds and smells of sizzling veggie fajitas!  Man, I could get used to this.  Not only did they make veggie fajitas, but also fresh salsa and guacamole. The whole meal was delicious and very healthy.

 The Chefs! 

 Doesn't it look so good?!

 The fajita veggies 

The best salsa

I was so glad to hear that Monroe had an awesome time at the zoo.  She loved all of the water animals...sea lions, otters, dolphins (sorry Jen).  By the time they left, she was exhausted!  She slept until way after we got home.

When she awoke, she was rearing to go.  We ended up going on a walk to the park where she spent the majority of the time swinging.  She would have stayed all night if she could, but alas we had to go.  Sadly, she took a little tumble on the way home and hit her head.  No blood, but a pretty big goose egg.  Poor little thing!

After the walk, we decided our visitors definitely needed to try our favorite ice cream shop, Oberweis. Oh, it was sooo good.  

Now, we are home, watching the season finale to "The Good Wife", each on our own computer/ipad.  I'm pretty exhausted and I can't wait to crawl into bed.  Pray I make it through this week.  Only 2 more work days!!!

Here are a few pics from the week so far that Stephen took...

No closer to the name.  This morning I thought we had it nailed down, and then someone made a comment that made me throw out the name completely.  Funny how that happens.  We were so close!  Stephen and Michelle are diligently working on the name search as I type.  Let's hope for some good luck:)

In pregnancy news, my new candy of choice is Tums.   This crazy heartburn isn't going away.  After the walk tonight, I've started having pain in my pelvis.  I had it really bad when I was pregnant with Monroe, but this is the first time with this little lady.  I've also had a few Braxton Hicks tonight.  I must have over done it.  I'm going to take it easy tomorrow.  Well, as easy as I can at work.  

Well, I'm going to rest my eyes.  Love you all!    

Dream Come True

Another fun day!  We had a lovely morning of playing and napping (Monroe) and then we headed to meet Mark for lunch at our favorite Indian food joint.  It didn't disappoint and Stephen and Michelle seemed very impressed and even more full.

After lunch, we left Mark and made our way to the Cosley Zoo.  Monroe loved it and had so much fun looking at all of the animals.  The Cosley zoo is small and quaint and has mostly farm animals.  Her favorites were the goats (until it got a little too friendly) and the sheep.  She called them all puppies, though.

It was a much nicer day than it was yesterday.  Still a bit cold, but very sunny.  We stayed there for a few hours then headed home to put Monroe down for a nap. When we got home, Monroe wasn't quite ready to sleep, so she played in the living room.  I'm still always up for a nap these days, and ended up dozing off on the couch.  I woke up probably two minutes after falling asleep (due to the fact that I was hit in the face with a book by Monroe) and shared the dream that I just had with Michelle and Stephen.  I really don't know how I was able to dream that quickly, but I did.  I dreamt that Michelle made brownies.  I ended up putting Monroe to bed and headed to my bedroom to rest my eyes for a bit myself.

Soon, I awoke to the smell of chocolate...amazing chocolate!!!  My talented sister-in-law made my dreams come true. These weren't box brownies, people!  No, this girl cooks from scratch.  They were heavenly!

Don't they look so good?!!!

She also made her snack pretzel recipe and I'm telling you, you HAVE to make these.  They are so yummy and so easy to make.  Here's a link to her blog and the post that describes how to make them.  It's the perfect snack.

Mark got home and we hung outside for awhile.  The boys made up a game (this is a common occurrence when these two get together) and Michelle and I acted as coaches.  They take these games very seriously and I find them to be quite entertaining.  This one involved hitting tennis balls into the tennis hopper.  Here's a pic of the action.

Can you feel the intensity? 

It got a little chilly, so we all came inside and that's when the madness began.  Mark and Stephen had the best time chasing Monroe, wrestling Monroe, throwing Monroe...you name it, they did it.  That little girl has never laughed so hard.  She will probably never sleep better as she will tonight.  All the rough housing really tuckered the kid out.  It was so fun to watch.

 Uncle Stephen, in disguise...Monroe thought this was hilarious.  

There was a lot of this going on.  She loves to be tossed.  

Mark and I had to run a quick errand, so S & M started on dinner.  How we ate dinner after our VERY filling lunch, I can't tell you, but we did and it was incredible.  These people really know how to cook.  They grilled corn, sweet potatoes and vegeburgers.  Very yummy.  They really know how to season things well and I'm convinced that is the key to being a good cook.  Here's a link to Stephen's cooking blog if you are interested in some grilling tips and other great recipes.

I almost forgot to post pics of the table and chairs that Nicole found for us.  Here are a few pics of Auntie Michelle and Monroe enjoying them already.

 Aren't they adorable?!  The table and chairs are cute, too:) 

I can't wait to paint these!  I just know they will be even more adorable!!

In other news, my little garden is doing quite well!  The tomato plants are really taking off.  The recent rain has done wonders!  I have been pretty worried about the cilantro. That is the only thing that I started from a seed packet, instead of buying a plant.  This afternoon though, I found this!!!

Okay, you probably can't tell, but there are tiny little green sprouts coming up all over!!! Yay!  Hopefully, they will continue to grow and we will have more cilantro than we know what to do with.

I'm sad that I have to go back to work tomorrow!  Stephen and Michelle are taking Monroe to the Brookfield Zoo.  I know they will have so much fun.  It is an amazing zoo.  Our friends, Jared and Jen gave us some free passes (thanks, guys) for them to use.  What a treat!

Well, I better get off this thing.  I hope this Monday was great for everyone.  We are no further along on the name search.  I'm feeling even more overwhelmed.  Stephen and Michelle need to step it up with the help;)  

Love you! 

Very Welcome Visitors!!!

On Saturday all of the churches in the Chicagoland area had a Convocation.  It's kind of like a one day camp meeting and takes place on the campus of Wheaton College.  We ended up going and had a great time.  The Sabbath School for Monroe was done very well and she really seemed to enjoy it.  We ended up going to the Young Adult Church service (even though Mark was the only adult under 30) and it was great.  The music was good and it was refreshing to hear a younger speaker.  We had lunch with Mike & Melissa and the boys and then came home for a nice nap.

Wheaton College.  It is a very impressive campus.  It is beautiful! 

That night we started cleaning the basement for our visitors, Stephen & Michelle (who arrived this morning).  We ended up watching "When Harry Met Sally" which is a movie that neither Mark or I had seen.  Monroe was super cuddly and it was fun just hanging out as a family.  

This morning, bright and early, Mark and Monroe headed to the airport to pick up our guests!  Monroe has been on cloud nine since they arrived.  She has been hugging, kissing and loving all over them since the time they walked in the door.  She just adores them.  It makes me so happy that she warmed up to them so quickly and that she hadn't forgotten them from Christmas.

We had a nice homemade breakfast of biscuits and vegan gravy (it was surprisingly good), scrambled eggs (not vegan), fruit, cereal and oj.  Then we headed out to Oakbrook Mall to do some shopping.  We wanted to visit H&M and spent a little while walking around.  Monroe was pretty exhausted by that point, so we came back home and put her down for a nap.  She wasn't the only one of us who was tired and we all ended up dozing off for a bit.  After we all woke up, we decided to head back to Clara's (the Italian Restaurant in my previous post).  It was just as amazing as I had remembered it being and Stephen and Michelle really seemed to enjoy it, as well.

After a wonderful meal, we went grocery shopping and then came home to relax.  I'm so excited for Stephen and Michelle to do the cooking for us while they are here.  They are both AMAZING cooks and they really enjoy doing it.  If only I felt the same way about cooking...maybe someday.

It was such a nice day just reconnecting and enjoying each other's company.  Sadly, Mark has to work tomorrow:(.   I think we are going to go to the Cosley Zoo.  It's not a big zoo, but more of a petting zoo.  It's very cute and Monroe loves it.  Hopefully, the weather improves.  It was in the 40's today and was just unacceptable!!!  I need the warmth back ASAP!

Our mission for this week is to nail down a name for this kid in my belly.  Naming a child is really hard. It seemed so much easier with Monroe.  With this little girl we are having the hardest time.  I guess I should relax a little, because it seems that anything goes these days.  For example, I just read that Alicia Silverstone named her son Bear Blu.  She couldn't have been trying too hard to come up with that one.  Mark is rallying for the name Maitey because it means "virgin" which he prays she remains until the day she dies.  I'm not sold.  We do have it narrowed to three names.  We are open to others if you have any great ideas.

I was totally going to take pictures of the little table and chairs today, but the weather has been so yucky (cold and rainy) and that doesn't make for a good picture background.  I'll see what I can do tomorrow.

Well, my eyelids are getting rather heavy.  I better head to bed.  I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and to my girlies that went to see "Bridesmaids" tonight in their crazy bridesmaid dresses...I hope it was super fun and I'm so sad I couldn't go with you!

Love you all!

Two Good Days

Wow, it seems like a long time since I've posted, but really it hasn't been.  I fully intended on posting yesterday, but Blogger was all screwy and wouldn't let anyone on until this afternoon.  You should have read some of the comments from angry bloggers.  Bloggers aren't kidding around.  It made me laugh to read some of the posts on the forums.  I figured that my blog wasn't so important or "time sensitive" (as written by one angry blogger) to warrant getting angry over.  But I have to admit, it's good to be back.

Yesterday was a good day.  We got a lot accomplished and also had some fun time.  It was SOOOO hot and although we intended on walking to the park, that didn't happen.  We would hang out outside for just a few minutes and Rosie and I both would get overheated.  I figured the trip to the park might do us in.  I was able to get a few cute shots of Monroe, though.  It isn't very often that she somewhat cooperates when the camera is around, so I was very happy.

 Isn't she the sweetest?

 This is my favorite...she's just so cute.

 This is one of Mark's looks.

My little baby is a big girl now! 

We met Mark for lunch at this little Italian place in Bolingbrook.  It was hands down the most amazing Italian food I have eaten.  It was so good.  My mouth is watering just thinking about it.  I loved the pasta and the very authentic tasting sauces and dishes. They make their pasta fresh daily and it is very easy to tell, because it is incredible!!! Although it's a bit far away, I would be happy to make that drive anytime.  It is called Clara's if anyone is interested.

In the afternoon, we read books and took a nap.  Here is a little video of our time together.

This is a video of Monroe pestering her baby sister already.  She loves blowing raspberries on my big ole' belly.   Little one was moving all around during this.  They are already bonding:)  

When daddy got home, we went outside to play while he mowed the lawn.  She LOVES the lawnmower.  She always has.  She would run after him and squeal with delight when he came close.  He finally decided to see if she would help him and she was more than happy to offer her services.  She took it very seriously.  Here's a pic:

Earning her keep and loving it.  

Today was a great day, as well.  We went over to Nicole and Ezra's for a little play date.  Nicole had set up the pools and we hoped they would have a blast playing.  Well, Rosie would have nothing to do with the water, although she looked great in her bathing suit.  Ezra played in the water for a little bit, so it was worth it.  I'm actually pretty glad that Rosie wasn't totally into the pool because like five minutes after we gave up, a cold front rolled in and the temperature dropped from 85 to 55 degrees...no joke.  We had a lovely lunch and then Melissa and the boys came by.  It was so good to see them all.  We all had a good time until it was obvious that it was time for naps all around.  

Tonight, I tried my hand at a vegan recipe I found online--Vegan Stroganoff.  I had very high hopes for this, and planned on posting the recipe for all to make...until I tried it.  Mark said he loved it, but I think that is because all he had to eat today was raw carrots and celery (he's having a very hard time doing vegan in our cafeteria).  I think used tires would have tasted good to him, poor guy.  I'm not saying it was horrible, but it's not on my list to make again anytime soon.  There is a TON left over, so let me know if you want  some. :)

In someone else's news, one of my volunteers told me something exciting this week that has made me super envious.  She was invited to the last taping of Oprah's show!!!!  Isn't that crazy?!  Her sister makes all of the reservations for high profile guests at the Omni hotel and got two tickets.  Her sister said that Oprah booked 700 rooms for that week.  I guess she is flying in all of Gayle's family, as well as many others.  I bet my volunteer is totally going to get something amazing.  It's going to be at the United Center so there will be thousands of people there.  It's all hush hush at this point, so she doesn't know who the guests are or anything, but I think it's going to be pretty amazing.  I can't wait to find out.  She assured me she would call me and tell me how it all went.

In Rosie news, she cut her finger this afternoon and it was bleeding pretty bad.  We can't figure out how it happened, but you could tell it hurt her.  We doctored it all up and finished with a band-aid.  Now, she holds it up at all times like she's getting ready to sing "This Little Light of Mine".  It was pretty entertaining to watch her try and eat with that little finger always in the air.

Oh, I almost forgot!  The greatest thing ever happened today.  Nicole called and let me know that she had found something special for Monroe and the little one.  She knew I was looking for a little table and chairs for Monroe's room.  Well, her neighbor was throwing out the most adorable one ever and she grabbed it for me!  I LOVE it!  It will be perfect to paint and I am thinking of maybe decoupaging the top like I did with my desk drawers in this post.  I have no I idea, though.  So many possibilities!  I'll post pics of the table/chairs tomorrow when I have better light.

Stephen and Michelle come on Sunday!  I can't wait for them to arrive.  I know we are going to have so much fun.  They have already given us a list of things they want to eat when they are here...Chicago-style pizza, Chicago-style hotdog, and our favorite Indian place.  I can't wait!

I better go and spend some quality time with my sweet loved ones.  They are cuddling on the couch together and it's just way too tempting.  Have a wonderful and relaxing night!  Love to you!

23 Week Appointment...Yeah, that's all I could come up with.

So, my doctor's appointment started out great today.  As many of you know, the first thing you have to do at the start of every OB appointment is pee in a cup.  I dread this like the plague.  I have no aim and rarely make it anywhere near the cup and usually end up with some on my hands.  I know how disgusting this is and if I could change anything about this, I would.  (Don't worry, I wash my hands VERY well.)  Well, today was "my" day.  It was as if the planets aligned and magically, every drop ended up in the CUP!  It was a small victory, but boy was it a good feeling.

The rest of the appointment went well.  I decided beforehand to make a list of questions I had because it always seemed like my mind would go completely blank when he would ask me if I had any.  I mean COMPLETELY blank.  Really, it's a wonder I was ever able to put together a coherent sentence.   I usually would inevitably babble, "Everything's great!"  Then, as I was driving home, ten things that I meant to ask would pop in my head.  Well, this time I was prepared and was able to get all of my questions answered!  I love that.  Also, I'm measuring perfectly and her little heartbeat is nice and strong.  I love that, too.

I am super worried, though.  My doctor shared with me that his pregnant wife (30 weeks along) was admitted to our hospital today.  She is having complications with her pregnancy and he was so concerned.  Please keep her in your prayers, if you don't mind.

When I got home from work, I was greeted by a package on the front steps.  As you know, I LOVE packages, and this one didn't disappoint.  It was from my mom and was for Monroe and Impossible P.  This is what was inside:

 Their first matching outfits!  Yay:) 

 An adorable dress, doll and turtle from Puerto Vallarta for Monroe!  Mom got Kamryn and Vivi the same dress.  Too bad they didn't have it in newborn size for I.P. 

 The coolest gift ever...A recordable book.  Nana and Papa took turns reading the pages to Monroe.  She LOVES it and giggled through the whole thing.

Two cute little jammies!  

Like I said, I love packages.  Thanks Mom/Nana!  It was greatly appreciated and we love everything.

Our evening was pretty low key.  We had a nice dinner of grillers, grilled corn and salad.  I bought Mark some vegan grillers the other day and he tried them for the first time tonight.  He said they weren't horrible, but they weren't amazing either.  I guess it's an acquired taste.  

I only got a picture of the corn.  It was perfect.  

Oh, by the way, I spoke with the doctor and he said it wasn't a good idea for me to try a vegan diet out until the baby is born, and if I breast feed, (which I will) after I'm done doing that.  So, for now, cheese and eggs are staying put in my diet, although I'm definitely cutting back.  

Well, I think it's that time...bedtime.  I'm pretty tired.  I am so excited that tomorrow is a mommy and Monroe day.  It doesn't get much better than that.  Have a great night!  Love you!