Stains!!!

I am so, so, so frustrated right now!  Last night, I pulled out all of Monroe's old clothes.  I wanted to sort them and get them ready for McKinley.  Well, much to my chagrin, I found that a lot of my favorite little infant outfits had yellow spots on them!!!  I washed all of the clothes before they were stored, but after doing some research, found that breast milk will turn yellow after being stored if there is any heat at all!  I guess every milk stain has to be thoroughly treated after every spill.  I always washed her clothes, but apparently I didn't treat the spills as intensely as is required.  I remember having baby clothes given to me by friends/family and finding those yellow spots.  I guess it happens to a lot of people.  

Anyway, I was up well into the early morning hours treating those yellow stains.  I have soaked, scrubbed, washed...soaked, scrubbed, washed.  I've used Spray and Wash, OxiClean, baking soda, vinegar...you name it, I've tried it.  I am putting them in to wash again in a few minutes.  I am letting them soak for awhile.  I'll let you know how it goes.  A few friends have given me some other ideas, in case this doesn't work.  Next on the list...OxiClean Baby and a mixture of lemon juice, baking soda and sunlight.  I'm not above trying anything.

Sorry to rant so much.  I just love so many of those little outfits and I hate not to be able to use them again with McKinley.  Hopefully this intense cleaning will work!

So anyway, lesson learned.  Don't forget to treat every spill, even if it doesn't stain, because it is sure to come back to bite you in a year or so!  I will be very careful this time around.

Book Worm

I'm still working on a post for our weekend events, but I thought I really needed to post these two pics.  I ran upstairs to check on Rosie a few minutes ago.  (It still takes a few tries to get her to fall asleep for nap time in the big girl bed.)  This is what I found...

Pregnancy Brain

So, pregnancy brain is back with a vengeance.  Not to say that it ever went away, it's just rearing it's ugly head big time. Here are three recent examples:

 I decided to try a new kind of shampoo and conditioner.  I found this stuff and, being the sucker for packaging that I am, I decided to give it a try.  I was excited to "simplify" my routine, as stated on the label. Well, I went to use it for the first time and I thought, man, this shampoo is really thick.  Then, it hit me, I bought two conditioners.  Ugh!

A few weeks ago, it hit me that I really needed to get knobs for the dresser before we finished it.  I went to Hobby Lobby and spent a really long time looking and looking.  I found some that I really loved, but decided I would wait until they were on sale.  I often find them on sale for half off and couldn't justify not waiting.  A few days later, my parents came and we worked hard on the dresser.  All of a sudden I realized that I hadn't ever gotten the knobs.  I stood there in the garage fretting over this to Mark.  He looked at me kind of funny, and said, "What about these?"  He pulled out a bag from Hobby Lobby with the above glass knobs inside.  Apparently, I had purchased these months ago when they were on sale and must have totally forgotten.  I love them, so it all worked out.  I'm just glad the knobs weren't on sale the day I spent a good 40 minutes trying to find the right ones or I'd be trying to figure out what to do with 4 extra knobs right now!
 

Yesterday morning we were watching one of my favorite shows, "CBS Sunday Morning" while we did laundry and ironed.  They were doing a special edition on animals.  One of the segments was about koalas.  I love koalas and made sure to go see the Koala Exhibit when they came to the Tulsa Zoo a few years back.  I thought I would wow Mark with my koala knowledge yesterday and very matter of factly stated, "Did you know that koalas sleep 24 out of 25 hours a day."  Yes, I looked super intelligent.  I'm sure it really blew him away:)

I'm sure I'll have a whole list of more examples to add tomorrow:)  I'll keep em' coming!

If you are happy and you know it...

I don't remember if I ever posted this piece of furniture that we found on the side of the road last summer.  When I saw it I thought it was very unique, but I knew we had no place for it.  It also needed some work.  I had every intention of redoing it, but let's be real...it wasn't going to happen in the next 6 years.  I decided the other day that it needed to go and I posted it on Craigslist for $50.   I figured that no matter what I sold it for, it would be more than I paid.  Well, tonight it left our home to live with another family.  Well, actually just a young single guy moving to the city.  I love getting something from nothing and I really love getting rid of clutter!!!  

Today was a wonderful relaxing day at home.  We didn't do too much.  We played outside in the water.  That kid LOVES her water table and wants to do it constantly.  One of the first things she said when she woke up this morning was, "Wawer" (that's Monroe for "water").  We waited until a little later, but she had fun all the same.

We also tended to our little garden.  I have 6 tomatoes growing!!!  They are still very small, but they are getting bigger.  I have been following my cucumber plant pretty closely and we had some tiny little cucumberlettes growing...probably about an inch long.  We had a hard time even spotting them.  Then, I looked yesterday and there was this guy...

It's hard to tell in the picture, but he's about 4 to 5 inches long!  I don't where he's been hiding all this time.

We made something for Mark today.  I'm not exactly sure how or when my husband started loving sweet tea, but he does.  He really, really loves it.  I found a recipe for sweet tea that sounded pretty good on a blog I read and thought I would make it for him.  I went to the store to get everything, and wouldn't you know it, they didn't have everything I needed.  So I just ended up making him some regular old sweet tea.  He loved it though, so it made me happy:)

Along with tea ingredients, I also found a few things at the grocery store that really appealed to me.  There is one thing in particular I would like to share.   They are really yummy...

It's embarrassing, but if you look closely at the box you can see a rip.  I must have really needed to get into those fast!

I was reading a magazine yesterday and came upon this picture/recipe:

I have decided that it must be made by me as soon as possible.  If I leave off the whip cream, I can make it vegan, so I'm very excited about it.  I'll be sure to take pictures and let you know how it turns out.  If it's good, I will pose the recipe.  

Tonight, while Monroe was playing with her water table, Mark decided to mow.  As soon as she heard the sound of the mower, she ran in the garage, got her mower and headed to help.  She is so silly sometimes.  

Here's a little movie of her tonight, singing one of her favorite songs...

  

 

Eat your fruits and veggies

Tonight I had my doctor's appointment.  It went well.  My blood pressure was perfect and he said not to be worried about my little episode.  This made me feel a lot better.  My little McKinley's heartbeat is as strong as can be.  I'm also measuring perfect.


My doctor's wife had her baby last week, so he was pretty excited about that.  The little guy was small, five pounds, but is doing very well.   I asked him about ways to speed up my process.  He said that most 2nd babies come a few days later, which greatly upset me:)  He said he didn't want me trying anything until 37 weeks, but he gave me some good ideas.  I was surprised that he mentioned castor oil on the list because it is kind of a controversial technique!  That's what my mom used for three of her four babies.   I  guess if he is cool with it,  I won't totally rule it out.


Tonight, we took Mike to eat for an early birthday dinner (his birthday is tomorrow).  Melissa, the boys, and her sister and fam went to Michigan for part of the week, so he's living the single life.  We ended up going to Qdoba.  Kind of a strange place to choose, I know, but it was good.  I wasn't going to eat, because we had Indian for lunch, but I gave in.


On the subject of food, I recently have read quite a few articles discussing the amazing health benefits of different fruits and vegetables.  I was amazed at some of the cool things I found out.  This could get pretty boring for you, but I really feel the need to share some of them.  Feel free to stop reading now:)


*Cherries (dried or fresh) eaten one hour before bed will raise melatonin levels and help with a better night's sleep.

*Corn lowers lung cancer risks by 27%.

*Blueberries=brain food.  They defend against Alzheimer's and those that eat 2 cups a week are 25% less likely to develop Parkinson's disease. 

*One sweet potato offers 262% of recommended Vitamin A allowance which keeps skin looking young. 

*Cantaloupe is good for the immune system.  1 cup gives 113% of recommended Vitamin C.

*Carrots are one of the best for your heart...those that eat at least one serving a day are 60% less likely to have a heart attack.

*Limes are cancer fighting and those cancer fighting properties remain in the bloodstream for up to 24 hours after consumption.

*Beets have betelain and act as a natural cleanse.

*Broccoli speeds up sunburn recovery.  It reduces redness and inflammation by 37%.

*Blackberries are natural pain relievers.

*Raisins can treat menopause because it offers boron which provides the same effects of estrogen therapy.

*Garlic and bananas lower blood pressure.

*Kiwi can lessen the effects of asthma.

Pretty amazing, huh?!  I think it's so neat to think that God really did provide everything we needed in fruits and vegetables!  It's too bad we screw everything up by the way we eat:(  Definitely something to think about.  

I'm very relieved.  For the past two days, a very important member of our family has been missing.  Completely gone and one of us wasn't taking the news to well.  I came very close to issuing an Amber Alert...

Yes, it was "Baby" and Monroe was pretty devastated.  I tried to give her one of her other babies, but she wouldn't have it.  She looked at me and said very matter of factly, "No".

Thank heavens, Mark found baby in the garage tonight.  Peace is now restored in our home and all is right with the world.  

Tomorrow is my last day of work for the week.  I can't wait to be done.  I'm so tired.  It was either work or the rousing game of kickball that Mark and I played when I got home from work.  You think I'm kidding, and I would, too, but we really did play kickball.  I don't know how it happened, but it was fun, although I'm already feeling the effects of my exertion of energy.  I won't be playing very often.  

The good news is that, after tomorrow, I don't work again until next Wednesday!  That's a six day break and it sounds pretty wonderful.  I better head to bed.  Love to you all! 

Let there be LIGHT!

Today when I left for work, the sun was shining and the birds were singing.  I knew it was going to be a great day.  Then, halfway to work, the sky got black, the heavens opened up and it began torrentially raining.  I'm talking crazy, crazy rain and crazy, crazy wind.  Luckily I had an umbrella today, but even with an umbrella I was completely and utterly soaked when I got into the hospital.  I thought I looked wet, but then I saw a girl run into the hospital after me without an umbrella.  She looked like she jumped in a pool!

I spent the rest of today trying to get dry.  My shoes are still wet:)  I didn't let that get me down.  The day was a bit slower than normal, but it wasn't a bad day at all.  I can't complain.

When I got home, I walked in the house, ready to start making dinner, only to find that our power was out. I went over to check with our neighbor and she said that it was supposed to be out for days according to the radio.  Apparently, the storm caused the biggest power outage in a decade.  It wasn't looking good for us to get it back any time soon.  I called ComED and they said there was NO estimated time or day for reinstatement of electricity in our area.  Ugh!  I hated the idea of losing all of the groceries I just bought so I ended up calling my secretary to check and see if we could borrow their generator.  She was happy to share it.  She lives kind of far away, but we figured we didn't have anything else to do, so we hopped in the car and made a trip of it.

We ended up staying and chatting a bit, and then had dinner at a yummy little Mexican place.  We headed home hoping to get there before the sun went down so we could get the generator all set up.  We arrived home with time to spare, but as we pulled up we looked around at our neighbors' houses and saw...LIGHTS!!!! What a relief.  I have always heard that the best way to get your electricity back on is to go get a generator and that technique definitely worked tonight.  As I lay here on my comfy couch, in my cool house, I couldn't be happier.  It really has been a good day.

Do you remember when Monroe won that photo contest on FB?  Well, I had chosen some really cute little shoes as part of her prize, but they never came in.  The girl gave me the option to choose something else, but I couldn't find anything that just grabbed me.  When the shoes did finally come in, they no longer were in Monroe's size, so I didn't know what to do.  A few days ago, I realized I still had credit at that little shop.  I emailed her and asked if I could go ahead and get a different pair of shoes, since I now have another little girl on the way.  Well, look what came in the mail today...

Aren't they the cutest?!  I can't wait to put them on McKinley's little feet:)

Tomorrow I have another doctor's appointment.  I'm pretty glad because I had a little scare last night.  I woke up in the middle of the night feeling super dehydrated, my heart was racing and my feet and hands were feeling very swollen.  My mind immediately went to preeclampsia.  When I got to work this morning, I had a friend check my blood pressure.  He said it was perfect, but wanted me to let my doc know about the incident.  I called and they said as long as I'm feeling better, we can just wait until tomorrow's appointment.  My heart hasn't felt like it did since, so I'm relieved.  My legs and feet did feel very swollen when I got home tonight.  Yuck!  I hate that feeling.  They are definitely pretty hard to look at.  Anyway, I'll let you know how the appointment goes tomorrow.  

Well, I better go.  I have a few things to get done and I feel so blessed to be able to do them thanks to electricity!  YAY!  

Picture Day

Just not feeling the idea of writing anything tonight.  Here are a few pics from this beautiful Sunday.  

What a sweet little face!  

 Lots of laughs with this one around.  

 Garage Sale Earnings = Fun Outdoor toys for Rosie!!!  She loves her new water table.  She was soaking wet when we came inside!   

A wonderful thing.  Not only is it a lawnmower, but it makes bubbles, too!  Can it get any better?  I think not! 

How does my garden grow? Not very well.

We had a lovely Sabbath today!  Monroe actually did pretty well in Sabbath School.  She had fallen asleep right when we left to head to Church, so she got a good 20 minute nap and I think that's what helped.  It was wonderful.  Church wasn't as smooth, but she did okay.

After Church, we picked Kenneth up and came home for lunch.  It truly was an AMAZING lunch.  So yummy.  We had dinner roast, garlic mashed red potatoes with really good gravy, salad, rolls and Kenneth made baked mac & cheese that was so good.  We were all stuffed.

Yesterday, I started craving peaches and thought it would be fun to make a peach pie.  This was a first for me.  Because I am not the best baker in the world, I enlisted the help of the guys and I have to say, it turned out great.  Here's a pic of our masterpiece...

It was a very easy to make.  It was extra easy because the recipe calls for refrigerated pie crusts.  Of course they aren't as good as homemade, but it was still very good.  It was NOT vegan, although I did substitute some of the ingredients for vegan ones.  

Fresh Peach Pie 

2 refrigerated pie crusts
6-8 peaches, peeled and sliced
1 stick butter  (or vegan butter)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon flour
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 egg (or egg substitute) plus 1 teaspoon water

1. Peel peaches.  We tried this method, but it didn't work as easily as it sounded.  Maybe it will work for you...Bring a pot of water to a boil.  With a knife, score a small X at the bottom of each peach.  Put the peaches into the boiling water, let them go for 30 seconds to a minute, and remove with a slotted spoon.  Place peaches into cold water (or just running cold water) and skins will just slip off.

2. Prepare crusts.  Place first crust into bottom of pie plate.  Cut the second crust into strips.

3.  Make filling.  Melt butter and sugar in medium saucepan until sugar dissolves.  Add sliced peaches, flour, cinnamon, and salt.  Cook for a couple of minutes, or until the sauce thickens. Cook the peaches longer if you like them mushy.

3.  Assemble pie.  Pour peach filling into first crust.  Arrange the second crust strips into a lattice design.  Flute edges, brush crust egg wash, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.

4.  Bake pie.  Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes, or until crust is golden. After 15 minutes of baking, cover the edges with foil.  Let the pie cool for 10 minutes before you cut.

5.  Serve with ice cream or Soy Dream (if you live in our house:) 

After lunch, Mark, Kenneth and Monroe headed to the park for the afternoon, while I took a much needed nap.  Tonight has been very low key.  We gave Rosie a bath and put her to bed.  She was SO sweet.  It was hard to say goodbye to her tonight.  Her little prayers are so adorable.  I tear up almost every time.  Of course she repeats exactly what we say, but it is so genuine and innocent.  I love that kid.

So, I found something that made me laugh today.  I'm sure you've seen the romper trend that is pretty big right now.  I've thought they were so cute, but I know that in my state, they would look horrendous.  My friend, Kelsey, however, looks amazing in them.  Here's a cute one from Forever21...

 

I was looking on the Motherhood Maternity website when I came across this...

Is it just me, or does this look ridiculous on a pregnant woman?!  What about all of the trips to the bathroom?!  It just seems so impractical to me.  To each their own, though.

For the longest time I have been wanting to watch Princess Bride.  I loved it as a kid and Mark has never seen it.  I feel like it is a must for anyone, so we rented it tonight.  In fact, Mark just walked in the door with it, so I better run.  I will leave you with pictures of my plants.  Good night! 

One of my tomato plants.  This one has two little guys growing! I accidently knocked off the first one:(  I'm trying not to get too attached to these two.  

My cucumbers!

  This little cilantro plant has driven me nuts.  I almost started thinking that some kind of parasite plant had moved in and took it over, because it looks nothing like cilantro to me. I pulled some tonight, and it definitely is cilantro, so I'm very relieved.  I hope it starts really growing soon.  

  

Getting Busy

I have been so busy today.  I cleaned the house completely, which took a lot out of me.  I mean I was super exhausted when I got done.  We also ran a few errands (Apple Valley and Target) and worked on projects.  It was very productive.

One of my dilemmas has been what I should do with some of the furniture and accessories from the guest room.  I really like a lot of them and the idea of storing them broke my heart.  (I know I'm weird).   The guest room kind of had a shabby chic feel.  One of my favorite pieces is the dresser that Mom Murrill found at a garage sale.  She gave it to us when we first got married.  We were going to paint it, but I could never bring myself to.  It's vintage and has a very old calendar that is stuck to the top.  I've decided to put in the living room/ dining room.  I know it's kind of a strange place for it, but I think I like it there.  It really seems to go well with my yellow hutch (across from it).

I'm so relieved to have the three projects done I was working on.  It feels so good to have that weight off of my shoulders.  Here's how they turned out...

Project #1 - Paintings for the Girls' Rooms 

     

The finished products.  

      

Poor Monroe...her painting is not very good.  I was so sick of doing them and I hurried through. I paid very little  attention to detail.  She doesn't seem to mind, though. 

You've already seen this one.

Project #2 - Table and Chairs for the Nursery 

I finished the top this afternoon.  It's NOT perfect, but I do believe it will work.  Mark finished up all of the painting for me.  I don't know what I would do without that guy.

        

Such a cute little set.  Thank you again, Nicole!  We love it.  It's just what we were needing. 

Project #3 - Mobile for the Nursery 

The jury is still out on this one.  I can't decide if I like it or not.  Time will tell. 

My next project is McKinley's quilt.  I figure it might take me awhile, so I really wish I had started it earlier, but I guess I just need to hit it very hard in the next few days/weeks.  

In Rosie news...I can't get over how much talking she is doing now.  All of a sudden she is using complete sentences.  I just love it.  I truly feel like we are having real conversations now.  Today, while I was changing her diaper she asked, "Mommy, where is daddy?"  I told her that he was at work and she said, "What is he doing there?"  It blows me away how their little minds are just like sponges. She picks up on everything...things I didn't even know she was listening to.  Tonight, she came in the living room with one of McKinley's outfits and said, "This is Sissy's".  It's just so cute.  They sure grow up too fast.

This afternoon, Mark and I were playing with Monroe in her room when she started to run and tripped on the rug.  Her little face ran right into her bed.  It was horrifying to watch, as it looked very painful.  It broke my heart!  She has never cried like that.  You know the kind where they can hardly catch their breath?  Poor little thing!  I asked her if she wanted a popsicle and she was still crying so hard she didn't answer.  I wasn't even sure if she knew what a popsicle was, but I thought it might make her feel better. Mark finally got her calmed down and said he was going to take her outside to play.  She was very excited to go, but stopped and looked up at me and said in a pitiful little voice and puppy dog eyes, "popsicle?"  Apparently she did know:) 

 Eating her hard-earned popsicle.  

    Showing off her battle scar.  It doesn't look that bad here, but it did bruise.

Well, it's late and I better head to bed.  Love to you all and a very happy Sabbath!

What's in a name?

So, there it is.  It was a hard choice and we changed our minds quite a few times...quite a few times, indeed.  But, I think this is it and we love it.  

We are still thinking of nicknames.  Monroe's nicknames kind of came on their own, so I figure that will probably be the case with this little sweetie.  We sure can't wait to meet her. 

Thrilling Thursday...Maybe not thrilling, but fun!

Today was a very fun day!  Melissa picked Rosie and me up and we headed to the Cosley Zoo.  It truly is the perfect place to take kids.  Not only is it free for kiddos and only $3 for adults, it is never busy and is small enough not to be overwhelming.  The kids also get the chance to see the animals more closely than at a bigger zoo.  We really had such a wonderful time.  They kids enjoyed playing together and Melissa and I had a great time just chatting.  On the way home, we decided to stop at Goodwill to check out their kid books.  Well, all I can say is that I totally hit the jackpot.

Remember my favorite book of Monroe's? Well, I found the whole series at Goodwill!  I couldn't believe it.  I was overwhelmed by such an amazing find.  They are the sweetest little books and I feel so blessed to have them all.  God is really sending me some treats this week!

I also found some books that seemed to fit into our lives right now...

 And these?  Well, they were just really cute...

I swear, if you are looking for good quality books for your kids, don't spend too much!  Go to Goodwill, thrift stores or garage sales!  I got all of those books for less than what one book usually costs.  And, they were in mint condition.  Nothing like finding a good deal.

Guess what we had for dinner????

Lettuce from our garden!  (Not just plain lettuce. I used it in a salad.)  I would love to say it was the best I have ever eaten, but that would be a HUGE lie.  It was actually really bitter.  Oh, well.  I grew it! Yay! 

In other food news, I had the best popsicle tonight that I would like to recommend to you.  We are big believers in all things Edy's.  I just LOVE their popsicles.  Our favs are the lime and the lemon.  When my parents were here they mentioned that the pomegranate was really good. I hadn't even seen that kind before, but decided I would start looking.  Well, yesterday I went grocery shopping and they happened to have some.  RUN OUT NOW AND GET YOUR OWN!!!  I mean it, go now!  They are so tasty.  I just loved them.  

I found out the coolest news this afternoon.  One of my friends from gradeschool/highschool/college/adulthood is having...TWINS!!!! How exciting is that!  She's a twin and that makes it extra special.  I can't wait to find out the genders.  Keep Alana, Michael and Isaiah (their little guy) in your prayers as they have a lot to look forward to!   

I also found out that one of my besties, Andrea, is having a little girl!!!!  I am so happy.  I had secretly really wanted it to be a girl.  I mean look at these two people.  How is their child not going to be drop dead gorgeous?!  If you would like to follow along with their pregnancy journey, here is a link to her baby website.

I really need to update the list of all the pregnant ladies I know.  It's really gotten out of hand.  I would say 80% of my female friends are pregnant.  So fun!!!

I have been working very hard on painting pictures for both of the girls' rooms.  I finished little bit's, but I haven't completely finished Monroe's.  I will post pics as soon as I'm done.  I did get a tiny bit crafty the other night.  Some of our friends from church just had a little girl (Hadley) two weeks ago and I got a few little things for them.  I wanted to make something small to go along with it, so I stuck with what I know and made a headband with interchangeable bows.  I would love to say that I got really creative, but I just did the same ole' thing.  Oh well!  I hope they like them.

Well, I better wrap this one up.  It's getting late and I've got a lot to accomplish tomorrow.  Oh, I almost forgot.  Look what I got in the mail...

The bag I won from Angie's blog contest!  I just love it.  Thanks, girl!!!

Have a great night everyone.  Enjoy your popsicles that you hopefully bought.  Love to you all!  -Steph

Nana and Papa's Visit

Like I've mentioned before, my parents came into town this last Friday.  It was WONDERFUL!  We had so much fun.  We were able to do some great stuff, while at the same time keeping it very low key.  My kind of visit!

They ended up driving rather than flying and I really think that made the trip feel even better.  We didn't have to worry about getting to the airport, ect.  They really liked the change, as well.  Another plus to driving...They were able to load up the car with goodies!  We really enjoyed that!

Here are a few of the fun things that they brought...

Rosie is one well dressed kid thanks to all of her grandparents!  SO CUTE!

 Adorable dresses for the girls! 

 Adorable dresses take two...these are my favorite.

 These are pretty cute, as well.

The pink version of my favorite outfit for baby. 

Not only did THEY come bearing gifts, but they brought along a huge bag full of Kamryn's clothes that my wonderful sis-in-law Tami sent.  What a huge blessing!  Everything was ADORABLE!  I'm definitely seeing the perks to having two of the same kind of kiddo.  We will use these clothes for years!  

Tami also sent another exciting item...

   

A beautiful Coach diaper bag!  I can't wait to use it.  Thank you, Tami and Shane!

On Sabbath, we headed to Sabbath School and Church.  Since S.S./Church take place right during Rosie's most important nap, she's not always on her best behavior.  In fact, she's usually at her worst and true to form, she showed Nana and Papa her naughtiest.  I always feel so bad for her, because I know she's being pushed beyond her limits when we keep her out, but we know we have to keep at it.  Hopefully it will pay off in the end.

We had a lovely lunch and then had some nice naps.  Later that evening, we decided to take an impromptu trip on the train to downtown Wheaton.  It was Monroe's first train trip and she loved it.  It was really fun.  We had dinner at Gino's East and enjoyed walking around such a cute little town.  

 Very sleepy girly hanging with her daddy in Wheaton.

 My wonderful Mom and Dad waiting for the train home.

On Sunday, we set some pretty lofty goals for ourselves.  The first was to set up Rosie's new bed.  All along I had planned to leave Rosie in her room because it is bigger and seemed less traumatic.  But as we surveyed the crib and realized that we would have to disassemble it and reassemble it in the next room, we got lazy smart and decided that instead, Rosie would be taking what used to be the guest room and the new baby would have Monroe's old room.  I was nervous that she would totally freak out at the change, but we went ahead with the transformation.  We took out the guest room bed and dresser and put together her little bed.  When she realized what was happening, she went totally nuts.  Totally nuts in the very best way.  She was soooo excited and soooo happy.  She loved her new bed.  When we got the sheets and her little quilt on it, she climbed right in and didn't want to leave.  It was time for her nap anyway and we thought we would go ahead and see how she did.  Well, it did take a few times going in and laying her back down (15 to be exact), but she did end up falling asleep and slept really well.  

That's her under the quilt on the right.  She seemed to take to the new bed pretty quickly.  

Since then, nights have gone pretty well and naps have gotten progressively easier.  One night we found her up pretty late "reading" a book in total darkness.  I also periodically find her with her silver tea set in bed with her or all of her dirty clothes in piles on the bed, but I'm willing to work with her.  It's actually been a much easier process than I had anticipated.  She adores her new room and could play in it for hours.  It makes me so happy and so relieved that she didn't totally lose her mind. 

Anyway, after Rosie woke up, Mom and I wanted to do some shopping for some things for the rooms and Dad and Mark wanted to go downtown to do some touristy things.  We both succeeded in our quests.  Mom and I were able to find some really great things to make Rosie and baby's room quite comfortable.   Mom also got me a few maternity clothes items, which I definitely needed.  Mark and Dad decided to go to the Cubs/White Sox game and had a great time, as well. 

When the guys got home, we decided to head out and find some paint for the dresser.  With some help from my mom, I decided that green would be a great choice.  We found the perfect color, had a lovely dinner and came home to hang out.  

Monday was the 4th and just happens to also be my parent's anniversary.  We decided to celebrate at the Cheesecake Factory and then we headed to North Chicago to drive around and enjoy the scenery.  It's really a lovely area.  When we got home we worked on the dresser and the little table and chairs.  

On Tuesday, I had to work half of the day, but the rest was spent hanging with my family.  It was so nice, but it was hard not to have Mark with us.  That evening the guys went to another baseball game, a Sox/Royals game.  Mom and I ran some errands and had some quality time with Rosie girl.  

Wednesday morning was pretty hard for me, as my parents left. It made me right down sad.  You've probably already read my post from that day.  You know, the really angry one.  Well, things have definitely gotten better since then, but I don't think having my parents leave will ever get any easier.  They just really mean the world to me.  

So I am not quite ready to post pictures of little girl's room, but Rosie's is pretty much complete.  So without further ado...

 Rosie's little nest

 I couldn't love a bed more.  I find myself going in her little room all of the time just to sit in it.  

 Her new little bookcase.  It was totally worth the splurge. 

Her new dresser/changing table refurbished by Daddy and Papa!  For $20 it has a totally new look and it's just exactly what I was hoping for.  I still can't believe we found it on the side of the road.  Paint, $12 @ Home Depot and Glass Knobs, $8 @ Hobby Lobby (they were 50% off)

I apologize for the quality of the pictures.  They are not too good.  Just so you know, I started feeling pretty bad that babycakes is getting all of Rosie's things and Rosie is getting everything new, but everyone assured me that it's not a big deal.  Having a new baby will probably be a hard transition for her and these little special touches will make her feel special.  Also, the new little kiddo won't know the difference anyway.  Hopefully that's true!  We soon will see:)