GO STEELERS!

Sleep

Are you a fan of co-sleeping? I have always been against it until . . . . . . . . .

Dorian ended up with a cough that lingered for about 6 weeks and for some reason the only way he would sleep was in bed with us. And that is were he has been ever since. I am not sure how many months this has been going on, all I know is it has been too long! I would like our bed to be Myron and Natalie's bed not Myron, Natalie, and Dorian's bed. I love my baby and I would do anything for him but it is time for him to sleep in his crib. It will be best for all of us. So last night I made up my mind that we needed to start working on this. Well we made some progress, he cried in his crib for 1 hour and then I gave in and took him to bed with me. So today for naptime (which used to consist of sleeping on my lap in the glider rocker) I let him cry for an hour and a half and then I had to go get him. Of course he had a messy diaper. I guess I would have been screaming too. I changed him, rocked him to sleep and he slept for about and hour and a half. So tonight, bath, bottle, stories, cry for 45 minutes and we now have a soundly sleeping little boy.

Now the question is how long will he remain sleeping in his crib before he wakes up screaming?

Picnic Time!

I don't know about you but it is extremely cold in our neck of the woods. But we are not going to let that stop us from having a little bit of fun indoors. Larissa suggested that we take our dinner into the basement and have a picnic by the fireplace.

Larissa and Dorian ready to eat!

Larissa roasting marshmallows by the fire.
(since it is an electrice fireplace she had to roast her marshmallows by the vent instead of the fire)

Keepsakes

I am not one to hang onto "stuff." I do not like clutter and most of the time if I have not used it or worn it in the last year then I donate it or toss it. If I have saved something then chances are that it is something very sentimental to me. And all in one weekend I have been able to pass on and share with Larissa 2 of the most sentimental things to me!

Here is Larissa with her "new" musical doll. I received this doll as a Christmas gift from my maternal grandparents when I was 4 years old. (and yes that would have been 28 years ago!) I had been keeping this doll in Larissa's bedroom closet, not knowing when I would give it to her, and that moment was decided for itself this weekend. Larissa came to me with the doll and asked me, "Mommy, where did this doll come from?" It was so fun to share with her the story of that doll.

HERE COMES THE BRIDE. . . . . .

(in oh maybe 25 years or more)

So that same evening we are driving home from dinner and Larissa begins to ask me about my wedding dress.

"Mommy, do you have your wedding dress?"

"Yes."

"Mommy, can I see your wedding dress?"

"Of course."

"Mommy, does it have a lot of sparkles?"
"No."

"Mommy, does if have flowers?"

"No."

"Mommy, are you sure it doesn't have any sparkles?"

"Yes honey I'm sure. Mommy's dress was very plain."

I am so glad she wasn't disappointed that it didn't have any sparkles! She has asked if she could keep my wedding dress with her other dress up clothes and I had to explain to her that this will only come out for dress up on "VERY" special occasions. She has had a hard time understanding that!

Myron and I

September 16, 2000

(and happy to report that we are still smiling!)

Exercise

I do not like to exercise, but I have come to the realization that after 2 kids and for the obvious health benefits this is something I need to do. Not to mention the positive effects that it can also have on my mental health, which is a very troublesome area in my life. So how can I do this if I am not comfortable going to a gym and I make myself believe that I have little to no time to get in a workout. Let me share with you something I have discovered.

Workout Videos - ExerciseTV

They have 108 absolutely free workout videos. The videos range in length from 10 minutes to around 30 minutes. The 10 minute video is about all I have the patience and coordination for right now. I say coordination because I prefer to do the aerobic and cardio workouts and it must be quite a sight to watch me tripping over my own 2 feet for that 10 minutes. But who cares no one else can see me!

I must be going now, Myron is on his way home with a sicilian style pizza from a local pizza shop. I guess it's a good thing I got my workout in tonight. And Julie thanks for introducing us to the sicilian style pizza just about one year ago!

Walking Feet!

Here comes trouble with a capital "T"!

I do apologize for the sideways viewing, but I could not figure out how to rotate the video. (So if you know how to rotate video would you be so kind to let me in on the secret!)

Back In The Swing!

Now that the holidays are over and all the fun has been had, we can finally get back on a "schedule." (and of course there is always more fun to be had) I like to live by a schedule or at least make myself believe that I do.

Larissa went back to school today and believe it or not she was so excited last night that she had a hard time sleeping. She woke up at 4 am and wanted to know if it was time to go to school yet. That was answered with an abrupt "NO" and we then kindly asked her to go back to bed.

Larissa also started her gymnastics class at our local Y today. This session she is in Tumblebugs 2 and she is just so thrilled. She has come a long way from her days at The Little Gym when she pretty much refused to do anything but run around in circles. Now she walks on the balance beam, hangs on the high bar, and will even do a forward and backward roll.

Dorian started swimming lessons today, well I don't know if I would actually call it a lesson, maybe just "play time in the pool." He really enjoyed splashing and watching mommy blow bubbles, he hasn't quite got the hang of the bubble blowing he just prefers to drink the water for now.

I love to watch our children grow and experience new things and to discover themselves. To me it is so important to have them involved in different activities and to help them find what it is that they enjoy. I love to see them get excited about what they are accomplishing. I love being mommy to Larissa and Dorian, for me it is the absolutely best job in the world!