Lots of little updates.

• Andrew felt the baby last night! He or she is REALLY getting active in there! Not nearly as busy as Lucy was, but now that we know Lucy I think we understand that.
  
• Kohl's is OPEN!!! It opened at 9am - I was there at 8:54, no joke! We bought shirts and shoes and it was a thrilling experience. I feel so much more human! I was going to buy maternity jeans, but at my halfway point, I'm nowhere near needing them so I just skipped for now.
  
• I have gained -4 pounds at this point. I think Dr. H might tell me to step up the eating at my next appt, but I'm not worried. I could have stood to lose a little before I got pregnant anyway. To be honest, the baby has taken about 7 in fluids and weight so far, and with my 4 pound loss I'm feeling just excellent. I was thin when I got pregnant with Lucy and it was a little tougher than I thought it would be to feel comfortable. With this one I think I was at a really good weight to start growing a baby and I'm feeling very comfortable and energetic. I'm very happy with the way things are going.
  
• An exchange between Andrew and I last night. (I mentioned the name "Tess" for some reason.
  
• Andrew: Tess. What ever happened to that show about the big angel named Tess? I liked her.
• Laura: You mean "Touched By An Angel?"
• Andrew: Yeah! That was a good show.
• Laura: You watched that show?
• Andrew: Yeah...
• Laura: I don't know. You should ask one of your middle-aged lady friends.
• Andrew: Oh.

• Today we might be able to finish spray painting the supports on the front of the house. I'm SUPER excited about this possibility. What a yucky weekend!
• At 2:15 am, I let Maple outside (SUCH a good girl - she really had to go potty and INSISTED that someone wake her up and take her out, rather than making a mess in her crate!) and then I came back in and decided to use the bathroom myself. There was a HUGE wolf spider on the floor. I'm talking 4 inches long and 3 inches wide. I woke Andrew up to make him trap it before I'd use the bathroom. He was NOT happy, but that thing was terrifying.
  
• Lucy and I have a very chill week coming up. Now that we've seen Kohl's, we're pretty much set to just enjoy the week and possibly do some toddler things!
  
• All in all, it was a very relaxing weekend. We did almost nothing, thanks to the rain. We had some friends over for lunch yesterday and Lucy spent the weekend napping, so we're just going to bounce back into business as usual feeling very refreshed!
• I still can't get stupid Blogger to post pictures. If you would like to be added to my list of people who receive pics through email for the time being (some random, mostly Lucy) you can leave a comment here and let me know, or send me an email at wmdcookes@gmail.com. Thanks!
  

I'm so smart.

Lu is sitting on my lap watching Sesame Street clips on YouTube. Her mouth is hanging open.

Blogger still won't let me upload pics. I'll try again tonight!

Lucy and I spent all day cleaning for company yesterday, so we're having a very lazy day today. We might go to 7-11 o get Slurpees later, but that's it!

Tales From The 'Hood.

Well, we're getting out front yard REALLY cleaned up. Unfortunately, Blogger hasn't let me upload pics in almost 2 weeks, so you'll have to imagine it. We took the trees out, finished the fence, planted some mums, we're working on the overgrown curb, etc. Andrew even cleaned out Bonnie's bed and she's looking very put together!
Maple is doing well - getting to be very big! She loves going out for her walks at night. Last night we walked to Sheetz to buy milk and Mini M&M's (Lucy's newest bribe - she'll do ANYTHING for an M&M) and on our way home we got stopped by one of our neighbors. He's lived at that house for 50 years. WOW. Then he started talking about the blizzard of '35 and seems very concerned about our upcoming winter.
You'd think we lived in Fargo, the way people speculate about the winters around here. Every September people start saying, "

Blanket Statement?

Well, today is Day 2 of the Great Nap Protest of 2008. If I'm not mistaken, people are allowed to protest peacefully in this great nation of ours. Lucy should be arrested.

She's actually been doing just fine, as long as I'm not trying to make her take a nap. She's cheery and very talkative all day long, not to mention incredibly agreeable. Today she howled for an hour and 40 minutes while I decided what to do. When she settled down I went up to get her, so that I wasn't rewarding an angry toddler.
Our conversation went something like this:

Me: Hi Lucy! I guess you're not going to nap?
Lucy: "Nap all done!"
Me: "Oh? Well, I can see that."

She's never spoken a three-word sentence so clearly. It was almost eery. Now I just need to figure out if "Nap all done!" means "I'm not napping today, thanks," or "I'm done with my napping career, Lady."

Super giant big huge exciting news!

Yesterday was an awesome day for Lu and I, but I was really feeling the need to get a little more organized. My foray into the world of kitchen organizing left me with empty cupboards and an empty feeling.

SO, when Andrew got home last night I told him he could have a deck next summer if he was my slave for the night and rearranged furniture all night. It was intensely gratifying and I feel like a new woman. We moved about 4 key pieces of furniture and the house looks really finished now. It looks much more sane and put together. I am SO excited! Today I need to work on floors and put away the odds and ends that we found in the moving.

Today Lucy and I are going to head downtown for the Farmer's Market, and then we're going to take lunch to Andrew's office to enjoy some time with him in the middle of his hectic Thursday.
But for now, I have to pull my puppy off the juniper bush. Again.

Staying Busy!

Well, Lucy and I have 2.5 hours until Toddler Time. I have to figure out how to distract her and bypass the strong desire to put her down for a nap until then...hm. She's been very cheerful and cute this morning, so hopefully that's a good sign.
I am feeling well. I think I'm feeling a lot more movement, but everything at this point feels like gas, so who knows...I should have a better idea in another few weeks or so.
Last night I went to my first Board of Directors meeting for 1st Way Pregnancy Support Center in LaVale. It was really nice and I think I'll be able to stay pretty active there. My friend Jenny just happened to be the other new volunteer who showed up, so that was a pleasant surprise. I think we'll both be on the BoD from here on out, so it'll be a nice way to serve the community and stay active with Lucy. She's welcome at the center when I'm there, so I think we'll both have a good time. My first job is to start working on a MySpace page for them, so I think I'll work on that this weekend. I also need to work out a listserv or group for everyone to communicate with. I think I'm going to push Google, since everything is so easy to use there. That way we can do a Google Calendar, a Group, emails and documents all in one place.
Lucy and I have to go to the grocery store this afternoon, but I think I'm going to save that for after her nap. We need a final distraction right around 3pm.
This weekend we're going to be attending a pancake breakfast at St Mike's and the Appalachian Festival after that. I think I may try to get in touch with the Twiggs to se if we can bring some food down Sunday and meet baby Jacob. We still haven't had a chance to see him!

My Love Lists

16 Things I Love About My 16-Month-Old Lucy

• Her "squeeeeeeeze!" Lucy loves to hug back now. When you squeeze her, she scrunches her eyes and squeezes until she's out of breath.
• How nice she is. Every day we get into our "groove" a little bit more. She's very nice company and rarely makes a fuss over much. We're really learning about each other each day. Newborns are very cute, but the day to day changes are tiny. Toddlers? Whew. She changes from minute to minute and keeps me laughing all day long.
  
• Her curly, curly bright red hair. It's a rare thing to take her out without someone bouncing a curl and asking where she got her red hair from. She's really learning to love the attention! Now, if people don't ask her about her hair she just kind of cocks her head and waits indignantly.
  
• Her gasping. She loves it when I inhale and say, "Lucy! Whassat???" She looks around pretending to be scared and surprised and dissolves into giggles.
  
• Her bellybutton. She's fascinated by bellybuttons and loves to point to hers.
  
• The way she stands by the stairs at naptime.
• I love that I'm her standard for everything. "Does Mommy like it? Is Mommy afraid? Is Mommy laughing? Is Mommy watching?" Nobody cares about my day quite like she does.
  
• I love that she still curls up on me for naps. My belly is growing fast, but she just pushes it out of the way and keeps sleeping.
  
• I love that she has to read Parents magazine with me and point out every dog she sees.
  
• I love her love of Crayons. She can spend ages looking at each color, scribbling on her feet, sorting the colors...
• I love the way she claps and screams when she sees something she likes on TV.
  
• I love the way she's learning to use utensils. Watching her concentrate on her spoon until it smacks her in the forehead never gets old.
  
• I love her babbling. She likes to sit in the white chair next to my desk chair and ask me questions in her Lucy-talk. I usually just answer her with "I know! I love that too!" and she seems very satisfied.
  
• I love watching her build with her Mega Blocks. She's brilliant.
  
• I have to collect two more while I fall asleep. I want them to be good, but I also have a strict bedtime to keep.
  

10 Things I Love About Andrew Today:

• That he knocked his head and probably has a minor concussion, but still tried to help with the dishes.
  
• That he reminded me to pack more soup for his lunch tomorrow.
  
• That he bought me earrings on a Tuesday.
  
• That he walks right in the door and swoops Lucy up for a cuddle, every day.
  
• That he works so hard every day.
• I love the way his hair fuzzes when he's fresh out of the shower.
  
• He pointed out the fact that I have a fruit skin phobia last night. I had no idea.
  
• That he's exhausted but still wants to talk about baby names.
  
• He laughed hysterically when I got a cramp in my side a block from home on our walk and had to stop. It made my cramp hurt worse, but it was actually pretty funny.
  
• I love that the house was all clean when we got home last week. He knows just how to welcome me back.
  

Vacation posts coming...

Let's just say this stupid picture uploading is getting ridiculous. I really need to find a GOOD photo hosting site. Still looking...Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Also, we are planning a party. I am TOTALLY stoked. More on that later.

Anyhoo, I'll be updating soon. Oh, we had a baby appointment yesterday- Febby is still going strong and my doctor still loves Lucy more than me. We find out the sex in a few weeks! More on THAT later, too.

Lucy's Jams

Lucy and I love to sing together. She just loves to listen to me singing silly songs. What are we singing now?

Sweet Betsy From Pike
Camptown Ladies
The Codfish Ball
A, You're Adorable
The Nonsense Song (thanks Nina!)
Lydia the Tattooed Lady
Singin' In The Bathtub
Down By The Bay
Dinosaur, Dinosaur
Dogtrain
Baby Beluga
Buffalo Gals
A Bushel and a Peck
Cuppycake Song
Oklahoma! (and all songs therein)

Today, do something nice.

Today is September 11. It would be a good day to do something nice for the people around you. Today I joined the National Marrow Donor Program to make my bone marrow available to those who might need it. If you're between the ages of 18 and 60 and in good health, you can join and help others. Now through Sept 22, the fee to be tested (by cheek swab, no pain!) will be waived. The fee is normally $52, so this is a great opportunity to do the right thing and make yourself available, free of charge.
Go to www.marrow.org
On the right side of the screen, under "Events" click on the link that says "NASCAR Foundation Drive"
About 3/4 of the way down that page, click "Join online now"
Fill in the online info and the Promo Code will automatically generate.

Now, go do something nice!

Back and Forth...

Andrew and I have been going back and forth like crazy, trying to decide if we're going to find out the gender of this baby. Both of us like surprises, but we also remember how amazing it was finding out with Lucy. It's a tough decision, considering how soon we need to decide.

Today I read about another toddler who passed away. After reading his story, I realized how many parents have to let go of their babies too early. Some parents don't have the chance to take pictures of the first steps, the first words and the first day of kindergarten.

Trying for Baby #2 was really exciting. We didn't plan on trying until next January. When Andrew told me we should just go for it I was thrilled. It was a really fun month of waiting and hoping and wishing. We didn't have that with Lucy. This baby has been anticipated and willed into life in a different way, and every moment has been with extreme excitement.

Every little baby is so special, and every moment of growth and each milestone deserve to be celebrated and anticipated. In honor of the millions of babies who don't make it to their big ultrasound, and in tribute to the many parents who don't have the chance to celebrate every milestone, we're going to find out this baby's gender and celebrate as hard as we can.

Lydia Is Here!!

I would like to direct everyone to walkwonders.blogspot.com to check out our newest member of the family! Lydia Marie is here and she's just gorgeous!! I can't wait to hold her and give her a good snuggle! I know this is a lot of exclamation points, but after you see how perfect she is you'll use a lot of punctuation, too!!!
Welcome Lyddie! We love you!

NEW poll

Now you have to revote, because it wouldn't let me just add names. So, I am sorry about that, but we've added more names. I need girl inspiration. Three names just isn't enough.
Let me add a little detail on the name situation.
Molly - We like the name Molly and are trying to decide if she'd be Mary Claire and we'd call her Molly, or if she'd just be Molly. Lisa said to name her Molly and save Mary for someone else. As you can tell, we like the old-fashioned names.
Audrey - This is just a sweet and simple name and it sounds nice with our last name.
Cordelia - a little odd at first glance, but we like the romance to it and it just sounded sweet. Obviously she'd have a nickname from the start. There are about a million you can make from this name, and we also have the middle name to work with.
Miles - This is a name that we just like, even though it reminds me more of Miles Davis than a skinny Irish boy.
Declan - We still like this one. It's pronounced "dek-luhn" and is very, very Irish.
Simon - Andrew has liked this since before Lucy, but it still conjures images of a tiny little boy running from a bully...not to mention, we'd have wrapped up two of the Camdens in one family.
Oliver - I like it, Andrew is still on the fence leaning toward no. Mom says she can't think of anything but Oliver Twist.

I'm glad we have a season and a half to work on this...

Name Poll!

I have added a baby name poll! You can pick more than one answer, so please pick a boy name and a girl name. I can't remember the others on our list, so I'll have Andrew update it tonight and add the rest for me from home.