35 weeks pregnant and….

116 pounds.
Baby is still head -down.  She’s doing all swell in there and according to the last ultrasound (today) she’s growing nicely although for the life of me, I can’t remember how big she was.  Is.  Whatever.  It was normal range, so I forgot and my dear husband pretends he never heard.
She has not, however, dropped yet.  Turd.
The amniotic fluid is a tad low – it’s supposed to be between 10 and 20 and it’s 11.  So, it’s still “normal range” but kinda pushing it’s luck.  Not that that should surprise you, it IS my body after all.  We follow no rules.  Well…kind of.

In other news, well…actually just the rest of the OB visit and random notes…
We did the Group B Strep Test and the results of that should be in soon…
And, then they did another swabbing, because I obviously just couldn’t get enough of the fun-ness and turns out, I am NOT continuously leaking amniotic fluid.  Which is good news, in case you were wondering.  I had spotted some “mysterious ” looking fluid that was all cloudy and swirly and not really pee one morning, but apparently that’s not what it is.  So, I guess I just pee magic fog occasionally now.  Which is cool.  Maybe it’ll do tricks?  I don’t know.  (Or maybe it was amniotic fluid and it’s just not leaking any more.  Or, maybe it’s just magic.)

I’m supposed to go back next week.  Every week, actually, til this kidling is born.  We’re in the home stretch.  Woo.

Oh yeh, I almost forgot to mention that my ankles still look like ankles and I’m quite proud.  It may or may not have much to do with the fact that I’ve been keeping my feet up mostly anyhow because it’s uncomfortable to sit any other way and if I sit straight up, it hurts my insides and baby A gets really ticked off.  I also almost forgot that for the most part I’ve done REALLY good with only occasionally having indigestion, but it is pretty much remedied by laying down – meaning I’m only getting it because the child is smooshing stuff.  Um…and sometimes it feels like I am laying ON her.  Especially when I lay on my left side.  So, I always get scared I’m laying on her arm or brain and cutting off circulation and while part of me wants to say it serves you right, the rest of me feels like a bad mom so I just turn over.  I’m such a pushover.

Oh, and then there’s the occasional body aches and the out of breath-ness from NOTHING except the child messing with my innards.  So, there’s that.  All normal and jazz.

In OTHER news,
I’ve hinted around about a meeting and such today and possible changes and such and well…

It didn’t quite turn out the way we were kind of hoping.  I mean, it did…but it didn’t.  We never really got our hopes up and we’re trying to be open to whatever it is that’s supposed to happen…but still…it could’ve been the “answer” – but it wasn’t.  And, for that I’m a bit disappointed – but also relieved since it’d mean a whole new set of circumstances I haven’t yet come to terms with.  But, it also means we still have no answer for how this will turn out or which path to take.

It means that for now, we’ll be looking for homes for our kitty cats so we can move at the drop of a hat.  It means that for now, we still aren’t sure whether we’ll see our tomato and corn grow and be able to harvest the work of our hands.  For now, we don’t know if our future plans will involve relearning to integrate ourselves in an entirely new community away from our support network – our friends and family.

And so…we continue to walk by faith.  Blindly.

Welcome back!

(and, then a sunset for Neil because apparently my posts aren’t weepy enough to make him send me fanmail.)

I’ve been praying a lot – fervent, tear soaked pleas – asking for guidance and direction and peace.

And, while I’m waiting to find out where this new path will go – or even while I’m waiting to even find the path, because right now I feel like I’m walking through a bunch of overgrown weeds, just LOOKING for a path to get on, hoping that when I find it I won’t take the wrong one.  But, while I’m waiting, I’m learning.

I’m learning that:

There are those who choose to remain a part of your life through not only the good times but through the trying times, as well – the times when you have nothing left to give or offer.  They are the ones who never let go of your hand as you trudge through some of the scariest, hardest, and lonely times of your life.  They trudge with you, offering up their support and love in ways as unique as they are – with heartfelt cards and invitations to dinner, a warm covered dish, a mixed cd, a service offered up at no charge, and other little gifts from the heart they know would help you to just make it through today.  The ways they support you are different and varied but together, they walk behind you, ready to catch you if you should fall – ready to lift you up again to your feet.  Ready to love you through it all.  Unsatisfied to stand on the sidelines with the group of people who no doubt mean well but remain mostly uninvested in your life as a whole.

I’m learning that:

It is times like these that bring you to your knees…or, me.  Times like these that make you realize that some of the people you thought would be there for you (because they’re blood, or because they said they would be) often aren’t.  But, even better are those whom you never expected to touch your life in such a deep manner, stepping forth and reaching out.

I’m learning that:

Even though support isn’t coming from some of those I had most expected it from, I will choose to love them anyways.  I will choose to realize that they are on their own personal journeys and may just not have figured it out yet, and I will keep trying to give when I can, regardless if it always feels one sided in some of those relationships.  I will fight the urge to push those people away and cut away those relationships, and I will forgive them for not being there for us in a capacity they have promised to be.  I will love them anyways.

I’m learning that:

My 40 days of surrender is HARD.  Other people have given up chocolate and violent movies and alcohol, most of them seeing almost immediate results and changes.  I’m seeing changes too, only my circumstances seem to test me more and more, rather than giving me peace and understanding.  I have faith that at some point I will have yet ANOTHER beautiful story to tell about how God transformed my life when all else around me was at its breaking point.

Like the story of deployment.  Like the story of the lies.  Like the story of the first unemployment.  Like the story where I almost died.  Twice.  Like the story of our darling Lorelei.

This will be another story.  Another testament.  I just wish I had more patience.  More faith.

I’ve prayed (and continue to) that God will set me on the path that He wants us – and more specifically, that He make it SO obvious to me/us that we can’t miss it (Sometimes, I convince myself that I made it up or I’m *wanting* something too much).  I’m asking that God will line things up so PERFECTLY one way or another that we will just know.  It may mean us moving to Paducah – a job, house, and selling ours all lining up perfectly.  It may mean Nashville, it may mean Florida…or San Francisco.  It may mean doing almost nothing but waiting for 3 months.  Just being faithful.

I also realize that in order for God to be able to have the most ROOM to work in my life, we have to be open.  Nothing will stop God, of course – but it makes things so much easier when we are open and willing and listening (and hopefully a little less painful for us).  So, we’re both keeping our minds open to different types of work -even me – and where or how we may have to live soon.  Including renting or possibly a tiny home in a not so awesome part of town.

So, we’ve put our house back on the market.

We’re not quite sure whether this will become anything or whether we’ll be taking it down again shortly.  We’re just trying to be open.  Try to let God move freely in our lives.  We’re trying to be patient.  Trying to have faith.

And, thank you.  Thank you to those of you who have made it blatantly clear how behind us you are.  I only hope you can see our gratitude for every little (and big!) thing you’ve done for us, and how much we appreciate those things – and YOU – in our lives.  You are truly a blessing and we will remember you forever.  We love you.

It’s been ten days since my husband lost his job.

Ten days isn’t that long – but, it kind of is.  It really is when you live in a one-income household that was pinching pennies to begin with.  It really is when you had no backups.  It really is when there isn’t a “nest egg” of savings to back up on.  It really is when there aren’t many people hiring.  It really is.

I won’t even pretend to be brave or to have it all together – because while it’s true that I have some good “moments” where I’m all trusting in bigger plans, I have an equal amount of moments where I’m under the realization that those “bigger plans” could indeed include us going through some extra “hardships” for whatever reasons.  I feel like I’m on this horrid broken roller coaster.  Blind-folded.  The ride is bumpy and at any moment I may fly off the track.

For those of you who know me, you know I prefer to remain mostly transparent.  I like to put it all out there (or most of it) for the simple fact that if I keep too busy pretending everything is okay, pretending to live some other life as some other person, then you’ll never know me and I can never change for the better.  If I refuse who I really am and the path that I am on, I will leave no room for God to truly work in my life for a change because I’ll be too busy pretending.  So, I won’t pretend.

I’m scared.  I’m terrified.  I’m hopeful.  All together.  So many emotions lumped into one big mess of me.

DH has sent off resume after resume, called old friends and current ones, followed leads, and worked on small projects…  and still, nothing yet.

We’ve made a list of all of our bills, hoping there was SOMETHING we could cut out.  An extra.  But, we’d already cut all of the extras out, save for $15 a month for extra capabilities for his phone.  No home phone.  No tv.  No magazines or mail order subscriptions.  No memberships.  The only things we could really cut out next would be cell phones and something as trivial as say, electricity!

And, then we got a letter from our mortgage company.  I had called the DAY he was fired, trying to find out if they had any special plans for hardship and the woman basically told me that we were still in good standing and not late on any payments and once we began getting unemployment checks, they’d want proof of those.  Then, she said, they’d expect us to pay basically the whole check towards (up to the amount we owed) on the house payment.  Which was all of ZERO helpful as we’ll still require food and electricity and water and such.

The letter, however, stated that we were DELINQUENT in our account.  I, of course, begin sweating as I’m the list-maker, the girl who freaks out when her bills are late and now they’re sending me letters saying I have a week to contact them before they want to FORECLOSE!?  So, of course I call and the woman informs me that we are TWENTY FOUR days past due on our bill.  Except we paid 2 days ago online AND he’s only been fired for TEN days and ten days ago we weren’t even behind on a payment so how are we NOW?  She didn’t know the answers to any of that and seemed satisfied with the confirmation number of the payment we gave her.  She suggested we file for hardship, which would take another 30 days.

She also wanted to know why the hell I wasn’t working and finding a job.  “Um, because she’s VERY pregnant and almost due and watches our kid,” my husband offered.  “So, when is she going back to work?”  The woman questioned.  “SHE’s LIKE GOING TO HAVE THIS BABY IN A FEW WEEKS, LADY.  NO.  WORK.”

Which brings up a whole other slew of emotions and fears – like having to move at the drop of a hat to a place I don’t know and having to give birth in a strange city without my support network.  And, what if he can’t get home in time?  I could be alone.  I finally found a doula, and I made a pretty little birth plan with beautiful graphic detail and you’re telling me it’s all possibly going to hell (excuse me)?!

I’m so sick and tired of hearing how it’s going to be all right.  I want to stubbornly look those people in the eye and tell them that I’m ALLOWED to freak the heck out.  I’m pregnant.  I’m scared.  I feel helpless because all I can do is stand over my husband and ask him what he’s doing 80 times a day (which is so not helpful).  I REALIZE that I’m not going to die and that even if I lose my house and credit and all of the things we worked for and have to relocate…at least I still have my family.  And, I’m thankful, I am.  But I’m scared, nonetheless.  I REALIZE that there is an ultimate plan, but I can’t get rid of the thought that just because God wanted us somewhere else, it doesn’t mean we’re necessarily “moving up” (in our opinion) at this time.  Maybe God WANTS to scare the shit out of us?  Maybe He wants to test our faith (consider it tested)?  Maybe His plan is not that we find a better job, maybe it’s that we WON’T.

I want real advice, real helpfulness.  I want to know people are there for us.  I’m tired of the pats on the shoulder about how it’s all going to be okay – because are you willing to GUARANTEE that?  Are you going to do something to make it all okay? – and then the instant lead in conversations about how THEIR money is oh-so tight and how their lofty jobs just don’t support their ludicrous spending habits.  Seriously, I don’t want to hear about it.  Not right now.  You should probably take THAT conversation to someone else.

Okay.  Freak out over.  For now.

(PS – We don’t have health insurance through his previous employer, THANK GOD.  Otherwise, I think I would have offered his ex-boss more than murderous glances.  So, as long as we can meet the payments on that, we can keep it.)

(PSS – I really have no intention of murdering anyone.  Not today, anyhow.)

PSSS – Sorry I’m a mess. )

We love rubber ducks. But, what do you do when you just can’t get that extra water out? If you let it sit, it will mold, creating a nasty little problem.

I looked it up and all I could find for suggestions was bleach. Lots of bleach. That – and boiling or using the dishwasher.

Right. But really, how does adding MORE water (hot water) get rid of the water that is already a problem? It doesn’t. So, I made it my task to figure out a way to get the water out so L can continue playing with her beloved duckies.

Option 1: Poke an extra hole in it. I recommend using an ice pick or nail (or the corn cob holders) to poke a hole in its beak. It’ll give an extra hole to squeeze water out AND provide a squirter!

Option 2: Squeeze it out. If the hole is in the middle on the bottom, as it is with ours, fold up the body so the hole is the lowest point. Now press the little bugger down until it can’t be pressed anymore. Don’t worry, ducky will get over it and will puff back out after a while.

Option 3: Try getting out most of the water and then either set it into a little puddle of rubbing alcohol OR use something to squeeze it into the ducky (like the medicine syringe for animals OR something similar).

Option 4: Try all of the above…together!

But, whatever you do…don’t use bleach. Soapy warm water is plenty to get all the nasties off of the inside. They rubbing alcohol will take care of the germs on the inside and help dry it out (you can also use tea tree oil if it starts getting moldy). But bleach and other cleaners are a BAD idea. Because it will come out in your child’s bathtime water and they will be taking a bath in tilex, bleach, or oxy water. Yuck. And, they may even try drinking that water (from the duck)…or get the water in their eyes.

I’m 34 weeks pregnant as of today and besides a bit of heartburn nudging around, nothing much has changed with this pregnancy. Except, maybe that Aurora has found a love for acrobats and making my digestive system miserable. Dear child, there is NOT enough room for you to be doing that. Please settle down.

In other news, there is no real other news. It’s been a week since my husband lost his job and….nothing. Lots of leads going nowhere, lots of nothing – except stress. I have plenty of that. I’ve been praying and thinking hopeful, good thoughts but then the other scenarios come rushing in – scenarios that include me giving birth without my husband – or without my doula in a place I don’t know – or, even all alone. And then other thoughts come rushing in, and I’m done.

So, for now I’m trying to purposely obsess over small and happy things that make me freak out less, if only just for a while.

It’s not really working, but anyways.

I was looking at my analytics page and found some mildly interesting searches (by which random folks have seemed to find me – HI! By the way). For your entertainment, here they are:

I drank at 31 weeks pregnant
I’ll save the finger wagging and just cut right to the chase – what do you want, a cookie?

what to do with strawberry cupcakes using cake mix
Ummm…eat them? DUH. Better yet, just mail them to me. I’ll sacrifice myself for you and show you with pictures what should be done with perfectly good cupcakes.

you can know me by the way I roll
Isn’t that a song? And, I’ll keep that in mind if I ever need to figure out how to move your body.

how to get rid of boss
Um, hopefully you aren’t meaning me – and, really…I have no experience in offing folks. Ahem.  Nor would I ever admit to it if I did.

questions not to ask the boss
I’m not an expert at this or anything, but I’m pretty sure some good starters would be –

Did your daughter ever find her underwear?
Did you by any chance find a tampon in the freezer?
Is your wife/husband busy tonight?
Do you plan on actually showing up tomorrow?

And then I’ve gotten quite a lot of searches coming here for pregnancy stuff.  I figured I’d write what I know all in one place so you could just find it here…

itchiness and rashes during pregnancy and what to do
First, go see your doctor.  Some rashes can be serious and you may need to be referred to a dermatologist.  If, however, they don’t know what it is or just tell you it’s a part of pregnancy and you get to deal with it, you may want to try the following:
-ask for a steroid cream.  This helped take my rash and took the itch down from CRAZY to manageable
-wear loose cotton shirts – or eh, nothing over the problem areas if you can get away with it.  Lots of air and things not rubbing against your skin makes a ton of difference.
-stay away from scented lotions!  Eucerin calming creme helped mine once I had the CRAZY part of the itch taken care of.
-Drink LOADS of water and eat good and healthy stuff.  It helps more than you know
-Scalpicin for your itchy scalp works too.  So does tea tree oil if you don’t mind being smelly.
-Keep your rash/itchy skin COOL.  Use cold dry rags from the freezer if you must, just keep the area really cool.
-No more hot showers.  Stick to warm showers and make ‘em short with no scrubbing which will just piss your skin off even more.  Trust me, it took me 2 pregnancies to figure all of this out.
-Scratching it will make it worse.  I promise you.  Tie your hands to bed at night to sleep if you must.
-Peppermint oil and lavender oil (therapeutic grade) mixed with a carrier oil may help some as well.  I didn’t experiment much with my oils at first b/c I was kind of scared to, but those would be the first I’d try being pregnant and all…

overly sick during pregnancy and what to do and what it is
By overly sick, do you mean like morning sickness only EXTREME?  If so, I can probably help.  Of course, check with your doctor but if most of the labs come back okay and you still feel like dog doo, you may have Hyperemesis Gravidarum.  It’s basically just a really BAD case of morning sickness that could end up being serious if you let it go.  Google it, you’ll find all kinds of stuff about it.  At first, I thought my issues were hypoglycemic related but soon found that even though I ate methodically and stuck my poor finger, nothing was adding up.  If you have hyperemesis gravidarum, I’m going to recommend you checking out extra B vitamins, Unisom sleeping pills, and Zofran.  Seriously, these are the ONLY things I found to work.  I tried the ginger, the lollipops, the supplements, and EVERYTHING.  My situation was bad enough that I couldn’t eat ANYTHING at one (or many) point(s) and had to move into my parent’s house for month just so I’d be close to help and the hospital so I could go in and get an IV on a weekly basis.  The unisom pills pretty much help keep you from vomiting all day long (but you sleep instead) and the Zofran is generally given to chemo patients…so it helps with nausea.  None of these things completely cured it, but they helped.  I can honestly say that NOTHING I know of would have prevented this (although if you know the secret, be sure to email me) – not exercise or nutrition or anything else.  I was SO careful.  I had the exact same issues in my first pregnancy, only with this one I was trying to juggle a toddler as well.  And, if you just figured out you probably don’t have this and it’s just regular morning sickness…lucky you.

baby movement
If I remember correctly, I felt some of the first flutters at 18 or 19 weeks during my pregnancy.  For some, it’ll be a little later (or earlier).  Try not to freak out, but if you get a little antsy, head to your OB and have them use the doppler.  You can buy or rent one of those, btw if you’re the wringing-of-hands type.

when is baby viable
I’ve heard that at 25 weeks, with special medical care, if your child is born then it could be considered “viable” outside the womb. This isn’t the same as asking about “full term,” however, which is around 37 weeks.

nesting already
All I can tell you is that I’ve been nesting on and off since my 2nd trimester.  And, with baby L, it was probably as soon as I found out (til I got sick) as she was our first!  I’m sure if our budget would’ve allowed, I’d be nesting even more but somehow painting kitchen cabinets seems much less fun once you realize you’ll be doing it and not hiring help.  I’m 34 weeks and still nesting and don’t feel like I’ll be having this baby any time soon, so I wouldn’t put too much stock into nesting…unless you’re having contractions too.

body hurting, being tired, stomach pains, funny smells, vaginal secretions
Congratulations, you’re pregnant!  During my first pregnancy, I kept a journal full of diagrams of everything that hurt and pretty much everything that happened.  Almost ever cramp (that lasted for more than 30 seconds) and EVERYTHING.  I called our Labor and Delivery center at the hospital a LOT during that time.  This time, I’m way more laid back about the weird body going ons.  Your body will hurt and you will have funky cramps most likely and you will have weird discharges.  If you think you have an infection or something is wrong, by all means…go to the doctor.  And, as for being tired?  All I can say is get used to it.  Add some supplements and if you can fit in exercise, then good for you.  Personally, exercising much makes me feel WORSE during pregnancy, but some folks swear by it.  (It makes me dizzy and sick if I do too much)  But, seriously.  You have a little human growing inside of you, your body IS going to do some really funky and not so pleasant things – just blame the baby.  Or your husband.    I kid.  Sort of.

As most of you guys know, about a week ago Steven lost his job. Tons of resumes and emails have been sent out, but the waiting game continues. In the meantime, we’ve decided to re-open his WebDesign business.

We’re needing to get the word out – FAST, though. So, would you mind checking out this link: http://www.webtechns.com/affiliate/

You simply answer a few questions, grab a button, and place it on your blog/site. Any referrals you send that converts to a successful sale will land you a 10 percent commission (which can be pretty lofty).

You could use a new pair of designer shoes, right?

(Please?)

Saturday was my “baking morning” – I was hit by a surge of energy and used it to bake and do a few chores. The surge only lasted for a few hours before I was completely exhausted again, but at least I have two loaves of fruit-bread and some granola bars to show for it! (And, it’s all healthy and YUMMY!)

I’ve posted the banana nut bread recipe, already – but here it is again.

Whole Wheat Dairy Free Banana Apple Bread

Ingredients:

* 2 cups whole wheat flour
* 1/4 cup wheat germ or ground flaxseed (optional)
* 1/4 teaspoon salt

* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 1/4 c mashed banana
* 1/4 c. applesauce
* 1/4 cup extra light olive oil
* 1/2 cup honey
* 2 eggs
* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan & preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Add all of the dry ingredients to a bowl, then make a well and add the wet ingredients. Mix well.

Bake for 50-60 minutes. Bread is done once a toothpick or knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Whole Wheat Dairy Free Cinnamon Apple Nut Bread
Ingredients:

* 2 cups whole wheat flour
* 1/4 cup wheat germ or ground flaxseed (optional)
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 2 T cinnamon

* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 1/2 c chopped apples and applesauce (I chopped 2 granny smith apples AND made a small tumbler of fresh applesauce with the magic bullet food processor)
* 1/4 cup extra light olive oil
* 1/2 cup honey (plus a tad extra)
* 2 eggs
* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract + a few extra drops
* 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan & preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Add all of the dry ingredients to a bowl, then make a well and add the wet ingredients. Mix well.

Bake for 50-60 minutes. Bread is done once a toothpick or knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Chewy Granola Bars

3 cups rolled oats (the old fashioned kind)
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup and 3 TBSP applesauce
1/3 cup honey
3 TBSP and 1 and 3/4 tsp packed brown sugar
3 TBSP flaxseed meal (optional)
1 C creamy peanut butter
1 ghiradelli dark chocolate baking bar cut up into pieces

Preheat oven to 325 F. Lightly grease a 9″x13″ pan.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, flour, baking soda, vanilla, , honey, and brown sugar (and flaxseed meal if using). Stir in applesauce. Stir in the chocolate chips and 2 handfuls of pecans and 1 of walnuts.

Firmly press mixture into the prepared pan. Bake at 325 F for 20 min or until golden brown. Let cool for 10 min and then cut into bars. Let bars cool completely in pan before removing or serving. On hot summer days, might want to store in the fridge so that they’re not as crumbly and the chocolate doesn’t melt.

Hiya!

My name is Ashley, but some people know me as: Bosssanders.

And, about me:

I have an addiction to yummy desserts and am 33 weeks pregnant.  I’m going to blame the desserts thing on the pregnancy and for those of you who have known me for longer than 33 weeks – shut up.

I also have an almost-two year old daughter, Lorelei, who showers me with hugs and kisses and is one of the funniest toddlers I know.  She’s kind and sweet and makes my world brighter.

Sometimes I talk a lot of crap, but I’d like to assure you that I’ve never ACTUALLY stuffed maggots up his nose or punched him in his spleen, despite the numerous threats.  Not yet.  Although, he’s starting to not take me seriously, so ….nah.

I don’t really have much interest in kiss-assery, unless of course the bum being kissed is mine.  And, I don’t mean in a literal sense – in case you were wondering.  Okay, leave.  You’re grossing me out.  Why are you looking at me like that?  Are you making kissy faces at me or is your mouth just shaped like that?

I have a lot of hobbies, some of which don’t seem like they would go together.  I hate manual labor but I love gardening.  I love crafting but have the attention span of a flea…if fleas had attention spans.  I love traveling but hate driving.

To me, my blog is just…mine.  It’s where I write whatever.  Sometimes I write about updates in my pregnancy and family, not just for those who wish to know, but also for me to look back on.  (I’ve gotten pretty lazy with the pregnancy journal for this one.)  Sometimes I write stories about my past, or even fiction (although I don’t pretend to be writing one and write another).  Sometimes I post recipes or crafts or just photographs.  Sometimes I just unleash a little bit of crazy.  Good crazy, of course.

So, that’s me.  I’d love for you to stick around and really get to know me.  And, for those of you visiting (and those of you already here!), if you have a question for me – I’d love to hear it!  You can make it off the wall or generic, just ask in my comments!  (PS – if you are visiting, be sure to leave a comment telling me a bit about who you are and your blog!)

Lorelei’s Mimi and Pa (my parents) bought L this AWESOME toddler bed as part of her birthday present.  See the cuteness?  I was quite surprised at exactly HOW short and small it would be.  Oh, and that face?  Yes.  I’m not quite sure what that’s about.  Could be the pickle she’s eating.

So, new pretty and awesome bed:

And, where she actually slept:

UPDATE:  We introduced the new bed to her on Wednesday and LAST NIGHT she actually slept in it! – Only crying once at 5am, but then going back to bed IN HER BED (and on her own accord) after lots of hugs and a quick trip down the hallway with me to see that indeed everyone else was STILL ASLEEP!