Wedding Season Has Begun

Tomorrow night is my first big wedding for this wedding season. Tomorrow I will be 38 weeks pregnant. Bryce has decided to wait, at least for now. I went to the Dr's yesterday and Dr. Kim says that I am not ready. What that means I am not sure. Baby needs to wait until Monday, April 30th. I have the rehearsal tonight, wedding tomorrow night, off on Saturday and then a display shower on Sunday. So Sunday night or Monday will be fine with me! I will keep everyone updated to baby and my progress.

No Baby Yet!

Well it was a beautiful weekend. We spent a lot of time out doors, taking walks, playing with the ball, going to see the horses, playing with my aunts puppy, and grilling out. We also went shopping and out to eat. Lots and lots of spicy foods. I am trying to coax Bryce out!
I know I have 2 1/2 weeks left, but you see I am a wedding planner and have a wedding scheduled for this weekend. So Bryce needs to come out by Tuesday or stay in until Sunday. I am terrified that he will show up the day before or day of the wedding, so I have tried almost every natural induction method. Spicy food, walking, some streches, sex, basil and oregano, foot massages, basically anything I could think of or have read about within reason.
Have any suggestions? Maybe something that worked for you or a friend? I would love to hear from you!

Coming Soon!

Here is an update as to the progress of baby #2! Tuesday we had our final ultrasound to make sure everything is ok and that the baby is in the head down position. Well everything looked great, he's in the right position, still a boy, and he already weighs 6lbs 6 oz with three weeks to go.
Then on Wednesday we went to see Dr. Kim for my weekly check-up. Babies heart rate is good, I only gained 2 lbs, and my cervix is already opened. Since I had Ty two weeks early and he weighed 6lbs 12 1/2 oz, and the fact that my cervix is opened, Dr Kim believes that I will go within the next week or two!
Yesterday, which was Thursday I started having contractions in the afternoon. Nothing regular, but contractions none the less. Plus I had a chiro appt today which sent me into labor with Tyler. Then my mom, my cousin Kara and my husband all noticed that my stomach had dropped. I thought this is it. I will be in the hospital tonight. But no cigar!
My husband really doesn't want me to have the baby today though on April 20th. First with the whole "smoking up" conotations and then today is also the 8th year anniversary of the Columbine shootings. Not the best day for a birthday I guess.
The rest of the weekend is supposed to be beautiful, in the 70's so I will probably go and be stuck in the hospital all weekend! That's ok. I don't mind, I am ready to go! Wish me luck!

Power Outage!

Can you believe this weather? Sunday night into Monday morning we were predicted to get snow. I thought that it would stay rain and we would wake up to no white stuff, but I was wrong! Monday brought cold, wind and it snowed alllll day! We lost power at 6am and it did not return until 12:15pm. So what do you do with a sick toddler for 6 hrs without power.....no heat, no TV, no cd player, no water, not hot food? Well first I dressed him really warm. I gave him his medicine and some juice and he set out to play. He actually entertained himself pretty well. We did some puzzles, he lined up all of his cars one way, and then all of his cars the other way. Then he filled up his little shopping cart with all of his cars and pushed it around. He did try and put the TV on a couple times, and tried putting on his music to dance, he was confused as to why this didn't work. He whined a little, I showed him that they were "broken" and that even the lights wouldn't turn on. Luckily he took a nap from 10 until 11:30, then we had an early lunch. Before long lights came back. But, not for too long, by 4:45Pm they went back out and for good. The electric company said they would not return until Tuesday morning. So I had been through enough torture. I could not just sit there until it was time for bed, so we went to my friend Kim's house. We ordered out pizza and wings, played with her puppy, and watched some reality TV. Ty was not too happy about not being in his own bed. When he wanted to go to bed, he didn't mean there he meant he wanted to go home. He would not lay down. It took about 2 hrs until he finally passed out. We had to take turns laying with him, listened to his Celine Dion CD twice, and take a few trips up and down stairs. Around 10:30 my mom called to say that the power had returned, but Ty was already asleep. We went to bed around 11:30 and when we got there, Ty was awake, coughing and began crying. We couldn't calm him, so we decided to take the journey home. We returned home at 12:15am. Ty took his cough syrup and Tylenol, we changed his diaper and he climbed right into his big boy bed. We once again turned on his cd and said our goodnights. To our surprise he actually went to sleep and did not wake until 7 am this morning! Uhh....what a night! Glad that's over.

Top 10 Products That Make My Life More Fun

Recently I have bought or received some products that I love. They either make my life easier or more fun! Here is a list of my top ten products!

10. My new Vera Bradley lunch bag. My friend Kim bought this for my one day while shopping for baby #2. We bought it to keep bottles cold in my new Vera Bradley Diaper Bag!
9. Dawn Dish Detergent. If you have been reading my blog, you would remember that Dawn was the best product to take 2 year old spit-up stains out of baby clothing! Wow! What a great product. Not only does it clean dishes and stains on clothes but it also cleans jewelry. Thanks to my friend Kristy and Jim’s grandmother Dorothy for recommending Dawn.
8. Crayola Bathtub Paints. Tyler has so much fun playing in the bath tub with his bathtub paints. They also help me to reinforce him learning his colors!
7. Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion. This lotion keeps my skin soft, no more itch. And if any of you mothers who are pregnant have itching bellies, this works on the belly too. I also think it has helping with my stretch marks from baby #1.
6. Aveeno Bath Wash. Aveeno bath wash also keeps my skin soft. It is all natural, no fragrances, no soap. It is made out of oatmeal and has a natural pleasant fragrance.
5. My new Vera Bradley Diaper Bag! Thank you again Kim! Kim bought me this super cute diaper bag for the new baby! I couldn’t wait to use it so it’s been in use for a couple weeks. It’s the new Capri Melon pattern, which if any of you know is pink. Yes I have boy, and am having another. But pink is my favorite color and since I can’t buy it for my boys I might as well have pink for myself! I’m the one who has to carry it right? However, upon seeing the bag, my husband remarks, “I’m not carrying that”. I didn’t even think about Jim having to carry the bag. Oh well!
4. Baby Einstein- Babies First Signs Video. For Easter we bought Ty this video and he loves it! The video is only 27 minutes long which is perfect. It is very entertaining and after only a few times he has already caught on to half of the signs.
3. Chalk board paint. Last weekend we painted Ty’s room with chalk board paint in a small area of his room. He has had a blast coloring and I can color with him. It also gives me another creative way to teach him his ABC’s, numbers, colors and shapes.
2. Clinique Moisturizing Sheer Tint. I love this stuff! First it cuts down on my number of steps in the morning, since the moisturizer has color added to it. Second it had SPF 15, so it cuts down on the amount of sun and wrinkles I receive on my face.
1. Clinique All About Eyes. This product is designed to reduce puffiness and circles around your eyes. Plus it keeps your eye area hydrated to keep wrinkles away. I am still pretty young with no wrinkles yet and I would like to keep it that way!

Meatloaf again?

It’s not just meatloaf! Its meatloaf patties! I found this really good recipe from Rachel Ray in the April issue of Parents magazine! She paired it with smashed potatoes. So yummy!

Meatloaf Patties
½ cup bread crumbs
1 tsp. cumin
½ tsp. all spice
2 Tbs. low fat milk
1 egg, beaten
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 rounded Tbs. tomato paste
2 Tbs. chopped parsley
1 lb 90% lean ground beef

Mix all ingredients and form in to 4 or 5 patties. Heat a frying pan on medium high. Coat pan with vegetable cooking spray. Add patties to pan and cook for 5 minutes. Flip, reduce heat and cook for 10 minutes on other side

Smashed potatoes
8-10 small red or white potatoes
½ cup reduced fat sour cream
¼ cup skim milk
2 Tbs. butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Clean and quarter potatoes. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook for 10-12 minutes. Drain and return to hot pot. Add sour cream, milk, butter, salt and pepper and mash with a potato masher.

We also cooked carrots to add to this meal. Best of all even my toddler loved the patties and carrots! The patties stay very moist!

30 Days and Counting

Wow! 30 days left! I can't believe it. And boy am I nesting big time! I have been washing clothes, blankets and sheets. Putting our new bouncer together (Thank you, Kristy!), packing my hospital bag, buying a new comfy outfit to wear home from the hospital and cleaning like crazy! Today I had my weekly check-up, nothing new really. I only gained 1 lb! Wahoo! Unlike last week, when I gained 8 1/2. Next week I will have another ultra-sound and I can't wait to see this little guy again.

We also have pretty much decided on his full name. Bryce Thomas Casey. I think it has a nice ring to it and it goes well with Tyler James Casey. Don't you think?

Educating Toddlers Update

I want to thank Beth from PlaygroupDropout for posting my question about educating toddlers. We received a lot of really good feedback from the mom's out there. I know that Tyler is totally normal for his age. I think he is really smart even if I am his mom. Any way, I was on Babyzone.com and found a quiz called " What's Your Child's Learning Style?". There are three types of learners, auditory, visual and kinesthetic. After taking the test I learned that Tyler is a kinesthetic learner. Kinesthetic learners learn through touch, action, movement and hands on work. This is Ty. He never sits still, he is always in motion. They say the best thing for a kinesthetic learner is unstructured playtime.

Have any of you taken this quiz? I would be interested to hear if you have, and if not please take the test and let me know how the results turn out for you. If you have a kinesthetic learner, what do you do to promote learning?

Holiday Weekend

This is my real first day back to the normal. Today is my husbands first day back to work since last Wednesday. We had a chance to get a lot done. Jim painted Ty's room blue, and then another area with chalk board paint so he can have some fun coloring. I will let you all know how this goes. Will he think he can color on all the walls? Probably. On Saturday we went to an Easter Egg Hunt at the Church. Didn't go so well. Ty had lack of sleep since he had to sleep in our room the night before due to the paint fumes and he doesn't sleep well anywhere but in his own room. Then the "hunt" was scheduled for the same time as his nap so that was also against us. Then they made the kids wait to get started. Yeah right make a bunch of two year olds stand around the area where the eggs are until they blow a whistle. Ty could see the eggs and he tried to pull us, Jim holding him back while he is screaming. Needless to say, by the time they blew the whistle and we put Ty down, he flopped on the ground kicking and screaming! The only two eggs he got we because daddy picked up one to try and get him to follow suit and my cousin Kara picked up another in the same effort to get him going. Did not work! Ty was already too mad! Not a big deal, he doesn't need the candy anyway. Sunday we went to church, where Ty was a little angel. Then it was off for dinner at my aunts and then a visit with Jim's grandmother. Very lovely day. Yesterday, Monday we had a shopping day to gear up for the new baby. With only about a month to go we decided we better get some essentials in case he decides to surprise us early. We bought diapers, extra infant Tylenol, Mylicon, binkeys, and some other stuff. We had a few other stops to make at Best Buy, Target, the Mall and Babies R US. Tyler was awful the whole time! He cried, kicked, creamed and hit. We have taken Tyler out ever since he was born. He has never acted like this before, usually he loves being out, seeing people, getting peoples attention because he is an attention hog. But yesterday he was a bear! So embarrissing. I never thought he would ever act like that. I didn't want to be that parent with the child that is out of control. And seriously Tyler is not normally like that at all. We do not give in to these tantrums and yesterday was no exception. We got him in the car with a struggle. He arched his back, kicked and screamed. He cried so hard I thought he was going to throw up. His veins were popping out, his face red, sweat dripping and he cried half the way home, before falling alseep. He stayed asleep for a little bit when we got home, but woke up screaming again. He cried uncontrollably for 45 minutes. Nothing made him happy. I would like to hear from you and let me know what you do when your toddler acts up in public!

Ear Band-it

With each bath, the ear plug struggle is getting a little better. We still have to endure some screaming and have to hold his arms down while inserting the plugs, but as soon as we get them in he is fine. Tyler once again enjoys his baths; splashing, playing & painting with his finger paints. We bought new ear plugs that are much better the "wax balls", they are called Putty Buddies and come in five colors: red, blue, orange, green and yellow. We also bought a Ear Band-it, suggested by the ENT. Ear Band-it is like a large head band that fits around your childs head and velcrows on top. I am shocked, but he loves it! So cute! Ear Band-it also comes in an aray of colors, blue, teal, pink, purple and red. If you are in need of these products check out: http://earplugstore.stores.yahoo.net/ .

I have pictures to share, but for some reason I can not get them to post. So I will add pictures at a later date!

Question: Educating Your Toddler?

I have been teaching Ty his numbers, colors, and letters. He has been making progress. He tries to sing his ABC's with us, will repeat the letter after us, will repeat the numbers after us, will say he colors after us, he can also tell you the color blue and the color green if you ask him what color is this. I think or thought he was doing well.

Last weekend we were with my husband's family for a Easter Egg hunt and one of his cousin's has a daughter 3 weeks older than Ty. Her mother was bragging that she can recognize and tell you her whole alphabet, she can count 1-15 on her own, she can tell you all of her colors and she is now counting 1-10 in spanish. Are they drilling it in her day and night? Is she lying about how advanced(her word, not mine) her child is? Is she trying to make Ty inferior to her child? Am I not working enough with Ty?

I personally think Ty is doing very well and is right on schedule. He talks up a storm and knows everything we say. He is a little sponge.

Tell me your thoughts on this. Any suggestions? Any comments? Any opinions?

2 Week Dr.s Appt.

Yesterday was my two week check-up with my OB/GYN. Everything is normal for the most part. Besides the fact that I gained 8 1/2 lbs in 2 weeks! Yikes! Before this I had been doing really well. In the begining because I was sick I lost 8 lbs. Then over Christmas, since I was feeling much better, I gained 9 lbs. So, ok, then I was really only up 1 lb. The next month I gained 5lbs. Again the next week I gained 5 1/2....not too bad. The next time only 2 1/2. So I was up to 14 and then this visit add on 8 1/2!! Again I say yikes! I blame it on water retention because my legs and feet are starting to swell. Not as bad as when I was pregnant with Tyler though. Now I start going every week, so I will keep you updated on my progress.

Dry Winter Skin: Update!

I bought two of the products suggested on Good Morning America for dry winter skin. First, Aveeno Skin Relief Body Wash to moisturize and relieve dry, itchy skin, and second Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion to relieve dry skin and moisturizes for 24 hours. These products are supposed to sooth itchy skin.

Day 1

I must say that I took my nice warm relaxing bath then used the lotion. Afterwards my skin was soft and the itch is almost gone after the first use.

Day 2

After the second use, my skin is visibly soft and no more itching.

Day 3

Goodbye dry, itchy skin! After only two or three uses of these two products my skin feels amazing. I am planning on buying the children’s versions for Tyler and new baby to be. If it works on my skin, imagine what how soft it will keep their young skin!

Beautiful Day

Yesterday was a beautiful day in Northeast PA! 70 degress and sunny! Ty and I took full advantage of that. First we went to Hillside Farms for some homemade ice cream. I got their cookies and cream and Ty got vanilla with sprinkles. Ty, however, doesn't really like ice cream. So I ended up eating both of our ice cream. Since he wouldn't eat his treat I got him some of their fresh homemade chocolate milk. So yummy! When we were finished we took a walk down to see their work horses. The whole way home Ty kept saying "horses, again". So when we got back home I took him for a walk up to the horse barn diaganal from our house. We feed the horses some carrots and gave them each a pat. Then we turned around for home. At home we played in the yard with his new soccer ball, went down the slide and swang on the swing. Today will be just as beautiful, so again we will be taking advantage of that before the weather turns cold again tomorrow.

6 Weeks and Counting

As of today I am 34 weeks pregnant, only 6 weeks to go! And since we had Ty two weeks early it could be even sooner! I feel like I am going to explode! I feel huge, like I couldn't possibly get any bigger! The baby is very active, but not really kicking, more like he is running out of room and trying to stretch!

Have I mentioned how scared I am? I am worried about having 2 kids, 2 kids under the age of 2. We already have a very active 21 month old, how will we keep up? How will everything get done, feedings, changing’s, naps, baths and everything else? Tyler is sleeping through the night, so how will I be up all night with the new baby and up all day with Ty too? Will I have time to rest, cook, clean and shower on top of everything else?

I know everyone says your heart grows when you have a second child and that there is enough love for both, but I can't imagine loving anyone as much as I love Ty. Yes he can be a royal pain in the butt and drives me nust sometimes, he he is also the cutest, sweetest little boy in the world. Of course Bryce will probably be a mini Ty, just as cute, just as sweet and just as crazy!

Pregnancy Cravings

Today I was craving chocolate cake something fierce! So I dragged out the cookbooks and searched for a recipe that we had all the ingredients for.

The recipe I decided on was Brownie Pudding Cake, from The Pampered Chef Cookbook- Delightful Deserts.

If you are looking for an amazing ooey, gooey was chocolaty desert, this is it!

Brownie Pudding Cake Recipe
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar- divided
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder- divided
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup milk
3 tbsp butter or margarine, melted
1 1/2 tsp vanilla- divided
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 3/4 cups boiling water
1 tbsp. powdered sugar- optional

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Combine flour, 3/4 cup of the granulated sugar, 1/4 cup of the cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl. Add milk, melted butter and 1/2 tsp. vanilla; stir until smooth. Stir in chocolate morsels. Spread batter evenly in baking dish.

2. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together remaining 3/4 cup granulated sugar and 1/4 cup cocoa; gradually stir in boiling water and remaining tsp. vanilla. Carefully pour mixture evenly over batter.

3. Bake 30-35 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Serve warm! Great with ice cream or cool whip on top! Enjoy whether you are pregnant or

Stubborn Stains

Tyler was the spit-up king. A lot of his newborn and 0-3 month clothing were stained with yellow marks on the neck and collar.

Now that we know we are having another boy and we are starting to get ready for Bryce, I am trying to get out those stubborn stains. Some of Tylers clothes I have special attachment to, for example outfits we bought for him when we found out we were having a boy. So I started searching the internet for suggestions on home remedies and different products.

1. First I tried making a paste out of baking soda and water. Then you apply to the stain and scrub it in with a toothbrush. Let it sit for 5 minutes and then wash clothes as directed. Maybe this would work on new stains, but not with these nearly two year old stains.

2. Next I tried Zout. A lot of people on the internet sweared by Zout so we bought a bottle. Apply Zout to the stain, take a tooth brush and scrub it in. Allow to sit for a few minutes and wash. The clothes that weren't too bad and whites came out fantastic! But the really bad stains and stains on colored clothing merely faded a bit.

3. Next I tried white vinegar. Saturate the stain with the vinegar, rub it in and wash. Don't bother! It didn't do a thing!

4. Then I tried Cascade. Wet the stained area, sprinkle on the Cascade, scrub it in with a tooth brush and wash. Not only did this not work, it was very messy!

5. I decided to give Zout a second try. Again applying to the stained areas, scrubbing with a toothbrush, allowing to sit for 5 minutes and then washing. After the second attempt of Zout another handful of clothes came clean and the rest of the stains faded a bit more.

6. With the handful of clothes that remained, I tried Dawn dish detergent. Applied Dawn to the site, scrubbed it in and let sit for 5-10 mins before washing again. Dawn took the rest of the stains out!

So after all my hard work scrubbing baby clothes, trying different products and 6 washes Dawn has finished the job! Zout and Dawn seem to be the best products to use on stubborn old spit-up stains. Baking soda, Vinegar and Cascade may work on fresh stains but didn't do anything for me.

Activities for Entertaining a Toddler

As a mother with a young active toddler, I am always looking for activities to keep him entertained. I get bored doing the same things everyday and I know Tyler does too. I searched the web to find suggestions from experts and other parents. Here are some of the ideas that Tyler and I use, some I found and some I made up on my own. Some of the ideas are obvious and others take a little creativity.

1. Take your toddler to story time at your local library. The Lackawanna County Children’s Library has story time each day. Fridays at 10 AM is Laptime story hour for 0-23 month olds. Other area libraries have waiting lists, so call in advance to check this out. I must say I was very nervous to try this one out since Tyler is so active, but I must say that he loves it!
2. Join a playgroup or a toddler class such as Gymboree or KinderMusik. In our area, unfortunately, Gymboree has closed due to lack of turnout. KinderMusik is about $200 for the spring session and I am not sure the classes are going to take place due to lack of interest. Tyler loves other kids, so if you find any other suggestions for me of playgroups please let me know!
3. Arts and Crafts such as finger paints, coloring or make a homemade tambourines. Crayola makes a great finger paint set that only color on ColorWonder paper. The paint does not show up on walls, furniture or your childs hands or clothes.
4. Bake cookies or rice krispy treats. Toddlers love to help mom in the kitchen. Let your toddler pour in the ingredients or stir for you. They feel so important when they get to help!
5. Play with playdough. This is a great opportunity to teach your toddler colors and shapes!
6. Read a book. Reading books are so important to children’s development. For how active my son Tyler is, he still loves to read. Some of his favorites are: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, by Bill Martin and Eric Carle, Freight Train by Donald Crews, and Papa, please get the moon for me, by Eric Carle.
7. Go for a walk. Around the block, to the park, wherever. We live out in the country, we have no parks or blocks to walk around, but we have a horse barn across the road that Ty loves to visit. We feed the horses, pet the dogs and look at the goat, pig and geese. My family also owns a farm on the same road, so we can walk there for a treat. Strawberries, cherries, or apples depending on the season.
8. Have a picnic. Instead of having lunch inside, try a change of scenery. If it is too cold, like right now, why not put a blanket down in the living room and bring lunch in there. Use your imagination!
9. Have a pool party. Again if it’s too cold have one in the bath tub instead. If there is anything that will make my cranky toddler happy it’s playing in the tub!
10. Have a dance party! Turn on the cd player and put on your toddlers favorite tunes. Dance and sing your hearts out!

My Toddler Has a Mind of His Own

Tyler has been picking up everything. Talking so much more, picking up new words, new phrases, making sounds, trying to sing along with songs, learning something new everyday. I love watching him learn and develop into this little person. I love to hear him say "I wuv you" and "I wuv you, mommy". Now he even says please which sounds more like "cheese" and thank you which is "dank you", but totally unprompted. Another phrase I think is so cute is "I sorry, mommy" which he will tell me after he has his time-outs. Yesterday he began singing his "ABC's" maybe not perfectly, but he's trying. He has also begun to tell me when he wants a nap or to go to bed at night. He will say "nap" or "night-night", and we will go up in his room and he will climb in his bed and cuddle with his blankey. Tyler is getting to be such a big boy. He is still my little punkin head. So sweet. I cherish these little moments and look forward to more to come.

Ear Plugs? Yeah Right!

Today was Ty's first bath since having his tubes in. When he takes a bath he cannot get his ears wet, therefore he must wear ear plugs. An alternative to the ear plugs is cotton balls dipped in vaseline.

Thinking that Tyler would more likely keep cotton in his ears than the plugs, Jim and I decide to try them first.

We get Ty undressed, run his bath water and attempt to put he cotton in his ears. He begins screaming and flailing around and immediately bats the cotton out of his ears.

Jim tried putting cotton in his ears to show him that it doesn't hurt, but he could care less. We tried telling him if he wants a bath then he needs to put the cotton in his ears. Then we asked him if he wanted a bath, which he did, but he still didn't want us to come anywhere near his ears.

Next we tried the silicone plugs which look like a large ball of wax. I got one in his ear, but he was wailing and batted the plug right out.

This battle went on for about 20 minutes. Truthfully I was ready to give up on tonights bath and just let him be a stinky baby.

Finally Jim held his arms down while I inserted the plugs. Jim then placed him in the tub while continuing to hold his arms down. I quickly washed him, the whole time Tyler screaming bloody murder.

What a battle! I can't go through this everyday! Now I dread our next bathtime and I am sure Tyler will begin to also. It seems so cruel to basically restrain him so he can take a bath. Tyler used to love his baths. It was my seceret weapon to get him to calm down when is was in a foul mood.

Anyone out there have any suggestions or similar experiences? I would love your feedback!