Pictures...sit back and enjoy!!! #5's my favorite

Summer pictures

1 - big sis doing her job
2 - the 4th in Ridgewood
3 - cooling off in a torrential summer rain

4 - Maggie in the pack-n-play at Canandaigua
5 - Katie's first bike and first bike-ride

Advertising at its finest

Yikes, it's been a while! Guess what? I'm not gonna write about kids...I've got this weird idea to write about a few of my new favorite products...I know: what the heck?! But - I've gotten a couple of things recently that I have to rave about.

First - Cheer. Yes, the laundry detergent. Seriously. I have never really payed any attention (or is it paid?) whatever, I've never payed much attention to laundry detergent - buy what's cheap or whatever's got a coupon. I had a moment of consumer/commercial affliction and fell for the ads. I decided "what the heck - might as well try it". Katie's been taking dance class and has to wear white socks and a white t-shirt, I need to try something to keep her from not looking dingy. And you know what?!?!? I really think it works!! Really; honest - I think Cheer laundry detergent makes my whites brighter!!! (And I know it's not "new" as stated in the first paragraph, but it's new to me!)

Second - everyone knows how great the magic eraser things are (cuz they're not really sponges, hhmmm) anyways, how many of you have tried the magic eraser/febreze/bathroom version?? FANTASTIC!!! Yeah, for sure - they're great, ok - not quite as great as Frosted Flakes, b/c who wouldn't rather sit down to a bowl with Tony the Tiger opposed to cleaning the bathroom, but if I have to clean the bathroom - this it totally the way to go!

Third - more specifically to moms who still use strollers - the First Years something stroller. Way better than my 100$ Britax stroller! Really! A 45$ umbrella stroller bought at BJ's is going to be our go-to stroller from now on...I might even get rid of every other stroller we have! ("How many strollers do you have?" you might ask. I don't know, I'd have to count.) Anyways, awesome awesome awesome First Years stroller. Finally found one I really love.

Okay, so there's my not-paid-for-by-advertisers ad --- go buy yourself something!

(Oh yeah - we're all good!!!)

So, Maggie'e daycare room has a little fenced in area (I don't know...4x5, 5x5) it's used for either the baby who is not yet mobile - keeping him/her apart from those who'll trample him, or it's for the single mobile baby so as not to trample over the stationary others.

I go into the room today to get Maggie and she is in the pen! You think now: maybe she's the only one walking. Well, she's not. I ask "What's the matter?" and the response is "we have a biter in the room". So, I think for a split second, that what goes through my head is: 'well, ok - I guess it's good that they're putting Maggie out of harms way'. Um - I was wrong!! Maggie's the biter!!!!!! Yikes!

What the heck do I do with that!?

A tiny bit of additional information...
1. One of the careproviders in Maggie's room left 2 weeks ago (last week, there was a girl in there temporarily, but she's in the Center regularly, so Maggie knows her)
2. The new girl started yesterday! We had never gotten a 'biting' report before this.
3. Even at 14 months, Maggie has no words yet, so I expect that extreme frustration/lack of verbal communication is a huge role.
4. She has some eating issues, so maybe she's getting too hungry and irritable

*sigh*

PICTURES!!!

The team everyone loves to hate except me

DUKE!!!! "Why" you ask....where do I begin?

I guess in the 7th grade. Gym class...running up and down the halls when the weather was too lousy for outdoor gym. I can still visualize that hallway with the ramp off to the side, going either to the cafeteria or maybe loading dock...Charlotte Middle School; 7th grade; I was very white and pretty athletic (an urban coach's, well I won't say "dream" but...you might get the idea). So, there I was running my laps for gym and apparently caught my gym teacher's attention Ms. LM. I was "recruited" to play basketball!! Short little me, yes, I am right on the border of petite, playing basketball! Okay, okay, I did win a couple of trophies in elementary school: "Super 7 Shootout". (Yes, I still have those!) On with the story. I had never played b-ball before, never even watched a game. So, what did I do...that weekend or sometime thereabouts, I watched my first basketball game from start to finish; it happened to be a college game. Guess which team was playing and guess who won! You got it: Duke. As my memory serves (not so accurately as people know), I recall that it was Duke vs. UNC and Duke won, so - since the 7th grade Duke has been my favorite team.

So, all you Duke-haters out there...so be it! They are my favorite, I am a life-long fan...not some winning team only kind of favorite. I have watched them through winning and losing, National Championships and (one in particular) really really poor season - the year Coach K had his back issues, 1996ish...So, you may hate Duke (you're just jealous) but don't knock me for playing favorites.

So, on a final note:
YAY DUKE - CONGRATULATIONS ON WINNING THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!!!!!

March - since it looks like only 1 post this month

Very weird - it says it's 9PM on the 14th....uuuummmm NO - it's 1:30AM on the, well, now the 20th. What is wrong with the dating on this blog!?!?!? So, anyways, here's the post:

Yes, I know - I've skipped over Maggie's first birthday-blog. In a nutshell: she goes to bed at 5:30, so there's not much to report from her b-day --- she doesn't like cake or frosting; chocolate or vanilla! (At least Katie liked the frosting.) She likes her baby doll stroller and she steals all of Katie's dolls. She is most enamored with a recycled gift - we got Katie (for either her 1st b-day or that Christmas) a little chair, sorta like the pottery barn little chair, but for about a tenth of the price. Well, Katie didn't terribly care for it. We think that Maggie has used it more in the past 3 days than Katie ever did!

I'd load up some pics, but I am not home..."gosh" you say "where could you be at 1AM???" Well, I am in the maternity ward with my new nephew: Patrick Colin. You all know how it is...first baby, (do I need to go on? Well, I will!). A little extra support is always needed, sometimes it's welcomed or even asked for, sometimes however - it's a little tough love: Matt speaking to his brother "Elizabeth is coming to the hospital, what can she bring?" Period. So, I arrived with a Quarter Pounder, Twix, sodas, a fleecy homey blanket and COFFEE. The java was for me (and it seems to be working!) the blanket was for me too, but a certain new daddy was short on pillows and the "blankets" that the hospital provides, well, they're lacking a little, uummm coziness.

So, in I walk - straight into a breastfeeding lesson! Okay, been there, done that. Finally, these Highland Lactation ladies, ugh...well finally, she's done. I get a bit of Baby Patrick-time while new daddy falls asleep and new mommy takes a well-deserved shower. Clean Mommy, Baby P and I go off for a saunter through the halls...yeah - don't miss that! Returned to room (new daddy still sleeping) new mommy hands off Baby P to the nursery and she gets some rest, so here I am!

Not much else...We have to reschedule Maggie's 1st b-day party :-( She has had a fever since she woke up on Tuesday! Yuck. And from what I hear, it lasts a long time and doesn't really present any other symptoms. I've heard people mention this lasting for 10 days!!!! I'm gonna run out of sick days....I have never used as many days as I have this year, excluding the 2 years I had babies. But what are ya gonna do?

Oh yeah - my birthday and Matt's too! busy month - maybe that's my problem.

sayonara (the coffee is wearing off)