Inspired Thoughts

It's been a while

2008-01-06T13:45:00.000-05:00

I haven't updated in a bit. Life gets overwhelming sometimes with a toddler and an infant. Avery is now 9 months old. She's just gorgeous, and she favors her dad I believe. She is close to walking now, she cruises from one piece of furniture to another. Evan is 2 1/2 and so smart. He's so inquisitive and wants to know about everything around him. This is good and bad because a inquiring toddler is a mischievous toddler! I will try and update more often, I have a video camera now so I can start posting videos.

Evan at ESPN Zone

Avery in her Santa suit

And now pics!

2007-09-01T22:11:00.000-04:00

Just adding pics I promised and adding a little update...I have lost 15 lbs since last month. It's been hard sticking to it but I am determined to get back in shape for my health and for my children! I have already dropped 2 sizes since having Avery! Hopefully in a few more months I will have enough courage to show some before and after photos!

Me and my sleeping baby...

Evan and his ball pit

Averianna is 5 months old!

Busy busy bee!

2007-08-30T21:17:00.001-04:00

Ahhh yes, it has been a while! (Thanks Jenine) Since school has started I have been extremely busy. I get up at the crack of dawn, feed both kids, eat breakfast, shower and go drop the babies off at daycare. Then it's off too work from 8-4, pick up the kids come home, dinner, baths, play a bit and bedtime! Whew! Throw moving in there at the end of September and things will be VERY crazy! Can't wait!

School has been so much better this year. Last year I had so many behavior problems in one class it was overwhelming. This year my kids are much more well behaved and I only have the usual, "I miss my mommy" and "Is it time to play yet?". I love Kindergarten, so much fun! I can't wait until my kids get there!

Not much else new...I have been having some supply issues since I returned to work, it really bites because I don't want to have to supplement but I see that road ahead if things don't improve soon. I'm barely pumping enough and she's hungry by the time I pick her up! I've tried the gatorade and all but if anyone else reading has some suggestions please comment! I'm desperate!

Pictures soon....I have to get my self in bed! 1 more day until my 3 day weekend!

Thought for the day:
We lift ourselves by our thought, we climb upon our vision of ourselves. If you want to enlarge your life, you must first enlarge your thought of it and of yourself. Hold the ideal of yourself as you long to be, always, everywhere - your ideal of what you long to attain - the ideal of health, efficiency, success.
Orison Swett Marden (1850 - 1924)

2007-08-09T12:46:00.000-04:00

Averianna had her 4 month check up today. She's 16lbs 8oz and 16 3/4 inches tall! What a big girl! We also got her meds for reflux changed so hopefully we will see some improvement there soon.! Everything else was great, she's healthy and right on track.

Evan is talking more and more each day. He must add like 3-5 new words a day to his vocabulary. He is also starting to sing some of his favorite songs, like The Wheels on the Bus. His version: "Sweesh sweesh sweesh, sweesh sweesh sweesh, all through town!" it's adorable!

I only have a week before I have to go back to work, I am dreading it (leaving my babies) and looking forward to it (I love Kindergarteners!). I got my class list on Tuesday and I have 14 kids, not bad at all! 4 of them are siblings of children I have had previous years which makes my life a little bit easier since I already know the parents.

I am looking forward to Saturday, we are taking Evan to Hershey Park. I got tickets through the education association with my work. Here's hoping for no rain!

The other day we went to North Point Beach with Ken's mom

Evan got to feed some baby ducks!

There was a beautiful momma duck sitting in a flower pot in a flower pot on the dock. She had a nest to protect! She didn't like it when I got too close and started hissing at me!

33 Things I Want to do Before I Die

2007-08-06T21:13:00.000-04:00

I know I may never complete all of these...but won't it be fun trying?

1. Lose weight and keep it off
2. Write a book and have it published
3. Travel to Europe and see the castles and many many other things that intrigue me over there.
4. Buy a piece of land in Tennessee.
5. Visit Hawaii and learn to
6. Bellydance, on a stage, in front of people.
7. Buy a house
8. See Niagra Falls
9. Visit Lake Tahoe
10. Go to Disney
11. Become debt free
12. Visit the Mayan Ruins
13. Go Down Under (Australia)
14. Become a avid bike rider and take the kids for rides too
15. Visit the White House and tour it
16. Learn another language
17. Visit each of the 7 continents
18. Study a new religion
19. Go ghost hunting with TAPS
20. Volunteer in a nursing home
21. Participate in a marathon
22. Participate in a protest of something I feel passionate about
23. Swim in the ocean naked
24. Visit a nudist beach/colony
25. Live in the South US
26. Visit the Amazon
27. Plant a Garden and eat the fruits it bears
28. Let go of my attatchment to material things and live a simpler life
29. Spend some time with an Amish family
30. Teach my children that life is to precious to waste a single moment being angry or resentful
31. Become a better photographer
32. Spend a week in solitude
33. Be at peace with my past.

Well that was very theraputic. It's great to dream...it would be even better if in the next few years I can begin crossing some of these off. Nothing in life is guarenteed except for death and this moment we have right now.

4 months

2007-08-04T09:36:00.000-04:00

The princess is 4 months old...could she get any prettier?

Wasn't she just like this?

Public Breastfeeding

2007-08-03T11:06:00.000-04:00

Yesterday at the aquarium I was ready. Ready for anyone to dare say to me I couldn't nurse my child in public. While I try to be discreet, there are always the people who will think it is wrong. So I was prepared with my "I have the right to feed my child wherever I like" speech. Luckily I didn't need to use it.

However, I did come across two things, the first being a mother pumping in the bathroom. She was in the stall next to me and I could clearly hear her pump going "beep-beep-beep" or somethings similar to that. I hope that she didn't feel that she couldn't feed her child in public and was pumping for some other reason.
The other thing I came across was absolutely beautiful. We stopped and rested for a while in front of the dolphin tank. It feels like you are underwater with them, watching them glide back and forth. There was one dolphin considerably smaller than the rest, which I assume was the calf. The calf was swimming very closely with a bigger dolphin and it took me a few minutes to realize what was happening...the calf was nursing from it's mother. Now I have never seen this and I thought it was beautiful to watch.
From Dolphintrainer.com:
Nursing process: Female dolphins posses two mammal glands which produce a rich milk to nourish her young. The calf feeds on this milk by placing its rostrum against one of the two mammal slits located on the ventral surface of the mother's body. It then cups its tongue around the nipple which lies beneath the mammary slit. A tight seal is formed between the calf's tongue and the mother's nipple. The mother can physically eject milk into the calves mouth to help speed the nursing process. This is very helpful since the whole process takes place under water while both animals hold their breath.
So I was thinking why it that we have become so ashamed of nursing in public? Why are we one of the only countries in the world where people think that breastfeeding is gross? I know these questions have been raised a million times and I am not going to debate anything here...I just don't get why the most natural thing in the world is so offensive to some people. Would these same people be grossed out what their cat had kittens and nursed them, etc? I surely wasn't offended by the dolphins, and no one around me seemed to be either. I even took some video of one of the dolphins and will try and upload it later.

And to add to this cartoon below, how true! I saw more harsh discipline than I care for, and no nursing.

aqua.org

2007-08-02T21:11:00.000-04:00

Ken and I decided to take a trip to the Baltimore Aquarium today. I have been there countless times as a visitor and a teacher but the underwater world never ceases to amaze me and I was hoping to pass some of that joy onto my children. I think it worked. Evan really seems to love watching the fish in each tank. He would hurry over to the tank and press his nose right up to the glass and say "feesh, feesh, NEMO!" (See Nemo left of top center in front of white anenome)

Avery even took in the sites for a bit before she fell asleep in her carrier.

Evan loved it when daddy picked him up so he could see over the railing into the tank full of sting rays.

Evan wasn't so fond of the touching pool for kids to experience shells and horseshoe crabs, he stayed back a few feet.

More "feesh" in the background!

At the very end of the aquarium tour they have an exhibit of frogs. They had many beautiful frogs of every color under the rainbow. They all made me think of precious Hannah. I took a picture of one of my favorites...

We had a great trip and the air conditioning beat the 97 degree heat!

Here are 2 more pics from our farm trip on Tuesday.

Wasting Days

2007-08-01T20:45:00.000-04:00

I love having the summers off. I hate wasting days. Today was a wasted day. I left the house once and took the kids for a walk in the doubl stroller. The walk lasted about 20 minutes because it was stifling hot outside and I forgot my water! Oh well, chalk it up to 2 activity points earned through Weight Watchers! Kenny went to dinner with his father tonight so now I am alone with the children. Evan is getting into just about everything and Avery cries every time I put her down. *Sigh*I've never seen such a needy baby. It's very hard. I get so frustrated when she screams these shrill screams at the top of her lungs for no reason! I hope she grows out of this soon. The moments will much more cherishable when she is not screaming 24/7. Just being honest. It's much cuter when she is happy and giggly, but that is rare! However hard it may be, I feel blessed to have these two beautiful children!

Hannah

2007-07-25T11:08:00.000-04:00

I've never met this dear little girl, and I have only come to know her in the past few weeks. Yet she has inspired me in many ways. What a beautiful spirit.