Go check out Taline's blog, looks like she will be a big sister too! How exciting!!!

I can't believe it, I am 20 weeks and one day today. How did that happen? I guess it isn't truly halfway for me since we only found out 12 weeks ago. But I must admit it is starting to feel more real. A couple of days ago I met up with Alex (sans babies!!!) for lunch and some light shopping. My in-laws had given me a gift card for my birthday (such a treat! Go shopping for myself!!!!) and it was burning a hole in my wallet. We headed over to Macy's and I suggested we just PEEK at the baby department in case there was a big sale. Well $60 worth of blue infant outfits later and I was ready to shop "for myself" I did end up getting a super cozy, comfy, yummy pair of pajamas and have some credit left over. Thanks Jim and Marie!!! I hope you are not upset that little Mister got a few things from the gift too, but what is a pregnant mommy to do? I have lost the art of shopping for myself!! I do love everything and it was really fun and exciting to buy the boy things.

I have started staring into Kacey's closet and wondering where these boy things will go? I will definitely have to reduce the amount of stuff she has but how? All her things just seem so necessary. I have asked Jamie to convert the dining room into a closet but he didn't go for the idea. We are actually talking about adding a room to where the deck is but our backyard would shrink so much! Agh! Where are the winning lottery numbers when you need them?

Well now I am rambling....

It's the end of 2009 and I must say it has been an amazing, wonderful, magical year. Thank you to my family, friends and miracles from above. I hope you all had a joyful year to. Raise your glass and toast with me to 2010, it should be another year of surprises!

We had an absolutely lovely Christmas!!!

Jamie, Kacey and I hosted Christmas Eve at our house with a yummy Prime Rib, Scallopped Potatoes and green beans (and of course the cake!) Kacey was in rare form the whole night. She was like a Tazmanian Devil strung out on coke. Talk about hyper! WOW! She sure did enjoy herself though and that was the most fun of the evening. Uncle Tom brought over his guitar and we had some fun singing songs and Kacey danced a bit but mainly just admired Tom!


Got to coloring in her new book right away! Thanks Aunt Shirley and Barbara!

Cuddled up with her favorite person!

OOOOH! How do I do that?

It might look like I am ready for bed but I'm really not!


On Christmas Morning, Santa had already come of course and left all of her presents unwrapped (and unboxed!) sitting in front of the tree.



Jamie and I were excited about the idea of her running from her room and into the living room but she would have none of it. Breakfast must be served first!!! So we actually ate breakfast, showered, dressed and then brought her out. I was able to get her reaction on video. So cute!



We let her play for a bit and then we headed over to my Grandma's house. Our traditional blintzes and more presents for Kacey.

This was the big favorite this year. GG gave it to her and it is a Lea.p Fro.g letter writing thing. It's for 3 and up but Kacey does not care at all. She plays with it constantly!
Helping mommy undo the ties for a toy.


Cuddled up with Uncle Derrick and the big, huge Panda he got her!


We then headed home for a nap and over to my aunt and uncle's house for dinner. More Prime Rib!!! Yummy!!! Kacey really took to Uncle Mike and even climbed up in his lap to share her special toy.



It was a wonderful end to two beautiful days. I gotta tell you though, one of the best parts about this years Christmas, aside from the fun with Kacey of course, was the lack of presents. As a family we decided to not do gifts this year. People were allowed to get Kacey things and oh boy they sure did! But no adult presents. It took so much stress off of everyone! Imagine not having to search for that perfect gift, never finding it and resorting to a gift card instead! So disappointing!!! It was just much more relaxed and I don't think anyone missed it. We were too busy playing with Kacey's toys!!!!

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas or Happy Hannukah too!

OK, got all sorts of Christmas fun to talk about but no time at the moment. Just taking a second to talk about what great parents we are. Yesterday we went to Descanso Gardens. It was getting late and a bit chilly so we all had coats on and went over to the little fish pond to feed the fish. Jamie was watching Kacey and I went around to the other side so I could get a picture of a very cut father daughter moment. I thought to myself I should click on the video but then I figured I was too far and it was a bit too dark for my camera so I was switching it back to regular picture mode. Just as I did that Kacey fell on her knees and in half a second went face first into the pond. It seemed like she was under the water for minutes but was actually only 2-3 seconds. She didn't go far as her entire back was dry but her face, hair and entire front were soaked. Jamie grabbed her out as fast as he realized what happened and I ran over. As soon as I got there, she started crying "mamamamamama" but i looked at her sopping wetness and told her no, she was wet and daddy would pick her up. She did fall in on his watch after all! So I took off her sopping jacket and Jamie held her tight and we started walking to the exit. She kept saying "Fish, fish, fish!" I started to laugh and so did Jamie. I chastised myself for not having the video on and at the very least not getting a picture. We discussed how she was already wet so we should go throw her back in so I could get a picture but our better selves won out.

Jamie took her to the gift shop where a very nice sales girl held up a space heater in front of Kacey while I went to the car and got a change of clothes.

So it wasn't the split second delay on Jamie's part in not catching her or getting her out of the water or not letting her so close in the first place, it wasn't my not wanting to hold her and being upset that I didn't get a picture, it wasn't that we talked about throwing her back in for said picture... what makes us parents of the year? We were upset we might miss out on going out to dinner! Thank goodness for the change of clothes! Yes it was shorts and a t for Kacey to wear to the restaurant when it was about 45 degrees outside but we got our dinner out!

Boy or girl???? Watch this to find out!!!

Kacey seems to kind of get the idea about presents. The other night I gave her the present from Taline. I figured at her age there really isn't a point in waiting until all at once. She started pulling the tissue out of the bag and would go OOOH OOOH!!! She then pulled out a bead set and immediately shoved it at me and said "OP! OP!" (open) She didn't really notice or care that there was something else in the bag so that kind of told me that piling up a bunch of presents at once might not work out. She likes one and then wants to play with it right then. So we will keep spacing them out a bit if she wants to.

This morning Jamie was trying to get her dressed and she ran out of her room and into the living room. She came back with a present and told daddy "OP! OP!" So we got the camera and took her to the living room and opened it. She was very pleased and even said thank you to the camera so Grandma Rie and Grandpa Babu could see.



Tomorrow should be interesting!

How cool, I just got an email from a reader that said she has a CBEFM that she doesn't need anymore and asked me to pick another number for her to give it to. I used this this time and got 5. So congrats kammlm, I am sending you an email to get your address.

BTW, great news!!! We had the big u/s this morning and everything looked great. So happy and blessed to have a healthy baby growing. We definitely know the sex now and I will reveal on Saturday. So go ahead and post your vote over there -------->

So what do you think?


Here's a little video of Kacey kissing the baby and waving hi and bye to it. (I thought Grandma Rie and Grandpa Babu would really like to see this.) She also talks about my boobs but hey it's still pretty cute.

Good point AJ's mommy!! I added a poll over there -----> to the right. Vote boy or girl!!

I really need to jot down more about this second pregnancy! I am being neglectful of this child already! So here are a few things:

- When I think of him/her, I don't think of Twiglet #2. To me it is Mini-Monkey. I think that is because Jamie is always calling Kacey a monkey and so Mini-Monkey just fits. I think we stopped calling Kacey Twiglet shortly after she was born.

- Today in the shower I put my feet together and noticed that they disappeared. The belly is getting big!

- Still only gained about 2 pounds, definitely not a complaint, just odd.

- I crave sweets ALL THE TIME. To be fair, I craved sweets all the time before. Difference now is that I actually indulge thinking the baby must Really want them.

- A few weeks ago I got over the beginning pregnancy stage of needing to pee 5 times a night. Sad to say I think it is starting back again already. :(

- Yesterday we were at a friends house with 4 other kids, 4 other moms and a baby. Kacey was having fun playing with the kids and then noticed I was holding the baby. She immediately stopped dead in her tracks and started to cry. Tears and everything. I tried to give her food to calm her down but nothing worked until I gave the baby back to his mommy. She then stopped crying instantly. Oh my.... this is the second time this has happened.

- Kacey does love to point out babies. She will point to them on TV, in strollers, in books, etc. and seems excited to see them..... just not in mommy's arms. I wonder what would happen if daddy was holding one?

- Tomorrow is the big u/s date! 8:30 in the morning. We get to make sure the baby is healthy and find out the sex!!! So will I be keeping the blog pink or turning it green? Go ahead and post your guesses! I will reveal after Christmas as we won't be telling family until Christmas Eve or day.

- Had a regular OB appt yesterday and she found the heartbeat right away and said all looked good. I sure do love the sound of a second heart thumping away inside of me!

- Looking forward to feeling this baby kick. I checked back in the blog and I started feeling Kacey at 19 weeks. I will be 19 tomorrow so.... anytime now little one!!!!

I guess that's about it for now. I am off to enjoy my day. Jamie is home these 2 weeks so he is having a daddy/daughter day and took Kacey to the aquarium. I get to sit around and do nothing this morning and then go get my hair done this afternoon! It's like my very own vacation day!

Yesterday I had my hair in a ponytail and Kacey seemed fascinated. She kept playing with it and then pointing to her own hair. I asked her if she wanted a ponytail too and she said yes. So I stood her on the toilet so she could watch me in the mirror and she very quietly stood there. She didn't move an inch while I was doing both pigtails. When I was done she looked so pleased!!! I asked if she wanted a picture and she said yes but as soon as I pulled out the camera she freaked out. Got really mad and started to cry and throw a fit. So what did I do? I flipped the switch to video of course! So here are a couple of pics and a video of the most adorable, pig-tailed girl throwing a tantrum.

So back at Kacey's one year pediatrician appointment, her doctor said she should start going to the dentist. I wrote it off because my regular dentist had told me to bring Kacey when she is 3 or 4. We just went back for Kacey's 18 month appointment and her doctor asked if I had taken her to the dentist yet. I said no and she again strongly suggested I do. I asked her for a recommendation for a kids dentist and she gave me one.

We went on Wednesday and although the office and staff were very kid friendly, we did not have a good experience. I expected them to count her teeth, talk about brushing and flossing and send us on our merry way.

Not so.

He looked at her teeth (he did this in a good way in my opinion. She sat on my lap facing me and then I laid her backwards so her head rested in his lap on a pillow. I was able to hold her to help her feel a bit safer and he was able to look around.) Anyways, his conclusion was that all four of her molars have cavities. The 2 left ones were pretty bad and the right ones were starting. AGHHHH!H!!!! What???

Sounds silly but I had a quick flashback to when our RE told me I had high FSH and would have to go straight to medicated IUI's to try to get pregnant. I had expected a prescription for Clomid and a baby in 9 months!

I digress... He talked about scheduling her to try to drill and fill the cavities and if she was uncooperative he would put a fluoride cap on them to keep them from getting worse and try again later. I didn't schedule anything as I was too shocked. I got home and called my regular dentist for a second opinion and we were able to go in this morning.

Unfortunately they agreed and said I should go back to the kids dentist and do as he suggests. They said they still recommend kids start going at 3-4 so we were lucky to have caught this. Oh my. Well I did feel 100% better getting a second opinion from someone I trust so I went ahead and called the other dentist and made an appointment. Wish us luck on that one!!!

So I guess this post is also a PSA to the other parents out there. Don't wait until 3 or 4, take your kid in around age 1 or so. They do actually get cavities this early. And no, we do not put her to sleep with a candy bar to suck on at night.

Christine!!!!! Congrats!

I wrote down 38 numbers (as that is the total # of comments) and then put them in a bag and shook them around. I pulled out the # 16, scrolled down 16 comments and got Christine.

Thanks everyone for participating. Sorry I didn't have more to give away. :( I wish you the best of luck in trying to make your own little Twiglet. Happy Holidays!

99% of the time, when Kacey is not sick of course, she goes down for her nap and bedtime with no issues if we do her routine. (Unfortunately, the routine includes me so she does not go down as easily with daddy or grandma.) We go in her room about 20 minutes before bedtime and she plays a little bit. About 10 minutes before she sits on my lap and we read some books. When she wants to hear the same book again she holds up one finger and says "one", meaning one more. About 2-3 minutes before bedtime, I turn off the light and turn on her night light. I then put her up to my shoulder and rock her or stand and sway with her as I sing her the "I love you" song and a go to sleep song I made up when she was an infant. I then lay her in her crib, cover her with a blanket, turn on the mattress vibrator (wish I had one!!!), tell her I love her and I will see her when she wakes up. She pretty much always is quiet after that and I leave the room.

Today at nap, as I started to walk out, she waved and said "Bye, bye!" She will occasionally do this or say "Nigh, nigh" and it just warms my heart every time. How did I get here? Why am I so fortunate to have this gorgeous little girl? I don't think I will ever know but I sure do love her!

Hey everyone! I am doing a giveaway!!

Can you use one of these? A ClearBlue Easy Fertility Monitor.

I bought this way back when we first started trying. So yes, it is used and if you are squeamish about something that has had sticks covered in pee stuck into it then don't participate. If you are not squeamish and are computer savvy enough to look up directions on the internet to reprogram it then you may leave a comment that you want to win and give your email address or a link to your blog so I can contact you. On Friday, December 18th I will randomly pick a winner and will contact you for an address and will even pay the shipping.

In the interest of full disclosure, this has also been used by a friend of mine. I can assure you it does work as she is now pregnant!

this will be perfect to show her prom date in about 17 years....

Got a crock pot? Got frozen chicken? Then this is the easiest recipe ever and Kacey loved it which is an extra bonus in my book.

You just need to throw the following in a crock-pot and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours

1 package frozen corn
1 can of black beans drained
4 frozen chicken breasts
1 jar of salsa
1 envelope of taco seasoning

Voila! Shred the chicken when it's done and serve in taco shells or tortillas.

For the details chick here:

http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/recipes/main-courses/shredded-chicken-tacos/

Kacey let me put her hair in a little ponytail. When I was done I said "Look in the mirror, you are so pretty!" She patted her hair, smiled real big and said "Pretty!"

Snow fun in La Canada Park.

Again, Kacey really liked eating it.

On Friday, Katalin took us to Knott's Berry Farm. Here we are on a train ride and Kacey loved it.

Katalin and Henry loved it too!

Here we are going on a different train ride.

On Saturday was the Doudian Holiday party. We tried to get a picture of the kids together like we did last year but none of them would cooperate.

Kacey using a fork and knife with Grandma.

Getting to eat some of daddy's pumpkin pie.

Great pic of Kacey and Taline together. haha!


Here is a little video from the party. It's not very exciting but it's for Grandma Rie and Babu so they can see Kacey in her pretty dress. :)

Check out this picture Gwynn took of Kacey in her pretty Christmas dress.

I can't believe I forgot this, too cute. She loves to brush her teeth and will let me do a little bit for her if I let her do most of it. When she sees me in the bathroom she comes in, smiles real big, puts her finger up to her teeth to mimick brushing and says "Teesh, teesh!!!"

So now that she is 18 months I figured I need to make a non-organized list of things she is doing now that are remarkable and/or cute.

- She is really starting to copy words. Yesterday Tom was over when she woke up from nap and I said "Tom" and she kept going "Om, Om". She also told me she had poop and pointed to her crotch. I told her we would clean it when Tom left as that would only be a couple of minutes, so she turned to Tom, pointed at her crotch and said "Poop!"

- She loves to follow Orangie to the cat door. Orangie will then Go out and stare in while Kacey goes and gets her treats. Kacey then puts one treat at a time out the door to feed her. They are becoming friends this way. :)

- She has a hooded towel that is pink with a kitty head on it. I put it on her after her shower in the morning and she like to run around the house with it like a cape. She is also getting pretty good at wrapping it around herself and getting dry.

- Last night when she went to bed she pointed to her blanket and said "Ank, ank", I finally figured it out and put it over her. That seems to be what she wanted. Normally she hates blankets and throws them off.

- When Grandma Pat comes over, Kacey throws her arms in the air and squeals.

- Last night, for the first time, she listened to Jamie on the phone, she also said dada to him and bye, bye. While on the phone with him she pointed at a picture of him on the wall and said "dada".

- Kacey is getting very good at "Pease" and "Ankoo" and sometimes even says them without prompting.

- A few nights ago I was reading her "Goodnight Moon". She said "More" like she normally does and I put up a finger and said "One more time?" Now when she wants a book read again she holds up one finger and says "More".

I know there is more... hmmm.. ..

A couple days ago I had Jamie pull out the box of maternity clothes that I had just packed away in August or September... weird but I was pregnant at the time and didn't know it. Anyways, I went through it and pulled out the pants and shirts I want to keep/wear and gave the rest to Goodwill. I started wearing the pants right away. The rubberband through the button hole trick just isn't cutting it lately. The maternity pants feel much better but they are still a touch too bog, oh well, guess that means I get to eat more! I also got out the Snoo.gle and started sleeping with it a couple of nights ago. It takes some getting used to but sleeping on my stomach was starting to get uncomfortable.

Today I am 16 weeks and I think I have started to feel a couple of pokes in the last couple of days. It's right when I go to bed and roll over or something. How exciting to think I might feel kicks soon! I checked back in the blog and with Kacey I started feeling her at 19 weeks.

I feel pretty good these days, a bit more tired but since being pregnant with Kacey I can't really remember a time I wasn't tired. HAHA! Maybe when these two are away at college... OOOHH!!! I know, Jamie got me tickets to Bett.e Midl.er (HUGE FAN HERE!) and a flight to Vegas and a hotel room. We are going in January and beside being super excited to see Bett.e again (I went to the same show while pregnant with Kacey!) I may even be more excited about Kacey staying here with Grandma Pat and sleeping in a 5 star hotel room with blackout shades. I may not leave the bed until our flight! or maybe to go get a pregnancy massage :)

But I digress... speaking of sleep... I think we are going to convert Kacey's crib to a toddler bed this weekend. I don't like that she has climbed out twice. I wish we could wait longer, I am not looking forward to her wandering her room. Ugh, any advice??? Please comment! I am hopefully going to Tar.get today and we will look at bedding stuff for Kacey, try to get her excited about a big girl bed. Not sure if she will understand the idea but... oh well. Wish me luck.