The Dillier's

Fall has been so beautiful this year! We have been taking advantage of the great weather by doing things outside as often as we can. One of Abilynn's favorite things to do is go for walks. I push Peter in the stroller and she rides her scooter. She is very good at wearing her helmet and goes a long way before I make her turn around. (I keep having visions of me having to carry the scooter and Peter and push Abilynn in the stroller home because she gets tired and doesn't want to ride the scooter anymore, hence why I make her turn around after so long.) It is a very slow walk due to all the stops she has to make. If a dog happens to be coming up, we have to stop and say hello. If there is a different leave on the ground, Abilynn has to stop and pick it up. On one particular walk Abilynn started handing the leaves to me to hold onto. After my hands got full I started putting the leaves in the bottom of the stroller. Abilynn thought that was not acceptable and made me take them out and hold them. Let's just say the leaves would fall out of my hands slowly so that by the time we got home I only had 3. Abilynn asked where all the leaves went and I told her they blew away. "Oh. Where they went to?" I told her they blew all the way to grandma and grandpas house. She then started going into a dance/speech on the leaves blowing all the way to grandma and grandpas house. Another walk she handed the scooter to me and told me to ride it and she would push Peter. She may be tall but she can't see over the stroller, so when she pushes it she has no idea where she is going. I tried to explain this to her and she didn't understand. So I then told her that mommy is too big for her scooter and will break it, this she did understand. Abilynn has not offered to share her scooter with me since.
We went to Tracy Aviary a couple of weeks ago and Abilynn loved it. She still talks about the bald eagle we saw there. We went to Gardner Village a couple of times to see the witches. I made Abilynn sit on a bail of hay for a picture and she started complaining it was poking her. So I put Peter's blanket down and that seemed to make it more comfortable. She could have cared less about the witches but enjoyed walking around. We went to the zoo last weekend with the cousins. The whole ride to the zoo Abilynn was telling me who was going to be there. She was so excited! She ran around and had so much fun. She talks about the animals we saw to everyone. Peter enjoyed himself too. He is such a good little boy and is so chill with hanging out in the stroller. He did get to see the seal lions swimming and I am not quite sure he saw the baby giraffe but I tried to show him! We have also visited the park a lot. If Abilynn doesn't fall asleep in the car after shopping we stop at the park for a half hour or so. One day it was not so warm but Abilynn did not want to leave. So being the good mom I am, I wrapped Peter and I in a blanket and we watched Abilynn play for about 20 minutes. Her hands were freezing cold when I finally got her in the car! She didn't care.

We are slowly getting settled into our new house. Peter has been growing and learning new things like crazy. Here is an update.....

I have fallen off the blog wagon for awhile. I kept meaning to sit down and write but I haven't had a lot of free time lately and if I do happen to have some me time during the day I am most often just sitting on the coach. I WISH. If I have time when both kids are asleep, I take a quick nap too and then I get to organizing. The other day I spend a half hour organizing my jewelry. True story! It has been packed in a box since we moved and I wanted my accessories back. That gets me to the reason why I have been away for awhile, we moved. I am so in love with my new house that I truly never want to leave!!!!
We moved on July 7th. I owe my younger brother Tanner and his friends a very nice steak dinner for helping us move. I also owe my cute sisters a nice dinner too for packing up the last of our stuff for me. I was happy, sad, scared and nervous about moving. I wanted a bigger house, 3 bedrooms on one floor and no pool in the backyard. What I got was more then I could have dreamed of and it is fantastic. I LOVE having both kids right across the hall. It is truly blissful. I also love my backyard and that I can go outside with Abilynn and relax. We have a HUGE backyard and because of the size JP convinced me he needed a riding lawn mower. It still takes about 45 minutes to mow the lawn with the riding lawn mower!
I do not enjoy the packing and unpacking part of moving. I do enjoy the getting rid of stuff and throwing stuff out part. In fact I am going to pretend move every couple of years just to get rid of stuff I don't use. I cannot believe how much stuff we had packed into every nook and cranny in our other house. I found things that I had not used in 6 years and I would put them in a pile to give away. JP kept looking at the pile and asking why I was getting rid of certain things. I would explain to him that if I haven't used it in 6 years what makes you think I will use it now. I would also think about our new house and where I would put things. We still have some boxes to put away but we are close to being done. I have decided I will leave no box unpacked. It sounds like an impossible things but I took my time packing and organizing. Baby clothes were put into plastic bins and labeled. Maternity clothes were given away or packed away into plastic bins too. (After 2 pregnancies, I couldn't stand looking at some of the clothes I literally lived in!)  So technically speaking some boxes won't be unpacked for awhile.
Abilynn had a hard time moving. She kept crying and asking to go home. It took about 3 weeks for her to be comfortable in our new house. She now LOVES it and whenever someone comes to visit, she runs back to her room to show them. She begs to go outside all day long, or begs to go to the garage to play with her scooter or car.
I am so happy in our new house!!

My how time flies by. This month was CRAZY!! We moved 3 days after Peter turned 3 months old. So we have been unpacking boxes and organizing our new house. Here is what Peter has been up too....

Peter is growing so fast. He is such a chill baby. He will hang out in his car seat and just watch you. Here is what happened this month....

I need to go back and write in more detail some things but here is what we have been up to this summer.
May 12- We celebrated Abilynn's 2nd birthday. We had cake and an ice cream bar. She LOVED every minute and enjoyed opening presents. I can't believe my baby girl is 2!
May 24- Went to This Is The Place and saw the baby animals. Abilynn rode a horse, all by herself, and pet pigs, goats, and ducks. She also picked up some goat poo and tried to feed it to the goat. She must have thought it was a blueberry, as she is OBSESSED with eating blueberries! I was grossed out and she couldn't understand why I was freaking out. We also rode the train and played in the little houses.
May 24-28- We went up to Midway and hung out. It was a lot of fun! Abilynn rode the four wheeler with her daddy and loved it. She also played in the sand pile with the new trucks grandpa got for her and her cousins. She was covered in dirt. We went for a walk on Friday morning and got rained on. We stopped for ice cream and when we came out the wind was blowing and rain was coming down. My dad was going to walk back to the cabin and get the car and come back for us but we braved the rain and ran home. On Sunday night we went for another walk and Abilynn fell asleep hunched over on the stroller. I will have to get the picture to show you. It looked like she was just looking at the stream but after she didn't move for awhile, my sister figured out she was asleep. I love visiting my Grandma's cabin in Midway!
June 22- We went to the zoo. It was HOT but we got to see the polar bear, the brown bears, the otters, seals and sea lion.
So there is an update. Hope you are all having a fabulous summer too!!

Peter is such a good baby! I forgot how hard the no sleep nights can be but I have adjusted and my body has learned to live on less sleep. (It is crazy how your body can adjust and be ok with 6 hours of sleep, not consecutive.) Peter had AWFUL reflux problems but thanks to modern day medicine he is doing much beter. Here is what he has done this month...


I LOVE my children so much and am so thankful to have them! I am also very thankful for a patient, kind, and loving husband who loves his kids and loves to hang out with them!

Peter is one month old. He is a pretty calm baby unless he is hungry. He also has tummy issues sometimes and that makes him really ornery. He sleeps for about 3 hours at a time at night. Peter smiles all the time. The other day he was looking cross eyed at his hand. It was really cute because you could almost see him thinking "what is this thing?" He has out grown the newborn clothes and we just moved him to the size 1 diapers. We waited until we were done with all the newborn diapers to jump up a size. He loves the water, just like his older sister. He does not like tummy time, in fact he hates it! When I put him on his tummy he will start fussing and get mad. He will arch his back and try to roll over. If left too long, he simply lays his head down and falls asleep. He likes his binky. He is starting to move a lot. At Peter's 2 week doctor visit he was 8 pound 11 ounces. The doctor was worried about his weight and we went back a week later for another weight measurement. Peter was 9 pounds 2 ounces at 3 weeks, so he is gaining weight. Because he was breech, we have to worry about hip problems. On his 1 month birthday we visited Primary Children's Hospital in Riverton for an ultrasound. Everything looked good, but we will still do an x-ray at 6 months to make sure. Peter loves you to hold him on your chest. He will grab the collar of your shirt when you do this. He will also grab your finger if you place it in the palm of his hand. He has "old man hair", meaning he is balding. He has very little hair in front and the hair he has in the back starts on the crown of his head and is pretty long. I try to brush it forward but it isn't long enough to cover the front. He really is a great baby all things considered. And he is VERY loved by his older sister, most days! Abilynn has not hit him, thankfully!, she hits me instead. We have our days we struggle but I think I am handling this 2 children thing pretty well!

Joseph Peter IV joined our family on April 3 at 8:05 am. He was 8 lbs 11 ounces and 21 inches long. He will very likely have blue eyes and his hair is going to be light brown or blond. A picture would be attached to this post but due to operator error my computer is not downloading pictures right now.
If I had stuck to my original plan I would have had Peter yesterday. But after finding out he was breech, we scheduled the c-section on his due date. That way no one could get upset at us or give us crap for picking the date. The date was chosen by my last period and some magical calender thing that ob-gyn's have.
Peter has been a very good baby. The only time he cries is when hungry. He sleeps quite a bit but when he is awake he is looking everywhere. I forget how tiny babies are. When you put him next to Abilynn, she looks really big. Abilynn is a pretty good older sister. She was very protective of Peter in the hospital and would tell everyone who came through the door 'Baby brother.' She calls him Baby Brother. We are working on his name but she likes 'Baby Brother' better. She tries to be helpful, which is good and bad. She will find him his binky, blanket, try to rock him. She will insist on holding him and then 10 seconds later decide she has had enough.
I am so thankful to have 2 happy, healthy, beautiful children. There are some days I wonder if we will all survive, but I remind myself that my mom had 8 and we are all still alive and doing well so I can handle 2!

Today was my last day of work before maternity leave. My last patient was informed that they were my last patient until I had my baby. They got a concerned looked on their face and said "right now?" No, I am not having the baby right now in a dentist office. I am having the baby next week at a hospital but thanks for the concern.
I was originally going to take this week off but then decided that it would probably be better for me to work and be busy. Due to baby being breech, chances of going onto labor while working were slim. And I was right. It was also nice to have the 2 extra days on my pay check!
I have started washing clothes and blankets and it has really hit me that my life is going to change! I am going to have a completely dependent child again and a very independent child that will want to "help." I have started getting sad because Abilynn's world is about to drastically change. She has not idea what is going to happen. We visit the park a lot and cuddle in bed a lot lately. I am trying to spend lots of time with her. I realize that we can still have one on one time after Baby Brother comes but my hormones are a little crazy right now and I feel guilty!
Abilynn has enjoyed getting ready for Peter. She climbs in and out of the bassinet, carries the bumbo all over the house and sits in it to make sure it is comfortable. She "helps" me fold brothers clothes and blankets. She waves hi to brother when I tell her to say hi to him. It is actually really cute! She will put her hand on my belly when JP puts his hand on my belly. She points to the stretch marks on my belly and remarks "owie" (I thought my belly was pretty stretched out after Abilynn but I was wrong. Baby Brother has decided that there wasn't enough room and has created some nice new stretch marks in his attempt to have more room to move around. Regardless of what the lotion says, YOU WILL STILL GET STRETCH MARKS!!!!!!! Even if your husband tries, and succeeds because you bought the lotion, to convince you otherwise.)

We are nearing the end here, 17 days until my due date. My visit to the doctor this week was really informative. In fact, we figured out that Baby Brother is breech. Yup, this little guy wants to come out bum first. Stubborn from the beginning just like his older sister! With this new development, JP and I schedule a cesarean. Baby Brother could still turn and engage but my doctor is worried that if he did and I went into labor I very likely would end up an emergency cesarean again, something I want to avoid!!
I did get to see Baby Boy in an ultrasound picture and that was fun. He was facing my back so we saw the back of his head. When my doctor first started to see how Baby Boy was positioned, he saw nothing. So my doctor then moved the monitor around and we saw the heart and feet and then the head. Baby Brother's feet were on my right side and his head on the left. His heart was beating strong and he even moved his hand a little. Probably telling us to leave him alone because he was sleeping!
I am schedule to go in pretty early in the morning the day we schedule the cesarean. When the nurse told us the time JP looked at her and said "In the morning?" To which my nurse responded "Yes. You actually have to check in earlier. But your wife can't eat before so it is better for her." JP didn't say anything after that. He will actually get a nap that day, I probably won't.
Baby Boy will still be handed over to the NICU nurses just as a precaution but after everything checks out well, JP will be able to hold him while I get sewn up. Although you have to stay in the hospital longer with staples verses stitches, the thought that the stitches could pock out and I could feel them makes me sick to my stomach! We will have to arrange for sitters for Abilynn but I am not so worried about that because I have the best family and extended family who are always willing to help when needed. I am truly lucky that they are willing to watch Abilynn, even though she is a handful and crazy at times!
So we just wait now. I wish I could say we just sit back and relax but we are listing our house right before Baby Boy is due (because yes, I am really crazy!) and I am busy packing everything up. The nice thing about being almost 9 months pregnant means I can't carry the boxes. I just pack them and then leave them for JP to move! Not a bad idea, except that even packing them makes me pretty tired and I have a very cute little girl who helps me unpack everything if I don't get the box taped up quick enough!

Q: How much snot can your nose produce in one day?
A: A LOT. JP, Abilynn and I all had a cold a couple of weeks ago and I did not know that your nose could produce so much snot in one day. Abilynn learned to blow her nose just by watching and listening to JP and I blow ours all day long.

Q: What happens when you are 8 1/2 months pregnant and you sneeze, cough, laugh too hard, or blow your nose?
A: Unless you sit down or cross your legs, you pee your pants a little. When you tell your family this, they will not have any sympathy, in fact they will laugh at you and tell you that is gross.

Q: What happens when you start crying at your ob-gyn appointment?
A: Your doctor will look a little uncomfortable and then hand you a whole box of tissues. (True story! You would think he would be use to crying women but I guess not many cry.)

Q: How long can a 22 month old swim before getting tired?
A: 3 hours. And even after that 3 hours she was not tired, mom was so swim time was over. Murray has a really nice indoor pool with a great kids area that is not too deep. Abilynn and I went last week with Tymon and Jamie. We would have stayed longer then 3 hours but I was tired and it was nap time!

Q: When a 22 month old is half asleep, half awake what do you get?
A: You get a request for chocolate milk, blanket, cheese, she will tell you she is poo poo (but she isn't), she will start making animal sounds, she will demand to watch tv, she will start talking to the dogs. If you attempt to lay down with her, you will either get head butted or kicked. She will smother you with her blanket because everyone likes their face covered with a fuzzy blanket, right!? If you attempt to get anyone of her requests, she will be asleep before you get it!

My blood pressure was higher this visit then it has been before. Not surprising because I had had a rough morning trying to convince an almost 2 year old why she can and can't do certain things. (why she can't use her step stool to get things off the counter, why she has to eat breakfast, why we have to wear clothes, why feeding the dog crayons is NOT ok, why drawing on yourself with pen is not ok and that was just the first hour of the day!)
I have only gained 26 pounds. Which means unless I gain 6 pounds in the new couple of weeks, I will have gained less weight with this baby! As far as being dilated, I am a big ZERO. My doctor had pre-warned me not to expect anything this early but I was still hopefull! Baby Boy is NOT engaged AT ALL. In fact he is still very high up, swimming around. Although my doctor was trying to be optimistic about things, he was also truthful and honest, which is what I want. He is just concerned with everything I went through with Abilynn, he doesn't want that same thing to happen this time. Next week he will do an ultrasound and check to see where Baby Boy is. I can actually answer that, Baby Boy is in my stomach and ribs and then he will turn somersaults for awhile, he will kick on the left and head but on the right, he will then lay on my bladder for awhile and then turn more somersaults.
I had been preparing myself for this news, but deep down thought just maybe this time would be different. I actually started crying when my doctor told me what he did. He then asked me if I wanted anymore kids. Let's see, I am 36 weeks pregnant with my second, I can't sleep at night because I am peeing every 2-3 hours, I get heartburn from EVERYTHING, and I am going to have to go through major surgery to get this little boy here. (OK it may not all be my babies fault they can't drop down and engage, it is most likely my bodies fault because I am not shaped right down there. Who knew!?) Um, I have no idea if I am going to have more or not and right now is not the time to decide!
There is a positive to this though, we can choose Baby Boy's birthday. I realize it is kind of cheating but when you don't have any other options what do you do. It will also be nice to know when we are going in so we can arrange for a sitter for Abilynn. Also recovery is suppose to be WAY better after a c-section if you did not labor before. The most important thing is to get Baby Brother here happy and healthy! (and hey, maybe a couple of days in the hospital recovering will be good?!?) Things may change, but I am not going to get my hopes up too high.
I appreciate that my doctor is willing to plan a c-section date for a week over my due date. As things get closer that date could change, and it probably will, but he realizes I don't want to stop any chances of having a VBAC if possible. If I do have a cesarean this time, the good thing is I know what I am getting into and I have done a lot of research and reading on cesareans so I won't be as scared this time. (or that is what I am trying to convince myself of!!)

I am down to 4 weeks before Baby Boy will make his introduction. JP informed me last night he knows when Baby Boy is coming. I kindly told him to not tell me if he was coming after his due date. No pregnant woman wants to hear that! I have a doctors appointment tomorrow and then go every week until my due date. At my appointment 2 weeks ago, my doctor asked me if I wanted to schedule a date for a cesarean just so I have an end in sight. I did not like this idea, but after speaking to my husband and mom decided I will set my end date for exactly 1 week after my due date, giving me every possibility for my body to go into labor.
Because my first baby, cute stubborn Abilynn!, wanted to preview the world before she entered it and was an emergency cesarean, I can't be induced this time. Pitocin would put too much stress on my body and increase chances of my scare ripping. (just typing that makes me cringe!!) So it is up to my body to know what to do and go into labor on it's own. I am carrying this baby high just like I did with Abilynn. The doctor isn't too sure that baby will drop. Now maybe it is just me and my crazy hormones (or my awesome will power!!) but I think Baby Boy has dropped the last week. I ask people and half say yes and half say no. I think they say yes just to make me feel better, but I am sticking too Baby Boy has dropped, if not all the way but at least a little! Tomorrow I will know more! Cross your fingers for me.

Abilynn says thank you! I know is sounds like nothing but it took us months to get her to say please so I thought thank you would take awhile too, I was wrong. She is actually better at saying thank you without asking, then she is at saying please. She will usually demand what she wants, "chocolate milk!!", and when you say 'how do you ask' she will then say "pees" in a very nice voice.
My little girl is learning and growing so quickly! She can almost count to three; one, three. She forgets two! She is getting more and more independent and if we try to do things for her sometimes she gets upset because 'I do it!' If Abilynn asks for something and wants us to know she really wants it she will squat down and hit the floor. She will do this a couple of times to let us know she wants it and wants it NOW. The other day she leaned her head against the fridge and sort of fake cried. I had to leave the room because I was going to laugh! Where she learns this stuff is beyond me. I certainly do not hit the floor to get what I want.
She really likes chocolate milk. It is requested frequently during the day. In fact the first thing she says when she wakes up is 'choco milk'. The other day I had bought more chocolate milk mix and had it on the counter. JP was home from work and hanging out with Abi when I heard him get mad at her. I went into the kitchen to see what was going on and Abilynn wanted some chocolate milk and had grabbed the mix off the counter and opened it.
She also likes dip: ketchup, salsa, cheese, anything you can dip stuff in. The other day I was in the basement doing laundry. Abilynn escaped upstairs, like she frequently does, and returned downstairs with a bag of chips. (I have got to start putting everything in the middle of the counter because this girls reach gets longer and longer everyday!) She ran back upstairs again and this time returned with a bottle of salsa. 'Dip, mommy, DDDIIIIPP!!'
I will admit, some days are exhausting with Abilynn. I realize she is just figuring out EVERYTHING and has to try things over and over, even if she has been told not to do it again! She is learning what to do to get her way. With daddy she gets her way quicker than with mommy. She doesn't always get her way and that results in some nice tantrums. I ignore the tantrum and walk away, JP trys to get her to stop. After I explained to him why she throws the tantrum and to just ignore the tantrum, she is throwing them less. JP would get mad at her and try to get her to stop, which resulted in the tantrum getting worse most times. She has learned to say 'no' and will let you know if she does not want to do something. She will also say 'yea' when she does want to do something. Abilynn doesn't always have a choice, like when we get in the car she has to get in her car seat or the car doesn't go anywhere. If she doesn't want to put her coat on to go outside, I simply start leaving without her. I know it sounds mean but it works. And she LOVES outside, just not always the coat.
I talk to Abilynn like she understands everything I am saying. I have had many people laugh at me and think this is crazy but she is understanding more and more. I explain why we do things 'we sit in your car seat to keep you safe. the car can't go if you are not in your car seat,' 'it is cold outside, so we need to put your coat on,' 'if you throw food on the floor, mommy will take it away and not give it back.' I have full one sided conversations with her. If you are bored one day, follow us through the grocery store. I get looks from people all the time because I am talking to Abilynn. I am just telling her what I am buying, why she has to sit down in the shopping cart, why we can't buy whatever she is pointing too, etc. I probably do sound like a crazy lady, but I don't care!

I turned 30 last week. I have to tell you that it wasn't that bad, seriously! Although the 30, flirty and thriving is not an exact fit to me right now. I am 30 years old, 31 weeks pregnant and surviving!! I LOVE my life right now and I wouldn't change anything.
I think the reason I am doing well with the 30 is look at where my life is right now! I am married to my first crush, Mommy to one stinking cute girl, pregnant with our second child, working as a Dental Hygienist (a goal I had since I was 16). I have accomplished a lot in the last 30 years.
Sure there are days where I wish things were different, like we lived in a different house, but most things that I don't like I can change. Life is about your attitude towards what happens. I have not always had the most positive attitude and there are times where I lapse, but life truly is wonderful!!!!!!

The other day I was showing JP a toy I found for Abilynn at Kid to Kid and some shoes for Baby Boy. I was very excited about the toy because I have wanted to get this toy for Abilynn for awhile but because it is almost $30 new I always decided against it. I got very lucky and just happened to stop in at Kid to Kid real fast and they had it!
I was telling JP that I know I have a problem when it comes to buying clothes and toys and JP just starts to laugh. He says "You know you have a problem but that doesn't stop you from shopping." No it doesn't actually. Because I get caught up in the hunt for a certain toy and I want to find it at a second hand store. Then I have the satisfaction of knowing that I if I had bought this toy new it would have been 2 to 4 times as expensive. I also have the satisfaction of keeping money in my pocket to use another day for another toy or outfit. I have found really cute shoes at second hand stores for cheap.
JP then told me that I have to stop shopping. He said all he gets to buy is wagons because I buy everything else. He would like to pick out some toys and clothes for Baby Boy and for Abilynn too. Apparently I don't let him do these things. He has picked out clothes for Abilynn before and they were really cute.
So I have been banned from shopping! Unless of course I take JP with me and he gets to pick things out. You would think he was upset because of the money I spend but no he wants to play with toys too. He also wants to make sure Baby Boy is dressed very nice and in his style. I guess that is fair because I dressed and picked out almost all of Abilynn's clothes so he can pick out Baby Boys! Now, what should I do in my spare time since I can no longer visit second hand stores for bargains!?

Abilynn is 20 months old! (and one day) She has changed A LOT in the last two months. She has also learned lots of new words. She can say ouchy, booger, turkey, bum, done, sick, and so much more. She has also learned to put words together, like sit doggie, sit mom, read book and seriously mom. Apparently I say seriously a lot and Abilynn has caught onto it. It is actually pretty funny to hear her say it. She slears the s and gets this look on her face. I don't think I make a face when I say it but who knows.
Abilynn loves dolls. She is constantly wrapping them in blankets and bouncing them up and down. She will hold them and rock in the rocking chair. It is really cute to watch her play with them! While rocking in the rocking chair Abilynn will exclaim "rock and roll!" She learned this from my sister and says it a lot. She has learned to give bones. Abilynn is still stingy with kisses but she will always give bones.
We bought Abi a potty. We are not pushing it right now but she loves to sit on it. If fact she will sit on it for a long time. She gets all excited about it because she is like mommy and daddy. One of her dolls almost took a bath in the toilet because she wanted the dolly to go potty too. Luckily JP was right there and saved the doll!
Abilynn has also gotten an attitude the past couple of months. She is pushing limits more and even after being told to stop doing something multiple times she will continue to do it. She just smiles her scrunchy nose smile and continues. She climbs on the kitchen table and will sit in the middle. She is usually not looking for anything and isn't there for very long. She also likes to stand on chairs to see things higher up. She is constantly on the move! She has also started to tell mom and dad to "stop it" too. If she wants our attention she will say "mommy stop it!" And she is pretty demanding when she says it.
Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Cheney, Abi leaves our laptop alone now. Abilynn got one for Christmas and it has been SO nice. She doesn't understand exactly how to use it yet but she has sure figured out the on/off button and is constantly turning it on and off.
Abilynn still has a binky at nap time and bed time. JP wants to get rid of it by the time she is 2. I am all for it but we will have to wait to see how she takes Baby Brother arriving. I don't want to change too many things at once for her and have bad things happen. She will tell us when she wants "BINKY!!" and it usually is around nap time and bed time. She will search the house if one is not given to her. She will look on the counter, in the dishwasher (I am constantly washing them so chances are very high one is there), in her bed and in my purse or diaper bag. The girl is smart and has figured out all the places I put them. I have started putting them in the middle of the counter to keep her from finding them and having one just because she wants it. Occasionally she will walk out of a room with one. I think she hides them sometimes so she can find them later!
Abilynn has been such a blessing to us and it really is amazing to watch her learn and understand things. Whether good or bad, she learns fast! She has started to parrot what we say and the other day I was talking to JP and said sucky and the rest of the day she said that. She is so cute and makes me smile. I truley LOVE her so much!!

Here is my confession: I am a baby clothes hoarder. It all began about 5 years ago. When I REALLY wanted a baby but we were not successful. I would wander the baby clothes and look at how cute and small they were. Slowly I started purchasing clothes, but my stipulation was it has to be on sale and below $10. Now for any of you who have looked for baby clothes before, you know that finding something under $10 on sale is actually easy, but is it cute? I also started buying only short sleeve shirts because you can always put a sweater on. I also had a total price limit, that even if the clothes were cute I could not spend over that limit.
See not knowing when I would get pregnant and when baby would be due, I did not want to have clothes that I could not use. It also didn't help that I was shopping for others babies a lot at this time, so it was not always my fault. I HAD to go into the baby clothes stores and into the baby department because I was buying gifts for others. (Yes, sounds like someone who has a problem!!)
So this went on and we got pregnant. Then the shopping really began, but I kept to my same rules. Since it takes 18-20 weeks to know what you are having I could not splurge too much. I was also worried about buying too many clothes. (Is there really such thing as too many clothes!? Actually, there is!) As my sister Whitney can attest too, I really had a problem. Well Baby turned out to be girl, and the shopping changed to pink, dresses, shoes, etc. Before Abilynn was born I had to pack away the boy clothes I had accumulated. Turns out I had purchased more then I thought. I filled a 18 gallon tupperware. Into storage it went, and JP never knew!
Then we got pregnant with Baby #2. I did not go shopping this time. I had a 16 month old to push around and even though she is a girl, shopping is NOT her thing! Unless we can be in and out of the store in less then 20 minutes, or I want to hold her for half the shopping experience. I love her very much and she is a GREAT deterrent to keep me away from baby clothes stores and baby departments. (But I must bring up the online shopping issue. The cure for that is clothes just don't look that cute online as they do in the store. Not to mention that sale stuff is cheaper in the store. Remember, I do have a problem that I have had for years so I know my stuff!)
I have picked up stuff here and there for Little Boy but I am trying very hard not to buy too much. Although baby clothes are very cute and small they can only wear so many outfits in one day. They also grow A LOT so they sometimes only wear something once or not at all. I decided it was time to find the baby boy clothes I packed away almost 3 years ago. I have to say, it may have been an 18 gallon tupperware but I did very well at buying a lot of different sizes. (Yes, I am justifying my actions!)
I would like to say that this habit has stopped. For the most part it has. I do search out sale stuff for Abilynn for next season here and there, but I have not filled an 18 gallon tupperware yet. I also have to be careful buying too much for her because she is tall and skinny. Even if she is only 20 months, she is wearing 2T clothing right now and I don't want a tupperware full of clothes that don't fit at all!
It was easier to confess this then I thought! Now I just have to wait for JP's reaction to my baby clothes hoarding. I already have a speech ready (Yes, I am that crazy!). It goes something like this "Yes, I know it is a lot of clothes,, but think about it. I actually saved us money. See we don't have a lot of excess money right now but when I worked full time we did. So I spent some here and there on baby clothes. And yes I knew there was a chance that we might not ever have a baby boy but that does not mean others would not have baby boys and I would need clothing for them. " Pretty good speech, huh!? (Look, I have never, nor will I ever, claim to be normal, or not crazy. In my opinion we are all crazy and normal is whatever you think it is!)

I love to get my calender out and look back at the past year and what we did. Abilynn did A LOT of growing and discovering last year. She also experienced her first broken arm and ear ache, one of which slowed her down and the other didn't even faze her!
We traveled to Yellowstone, Cedar City, Lake Powell, St George, Midway, Las Vegas, Bear Lake and Mesquite. Around town we went to Kennecot, This Is the Place, The Zoo, The Aquarium (many many times), Wheeler Farm, Gateway, and lots of other places I can't think of right now.
We experienced 3 funerals, My 2 Grandfathers, and JP's Aunt. If I don't go to a funeral in 2012 it is totally OK!
JP and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary. Abilynn celebrated her 1st birthday! She also learned to walk, run and talk, and we can't get her to stop either now unless she is sleeping!!
We learned in August we were pregnant with number two and due in April. In September October, November, and December Stephani grew and grew (and am still growing at a faster rate then I would like too!) In November we learned we were having a boy. JP has been VERY excited ever since!!!
Although I love spending time with my little girl, I also tried to have some me time. Me time ended up being between the hours of 10:30 and 11 at night, when I read a book or watch my tv shows. I did get out to some movies with my sisters and hope to have many girl outings this year! (One is already planned, in March we are going to the Kelly Clarkson concert! I will be 38 weeks pregnant and my sister keeps telling me I cannot go into labor at the concert!)
I am excited for 2012. I am also freaking out a little because 2012 is going to bring about a lot of changes, all of the planned changes are good though but overwhelming at times!
Here is to 2012 and to a VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!