Many of my friends have Blackberry phones and sing its praises. My husband and I have been wanting one for a long time now, so when our phone contract ended, we finally made the splurge. My husband is on the road a lot for his job, so he wanted a way to easily access e-mail while on the go. I run around a lot being a reporter, so being able to e-mail from my phone is a nice addition. I can e-mail story updates, or let my producer know how a story is going, without stepping away to make a phone call.

Now, when we got the phones, I was sure that being able to do more from the palm of my hand, would save me time. Now that I actually have it, I’m not convinced. Now, I may just not have mastered what I can do on this phone…. (In fact, I remind myself of my parents with their phones… “How do I write this text? What if I want to…”) but there’s aspects of the blackberry that drive me nuts. I am constantly getting “notified” every time a new junk e-mail comes in, or about a posting on Facebook. I wouldn’t normally take the time to check my e-mail or Facebook as much as my phone likes to “notify” me, so I feel like it’s taking up more time than saving. I’m also not that impressed with how long it takes to connect to the internet or send a message.

Unfortunately, no matter how great an advancement in technology may seem, I feel like in the end, we serve it, rather than it serves us. Think about it… do you ever feel like a slave to your phone/computer? Or that your phone or television recorder (DVR) acts more as a leash than a connection to others? Every now and again, try turning everything off, take a deep breath, lay your head back and feel the freedom/relief that comes with being unconnected.

So, one of my goals before the baby comes is to get my two-year-old (28 months) potty trained. I just really don’t want to be changing two sets of diapers.

I must say, I am a bit discouraged. I bought her a potty chair at about 18 months, just to get her used to sitting on it… so far that’s about as much progress we have made.

I started out just having her sit on it 5 minutes here and there, and giving her a treat for doing so… with the promise of a bigger treat for “going” in her potty. She went one time.

Since then, I bought her a “Potty Power” video, and put up a sticker chart. Each time she “tries” she gets a sticker…. again, with the promise of a treat if she actually goes.

So far, just one “success” since I started that methodl. I have also tried buying a potty seat that goes on the adult toilet. That hasn’t made any difference. So basically, I feel like I have tried everything short of buying her underwear and letting her have accidents.

Now, I know I shouldn’t push it too much… (I’ve heard that can lead to bed-wetting) but it’s especially frustrating because my daughter has been so quick to learn other things. She knew basic sign language at 8 months, knows how to speak in full sentences now, knows several songs, the alphabet, can count to 15  and can do basic tasks on her own. … eat, clean up, put on shoes, brush teeth, etc.

So got any tips for me? Anything I’m doing wrong? I would LOVE to get at least this feat out of the way before baby # 2 arrives!!!

Amidst all the Halloween festivities and fun, our family lost a loved one. My husband’s grandmother died late Tuesday night. She was over 85 years old, but you would never have known it… she was so full of life and spunk. We gathered with family and friends on Friday for her showing, and laid her to rest on Saturday morning.

It’s been really hard on us, because for the longest time, we had been meaning to go and visit her. We still have a family picture set aside for her…

Nick describes the feeling of regret best, in a note he posted on Facebook, just before she died.

Spend time with and visit your loved ones. You never know when it will be your last chance.

It’s been awhile since I last blogged. There’s been so much going on.

Nick and I came back from a short trip to Arizona this week. His twin brother lives there. It was so nice to get away for awhile and soak up some 80 degree weather for a bit! It was hard to leave our two-year old behind with her grandparents, but at the same time, that might be the last time we’re able to get away for awhile with another one on the way!

Speaking of the new one on the way, Nick and I nervously went for an ultrasound Friday afternoon. Of course our first concern was that the baby was healthy and growing appropriately, but our next hope was that the ultrasound would show a boy. Now, we didn’t find out for our daughter, but that was torture for Nick not knowing the first time around, so I let him have his way this time.

I was worried that finding out might take some of the “magic” away from finding out at the time of birth, but finding out this time at the ultrasound, with our daughter right there with us, was still very “magical.” When the nurse quickly said boy, Nick shot up from his chair, while I asked, “How sure are you?”  When she confirmed she was very sure, Nick and I burst into tears!

We feel unbelievably blessed to have our precious little girl, and now a handsome little guy still growing healthy and happy inside. With about four months to go until his arrival, the nesting phase has officially begun. Nick kindly bought me a new Hoover vacuum to assist! I love it! I’ve been battling dirt like a warrior… I feel like Rambo as I switch from one vac attachment to the next… breaking no cleaning stride. Bugs, cobwebs, dust, and dirt, you have not a chance against me and my new Hoover!!!

As I sit here in my office, I’m noticing all the cleaning that I can accomplish in here! Hope I’ve caught you up! Now it’s time to put the cleaning war paint back on and switch on the Hoover…

Waking up to chilly darkness is not fun for me. Sometimes it’s hard for me to believe I was born in this climate, because I find it so hard to acclimate. I am very very sensitve to the cold. Yet, in the summer, I very rarely get too hot. So its obvious that fall and winter are not my favorite seasons.

As the days get shorter and the air starts to cool, I feel my attitude changing right along with the weather. I get “cabin fever” bad. A sense of sadness start to roll over me. I start to think of all the things I didn’t get done or do over the summer and feel like time is passing by way too fast. Where did the summer go?!

Now, I’m pretty sure some pharmaceutical company has come up with a diagnosis for  the depression that appears at this time of year. And I bet they’d be all too eager for me to “ask my doctor about” said pill, but I don’t think I need to dole out hundreds of dollars and mess with my body chemistry over this little issue. What I do need, is to hear from any of you who go through the same thing, and how you beat the fall/winter blues. How should I boost my spirits?

"Blue one"

We just picked this lil’ fishie up at the pet store. My 2-year-old is very creative, so she named the fish “blue one.” I got the idea to buy a fish, after seeing how excited she got when  Elmo would talk to his goldfish on Sesame Street. But we decided this little beta fish was prettier. My husband and I have been wanting to get a dog for a while now, but are just afraid to make the commitment. We know once we get one, it might smell up the house, we would have to get a sitter when out of town, etc. It just seems like too much of a responsibility right now. (We already have a kid and one on the way!) It’s almost like getting another child! I was open to a cat, but Nick isn’t so keen on that idea. He says they just run away and hide from you all the time. I’ve never owned one, so I don’t know… The fish is fine for now.:) What was your first pet? Any suggestions for other small pets that are easy to take care of?

We finally got around to taking Ivie to the new “Nature’s Neighborhood” area at the Toledo Zoo. She had a great time and daddy and mommy did too!

mommy and Ivie

mommy braved the slide

petting the goats

smile lil' bee!

buzz buzz

just got a flower painted on my face!

can't quite reach

that's one tiny elephant!

mommy's turn!

Ivie's favorite-the monkeys!

It’s called Intelligender. It works sort of like a pregnancy test, in that it tests your urine. The test instructions say you can take it after 10 weeks. It has a tube that has crystals on the bottom that supposedly have a chemical reaction once  the urine is mixed in. If the fluid turns an orange color, you’re having a girl. If it turns a green color, a boy. Now the test says that  it’s 82 to 90 percent accurate, but independent studies on the Internet say it has more of  a 62 percent accuracy. Now, I’m a skeptical person, but the chance of having a girl or boy is always 50/50 anyway right? So I don’t put a whole lot of stock in this test, but I thought it would be fun just to see what it said. And as you can see from the pictures below,  the test says BOY!

Again, I’ll have a doctor confirm that before I make any new gender-specific purchases, but it will be fun to see if this test actually worked! What “old wives tail” type tests do you think work? I know one is that if you carry low, and all out front, it’s a boy. Well, that’s how I carried my daughter!!! I even had strangers coming up to me in the grocery store when I was pregnant with her, saying, “That’s gonna be a boy!” WRONG! Now, I did crave sweets with her, which is supposed to indicate girl, and this time I crave salty stuff  (I’m loving me some salt and vinegar chips and french onion soup lately!!!)… so we’ll see if there’s any truth to that one, indicating a boy…

Well, I think it’s about time that I make sure everyone knows I have not been loading up on ho-hos…. my growing belly is baby #2. I am 15 weeks along this week, but still feeling pretty green. Every time I think I’m out of the woods, that nausea/exhaustion just kicks right back in. I don’t remember being sick after 16 weeks with my first child, so hopefully I only feel miserable for just a little longer. (more…)

Something you may not know about me….

I used to be quite fluent in sign language. But, like most things, if you don’t use it, you start to lose it. (more…)