Yorkies...

And my Mom has more yorkies for sale. :)

AKC registered

5 lbs when full grown

nice thick coat

guaranteed healthy

$500 males $750 female

will be ready by Easter

raised in my home

up to date on all vaccinations

no known genetic problems
mom & dad on premisis

My Mom is an animal lover and is truly one of those breeders who does it because she loves them. Let me know if you have ANY questions. (She'll be in Ohio in April for my showers...)

If you're interested, email me here.

Blogging to come...

Sorry! Friends are in town. I've got work to do.
I shall write more later.

Produce Report: Yep. Still an eggplant.

As it turns out, I may either be in the third trimester this week or next or the next. There appears to be some confusion as to when the twighlight zone third trimester begins. (Every book/website says something different.) And, unwilling to be labeled I shall plow forward gracefully (yeah right, "gracefully") into these next weeks of pregnancy no matter what the trimester.

So, what's the eggplant doing the week?

She's weighing in (apparently) at over 2 lbs. and all of her internal organs are continuing to mature. Most exciting though is that usually around 27/28 weeks the eyelids will open. I can't wait to see those peepers.

Ok, the Q & A:

Q. How are you feeling?
A. Stupendous. Seriously, pretty good. I am noticing that sometimes either after I'm done working out or while I'm working out my stomach tightens a bit. Are these braxton hicks? I'm not sure. I've never been pregnant before. Are they painful? No. Do they scare me? Not so much.

Q. Let's talk about birthing the eggplant.
A. While I'd prefer that she's remain the size of an eggplant for the duration of our sharing a body and I while I am keenly aware of medications I can take that sometimes caution against low birth weights - I'm thinking it's not going to happen. She will continue to grow and I will not do anything to lower her at-birth size.

That said, I've reached a turning point.

No kidding.

I'm ok with giving birth. (gasp!) As in, I understand what needs to happen and I'm ok with it. I understand how her body will leave my body (naturally or via c-section) and I'm ok with either exit plans. I carry no expectations except that she will be healthy and that God has Lila and I in the palm of His very capable hands.

Q. Do you have ANY fears?
A. I could lie and say, "Absolutely not." But as I said, that would be a lie. As I told my sister this week, I have two fears: the first is hemorrhaging.

I know it just doesn't happen in this day and age, but fears aren't based on reality now are they? I shall put that fear in a box in my brain and put a lid on it.

The second fear is the actual epidural being inserted into my spine. I shall just end there. (Yes, this from the person who during her lifetime has pierced their belly button, nose and tongue.)

Q. What if Lila looks um... a little bit...um...not cute when she's born?
A. I'm coming to terms with this, too. Bottom line? I was bald until I was like 18 mos. old. And I had stick-out ears. (Better to hear you with, my dear.)

I expect that Lila will be my adorable little spider monkey and I welcome it.

I know she'll be RIDICULOUSLY perfect to me. I just hope she doesn't have a cone head. If she does, I'm preparing myself and am currently crocheting this hat for her. (I'm serious.)

Q. Any weird body changes you'd like to discuss?

A. Well since you asked... yep. Did you know that your RIBS actually spread (just like your hips do) when you're pregnant? It's crazy. I can actually feel how far they've moved.

Q. How much weight have you gained?
A. First off, I'll be honest - the gaining-o-the-weight hasn't been easy. I shall clarify, GAINING the weight is a CINCH, wrapping my brain around it isn't. I can't hide behind sweatshirts and jeans and winter coats, it's 85 degrees here during the day. And, I don't ever want to give into the, "You're eating for two" excuse. I've heard from FAR too many first-time-Moms who regret that. So, so far I've gained 17 lbs.

My cousin made a valid point this week. It's really hard to watch the scale continue to creep up when you continue to work out and be "healthy." However, at some point, as a woman carrying a BABY it's vital that I say, "I'm growing a healthy baby!" I'm not just gaining weight for the fun of it.

I'm wrapping my brain around that and going from there. I'm terrified of excess and my propensity towards it. (I just ate two bowls of multigrain cheerios for lunch...) but I shall continue to chant, "I'm growing a HEALTHY BABY.")

Ah well.

Moving on.

So, I'm looking for a cool girly first-year baby book. Any website suggestions? This is one of those things I cannot WAIT to buy for my daughter. (Ha! I just WROTE, "daughter!" Me? A mom? Right. My Mom's a mom.)

To finish, here's me this past week with my BFF Fergie Lupita. (Now THAT is one cute dog, no?)


And here's me on Saturday. (Yep, the boys XL wife beaters are getting somewhat short.) My stomach is OUT there. There's no questioning the pregnancy at this point. 


And there's Lila. (That's my Old Navy non-pregnancy skirt purchase. Thank GOODNESS for elastic.) That's also my new fern in the background. It is very happy under my tree. That makes me happy. (It appears that I'm smuggling a basketball... better than grapes, I suppose.)


And, here's a painting I finished for Lila's room this past week. We's just paintin' fools in this casa.


Two Pretzels out.

Blogger Hint

Hey ya'll blogger users. Have you backed up your blog lately?

There are some random websites that do it for you, but you can also go into your blog easily once a week and handle it yourself.

Just log in and go to "settings" and click on, "export blog."

It'll save your blog as a Blogger export file (.xml) file which can be kept as a backup on your hard drive or imported into another blog.

YAY!

Trophy Life is coming to Cabo today! YAY!
Then our friend Anna tomorrow.

YAY! YAY! YAY!

(That image cracked me up.)

(Blogging may be spot

I suppose it's true.

There is joy in all.
—Anne Sexton

American Idol: He deserved to go.

Michael Sarver was not all that great...
I suspect that Anoop or Scott are next.

For the men, I like Matt Giraud.
For the women, I like the 16-year-old Allison.

Ferg Friday

And here's the Ferginator wearing her bone like a bracelet.
Because she's that stylish.

And here she is.
Smiling.
Because she's that cute.

MexMo: Huh?

I just had to change my password for my online electricity account here in Meh-hee-coe so that I could access my bill.

Like with all websites, I typed in my username and they sent me an email with a temporary password.

Care to know what it was?

Password : 0c]zT.l>_M=rph

WHAT?!

Only in Mexico.

I can't wait to be 48.

First we saw Julia Louis-Dreyfus on the cover of Shape looking amazingly fit.

Now, Valerie Bertinelli showing off her Jenny Craig bod on the cover of People.

Who's next?

I nominate Helen Mirren.
These women look phenomenal.

Yet another cute bag.

I believe I'd like this.
It's the Green Nylon Whitney Handbag.

I'm a big fan of the color.
And, just CONSIDER all of the cute Vera accessories you could get for it.
I told C. this is a possible birthday gift for me.

Congrats to t.w.i.t.!

Did ya'll read her twitter update? The baby's here...

...

Today C. and I have been married for 5 years and 5 months.

Right before Lila is born in June - we'll celebrate being together for 12 years.

I tell you what, all is well with the world.

Clearly digestive issues run rampant in the U.S.

I'm the daughter of an earth muffin.
All the while growing up we used alternative meds and probiotics (before they were cool. That's just the way we roll...) before turning to generally accepted meds like acetaminophen, antibiotics, etc.

I swear by Vitamin E.
I couldn't live without lysine.
I take a multivitamin every day.
Vitamin C does wonders.
And I adore essential oils like lavender and eucalyptus.
(This list goes on and on. You should see my vitamin drawer.)

That said - I understand the benefits of eating well in order to keep your body functioning well. (No, that doesn't explain my bowl of chocolate and vanilla ice cream with crunched up Reese's cup eggs on top that I ate for second dinner last night. I'm pregnant. That explains that.)

WHAT is the deal with America's obsession with their colons?

(I know that was just too much for some of you to read. I would imagine my brother more than likely just thought, "Ok, Ky. Do you really have to say 'colons'?" hee hee.)

But seriously, every U.S. commercial is either about:

1.) Saving money and buying products that are the most budget-effective

-or-

b.) Righting a wronged digestive track.

Metamucil. Fiber. Dannon Activia.

WHAT is the problem? Why, oh why, are your colons so unhappy?

I think the president is dodging the largest issue in the country. It ain't AIG or bailout cash. It's about digestive regularity and "bifidus regularis."

I have a solution.
Move to Mexico. Buy ceviche or a burrito from a street vendor selling his tasty dishes off the tailgate of his truck.

Catch my drift?

You'll be fine.

Etsy buys

Ferg will be sporting not one, but TWO new collars soon.

As made by TeenyTinyCollars, our friends over at the DMP blog.

Super cute, no?
Buy you're own. There's a great selection.

(If you live in MX and want one, let me know - you can ship them to my MIL's address and I'll bring them back with me mid-April.)

FYI: If you've emailed my yahoo account...

If you've emailed my yahoo account in the past few weeks and have NOT received a response from me, that's because I accidentally deleted your email and it's gone forever.

SO - please re-email me.

It's a long story.

Thank you.

MexMo: Perspective.

There's been mucho talk in the news about the "dangers" of vacationing in Mexico lately.
I thought it would be worth it to point out exactly where I live in relation to the disturbances.
See the map below.

Take note of where Los Cabos is.
It's on the Baja Peninsula. It's actually located in the State of Baja California Sur (South) at the very tip of the Baja. (Go ahead. Click on the map.)

Note: It's not on mainland Mexico.

Do you see San Diego? We're approximately 800 miles (1200 km) from the border.

Ok now also take note of the location of other popular spring break destinations: Cancun & Puerta Vallarta. Just so you know.

To sum up, we're far from the "craziness".

Word verification is bordering on lude.

I was making a comment on my SIL's blog, Two Peas in my Pod, and this was the word verification.

Hee hee.

I tell you what... the vimrod below made me laugh... then this. 

Monday is shaping up to be pretty entertaining.

This made me laugh out loud.

Produce Report: The second week-o-the-eggplant

I'm 26 weeks today! I have just one more week and then I enter the (!!!) third trimester. (Read that like, "...the twilight zone". Do-do-do-do. Do-do-do-do.)

I'd like to point out that I have less than 100 days (98) until Lila's supposed to be here. What weirds me out is that it could be less than 98 days. Like say, 80. I don't want to be cheated those 18 days. I need prep time.

So what's going on with Lila this week? Her veins are becoming more visible under her skin and she can hear a lot more of what's going on and may jump when she hears something that surprises her.

Like, "Craig, what do you want for dinner? I'm happy to cook!"

Let's dig in, shall we?

Q. How did this week go?
A. Pretty well. We had family from Saturday to Saturday and therefore were social every night (and sometimes day!) this week. I thought I'd be uber-tired, but Lila and I did well. We had fun. Plus, there was food there - so that's always a good thing.

Q. What did you do with the guests?
A. Ate. And, we hung out at the all-inclusive with them for about 3 days. Yes. I still wore my two-piece. Yes, people looked at me like, "Really? Is she pregnant? She's got to be. Oh, yeah...that's her second plate of food. She is."

Here's Lila and I. And C's hands.

Q. Any changes in Lila this week?

A. I believe my baby girl had the hiccups last night. It was cute. Again, odd that someone other than myself was physically moving my belly. But I swear, I love, love, love feeling her move.

And, it's fun because now other people can touch my belly (you know, random strangers, whom I welcome...) to feel her dancing around.

Q. Any breakdowns this week?
A. Funny that you ask.

Let's talk cribs.

About 2 months ago, I found a crib that I wanted. One that was highly rated on consumerreports.org. and on the company's website. One that was not hugely obtrusive, but old fashioned and cute and solid and sturdy.

Then, it became unavailable online on Friday.

I cried.

Yes, you read that correctly.

I emailed people for support. (Because it's the technology age.) My cousin called the Land of Nod by her house in Chicago. Gone. No more. Never going to be again.

(It took me two months to settle on this crib, I mentioned that - right?)

Then... another friend from Chicago (Thank you H.!) told me that the EXACT same crib from the Land of Nod (which she owns) was made by a more affordable company for The Land of Nod. She learned in some baby bargains book it's the EXACT same crib. As in the EXACT same.

SO, all is well. My tears have dried.

Here's the crib. It's old-fashioned and not enormous. (Which I like.) Just a simple Jenny Lind. (The casters on the crib legs will be removed. They're ugly.)
Q. What does the bedding look like?
A. Here it is. I liked the dresses. I think we're going to do pink walls. I wanted yellow, but I'm not sure. We shall see.

C. and I are in agreement that Lila will be smothered in pastels until she's old enough to tell us she hates them.


And now for the sweetest gift ever.


Lila's Daddy made it for her room.
It's a heart for each of us.
Um. Love him.

--
Ok! That's all.
I shall write more when I've entered the third trimester... (Do-do-do-do. Do-do-do-do.)

MexMo: I truly wonder

In all of my life, I have never been more continuously surprised/annoyed by the overall lack of concern for the physical presence of others' as when I moved to Los Cabos.

As a child I learned how to say, "Excuse me." To not walk directly in front of someone but instead, let them pass. To not reach across someone to retrieve something, but instead to politely ask for it or better yet - have patience and wait.

Most importantly, I would NEVER stand less than 12 inches behind someone in line at the grocery store. Standing TWO INCHES behind someone is NEVER acceptable.

Every now and then, living here drives me crazy.

"Pardon."

"Excuse me."

UGH.

So how do YOU use twitter?

I do enjoy twitter, however I find that I'm not utilizing it to what I assume is its' full mobile-capacity.

Meaning = getting on my computer to send a quick random thought isn't going to happen.

Getting on my computer to read someone else's quick random thought isn't going to happen.

Is there a mobile option? Aside from text messaging?

Please let me know how you use twitter. (Do you log in to the homepage and check randomly throughout the day? Tell me.)

Nice reminder for today.

The beautiful is everywhere.

―Fernand Léger

Open letter to the Gap.

Dear Gap/Old Navy/Banana Republic/Piperlime,

Allow me to offer a suggestion.

As a frequent online shopper I rely on the accuracy and ease-of-use of your various sites nearly daily. (I have debit receipts to prove it. And a husband who says, "Um... it may be time to lay off the online shopping.")

I appreciate that I can shop at all four of your stores at one time and pay just one shipping charge. KUDOS.

I do however have a suggestion regarding the items within your site.

Allow us consumers to actually rate/critique our purchases. You know? Just like target, amazon and the others.

Now, I know that you're attempting to be a titch more "up scale" (whatever, you're the Gap -- not Dior) than the big-box online folks I just mentioned, but the bottom line is that this is the perfect opportunity for your customers to underscore their love for various products. And, well - call you out on ones that suck.

Like the maternity jeans I just bought in the size YOU recommended but when I try them on I can't get past my butt. I looked for THIRTY minutes for a zipper. (Who doesn't put a button OR a zipper in maternity pants? The only way I could actually wear these jeans if is I cut them at the seam and then sewed them on my body. Who has time for that?)

Had some caring consumer reported that the actual overcoming of one's thighs/butt may be an obstacle in actually wearing these pants, I may have thought twice and purchased something else. Thus saving myself time, effort and a $6 return fee.

(Here are said pants.) Cute? Yes. Wearable? No.

So, Gap/Banana/Old Navy/Piperlime - trust your consumers. Let us have a voice.

Sincerely,
A pregnant woman who's butt is clearly getting bigger

Ferg Friday

Sometimes you just need to lay in your pink camouflage bed with your black purse with pink hearts on it on your arm.

Sometimes it's just one of those days...

(NOTE: This is the bed that's in our bathroom. She sits in it as she waits for us to finish. And for Ferg, the smaller the bed, the better.)

That Martha...

These are Martha's dogs' bowls. (Of course they are.)


If you'd like to see some additional "details in her kitchen", please click here.

Question of the Day

Do you think foamy hand soap cleans as effectively as the regular 'ole standard liquid hand soap?

(This dispenser cracked.me.up. I may get it for the house.)

Thank you, God.

I'd like to give a shout out to God who I know had a hand in creating chocolate light Silk soymilk.

Way.to.go.

Well, now there's a plan.

A day of note.

Sister, you are a part of my heart.

I love and treasure you and will for always.
I'm so glad you were born and I am thankful for the day of your birth.
I love you to the moon and back.
--
Love,
Ky

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Did you make your very own St. Patrick's Day cupcakes decorated with a "sprig or two of clover atop" like Martha did?

Yeah.

Me neither.

Produce Report:She's an eggplant for the next 4 weeks!

(Craig just peeked at my computer screen and commented, "She's an eggplant this month?! THAT'S BIG!")

Indeed, dear husband... it ain't small.

This week little Lila is figuring out how to blink (which will benefit her in her outside-utero life hugely.) How fun.

Q. Whose uterus is allegedly the size of a soccer ball?

A. Me! Me! This floored me. A softball? Ok. Do-able. A soccer ball? WHAT?!

Q. So how far along ARE you?

A. I'm 25 weeks. This means that I have a mere 15 weeks until Lila's here. This also means that I haven't had a glass of wine since October and I probably won't be having a glass of wine until the end of June/beginning of July. So, is my glass half full or half empty? You decide.

Q. Which trimester are you in?

A. I'm still chillin' in the 2nd trimester and feeling good. I'm considered to be in my sixth month and I'm just 2 weeks away from being in the third and final trimester. (INSANE.)

Q. So, what happened this week?

A. My belly became VERY obvious. (See below.) I mean, really obvious. I'm pretty pleased to no longer be in the, "I-thought-you-were-getting-fat-but-I-didn't-want-to-say-anything" stage and am settling nicely into the, "...So-when-are-you-due" stage.

*NOTE: I literally had a co-worker say to me last week, "I had no idea you were pregnant. I just thought you were getting fat. You used to be skinny, but then I said to myself, 'Kylee is getting fat', I mean...really fat. Just fat."

I counted.

She said, "fat" four times.

Wow.

Moving on.

Q. So how are you feeling?

A. I'm feeling pretty kosher still. (I converted last week.) My back is another story. I'm noticing that this eggplant is affecting my posture in weird ways. Usually by the end of the day I'm ready for a nice dessert and some quiet time with HP. ("HP" is my lovely-dovey nickname for my "Heating Pad.")

Q. How is Craig feeling?

A. Let me ask him.

Me: "Craig, how are you feeling at this point in the pregnancy?"

C: "I'm really excited. I think you're insanely cute."

:-)

I can only WISH and PRAY that all of you experience the blind (as a bat) support of a loving husband. Seriously, I hope Lila finds her C. one day.

Q. Did you finish registering!?

A. For the most part! I still have some stuff to add, but I'll get to it later. (Yep. I've been saying that for two months.)

Q. Do you have anything random to say?
A. Always.

So I was watching American Idol this past week and there are two contestants who have babies at home that they're "singing for." They're all, "I'm doing this so (fill-in-the-blank) has a better life even though it's SOOO hard to be away from (fill-in-the-blank)."

It occurred to me that Lila is probably never going to have to worry about me being away from her as I compete in a SINGING contest.

As if.

Q. So, have done any more shopping lately?

A. Yes. I recently bought the following.

Yep. Gap maternity (no panel) SALE jeans. ($34.99). Buy here. I will not be wearing the grey sweater or boots with them.
I also bought a non-maternity old navy dress and skirt. Cute. Fit. Happy.

Ah! I finished my baby blanket Friday night. I'm pretty content with how it turned out. I started the green squares LONG before I was pregnant in the hopes that one day I'd make a baby blanket for myself. Then, as soon as I got pregnant, I started on the white squares. Then, after I found out it was a girl - on to the pink and grey squares. At the last minute I threw in the blue. Just thought they were fun.

(That was far too long of an explanation. Sorry.)

The finished blanket.
(My favorite part is the ruffled trim.)

A close-up.

The Ferginator. Trying it out, of course.

And FINALLY, I MUST share with you the sweetest little gift ever. It's from our cousin M. in Toledo. (LOVE YOU, MICK! Miss you, too.) How cute is this?

And yes, those are Ferg's paws on it.
She absolutely must touch EVERYTHING that belongs to La, La, La Lila.

Ok.
Out until next week.