Dum, duh-dum, dum... DUM!

I did it.

I pre-ordered a Kindle. I did it. And I can't believe I did.

I have been adamantly against a Kindle for so many reasons: Primarily? It's not paper. It's not ink. The idea of curling up in bed with an electronic book is... creepy.

BUT, the price is right, the Kindle has been improved and I MISS READING.

I'm thinking that it's the best option for me. I don't go back and forth to the States all that much these days (I blame Lila.) so I don't have a whole lot of access to new books.

And, when I was breastfeeding Lila, my blackberry and I became best friends. I read every news website, facebook status update and twitter post EVERY 2-3 hours for 45 minutes at a time. This next time around with baby 2011, I'm semi-excited about actually reading a book, one-handedly.

So, we'll see how it goes.

Family here!

It's true, my cousin is visiting from Seattle. :) More blogging to come later.

It's clean. It just has a hard time remaining clean.

I feel it's a really good thing that we all (read: me) aren't judged as good people or bad based on the current state of the inside of our microwaves.

Is it me?

Or it is just ridiculously difficult to keep microwaves spic and span?

Overload.

Sometimes I have too much going on on the 'ole computer.

(This is actually a slower day.) Far too many windows. Far too many tasks. Far too many opportunities to become side tracked.

I get it. Multi-tasking is inefficient, but I'm a woman. It's kinda sorta what we do.

Are you a mult-tasker? Does it end up biting you in the you-know-what, too?

Chipper and pleased.

Today is a GOOD day. Here's why:

1.) My imported boxes of stuff that we sent to the importer from Ohio arrived today! And, it appears that the picture frames are all IN TACT and NOT broken!

2.) I ordered Lila another Britax car seat for C.'s car and got free shipping AND saved $63 on the order. Wah-who, for diapers.com.

3.) My drugstore.com order will arrive in time to be brought down from a friend who will be soon arriving from San Diego!

4.) The ONE style of hat that my boss loves was discontinued. We've been trying to find a replacement, to no avail, for months. FINALLY, the manufacturer said that they would manufacture the hats AGAIN for us. YES.

5.) I am FINALLY feeling better!

I tell you what, blogger friends. It's a good day.

Mythbusters (Two Pretzels-style):Nailpolish in the fridge: Beneficial or not?

With the help of Oprah.com (I know, I know... heavy sigh), I found this answer...

Question: Will storing my nail polish in the fridge help it last longer?

Answer: According to Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, executive vice president of OPI, storing polishes in the fridge will slow down the process of discoloration which happens as nail polish ages.

Other answer: Having myriad of flammable glass bottles closed up in a big metal box may not be the smartest move combustibility-wise.

Suggestion: Keep your nail polish in a cool, dry place away from sunlight.

What am I going to do?: No idea. My house is hot. Back under the bathroom sink the polishes go.

Any thoughts on this?

My evening snack

Cake mix cookies with frosting and sprinkles.

Um, yum.


Sent from BlackBerry® Wireless

MexMo: Care to grocery shop with me? Cabo-style?

So I purposely went to the grocery store Monday night, as opposed to Sunday, because traditionally Sundays are MADNESS at the grocery store.

So I come home from work, spend an hour with Lila, put her to bed... then head to the store... and cannot find a parking space. HUH?

Whatever. I find one after I loop a couple of times.

Are there carts? Yes. About 9. Weird.

I walk in and there are people EVERYWHERE. It's crazy. It's Monday night. At 7:30 p.m. Why are all of these people here?!

Anywho...

On my list are tissues. I stumble upon THESE gems.

They are triangular, food-themed Kleenexes.

Watermelon

Chocolate cake. 

(C. told me he was <-----> this close to buying me this one when I was sick last week.)

And my personal favorite... CHEESE.

Um, FANTASTIC.

Moving on. Just a couple more picture-worthy items... Next item on my list? Peanut butter. Oh, how I miss JIF. Care to see our selection?

Yes. Skippy. ALL Skippy. Shelves upon shelves of Skippy. Don't insult me. Don't put Skippy on every shelf. One shelf is sufficient. Four is unnecessary. Face it, grocery store: your peanut butter selection BLOWS.

Next, cake mix. Well, I suppose the cake selection would be FANTASTIC if I wanted to buy yellow cake, yellow cake and yellow cake. Notice: one brand, one flavor and SIX (not even complete) shelves of Betty Crocker yellow cake mix.

And, there were NO EGGS in the store last night. NONE.

NO EGGS. WHAT?!

NO EGGS. (GASP)

--

AND, I did find out why there were a TON of people at the grocery store. As it turns out the grocery store was giving away free chicken... which begs the question, "What is wrong with that chicken that they're dropping it like it's hot to all the locals?"

Hmmmm...

Needless to say, I didn't get in the free chicken line...

Ah, viva Mexico.

Twitter Courtesies.

I've been on (and off) twitter since September of 08. I have a love-hate with it.

Love: Reading my friends updates and random thoughts. Love following along as some people give birth. (A-hem, Nadja.)

Hate: It's just too much. It's just a lot of communication. All the time. Comin' at you. I get that it's "micro-blogging" but I don't like "micro-relationships."

I'm old fashioned. I email someone when one of their tweets interest me. Probably defeats the purpose... Anywho.

I've been updating a bit more recently. Not sure why. (I'm sure it's just a phase.)

I've got some questions.

First, a quick poll:

Do you use twitter?
	Yes. All the time. Love it.
	Yes, but I don't tweet. I just read.
	I used to have an account.
	I have an account, but never use it.
	NEVER jumped on the twitter train.
Free polls from Pollhost.com

Next, some questions:

1.) If someone tweets something... is it twitter protocol to respond? If they're not asking a question? Or, are people merely tweeting and hoping NOT to receive responses? I'm always uncomfortable with this.

2.) I had no idea that people who aren't my followers can comment on my tweets. Why is this?

3.) Why do I have followers that I have never, EVER heard of? What's the point of following me?

4.) Am I supposed to follow them in return? What if I have no desire to follow them?

5.) Is there anyone that is super funny/entertaining/informative that I should be following? Can you recommend?

6.) I have a blackberry and I use ubertwitter to read tweets and respond. One thing I can't stand? All my news sources tweet FAR too much and clog up my time line. Suggestions?

7.) Is twitter going to stick around? Do most people have a love/hate with it, too? What's your prediction?

You can follow me here.

Lila Lunes: Sick & talking

 Showing us how much she loves her mobile/in-crib-plasma.

(I'm still not ready to stop the Lila Lunes updates. I may decrease them, but keep looking for them here and there...)


Q. How's Lila?
A. She's a bit under the weather. I think I gave her my bad cold. Poor baby. But, she' still smiling.

Q. What are Lila's current faves?
A. Lila cannot get enough of the sweet potato bites her Daddy makes for her. She literally stuffs six in her mouth at a time (she hasn't learned "moderation" just yet).

She also started liking Michael Buble's, "Haven't met you yet." She heard it in Toledo and we taped him on Saturday Night Live this past weekend and showed it to her on Sunday. She's in heaven.

She also really loves her Ferg.

Q. Is there walking happening?
A. Steps here and there. Still, she refuses to walk unless we're a.) holding at least one of her hands or b.) 2 steps away from her.

She is definitely taking her time.

Guess what? As it turns out, Lila talks all the time.

See below...

And the crazy hair?  We're growing her bangs out and she refuses to keep barrettes in lately.





Love that kid.

Ode to soft scrub.

In this day and age of non-toxic cleaners I find myself feeling somewhat guilty regarding my adoration for soft scrub.

Don't think less of me...

...but I love the smell. I love how well it cleans. Every time. I use it solely in our sinks and I love it.

P.S. I also love the smell of bleach.

...And then there really were Two Pretzels...

'Tis my opinion that unplanned surprises are often times the sweetest.

The question has been posted on this blog if C. and I were going to try for another baby; a sibling for my sweet pickle, Lila Ross.

We absolutely wanted to give it a whirl. We know what a gift siblings are and that we absolutely would want Lila to grow up with a counterpart. I mean, as she gets older she's going to need to vent to someone about how crazy we are.

We figured we'd start trying after Lila was a year old and would take into account how long it took us to have our first child. We already figured we'd give clomid a shot again, since it just so happened to work for us pretty darn well the first time.

I had reservations about starting to try again. Infertility runs so very rampant today; especially secondary infertility and I think having gone through a bit of a struggle once and having witnessed the struggles of others, I am and will always be especially sensitive.

That said...

(Do you know where I'm going with this?)

Around mid-May I decided that I needed to start working out in the morning. Why? Because working out after work, in the crazy Cabo heat, was a bit too much for me.

So, I got up one morning and did Kenpo X.

Later that day, I told C., "This is INSANE. I get up ONE morning to work out and I'm literally EXHAUSTED. Like, can't-keep-my-eyes-open-exhausted."

The next day I was tired.

AND the next day.

And then the day after that, I thought… "Hmmm… I need to take a nap."

…

…

I don't really TAKE naps.

<insert quizzical-head-scratching-moment>

Inner monologue: "This is weird. I feel really tired… this feels a lot like how I felt when I was pregnant for Lila. Perhaps I should probably take a pregnancy test."

…

So I put off taking a test for several days then decided to take an old one I had lying around.

At approximately 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, May 23rd C. and I found out that we were going to be parents.

Again.

Then after 3 more tests within a several day period, it was confirmed.

(I like to be sure.)

And, after we heard the heartbeat and saw the little gummy bear on the ultrasound it was further confirmed that there is definitely a little being hanging out in my mid-section.

In fact, would you like to see him or her?




This little one is super-active, like a little popcorn. And, sort of resembles Mr. Peanut...

Content sigh...

--
It's true.
I'm pregnant.
Again.
With the aid of no drugs.
And, for the first time EVER without actually trying.
No basal body temping.
No charting.
No timing.
No nothing.

As it turns out, we've been blessed. Hugely.

--

Lila and her baby brother or baby sister will be 19 months apart. Which I think is totally do-able. (Right? Right?)

--

I am 12.5 weeks pregnant... and as you may have noticed on yesterday's post (on the pantry door), this baby is due in 2011. On January 30th.

I think this little sweetie pie looks perfect already...

More details to come...

(Bring on your questions! I plan on writing a follow-up post this weekend.)

Onward into the second trimester I joyfully skip…

:)
kb

Who doesn't love birthdays?

As it turns out, we were once friends...
(Oh, the memories...)
Then we became sisters. (How crazy/cool is that?)
--
Happy Birthday, sweet Nadja.
--
I hope that your birthday is wonderful and that you are surrounded by love.
You're a phenomenal woman (and Mommy) and friend and sister.
--
I'm so glad you were born.
--

Nah. Maybe next time.

If I had a dollar for every time I tried composting, I'd serioiusly have at LEAST $821.00.

--

The story: I eat a lot of eggs. And I love hard-boiled eggs. And it never fails, every time I peel them I think to myself, "I should really start composting."

Then I start.

Then it smells.

Then I quit.

Anticipation.

Oh, how I have missed Sterling Cooper Draper Price.

This Sunday.

It's on.

Cannot WAIT.

(Holy cannoli. Where did  Joan Holloway's (Christine Hendricks) curves go?!?! Sad. I say that with the least amount of pervy-ness. I was just shocked when I saw this.)

Yep. We're really that boring.

We're trying to figure out which shade of "beige" is the right shade of beige to paint our walls.

And we're thinking about buying a station wagon.

--

The latter statement is false, but seriously - are we that boring that we're considering BEIGE?

Here's the answer: YEP.

Our house here in Los Cabos ain't all that huge. We have 3 beds, 2 full baths and a combined living room/dining room/kitchen area.

We LIVE in the living room/dining room/kitchen area. And the color on the walls is driving me CRAZY.

When we moved here from O-Hi-O we craved NEUTRAL. Our house in Ohio was fantastic. And colorful. And modern. With clean lines. And great art. And quirky decor.

In Cabo, we're the complete opposite.

Yeah, we attribute part of this change to the fact that many of our belongings are in two storage units in Ohio, but we also just wanted something different.

Now, we're earth-tones with traditional Cabo-style washed walls that we actually PAID for. Loved 'em at first. HATE them now. 

Here's a snapshot of the 'ole house.

It's messy during the day. We have a one-year-old.

(Do you like how Lila's posing and Ferg is less than a foot from her?

Click to make larger

Another view, sans staging.

Again, who has time for that?

So, see that clock that is above the couch? It's going to be moved to the small wall above the area above the chair.  And those frames?

They, along with about 10 more of all shapes, colors and sizes are going to be moved to the hallway.
The beach and pool signs will be moved to the courtyard.

 And... we need something else to go above the couch.

I REALLY like these from West Elm... but they're ALREADY sold out. And they're new.  I'm heartbroken. But I'm giving it time. I hope they're available again... (See here.) I'd like 5-7 of them.

I also really like this as potential back-up. It's fancy. (And available here.)

AND, I want a new rug but cannot FIND one that is less than $5,000 that I love. It needs to have a pattern and be ABSOLUTELY ok with high-traffic and a baby who leaks her sippy cup everywhere.

--

Care to see our new chalkboard pantry door? We had a chalkboard in our old house and we missed it.

SO, from you - dear friends, I need assistance.

POR FAVOR... suggest some online shopping for me, please. I feel like we've looked everywhere.

I need ideas. I need good shoppin'. I need something that will last us for a little while; not forever. Unfortunately, Cabo isn't forever.

THANK YOU for your assistance and I shall keep you updated on our progress. (Pronounced "PROgress.")

Lila Lunes Miercoles:My sweet baby is growing up

 As it turns out, we're living with a small adult. Ok, we're at least living with a small child.

Q. What are Lila's specs?
A. Today she is 13-months-old. She still doesn't weigh 20 lbs... but we attribute that to the fact that she was sick for about 5 days recently. She is still crawling but is perfecting the one-armed-walk and standing on her own. She has absolutely taken a few first steps but then sits down quickly because she's a far more efficient crawler than walker.

Q. What are Lila's favorite things right now?
A. Petal, her bunny. Ferg, her dog. And her "wheels-on-the-bus" school bus that she proceeds to pick up and throw down over, and over, and over again.

Q. What else is Lila doing?
A. On Monday I told her to pick up her baby and give her a kiss... and she did it. She loves her baby. And kisses her. She absolutely knows the names of items now! Ask her to pick up Petal, she will. Ask her where Ferg is, she'll find her... and pet her. Ask her if she wants some milk, she nods.

That's Lila and her baby.

Q. How is eating going?
A. GREAT! We're pretty much in the, "you-can-eat-anything" stage and it's easy. And fun. She still really hearts cheerios a lot.  As that girl wrote in the Owens bathroom stall, "Who don't?"

Q. Is teething over?
A. Um, no. I think it's far from over. She just got her fifth tooth... a "first molar," I believe. Let's just say we KNEW that it was coming. Poor baby. And, let's just say that I think it's her first molar. She gives me .3 seconds to actually see what's going on in there.

Q. Is Lila talking?

 A. She babbles all of her waking hours. It's true. (Not sure where she gets that...) And, she says "DaDa" QUITE emphatically. She also continues to say, "Fergie" and "Yeah." Unfortunately, she doesn't say, "Mama" all that much. That's ok, I have plenty of time to hear my name, I think. She DOES try to say, "Lizzy" (my sister's dog) and "Libby" (her Mimi's dog) and just about everything else.

Q. Any current favorite products?
A. Yep, we're a fan of these Nuby Sports sippers. We're trying to get Lila to understand how to use a straw-like cup, but she's not getting it. They're on amazon for $2.99. We got ours at Target in a two-pack. Selling point for me: they don't leak!

We're attempting to train the Cupcake to use the Safe Sippy (see below) that we got for 1/2 price off at Buy, Buy Baby in Columbus. (As recommended by my cousin.) It stays COLD for a significant period of time. (Important here.). On amazon.

Ok, here are just a few pictures...

Lila has her Daddy's skin. She's sweet and skeeters love her.

How cute is this smile?

 Lila has conquered the fear of her chair.

She likes to sit in it. WITH her babies, of course.

Or, by herself.

(I love that I don't have to pose her. She does it herself.)

 She's also using the chair to get to bigger and better things.

Yep, the candlesticks were moved.

All decor is about 1.5 ft. above Lila's head at this point...

Lila also upgraded to the 'ole big girl car seat. (Thank you, G.C. for this! It's wonderful!)
She REFUSES to be contained in her infant seat any longer. As you can see, she kind of loves it.

Here she is sitting side-saddle.

Then side-saddle, legs out.

And a quick look.

 And, my absolute FAVORITE picture of the week.

Again, completely not posed.

And, we're out.

kb&lb