Red Rawlins

Paint Days

2011-12-13T13:32:00.001-07:00

One of the biggest and best rewards for Scarlett is painting. The girl LOVES to paint. Grammy is really good at having fun pictures and things, so non-school days have been labeled "paint days". We have also been battling the sniffles around here making everyone a whole lot more tired, and as we painted I noticed her brush strokes getting slower and slower until it stopped moving all together.

developments

2011-12-04T10:24:00.000-07:00

Ellie got her other top front tooth and is leaps and bounds happier... if you though that was possible! She is such a happy, sweet girl. Yesterday she learned how to climb down from the little kiddie bench she kept getting herself stuck on top of. Joe and I went and saw the Forgotten Carols on Thursday night. It was a lovely play. I was a little starstruck with Michael Mclean. I have been singing along to his CDs for so so many years, that to see him in the flesh was exciting. I was in the second row. I could have bought something and had him sign it, but the show really ran on late! Once it was over they still did like 4 more songs. I think he would be wiser to just let the show end and give people time to buy merch. Still though, I'm glad I saw it. Looks like they will be in AZ closer to Christmas, not too late to see it yourself!

Well its Sunday morning and church starts in half an hour, so if I am going to wrangle up Scarlett and convince her to go, I had better get a move on.

Lots of love, and anticipation for being in AZ in a few weeks!

-Red

Holy Cow, Time flies, but cows...don't.

2011-11-28T15:52:00.000-07:00

So as hard as it is to believe, we have been in utah for 6 months now! Eloise turned one year old on 11/6. Joe and I will celebrate our anniversary on the 10th of December, making it 6 years since we were married, and Scarlett Paige will turn 5 exactly one week later. My birthday is the day prior. I will be 27 years old... How the heck did that happen? Seems like yesterday I was turning 24... where does the time go?

Anyway, the past week has brought with it truckloads of turkey along with truckloads of sickness. Day after thanksgiving I had (what I thought at the time was) food poisoning. Saturday I felt mostly better and attended our Maestas family Thanksgiving. Last night when I went to put Eloise down for bed, she puked all over me. Made for a rough night, and today has been very off as well. Eloise refuses to nap, has had one loose stool today, and is very cranky. Scarlett is being a pill too, so maybe she is coming down with something too. I pray she doesn't get the throwing up thing... as I HATE that most. I was so grateful it was a school day, even if its a short day, because Ellie demanded all of my attention while she was gone. Looks like Eloise is getting her energy back, cause she is playing all over the place right now.

My good news is: We will be in AZ for Christmas. I'm hoping to get there in time for the caroling party on the 16th, but I'm not sure that will happen... Hopefully we can finalize all plans this week. If you want to get together let me know. I'm thinking to do a little birthday shindig at the Peter Piper Pizza for me and Scar while we are down.

My Mother in Law bought me 2 tickets to The Forgotten Carols by Michael McLean for my Christmas gift this year... I have never seen it, and am a HUGE McLean fan. Its on the 1st. I've convinced my Dear Husband to come with me, and Im truly excited for this date night out sans dear daughters.

Thats all I have to say now, oh, except that my wonderful husband got me a keyboard, which has brought me to having NO good excuse not to blog more regularly, here's hoping this is true. Love to all and hopefully you will here from me again in a day or so.

XOXO,

Red

School days

2011-09-08T10:26:00.001-07:00

Scarlett started school last week. She is attending a special Ed afternoon preschool inside a local elementary school here in Lehi.

The school bus picks her up at around 1130 and brings her home around 350.

This is her off on her first day.

It proved to be a tough first day. But the second day went a lot better and she arrived home happy.

Today we are preparing for day 3 after the holiday. She is supposed to go 3 days a week: M, TH, F. I have already noticed a huge improvement in her temperament.

We are all well and doing fine here. I'm grateful for picking up a ton of clothes at the local kid2kid for only $10 total in the stuff a bag sale including that cute cherry vest and skirt :) sending my love to all. -Red

Ellie on the go

2011-09-02T14:16:00.001-07:00

Our Ellie is growing so fast and curious about everything.

Finally something to say.

2011-08-14T18:03:00.001-07:00

The constant changing, twisting turning course of events that is my life, have brought us to this point.

We now live in Utah. Lehi, Utah. A place with red trees, bushes, and SEASONS! In my in-laws basement. They are very kind to us and help keep us fed. Joe continues to do his best to find work to keep him busy, but that has not been extremely plentiful lately. We are grateful not to be stressed over looming rent due. We will stay here until the house sells and then try and find a place nearby to keep Scarlett at the same school (assuming it goes well at this school).

Scarlett will be attending Sego Lily Elementary end of the month. They have a special ed preschool that she qualifies for. They are going to take her existing IEP (individual education plan) that was worked up in Tempe, here, and then will re-evaluate in 6 weeks or so to add/remove/adjust her services to fit her needs. I know she is anxious about school, but when I told her the mean kid in her primary class will not be in her class at school, she experienced a great sigh of relief.

The stake here had a clothing exchange on Saturday, and we got some pants and a few shirts for Scarlett and Ellie, and on the way home I passed a yard sale that had really nice clothes in scoobys size for $1 a piece, So i am feeling pretty good about at least having something to dress her in for school. We also found her a hello kitty backpack at walmart that she loves. I've told her she isnt allowed to wear her princess shoes (payless bogo BLESS THEM) until she starts school... she is ever so impatient to be able to jump around with flashing lights.

Scarlett LOVES taking care of her "Ellie Sister". And Eloise truly appreciates every funny thing Scarlett does. I think she loves having such a captive audience. This day, she begged me to let her feed Ellie, it was so sweet.

Eloise is a crawling fool. She favors her left leg to push herself around while she crawls forward, and uses her right leg to "steer" lol. she is so happy to have the additional mobility... its keeping the floor clean enough that is the trick. She can see every microscopic speck on the floor and is after it like lightning! She also LOVES to eat paper and cardboard, much to my dismay. She is already in 12 month and even some 12-18mo clothes.

Joe's birthday is next week on the 23rd. He'll be 31.

My mother in law signed me up for doTERRA, the essential oils company, and I am so in love with these products! For those of you who enjoy all natural and healthy things, this is RIGHT UP YOUR ALLEY. let me know if you'd like more information! I'm going to be starting up another blog just for that called inlovewithoils.blogspot.com.

I'm missing all my sweet family and friends in AZ, a lot. I am hoping I can come down for winter break, and escape the *gasp* SNOW!! I have never lived anyplace where it snows so I am a little excited actually to experience it, but as it seems to for the people who do live here I'm sure I'll get tired of it quick. Love to all, that is assuming anyone still follows this neglected blog of mine.

Last month we attended Joe's family reunion, and Eloise got to meet her great Grandma Julia Rawlins.

My $7 Zennioptical.com glasses came. heres a pic.

Thanksgiving Point petting zoo

2011-06-17T20:32:00.001-07:00

Spent some time seeing the farm animals today.

Update in pictures

2011-06-06T22:30:00.001-07:00

The Rawlins family were headed on a LONG 17 hr drive to Utah to visit Grammy and Papa Rawlins.

The car and Eloise got a little hot along the way but we made it.

Grandpa Rawlins bought Scarlett an iPad!!! Its not brand new but it is everything she could have EVER dreamed of and more

Scarlett got to try out her jammies I got on clearance at the babygap.

It took me a few days to recover from sheer exhaustion from the drive

Ellie liked all the free space to roll. She has started scooting backwards

Ellie just loves the jumper Rita got.

And the swing

The weather is beautiful and the girls had their first grassy picnic

Joe and his dad and brother went to Guatemala for the week so It was just us girls last week.

Scoob and I met up with a Plurk friend of mine and her lil boy at a local park.

Scarlett and I have had trying times this week but there is always good, too.

We are glad to have Daddy back with us, and better yet today Rita watched the girls while Joe and I caught dinner and an afternoon movie. We saw Hangover 2. My Hubby is so good at making me feel like the prettiest and best girl around. Ive decided thats what husbands are for. So he gets an A+

That's all for now. I'm exhausted again, lol. Good night friends. Xoxo, Red

Rainbows and Waldo

2011-05-23T22:52:00.001-07:00

When the sun was low in the sky it caught the glass dividers between the booths at IN-N-OUT just right, casting rainbows on the table. Scarlett was so impressed. I took pictures.

Before we were through, the sun went behind the malls large building and she asked me "where did the rainbows go?" I told her they went with the sun, but that I had taken pictures we could keep for always.

The other day Scarlett wanted an adventure so we decided to check out this book store around the corner called BOOKMAZE. Joe walked inside and up the large flight of stairs with her while I stayed on the ground floor with Eloise carrying her car seat (MAN is it heavy!!) they returned a while later with a book. Find Waldo Now. She loves it to say the least.

As soon as we got home I would continue hearing, "I found Wa'doh! I found Wa'doh!" she wanted me to take a picture of Waldo so I told her she needed to be in it too. She agreed.

Nothing to say

2011-05-23T15:03:00.001-07:00

I don't feel like I have anything to say but I did want to share some recent photos.

Love, Red

What kind of animal are you?

2011-05-19T00:38:00.001-07:00

When watching TV Scarlett will often say, "what is that human doing?" I only realized tonight that she doesn't know that "person" is the more commonly used vernacular.

Scarlett however doesn't usually classify the immediate members of her family into the human phylum.

Daddy is a Zebra

Mommy is a Giraffe

Eloise is an Elephant.

Scarlett is a "mad monkey".

These images were all drawn by me with the new free Paint Can 3 app.

I once asked her, if you're a monkey, then what is your cousin Rachel? "she's a monkey like me.... Because shes my friend."

A few weeks ago at the store we saw a shirt with zebra stripes. "oh look!" she exclaimed, "it's a zebra, like dad!"

I think it may be a positive thing that Ellie is an Elephant as they are Scarletts favorite animal at the Zoo. Last time we went to the zoo we didn't get to see the Elephants because it was closing, so my sister Sarah told her the Elephants were sleeping already. Scarlett frequently tells me, we need to go to the zoo, to see the Elephants, cause they're not sleeping anymore.

When I showed Scarlett the pictures of the animals I drew she wanted me to draw a picture of mommy daddy and scooby. Then she remembered we should draw Eloise too. Then she wanted me to draw Scooby in her room. We talked about the different things in her room and I drew the curtains, and she made sure I added the polka dots. Also that I should draw her, "I'm orange." she said, (which I think may be why orange is her favorite color) and reminded me to draw her rainbow dress.

Melodramatic? Perhaps.

2011-05-17T22:51:00.001-07:00

Okay so maybe I haven't lost all faith in humankind. That might have been a bit grandiose. We got the car towed to my parents house. Getting it started to park it better will be the next task... Since it won't even start.

Joe has some more work lined up for this week and I'm hoping we will be headed to Utah by the weekend or Monday at the latest. Rita says the weather is nice up there, which is exciting. I'm just kind of ready for a brief change of scenery.

Friday I have an appointment with Scarletts school to review their education plan for her for the fall. She is getting so big, and I'm grateful that they will be able to help her.

Eloise is an all star roller these days, I can tell she is already annoyed that she can't crawl yet. She loves to jump around in her jumper and play with Scarlett. She is also loving food. No I don't usually give her table food, she just needed something to chew on, I think it soothed her gummies.

Good night my friends. Love, Red

Losing faith in mankind (amended)

2011-05-17T10:31:00.001-07:00

So remember that check we were waiting to clear? Chase bank LOST the deposit. There is NO trace of the deposit in the branch's system. So now we are just out of luck until they find it. Joe needed to take care of this car business today and we are still screwed. No break for us. We may decide to switch banks because this is not a small error. I am completely disgusted at the ineptitude of bankers.

UPDATE: luckily since I was able to find the deposit slip they were able to research it out and posted the funds to the account immediately. Thank heavens. Looks like we are going to have to use most of the funds to resolve the car issue, by having them tow the car someplace else since we don't want to risk driving it with expired tags. What a mess.

On the up side my girls are adorable and doing well.

I got my hair done Saturday and got a chemical burn on my scalp. But my hair does look great, and I like that it has more blonde in it, fun for summer. Feels healthier since we cut a couple inches off.

Sending my love, from inside my house. Love, Red.

Not so lucky 13

2011-05-13T22:31:00.001-07:00

I don't think there have been very many days in my life that I've been happier to see end than this one. When I woke up, our cell phones had been turned off. Due to a miscommunication with AT&t's rep, our payment had not in fact been scheduled to be taken out. We quickly made the payment and I called up and made sure since the person had been unclear that we not be charged any disconnect fee.

We also had been feeling the stress of not receiving a check promised to arrive WEDNESDAY with still no sign now on Friday making a deposit unfeasible until after the weekend. We did finally get an email letting us know we should get it tomorrow... But no funds available till Tuesday. We have less than $50 until then. Stress.

But we were attempting to stay calm and optimistic, until we got a knock on the door, a neighbor telling us Joes car just got towed. Really now. $120 plus $15 for each day it sits in there. Towed for having expired tags.

With money low, funds and food meager, and stress high, I had a migraine. Even out of water, the stuff from the tap made my stomach turn. Ellie is fussy with teething. I attempted to maintain my sanity, taking the crumbled bits of broken Excedrine tablets to ease the pain.

Trimmed Scarletts bangs.

Fed Ellie rice cereal and a formula bottle. I decided I deserved a booby break, feeling dehydrated and weak. Now the girls are both asleep and I'm glad to be laying on my bed. Here's hoping tomorrow's better... It's gotta be.

Better

2011-05-12T00:26:00.000-07:00

I'm so glad everyone at our house is finally better.

One of the sweetest things I ever see is my girls loving each other. It is a magical thing. Today, during one of their hugging sessions, Scarlett said to Eloise, "thanks for being my sister" while she hugged her, and Ellie cooed in her ear while hugging back.

Thank you, God, for giving me two beautiful healthy girls and a Husband who loves me. Please help me to feel worthy of their love and strive to be better each day. They deserve the best.

Love to all, Red.

Fever

2011-05-09T22:43:00.001-07:00

Besides the fever she's battling, Scarlett's spirits remain up. She's definitely cuddlier, and sleepier for it though. I'm feeling fine. Ellie seems pretty good too, was exhausted too by days end and went to bed with no argument. I love love love my girls.

Shockingly enough I have taken no pics of the girls in the last couple days. Just keeping them satisfied aims to fill my time. Thanks to those of you who have sent me notes to ask how my girls are doing. It means a lot to me.

Love love, Red.

Nothing Like another sick kid....

2011-05-09T03:22:00.001-07:00

Up At 3am with a burning up temperature I attempted to give Scarlett medicine she was spitting back in my face. then I needed to wash her up, all the wipes in Ellie's room with her sleeping, I carried my sick sad girl to the bathroom to wash her up in the sink. So sad, so needy. Just wanting her mommy to make it better.

Eloise seems to finally be feeling better. I hope she doesn't catch whatever Scarlett has. I feel a smidge feverish myself now. Man I hate sickness. :(

Did have a nice Mothers Day. Great meetings at my parents ward, nice time spent together at my parents house yesterday evening. Joe bought me the slippers I asked for from the Avenue but apparently my feet are too small to buy shoes at the fat lady stores. My body is the right siZe just not my feet, lol. So I had to bring back the $5 slippers and got those gold octogon hoops and a pair of silver earrings for my Mom in exchange; she really seemed to like them.

Just as I ponder sleep I hear the other kid crying. Duty calls, good night.

Tea for two, Two for tea, buy one get one free.

2011-05-06T16:35:00.001-07:00

Scarlett Paige and Ellie Jane had a bead tea party. It was the event of the season.

On an unrelated note, Scarlett now lets me know even when we are out that she needs to go potty and will go in the big potty if I hold her the whole time. She has now braved YC's and Dollar Trees restrooms. I would not recommend Dollar Tree's... It smelled really bad in there, and had no soap or paper towels.

I'm in love with these socks that I got for El at Dollartree but am sad that at size 6-12 mos they already almost look too small. Hmmf.

Ellies new favorite toy is the lid to my shoe box. If we spend much time together, I am sure you've seen my fall-apart hemp flip flops that I cant part with because I hadn't found anything comfy enough to replace them.

Yesterday Scarlett claimed her butterfly sandals were "too squish" and refused to put them on. She said she needed new shoes. A few weeks back we attempted to buy her some bargain basement slip ons for her but now they hurt to put on, and the flip flops i bought put a blister on my foot before we left the mall, so there was a waste of money. Anyway, off to payless we went, again. This time: Success.

God bless BOGO. Bought these rainbow tennies for $19.99.

Got these shoes originally $29.99 marked down to $10 half price for $5

Yes they're men's but so were my last comfys. They even looked kinda cute with these white capris (that now are stained in 6 different places from the outing) and my brown shirt I wore today.

Cinco de Mayo- for Mothers

2011-05-05T23:42:00.001-07:00

In honor of Cinco de Mayo, I am going to list 5 things I am grateful for.

#1- I'm thankful for my girls. I am thankful for their love, for every smile, laugh, hug, and kiss. I love to giggle with them over silly things. I love to make up jokes with my Scarlett. I love to hold my Eloise close when she is "drunken" with milk after a feeding, and I also love her big drool-y kisses on my giant forehead.

I'm thankful for a Mom who loves me, and thinks about and prays for me every day who is always searching her heart and closet for things to give me, and when she doesn't find them there, she will at a yard sale or the store. I am grateful for her calming voice and soft touch, for her lullabies that my girls cherish as much as I did when I was their age, and still do.

I am grateful that we can laugh and spend time together, and that we get along so well.

I'm grateful for my Grandma (moms mom) who always made my mom feel like she was important, loved, and of value. Who never belittled her or with-held a single thing she owned from another who stood in need. Who stood strong amidst a slew of adversities in her life. She would let me come to her house when I stayed home sick from school, would rub my feet with lotion and put socks on my feet to keep them warm. I can still feel that love now, 15+ years later.

I'm thankful for my sisters and sister in laws (on both sides of the family, Joes sisters too) who are so kind, loving, and giving of their time and support and always know how to solve a problem or help me feel better. Not to mention they are fun to hang out with!! I love too see them as mothers, and draw on their strengths and experience, and swap kid stories.

I'm grateful for my Mother in Law, for her love for my children. For her giving heart, and immense compassion. For the time she spent with me, preparing for Eloise to come. I'm grateful to her for raising my Husband, and instilling in him a good set of values that he governs his life by. I am grateful that Rita is always just a phone call, text or email away.

My cup brimmeth over. -Red.

Sharing the floor

2011-05-04T18:23:00.001-07:00

Here are a few pics of my sweet girls. Oh how I love them both. Especially because they both napped today. :)

Wearing White

2011-05-04T09:29:00.002-07:00

Dunno if all we can chalk it up to is Murphys law, but I cannot wear white. White pants? Definitely not, as I sit on my foot, putting black marks from my shoe on the back of my leg or butt. If it weren't my shoe, Aunt Flo would definitely see to their demise.

Even my white BRA manages to get taco bell to travel DOWN my SHIRT just to stain it... Really now.

White shirts always want to eat my lunch.

White onesies on Eloise seem to command her bowels to bring on the poop!

I'm pretty sure its not just me, it seems as though every woman has SOME horror story involving wearing white. what's yours?

The Garden

2011-05-03T14:07:00.000-07:00

This morning, Scarlett kept saying she wanted to go to "the garden" but when I would ask her what that was, she would get frustrated. Finally she said, "You know, the garden with soup." I said, "you want to go to the Olive Garden?" "Yes, lets go to the Liv Garden. Baby Eloise wants to go to the liv garden"

We met up with my sister Wendy. It was fun to sit and chat with her. She could tell I was feeling exhausted and a little overwhelmed and took Scarlett home with her. Scarlett seemed happy to go with her, as she doesn't like to listen to Eloise fussy screams, and Wendy is just more fun than I am I guess. :)

I've arrived home and Ellie is sound asleep in her car seat so I thought I would hop in front of the computer to blog a bit while I have a chance. It is much easier to type on a keyboard than an iPhone screen, that's for sure.

love love, Red

Nothing seems right with a zit in your ear

2011-05-03T10:14:00.001-07:00

My ear hurts so bad, Its pretty much all I can think about. Definitely makes my heart go out to Ellie with her ear ache. I did a lot more getting up in the night last night. She would pretty much wake up when the Tylenol wore off. She still seems like her tummy is bothering her, so gassy but not pooping. I'm really tired today.

Ellie is trying her best to play as usual, but like mom, her patience is not where it should be. Her cries are identical to that pig-to-the-slaughter squeal.

Scarlett woke up and quietly went straight to the computer to play games. She likes the games where you have to guide the character to jump and move, but often they are beyond her skillset, eventually after tiring of needing help she tries a different game.

Señorita Fusspot continued

2011-05-02T18:32:00.001-07:00

Poor Ellie Belly has an ear infection in her left ear. This is her first medicine required illness. She is on antibiotic and Tylenol per wonderful Dr England's direction.

My Mom took us shopping this afternoon after our appointment and both girls were so good. It was nice to get out of the house. We got some cute MATCHING dresses for the girls, only 12.99 for 2 dresses. I cant wait to take their pics in them!

The girls are playing on the rug. Scarlett invents the games and Ellie giggles and goes along with it. Every so often I look down to make sure Scarlett is being gentle. Scarlett responds: "we are fine we are playing a game. You: look at your phone. "

Now they're watching "Tangled". Scarlett knows most of the songs by heart, and sings and dances along. Her favorite is the "See the light" song at the end. Sometimes she creates a compilation piece by combining it with Katy Perry's Firework song and "A whole new world" from Aladdin"

So I am glad we have found our happy baby again.

Xoxo, Red.

Señorita Fusspot goes to the Doctor

2011-05-02T12:50:00.001-07:00

Still very fussy for the second day in a row, so we are headed to a 1:30 doctor appointment. Having a sad/sick baby is exhausting. I need a vacation.

I will report our doctors findings when I get back. Pray for me to have patience with my constant whining 4 yr old.

Te'ya's baby shower.

2011-05-01T19:27:00.001-07:00

So I went with my mom, sister and my 2 girls to a baby shower for my cousins wife. It was really nice. I am so lame I didn't even get a picture of her, but I did get some cute pics of Eloise dressed to the nines.

Ellie all ready to go. She even liked it when I put the head band on. I gave her a nice shampoo before I got her dressed so she looks particularly fresh :)

Scarlett hid from the camera. (surprise surprise, lol)

My Mom was able to get Ellie to fall asleep even in the middle of the noisy party. I call that, "the magic Grandma touch", her Mom has it too.

Some days are happier than others.

2011-05-01T18:43:00.000-07:00

Eloise has been a bit "off" today. Been pretty cranky, I think maybe she is constipated or excessively gassy. I have done gas drops and tylenol. I have rocked, rubbed, patted, fed, fed, fed, but nothing really seems to appease. I have still managed to get her to sleep for some naps today, but her waking times are pretty much entirely fussy. I think she has a well check scheduled this week. I need to call her doc to confirm that tomorrow.

Scarlett has been in pretty good spirits today. Just being a 4 yr old :). We went to Wal-mart and picked up a few "price matching" items. We've figured out that the cheapest dinner for us is to do an oven pizza, and Albertsons (or maybe its Frys?) has them--Red Barons--for $2.77 a piece. Hot pockets are 3 (two packs) for $5. Oh, and a word to those of you who try to do the price match game at Wal-mart, they do NOT match the ranchers market ads. So they lie when they say they will match *any* ad. I was really excited about getting 3 lbs of navel oranges for a buck, but alas, I had to leave them there.

Last night I stayed up much too late fiddling with the fonts on my blog, and am now contented again with their appearance. Thanks Anjeanette for telling me about how easy it was to change.

Eloise is napping and Scarlett wants a bath, so off I go. More posts with pictures soon, and hopefully Ellie Belly will spring back to her happy self again after naptime.

x's and o's,
Red

Good Morning Eloise

2011-04-30T09:57:00.001-07:00

Last night I went to bed with a migraine. Apparently it didn't return until I was entirely awake. I decided I had to get up when I went in to feed Ellie at 830. She already let me go back to sleep after her 5am feeding, so it only seemed fair to let her get up. She went to sleep at 745 last night.

Morning's beauty:

Scarlett woke up about an hour later. Joe tried his best to stay asleep on the couch, and was glad to be able to take back the "tent blanket". Scarlett fell asleep inside the tent. When I came out at 5 I saw her sitting up awake in the chair, tent decimated. She "weeweed on her Kiki", so I helped her into a bedtime diaper after feeding Eloise and let her come snuggle into bed with me. She loves my snuggles, and was soon fast asleep. Though brief it's reprieve, it was nice to have a break from my migraine through my sleeping hours.

Scarlett asked me this morning if we were going to school today. She already loves her new school, and she hasn't even started yet. She had her second evaluation yesterday morning at 8am. She qualifies for services in 4/5 of the categories, and will start preschool at Getz school beginning of August. She will go in the mornings, and the bus will take her and bring her home just in time for lunch Monday-Thursdays.

The therapists seem very nice and I am excited for Scarlett to get to work with them. Scarlett's favorite is Chris Schwann she is a lovely blonde woman with a welcoming smile. Scarlett instantly accepted her, and sat in her lap to talk to her. I think its a good sign that she wants to go back.

Camping, Rawlins style.

2011-04-29T22:13:00.001-07:00

This is how we do it...

One blanket.
One big comfy chair.
One broom
One pillow pet, 3 "kiki's"
One hello kitty
One Scarlett Paige
------------------
One heck of a time.

"Open or closed?" I asked her, "closed!" she replied briskly.

Red Dress

2011-04-20T09:19:00.001-07:00

My friend Nina gave me some clothes from when she and her sister were babies/toddlers back in the 80s and I love them! My favorite is definitely this red dress.

As soon as she put the dress on, I grabbed my phone to take pics, so naturally She decided to hide from the camera. All photos were captured with great precision and skill, I assure you.

Though we have been unable to understand why, one of Scarletts favorite things to talk about is "daddy's red dress". No my husband doesn't sport womensware. Scarlett often calls shirts a "dress" because you get "dressed" in a shirt. Subsequently, Joe normally sticks to the color code of black, grey, navy blue and maybe brown. My Mom gave him a red shirt that she bought for my Dad but he didn't like, and it was such a startling difference, that Scarlett loves to say out of the blue, "and my daddy wore a red dress". After an evening in the nursery on a RS night, the girl watching Scarlett had to know, why is daddy in a red dress? The world may never know.

Jump up jump up, jump around!

2011-04-20T09:04:00.001-07:00

Ellie Jane got a borrowed jumper from my Brother, Adam's wife Nikki about a week ago. It's exactly like the one Scarlett had, and she was an instant pro at maneuvering around to get all the toys... Whereas Scarlett had a hard time with those things as a baby. All the better that El is a fast study, I'm sure she will be chasing Scarlett in no time. Here are some pics.

Scarlett wanted to go to the "French fry restaurant"-- which is Pete's-- (also last week). Here's the pic from there.

Another day we met up with my sister Sarah at Chuck E Cheese, and Tyson and Scarlett cruised together in the Hydraulic Truck.

Ellie just watched and she was exhausted, though I must say it was wicked hot in there.

More sweet sisterly play has ensued.

Scarlett has had a couple dry nights but after a few wet nights, I've decided to keep her in a bedtime diaper.

The Blue Scarf

2011-04-15T22:26:00.001-07:00

We went to VEGAS for Christmas with the Rawlins clan, and Rita bought all of us moms 2 scarves. I got this lovely blue one and a red one too. Well received for sure.

R&R

2011-04-07T16:48:00.001-07:00

This morning, for the first time in a long time I woke up feeling fully rested. That was fantastic. Eloise woke up before Scarlett which was nice providing me time to feed her and get settled before Scarlett awoke with her own set of demands.

Scarlett and I played with her Dora Dominos, and picked up some in the living room. Eloise stayed awake for the full 3 hours between her feedings and then fell fast asleep after eating, took a nice long nap in her crib! She didn't even wake up when I laid Her down. I'm battling her cradle cap again, but dandruff shampoo definitely seems to be working. Scarlett helped me give her a bath later this afternoon. Ellie did so well, didn't cry at all.

Fed her and she fell asleep again, but Scarlett woke her 5 mins later.

Muffin Mornings, Rainbow evenings, and Rainy days.

2011-04-06T21:47:00.001-07:00

Every day brings something new and different. Yesterday morning Scarlett and I woke up before Eloise and made poppyseed (Scarlett calls them "puppy seed") muffins. It's from a wonderful #10 can mix that wonderful Rita brought us when she came last month. Scarlett has never liked muffins prior to this.

I don't know if its because I let her help make them or what, but she would single handedly eat the whole dozen if I let her!

Eloise awoke with lots of happy faces to share.

Scarlett really likes to hold Eloise now and since Ellie is getting better at sitting up, she does pretty well with it. Of course I have to stay nearby because Scarlett doesn't realize that when Ellie tries to dive out of her arms, she is headed for a painful face-plant!!

Scarlett has several imaginary friends, one of which is "Joe" (we think from blues clues?) who has recently become "Baby Joe". Unlike most kids with imaginary friends, she acts out the "roles" of each friend, voices included. This is a picture of "baby Joe in his crib".

(apparently he is camera shy)

Here is the floor playtime, with and without Scarlett.

Last night was also the Relief Society birthday party for my Moms ward. Unfortunately she had to work and wasn't going to be able to attend, so I recruited my Sister Wendy who just moved into that ward to come with me. Luckily they had childcare so I could bring Scarlett with me as Joe was working late. The theme was The Wizard of Oz. When I was a little girl I used to watch a VHS tape recording from TV over and over again of this fine film, so my Mom urged me to attend. It was a really nice program and good food (baked potatoes are my absolute fave). I was glad I attended. They also had rice krispie treats and cupcakes too. Before we left I took scarlett to see the "rainbow" they made out of helium balloons. She loved it and I took this pic of her with it. Great Job Nikki Shum on planning it!!

I even took a shower and did my hair and makeup to attend!! Okay maybe some post soon I will stop discussing my personal hygiene but today is not that day, lol.

I didn't sleep super well last night. Scarlett didn't want to stay in her bed but then was noisy and made my quality of sleep suffer. Then add in a few feedings throughout the night (earlier than usual)... This was me in the morning...

Scarlett & Eloise.

Today was a bit cloudy and rainy. Just a sort of gray day, and so too was my disposition. Scarlett's shoe had been missing since the night before when we were getting ready to go to the RS thing, so we couldn't go to the store with Wendy, and Scarletts other pairs of shoes were in my car, at work with Joe.

He did eventually come home for work so we dropped ourselves over at W's house and spent the afternoon there. S was pleased to find they have Tangled on DVD. She loves that movie and we don't have it, much to her dismay. She also spent a couple hours playing with her cousins before she brought us back home.

I feel lucky to have my family all so close together, and enjoy the time we can spend with one another.

We made chili for dinner, and Joe brought home some M&M cookies for us. He got home early enough to get to spend some time with Ellie Jane before bed, which was great because often his work schedule makes that more difficult. Here are some pics.

Now it's about 930. Ellie's asleep and Scarlett is getting tired too, as am I. Joe is asleep on the couch. Good night world wishing you all a beautiful day on the flip side. -Red.

Today

2011-04-04T22:54:00.001-07:00

Doesn't seem like anything spectacular took place. Eloise is getting closer and closer to rolling onto her tummy from her back. She gets two-thirds of the way and uses her body to pivot around on the blanket but doesn't kick her feet over.

We have finally reached the point where tummy time no longer feels like a punishment to her, yahoo!

I have been trying to find a way to get her to nap better. She likes to fall asleep in my arms but then wakes up as soon as I set her down as evident in the following photos.

Scarlett had a whole lotta bad attitude today. If we are friends on Facebook you can watch the video of her yelling at me. I wish I could say this rarely takes place, but anyone who knows my 4 yr old knows that discontent is a common characteristic of hers... But to her defense she does seem to enjoy being grouchy.

The Scarlett yelling does tend to wear me out, and I longed for a nap all day, to no avail. But by 9 Eloise was asleep and by 10 Scarlett was, IN HER OWN BED!!!!!!!! So now here I lay, blogging on my iPhone, excited for a nice long restful night of slumber.

There was some snuggling on the couch today. Eloise watches Scarlett in wonder and sometimes uncertainty..

Eloise also spent some more time bonding with her baby. Scarlett came up to us to commentate. She said, "wook! Ellie Jane has her own baby, and she can feed her from her booby!" I quickly assured Scarlett that Ellie's boobies do not have any food in them, so she could not feed her dolly. She quickly responded, "but I can!" As she pulled up her dress to find her little booby. It was pretty cute.

Just before Scarlett's bath she performed a one girl show, singing, playing the keyboard AND the tambourine all at once. I think when she grows up she wants to be a rockstar.

My friend Emilie brought me an antenna with the digital converter box and remote for my TV this evening. I got it set up all by myself and am excited to be able to watch my shows again! I am so grateful for all of the good in my life.

Lots of Love,
Red.

Babies having Babies....

2011-04-03T18:46:00.001-07:00

Ellie's little cousin Mallory brought a small baby doll to her when we were over at my parents' house today and Eloise just loves her.

Scarlett's Shoes

2011-04-03T13:36:00.001-07:00

She put them on all by herself. Okay, I know what you're thinking. Your kid is a year younger and has been putting on their own shoes forever... Well it isn't a race! We are just glad it has happened. Just like it did with walking to the car without being carried, and using the potty. It all seems to happen, in its own time.

Here she is, saying, "I did it! I put on my shoes all by myself!" posing and showing us her shoes.. Even on the right feet, I might add.

Hey Soul Sister...

2011-04-03T10:36:00.001-07:00

A few weeks back, we were riding in the car and this song came on and I was singing along and Scarlett said, "I just wuv this song!" and started singing along too. I think she thinks its about her little Sister Ellie Jane.

I know my friend Trish of Little Silver Stars has got to be goin nuts, has she recently posted that she absolutely hates that song (probably cause it's way overplayed on the radio). I still maintain however that anything by Nickleback is FAR worse. I would urge them to seek retirement.

I would catch a grenade for ya.

2011-04-02T19:44:00.001-07:00

So we were in the car (Joe, the girls and I) when this song came on, and I said to Joe, "you know there aren't very many people I would catch a grenade for.." and from the back seat I hear, "I'll do it!"

Oh the haste of youth, and the innocence.

You don't wanna get poop on mommys phone

2011-04-01T18:39:00.001-07:00

Nope, that would be bad, i said.

"And you don't want poop to call on the phone..."

I began to laugh and she did too, 'no that would be gross'

Apparently we needed cool headbands to play car race... I was lucky enough to get the one that says Dora all over it :)

Misheard...

2011-04-01T17:45:00.001-07:00

"the scary Mom is going into the water-fault"

Mis-heard Words

2011-04-01T13:50:00.001-07:00

So it always makes me laugh when I listen super close to Scarlett's speech. I you've ever watched the show Rugrats, the kids are always saying/calling things by words that they hear wrong. Here a few of Scarletts:

"daddy has all of the soup-cases, so he can take them to work with uncle Paul and make music"

"the game is called 'tug of world' "

I might start posting all of her mis-speaks randomly just so I don't forget to document them. She is so funny and wonderful.

Today Ellie Jane has been queen of the carpet (or blanket rather) rolling around playing with toys. She even took a nap on the blanket. Its funny cause I rarely ever let Scarlett hang out in just a diaper, but it's so hot that Ellie is already becoming a big fan of going in the buff. No worries, not in public!!! That would be trashy, lol.

Ellie found her toes last week.. Now we find her holding Onto them all the time :)

I got a shower today and blow-dried my hair! Woo hoo! Didn't exactly get dressed... But babysteps right?

Yesterday I did laundry! I think the last load is probably done in the dryer, and the rest is already folded, half put away. It's nice to have plenty of clean underwear for everyone.

Can you believe it was 95 degrees yesterday?! I am not looking forward to Summertime utility bills, that is certain. Thinking cool thoughts. Love, Red.

Tales of Ponies and Ponytails.

2011-03-31T22:36:00.001-07:00

So normally Scarlett Paige HATES to have her hair in a pony. This is one of the reasons I cut into her mane recently, so as to diminish some of the bulk that is her hair, but today for some reason, when I pulled her hair up and put the elastic around it, she didn't jerk or whine, but instead stated, "I just wuv my pony today" I was dumbfounded. So I quickly grabbed my phone to snap some shots of this glorious pony. I wont lie, it was a mess. It was simply a quick effort to cool down her sweaty head, but she posed like a little supermodel. ADORABLE I say.

I think she looks a little bit like me in that last pic. I love her so... Even if she is noisy :)

Success!

2011-03-31T11:06:00.001-07:00

Since yesterdays post went so well... (much easier than on the computer for the pictures anyway)

More news... Two days ago I packed up my cox boxes and returned them to their store. This will save us $100 a month. Joe got is an appletv box for $99 and I signed up for Netflix. I'm pretty impressed with netflix, and was on cloud 9 for the first two days, but I will admit,
This morning when Scarlett woke up wet at 430am, I wished I had a kid channel that would continue playing so I could go back to sleep.

I also miss watching "the Talk" every day on DVR, missed the first episode of the new season of Secret Life of the American teen, and I'm sure Joe misses the recordings of the Daily show and his shows.

I just took this cute pic of Scarlett and Ellie playing. S is potty trained but usually wears a diaper at night. Last night, we picked up Joe from the airport, and Scarlett fell asleep in the car, and stayed asleep when we got home, and we forgot to put a diaper on her. Luckily Eloise wakes up to eat at 4:30 or so every morning, so it was less troubling when she came wandering in for help at that time. Was also good that El was in her own room and not troubled by the noise. She didn't wake up until after Scarlett got settled so that was also a blessing.

We were glad to get Joe back home safe and sound. He went to FL for 2 days for a shoot and got to fly home First class, for the for the first time. I have never flown first class either, so I asked Him all about it on the car ride home. He said he ate pork and it was rather good, that the seats were really comfy, and just like I have seen in the movies they *do* bring you a warm towel.

Speaking of towels.. I definitely need to do laundry today. I still struggle to get it done... Its like I have a mental block against it. Maybe its just the going outside to do it, or the lack of remembering to change the load.. But whatever it is, I could definitely use improvement in this area.

Scarlett is loving the netflix though. She has become a huge fan of the new carebears movies and all things Rugrats. I'm considering getting a second box for scarlett so that I can watch something different at the same time, however I know spending less time watching tv will give me more time to get things done.

Coming across this pic reminded me to tell you about my St Pattys day fall. So, since we have a shortage of willing babysitters, Joe and I went out separately on that night. after he got home and I already had Eloise asleep in bed, I took off to go see a movie by myself at Cinemark. I even wore green. I got my little popcorn and ICEE and entered the theatre. The previews had already started, so i walked in, partially just watching the dark screen while deciding where to sit. I decided to sit in the row with the bar in front, and went to step into the aisle and it dropped down causing my feet to give out under neath me. Right ankle twisted, left shin whacked on the step, popcorn sailing through the air. The theater was COMPLETELY empty. Nobody was there to hear my cry. I grabbed my phone and texted from the floor:

The conversation continued and I eventually got up and hobbled out to tell them I fell. They didn't offer to refill my popcorn which was a bummer, since I didn't really want to hobble over to the concession stand in this state. I filled out an incident report, and decided to watch the movie. Adjustment Bureau was good. FF to now: ankle still hurts. Sucky sucky.

But at least I can walk, and have ankles to give out underneath me. I'm grateful for my life, my sight, and my beautiful family, and lastly for my wonderful friends. Love to all, Red.

Blogging from my iPhone

2011-03-30T14:28:00.001-07:00

Okay, I can't lie. A few weeks ago I ran into my cousin allyson, who is an excellent blogger, and was experiencing some guilt for not keeping up on my blog. IN my defense, I never have access to a computer anymore, so I PURCHASED a blog posting app, which I am using to create this post, and if all goes well, perhaps I can get out of this blogger-slacking rut.

Okay I'm now going to give myself permission to rant about this child here:

I know she looks innocent here, and okay maybe what I'm complaining about is innocent, but for the love of PETE could she just please not sing at the top of her lungs during naptime?!? This one needs her sleep!!!!

And I just want a little break!!!! Please!!! Too much to ask?! I guess so... Grrrrrr! At this time of day I'm ready to sell the older one to the pygmies.

Sometimes (ok pretty much all of the time), they play sweetly together. And Eloise loves Scarlett, and likes watching her every move. She likes to laugh at all the silly things she does.

Eloise has become an all-star roller! She can roll from her tummy to her back and even from her back to her sides. She loves having the ability to maneuver on her own. It scares me to think she will be crawling around everywhere before I know it!

At Eloises last checkup she was 15lbs 3 ounces!! Can you believe she has more than doubled in size in under 5 mos? Truly crazy for sure.

I cut Scarletts hair a few weeks ago. Its far from perfect but luckily her hair is pretty forgiving. I got my hair done finally a month or so ago, too.

I'm always sure to take pics of my hair as soon as I get home, just in case I cant make it look as good, at least there's documentation of it's greatness. My hair problems however, fall in the lazy category. Lets face it, I'm lucky to get a shower, let alone time to do my hair... Weekly.

Doesn't seem fair to only rant about Scarlett so here is a small complaint about my otherwise perfect baby. She pinches to the point of bruising, scratches my chest and arms, and pulls my hair DAILY. Can I get an ouch?

This is Ellies bedroom, with crib and changing table my Sister Sarah so kindly sold me for $50 which is what she paid for them at a yard sale a few months back. My wonderful mother in law paid for it and came and helped me clear out the room and get the furniture assembled, along with closets organized, and I am sooo grateful. I told her I wished she could stay forever.

I guess that's all for now. I'm excited to push send and see how this looks on my blog. All my love to those of you who still read this!

Rants and Raves,
Red.

SLOTH!

2011-01-18T14:46:00.000-07:00

This is a sloth. image from here

There is no good reason why it has taken this long for me to post since Ellie was born. I can come up with a whole lot of mediocre reasons however...

Ellie got a cold, and wanted to be held ALL the time..
with a baby in your lap there is no room for a laptop
Scarlett has become a big fan of playing nickjr.com and sproutonline.com on my old laptop, occupying the desk with a laptop on it.

this is a baby bush baby. image from here

Typing a blog post with just one hand seems FAR too difficult for a sloth like me.

Sometimes I think Ellie looks like a bush baby, especially when she was really small because she was all eyes.

Money is still sparce but not for lack of trying. I keep thinking maybe I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully it is sooner rather than later. Ellie has become super fun, smiling and cooing at me. She spends more time awake now. I am so grateful for her swing and bouncer. I'm truly not sure how moms did it back in the day without all the gadgets!

Eloise is feeling better now, still has some boogies, but is much less needy. Scarlett is still doing great with the baby. She is pretty patient about sharing my time and attention with the baby, and I do my best to give her special attention too.

I pretty much post new pictures of Eloise and Scarlett on Facebook daily, so if you haven't friended me on there, you should do so. Eloise is growing so fast, she was 10lbs 5 oz at her last doc appointment last week, and is 75th percentile for height and 25th for weight, or as the doctor said, "tall and skinny". Sometimes we call her "tall and skinny" now as a joke :)

Scarlett's favorite food to eat at home is definitely Spaghetti... which makes her a girl after my own heart. That was always my favorite food growing up, too. Spaghetti is still her Dad's favorite food, so that works well for our family. It's also nice that it's such a cheap meal.

I have really gotten into watching the show "The Talk" daily at 1pm. I think I enjoy it so much because it really isn't political. It's more like mom talk.... which is what I do all day--mom. I love Julie Chen from Big Brother, Leah Remini from back in Saved by the Bell summer days, Sara Gilbert (good old Darlene from Roseanne), and of course Sharon Osborne is just hilarious (I also love her hair). Holly Robinson Peete is cool too, as she has an autistic son, so I like to hear her perspective on how it is to handle being a special needs parent. Also they are all in committed relationships so it is funny to hear them talk about those dynamics.

The Bachelor has not been keeping my interest nearly as much as usual. Maybe my Husband has jaded me on the show. He tells me that the producers decide which people he picks and he doesnt make the decision himself... which I refuse to believe... but when he keeps freak show people around on it, it makes me think perhaps he's right. :(

Hopefully this means I am back in blog land... I will try to get back into the swing of reading and commenting on others blogs, and hope I haven't gotten the boot from others blogs due to my absence.

professional hospital pics

2010-12-04T18:36:00.000-07:00

These are large format pics so if you click to enlarge them you can save and send these to print at your local photo center.

14 days ago...

2010-11-19T11:43:00.000-07:00

I looked like this: (Scarlett took these two pictures)

... and I was miserable, and a day past my Due date... so I went to the OB, and he was not thrilled with my progress, or lack thereof. My odds for a successful vaginal delivery were rapidly going down the crapper, and I was SO done with this being pregnant thing. So after weighing out the options with the Doc, we decided to Schedule a C-section STAT... the following morning.. (as mentioned in my previous post) So, we went in, with our letter in hand, and reported for surgery 2 hours prior to the scheduled 8am delivery time.

here's a LOVELY (not really) pic of me all dressed and wearing my "funny hat" to go into surgery. He is so good at capturing my awkward expressions, and his own, too. He was excited to get this thing under way too. He recorded my surgery and everything with my iPhone... I haven't been brave enough to watch it yet...

I so totally moisturized, put on foundation and eyeshaddow to look nice for this delivery... okay there, I admitted it, now forget I said that... and think it's a natural "glow" :P

WORST part of the surgery was that *damned* yes I swore, sorry about that, SPINAL! It is so much worse than the epidural. I do not buy that I was "distracted" by my contractions last time making it not *seem* so painful... This was Hell in a Handbasket... and the guy ASKS you if it feels centered or to the right or left, you rapidly blurt LEFT! or RIGHT! as you are in excruciating pain. There is an "assistant" to the anesthesiologist, mostly just there to HOLD you while you sob motionlessly from the PAIN of the insertion of the thing that is supposed to help you AVOID pain... I had Joe take a picture of me after this experience, so that I wouldn't forget it, and you could see that it really WAS an awful experience.

The surgery was a success. Eloise Jane Rawlins was born. Joe says she came out with eyes wide open. 6 lbs 11 ounces born on 11/6. 17 inches long, head 15".

When Joe brought her to me the first time she was still fussing a bit, and I started talking to her and gave her a kiss on her forehead and she calmed down right away. Something magic about how they already "know" Mom directly from birth.

They even put little "low-jack" things on their legs so that nobody can just walk outta the hospital with your baby unnoticed. This made me feel good. Plus I thought they were kinda cute...

They got us to our room....

....and people came to see her throughout the day. I am sorry to say I did not get any decent pictures of my in-laws with the baby, and that is saddening to say the LEAST.

Rita brought Scarlett to the hospital, and met Joe in the lobby so that he and she could come in and we could all meet Eloise together as a family. Rita had her all bathed (which I heard was a real task) dressed cute and her hair done--even with a bow. Here she is, entering the room. Joe picked her up to see the baby, he asked if she wanted to give her a kiss, and she kissed Joe instead. It wasn't until he picked her up and held her that Scarlett grasped the concept that he meant she should kiss the baby.

My Hospital Recovery went swimmingly. The nurses kept being impressed with how quickly I was able to move on my own, and walk with ease. I think it's just because I felt so much better than I did after the first one that I was ready to take on the world! I also had them keep the pain medicine coming on time the entire time I was there, and for the most part the Nurses did good at keeping me in my drugs. I had a lot of great nurses, and only one shabby one. I debated back and forth if I was going to go home after 2 days or 3 days, and decided to opt for the extra day of rest.

They took wonderful pictures of Eloise at the Hospital, and I'll post those pics in another post. Here are some I took in the Hospital:

by day two Scarlett was ready to try and hold the baby but was unaware she wasn't just supposed to toss the baby out of her arms when she was done. it was pretty funny, luckily she was sitting on the bed with lots of room in front of her... I had just told her, "hey, let me know when you are done with her and I'll take her back, we don't toss sister"

She thought it was easier when I held the baby. :)

bringing my own blankets, hats, and clothes for the baby really made things more enjoyable in the hospital. Also bringing clothes for me to change into for the last couple of days for me also helped me feel more human again.

first wide eye open picture

All in all, Eloise is a delightful baby and for the most part very contented. She does like to eat, a LOT, and during the daytime my milk supply is enough for her, but at night she likes to have some supplemental formula, too, so that she will go down for the night. I need to stop thinking I could just feed her longer to give her what she needs, because it just doesn't seem to be the case and I just get more and more frustrated trying, plus by then I am so exhausted, that my coping mechanisms are less than stellar. I am always so grateful for the sleep i do get. Sleep is a magical wonderful thing and like a drug I wish I could have MORE and More and MORE!!

Scarlett has done pretty well adapting... though is sometimes even more overly emotional about things and I try to explain to her that I hear what she is saying but she will have to wait until the baby finishes eating before I can get up and get/do ABC&D for her.

My pain is pretty much nil. They used this dermabond stuff for my incision instead of staples, and I think it also helped ease my recovery process... but the other day i noticed an unpleasant smell that showering did not remove, so I went to the doc yesterday and apparently they just needed to take the glue off, it was starting to come off on its own and was holding onto odors it came in contact with... and I'm going to try to keep a pad or something over it to keep it dry.

Here are a few pics since we got home.

Well, my girls need me, so I'm off. Sorry for the delay, time seems to be in short supply. Lots of love,

Red Rawlins

Like a Kid on Christmas Eve.

2010-11-06T05:10:00.000-07:00

Well Folks, it's 5am. In 1.5 hours I report to the hospital to wait 2 hours to have a C-Section. Eloise Jane will be in my arms very soon! I am so excited!!! Pictures will come, ASAP. Upon consideration I think we are just going to keep Scarlett close-by us. I don't want her to feel alienated from this new change that is going on. While I have had the opportunity to send her out for the week, She is still my sweet baby girl, too, and I don't want her to feel abandoned. We will all get acclimated together. Not to mention all the adorable photo poses we would miss if she weren't around for that first week~!

I am delivering at Banner Desert. Gifts and visitors are welcome. We all know that nobody gets any decent rest in the hospital anyway, so as long as you are healthy, you are welcome.

Knowing it was my last night with a big pregnant belly made it bittersweet as I lay in my bed, observing her every movement inside of me.

Loads of Love to all.

Tomorrow tomorrow, you're only a day away.

2010-11-03T14:40:00.000-07:00

Dear Eloise,

Tomorrow is your due date. It would be awesome if you could just make things happen bright and early on that day, or tonight after Daddy gets home from work. Mommy has tried her best to remain patient, but is no longer sleeping well with you on the inside, so please do me a solid, and come out soon. Grammy Rawlins is really excited to meet you and would like to do so before she has to go back to Utah on Saturday. Scarlett has been practicing with her baby doll pushing in the swing and playing with your bouncer. She is going to be a great big sister, hopefully :). I will do my best to make sure she is soft and gentle with you. You have lots of adorable clothes to wear.

Daddy and I are so excited to see your beautiful face, and hold you in our arms. We already love you so much. We hope you are nice and healthy when you come out, and that you like to sleep, and eat well for us. I hope your head isn't too big, and that we can have you without any need for a C-Section, but as long as you are healthy that is our number one priority.

Love, your Mommy.

The baby has definitely dropped, my center of gravity is a bit off now, and I find myself having to walk on my tippy toes to remain standing. I've been doing laundry and getting things organized in the house, and have had lots of help from Rita the past few days. She helped us organize the room that was Joe's office, getting my craft table out of the living room, and also still leaving room for her air mattress and computer to go on the table in there for the next few days; She is going to come stay with us until she heads back to UT Saturday. Glenn will be coming into town Saturday morning, so hopefully El will be with us by then so they can meet, too, before they make the drive.

I got the arrangements made for the glider to be dropped off at Sarah's house by my friend Tracey. I am planning to have the final cluttered space in my bedroom cleared so we can put the chair in my room as planned. My friend Nina brought us lunch and some clothes from when she and her older sister were babies, and they are just great. Back then, they really dressed babies like dolls instead of little grown-ups. One of the outfits was actually made out of polyester.. sooo great.

Still need to install the baby seat bases in the cars. I'll try to have Joe do that when he gets home tonight. He has been super busy with work, and I have been trying to allow him to work long hours so that he feels less behind when he has to take time off when the baby comes.

Love to all, thanks for reading, and for being our dear sweet friends and family. We love you all, and can't wait to be able to tell you that our Eloise Jane is here.

xoxo, Red Rawlins

Gentleman Joe's

2010-11-01T11:48:00.000-07:00

Wishing not to be home last night for trick or treaters, we went for a walk around the Riverview shopping center. Joe likes to take pictures in front of businesses with the name "Joe" in the title, so I had to snap a few in front of this Barber Shop. Scarlett instantly wanted to be in the pictures. Here was our result:

Still no baby. In partial boredom, I decided to Google. I found a page for Acupressure points to induce labor. I totally went for it. Am feeing some contractions now... will keep this up till we get this baby here!

My Butterfly Fairy

2010-10-31T14:07:00.000-07:00

I truly think the key to having a wonderful Halloween experience with your Toddler is to not set too high of expectations. They have nothing to compare this Halloween to, as they are just small still, and may not even remember it. You can enjoy the joys they do experience, and be glad to go home when they are ready. Oh, and of course take lots of pictures, so that they will THINK they remember what a fun time they had :)

xoxo, Red Rawlins

What can I say? And would you want to hear it?

2010-10-30T21:51:00.000-07:00

It has recently occurred to me that I may come off as ANNOYING to some people with my updates on my pregnancy. That some people are of the mind that you should just keep your trap shut until after your due date and then you can really wish your baby were here. All I know, is that I waited patiently for Scarlett and still ended up with a C section, which I don't call a happy ending.... so I am just trying to do my best here to be optimistic.

I ran into a friend of mine who was due the week before me, and saw her sweet little boy at the block Halloween party tonight. Her baby is so sweet, tiny, and loveable, and not inside her belly anymore! Will admit, smidge jealous. :)

So, if you are annoyed with my updates, don't read them. Easy enough right? But, that might be why I have shut up for a few days, I hate to be a nuisance.

Last night, I was having steady contractions, a lot of which were like 5 mins apart, so I thought to myself: this is it! We packed up Scooby, and met Rita at the hospital and she took Scooby back home for us, at 1am... I got checked, was 3cm and 50% effaced still, just like when I was checked at the OB that day. They had me lay there for an hour and then came back and checked me, and said there was no progress, so I should go home. Was a bummer, but now I know I will NOT be going to the hospital until I am on the verge of death with contractions, or my water breaks, and that none of the doctors seem to think that we should even think about induction until Friday if I haven't had the baby yet.

I'm hoping not to lose Rita back to UT before the baby arrives, though My Mom says that she will help me to arrange to have some help from some of my fam as I need it with the baby, no matter when she comes. That is reassuring.

I will post Halloween pics/post tomorrow, assuming nothing happens and the baby still isn't here by tomorrow.

YOU WANT THE TRUTH?!!? you can't handle the truth...

2010-10-28T17:35:00.000-07:00

In this fine pic, I am wearing the awesome flower that I won back in that giveaway on archiveslives.com. It was my happy reward for checking the mailbox today. I really like it.. even more on than I thought I would when I opened the envelope and looked at it the first time... Also it is just the right size, not so bulky that I get sick of having it on my head.... and comfy enough that I totally took a nap with it on and didn't even realize it! That is an impressive feat. MeThinks Camille could make some good money selling these. Seriously.

Anyway-- back to the point of the title of this post--

I try not to be entirely dillusional. I am also not going to come out and say I am a realist, because full-on reality can be even more disturbing than living entirely in lala-land. I do attempt to reside someplace in-between. Even though I have a doctors appointment tomorrow, I am willing to admit that they may not tell me I can have my baby this weekend, even though that IS what I want. They might tell me that if I don't have the baby by the 4th, I can go in and get on patocin so that we can bring baby E here. I am just wanting her to come in enough time that my Mother-in-Law will be able to help with Scarlett while we are in the hospital and for the first few days after she is born. And while I am trying to have a vaginal birth this time, I know there is a possibility of C-section and I REALLY don't want to have no help with my 4 year old when I physically can't lift her or even hardly move.

Today I am 39 weeks. Please, everyone pray that she comes soon... not only because I am impatient, but for the sake of my sanity. I swear there isn't any more room in here for her to get any bigger!

xoxo

Twinkling Stars

2010-10-27T10:34:00.000-07:00

Scarlett with her cousin Rachel singing Twinkle Twinkle. Enjoy!

My Pregnancy 38 weeks, 5 days.

2010-10-26T19:44:00.000-07:00

My wonderful Mother-in-Law picked up Scarlett at about 11:30 today and took her out to Queen Creek to spend the day with her cousin Rachel at Aunt Nikki's house. Scarlett played and played all day (wouldn't even take a break to eat I guess), and she was gone until about 6:15, falling asleep on the way home in the car.

I got the chance to have a pretty low key day, met up with my sisters and walked around in 2 different Wal-marts, and at Fry's while they shopped. And tonight Joe says he is going to come home so that I can go see a movie with my Sister Wendy. That will be nice.

Yesterday at the OB they did strip my membranes, and in case you weren't aware, it HURTS LIKE HELL. I thought afterwards perhaps I was progressing, but really i was just in throbbing pain from the procedure.

I have been kind of a weepy emotional wreck again this afternoon. These pregnant hormones, are killing me :P I hate feeling like I have no control of my emotions, and sob at the drop of a hat over anything the slightest bit upsetting.

I have another doctors appointment on Friday, and am hoping they will schedule an induction for me. One of the Nurse Practitioners said they wouldn't let me go over my due date... I sure hope that is truth. My due date is 9 days away now.

It doesn't make me feel any better when people tell me the baby is NOT going to come early, so I don't wanna hear it. Pray that she comes soon, for those of you who are in the good graces of God. :)

Still no baby glider yet, I hope I can arrange that business before E gets here... (thinking).

Pregnancy 38 weeks 4 days.

2010-10-25T10:26:00.000-07:00

Headed to the OB at 11:40...

They said at 38 weeks they would strip my membranes, so that is the plan today!

Hoping for me, it will be like those ladies who go into labor within 8 hrs... But I'm not holding my breath.

I feel like the baby is dropping.

More and more difficult to roll over at night or move to get up to go to the bathroom.

No steady contractions.

Joe is working a lot, and I miss having him home more, but once the baby comes hopefully he will be around a bit more at least for a little while *fingers crossed* Also of course hoping that there is money to accompany all this work he is doing... that at least makes it seem like there is a purpose for my lonely feelings... besides being just a moody mess of a pregnant woman.

Definitely didn't cry all day long yesterday like I did the day before.

I helped out with my sister's fund raiser at Peter Piper Pizza last night, and came home and joined the Walk for Autism Speaks. I figure even if I can't attend in the end, the support is key.

All donations to this worthy cause are welcome, and you can donate on my page right HERE... so click away! There is also a tax form you can print out after donating, so you can just write it off, and know you have done something great to support the awareness of Autism and its widespread effect on this generation!

I'll keep you guys posted, as I always do.... of our progress after today's appointment.

My pregnancy at 38 weeks 3 days

2010-10-24T02:21:00.000-07:00

38 weeks pregnant =

Unhinged and Uncontrollable emotions

Constant insatiable hunger

Frequent Fatigue but inability to get comfortable.

Absence of patience with waiting for baby to be "ready" to come out.

Sleeplessness

Constant desire for love and nurture, accompanied by intense feelings of loneliness

In a Nutshell, not having fun anymore.

Sunday morning with a Smile on my face.

2010-10-17T08:20:00.000-07:00

It's Sunday morning. Don't seem to be having any contractions or anything. I think Eloise, like her Sister Scarlett wishes to stay in my belly forever. Whomever of you voted that she would come on 11/5, you are not my favorite... lucky for you, it was an anonymous poll and I have NO idea who you are...

I slept pretty good last night. Scooby let me put pajamas on her which makes me happy, helps me not stress all night about whether she is warm enough. She inherited my blanket kicker gene (I could never keep myself covered as a kid, and remember waking up cold SO many times, and I am sure I was always wearing pajamas, but Scooby's are long sleeved and fleecy pants.

Paul and Lizette came and helped Joe move his big desk out of his office this morning. They are moving into a new workspace off of McDonald and Broadway. He kindly woke me up to let me know they were here. I am glad... I got a really nice hug from Lizette... still sort of floating around after. The love of friends is such a powerful thing.. can really boost your mood just knowing that someone truly cares about you.

The weather out at 7ish in the morning is pretty nice. I suppose I can see why some people enjoy waking up early. Still pretty sure it is not my thing. Still haven't installed the car seat or assembled the stroller. Still haven't packed my hospital bag, but thanks for the tips to those who did leave some in the comment thread of last post. this link seems to have a pretty good list.... perhaps I'll use that too.

Went grocery shopping yesterday. Zoom in on my empty bank accounts. I sure hope we get some money in again soon... I sometimes wish I had more skills or valuable stuff to sell. Used my free movie pass to see "It's kind of a funny story" last night with Wendy. It was a great movie.

I love my life. Love my Family, Love my readers. Love my Plurk and FB friends. I think Scarlett is getting more excited for the baby to come. She is beginning to truly understand that baby sister is coming, and that it will be okay. We did watch Dumbo recently so I am pretty sure she thinks the stork will bring the baby. Hopefully that isn't the part she is excited about. :)

Pictures on Fancy Cameras....

2010-10-13T19:53:00.000-07:00

My Mom also gave me this cute Scarecrow when
she was over on Monday. It is fall after all!

OKAY, so if I have a memory card with photos on it, can't I just take that down to Walgreens and they will make me a CD/ disk with all the pics on it that I can take home to share with my friends? Apparently Joe says I have to connect some sort of card reader to my computer and that sounds complicated, and I am annoyed that I haven't been able to access all those pics from my baby shower to post on my blog yet. The pics on this post are not taken with the fancy camera, but with my iPhone, not that I am saying my iPhone isn't wonderful, i LOVE it.... just sayin'.

On Monday, my Mom and buddy Brooklin came over and helped me clean/organize my living areas and help me get all of the baby clothes settled. We ended up swapping Scarlett's and E's dressers with one another, (luckily Scarlett has no idea which one was hers originally or not... and could care less about such things) which has actually been a good thing for all. Been doing lots of laundry and being a better housekeeper. I love how a clean house smells when you walk in... so much better than a dirty house.

Only things left to do for the baby are:

I hung these on the wall in my bedroom and once
I finish washing all the clothing on the floor,
I am going to put the rocker/glider underneath this.

Get the Glider/Rocker from my friend Tracey who lives in Chandler/Gilbert area.
Get the Double Stroller put together... still hoping for a volunteer to come help me with that task!
Install the baby's car seat base in my car.
Pack my Hospital bag... looking for a good checklist to tell me ALL of the important things I need to put in there.
I need a pedicure, and a decent 'Do. I should also moisturize my face more often, I am starting to look like a scale-y lizard face.
More laundry.

Joe and I went and saw Social Network today at 2 in the afternoon. We had re-admit passes from when we tried to take Scarlett to that new owl movie... she did awful and we had to leave. I was glad we got to see this one for free in leu of watching that entire movie (thought Wendy took her boys and they really enjoyed it).

Scarlett has mosquito bites on her feet (the foot ones itch the very most!), and they also like to bite her on her arm right at the edge of her short sleeve (the last one had just healed, and now AGAIN)... a kid with an itchy mosquito bite is a pitiful thing, indeed. Seriously Mosquitos-- please leave AZ immediately, go bug someone else.

You can see my cute little "e" for Eloise here over her dresser.
Can't wait for this little girl to come out! :)

OB says I am 2 cm dialated and 50% effaced. Could have this baby any time... hoping for Saturday but I know that's unlikely.... Monday would be nice too. My Mother in law Rita is coming at the beginning of the week which will make it the most convenient for having someone to watch Scarlett during the fun labor process.

Give me your tips, your must-have hospital bag ideas, anything else you want to tell me. Hope you all are enjoying your week.

Full to the brim with gratitude.

2010-10-10T12:29:00.000-07:00

This morning, I woke up around 3:30am to go to the bathroom, as I do every morning. This morning however, my body and mind would not allow me to return back to sleep. I layed there in my bed, I watched my Beautiful Scarlett Paige sleeping so peacefully next to me. I couldn't stop thinking about how very much I love her. Every bit as much as the day we brought her home from the hospital. But really so much more than I did then. I am so grateful to have been there the day she said her first word..."hi", took her first step, got her first tooth and the first time she smiled at me.

Last night, I received some very saddening news that Joe's cousin's wife was killed in some sort of accident in the desert at the Rawlins family reunion. She was about our age and they had not yet the chance to bear children though they have been married several years. My heart as a pregnant mother ached for this loss. For her mortal life to be over having never been able to experience those joys.

Apart from this very sad news, Yesterday was such a wonderful day for me. My wonderful wonderful friend Lizette threw me the most fantastic baby shower ever. The food was amazing, and decor so beautiful. We played a word scramble and word search game with baby words and played the "guess how big my baby belly is" game. Lizette, with lots of help from her awesome Husband Paul made the most delicious cake! We still have lots more, please come over and help me eat it!

We had the party out on their back porch and between the two shade tents and afternoon shade of their tree and house, the weather could not have been better. I truly felt so blessed to have so many of my closest loved ones there. They were all so very generous to "shower" me with gifts!

Eloise will definitely have all of the nice things that a baby needs, and I already love her so much that I feel like my heart could burst at the seams.

Lizette had Joe bring his fancy camera, and I was a bit anxious that nobody would be able to figure out how to use it,but then it dawned on me that my fantastic friend Nina is a photography pro! She picked up that camera and became an instant event photographer. It was so fun looking through all the pictures after the party was over! There will definitely be a post to come with lots of pictures once I can get Joe to show me how to load them on the computer.

I even got to catch a post-shower Movie with some of my girls!! I am so grateful for Joe being willing to watch Scarlett so I could go, even though he has had a really tiring work week. We saw "Life as we know it" which of course also helped me to appreciate all the small and precious moments we get to share with our children.

Lots of love and gratitude to all who came on Saturday. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did!

Rainy day Remarks

2010-10-06T00:15:00.000-07:00

When you live in an arid desert, a little rain, or a lot... is an EVENT. Everyone runs to their Facebooks, and says things like, "OMG It's raining!" or "Hail storm, say what?!" We don't do things like check the forecast to plan our wardrobes for the day, assuming that today, just like every day for the last 3 months will be record breaking triple digit heat.... so today, I wore a sun-dress with a tank-top underneath... and it not only rained, but hailed. Scarlett and I were out to lunch with my sister Wendy when the storm appeared out of nowhere. Afterward we decided to run to Walmart. Wendy dropped us off in front of the store and yet, we still got pretty wet. This is Scarlett, wrapped in the blanket that I had fortunately brought with us.

here is another pic to show that Scarlett has pigtails today.

Around here, Pigtails let alone ponytails in general are no simple feat. Scarlett thinks that they are the most terribly inhumane treatment to her head. She whined and cried for I kid you not... an hour, because she had ponytails. But, by the end of the day today, she came to grips with the fact that I wasn't going to take them out, AND that they didn't hurt anymore.... Imagine that.

The day before, I attempted a single pony, it was much less successful... worked its way out quickly and still looked like a mess by the end of the day. And, she also of course whined and sobbed the entire time it occupied her head. Yes, for the past two rainy days, Scarlett has been our Rainbow. She loves this shirt, almost as much as the cupcake shirt.... which funny enough is also red.

Three days ago, we went to Ross to pick up Joe some exercise shorts... Joe made the mistake of taking Scarlett by the toy section and caved.. he let her have this tea set, which she absolutely loves and adores. Here is a pic of her having tea with her Dad.

That self same afternoon, I attempted to get Scarlett ready to attend a birthday party. When I went to put her shoes on, she cried out, that they were too small and that they hurt her foot.

(particularly her right foot which while they were on, she walked on her foot entirely sideways scaring the poop outta me. Joe told me to buy her new shoes before I had the panic attack over something being wrong with her foot... and he was right)

So, we had to make a pit stop at Payless Shoesource and thank heavens it is BOGO time. Scarlett did not want sneakers so we went the sandal route. She is now in size 9. She got the white flower sandals in this size, (which she has previously owned in 2 other sizes) as well as these lovelies:

Butterfly Sandals for the win! She liked them so much, she wore them out of the store (you can see that the tag is still on)

I went to the OB on Monday, and Eloise is head down. After Thursday, the doctors will do nothing to stop me from delivering, if I go into labor. Ellie loves to click me and run amok in my belly. I can't wait to meet her. Again, remember to vote on the arrival poll to the right.

My heartburn is killing me, so I am going to bed now.

Tums and Thunderstorms.

Due Date Pool

2010-10-02T19:04:00.000-07:00

I opened a Due Date pool on the right sidebar... so vote for the date you think the baby will come!

My baby shower is now only a week away, and I am super excited! I love watching things get purchased off of my registry... it is better than Christmas! I got the car seat and bases from my friend Marsha a couple of days ago, and it is super cute... Once I get the Stroller assembled I will take a pic of the car seat in it so you can see.

It is becoming increasingly more uncomfortable by the day. As it is I can hardly walk when I attempt to climb out of bed... even the getting up is so painful! The doc says your muscles and everything just become looser after the first one and so you have a lot more aches and pains with subsequent pregnancies. This is lame... not sure I want to go through this again, let alone bear through a whole other month of this. I have an OB appointment on Monday at 11:50. Still trying to put up the good fight to get my AHCCCS back... please people, give a pregnant lady a break! I am so grateful to my sis in law Nikki W who has helped and is continuing to help me put the ledger stuff together. I hate stress!

Not much more news to share... but I was feeling bad that it has been so long since my last post.

Here are some pics I have taken in the last few weeks.

this is Scarlett and Joe last night at dinner. they were so sweet together.

Scarlett had a lot of fun the other day playing at my Sister Wendy's house while I watched her boys for a couple of hours. They built and destroyed multiple forts. By the end, Scarlett finally got the hang of it and had so much fun hiding! If you know my girl, it can be difficult to catch a shot of her smiling.

Here is another great smiling shot I got of her today at my parent's house. They always do a barbecue for the Saturday General Conference break. My dad makes such good ribs. mmmm.

I have also been dabbling with card making again. I need to take pics of more of them, but here are a few that I made the other night.

SPECIAL DELIVERY!

2010-09-23T18:37:00.000-07:00

So today, I got a VERY large package at my front door! Guess what it was?

I'll give you a hint... I talked about needing one of these in this, this, and this post on my blog. After taking all of your comments and suggestions into consideration, I half pipe-dreaming-ly registered for it at Target. Since my wonderful friend Marsha is giving me a car seat and 2 bases, and I know it is pink and brown I decided that this one would fit our needs best, and crossed my fingers hoping for a miracle--that someone I know has an extra $224 plus tax that they wanted to spend on this desperately needed gift. A great online friend of mine named Scott (but I know him as potato boyo) from plurk said he wanted to contribute to my baby needs. I gave him my registry link and now a week later, its here! Is the anticipation killing you because you didn't click on any of the 4 links in this paragraph?

So there it is. Beautiful isn't it? I am so happy :) We also ordered my baby shower invitations. If any of you would like to be invited, email me your address and I will mail you one.. but if you just want to see what it looks like, here it is... some of the details have been removed for internet privacy reasons, etcetera :) Or, I can send you a web invite via FB private events.

Also, do you remember that giveaway I told you all you should enter? Well, EVERYONE who entered won, which means you MISSED OUT for not entering... and also means, that I WON!!! What a great day for things falling from the sky.

Other noteworthy events of this week: I got the pack and play set up in my bedroom (you can see it here), which means I cleared enough room in there for it, and also got Joe to move in Eloise's dresser, and went through all the hand-me-downs I have received, organized them by size and put'em in her drawers. I don't have a whole lot of "newborn" sized stuff, but am not sure how long they really stay in that size anyway.. I have a lot more 0-3 and tons more 3-6. My Registry is not very big, but I am going to definitely welcome DIAPER contributions at my Shower.. since we definitely will need those!

Also, I lost my cell phone on Sunday. I cannot lie, I really didn't like that phone, but either way, I looked high and low, even cleaned in a dither to find it (and nest for Eloise) but to no avail. But Joe came home and surprised me with a new phone on Tuesday, and I love it. We are one great big Apple family now.

image from here

My last and biggest piece of news is that my Scarlett Paige FINALLY pooped and peed in the toilet FOR THE FIRST TIME today!!! Yes, I almost didn't believe it... but she likes to play with my new phone, and I downloaded a Super Why app, so I told her, "just sit on the potty and play super why until you go peepee in the potty." I went back into the living room (we have considered maybe she prefers to go potty in private which is why we have not had any success) and soon she came out, and announced, "I went poop in the potty!" Half not believing her, I walked in there, "well let me see" and sure enough, pee and poo! Joe brought her home a Rolos candy bar as a treat.She is wearing panties, and is trying to get acclimated to "snuggies" and how to pull them out by herself when they happen.

No baby in the bucket!

2010-09-20T14:29:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you have all seen this label. If you are like me, you even thought it amusing, and chuckled a little when you first saw it. It was not until I had a child of my own that I realized the amazing DRAW children have to bins of this sort.

I suppose we are not really ignoring this label since those lids ALWAYS get pitched, leaving just an open topped bin that Scarlett LOVES to sit in. Oh yes, she must DUMP OUT all the toys that were being stored inside and sit in it. Today apparently it's a "bathtub". I'm still not totally sure why we bother buying this kid toys, when she is going to make her own out of random common place household items. She also finds it to be a very comfortable recliner when filled with laundry, dirty or clean.

When she isn't inside of it, she's on top of it... as a chair, or kneeling beside it as a table. But, beware of the lip around the top edge, when upside down it can hurt their toes when they step on it.... That would be a good warning to add to the label...

What's in a Middle Name?

2010-09-19T14:31:00.001-07:00

Well, for me, a middle name is sort of a big deal.

Growing up, I didn't have one, and always felt like I was missing out on something. When I got married, I was relieved to be able to fill that empty space with my maiden name. But let's face it, Some people never get married, and why should a person have to spend their entire life without a middle name?

Okay on to what this post was really intended to be about... I can't make up my mind on this middle name thing. Do you choose a family name, or do you just choose the name that sounds the cutest to you, or is the funnest most fun for you to write out on paper?

Give me your input, guys!

I have settled on the first name of Eloise. Here are some of the names I am considering for middle status:

Jane (just a really cute name, very classic)
Julia (Joe's Grandma's name. Eloise is a variant of Louise which is my Grandma's name)
Violet (continues the color theme)
Mabel (means lovable! isn't that cute?! and is another old lady name, you know I am a sucker for those)

--I decided I can't do Faye (my Mom's middle name) because her initials would be EFR... nobody wants to be a little EFR.

If you hadn't noticed, the clock is ticking my friends. I am 34 weeks pregnant, getting huge, and Eloise could be here at any moment in a middle name-less predicament! As Scarlett would say, "We can't let that happen!"

ADDENDUM:

I shared my Mabel Suggestion with Joe this afternoon. He said, "yeah, and if you name her Mabel, she will never get married." This answer shocked me! I did admit to him that I got the idea for Mabel by someone commenting on my blog that I should NOT name my daughter Mabel, and yet I liked it. He said, "Oh, of course you did." I told him, 'I love it and you HATE it... (insert pouty face here)' He said, "No, I like it just fine, our daughter doesn't have to ever get married, that is okay with me... maybe we could change Scarlett's middle name to Mabel." I glared at him. I love him, even if sometimes he is a punk. :)

Everyone wants to be a Winner.

2010-09-17T00:59:00.000-07:00

For me, today is no exception. My gem of a friend Camille, from Archives of our Lives is doing a giveaway with 10 yes, I said 10 winners. I love to win, and never do... but I thought

"Hey, maybe today my luck will change. It's my turn for some good fortune!"

Pipe dreams aside, check out her post here... and enter. If you don't want a cute flower, then enter anyway, and give it to me.

look how adorable she is, and that bone structure. There is one of the flowers that she clipped to a dollar store headband... couldn't be cuter or more chic, I say.

Trying it on for size

2010-09-13T08:49:00.002-07:00

Molly Loves Presents

2010-09-07T17:58:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows me well, knows the above statement to be so very true. I love presents. I do. I feel bad sometimes because I love them so much, and am well aware there are probably better and more important things for people to do with their money than to buy me presents, but it does not change the facts. I, LOVE Presents. My Mother in Law knows this, and is VERY GOOD at giving us presents. The other day she told me that there was a package coming in the mail for me in the next couple of days. I have been anxious to see what it would be, and the darling woman sent me more clothes. Heaven be praised, I love new clothes. I have done quite well at not buying myself anything new to wear in a very long time... so long in fact that I can't even remember the last time I did.

It was funny though, because I knew I needed to go out and check the mailbox to make sure they hadn't put a note in my box that I had to pick it up from the post office, but had no desire to find something to put on to go... a friend of mine suggested I just throw on a slip dress or something of the sort to just run out and check the mail. I thought to myself, "Yes, I would like to have a slipdress... that would be divine. Light, cool, perfect for just throwing over a T shirt and going to get the mail or run to the store or whatever... but alas, I have not such a thing. First thing I see in my goodie bag, a little purple tank dress with cute brown rings on braided straps, and hawaiian flowers on it. PERFECT. She also send me a green dress I could wear to church or out with Joe, and a nice big T shirt with silver embellishments around the neck. She couldn't have done better.

She also tucked in a magnet book for Scarlett with an under the sea type theme. Scarlett loved it right away. "I am playing my game" she says. And she would tell me what each sea creature was as she took it out to put it on the book. I would ask her to tell me what color it was, or how many of each thing there were. These are her favorite types of games to play. She spends so much time playing with the magnets on the fridge, or finding things around the house that are magnetic so that she can stick them to her toy that houses magnetic letters.. She is so inventive.

Joe took some pictures which I am enclosing in this post, when he gets around to sending them to me.

it was another one of those days

2010-09-06T02:15:00.001-07:00

When out of the blue Scarlett wanted to take pictures. She had some great faces today. Then I went to town on them in photobucket. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.

Knock Knock!

2010-08-30T20:11:00.000-07:00

The past few weeks, Scarlett has gotten really into:

It is one of her favorite things to do, continue to tell knock knock jokes, most of which she makes up on the spot and we both laugh hysterically. When Dad's around he joins in too... She really has such a sense of humor. I think she must get it from Joe's side. Here are a few of the ones she has come up with on her own...

Knock Knock!

Who's there?

Chooch.

Chooch Who?

CHOOOOOCH CHOOOOOO!!! hahahahahahaaha!

Knock Knock!

Who's there?

Banana.

Banana Who?

Banana goes EAT EAT EAT! hahahahahahaaha!

Knock Knock!

Who's there?

Red.

Red Who?

Red goes YELLOW YELLOW YELLOW! hahahahahahaaha!

We don't have the heart to tell her that some of the jokes just aren't that funny, of course some of our exemplar jokes were not a whole lot better, but its the fun that counts right?

Scott Pilgrim VS Joe and Red Rawlins

2010-08-26T23:25:00.000-07:00

So my friend posted a link to a "build your own Scott Pilgrim vs the world avatar, and I couldn't resist, so I made one for Joe and me... :) enjoy.

WARNING: Design Star Spoiler!

2010-08-24T12:25:00.000-07:00

If you are planning to watch the finale of Design Star on your DVR sometime leisurely this week, and want it to be a surprise, then I hope you didn't click my link because you saw the warning subject line!

The winner of Design Star was Emily Henderson! She is an ex-Mo and very cool gal, and I totally dig her design style. The premiere of her new show is Sunday night at 7pm and 10pm (just like Design Star's time slot was)

If you are a big fan like me.. you might want to also follow her blog here.

--- On an unrelated note, here is a recap of Yesterday's events. My Handsome Husband, Joe turned 30.

Growing up, birthdays were like our own personal National Holidays. We got the breakfast of our choice (for me it was waffles with rainbow sherbet sandwiched between them), and our favorite dinner, (I always chose Spaghetti) and when we woke up in the morning, the coffee table in our living room would be displaying my wonderful gifts, and we all of us kids tried to make sure we got our siblings gifts, which made for a nice spread! Then we went to school, pretty much feeling like royalty, wearing our new birthday outfit, and a smile from ear to ear. To us, it didn't matter that we didn't get a birthday party most years (only 5, 8, 12, and 16 customarily), because we had already been given the VIP treatment at home, with love.

(wow that cake looks awesome, image from here)

Naturally in my mind, when I think of a birthday coming up, I sort of hope for all of that to still come to pass. However, as an adult, you come to realize, that you have to have money to buy fancy presents. And when it comes down to buying diapers or a DVD, you opt for the diapers. But, luckily Joe's sister Nikki offered to watch Scarlett, and AMC 24 has the awesome deal of $5.25 movies on week nights, so we went and saw "Scott Pilgrim vs the World" and really had fun watching it together, snuggling, and eating the Rubio's burritos we smuggled into the theatre from my purse, and giggling at all the random hilarious humor. We ran to Walmart to pick up a few sundry necessities, and then headed back to pick up Scarlett. She was so happy and in such a good mood when we got there. Made me feel good. On the way home, Joe said that this was the best birthday he ever had, and that he is so grateful for his girls. Just before bed, I cut Joe's hair. I think it looks pretty decent for being done at 1AM. I got myself with the scissors in the process, but luckily i have the crappiest dull pair of scissors in the land, so it didn't do much damage.

I also went to the OB yesterday and she did seem a bit surprised I hadn't gained any weight in the last 2 weeks.. but i guess the baby measured ok, cause she didn't seem TOO concerned. I think the nurse lady is kind of a dim-wit though, because she can never seem to get my blood pressure right the first time, and I hate that squeezy cuff, it hurts for PETES sake! She's always like, "i don't hear anything" *sighs*

mmm Petes sounds tasty! Thats all for now, folks. xoxo.

Hair Hair Everywhere!

2010-08-20T12:11:00.001-07:00

Just how long AM I planning to let it get?

Well definitely not this long--

That scares me and reminds me of the movie "The Ring" sorry for the horrific flashback that may have provided those who saw the film.

The truth is, it is just growing because I can't afford to have my hair done. I have not had my hair professionally done or cut since last December. I did put some boxed color on it a while back, to try and reduce the number of colors and inches of hideously visible regrowth that was taunting me each time I looked in the mirror. I definitely think the prenatals are helping it grow faster too. I can't remember having my hair any longer than it is now, since I was a kid anyway.... So I suppose it is also a form of amusement to watch it grow.

I suppose if it starts looking hideous or ratty I will cut it. but until then, putting it in buns, like I did yesterday, twisting it like a twisty donut into some sort of crazy bun in a very Grandma Louise kind of manner, and things of the like, are fun things to do. Scarlett has also grown very fond of brushing my hair for me. She likes how she can just so easily run the brush through my insanely straight hair... such a contrast to her hair that gets instantly caught in the brush with her curly goodness.

Speaking of Hair, I think my husband REALLY wants a haircut today. I have been unintentionally procrastinating this event, and I can tell his patience is wearing thin. I understand... and promise to try and get it done today.

I have another OB appointment Monday. 30 weeks am I, holy carp this baby could come any time! She moves around SO MUCH, and I think is anxious to fly the coop, not that I blame her, I am feeling pretty crowded myself.

Another Day.

2010-08-19T20:44:00.000-07:00

So, in response to people's bewilderment as to why ANYONE would put taco seasoning on eggs, It goes back to something I probably said in a blog post 2 years ago, about how my husband likes to put taco seasoning on pretty much everything. It started with Spaghetti sauce (actually gives it a nice zip), but then has progressively taken over. Popcorn, Eggs, really anything Joe cooks is given a liberal sprinkling of taco seasoning. For a while, it was okay, but in this pregnancy the baby has advised me that this is not okay, especially on daily morning eggs. So the morning I posted the previous post, when Joe asked if I wanted some eggs, I said in a somewhat adamant voice, "yes, but no taco seasoning please!"

I am thinking this shall be a post of randomry. In the last 15 minutes, Scarlett has been coloring and cuddling with Joe. Her new favorite medium is marker.... *sighs* what a stressful experience for my highly strung daughter. If she gets a DOT of marker on herself she shrieks at the top of her lungs pleading with someone to help her remove it promptly. This is why I buy the Washable Crayola markers, because, yep, then if there isn't a wipe nearby, you can lick your finger and quickly wipe off the marker from her skin and she is instantly calm. Her Dad however, refuses to use his spit to clean his child, so as I attempted to type about Taco seasoning, he let her freak out for 5 minutes about the ink on her leg. finally she climbed down, KNOWING that at least her Mother would help her, and I licked my finger and solved the problem. *sighs*

Now that my hair is growing so long, I broke down and bought some SCRUNCHES! I love scrunches so much and AM bringing them back from their banishment post 80's in the mid 90's. They are so much more comfortable when one's hair must be pulled back to sleep comfortably... and you can color coordinate them to your outfit, or choose neutral colors that match whatever you might choose to wear :) I got an insanely good deal at Dollar Tree... got a 4 pack and a 6 pack for only $1 each. The four pack is black, gray, white, and charcoal colored, and the 6 pack is more metalic looking fabrics of random fun colors.

Things I don't like.

2010-08-16T12:36:00.000-07:00

Taco Seasoning on my Eggs

Throwing up

Running out of clean underwear

Aches and pains

Potty Training

Loud Noises

Dirty Dishes

Car Trouble

Stinky Garbage

Broken Doors (okay well maybe if mine were as cool as this one)

Hey! We're the Rawlins's

2010-08-12T12:10:00.000-07:00

Okay so I totally had to ask my Husband the proper way to write "Rawlins's"... one of my phobias in life for some reason when it comes to grammar (which generally I like) is how on earth you deal with having a last name that ends in "S" and where the apostrophe goes... I hate to look ignorant. So if he was wrong, then he has led me astray... Anyway... This is just going to be a simple little post with cute little webcam pics I have snapped of Scooby, I, And Joe even appears in a few of them... over the course of the last couple weeks. Enjoy!

My Daughter's so hip...

2010-08-09T01:29:00.000-07:00

When she gets stressed, she does Yoga.

image from here.

Things I would prefer never to live without.

2010-08-07T10:37:00.000-07:00

1. Toilet Paper

2. My Husband & Daughter(s)

3. My Family

4. Google

5. Internet

6. Air Conditioning

7. Water

8. Dr Pepper

9. Baked Potatoes (as of late... YUM... seriously, I want another one today)

10. A Car that works

Name Game

2010-08-02T13:54:00.000-07:00

Today I was lucky enough to find my Husband in the mood to talk about names!! :)

Top names are

Eloise Violet Rawlins (still) and Julia Claire Rawlins. I told Joe that Julia Claire almost sounds good enough to eat... "I'll have a Julia Claire a'la mode."

I am definitely still thinking we will have to meet this little girl before we are completely decided on the name. I can't believe how the days are flying by!

Huge accomplishment last night: Scarlett Paige wore underwear!! They have Dora on them and stars all over, with a ruffly band... I do not think you understand how unbearably happy I was for her to wear them. I had to bribe her with Rainbow Brite markers... but, it worked. She also sat on the Elmo potty seat on the potty using her toddler potty as a step stool. We still put her in a diaper to sleep in, which she peed in TONS because I know she was holding it in, but today WILL be the day that PEES in the potty. Wish us luck!

Joe arrived safely home from his business trip to San Fran and brought me a cute little red golden gate bridge. He said since he couldn't take me to the bridge he brought the bridge home to me. He got Scarlett a cute little teddy bear with a San Francisco sweatshirt on it, but she doesn't like it... not a big bear fan. I told him maybe the new baby will like it! :)

I wish I could just pay someone to keep my laundry done for me... it is my hugest problem ever... and the washer and dryer are out side in that hell hole heat, which keeps me from EVER wanting to go out there, and also makes it way easier for the clothes to get stinky when left in the washer a bit too long. BOO, I hate laundry. :(

That's all for now.

Survey Style

2010-07-31T00:39:00.000-07:00

I'm not in a wordy mood but I do feel like I have things to say, so here it goes in an unorthodox way.

Name of the Week: Eloise Violet Rawlins (we could call her E.V. for short!)

Missing members of the household: Joe, he is in San Fran on a business trip.

Estimated Time of Return: Sunday sometime, but subject to change.

Plans for the weekend: None really.

Cravings at the moment: can't get enough water... man, living in the desert is the PITS!

Reportable funny sounds: hopefully just the rain on the window... :)

Funny Scarlett Story: She made 4 marks on her leg in sort of a Sonar/ target pattern in 4 different colors. When I saw them, I said, "Honey, it is not good to draw on yourself with markers..." she got the most dumbfounded and disdainful look on her face as if I could not possibly be right about this, and continued to say, "but Mom, I'm a robot with the color pink!" I said, "well okay, tonight you can be a robot with the color pink, but please don't draw on yourself with markers anymore. " She trudged away, a little annoyed.

New Scarlett favorite shows: Oswald (a giant blue octopus who sings about his every emotion), and the Mr Men Show, based on those darling books that have been around since we were kids... very well demonstrate the attributes of each emotion. Mr Happy, Mr Persnickety, Little Miss Oops, Mr Rude (pictured on right), Mr Tickle, etcetera.

Confirmation on unusual sound: Yep, it is now pouring rain... it sounds like someone left a very strong spigot of water on, over my roof... almost would make me think I don't live in the desert!

Can't wait for Saturday to share these Steals!!!

2010-07-28T18:43:00.001-07:00

So I have been DYING to go to a thrift store. Joe could only ask "why" as he does not understand the utter joy I find from a good steal, but perhaps against his will he came with Scarlett and I to Saint Vincent DePaul's Thrift Store (located like a block from my house), and though they didn't have any awesome Jewelry (which I have scored on in the past) they DID have some great clothes for Scarlett. Our Scarlett girl has recently grown out of pretty much ALL of her bottoms.... Shorts, Pants, Skirts, etcetera and was in dire need of some new digs. So I got 3 skirts, 2 pairs of shorts, 1 dress and 2 shirts for $4!!

I was also so excited that I just had to take pictures of them all... please ignore the unkempt pregnant lady lurking behind the clothing, k thanks!

Soccer ball

2010-07-24T00:20:00.000-07:00

My uterus is now the size of a soccer ball.

The baby about the size of a half gallon of milk and roughly the length of those fun little recorders you played in music class back in grade school.

These visualizations help me feel better about my current appearance.

Joe has been having fun with his new camera... and took these pictures... the color is amazing, and the pictures are so clear. He says he will take some more maternity pics of me later on, too. Oh, and for you Shumway relatives, that is Grandma Louise's Aloe Vera plant still growing strong by our front door behind Scarlett. :)

Today was my Dad's birthday, he is now 59! Scarlett and I had a great time over at their house this afternoon, she loves to play with all her cousins. My mom and I were talking about how time can really fly by, I still am not sure how I came to be 25, seems like only yesterday I was turning 21 and getting married. Joe and I will celebrate our 5 year anniversary in December, and my parents are celebrating 35 years that same month. I am grateful for love; it truly can survive all else.

Post-its

2010-07-21T00:12:00.000-07:00

Without a lot to say, here's what I do have to say... in post-its. Make your own here

Hoarders- Saturday Steals

2010-07-17T10:16:00.000-07:00

This morning I was thinking about Saturday Steals, as I again read Camille's blog entry of the week and found myself considering steals in my life. for example Scarlett's Rainbow Brite Pony. (it looks exactly like this one, I can't believe my mad-Googling skills found me this image!) This thing was obviously the real deal from back in 1984. Someone loved and cherished this thing. Could have very well been their FAVORITE childhood toy... a few of her hooves are a bit worn out due to all the trotting along Starlight as done over the years. In fact, they probably held onto it for a good 23 years before finally deciding it was okay to part with it: give it to charity (D.I. in this case) , pay it forward. This person, was willing to part with this gem in order to not allow their home to turn into something like this:

(image from here)

There are toys I remember from my childhood, that I wish I still had to share with my daughter... but, let's face it, it is neither healthy nor worthwhile to allow yourself to be buried in sentimental or useless collecting. And let's face it, who is going to be able to find ANYTHING in a scary pile of a room like that one?

Sorry, the above was sort of a mental tangent, but I feel much better after letting it out of my head! :)

Steals that took place this week:

Joe's sister Nikki is going to give me the single Graco stroller that she used for her daughter who is Scarlett's age, so now I will have a single stroller to click Zoey's [yeah still not set in stone on the name yet, but anyway] car seat into on those solo-adventures or when Scooby doesn't need to sit in the stroller. We also took our girls with us to a quick run to Wal-mart this week. These two girls are already best friends in the making... look at this adorable picture of them eating icecream side by side in the cart. Melts my heart :)

My friend Marsha says she will probably call me Monday so I can go pick up the infant car seat and bases she has (did i tell you guys that it is pink and brown just like I said I wanted to begin with?!)

And, it gets better! Scarlett's wonderful Grammy and Papa Rawlins got her THE pink and brown car seat I had been posting about wanting. Scarlett was in love with it before it even came out of the plastic! It hasn't made it into our car yet, I want go give our CRV a nice thorough cleaning before putting in the new seats. I feel so incredibly blessed, that I am practically bursting at the seams!

My dear sweet friend Brooklin watched Scarlett for us last night for free so we could see the movie Inception. We really liked it and I would recommend it! Just wanted to publicly thank Her for being such a great friend, I love her so much.

Saturday again already?!

2010-07-10T01:01:00.000-07:00

Here are some updates on Saturday Steals, since it is again Saturday. Here is the link again to Camille's blog where this gem-of-an-idea stems from.

This week, my sweet Amiee Friend drove out here to my house (at least a 20 min drive) and brought me loads of loot. By loot I mean LOTS of clothing, and bibs, and socks, and clothing, and some lady she knows even gave me her AWESOME pack and play with the bassinet and changing table on top, and looks like it is in perfect condition. This has made me try and clear out my bedroom to try and make room for this nice bed to go in our room, and get things settled for our new little bundle to join the household! (that is what it looks like minus the mobile.

I also got another awesome email today from a friend named Marsha. She and I went to school together since Elementary school, and she says her baby girl has already grown out of lots of her clothes and her infant CARSEAT and she has one or two bases for it that I can have too! I am beyond psyched!!! I am so immensely grateful for all of these wonderful blessings raining down on us.

Last night Joe's sister Nikki watched Scarlett free of charge for us so we could go see a movie together. When we got there Scarlett was excited to play with her cousin Rachel, and was not upset when we left. We went over to Mesa Grand and found awesome parking right away, and discovered that AMC has even night time tickets for only 5.25 a piece on week nights! What a steal! We saw the Twilight movie, and I liked it, and most of all I just loved being with my Husband. I love him so so so so much. I also loved coming back and finding Scarlett so happy and content at Nikki's house. Nikki even posted pictures of the girls playing on her facebook for me to see when I got home.

Steals left and right I tell ya, left and right... but it's even better when they are gifts, because then it's not stealing at all!

What is a Friend?

2010-07-08T13:12:00.000-07:00

It is strange how the older I get the more unclear I am on what exactly it means to be a friend.

dictionary.com defines as follows:

–noun

a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard.

a person who gives assistance; patron; supporter: friends ofthe Boston Symphony.

a person who is on good terms with another; a person whois not hostile: Who goes there? Friend or foe?

a member of the same nation, party, etc.

As people my age face untimely deaths, it is always brought back front and center in my mind. I went to school with this guy. He was always very kind and friendly to people around him. I have never heard him utter an unkind word. He was epileptic, so after having a few classes with him over time, he knew that I knew what to do if he began having a seizure when I was in his company. Give him space and try and keep anything hard out of his way. I remember feeling some sort of duty with this, even though we never actually "hung out" outside of school. I never went to his house or knew his family. But I would say we were attached by personal regard. We were definitely always on good terms. Apparently we never connected on Facebook, though I looked him up as soon as I heard the news today. Was nice to see his face. (image from here)

I had recently heard that he was finishing up some sort of nursing program. This made me happy to think that even though he had all of his own personal trials in life that he would want to choose a profession where he could help others. I imagined him caring for patients, providing them the same warm assurance, that he was in their corner. Again, I think to myself, "why didn't I ever tell him what a great guy I thought he was? Why are we so slow to share the things we find so strong and good about the people around us? They are gone so quickly. I hope they can read blogs in heaven because I have read so many good and heartfelt messages to people who have since passed on. It only seems fair that they should be able to read them. Goodbye Derek. God be with you till we meet again.

Saturday Steals

2010-07-03T13:06:00.001-07:00

So I have this wonderful friend Camille... okay so we are mostly just internet friends, but I like to pretend she would want to be my friend in real life.. and she runs this cool thing weekly called Saturday Steals.. And, I as of late have felt sad that I don't shop anymore, so I never have anything to contribute, so I decided to add something for fun.

So, the only thing better than all these deals people keep finding wonderful bargain prices at Goodwill, Yard Sales and the discount children's store Once Upon a Child, are when people feel sorry for you and pick up cute things FOR YOU at Yard Sales. My Parents are AWESOME at doing this.

When we moved back to AZ for example, I mentioned to my sweet Parents that Joe has always desired a reclining chair... to him this was the marker of true Manly success in life, that you have a living room with a nice TV and a reclining chair. (image on right from here) His Dad has a chair that is all his, and fits this bill, so I suppose you can say this was an inherited mindset. I however up to this point had been of the mind that "when we have money we will get you a chair, dear". A week later my dad came home from a Yard Sale and called me up and said I got you TWO matching blue chairs at a yard sale, for $20 for the pair. The guy had wanted twenty a piece, but my dad said he wouldn't give him any more than $20 for the pair, and sadly the guy admitted. See, I know if I were there I would have paid more or just sadly gone home without my desired purchase. So now, Joe has a recliner for the living room and a non reclining chair for his office to sit and read in. And it gets better. (image from here)

Joe also was in dire need of an office chair. He for weeks suffered through sitting on an uncomfortable wooden chair to do his work and his back was in real suffering over it. He told me, I want a chair just like Paul (his business partner) has. He described it to me, and it sounded expensive... so I told him I would keep my eye peeled for a new chair for him. I went to a thrift store and bought a chair for $10 which he did not like, and thought smelled bad, so he was really excited when out of the clear blue sky Paul offered to GIVE him THE chair he had dreamt of... and it is blue and matches the other chairs we have perfectly. Fate? I have to think: yes. (image from here)

Of course if you read my blog you know that the latest buzz has been all about how there is a child growing in my stomach who will come out naked and have nothing to clothe it. Apparently this imagery is disturbing to some of my readers. My sweet and wonderful friend Amiee told me the other day that she has 2 bags of clothes for my baby! She was so sweet that she even posted on her facebook that a friend of hers didn't have any clothes for her new baby so if they wanted to get rid of little girl clothes she would come pick it up from their house to bring to me, how wonderful is that?! I am so excited!

And of course my Wonderful Parents are at it again. Last week my mom bought a bag full of newborn clothes, washcloth, a couple baby towels, and a small 3 drawer dresser for me to house Zoey's (name of the week) clothes in, and this morning I got another call that she has found MORE clothes for her! Can't wait to go over there and see them. Another great friend of mine Amber who lives in CO is going to ship me all the clothes and stuff from her baby girl who is now about Scarlett's age. She says its all in great condition and I am SO EXCITED about that. (image from here)

So the moral of this post is, Wonderful Family, and True Friendships are not only priceless but insanely good Saturday Steals!

**ADDENDUM** I just went to sweet Amiee's blog and she posted about Saturday steals, and I nearly cried reading of her true charity and love she gives to me as a friend... read the post, you will probably cry too!! LOVE YOU AMIEE!

Price comparisons....

2010-06-30T20:02:00.000-07:00

Looks like the matching car seat to the double stroller I found at walmart and posted about a couple days ago, costs $153.54 all by itself!! (and of course the double stroller is another $205.54.

Whereas this travel system that is pink and brown that matched scarlett's big girl seat that comes with a single stroller only costs $140.00 and comes with a free 10.00 Walmart online gift card.... so it would be more cost effective to get the pink one with the stroller and just not have it match the double stroller... then at least we would have both to suit our needs?

Starting to get sick of thinking about all of it. Feeling tired in general. Man it is hot in AZ. This is going to be one LONG summer!

Yesterday we got our check from one of Joe's clients, and were able to pay our mechanic and pick up our car. I am so grateful to have it back! Also I am excited to have money to pay my rent this month.

Scooby wanted to take Pickshers!

2010-06-26T23:16:00.002-07:00

We had a really fun afternoon-evening over at my Parent's house today. David and Jodell were in town, and Ben and Kimmy were over there too with their kids. Scarlett had such a wonderful time, and was just FULL of smiles all day. It was wonderful. I am so grateful to have so much family close-by. My mom also got me a couple of nice Old Navy shirts at a yard sale today that look brand new as well as a couple little things for the new Baby.

Car Repairs are going to cost $375. The distributor needs to be replaced. Hopefully sometime in the near future we will have some money so we can pay the mechanic to get it going again...

Zoey is now leading in the name poll... I shall keep watching it and see what happens. I looked up the name Zoey online today and apparently it means "Life" in Greek. Kinda cool :)

Trail Mix, Baby Slings, and Dog-piles.

2010-06-25T23:01:00.001-07:00

Scarlett's new favorite treat in "the whole wide world" is Trail mix. Yep. I went to a RS Meeting with my Mom and they gave us as a handout a prescription bottle full of trail mix. I took it home to Scarlett and she chowed down the whole thing... With no prejudice to ingredients. She is a trail mix lover. We bought her a bag of Kroger trail mix this afternoon and she is quite enjoying it. I'm thinking to look at the Sunflower Market to see if I can get a better deal on it by the pound... as I am too lazy to make my own. (image from here)

So the verdict is in, I suppose I had better get a double stroller. I had been eyeballing that nice graco stroller that Amiee sent me the link to, and found a really cool color combo one that's only available online from Walmart... I think this is also the same kind Crystal was telling me about. heres the image. I have added it to my registry... which now has the car seat i want for Scarlett and this stroller, and that's it, lol.

Oh, and today my question involves baby Slings... I have always wanted a good one... think it would be nice to be able to hands-free carry the new-by so that I can still be of help to the Scarlett. They have some ADORABLE ones on Etsy... (that little girl reminds me of Scooby, and the cool thing about these slings is that they dont have any snaps or rings, so you don't have to fuss with it, just lay them in it.. the print I liked best looks like this:

Today has been well, not the best day. I woke up this morning and checked my account to discover that even though I watched my account and attempted to transfer funds to cover a pending transaction, it was past some cut-off time, so I incurred $66 in fees. AND nobody at Chase bank gives a crap that I tried so hard to keep my account positive and they told me there was nothing they could do. Jerk faces.

The one perk of our day was that on our way out the door, Joe's sister Nikki stopped by and I think half way joking asked Scarlett if she wanted to go with her instead of us, and she was like, "OK!" it surprised Us as much as Nikki, but because she couldn't bear to tell Scarlett no, so we got to go to the grocery store alone. It was fun to walk the aisles with Joe, holding hands, leisurely, without the determent of a 3 year old with endless wants and needs.

On our way home from the grocery store however, our car broke down... It was acting a little funny a couple days ago (which is why I have pretty much just stayed home), but apparently has now decided to completely stop running. So, there we were sitting in the 107 degree heat, with a car full of groceries. (image from here) We called Nikki and she agreed to come rescue us and our groceries. Joe stayed with the car because it had some video equipment in it he didn't want to have stolen, and once Nikki got me home with the groceries I managed to get ahold of my mechanic who said he was on his way to help rescue Joe, and bring the car over to his house to look at, and Nikki brought Joe and his equipment safely back home. So in the end, we are car-less. Both cars are now out of commission, and we have a checking account with a -$61 balance. So pretty much, things are awesome with us.

We have been home this evening watching movies on TV and I would definitely have to say the hi-light of my evening was when we had a family dog-pile on the couch... First i was just laying there.. then Joe came to snuggle, so he was piled behind me (we are large so we look more piled than just snuggled), and Scarlett came in and didn't want to miss out on the fun, so she climbed "Mom and Dad Mountain", and plopped right on top and wrapped her arms around Dad who had his arms around Mom who has baby V in her belly. {no worries, i wasn't being smashed} I couldn't feel more blessed to have so much love all piled on one love-seat. (image from here)

Car seats, Travel Systems, Double strollers?

2010-06-24T20:10:00.000-07:00

So a month or so back Scarlett had the privilege of riding in her aunt Nikki Welton's van and ride in her cousin Rachel's snazzy big girl car seat.. and let's just say, she loved it.. it was a big success. Since then, my curiosity peaked and I have googled it. Last time I saw Nikki she told me the brand Evenflo and I Googled again... and SUCCESS! found it on Rollback at Walmart for $59! I don't have $59, but hopefully soon we will. And, if not, I started a registry at Walmart, and have it on there... I think I will be wise and register for different things at the different stores so that I get my bases covered.

Scarlett's car seat is old and her legs are getting too long to stay in the current seat... plus I found a cute travel system at Target that I really like... and I think the two will look cute in the car together :)

BUT---- People have been telling me that I need to get a double stroller instead of just getting a nice cute single stroller..... My concerns are as follows:

1-Scarlett won't want to sit in it anyway2- I won't have Scarlett with me all the time and will wish that i just had a smaller single stroller so that it wouldn't be so cumbersome.

3- I am going to want to use this stroller to carry that baby seat so I am not just trying to HAUL it around everywhere... cause lets face it those things are SO heavy.

I considered a side-by-side double stroller, but those are so NOT Shopping friendly. Then, I considered a Sit and Stand, but looking at this picture I cannot see Scarlett thinking that was very cool... If she wanted to stand she would probably want to walk... *shrugs*

I think in the end it probably comes down to: once I have 2 kids I will probably never want to leave the house with both of them, because it will be such a pain. What do all of you think?

Hoping for words of wisdom.

V is for Violet

2010-06-23T23:23:00.000-07:00

I don't know if it has anything to do with the Poll (to your right if you still haven't voted) or what... but i am starting to lean toward Violet Faye for the name of my sweet little kicker. I think I will call her V for short. V for victory and valor... V for Vendetta!> (image from here)

Today I asked Scarlett if when the baby comes if she wants it to sleep in her room with her. She said Okay! I asked her, "..So you can keep her safe and she won't be scared?" Yes, she responded. My mom said yesterday that she would probably do fine with the baby in her room. I, am a smidge more skeptical... hate to send a lamb to the slaughter.. though I know Scarlett would mean well, she is also sort of a sit up at midnight and sing a song kinda girl, or "hey, this seems like a good time to play with my toys and jump on my bed" sort of spirit. We love her, but she does appreciate the need for her own space (at least with other kids who are not her siblings).

V (as we shall call her until I change my mind again) has been kicking and moving around a lot. I really cannot wait to know her... to meet her Sister, and to watch Joe ogle over her, destined to be surrounded by beautiful women in his home.

My Mom has come over the past two days and helped me with a curtain project for our arcadia doors. Two places (we have lived in) ago, I bought this shower curtain and liner, but then didn't need it while we lived in Cali, and decided not to use it in the bathroom here so I gave them too my Mom as she really liked them. The heat of this summer seems to be getting more and more ridiculous by the day and as a result, we truly found the need to keep out the sun and heat from off of our patio into our livingroom. My mom, still had the curtains I had given her, and suggested we use those... and the outcome, is definitely an improvement. The doors are a little taller than the curtains, so they kind of look like they are ready for a flood, but they do keep us from tripping over them, and the rings make it easy to slide the curtains open and shut as needed. See the picture provided.

Today after adding the final rings to the shower curtains, My mom and I went to Kirkland home, and we found this cute wooden Princess sign for Scarlett's room. I took some pictures with the laptop cam, which made everything mirror imaged... but I managed to flip these two back in my picture viewer software so that you don't have to read the sign backwards... and then it didn't work... so I had to load it into photobucket, and make the flip and save... so I hope you enjoy seeing this.

I did hang the sign myself, so if it isn't completely straight or well placed, forgive. I did know that Scarlett wouldn't be able to reach it, because the two polka dots below it were still on the wall... if she can reach them from bed, she pulls them off of the wall... :) I also took a picture of the awesome curtains that Rita helped put together for Scarlett (it was SUCH a task, she was a saint to go to all the effort of finding just the right thing. She also bought Scarlett's comforter set and sheets that you can see on the bed including the cover on that cute lime green pillow.

The Results are IN....

2010-06-15T07:03:00.001-07:00

Yesterday at 1:00 we went to our ultrasound appointment. We brought Scarlett with us, so that she could begin to accept the reality that a new baby is going to join our family. The ultrasound was much clearer this time than it was with Scarlett. They had a big HD monitor mounted on the wall in front of us, so we didn't have to try to strain to look at the tech's little screen.. We could see everything so well, even her eyes. There is no denying it is a little girl, as we got a very clear shot of that area as well. Joe was so sure it was a boy, but is still just as thrilled as I am about it being a girl. So I know before I sounded pretty sure on the name, but now that I know its a girl I am less sure... So I may post a poll to see the most popular of the names on our top 5 list. The baby measures exactly right for 20 weeks, and the Due date is still November 4th. Kimmy, is that your birthday? (image from here)

She has long arms and legs and was moving all around stretching out, and even playing with her foot. She is so wonderful, I know it already. The technician said she is very photogenic! :)

That's about all the news I have for now but do want some advice on the subject of baby showers..

OK so I am having another girl, but no longer have ANY of Scarlett's Baby stuff. My best friend had two little girls a year apart a year after Scooby was born, and knowing that I had everything she might need, it felt wrong not to give. Unfortunately now I am a little concerned about how I am going to dress this little girl that is growing inside of me. Being that this is my second child, I know that I really don't NEED as much stuff as I wanted with the first baby... Gone are my grandiose desires for the ultimate nursery or anything of the like. We will probably just need a bassinet so that we can have the baby in our room when she is small, and then we are not quite sure where we will put her... in with Scooby seems daring. (image from here)

So the real question is, can I really have a baby shower for new baby girl... or will everyone really be thinking I am just a gift-monger? I have considered registering at Target either way. They will give me a free $10 gift card for doing so... and that way I figure at least if someone wants to know what I want or need they can find out and buy it off there. I know that can be helpful for long distance people too, because Target will ship it to my house. Thoughts are welcome.

Lots of love and pink hugs.