New Nail Colors

I am totally obsessed with brown nail polish lately. I just recently found a few that I like, though. I am currently wearing:

"Little Brown Dress" from Essie.

However, I was in Ulta the other day and finally checked out their Texas line of OPI colors. I love them! How appropriate since I'm moving back in 2 days! lol Anyways, I got these colors:

"Houston, we have purple"

"Dont mess with OPI"

and I am going back to get "Suzi Loves cowboys"
I also found "Stormy" by Revlon:
Its really pretty. It's a dark gray but in some lights it has a plum tint to it; really does look like a storm cloud!

Eventually They Give In

She likes to fight her naps these days.
Today, she lost control and fell asleep while eating a snack in her highchair.
Priceless!

Tribute to Barney

... Or maybe I should say, "a tribute to TV" in general.
I am so sick of "society" telling us how to raise our kids; specifically that letting them watch TV is bad. Avery LOVES Barney. Not by my choice, of course, it took some serious brainwashing for me to grow to like it, lol. Ok, maybe she has more than just a love for Barney, it's a bit of an obsession. She asks for him all day long! For a while I really tried to fight it... until I sat back and watched her watch him.
Her vocabulary is growing so fast! She is starting to say things and I think "where did she hear that?"... Oh ya! She saw it on Barney. (all good things, of course ;)).
Her coordination is getting better and better. She is picking up on dance moves and copying the kids on the show and really does great for an 18 month old!
She is memorizing things. She started singing "Twinkle Twinkle little star" the other day! I couldn't believe it! Of course her words aren't fully developed yet, but I could make out what it was. She also knows when certain parts of one of the episode is coming up and will come tell me.
She knows so many animals, her colors, body parts, and she is picking up on numbers and letters.
Baby Einstein has helped but she doesn't like those as much as she used to. She still likes "World of Rhythm" and will say over and over "slow... FAST". It's pretty funny actually.
Ok, maybe she watches it a little too much Barney... that, or some other kid show is pretty much always on but every episode has a great message so how can it really hurt to have it on in the background while she plays?

My other beef with "society" is the urgent need to wean off of bottles. My doctor wanted her off her bottle several months ago. I started introducing sippy cups around her birthday and finally found one that she likes. However, she will only drink water out of it. If she wants milk (or juice) it has to be in a bottle or she refuses to drink it.
I stopped fighting for a while and decided I would try again when she got a little older.
Last week, we tried again. FAIL!! more like, EPIC FAIL!
Long story, short, I have pretty much decided that I am going to let Avery decide when she is ready to give up the bottle. Don't get me wrong, I am going to keep introducing milk in the sippy cup to see if she ever takes it, but I really have to pick my battles right now. It's more important that she gets her milk than the means that she does so.
I will say that I have to dilute her milk since she wants a bottle so often during the day; if she drinks too much than she doesnt eat very well. It's become quite a balancing act, lol.
She has so many changes happening right now.
1. Norah is here now. That in its self is hard enough on her, but when Avery sees that Norah gets to have a bottle she gets upset when she can't have it.
2. Her "terrible 2's" I've mentioned doesn't help.
3. We are moving in just 1 week. I know she doesn't know what that means but things are just naturally different around here.
Too much change at one time can be hard on kids. So, we are going to wait.
Yes, I am going to be one of "those" moms with an 18 month old (maybe much older) that still drinks from a bottle. So what! I just can't care what other moms are thinking anymore.
Society wants kids to grow up so fast and get rid of all means of comfort. Let them be a kid! They grow up so fast anyways, how can having a bottle really hurt? She has a blanket for comfort; should I take that away, too?! I know the theories of causing teeth problems... guess what, they are going to loose those baby teeth and probably way after she decides to get off the bottle.
My sister loved her bottle, too and used one for years. I even remember her making them for herself. She's 21 now and guess what, she doesn't drink from a bottle any more! Go figure...

ok.. I'll get off my soapbox now :)

New Necklace Trend??

yes, that is what you think it is...
She is running around with a pair of my undies around her neck! I wasn't going to post this but I thought it was too funny not to share.
At least they were 1. clean and 2. one of my more "modest" pair! lol

Avery

So I feel like I need to give Avery some more credit. As I mentioned, she is having some behavior issues, but I felt bad for not giving her credit for being a great helper around here. She LOVES to help with Norah's bath; pouring water in the tub is her favorite. Changing her diaper is also so much fun cuz she gets to have a wipe to play with. She is getting better about bringing me things if I ask (although this needs LOTS more work, lol) She is good about bringing Norah a toy to "play" with but she has to volunteer it. Otherwise, she has a bit of a sharing issue. She also tries to play with her but her idea of "playing" means rolling on top of her... she obviously doesnt know her own strength....
Anyways, I just thought I would add that little bit in about her. I think as long as I can keep positive, she will do just fine.

Fourth of July - Beer Stealer!

Chee-toes!

Avery is a sucker for some Cheetos!
Chee-toes:Say Cheeeeeeese!

Welcome Norah Kinsley!

It took about 2 weeks of pre-labor and 2 false alarms before she decided if and when she would come... but when she did, she came in just 3 hours! Here's how it all went down:

At 2am Sunday, July 31st, I woke up to what I thought was my water breaking. Around 3 I woke Jeff up since I was having contractions, but I was reluctant to go in since I had already had 2 false alarms. I really didn't want to get sent home again! We decided it was better to get checked to be on the safe side.
We got to the hospital and I was hooked up to the monitors and they watched me for about 2 hours. At that point I was 5 cm dilated and having lots of contractions but my water had not broke yet. They decided to keep me just a little longer to see if my contraction got more regular before deciding if I was in "active" labor or not. Sure enough, around 7 am the nurses decided that I was not in active labor since my contractions were not of regular strength or timing. I insisted that they call the doctor to see what he thought first, since I was sick of being sent home and worried that I would not make it back in time since I was already dilated so far! After 8 am they came back in and said that the doctor was willing to admit me and he would break my water if he had to.
They wheeled the IV in... I freaked out! I HATE the IV. It hurts like hell. It's worse than the epidural. The thought of what they are doing just grosses me out. Sure enough, I was shaking so bad during the IV (which took 4 tries and I looked like I had been in a fight and all bruised up by the time they got a vein) that my water really did break! Gushed all over the bed! ooooo! At that point I was really in active labor with no assistance (yay!).
By the time they got me in the labor and delivery room I was at 8 cm. Still no epidural! I insisted that they get the anesthesiologist in there asap since I really had no desire for a natural birth! lol
I think I got the epidural around 10 am and she was born at 11:50. Lets just say I was only partially numb... yikes!
Norah weighed in at 8lb 6 oz and 19.5 inches long. No wonder I was so miserable! Even up to the point of delivery the doctor didnt think she would be much over 7 lbs. I will never forget Allyson's face when they said her weight, lol!
Speaking of Allyson, she was in the room with us and captured the moment on camera so beautifully! I can not wait to share the video she made. I am so thankful for such a precious gift she gave us! :) She also took some beautiful pictures of Norah last weekend that I can't wait to share, either. She has such a hidden talent; I can't believe she hasn't been doing this longer!
Norah is such an easy baby; I really hope it stays that way! The only time she ever gets upset is when she's hungry and even then it takes her a while to really get worked up. I am so thankful for that since I am having to cater to 2 babies now! I think that this being my second time around helps a lot too. I am not nearly as nervous and I know what to do right away in certain situations rather than questioning myself or letting it go too long. Now that she is 2.5 weeks old, she is finally starting to be more aware and sleeping less during the day; I really do not remember Avery sleeping as much as Norah does. We are getting on a little bit of a schedule but its still pretty much "feed on demand" and I will let her sleep no longer than 4 hours at a time during the day before feeding her and I have been given the OK to let her go as long as 6 hours at night if she wants (that, she has not done since her first week, though :/).
Avery on the other hand... has become a handful! I think it's a combination of Norah being around, entering her "terrible 2's", and her getting bored around here since we can't really take Norah out yet. I really hate having to constantly get onto her during the day but I also can't just let her get away with stuff just because I am holding Norah, etc and I know that consistency is the key. It's a really hard fine line... A feeling you can never really describe or understand until you are there :( . She is having some bad jealousy issues so I am doing my best to be patient and understand. I am hoping that time will heal and she will come around to being the good girl I knew. I love her to death so it's hard to see her throw fits and get so upset; I've even cried after having to discipline her. It feels mean at the time but I know she needs boundaries and rules.
Anyways, I digress.... It's been busy around here and our move in less than 2 weeks will only make it worse. I am really getting excited about the move and getting settled in Kingwood. I know we are going to love it there!

Swimming with Pappy

This video makes me laugh every time!

Ice Cream Man

One of the best American past times is the Ice Cream Man. I love sharing little traditions like this with Avery. She got super messy and sticky but it was a lot of fun!

Coffee Table = Stage

I bought a new coffee table a few weeks ago. Little did I know that it would become a performance stage perfect for dancing to Barney on!

Things I'm Currently Thankful For

-Coffee in the morning (ok, maybe all day ;P )
-Glass of wine and conversation in the evening with my husband
-a nice warm bed that is like sleeping on a cloud (although my time spent there has greatly diminished these days)
-My video monitor - I got a second camera so I can see both girls at night. It's fantastic!
-Our future house in Texas. We are really getting crammed in this house so this move can't come fast enough! We will be almost doubling square footage which will be wonderful but I dont look forward to cleaning that much space... and another bathroom!
-My husband. He keeps me grounded on bad days like yesterday and reminds me constantly that I am going to miss these days with the girls. Yes, it may be hard and frustrating and a patience tester, but they are going to fly by.

Bathing Beauties

Aren't these just the cutest little girls?! I am so glad that my girls have close cousins to grow up with!

Playing Catch Up

I finally got Blogger to work if I use Mozilla instead of Internet Explorer... So, I am going to be playing catchup from the last several weeks now. Lots has been going on so it might take me a while but it's much needed!

Blogger troubles

I've been having trouble posting anything on my blog lately (hince the lack of updates). I'm hoping it decides to cooperate soon so that I can get back to blogging! I am having to use my BlogPress app now, but hopefully not for long.
I guess that's only part of the truth, though. I have been in a serious slump with my blog. I think it's because I never feel like I have any readers. I know of a few but most of those are people who I talk to regularly so anything I put on here is old news to them... Sigh. I think the real reason I want to get back at it is simply to keep up with my girls. This is a great outlet for me to showcase their developments and the cute little things they do everyday. It's actually really nice to have since I've finally started working on Avery's First Year scrapbook; everything is in order and all I have to do is copy and paste my comments...
Anyways, a lot has been going on lately so hopefully I can catch up soon!
Here's the most exciting thing that has happened since I last posted: