Trick Or Treat

Savy had a great time trick-or-treating! She was so excited about it today and couldn't wait to get into her costume. Tommy and Kendi brought Mackenzie over to trick-or-treat with Savy...their neighborhood is fairly new and there aren't too many occupied houses there yet. Jon ordered an extra-large pizza from Milano's for our dinner. This thing was HUGE!



Here are the girls playing before we went out.


We started at Dan's house just next door.



We ran into Abby and Zoe...aren't they adorable?



I'm glad Jon shot some videos...she was so cute telling everyone "Happy Halloween!" Savy made herself right at home at this house.
FYI: I don't know why some of these videos are so choppy. If you start it, then pause it while it loads, then start it again, it solves that problem.



She was really showing off for Mr. Phil and Mrs. Linda. Toward the end of the video, you can't see what happens, but she tripped and fell into the flower bed. It didn't hurt though.





At this house, the Savy pretended to have trouble opening her candy sack. As soon as he set the bowl of candy down to help her open her sack and dropped the candy in, she grabbed another handful of candy from the bowl. What a little trickster!



This house had a few motion-activated decorations. It was pretty spooky. Savy pretended to sneeze from the "fog", and she set them off. It scared her, and she took off fast as lightening.



Our last stop was Suzy's house. Savy adores Suzy and asks to go see her quite often. She calls her Miss Wuzzy (rhymes with fuzzy). She went right on in here, too...I had to go in and get her.



Thanks so much to Tommy for staying behind to hand out candy so Jon and I could both go with Savy for her first real trick-or-treat experience! There were so many kids out tonight. We bought 7 large bags of candy, and we don't have a single piece left!

Halloween Party

Savy's class had a Halloween Party today. They made Halloween crafts and treat bags. Here's what Savy made.




The pumpkin is really cute...Ms Alicia said there's a surprise inside. It's just a brown paper bag. The bottom part is wrapped with orange tissue, and the top of the bag is twisted to form the stem. Savy thinks it's so pretty...she doesn't want to tear it up to see what's inside.

She came home with a bag full of candy. This girl loves candy...she had to get into it as soon as we got home.





I had a pretty uneventful day. I found this weird looking bug on the back porch.



I was able to go for a run before I picked Savy up...the weather was wonderful today. And I watched Byron and Allan (our neighbors) playing frisbee with Byron's dog.


This is my view from the study...it's the perfect spot to see what everyone on the street is doing.

Back To Normal

I'm not completely well, but I do feel much better today. I couldn't stand any more rest, so Jon, Savy, and I finally went running tonight. I did very well...especially considering that I haven't done any kind of exercise (other than pilates and walking) in over a week. Savy was all bundled up and warm in her stroller, and she fell asleep just before we made it home.

Savy has been waking up during the night for several nights...thankfully, she slept through last night. Her lip is almost well, too. She's very excited about trick-or-treating on Friday. If it's cold Halloween night, she'll have to wear sweats under her Tinkerbell costume.

School Pictures

Today was picture day at Savy's preschool. She was actually cooperative and posed the way the photographer asked her to. She didn't smile in any of them (I think she was tired), but they were still cute. They should be ready around a week from now, and I'll post it when we get our order. The photographer said she does "picture parties"...sort of like a Pampered Chef party. If you host a party, she'll come to your house and do a sitting with all your guests. Then they can order photos, and the host gets a free photo package. That's a pretty good idea. If anyone's interested, let me know and I'll get her name for you. I'm still holding out for Jennifer to come shoot us!

This nasty cold is still hanging on....I've been sitting around most of the day in my pajamas and fuzzy slippers. I did get dressed to go pick Savy up, so here's what I wore this afternoon. It was in the low 30's this morning and is still pretty chilly...perfect weather for a scarf.





What do you guys think of my new boots? They are soooo comfortable and warm....it's like wearing slippers. Jon thinks they're ugly and makes Sasquatch and Hiawatha jokes whenever I wear them.

Later this afternoon, I'm going to go outside and harvest some seeds. This great little vine popped up in the bed very late in the season. After doing some research, I've learned that it is a cypress vine. It's an annual vine that reseeds itself...apparently a pretty fast grower too. I intend to plant some by the back porch next spring. I just love the delicate, lacy leaves and small red flowers.

Wow

I can't believe over 30 people have visited my blog today! That's a record for me...and the day is still not over. I hope that all of you who got here by way of a search engine had your question answered...whatever it is you were looking for. I haven't had this many people read my blog since the infamous "True Love" post...thanks to David and Ricky for upping my ratings! I think half the county must have seen that one. Jon was actually getting recognized because of those videos. I'll have to have those guys on again in a new and saucier video.

I really don't have much to tell today. I worked this morning, then Savy and I had to go into the office for a quick inservice this afternoon. Savy got treats from Patti and Pam while we were there...they are her new best friends now.

I wanted to go by Costco on the way home, but I didn't want to brave 5 o'clock traffic on Germantown Parkway. I can't go to Costco now without thinking about Jon. You've all seen "Man vs Wild"...the guy gets dropped in the middle of nowhere with no supplies and has to survive. Jon did his own version...."Man vs Costco." It was hilarious. The best part was when Savy desperately needed a hand wash (due to messy food samples) and we didn't have any wipes. He chipped some ice from one of the freezers, melted it, and used that to clean her up....so resourceful! Whenever I'm there now, I picture him peering around the aisle, hunting for food samples....I guess you had to be there to really appreciate the humor.

Speaking of Costco, did you know that if you wear crocs in Costco or Sams in the winter and push a cart, you build up incredible amounts of static electricity...because of the dry heat, I guess. Then you can shock the crap out of anyone you touch. Trust me, it's almost as bad as sticking a fork in an electrical outlet if you let it build up long enough! This is kind of a contest for me and Jon every year....to see who can shock the other first. I got Jon on the earlobe last year...it was awesome!

Instead of Costco, we went to Target...also on Germantown Pkwy, but much easier to get to. Savy turned down every single pair of house-slippers that I showed her. Jon said she has to have some slippers to keep her feet warm this winter. She refuses to wear socks, even if her feet are ice cold. Jon can't stand cold feet...or cold hands for that matter. I made him scream like a girl tonight when I accidentally touched his bare side with my cold hands. It sounded a lot like Uncle Rico's scream in Napolean Dynamite when Napolean Dynamite threw the tomato at his van. I love that movie...I'm laughing just thinking about that.

Ok, I'll stop rambling.

Savy's Home

I was so glad to see Savy when Mimi and Pappi brought her home; I missed her so much! I think she enjoyed that little break as much as we did...I know she enjoys a change of scenery every now and then. Here she is feeding Jon his breakfast this morning.



This afternoon, we took the dogs for a walk. Here's Savy in her jog stroller and the dogs playing ball before we left.






Back to work tomorrow...I can't believe I've been sick my whole week off.

Fireproof

We didn't go to Range USA today, but we did get to see Fireproof. I won't go into any detail about the movie because I know a lot of people haven't seen it. I do have to say that it is a great movie. Everyone should see this movie...there are many lessons to be learned from it. Some of the acting is less than stellar, but in the end you totally won't care. Just make sure to take tissues if you see it in the theatre!

I called to check on Savy this morning. Mom said her lip still looks pretty bad, but it doesn't seem to be bothering her too much. She talked to me a minute on the phone, then she had to go play Mom's piano. I heard her in the background banging on the keys and saying "dance, Mimi!" I think it's safe to say she's having a good time. Nanny and Lee Ottis went to Mom's to visit her today. Mimi and Pappi are bringing her home tomorrow morning...I can't wait to see her!

Absence Make The Heart....

Today Savy and I went to S&P for a late lunch. We had just stepped inside the door when Savy (as she is prone to do) started to run in ahead of me. There's a platform that they use as a stage on the weekends for live music, and I think she intended to stand on it and sing (she's done that before in S&P). She fell and hit her mouth on the edge, splitting her lip pretty badly. She cried and cried...I felt so sorry for her. I would have given anything if I could've taken that pain away...if I could feel the pain so that she didn't have to. That's a concept I never understood until I had her; I'd endure 10 times the pain if only she didn't have to feel it.

She's a tough little cookie, though. The ladies working there were very nice and immediately got her an ice pack and towel. After some cuddling from Mommy and a piece of cake, she was walking up to everyone and showing them her boo boo. She called Daddy and told him about it too. She even posed for me to take a picture.



Doesn't it look terrible?

Anyway, Mom was planning to take Savy for the weekend to give Jon and I a much needed break. Savy said she still wanted to go, so we dropped her off with Mom this afternoon. I talked to Mom a while ago. She, Savy and Pappi were at Wal-Mart, supposedly to get the special present Mimi promised her when she picked her up. She was also going to let her pick out which kind of birthday cake she wants for her party next month.

After we dropped her off, we had dinner at Old Venice (somewhere we hardly ever get to go). We had to switch tables after we were seated because it was super-wobbly. My chair was even worse, practically pitching me out when I leaned too far to the right. So we got a booth instead, and Jon told the server they needed to "take that chair out back"....you had to be there, but it was really funny. Eating there made me think of Savy, because that was the first place we took her after she was born....she was only three weeks old, and it was the first time we went out for a meal. Funny how I've been looking forward to this all week, but now that she's gone I miss her terribly.

On the way home, we stopped and visited with David and Mary for a while...we always enjoy their company. I think tomorrow we'll go see a movie...probably Fireproof. Maybe we'll get to go to Range USA tomorrow too; I've been wanting to do that for a while now.

Must Haves For New Parents : More Product Reviews

A lot of people have been finding my blog lately by way of keyword searches for baby related stuff...especially the diaper rash post. So, I'll review a couple of things that we used with Savy in hopes it will help someone.

First, the Amby Baby Motion Bed.



This thing is a LIFESAVER! Savy was horribly colicky as an infant. She absolutely, positively would not sleep in her crib. She would only sleep, and I mean ONLY, sleep with me...and even then, she didn't sleep well. Of course, this meant that Jon and I didn't sleep either. We tried everything to get her to sleep on her own. One night at 3 am, Jon (in desperation) did a google search for "baby won't sleep", and this was the first thing that popped up. We ordered it the next day, and it was THE BEST purchase we ever made.
It hangs from a spring that gives gentle motion every time the baby moves....simulating the movement a baby feels in the womb before it's born. You can even adjust the angle of the head so the baby can sleep flat or can sleep sort of sitting up...great if your baby has problems with reflux.
The first night, Savy had a little trouble going to sleep, and woke up several times, but that was still a huge improvement. After 2 or 3 nights, she was going right to sleep when we put her in it and she slept all night. I kept it right by my side of the bed...if she did happen to wake up for some reason, I'd just reach over and bounce it a little, and she'd go right back to sleep. If we have another baby, we will definitely use this again.
If you have a colicky baby or one that just won't sleep, GET THIS BED! You will not regret it; it is worth every penny. The only drawback is that you can't use an under-mattress style SIDS monitor with it, if that is something you need to use.



Next, the Tiny Love Clip & Go Musical Mobile.




This was also a great purchase. This is battery operated, so you don't have to keep winding it up. We clipped it on Savy's carrier whenever we took her out (shopping, restaurants, etc), and it kept her entertained the whole time. It spins slowly and plays soft music. If we were in a noisy restaurant, we'd just turn this on, throw a baby blanket over her carrier to block out the noise, and she'd usually watch it until she fell asleep.
Whenever one of our friends has a baby, this is what we give as a shower gift.


Ok, one more. The travel system...something we agonized over. We originally got an Eddie Bauer brand travel system. Now don't get me wrong, I love Eddie Bauer, but their travel systems SUCK! It was extremely hard to use, and Savy's car seat actually turned completely over once when we rounded a curve....and yes, it was installed correctly.
So, we returned it and got the Chicco Cortina KeyFit Travel System.



First off, thank you to Babies R Us for giving us a refund on the Eddie Bauer one even though the return period was up (luckily we had the reciept). The Chicco system is awesome. The carrier was much more comfortable for Savy, and the whole system was just easy to use. The carrier fit into the base easily, and it was easy to take on and off of the stoller. Most importantly, the carrier would not budge more than half an inch when it was installed in the car, even when Jon pushed on it as hard as he could to test it. This thing is stable! I loved this travel system and will use the same one if we have another baby.


That's it for now. I hope this will help anyone who has a new baby!

GUESS WHAT TODAY IS!!!

It's our anniversary ... kind of. On October 22, 2001, Jon and I met for the very first time at Proud Larry's in Oxford. I slipped some flan in his lunchbox as an anniversary surprise. I don't think he remembered.

Toys R Us

I remember the days when I could be in and out of a toy store in less than 10 minutes...like when Savy was 1 yr old. Now, she has to look at EVERYTHING. We went to Toys R Us today to check out a dollhouse Mom wants to buy for Savy's Christmas present. She liked it, of course, and found several other things she wanted also. She especially liked the battery powered cars...jeeps, four wheelers, hummers...even a cadillac and a corvette. They were all lined up on the back wall, and she had to sit in every one. She'll probably be getting one of those from Santa. She had to walk down every single aisle before we could leave.



When we got home, she snuck into my closet and stole my red heels again. This girl loves a pair of high heeled shoes! And she can actually walk pretty well in them.





She even put on some of my lip gloss...what a girly-girl.

Guess What I Did Today

Jon and I voted today! Some guy wearing a red t-shirt pulled us to the side and told us that he could get Savy registered to vote too if she's a democrat...just kidding! Now all we can do is pray.

Afterwards, we went to Milano's Pizza for an early dinner.

Sorry for the short post, but I'm feeling reeaally bad...this URI along with the flu shot yesterday is killing me.

Did You Ever Have One Of Those Days

when everything just seemed to go right? All day long? Today was great...well, for me and Savy anyway (except this awful respiratory infection we've all got). Jon's battery was dead on his work car this morning, and he didn't have any cables.

Savy and I left for the office early this morning. I had to exchange my demo monitor, and Rhonda gave me a flu shot while I was there. Rhonda has got to be the best shot-giver in the world! Flu shots usually hurt like crazy, but I barely even felt it. Since we were in town, I thought I'd try to get a little shopping in at TJ Maxx before I started feeling bad from the shot.

Savy was being exceptionally well-behaved while I shopped. She found a "Bathtime Baby" doll that she just had to have....she loved it so much I couldn't say no. She even had to hold it in the van.



I spilled coke all over myself in the van. I know what you're thinking...how is that a good thing, right? Well, first, it only got on me, not the seat or carpet. Second, I was wearing dark clothing, so it didn't stain anything. And third, the sun was shining right on me, so it dried before we even got to the next store. Normally, it would have gotten all over me and the seat, I'd have been wearing all white, and I'd have been on my way to somewhere important. What luck!

Then we headed to Marshalls, where I found the cutest boots for Savy...and I wasn't even looking for them. I've never been able to find boots big enough to fit her calves, but these are perfect....and sooo cute.




While I was standing in line to check-out, right there beside the counter was this book I've been wanting to get, so it came home with us too.


I can't wait to try some of the recipes. Does anyone have this book? If so, what are your favorites?


Savy had to play with her new doll immediately when we got home.



She even powdered the doll after it's bath.


Today was so nice. Savy was in such a good mood, and she even took a nap! The only mess she made was while she was eating yogurt tonight...as you can see, it's all over her face and in her hair...



but she was about to get a bath anyway, so no big deal.

A great shopping day is good for the soul!

Another Boring Sunday

We're all sick with some kind of upper respiratory infection. Only 2 hours and 15 minutes left...then I'll have 7 days off!

All I accomplished today was making a new banner for the blog....what do you guys think? This is the other one I made. Give me your votes.



Oh, and I also made a South Park character of myself.

This Beautiful Mess

I went to rehab for a few hours last night to do paperwork. Jon and Savy went to Starbucks, where Savy got a chocolate drink (she has her own special drink at our local shop), a new cup, and a coloring book. This is relevant to the rest of the story, so keep it in mind.

Yesterday afternoon I was talking with Nanny about how terrible Savy's been about making messes lately...particularly with any kind of liquid she can get her hands on. She opens the fridge and takes out milk, coke, syrup...whatever. She takes the tops off her sippy cups and pours out her drinks. Seriously, I've been close to tearing my hair out a few times. So I was venting to Nanny about how tired I am and what a pill Savy's been for the last week and how I don't know what's gotten into her....yada, yada, yada. Nanny listened sympathetically, but I don't think she fully appreciated exactly how bad Savy's messes have been. So here you go, everybody....she did this while I was on the phone with a patient this morning.







You can't really tell on the pic, but it's splattered ALL OVER the wall behind the table.


Obviously, we left the remaining "Savy special" from Starbucks on the counter last night. She got it and...well, you can see what she did. And she's so quick! It takes her no time at all to make a HUGE mess! This has been CONSTANT for a week. I finally figured out why she's been doing it, though. About a week ago, she got her tea set back out and started playing with it again. She just can't seem to help herself....she thinks she has to have real drinks when she plays "tea party." Needless to say, the tea set has been burned in ritual setting...ok, not really. It's just put away indefinitely.

King Savy

Jon was pretty tired when he got home, so he and Savy just cuddled and watched Dora. Savy is a daddy's girl, no doubt about it... she gets so excited when he walks in the door.




This was so cute. Jon frequently takes one sock off when he gets home...don't know why, it's just something weird that he does. Tonight, Savy looked at his bare foot, said "Da Da is cold", and tried to put one of her socks on him. It only fit on his big toe, but she thought she had really done him a favor.



Here's Savy wearing the crown she made at pre-school today. She often pats her chest and says "I'm King Savy!" King Savy indeed....she rules our house.

I Passed The 100th Post Mark

I just realized I've made over 100 posts on this blog....do I get a party or something?

What a boring day. I dragged my butt out of bed at 6 am only to realize it was raining and I couldn't go running. So I went back to bed, then overslept and was almost late getting Savy to pre-school. I did manage to get in some gym time before I picked her up.


Maybe Jon will whisk us off to do something exciting when he gets home.

akedNay ednesdayWay

Sorry for the Pig Latin, but I didn't want the title to pull up my blog on some unsavory google search result.

Savy started out the day watching Bugs Bunny on Jon's i-pod. She sat quietly while I worked and watched in Jon's chair...she turned it on and found the episode she wanted all by herself.



Just before lunch, she got really quiet....of course that means she's up to something. I found her in the hearth room akednay as a jaybird. I talked her into putting a pull-up on, but no luck getting the clothes back on her. So, we just had akednay ednesdayWay....well, she did... I didn't participate.


akednay jello eating



akednay tea party


and akednay singing and dancing