Quality Time With Daddy

Jon took Savy to see the new Disney movie "Up" today while I worked. On the way home, they picked up a new swiming pool...the one from last year was gross. Savy LOVES to be in the water, whether it's a big pool, kiddie pool, bathtub, puddle...whatever holds water. Jon took her slide outside and put it in the pool so she could slide into the water. She loved it!





She loves to splash anyone nearby.


Then he taught her to slide down like this...




The dogs enjoyed time outside today too. Here's Vita bringing me the ball...she loves to chase it.


Only one more day to go. I can't wait until next week! The sprinkler park is open now, and I can't wait to take Savy back to it this year.

Happy Birthday To Me

Number 35. And, no, I don't feel any older. It's my week to work, so I was at home today. When Jon got home, we went to Old Venice for dinner. Savy ate every bite of her pizza, plus she helped Jon with his salad before the meal. This new eating schedule is working out very well so far...she's handling it better than I expected. Mealtimes are definitely more enjoyable now.



We went to Target after dinner to look at sit-n-stand strollers, swings, and booster seats. Savy had the best time in there....she found this little car and drove it all over the place.



After Target, we went to Sheridan's to get frozen custard. I had a coupon for a freebie for my birthday...I love that stuff!

I had a good birthday....dinner, dessert, and Target. I guess I'm not much of a party girl anymore. Is that a sign I'm getting old?

I had another checkup today...this time they made me come back after 3 weeks instead of four. Now it'll be every two weeks, then every week until the baby comes. My doc said everything looks good, and all the measurements are just as they should be. We heard the heartbeat again. My weight gain was a little more than I expected. But considering that the last weight was at 8 am before I'd had anything to eat or drink (fasting glucose was last appointment), and this weight was at 3 pm after I'd had two meals, many beverages, and plenty of time for my feet and ankles to swell (always happens in the afternoon)...it wasn't too bad.

Savy rode her bike this afternoon, and she played with Abbey and Zoe for a little while. I would've taken pictures, but I can't find my camera....Savy must've hidden it. It'll turn up eventually. I'm taking it easy today...I started having contractions in the middle of our walk last night, and I wasn't sure I'd make it back to the house. I'm so ready to be able to really exercise again!

The sun finally came out this afternoon, so I decided to get some new pics of Savy. Some of you may have noticed that I gave up on the photography thing. I was paying so much attention to settings, lighting, and all that stuff that I wasn't having fun taking the photos anymore. So I'm back to just using the camera settings and enjoying the moment.

I let Savy pick her outfit...a tutu, converse sneakers, a big bow, and tinkerbell necklaces. She wasn't in much of a mood to pose, but I took a few anyway.











I thought it was cool how clear the drops of water are in this one.

Friday we headed out to visit with Jon's mother and sister. It rained all all weekend, but the sun came out Sunday for our ride home. Savy had a good time and was pretty well-behaved for the visit.

This was the first time I've been there since Lesa's (Jon's sister) lake house was finished. It's really nice...they said they stay there more than they stay at their house now.


Some of the indoor pics are ones Lesa took herself some time ago. All the ones I took are dreary looking due to the rain...except for the first one, I took it Sunday before we left.

A view from land




Inside






Savy and Ruth watching TV. Vita went with us too...see her out on the deck.



A view of the back





Looking out at the lake from the deck.


Savy didn't want to leave. I hope the weather is better next time we go...Savy really wanted to go swimming.

Krista came to visit yesterday afternoon. She brought Savy a little princess costume...Savy loved it and had to put it on right away. She brought her little dog, Forrest, too. Savy had a ball playing with him, but she renamed him "Nacho" and called him that the whole time. He's just the right size for Savy.

Boy, Am I Tired!

Savy and I took a very long walk this morning...well over the usual 2 miles. I intended to get up at 7 and go alone, but I couldn't make myself get out of bed that early today. After Savy woke up, we slathered on our sunscreen and headed out. Savy likes to look "sporty" for our walks. Here she is showing off her outfit.




After our walk, we went to town. Vita has been shedding like crazy, so I did some research to find a better grooming tool. We'd been using a shedding blade, which just wasn't doing the trick anymore. I learned of a shedding rake today, so I thought I'd try it out. This thing is awesome! I brushed her for at least an hour...by the time I was finished, it looked like I'd slaughtered 3 sheep in the back yard. She looks soooo much better. After that, I cleaned all the dog hair out of the sunroom....we'll see how much the shedding rake helps.

We also went over and visited Abbey and Zoe for a while.




Once we were back in the house, I turned my back on Savy for a minute while I vacuumed the bedroom. It took me all of 5 minutes, but that's all it takes for her to get into mischief. I found her in the hearth room with a bottle of cupcake sprinkles, stuffing them down the throat of her stuffed parrot...and eating a few herself. Needless to say, I wound up having to vacuum the hearth room too.

Do The Hula

Today is Savy's last day of school, so they are having "Hawaain Day" as a treat for the kids. They're having a pizza party, watching a movie, and doing crafts, and all the kids were supposed to come dressed in Hawaain attire. We tried on Savy's grass skirt last night, and I got a video of her doing the hula.



I took pics before she left this morning...she looked so cute!

I made the spaghetti casserole last night, and it turned out great. It's in the freezer with our other post-baby meals, but I saved just a little for dinner last night. Savy loved it and kept making yummy noises while she ate. It's not exactly the healthiest dish, but it gives a little variety. I didn't get a photo, but here's the recipe if anyone wants to try it.

INGREDIENTS
1 package (16 ounces) angel hair pasta broken into 2 inch pieces
1 pound ground beef
1 small package fresh mushrooms
1 jar (26 ounces) spaghetti sauce
2 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream (I used light sour cream)
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese (I used Colby/cheddar blend)

DIRECTIONS
-- Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce, mushrooms, and tomato sauce. Cook on medium heat about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.
-- Drain pasta. Combine soup and sour cream. In two 8-in. square baking dishes, layer half of the meat sauce, pasta, soup mixture and cheese. Repeat layers.
-- Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months. Cover and bake the remaining casserole at 350° for 55-65 minutes or until cheese is melted.

TO USE FROZEN CASSEROLE: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake as directed. Yield: 2 casseroles (6 servings each).

I was considering whether or not to try making chicken and dumplings...mine never turn out quite right. Luckily, Nanny has offered to make some for me. There is no better comfort food than chicken and dumplings!

I Feel A Rant Coming On

I was almost over this stupid sinus infection, and now it's coming back. I wonder if I'll ever hear out of my left ear again....

Jon and I just can't agree on a name. Why does this have to be so hard? If we do actually agree on one, someone else has a reason we shouldn't use it.

I made mini meatloaves to freeze the other day. However, I was so occupied with keeping Savy from eating raw beef that I completely forgot to put any seasonings in them....didn't even cross my mind until they were almost ready to come out of the oven. Needless to say, they were pretty bland, but I froze them anyway...we can just season them before we eat them. I managed not to screw up the black bean soup, though. I think I'll make a baked spaghetti casserole next.

My doctor's nurse called yesterday with my lab results. The good news is that I passed the glucose tolerance test....YAY! I'm so glad I don't have to go back and do the big one where you have to drink that stuff and get stuck every hour for 3 hours. The only problem was that I'm anemic, so I have to take an iron supplement (in addition to my prenatal vitamins) twice a day....so that's 3 doses of iron a day. I can live with that. I guess that's why I've been so tired lately.

Savy came into the study yesterday morning all pouty and mopey. I asked her what was wrong, and she said, "I miss my daddy." Then she got this sly look and said, "I think a popsicle would make me feel better." She's really learning to manipulate.

I think Jon should take me and Savy out for dinner tonight...that would make me feel better.

We have been so busy getting ready for summer! As you know, I weeded all the flower beds last week (with a little help from Lee Otis on Friday...thanks Lee Otis!). Jon and his coworker Bryan (aka John) mulched all the beds on Saturday while Savy and I went shopping with Mimi. I shouldn't post this, because it'll break Mimi's heart...I took a pic of Savy right after Mimi left to show how much she misses her.



Savy was more than happy to help the guys mulch when we got home. She loves getting dirty!



Here are our (almost) finished flower beds. I still have to plant some annuals in the pots on the front patio, and there are a couple of dead evergreens we have to replace in the front.

Back bed around the cat run



Back patiio




Front smaller bed



Front bed and patio





Yesterday I started on another project...getting a stockpile of food in the freezer for after the baby is born. We certainly won't feel like cooking when we bring her home, and I don't want to have to eat takeout all the time. I started last night with a chicken spaghetti casserole and a huge batch of white chicken chili. Today I'm going to make a large batch of black bean soup and some mini meatloaves to freeze. Later this week I'm planning to make taco soup. If anyone has any good freezer recipes, please feel free to share...I need ideas.

As for names, we are still stumped. I don't know if it's pregnancy hormones or what, because I've never really cared for this name before, but I really like the name Sylvia (nickname Sylvi or Sly). Anyone have an opinion (that I haven't already heard) on that one? I'm also still taking suggestions. I also like Logan (yes, for a girl), and Charlotte is still an option.

Savy's class had a tea party yesterday, and all the little girls were supposed to come dressed up for tea-time. I completely forgot about it until about 5 minutes before we had to leave for school. I really could have dressed her up if I'd gone shopping, but we had to make do with what she already had. She seemed pretty pleased with her outfit. The "purse" is actually a remote control for one of her stuffed animals....entirely her idea. I tried to talk her into carrying her little straw purse, but she wouldn't hear of it.




Somebody remind me that "Hawaiian Day" is on the 19th...I want to get her a grass skirt for that one.

Nanny and Lee Otis came to visit us yesterday afternoon, and they spent the night last night. Savy loved having them here and didn't want them to leave this afternoon. We had lunch at S&P, and Savy gave a little performance on our way out. She likes to pretend that the raised eating area in there is a stage. She kept getting distracted by something outside.

Yay For Me!

I had my checkup today...you guys know I was worried about how much weight I've gained. I haven't been keeping up with it at home because I don't want to obsess about it. I had done really good until my last appointment, when I learned I'd gained 8 pounds in 1 month. I did so much better this time....only 3 pounds over the past month! This puts me at a total of 17 pounds for the entire pregnancy. My doc says this is pretty much right where I should be, so I'm good as long as I don't have any more big gains.

Birds Love Us!

The other day, I noticed we have another birds' nest...this one on our front porch.



The inhabitants are some sort of swifts...they're too quick for me to get a good look at them. Here they are swooping at me while I was taking the picture of the nest.



Our house finches are still there, and it looks like we now have babies. You can see them popping their heads up over the edge of the nest.



And I caught another pair of house finches starting a nest on our other patio speaker this morning.



They seem to have abondoned it, though...I haven't seen them at all this afternoon.


I've had a very busy day. I dropped Savy off at school first thing this morning. Then I came home and took Vita on a 2 mile walk. After a quick rest, I got to work on the "weed garden" around the cat run....pulling weeds and putting down landscape fabric.

Before



I only got halfway finished, but it's already looking better.



Once I'm finished, Jon will put new mulch down on top of the lanscape fabric.

I also planted some flowers in pots on the patio, and I planted some bearded irises in front of the house. I'll post pics of those later.

Savy got a haircut after school, and then we went grocery shopping.