tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31736627231059225932024-03-05T18:46:29.591-05:00G&JGinaChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14362372564661734144noreply@blogger.comBlogger196125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173662723105922593.post-33061072705690040662012-09-11T22:25:00.000-04:002012-09-11T22:25:03.412-04:00Approaching a milestoneLuciana's first birthday is fast approaching, on September 30th! I've been going through all of our photos lately, as I put together some projects for her big birthday party, and I find myself feeling so sappy and sentimental. What love I have for this little girl, who has brought so much joy and happiness to our life. Her first six months were full of ups and downs, sleepless nights and an overall fog that I just couldn't shake as I tried to figure out this whole "life with two kids" things. There is so much about her first six months that just seem to be a blur to me, almost as if it happened in another life (ohhh, sleep deprivation, how strong your grip can be). But once we got her reflux, food allergies, eczema and sleeping problems figured out, it's been pretty smooth sailing for the past four months or so. And what a joy she is! Always smiling, silly as can be, easy going, and just the most pleasant baby I have ever had the pleasure of meeting .... and I'm so glad she's ours!! What a blessed life we have.<br />
<br />
<object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab" height="425" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://images-community.shutterfly.com/flashapps/flashslideshowphotobook/slideshow_pb.swf"/><param name="flashvars" value="xmlURL=http%3A%2F%2Fws.shutterfly.com%2Fpsdata%3FprojectGUID%3D0ActmTlozbMWoOaA%26uid%3D005016349269%26size%3D0%26ts%3D1347416097000%26height%3D425%26width%3D425&size=0&ob=0&fc=0&ss=0&sb=0&ft=0"/><param name="menu" value="false"/><param name="quality" value="best"/><param name="wmode" value="transparent"/><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"/><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"/><embed width="425" height="425" align="middle" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" name="wrapper" quality="best" menu="false" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" flashvars="xmlURL=http%3A%2F%2Fws.shutterfly.com%2Fpsdata%3FprojectGUID%3D0ActmTlozbMWoOaA%26uid%3D005016349269%26size%3D0%26ts%3D1347416097000%26height%3D425%26width%3D425&size=0&ob=0&fc=0&ss=0&sb=0&ft=0" src="http://images-community.shutterfly.com/flashapps/flashslideshowphotobook/slideshow_pb.swf"></embed></object><div style="margin-top: 0; text-align: center; width: 425px;">
<a href="http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0ActmTlozbMWrmg&cid=SFLYOCWIDGET&eid=118">Click here to view this photo book larger</a><div style="margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 425px;">
<a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/photo-books" style="color: #6666cc;">Shutterfly</a> offers exclusive layouts and designs so you can make your book just the way you want.</div>
</div>
GinaChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14362372564661734144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173662723105922593.post-53632329563818991022012-05-30T14:53:00.004-04:002012-05-30T14:53:41.964-04:00Luci on FilmSeems like it's ridiculously tough these days to 1.) find time to grab a camera and capture all of the adorableness that ensues around here all day long, and 2.) find even more time to dump, upload and blog about said cuteness.<br />
<br />
But both girls are napping right now. And we <i>might</i> be on the verge of maintaining a decent and/or predictable daily schedule of things around these parts (which I of course just jinxed by blogging about it). <br />
<br />
That's where the iPhone comes in. Thank you almighty Steve Jobs for making life so much easier (and fun!) to capture on film (film? Not really. I actually don't know what you would consider phone pics and video).<br />
<br />
I give you, Luci, who has been sadly overlooked on this little blog. I think about it all the time and it bothers me to no end that I no longer have the time to keep up with regular blog posts. Because our little Luci is so fun, so adorable and such a dynamic little bugger (with personality and opinions to boot!).<br />
<br />
Here are two videos of her. The first, in all her bath splashing glory (at 6.5 months, almost two months ago now), and the second, of her practicing her latest trick: waving (at 7 months, a few weeks ago).<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="888" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/40626762" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="888" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/42239271" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe>GinaChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14362372564661734144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173662723105922593.post-78055984481093061702012-04-08T21:45:00.001-04:002012-04-08T21:45:13.739-04:00Easter 2012<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/08/4155.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/08/s_4155.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='279' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/08/4157.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/08/s_4157.jpg' border='0' width='400' height='400' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/08/4158.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/08/s_4158.jpg' border='0' width='400' height='400' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/08/4159.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/08/s_4159.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/08/4160.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/08/s_4160.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/08/4161.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/08/s_4161.jpg' border='0' width='400' height='400' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />GinaChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14362372564661734144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173662723105922593.post-17169617908807799082012-04-04T15:05:00.001-04:002012-04-04T15:05:57.511-04:00Gimme gimme more<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/04/2001.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/04/s_2001.jpg' border='0' width='400' height='400' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />At 6 months old, Luciana got her first bites of solid food today. Our little allergenic bubble baby has turned out to have some pretty severe food allergies to milk, eggs, sesame seeds, tree nuts an peanuts, so we are taking things very slow when it comes to food.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/04/2002.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/04/s_2002.jpg' border='0' width='400' height='400' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />She loved the bites she took today and quickly got the hang of this eating thing. Fingers crossed she doesn't have any allergies to other foods and that she outgrows the ones she already has!<br />GinaChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14362372564661734144noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173662723105922593.post-62852151767635130982012-02-21T21:34:00.000-05:002012-02-21T21:34:43.704-05:00WelcomeA few weeks ago, our close family came to town to help us celebrate Luciana's baptism into the Catholic church. She wore a beautiful little white dress that was a gift from family friends and a diamond cross given to her on her baptism day by her godparents, my Aunt Tina and Uncle Jim. She looked like a beautiful little doll and was the best behaved baby of the bunch. God bless Luciana Marie!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5CG5hc_sC-GTUv-xuoukL8NA1rcKz_4NfzVeCOY040Xo4SUinF7rYxBeuYJS4K88sJNQ9QdoJtTnFyEgIJrE0Wli_kP9DB2aEp86NW5rmA6YaYDpzA7yGbSs6_adteskkxgIg4LT0JdQK/s1600/IMG_2896.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5CG5hc_sC-GTUv-xuoukL8NA1rcKz_4NfzVeCOY040Xo4SUinF7rYxBeuYJS4K88sJNQ9QdoJtTnFyEgIJrE0Wli_kP9DB2aEp86NW5rmA6YaYDpzA7yGbSs6_adteskkxgIg4LT0JdQK/s400/IMG_2896.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC1JJeE2Z9FnWVDE9JTEHNCZ3AGZ_AchvhmECKxs3LK_jbvVtdvaNjjfOZDXSnuvN_BakaeevvodSX8tW6g5qewAo1WJEwvaMzWFll0Bl2sUsRZshzPSYMDXs4XYRXfPWaO_u0NPwjcrJb/s1600/IMG_2918.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC1JJeE2Z9FnWVDE9JTEHNCZ3AGZ_AchvhmECKxs3LK_jbvVtdvaNjjfOZDXSnuvN_BakaeevvodSX8tW6g5qewAo1WJEwvaMzWFll0Bl2sUsRZshzPSYMDXs4XYRXfPWaO_u0NPwjcrJb/s400/IMG_2918.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJeWAhflVMbd27j1XK9IqoxQh1KJW-8_WkQ8RcIQzurVxqsnHXtFzm0701tAG_abdgy9fscJrLOHpQdmqn-bYHhgHrcu9ShouWiS61bIVPOd-qwLAi87JujQQbrwm_BV_xKLVV0Viytpoc/s1600/IMG_2943.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJeWAhflVMbd27j1XK9IqoxQh1KJW-8_WkQ8RcIQzurVxqsnHXtFzm0701tAG_abdgy9fscJrLOHpQdmqn-bYHhgHrcu9ShouWiS61bIVPOd-qwLAi87JujQQbrwm_BV_xKLVV0Viytpoc/s400/IMG_2943.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyJDf0Ix3DMZL4HaUHM-BJGAQWlx2xp8WE3wfGd1mBMlN2ojP1O1xFgnQRvRPtsKFZqgLrYhGUV20LTvEVfhHv40aAUX_SMHQB1oHQJ8_xJJdrUkocZIv1CYZqOWGkBaQd2cyGykR05Fr6/s1600/IMG_2952.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyJDf0Ix3DMZL4HaUHM-BJGAQWlx2xp8WE3wfGd1mBMlN2ojP1O1xFgnQRvRPtsKFZqgLrYhGUV20LTvEVfhHv40aAUX_SMHQB1oHQJ8_xJJdrUkocZIv1CYZqOWGkBaQd2cyGykR05Fr6/s400/IMG_2952.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_48S5oH8fPS-veIHe4fzg9PHJpnh80OXpjTUmgdookcqKckwJv6vcpFxJzsGhbiJC2hU4Z9tupHHyG6DNNOJjVLGx6cgrHLezmGUZrF8CjBOAxvzynyWEI3kJKyh2LJ0mIUINzcCsa4fU/s1600/IMG_2958.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_48S5oH8fPS-veIHe4fzg9PHJpnh80OXpjTUmgdookcqKckwJv6vcpFxJzsGhbiJC2hU4Z9tupHHyG6DNNOJjVLGx6cgrHLezmGUZrF8CjBOAxvzynyWEI3kJKyh2LJ0mIUINzcCsa4fU/s400/IMG_2958.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrzQmpnac4D5zzAq3FTGklokotZoZA4sSyu2E8F7vJWqbg0UP2uFfc-NO-pEkF3OaEf-pErak8Vco3jYyM-R4ksDJhkLuNagT-ABwgWdd2iHzP4Nrr1nDdFvyUEIoELPQZbpbEw4JV6LMe/s1600/IMG_2957.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrzQmpnac4D5zzAq3FTGklokotZoZA4sSyu2E8F7vJWqbg0UP2uFfc-NO-pEkF3OaEf-pErak8Vco3jYyM-R4ksDJhkLuNagT-ABwgWdd2iHzP4Nrr1nDdFvyUEIoELPQZbpbEw4JV6LMe/s400/IMG_2957.JPG" width="300" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFkkWST71TUWpSEAc0Ho8x-42dwnq7rcJdQ0vwCM1abz89XBeAFbSvTTjg85UWYdjI5azMd8MLo3cWfgqNU19Kwk8unTp32cIFIsaGELlKqopM3lTKdWCDOQJWaS_tNEz9VUPw7XGbaDur/s1600/IMG_2960.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFkkWST71TUWpSEAc0Ho8x-42dwnq7rcJdQ0vwCM1abz89XBeAFbSvTTjg85UWYdjI5azMd8MLo3cWfgqNU19Kwk8unTp32cIFIsaGELlKqopM3lTKdWCDOQJWaS_tNEz9VUPw7XGbaDur/s400/IMG_2960.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKasTA6c2QcpblDayhM2J4ZG78TIyEaSSYUqz5_oV21iwLn7fOFxsWXhfJ33IgbKCXkOnrxGIzYsaVHdwEyx6XZA8pnke-jOPMOuhP2n4WvrQ6cya941Y0C1pD_51hHZjBcUBWtuqqG8Nc/s1600/IMG_2963.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKasTA6c2QcpblDayhM2J4ZG78TIyEaSSYUqz5_oV21iwLn7fOFxsWXhfJ33IgbKCXkOnrxGIzYsaVHdwEyx6XZA8pnke-jOPMOuhP2n4WvrQ6cya941Y0C1pD_51hHZjBcUBWtuqqG8Nc/s400/IMG_2963.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEias3fGfsl2ssN1rikYJSO9vj5VB_J6NPwp9Xx6ThqPVE2RWKu7s-QIwemFsZjNzT62_VvJl2BlYYq3XpCVSVDjsPMvo8OdcC5xgl1V2k5QWMAVioyQaZHuONodr7myE63bLQHZ17JKEwJ9/s1600/IMG_2967.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEias3fGfsl2ssN1rikYJSO9vj5VB_J6NPwp9Xx6ThqPVE2RWKu7s-QIwemFsZjNzT62_VvJl2BlYYq3XpCVSVDjsPMvo8OdcC5xgl1V2k5QWMAVioyQaZHuONodr7myE63bLQHZ17JKEwJ9/s400/IMG_2967.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhztQzdXy-TF4ZB6yQAKHCtVbqIxB-l9ok-_xUCM_HZ6OYJ14q3yNGx4ec1gDSXVs97CGj6GRDV3j5ga3vRMwTidAXtqgAahyW5Ip96yZoKes-wMvjXiD75lVaMpS7-KFftTim6T6Xvsmqq/s1600/IMG_2980.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhztQzdXy-TF4ZB6yQAKHCtVbqIxB-l9ok-_xUCM_HZ6OYJ14q3yNGx4ec1gDSXVs97CGj6GRDV3j5ga3vRMwTidAXtqgAahyW5Ip96yZoKes-wMvjXiD75lVaMpS7-KFftTim6T6Xvsmqq/s400/IMG_2980.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ_ulCFUMJTdl4EjNMZnVxiep9HR-UHgMIDFABmb2wJ3XODcMxhWohvnrvBFiIjg5WaNQtRIKS2oTHjs2PRgqlXa6_aELwAJPgPUUslOUpLq3ofjzFP0tLvo40peLp62hUh7fwuygvn0Rv/s1600/IMG_4694.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ_ulCFUMJTdl4EjNMZnVxiep9HR-UHgMIDFABmb2wJ3XODcMxhWohvnrvBFiIjg5WaNQtRIKS2oTHjs2PRgqlXa6_aELwAJPgPUUslOUpLq3ofjzFP0tLvo40peLp62hUh7fwuygvn0Rv/s400/IMG_4694.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2fqhEEZmvrJvIN9I7eeePPUPDGPAXAa2poGgngDPmwVPN88ww06jWQWXClexaZrlMJcrB9Qun_D3PqQ7vExeWogp482EZFo5611CCyAx38H9jyl-8yLo6rYdrVnWIFimq4l2Pa8_L7qcf/s1600/IMG_4698.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2fqhEEZmvrJvIN9I7eeePPUPDGPAXAa2poGgngDPmwVPN88ww06jWQWXClexaZrlMJcrB9Qun_D3PqQ7vExeWogp482EZFo5611CCyAx38H9jyl-8yLo6rYdrVnWIFimq4l2Pa8_L7qcf/s400/IMG_4698.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia4oiCH6XIrQAb295HlJrdZzJIZf7PwrHU0I9ZZ2hb8EgXmvbnBYBEH8OUpMQSTMEPrcxQoo8MPUYK81p04Irii-M6EjWg1psXNyh3Zjbz8K33zuKTHmvER69i8KjpyAnhxhB6-kY6PNRZ/s1600/IMG_4697.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia4oiCH6XIrQAb295HlJrdZzJIZf7PwrHU0I9ZZ2hb8EgXmvbnBYBEH8OUpMQSTMEPrcxQoo8MPUYK81p04Irii-M6EjWg1psXNyh3Zjbz8K33zuKTHmvER69i8KjpyAnhxhB6-kY6PNRZ/s400/IMG_4697.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEj0pSCOpgiGPMBv-whRNTdOOr1Qn8YkL6LKOE7sM6a5ovJfRjqYT4Ti-7-YGoGAXvqW6JefxrX0pQlEFcdX8eJiB1-ZcdOLMcBXmQCNZwrci1rIQ-1yigIr9mvhWRbuJsY1J-fheQES-Y/s1600/IMG_3004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEj0pSCOpgiGPMBv-whRNTdOOr1Qn8YkL6LKOE7sM6a5ovJfRjqYT4Ti-7-YGoGAXvqW6JefxrX0pQlEFcdX8eJiB1-ZcdOLMcBXmQCNZwrci1rIQ-1yigIr9mvhWRbuJsY1J-fheQES-Y/s400/IMG_3004.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>GinaChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14362372564661734144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173662723105922593.post-9369178867161401532012-01-25T00:11:00.000-05:002012-01-25T00:11:44.468-05:00Three<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Our little girl turned 3. Our Belle of the Ball. The big sister of the house. She spent her birthday weekend with Grandma Michelle and PopPop in town for the occasion, and we brunched with family to celebrate her big day. It was a nice, quiet few days to welcome another blessed year with our leading lady. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL3dGeN5oQTbSiSW0VBZdC4tCEtR3WDWQzFQv2W2kKgodaVjGxeAF8X9Y1YoWsmURQvZxC3hY-8uJ9DkbUO5DAEEzoM9nhmtUnkNbOkLbuHzvhbggrUQ-T8wGmkLYVfispWshdH51qfWTF/s1600/IMG_2777.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL3dGeN5oQTbSiSW0VBZdC4tCEtR3WDWQzFQv2W2kKgodaVjGxeAF8X9Y1YoWsmURQvZxC3hY-8uJ9DkbUO5DAEEzoM9nhmtUnkNbOkLbuHzvhbggrUQ-T8wGmkLYVfispWshdH51qfWTF/s400/IMG_2777.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVeZ1lR3ImiNRv91I0D_pOcdyYk6ogTBCMrET0y-rP8sK1GwmO2P0jG98MNTWX4uK6McXa-99mP0oH9SqHyZO0G1xcZYdh_w_g_crrx6S4hqEq1LLRLVniLpVVczSAO6eE_qI-fzUGl_Tv/s1600/IMG_2792.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVeZ1lR3ImiNRv91I0D_pOcdyYk6ogTBCMrET0y-rP8sK1GwmO2P0jG98MNTWX4uK6McXa-99mP0oH9SqHyZO0G1xcZYdh_w_g_crrx6S4hqEq1LLRLVniLpVVczSAO6eE_qI-fzUGl_Tv/s400/IMG_2792.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAHjx1qr0qvbT362ybHZv0YmYT0PwNiVZMyNIXCxHwSUGghNVaSeQPnheu1Nxwim-7Eakoqsa6yCg-rHmrfWAMjqSOn9ecSROuMbxVyAM0M_bBKR6aLDQE27nDQQRpNZ-zQ0hTGEeBiPaU/s1600/IMG_2797.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAHjx1qr0qvbT362ybHZv0YmYT0PwNiVZMyNIXCxHwSUGghNVaSeQPnheu1Nxwim-7Eakoqsa6yCg-rHmrfWAMjqSOn9ecSROuMbxVyAM0M_bBKR6aLDQE27nDQQRpNZ-zQ0hTGEeBiPaU/s400/IMG_2797.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1KIggWNZVWpPM4sWz6aUa3ocGBFDWH6uY94GKcRkEcckWhz_g55i7f28aPQmPDgf0rG0gohzb4Cr4QPSFJTxFKI9hvJDkubuQ6b1O8jcFcVNpIfApjGFHOQfSN_Gzhy-WIR9CJplbWcpo/s1600/IMG_2754.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1KIggWNZVWpPM4sWz6aUa3ocGBFDWH6uY94GKcRkEcckWhz_g55i7f28aPQmPDgf0rG0gohzb4Cr4QPSFJTxFKI9hvJDkubuQ6b1O8jcFcVNpIfApjGFHOQfSN_Gzhy-WIR9CJplbWcpo/s400/IMG_2754.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivnME20M9YM4HAsXFaleh-1grDfHy4C8H4DLfrgeyzpI3aCAeeJ9nHi648uNa7njodGcXnnRjTb4taHOlFYdma2R2A3S-Vi01GO-lXd2WalWY7CRLnvInDJWoF3GJGtdtKbkH3myj4EIJP/s1600/IMG_2819.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivnME20M9YM4HAsXFaleh-1grDfHy4C8H4DLfrgeyzpI3aCAeeJ9nHi648uNa7njodGcXnnRjTb4taHOlFYdma2R2A3S-Vi01GO-lXd2WalWY7CRLnvInDJWoF3GJGtdtKbkH3myj4EIJP/s400/IMG_2819.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdqCFjMX1Z-l8X5hzeRT_H7BeZgOEtce_NrCeNYAbmsNmAI7Nml64oJAMt9OkaL5sKO3LAZzvF29eaLiP86zqeuRT4glKgvOBa2UFMpgv6jHpth6R3GT_R14gYf8VheU1MT5k4pTbn2lq2/s1600/IMG_2799.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdqCFjMX1Z-l8X5hzeRT_H7BeZgOEtce_NrCeNYAbmsNmAI7Nml64oJAMt9OkaL5sKO3LAZzvF29eaLiP86zqeuRT4glKgvOBa2UFMpgv6jHpth6R3GT_R14gYf8VheU1MT5k4pTbn2lq2/s400/IMG_2799.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxw0nS801BQKLha2aLuKvibxxhWnzmZEw5NiqW0cQ3p76t8zFw0sJu3Azl0vfUw5qgcgI7MYFAot0yqAEeVucu01qz7kGewdIXEp6tC303IxcIoHWlqJSezcESLQvZpddWy_5G5kDWlRDi/s1600/IMG_2747.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxw0nS801BQKLha2aLuKvibxxhWnzmZEw5NiqW0cQ3p76t8zFw0sJu3Azl0vfUw5qgcgI7MYFAot0yqAEeVucu01qz7kGewdIXEp6tC303IxcIoHWlqJSezcESLQvZpddWy_5G5kDWlRDi/s400/IMG_2747.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>GinaChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14362372564661734144noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173662723105922593.post-19358905439609412552011-12-14T15:32:00.000-05:002011-12-14T15:32:15.999-05:00New Family TraditionThis year marks the first time that our Christmas tree didn't emerge in three pieces from an under-the-stairs storage room in our basement. We finally ditched our artificial tree and got ourselves a real, live, needle-dropping, pine-smelling, sap-slinging tree this year. We paced around the small tree lot for quite some time before settling on the one we lugged home, and lucky for us, it went up without a problem and didn't require much trimming. It was a fun experience that is sure to become a yearly tradition, although next time I could do without the 68-degree weather. It was so warm that the farm didn't offer its usual complimentary hot chocolate.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjQCJPang4Rx8Cidat5x2jvhCErimlnfSB_jxGG4G5bLbP2ByPP8gxeL3vvDFNTMIZRUTMEoppCRl-vR7iPdcbAeo1no0a1_00YYai3rSaoMxqex7p3wvWIGPaHWB0vGgmKwVIF4glT3wU/s1600/IMG_2349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjQCJPang4Rx8Cidat5x2jvhCErimlnfSB_jxGG4G5bLbP2ByPP8gxeL3vvDFNTMIZRUTMEoppCRl-vR7iPdcbAeo1no0a1_00YYai3rSaoMxqex7p3wvWIGPaHWB0vGgmKwVIF4glT3wU/s400/IMG_2349.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5OpcqruacDAkrqH38CgdrqCwndlAp3mOYCong-_oh0ejSN3URuCaSwxvC0n1QXtC_8erMBGbxmiISb82-nE4uipYjfRQA5otsGYzAHhAinSxEjnniP_mhu46zXNYl_5DPMl1Ry3O6QTm5/s1600/IMG_2355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5OpcqruacDAkrqH38CgdrqCwndlAp3mOYCong-_oh0ejSN3URuCaSwxvC0n1QXtC_8erMBGbxmiISb82-nE4uipYjfRQA5otsGYzAHhAinSxEjnniP_mhu46zXNYl_5DPMl1Ry3O6QTm5/s400/IMG_2355.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxdCMs__4QoUBf0oizi5gvX5Ef8KJP9yvCZFwTrnmtKSwPOG1RfH1X52FwwC9ThzdVvuIYf5blR4LkM2M_C2XatWyhCJ5AJ_c6Ygp4EeIy6XbeojC8HCf60h3AGliDswn12hQf9cpn8JXP/s1600/IMG_2353.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxdCMs__4QoUBf0oizi5gvX5Ef8KJP9yvCZFwTrnmtKSwPOG1RfH1X52FwwC9ThzdVvuIYf5blR4LkM2M_C2XatWyhCJ5AJ_c6Ygp4EeIy6XbeojC8HCf60h3AGliDswn12hQf9cpn8JXP/s320/IMG_2353.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgNHfZEM9Qk0RHEQHuPvgnLDsqF-GVzBTjBWeqgTHHQvCv0R7uDh6DABO2mcJ49GSn426KEOKIrIM6kp1HvUC6i6dK_6eTKi0JWHiej5yyItrGFm0CQZu3gYIQRYR14mgWCGDGPb_2BwTq/s1600/IMG_2357.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgNHfZEM9Qk0RHEQHuPvgnLDsqF-GVzBTjBWeqgTHHQvCv0R7uDh6DABO2mcJ49GSn426KEOKIrIM6kp1HvUC6i6dK_6eTKi0JWHiej5yyItrGFm0CQZu3gYIQRYR14mgWCGDGPb_2BwTq/s400/IMG_2357.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYHJMhzPMnk51x7OE8gLwPtCEgPW5Mw1qEzV-iMc7ixivovzvj7ONp9OwtIgcYkiZVxDUAXPuFW5ygjQlZvhxUuiQ6rxs20SpPGcm56oVuSZzohH08Ru6PvvADG6PBMJCJ4VpxhkU4tCJg/s1600/IMG_2391.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYHJMhzPMnk51x7OE8gLwPtCEgPW5Mw1qEzV-iMc7ixivovzvj7ONp9OwtIgcYkiZVxDUAXPuFW5ygjQlZvhxUuiQ6rxs20SpPGcm56oVuSZzohH08Ru6PvvADG6PBMJCJ4VpxhkU4tCJg/s400/IMG_2391.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ZBQuMtulixqVwMNjhm7G_wpcYP4GystUhSlFSsMBKj_WOvIHvW8rFU0nzSXOfRatiWqBXK3z2qBetwueVdSd9zqXigVLaLD_gGQhDBLlLlwPzfgVlMofMUmtFVuhPGkUgyfKyd9RMRfy/s1600/IMG_2390.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ZBQuMtulixqVwMNjhm7G_wpcYP4GystUhSlFSsMBKj_WOvIHvW8rFU0nzSXOfRatiWqBXK3z2qBetwueVdSd9zqXigVLaLD_gGQhDBLlLlwPzfgVlMofMUmtFVuhPGkUgyfKyd9RMRfy/s400/IMG_2390.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxMzF8yd6T2cFkP8ukHI11nGLx9PJfVyc4w19rVBYqK8kWCjyOsD5SGbRYmKqE4dJBOvyITV6CQGayLC4ptvsKuI3tV7_19eH-k73QrEyRwBeURZaITFzVxfzJ-UO5ogyXKzQE0JhT0zI/s1600/IMG_2397.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxMzF8yd6T2cFkP8ukHI11nGLx9PJfVyc4w19rVBYqK8kWCjyOsD5SGbRYmKqE4dJBOvyITV6CQGayLC4ptvsKuI3tV7_19eH-k73QrEyRwBeURZaITFzVxfzJ-UO5ogyXKzQE0JhT0zI/s400/IMG_2397.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>GinaChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14362372564661734144noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173662723105922593.post-64316659666429563222011-12-11T23:11:00.000-05:002011-12-11T23:11:18.939-05:00Glamour ShotsThese pictures are too cute not to share. This particular day, Luciana was in a good mood, she had on an adorable outfit and the lighting was perfect. I took advantage of the ideal conditions and tried to capture the essence of Luci ... yummy baby chub, heart-melting smiles, beautiful blue eyes and dimples (actually, she just has one dimple, but it's delicious), and just the sweetest personality in one little package. This little darling completely has my heart.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDkN87C8oV4rLWT2WU6nVUbbqam-rZpQza7dYGnAwF8T-vUqiQugWTO52QSlN_ll7w9cGaKi7VLOMN-8143abFDvbpmZLwd3-aX0a0oi11OVXjTy6T1fba1UB13BC8o9g82RgCe_JzromA/s1600/IMG_2419.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDkN87C8oV4rLWT2WU6nVUbbqam-rZpQza7dYGnAwF8T-vUqiQugWTO52QSlN_ll7w9cGaKi7VLOMN-8143abFDvbpmZLwd3-aX0a0oi11OVXjTy6T1fba1UB13BC8o9g82RgCe_JzromA/s400/IMG_2419.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAOwldRxl4fr-_xGoO8UGqj9FtmJ3W9VxyZvbHXiLrja0GJ3a-uLoAGM0lff8VLuzgmL1-B8UiDIfVkrZS-rHgDvpMTQjgwpIxohrJTClLSv20pcGCcX9lGquvYZ0NifUZAUG8FRNfjcZt/s1600/IMG_2422.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAOwldRxl4fr-_xGoO8UGqj9FtmJ3W9VxyZvbHXiLrja0GJ3a-uLoAGM0lff8VLuzgmL1-B8UiDIfVkrZS-rHgDvpMTQjgwpIxohrJTClLSv20pcGCcX9lGquvYZ0NifUZAUG8FRNfjcZt/s400/IMG_2422.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBRwYpb7sLEBSJd3K48X0tvIOpslgVe0CRiNdroaC95Im7Vore6J5x-aEpRMwBK_eOvebI-HCVsXAQzj5lTacfrWFA4gAiyh9V_86LZXWrSW_BDfk7CrfB8i5_Msd0u-7OlYNCXuhLsB6I/s1600/IMG_2426.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBRwYpb7sLEBSJd3K48X0tvIOpslgVe0CRiNdroaC95Im7Vore6J5x-aEpRMwBK_eOvebI-HCVsXAQzj5lTacfrWFA4gAiyh9V_86LZXWrSW_BDfk7CrfB8i5_Msd0u-7OlYNCXuhLsB6I/s400/IMG_2426.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5eDsZjve35CrOx5GuhUTjpUC7PYRX__u9MdTNw_GW69bI3yXgV0_EVb6nMeXFcfy4krOwcmArPNUPMev1KEJgmDcQ1OfrpRMCVcPWcDo3v2YrPQFengsuJoFXhyphenhyphenYAEkEAAX3e32CqGgXi/s1600/IMG_2429.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5eDsZjve35CrOx5GuhUTjpUC7PYRX__u9MdTNw_GW69bI3yXgV0_EVb6nMeXFcfy4krOwcmArPNUPMev1KEJgmDcQ1OfrpRMCVcPWcDo3v2YrPQFengsuJoFXhyphenhyphenYAEkEAAX3e32CqGgXi/s400/IMG_2429.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiywc6pwxAiMXlp0CkIQseL4rxRvb2JS0LlE5VNSY4uVQbS-5B-mcaTDMe5U9bQqh_ntA0YSlGEa6iLYuTsW11qPkF-WLk3cQpwyhyphenhyphenx6pDIrYgay4aqNRa541DquocKNq4WZS1JaTWtKKtx/s1600/IMG_2431.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiywc6pwxAiMXlp0CkIQseL4rxRvb2JS0LlE5VNSY4uVQbS-5B-mcaTDMe5U9bQqh_ntA0YSlGEa6iLYuTsW11qPkF-WLk3cQpwyhyphenhyphenx6pDIrYgay4aqNRa541DquocKNq4WZS1JaTWtKKtx/s400/IMG_2431.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpqIOIs9PLnipTbS8bNr4O1y8QMGWjdSBwSmhNlqQysDMH1GQb9VmvyVixig3R4tjQ0nDdtxqO0lmI9yk_iwgXb_omno-3smeuRqRNNlRvibomDukGJvq2T2GyKyQgJzkOdKoHSxHKOOH1/s1600/IMG_2435.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpqIOIs9PLnipTbS8bNr4O1y8QMGWjdSBwSmhNlqQysDMH1GQb9VmvyVixig3R4tjQ0nDdtxqO0lmI9yk_iwgXb_omno-3smeuRqRNNlRvibomDukGJvq2T2GyKyQgJzkOdKoHSxHKOOH1/s400/IMG_2435.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxMIbQSk7ni5Vj15gSAxXT1YTdch8J0j3LpHnnuKJyCqMCNaJUQDxNXpOO6qSzFsXgck77CAbRrVuHvNWGdM3u9zW2BNmHmxvfOdfMylXhpV5JGLCTcRJ10rxxr6tpxgvIXzr0-dWkTL5L/s1600/IMG_2437.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxMIbQSk7ni5Vj15gSAxXT1YTdch8J0j3LpHnnuKJyCqMCNaJUQDxNXpOO6qSzFsXgck77CAbRrVuHvNWGdM3u9zW2BNmHmxvfOdfMylXhpV5JGLCTcRJ10rxxr6tpxgvIXzr0-dWkTL5L/s400/IMG_2437.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLJ01Gx70O9Mf7HIi38IV9xBG1prgj5ShBb03nXYIqSMH2aBh-WH6SJw_6dA8CQvxX2zBqf9inJWmrymVIwg8kpMNWtQz5cIt7ZS9j3K7u1AcrR9Y5JS2gqSpcN7tc5TQNO_RMqabHxV1C/s1600/IMG_2444.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLJ01Gx70O9Mf7HIi38IV9xBG1prgj5ShBb03nXYIqSMH2aBh-WH6SJw_6dA8CQvxX2zBqf9inJWmrymVIwg8kpMNWtQz5cIt7ZS9j3K7u1AcrR9Y5JS2gqSpcN7tc5TQNO_RMqabHxV1C/s400/IMG_2444.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjADiAA0B0-ngQDXz_ZmDjOIKsUtW116MJt-QEH3LyX60Gtyr8r7EJ8TSX7xrieAhQq-U0fkkjm9Cx1tQUari0y1tKn1m2o4HKqTZFye6EQknREV8hP42ZdBnuTPVxVbvNgDlyIwKwHwPgX/s1600/IMG_2447.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjADiAA0B0-ngQDXz_ZmDjOIKsUtW116MJt-QEH3LyX60Gtyr8r7EJ8TSX7xrieAhQq-U0fkkjm9Cx1tQUari0y1tKn1m2o4HKqTZFye6EQknREV8hP42ZdBnuTPVxVbvNgDlyIwKwHwPgX/s400/IMG_2447.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>GinaChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14362372564661734144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173662723105922593.post-77983452287359062322011-12-07T15:23:00.000-05:002011-12-07T15:23:49.977-05:00Soaking it inIt occurred to me today that I've been "staying at home" for three months now. No work, no emails, no meetings (and, umm, no drying my hair) for three whole months. Yet it only feels like a month has passed since saying goodbye to the professional world. Life is just flying by at an intense pace as Halloween, Thanksgiving and all of our fall birthdays (our families have so many Sept/Oct/Nov birthdays!) passed by in a fog. And now, we've got December and Christmas staring us in the face. There's no chance this month is going to be any different, so I'm just holding on for dear life as we start decorating and Christmas shopping.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje1WSjH7NSAaBWHI3aY1NjKNaKt_2dch4SgGn3QIIpmAPEvue8QHs1dp_SQizAIGnEhS7SajupR1Z_b4tNg60FYnDF2eeK92yUIaBDMUr9TWskny8ktmzp_q4r3ZHaZ7dMsji-Gk_tzbSV/s1600/IMG_2373.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje1WSjH7NSAaBWHI3aY1NjKNaKt_2dch4SgGn3QIIpmAPEvue8QHs1dp_SQizAIGnEhS7SajupR1Z_b4tNg60FYnDF2eeK92yUIaBDMUr9TWskny8ktmzp_q4r3ZHaZ7dMsji-Gk_tzbSV/s400/IMG_2373.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<br />
As Luciana grows right before our eyes, I want to take the time to savor her newborn-ness as much as possible. I felt like with Maribelle, I was an anxious mess from the time she was born to the time she turned 1 year old. With her stressful early arrival and time in the NICU, I worried about every little thing she did and each little noise she made, wondering whether or not she was ok or secretly suffering from some sort of health issue (vision problems? hip dysplasia? heart defects? Yeah, those were just a few of the ones I considered). I freaked out about every milestone (and the fact that she never rolled or crawled) and was convinced that she would be a late walker. Obviously, everything turned out just fine (as my mom repeatedly told me it would) and I wish I would have let myself enjoy her baby days a whole lot more.<br />
<br />
So, lesson learned, right? And now, with Luciana, I'm breathing it all in, trying to be more relaxed and keeping the anxiety at bay. It helps that she's a wonderfully sweet, yummy little girl who eats and sleeps like a dream. She's so much sturdier than Maribelle was, and just seeing her chubby little rolls and cheeks makes me happy and convinced that we're doing things right. To think that the little chunker I stare at all day long is something that I've grown and nourished, all by my lonesome. From the womb to the real-world, she's been fully dependent on my body and all that it consumes and produces. It's so gratifying, so empowering, and so reassuring that we can do this.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAahVkfsZ8IBbuNdxTzJC0u2mM5G8gHTyCAYI8bEXBuY9jIQdlWuSFa1MnQXhc2TJtKCmE_NN7b2oR7ZDw9gA4d9Q9xrOAm0gpbkBwqrMLkCE8kJKhUc3QovcAiV6YNvOIbw1PxsMfvkbs/s1600/Mom+and+Luci.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAahVkfsZ8IBbuNdxTzJC0u2mM5G8gHTyCAYI8bEXBuY9jIQdlWuSFa1MnQXhc2TJtKCmE_NN7b2oR7ZDw9gA4d9Q9xrOAm0gpbkBwqrMLkCE8kJKhUc3QovcAiV6YNvOIbw1PxsMfvkbs/s400/Mom+and+Luci.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<b>Two Month Stats</b><br />
Weight: 12 pounds 2 ounces (83rd percentile)<br />
Height: 22.3 inches (47th percentile)<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKMmVD6CZuIsvxThOyfBUVbZrIXlbwFs8vL-dQCC4K2wluG_5aKwVyxSs9rJu7vpNxCXi6M-azfnJ8AbvHty1QB5kSlZZqmO6aNff6843N0ROU4SwCTkKchMGDdhus73pKOPdk91oLdNhz/s1600/IMG_2297.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKMmVD6CZuIsvxThOyfBUVbZrIXlbwFs8vL-dQCC4K2wluG_5aKwVyxSs9rJu7vpNxCXi6M-azfnJ8AbvHty1QB5kSlZZqmO6aNff6843N0ROU4SwCTkKchMGDdhus73pKOPdk91oLdNhz/s400/IMG_2297.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL0j0-ar56_AnP-QxBpW42MI3-yBAbVbPXC3L0I7UaVCnwoawpkZ8EnU8-EhR5Fm6Y21F1zANa4k7EsYYLs20OYbb2cG75Yz6LVp7b-KbNpbWi0jxqOUZ2LeErQSiGou2HR88NC4jOHv5D/s1600/IMG_2304.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL0j0-ar56_AnP-QxBpW42MI3-yBAbVbPXC3L0I7UaVCnwoawpkZ8EnU8-EhR5Fm6Y21F1zANa4k7EsYYLs20OYbb2cG75Yz6LVp7b-KbNpbWi0jxqOUZ2LeErQSiGou2HR88NC4jOHv5D/s400/IMG_2304.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNo6z07aZB1x0tT6WaxO7HfB-dmAQaIhS4Bt7jd5W31VcNyAbqg1gBoHj3gnpelEUDRISxe6338HGbSQ5UT60Ki9P9LvJXoE00nkj-ciGyTihwcKBmiDjXDI0pNw-sDsf1BmE5WLyjhWi6/s1600/IMG_2306.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNo6z07aZB1x0tT6WaxO7HfB-dmAQaIhS4Bt7jd5W31VcNyAbqg1gBoHj3gnpelEUDRISxe6338HGbSQ5UT60Ki9P9LvJXoE00nkj-ciGyTihwcKBmiDjXDI0pNw-sDsf1BmE5WLyjhWi6/s400/IMG_2306.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">At this point, Luciana is still eating about every two to three hours, and fairly regularly goes one stretch of four to six hours overnight between feedings. She still has her fussy period, or "witching hour" as we like to call it, anywhere from 5:30 p.m. until the time she goes to bed around 9:30 or 10 p.m. every night, where she wants to constantly nurse. It makes doing bedtime with Belle a bit of a challenge, shall I say. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Luci is such a smiley little girl, and is just on the brink of breaking out into a giggle or laugh. She makes a few baby noises here and there and is mesmerized by watching us talk to her. The doctor commented about how good her muscle tone is, which is something we've been saying for weeks because she's so good at holding up her head and keeping it steady. Oh, and, she LOVES being carried in the Baby Bjorn. It's the only way to calm her down sometimes and the only way I can get anything done. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Another point worth noting, I just had to run out last night to buy Luciana a few more sleepers in size 6 months. And she's only two months old. I never thought I'd have to buy MORE girl clothes, in addition to the countless bins of girls clothes we already have. But Belle's 3-6 month and 6-9 month clothing is all summer stuff. Soon enough we're going to need a bigger house to fit all the baby clothes we've collected.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP8s0BSBVf4KU0MAIuMATEJo1PL_jG5eKgIcm6I_gemk7CQzEtVgiqynzqbZRzjstC2Eu8BGl6bOUmGyyGOSK85zhuBMiMZc8xW05xsGS6Y2BDYy1I-Wo2w46i2v6HnUsPiwSTGdkIgllt/s1600/IMG_2338.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP8s0BSBVf4KU0MAIuMATEJo1PL_jG5eKgIcm6I_gemk7CQzEtVgiqynzqbZRzjstC2Eu8BGl6bOUmGyyGOSK85zhuBMiMZc8xW05xsGS6Y2BDYy1I-Wo2w46i2v6HnUsPiwSTGdkIgllt/s400/IMG_2338.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij_F9sFGwpq3oFWOulcfpQ7xSK6gL-SP5TAl17ufmB9cpYxGA0vYsRoDBCBP2dTiKon6QGxR0gUsBqZZMxJtt7Dudu4FVNAP8kE5AuZh4Q08XmpBV6NCi1aYxTmh1HL1Z210GjpBdF9M3G/s1600/IMG_2333.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij_F9sFGwpq3oFWOulcfpQ7xSK6gL-SP5TAl17ufmB9cpYxGA0vYsRoDBCBP2dTiKon6QGxR0gUsBqZZMxJtt7Dudu4FVNAP8kE5AuZh4Q08XmpBV6NCi1aYxTmh1HL1Z210GjpBdF9M3G/s400/IMG_2333.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>GinaChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14362372564661734144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173662723105922593.post-87128678847795909922011-11-05T10:00:00.001-04:002011-11-05T10:00:31.953-04:00New Routines<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTCFhvFEmpw2hhiq9EFAS_pWmr8fjlmGi7Lj-36MzZGQFmjdSZk0VIPSvnqhmSDTg9l4sUrrmOnoAJy1nGcBDXYDmAK7yQuRntxzkOJ15pmZdD9B7Bc0rOQhHpLmBELu0Ak3YlBcRWuREi/s1600/IMG_2107.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTCFhvFEmpw2hhiq9EFAS_pWmr8fjlmGi7Lj-36MzZGQFmjdSZk0VIPSvnqhmSDTg9l4sUrrmOnoAJy1nGcBDXYDmAK7yQuRntxzkOJ15pmZdD9B7Bc0rOQhHpLmBELu0Ak3YlBcRWuREi/s400/IMG_2107.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_5McUgx1cj7EUORqdACqN2_5YNuJKC5tQke8rd-UoOnnNANOCnrYGVZiLjSgaicXtItZvWCM_soH_wPGqWgVLJA__tpIsaC2njLeQu3gfQzZhBXe3xr6AP4QMr5OLaPrc-EpoTNSY3KVW/s1600/IMG_2077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_5McUgx1cj7EUORqdACqN2_5YNuJKC5tQke8rd-UoOnnNANOCnrYGVZiLjSgaicXtItZvWCM_soH_wPGqWgVLJA__tpIsaC2njLeQu3gfQzZhBXe3xr6AP4QMr5OLaPrc-EpoTNSY3KVW/s400/IMG_2077.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Luciana is five-weeks-old at this point, and with Jeremy's paternity leave behind him and the last of our house guests/babysitters gone for the moment, I'm looking forward to settling in to some sort of "routine." I say that lightly because the idea of creating a routine with a newborn is laughable, but this mama and the strong-willed almost three-year-old of the house NEED routine. Because honestly, without it, we're both grumpy, sleep deprived and all sorts of out of whack, and that just does NOT make for a happy household.<br />
<br />
Luciana's been doing a whole lot of growing and measured in with these stats at her one-month doctor's appointment.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi20CnLln19MCjLT1kh4jPiTGxDUAfpGWBl4kqUPAeV4d0AT35P2XDWt8UFlI0iP0E2BmCdeylqUYsdeNaKjE5rmky71uLnboZMUhsjmm_xz_pgK00KcsZRrqb_yuHN3-n6ccdKtWkfD1bj/s1600/IMG_2092.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi20CnLln19MCjLT1kh4jPiTGxDUAfpGWBl4kqUPAeV4d0AT35P2XDWt8UFlI0iP0E2BmCdeylqUYsdeNaKjE5rmky71uLnboZMUhsjmm_xz_pgK00KcsZRrqb_yuHN3-n6ccdKtWkfD1bj/s320/IMG_2092.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Weight: 9 lbs 7 ounces (a gain of two pounds in two weeks!), 57th percentile<br />
Length: 20 1/2, 26th percentile<br />
<br />
Part of her NICU stay involved figuring out that she has silent reflux, which means she takes a hefty dose of Zantac three times a day. Based on her growth (which the doctor was extremely happy with), she's obviously doing well on the medicine, but she does have days and nights where she seems extremely uncomfortable. I don't know if it's the reflux or just her immature digestive system, but I've never seen any baby poop and pass gas as much as she does. The poor girl is always grunting, pushing and working on something, and OMG does it look uncomfortable to be a baby. Newborns are so sleepy and cute and cuddly, but man can they be <i>strange</i>.<br />
<br />
She's eating about every two to three hours, and if I'm lucky, she'll sleep a stretch of about four hours at least once during the night. She has about two to three wakeful periods during the day where she's up for two hours at a time, and lucky me, she cluster feeds at night from about 7 to 10 p.m. where she eats every single hour. Right now she loves her baths (seriously, she never cries during a bath) and is starting to enjoy playing (well, laying) on her playmat. And this girl has been genuinely smiling since about two weeks old.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLXyrZF9mPY2yNMPZtkwrPOtOvcnfwf1n8rMbOtkIsv1upzhuctiLB7t6jdOVY41VkgNSCR181Ra4capHQgjEg__-VmV35DQFa2Vl0oD6VveWAkykXxudmvfJpj1nvtCUwMFFncKOIQsdM/s1600/IMG_2108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLXyrZF9mPY2yNMPZtkwrPOtOvcnfwf1n8rMbOtkIsv1upzhuctiLB7t6jdOVY41VkgNSCR181Ra4capHQgjEg__-VmV35DQFa2Vl0oD6VveWAkykXxudmvfJpj1nvtCUwMFFncKOIQsdM/s400/IMG_2108.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
What's gone unmentioned here on the blog is that I left my job of eight years at the end of August to officially "stay at home." It's a major adjustment for me (and for our income ... yikes!), but one that I am excited to explore and make my own (with routines, routines and more routines).<br />
<br />
Maribelle is undergoing a change of her own as well, as she drops down from three days of daycare a week to only one day. We have absolutely loved the home daycare that she's been attending for the past three years, and the provider has been out-of-this-world wonderful. But, the drive to and from the daycare location from our new house is insane and would mean that I'd have Luciana in the car for potentially four hours a day on daycare days. Not ideal. So for now, she'll be home with me for the majority of the week while we try to find her some sort of preschool situation for the coming year. I'm slightly terrified, because this feisty girl needs entertainment and to be socially and mentally engaged in ways that I just can't find the time for at the moment. There's been a whole lot of movie watching going on these past few weeks (she's obsessed with Disney movies at the moment), but I'm hoping that once I get my bearings with this whole "staying at home with two kids" thing, I'll be able to provide Maribelle with the stimulating experiences she needs. And some days, I know that's going to be a tall order to fill.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMz5VRivACiCISvVUeERf1TabMR_czEFcA2FysBW3vYs0xSfqC2G-MqRRbsxfXxDJ2Y-iRYoBnZqUG75UpyWy7TFSLOREILQpkID5etAgw8-SkycdGEBcNKS9yZ6yH_cLKPWJ1DUJTRP7b/s1600/IMG_2031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMz5VRivACiCISvVUeERf1TabMR_czEFcA2FysBW3vYs0xSfqC2G-MqRRbsxfXxDJ2Y-iRYoBnZqUG75UpyWy7TFSLOREILQpkID5etAgw8-SkycdGEBcNKS9yZ6yH_cLKPWJ1DUJTRP7b/s400/IMG_2031.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhflfhxQMRDcN23yGD3JIMR8YaCa7CvV_b1KdpxI7Vl4eT-tWZXeX9D8LS7lPyyDB33oxUJZvmrIEb4to9TTdXLPfTWLGWk9w2ursvn9JvrvZiADNWvF_dHQoX50o1JvtfLJ8P25hu7RxWz/s1600/IMG_2032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhflfhxQMRDcN23yGD3JIMR8YaCa7CvV_b1KdpxI7Vl4eT-tWZXeX9D8LS7lPyyDB33oxUJZvmrIEb4to9TTdXLPfTWLGWk9w2ursvn9JvrvZiADNWvF_dHQoX50o1JvtfLJ8P25hu7RxWz/s400/IMG_2032.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>GinaChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14362372564661734144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173662723105922593.post-91317933777289140022011-10-15T15:01:00.001-04:002011-10-15T15:01:59.027-04:00Our GirlsTwo weeks ago, we welcomed this little beauty into our family<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=11/10/15/2746.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/11/10/15/s_2746.jpg' border='0' width='400' height='400' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=11/10/15/2747.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/11/10/15/s_2747.jpg' border='0' width='400' height='400' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />Luciana Marie Moorhead<br />Born September 30, 2011 at 4:16 a.m.<br />7 lbs, 3 ounces; 19.5 inches long<br /><br />Born at 36 weeks and 3 days, she was an early bird just like her big sister and spent 10 days in the NICU (that's a story for another time). We brought her home earlier this week, and she's been eating, sleeping, pooping and gaining weight like a pro. And we are just so in love with her sweetness.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=11/10/15/2748.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/11/10/15/s_2748.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=11/10/15/2749.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/11/10/15/s_2749.jpg' border='0' width='400' height='400' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />As for the big sister of the house? She's totally smitten, too and loving her role as big helper of the house. Also? She decided to pretty much potty train herself while we were dealing with Luciana's NICU stay. With some enticement from Grandma A, she switched to big girl panties and has been staying dry ever since.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=11/10/15/2750.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/11/10/15/s_2750.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />These days we are feeling extra blessed to have these two beauties in our lives. And I'm so over-the-moon happy to be able to refer to them as "our girls." There's just nothing sweeter.<br />GinaChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14362372564661734144noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173662723105922593.post-16384040734623803542011-09-20T14:21:00.000-04:002011-09-20T14:21:09.673-04:00Big Girl Bed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTPESERO_OFq8VNaHjSi4Cmvrl9Le_SwlPE3y26Xr4t5q4nBMMtzETEePs2si6qQY1GbsI4divM2ATJhXu1AmZyowloFGhLvfx8alKJh2TybK1N2iW2ch2AWHXY_n0dgafo5u89DxtkSLT/s1600/IMG_1752.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTPESERO_OFq8VNaHjSi4Cmvrl9Le_SwlPE3y26Xr4t5q4nBMMtzETEePs2si6qQY1GbsI4divM2ATJhXu1AmZyowloFGhLvfx8alKJh2TybK1N2iW2ch2AWHXY_n0dgafo5u89DxtkSLT/s400/IMG_1752.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD-EPMv1yCVDhCyvb8d5ViaLOqzmYIBbpp61MXRg4K0l2oRdfSMEM2PjJa2gEHTEoukRCmveVgxJBeX7YxGab706X5FosxzXRWVn4oOGigP7Fb0T9nd6l73AonRMAwk0woYJKBGbV4ixXx/s1600/IMG_1756.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD-EPMv1yCVDhCyvb8d5ViaLOqzmYIBbpp61MXRg4K0l2oRdfSMEM2PjJa2gEHTEoukRCmveVgxJBeX7YxGab706X5FosxzXRWVn4oOGigP7Fb0T9nd6l73AonRMAwk0woYJKBGbV4ixXx/s400/IMG_1756.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
That's our little "Big Girl" you see all sprawled out by her lonesome in her new big girl bed. About two weeks ago, Maribelle made the big move from a crib to a twin-size big girl bed, and she's been doing great ever since. We only had a few issues the first night with her popping in and out of bed before she feel asleep, but ever since, she's stayed put. And in fact, she still calls for us to get her out of bed in the morning like she did when she slept in her crib. I'm sure this won't last for long, but we're pretty happy with this new arrangement while it lasts.<br />
<br />
Next on our list? That soggy diaper of hers you see fastened to her little bum. This Thursday is our hard and fast launch date for Project No More Diapers. I'm terrified, people. TERRIFIED. I have this fear of potty training and wish some magical fairy would swoop in and instantaneously teach Belle how to use the big potty and save me from all the accidents in between. I'm not looking forward to cleaning up pee and poo. I'm not looking forward to the extra laundry, and I'm not looking forward to the power struggles. But, we've gotta start sometime.<br />
<br />
Somebody hold me.GinaChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14362372564661734144noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173662723105922593.post-11155058806639503972011-09-07T14:30:00.000-04:002011-09-07T14:30:57.163-04:0033 weeks and CountingIt's hard to believe that I'm already 33 weeks into this pregnancy, and that last time, Belle was born about two weeks from this point. The doctors have been keeping a close eye on my progress, and at my appointment this morning, I found out I'm already 1 centimeter dilated. The doc wasn't worried though, because she said it's common for second-time moms to be dilated by this point. If I can juuuust get to 37 weeks, heck even 36 weeks, I'll be one happy camper.<br />
<br />
Here are some updated 4D ultrasound pics from a growth scan I had at 31 weeks. The baby is measuring about a week ahead and was weighing over 4 pounds at the time of the scan, which puts the baby around 8 pounds at 40 weeks. Throughout most of the ultrasound, Baby M II had his/her hands covering his/her face, but this first picture was the perfect money shot that we got right at the end of the scan. The face looks a lot like Belle when she was first born, but everyone who sees these pics still thinks we're having a boy.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJvf_fL-OnClGsRzjtIoFN9OfswjSBd6OW8_vhT4M-vsfSTCcI_pzyZFXzkBhxAYigJlShHH8ztdypaBsAnFjKCioq9t58zwtc8cHHBSFBMfylD8JZritjrFgB0hygb8RyIBdHk9EXWml4/s1600/31+weeks_Baby+M+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJvf_fL-OnClGsRzjtIoFN9OfswjSBd6OW8_vhT4M-vsfSTCcI_pzyZFXzkBhxAYigJlShHH8ztdypaBsAnFjKCioq9t58zwtc8cHHBSFBMfylD8JZritjrFgB0hygb8RyIBdHk9EXWml4/s640/31+weeks_Baby+M+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrbyP0xorJrPvJguZRrPG4xJA3W4BT2k2NXkfg32UcZ2BOLtT9VqLhkV-byCkhaMertCwWT32F_EZcNL11x-5fmaM6X2vyNzbfTCg4_fQvIqVUa6aMY18VlRuV7FkojTSTW1sMGmkg0bbb/s1600/31+weeks_Baby+M+2.3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrbyP0xorJrPvJguZRrPG4xJA3W4BT2k2NXkfg32UcZ2BOLtT9VqLhkV-byCkhaMertCwWT32F_EZcNL11x-5fmaM6X2vyNzbfTCg4_fQvIqVUa6aMY18VlRuV7FkojTSTW1sMGmkg0bbb/s640/31+weeks_Baby+M+2.3.jpg" width="371" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHT5rEM2tiM6ulOuvuwtfhDtSxjlD7xaFABMmGZV69LgSxWdbGcGoGNjQ5XsoF5WndtvG5fvKZ1RIAfldBZpbHSO5G3rtaBFwxnNdpwa5qhpSi_lIQ1Oxleok3XrII31EtPJSwnvTf55sY/s1600/31+weeks_Baby+M+2.4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHT5rEM2tiM6ulOuvuwtfhDtSxjlD7xaFABMmGZV69LgSxWdbGcGoGNjQ5XsoF5WndtvG5fvKZ1RIAfldBZpbHSO5G3rtaBFwxnNdpwa5qhpSi_lIQ1Oxleok3XrII31EtPJSwnvTf55sY/s640/31+weeks_Baby+M+2.4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
So on the home front, we're in full-on "prepare for baby" mode. We've been making small advances in the nursery, and I've been slowly washing baby items like sheets, diaper rags and clothes. And yes, my hospital bag is pretty much packed, as it was by this point when I was pregnant with Belle. <i>Thank you, Type A personality</i>. Overall I just feel big. And round. And full. And tight. And tired. Really, really tired. Which is why these belly shots are of me in my pajamas. It's how I would like to be dressed pretty much 24 hours a day.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU7ruoFZgRsz1zPVy4oOv946x0dye7xU1gIjCxXy70r2cT7M7BN2WlkwaSNDTGsrsx2jFufaQjmIEZFdscuGkj8vHqF426TwtxfJZqpuXfqnWnjQQys-WyA-JAKn1rkhXDNu8ehhyphenhyphenDDG4W/s1600/IMG_1732.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU7ruoFZgRsz1zPVy4oOv946x0dye7xU1gIjCxXy70r2cT7M7BN2WlkwaSNDTGsrsx2jFufaQjmIEZFdscuGkj8vHqF426TwtxfJZqpuXfqnWnjQQys-WyA-JAKn1rkhXDNu8ehhyphenhyphenDDG4W/s400/IMG_1732.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-NccRRfnb3PlQa6AvVgvCJXM8cpvmdYD0S4T0qRZog4u_yw9MaPbwAzsTOR5ANmg7xV8nDEKPbJYNTgfYgfUraNW0GlCkD0XSdU9e9KsLsWhdC2OxNPDYJvKDri24vHrhk9h9HQZTDQU2/s1600/IMG_1730.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-NccRRfnb3PlQa6AvVgvCJXM8cpvmdYD0S4T0qRZog4u_yw9MaPbwAzsTOR5ANmg7xV8nDEKPbJYNTgfYgfUraNW0GlCkD0XSdU9e9KsLsWhdC2OxNPDYJvKDri24vHrhk9h9HQZTDQU2/s400/IMG_1730.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>GinaChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14362372564661734144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173662723105922593.post-68294848532402873762011-09-02T09:59:00.000-04:002011-09-02T09:59:31.425-04:00Nursery Rhyming with BellesWe do lots of singing 'round these parts. Whether it's before naptime and bedtime, on our way to and from daycare, or just any old time of day, you'll catch Maribelle singing a tune, and we're usually right there singing along with her. While she enjoys making up her own songs about mundane things (she entertained Jeremy and me with an impromptu song about bleeding knees the other day. I'm not kidding. And? Her knees weren't even bleeding), she has quite a repertoire of nursery rhymes. At the moment she's stuck on the sequence of Yankee Doodle, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and the Itsy Bitsy Spider as a naptime/bedtime routine. But below you can catch a performance of some of her other favorites.<br />
<br />
And yes, sometimes we like to sing without our pants on (and by "we" I mean "she").<br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="300" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/28468055?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="400"></iframe><br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/28468055">Nursery rhyming with Belles</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4461388">Gina Moorhead</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
GinaChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14362372564661734144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173662723105922593.post-15138060151028674582011-08-25T15:13:00.000-04:002011-08-25T15:13:49.701-04:00Summer Recap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>(Warning: Loooong post ahead)</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Our summer? It's been a blast, people. Full of f-u-n, <i>FUN</i> and pretty much jam packed with all the things that toddler dreams are made of. Trips to the neighborhood swimming pool? Check. Ample time outside on large play structures? Check. Water balloon fights, lots of ice cream and popsicles, and a sleep schedule that has gone way, way, <i>way</i> out of wack? Triple double check. It's been our first summer in a while sans a summer vacay, so we've been busy creating memories in other ways, and lucky for us, great family and friends have been a major part of our summer. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The summer started off with a bang, when this pretty puppy was installed (by professionals, thank the Lord) in our backyard. It's pretty much the bee's knees in Belle's eyes, who loves spending time on her swing set every evening, after the summer sun has cooled down. For the longest time, she would wake up, look out the window and say "My swingset! It's still here!" Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa A and Aunt Tina and Uncle Jim for very generously helping us buy this for our little Belle. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD-wTZnxXYM99ws6I5vvarr0gqCqRU8lOPK0IhYZGDM1oyOKGc-cyZq3nGneQzU2sQgyOU_91Oy9QDtwgGUL9RwqOgIc6aWZAES3v-Ifu58Jyxx6IzmgBTWPrNksfBwwOnMO6NtVmhzgET/s1600/IMG_1583.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD-wTZnxXYM99ws6I5vvarr0gqCqRU8lOPK0IhYZGDM1oyOKGc-cyZq3nGneQzU2sQgyOU_91Oy9QDtwgGUL9RwqOgIc6aWZAES3v-Ifu58Jyxx6IzmgBTWPrNksfBwwOnMO6NtVmhzgET/s320/IMG_1583.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT_grEKVUdHzVBtXOGuWVJjJmBSZ3k5DfeEZKXq55O5hZLE7U3uHZl2a04zwqsVktRU3kK7IQG7-nVXxLHx02biggBTl2sNnlE1UNYMkjQc-wNnIjsPhXRXeKbsuxEMt34Ac_gvn6TZdkP/s1600/IMG_1581.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT_grEKVUdHzVBtXOGuWVJjJmBSZ3k5DfeEZKXq55O5hZLE7U3uHZl2a04zwqsVktRU3kK7IQG7-nVXxLHx02biggBTl2sNnlE1UNYMkjQc-wNnIjsPhXRXeKbsuxEMt34Ac_gvn6TZdkP/s320/IMG_1581.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK075NcZOJJgthxzveZzfSgyTO4evn3pZY3NOStwdDLbjVkdvLaC1yrSaHPdP06qfZegi-mIX_Qkk811qR7O1wPEe7e2aCUk-k3anPYqOBFaSVnUbPmQtAKbYQsS0iBKMCBAZ25OONe-AV/s1600/IMG_1605.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK075NcZOJJgthxzveZzfSgyTO4evn3pZY3NOStwdDLbjVkdvLaC1yrSaHPdP06qfZegi-mIX_Qkk811qR7O1wPEe7e2aCUk-k3anPYqOBFaSVnUbPmQtAKbYQsS0iBKMCBAZ25OONe-AV/s320/IMG_1605.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We also took a quick overnight jaunt to Bethany Beach to spend time with some great friends. Belle loved the ocean and sand this year, but especially liked the small inflatable pool that someone thought to bring along. Genius idea!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYcRL3wCMR1JSlvZyvD3dRsaTv3rxkaP0NirHhSlk8uEcVVHCd5a5KixqPOf_1G-oiHccL-XK5DaFXv-F3Mu-Ir6Cd_i07R99kNa2Ns5Op0Skcs2Vt0C7zat631hy0OmTeEsfo28Mhlf2L/s1600/IMG_1503.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYcRL3wCMR1JSlvZyvD3dRsaTv3rxkaP0NirHhSlk8uEcVVHCd5a5KixqPOf_1G-oiHccL-XK5DaFXv-F3Mu-Ir6Cd_i07R99kNa2Ns5Op0Skcs2Vt0C7zat631hy0OmTeEsfo28Mhlf2L/s320/IMG_1503.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAO-bjpzFuvh2o-z4GpC4g37turkL4ZJbSgVFjsX243nfYoZpRGxuLVek5p586WcQVdQw-HycWT4NjkWfT6TmE4kocIa31SvjacWN1Yjy3ZQh9Reif3rP_8o_7xgngA5ZR_B_PBIBUQNmS/s1600/IMG_1558.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAO-bjpzFuvh2o-z4GpC4g37turkL4ZJbSgVFjsX243nfYoZpRGxuLVek5p586WcQVdQw-HycWT4NjkWfT6TmE4kocIa31SvjacWN1Yjy3ZQh9Reif3rP_8o_7xgngA5ZR_B_PBIBUQNmS/s320/IMG_1558.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmfpbQQ2dl7nji5ElJ_rQmElZy-cqFg2IbbB6g2WaCfJYwb3u2T3_PrNnjmGckZ_E7hLf9K1gMavXwS6d1H6xVd8KUgIJE2frnfLfrDtCZAi79gdwnro0oLpVO07Zi7w70NyFl4JnKw39n/s1600/IMG_1572.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmfpbQQ2dl7nji5ElJ_rQmElZy-cqFg2IbbB6g2WaCfJYwb3u2T3_PrNnjmGckZ_E7hLf9K1gMavXwS6d1H6xVd8KUgIJE2frnfLfrDtCZAi79gdwnro0oLpVO07Zi7w70NyFl4JnKw39n/s320/IMG_1572.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNRzoCs9Ev2j7hFHW0VeOqD1six7WMdvKPkJkUVgwbNLD7jAmq1ppg_yvwW0EHxPJuop8hoTTfeIcoGvC5ivbXHJgfHURL7ZU875tmqhBC3pgg0H69U_9BmSsWKObkL3zHKWUk1ovbBZ5B/s1600/IMG_1535.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNRzoCs9Ev2j7hFHW0VeOqD1six7WMdvKPkJkUVgwbNLD7jAmq1ppg_yvwW0EHxPJuop8hoTTfeIcoGvC5ivbXHJgfHURL7ZU875tmqhBC3pgg0H69U_9BmSsWKObkL3zHKWUk1ovbBZ5B/s320/IMG_1535.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Something Jeremy has been wanting to do for quite some time is take Belle to her first baseball game. She got her first dose of the major leagues at an Orioles vs. Indians game, and she also got her first dose of mascot meltdown. Let's just say she was NOT thrilled that the Oriole Bird sought her out and stooped down to her level to say hi.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHuc2GuSdfhYqWgnObhh4kjwdwhwnKZKzAYAhg5ycOl8R60KV0tNe5YwQLlEagN9lyWEqkeDIt7B9WArflWlDoiZZ0cdiXGcefv7RaX8SsEizmiMIHCfKMDuD1AAF319QFMMjC3W0kbvdE/s1600/IMG_1619.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHuc2GuSdfhYqWgnObhh4kjwdwhwnKZKzAYAhg5ycOl8R60KV0tNe5YwQLlEagN9lyWEqkeDIt7B9WArflWlDoiZZ0cdiXGcefv7RaX8SsEizmiMIHCfKMDuD1AAF319QFMMjC3W0kbvdE/s320/IMG_1619.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjETkA4ERmKLXgiJY14fLq_A4TluF9dyw3BXKoSJ1QCvhMjsZUNZ40l0NCsJbslD2WmDa1CdkIJwm10YJdYszwieDRjSbNBFvzyZeYLCXUxLluBUYNfrFqGS_7w_B7yxRK4eAjYP0TIKYj8/s1600/IMG_1616.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjETkA4ERmKLXgiJY14fLq_A4TluF9dyw3BXKoSJ1QCvhMjsZUNZ40l0NCsJbslD2WmDa1CdkIJwm10YJdYszwieDRjSbNBFvzyZeYLCXUxLluBUYNfrFqGS_7w_B7yxRK4eAjYP0TIKYj8/s320/IMG_1616.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_obveGQsZTMKr5Tgwke-Kyp20-31jZeFCInZtJ8WrbLzQh3Hv_LoqzK-zC2OjNIz-JkepdWisbX54znWXacGhAjYlXFcGV2j5bStTFj1ECGH3hyZNFghg0yTyrZZAZWEczelncVK4z5Zu/s1600/IMG_1636.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_obveGQsZTMKr5Tgwke-Kyp20-31jZeFCInZtJ8WrbLzQh3Hv_LoqzK-zC2OjNIz-JkepdWisbX54znWXacGhAjYlXFcGV2j5bStTFj1ECGH3hyZNFghg0yTyrZZAZWEczelncVK4z5Zu/s320/IMG_1636.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZt0hG34n-QoETV2-jASomG2Dl3n6uw-tBY1heSXlkrqr63A-ZhCzG80RZPrpJkyymmAI9z36D4oK0bRgDoE2dcYNtO-LbjW5mbsY0uo-Bb71MWiGWEdyIb4HZOM4w7TbfopKoSWW6M-OH/s1600/IMG_1637.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZt0hG34n-QoETV2-jASomG2Dl3n6uw-tBY1heSXlkrqr63A-ZhCzG80RZPrpJkyymmAI9z36D4oK0bRgDoE2dcYNtO-LbjW5mbsY0uo-Bb71MWiGWEdyIb4HZOM4w7TbfopKoSWW6M-OH/s320/IMG_1637.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKdj8iUz5efk6dh8VepaFJnPeHEP4zr_AvDwXM23PluygdPfrLmwDg08x4oloBZ-5T2qDwEjviciNv-fbCAFpescwbXKdJQKqpLdbxIq5PnXUlfM2kj8P2WmOTpd2ldMHQNFJ2KPVpiq9S/s1600/IMG_1638.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKdj8iUz5efk6dh8VepaFJnPeHEP4zr_AvDwXM23PluygdPfrLmwDg08x4oloBZ-5T2qDwEjviciNv-fbCAFpescwbXKdJQKqpLdbxIq5PnXUlfM2kj8P2WmOTpd2ldMHQNFJ2KPVpiq9S/s320/IMG_1638.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Another first for Maribelle this summer was that she saw her first movie at a movie theater. We decided the new Winnie the Pooh movie was the perfect speed and length for a tot her age, and Aunt Jamie and Laura accompanied us to make the occasion extra special (although, am I the only one who just does not have a soft spot for Winnie the Pooh? Talk about a snoozefest, and they're all just kind of depressing characters. I'd so rather watch Yo Gabba Gabba over that whiny bear any day). Maribelle STILL asks me if I remember when we went to see a movie, and she recalls the entire afternoon, right down to what she had for lunch afterward.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2QyyzWe8y6FANNmNcv3PsDWeZFw6e3TpKHDGDML0v_NIhLm6gxCOAReoeZYGfIIrWMpYTUeTy-FmAaGrT-wVR3YF0uFiSQ7QA0UuFiacMChZu_Jy621oL-0oe6tn6H8cVrF8mlFt9GN4Y/s1600/IMG_2470.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2QyyzWe8y6FANNmNcv3PsDWeZFw6e3TpKHDGDML0v_NIhLm6gxCOAReoeZYGfIIrWMpYTUeTy-FmAaGrT-wVR3YF0uFiSQ7QA0UuFiacMChZu_Jy621oL-0oe6tn6H8cVrF8mlFt9GN4Y/s320/IMG_2470.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJcVgTxDQLajqCPlKEsEigNJYp7eGP18KUw35_xFhefiSUFt4CA8808znRW0O0OiXhyphenhyphenB2Vi2gYuXA-HCqXnoGLf09z5Wdb_VPmCKFctrM3J7myxJHx8MddJH6IVyv-c_NCYjce-mRjxxJh/s1600/IMG_2471.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJcVgTxDQLajqCPlKEsEigNJYp7eGP18KUw35_xFhefiSUFt4CA8808znRW0O0OiXhyphenhyphenB2Vi2gYuXA-HCqXnoGLf09z5Wdb_VPmCKFctrM3J7myxJHx8MddJH6IVyv-c_NCYjce-mRjxxJh/s320/IMG_2471.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIyLX2BwxH7KZ1utfGUNXYctdkSMiydrgcnGv4Qpw8ufBfHLBLCeGZqrqHEQvZwXt-kQJcDM1t8lFPKqF_5NbIox1c_H2uaW6jl9waJsHb3i17IZk-jft7zdkfNFIii5hYJnWuTy7iZdNu/s1600/IMG_2473.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIyLX2BwxH7KZ1utfGUNXYctdkSMiydrgcnGv4Qpw8ufBfHLBLCeGZqrqHEQvZwXt-kQJcDM1t8lFPKqF_5NbIox1c_H2uaW6jl9waJsHb3i17IZk-jft7zdkfNFIii5hYJnWuTy7iZdNu/s320/IMG_2473.jpg" width="238" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My family has spent a lot of time trekking back and forth from Ohio to Maryland this summer, especially my dad, whose been here probably five times between May and August. I've spent more extended time with my sisters this summer than I have in a really long time, and it's been great to have all the extra help on hand. Plus, Maribelle loves all the doting attention, extra playmates, and unfamiliar purses through which she can rummage and inspect the contents (seriously people, she has a thing for purses and bags. Anyone she sees with a purse, backpack or briefcase catches her curiosity, and she salivates at the idea of getting her hands on the junk inside anyone's bag. The other day she even asked us what was in some guy's pocket! It's out of control.) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh-OWtacOVU-zzJDwPDgEaiBT1YUAJ8HdwTa5Hlcz52dUxBDXhNkCI1fEQmLFRe4HndoMGXAX0uS3EWRckkc5FulwfHpsn67i4oFbcZRhoYuBNdSYWmfDdsa8_VECwrGt51XU85963lw5M/s1600/IMG_1644.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh-OWtacOVU-zzJDwPDgEaiBT1YUAJ8HdwTa5Hlcz52dUxBDXhNkCI1fEQmLFRe4HndoMGXAX0uS3EWRckkc5FulwfHpsn67i4oFbcZRhoYuBNdSYWmfDdsa8_VECwrGt51XU85963lw5M/s320/IMG_1644.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEatIZ7zAqU4wm4D5jERZcQEVsji21BteeYItlhPGGfvHin2FoTQ11RBiMMc8bZnKZ8LzGWJXtsbOor4wUSy7xEMUgTWJlluwKA0X9tz_Miih1x6Ltm0rWt5BPcksrGAPsIWidoaSM2xce/s1600/IMG_2477.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEatIZ7zAqU4wm4D5jERZcQEVsji21BteeYItlhPGGfvHin2FoTQ11RBiMMc8bZnKZ8LzGWJXtsbOor4wUSy7xEMUgTWJlluwKA0X9tz_Miih1x6Ltm0rWt5BPcksrGAPsIWidoaSM2xce/s320/IMG_2477.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb-FReTxsSXux90OY-B7Iqlr5Oh5LEp0JT1Co9LcOJfsJC0ECUT3pmPeCa5D-uLy8kctFftZXPwwCQBRO4b_-f6jkN8waKYhyI5rAzlPJXaXKh5uiWlqsUk3txjBs2uMaYKkt0LZQC1j1l/s1600/IMG_2483.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb-FReTxsSXux90OY-B7Iqlr5Oh5LEp0JT1Co9LcOJfsJC0ECUT3pmPeCa5D-uLy8kctFftZXPwwCQBRO4b_-f6jkN8waKYhyI5rAzlPJXaXKh5uiWlqsUk3txjBs2uMaYKkt0LZQC1j1l/s320/IMG_2483.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On an especially beautiful day, we took an afternoon trip to Annapolis to take a boat ride and grab some lunch. It really was the perfect summer outing, although Maribelle could care less about the boat and concentrated more on what was in Tara's purse.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOY4fjstChE005BqdiCm9Kmcjtnhk5BdXBpJ7Tl0yZmEdAaVUbBERWLyswwW7PLYtWhd0IvjWnDfO7gxQgb2r1s8wUlF6ufAgosTJA4Rjher_9XF26OAAF0OJ5RdTsYRPGhTxC9r1J1E7s/s1600/IMG_1654.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOY4fjstChE005BqdiCm9Kmcjtnhk5BdXBpJ7Tl0yZmEdAaVUbBERWLyswwW7PLYtWhd0IvjWnDfO7gxQgb2r1s8wUlF6ufAgosTJA4Rjher_9XF26OAAF0OJ5RdTsYRPGhTxC9r1J1E7s/s320/IMG_1654.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUqFigigVReXxbhysSFa5nOE82Be9gRYpfkOIU9hXSZtxq3uOXkRR-GwISLCT755hy0R0LJjQSDKsodZPDV1_YYmsNabhBMTrXRVCqfwRHm7Gx3EL-lwm_pyjV-0Mf8sqPQWLK31oEVzZD/s1600/IMG_1656.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUqFigigVReXxbhysSFa5nOE82Be9gRYpfkOIU9hXSZtxq3uOXkRR-GwISLCT755hy0R0LJjQSDKsodZPDV1_YYmsNabhBMTrXRVCqfwRHm7Gx3EL-lwm_pyjV-0Mf8sqPQWLK31oEVzZD/s320/IMG_1656.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_iUYIjUmEuQI3NelUvkRsv4f5ge4bVZok-1D8Bo6YS6v73ihFLJKGD6_Tc7TRwqAwT9_ZAJIA-RhOVcB0hv-cFIG-FznuQhp7AUoDIg84BaO8xOUsKuEhLeFY02Lnyyt4g_fzcOoNppNr/s1600/IMG_1660.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_iUYIjUmEuQI3NelUvkRsv4f5ge4bVZok-1D8Bo6YS6v73ihFLJKGD6_Tc7TRwqAwT9_ZAJIA-RhOVcB0hv-cFIG-FznuQhp7AUoDIg84BaO8xOUsKuEhLeFY02Lnyyt4g_fzcOoNppNr/s320/IMG_1660.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS2BeBPyg13glJT997_as0tyXBKKN1eXptmrkQtmyfa81OAq00V7tjffYmpZTX6dC_4ZFqNHHRzH6J0fL2KFBDDiDHXKAjPCyGXFJUpj6jNIgGnf1V-mSVdYU2dswqw58i_ZG4BzUv69p8/s1600/IMG_1662.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS2BeBPyg13glJT997_as0tyXBKKN1eXptmrkQtmyfa81OAq00V7tjffYmpZTX6dC_4ZFqNHHRzH6J0fL2KFBDDiDHXKAjPCyGXFJUpj6jNIgGnf1V-mSVdYU2dswqw58i_ZG4BzUv69p8/s320/IMG_1662.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpTaY1bH50428a55-FU74mjQPvuWUKMMMSM8emSQ7nVMD9x3xuN0l0va_UIvuYPIZ4xCpT-icFviS1FPQlVAv0SLvOotAxkGp1Z1s2QRu_TSIU_9qa0bs0cJzQ49ncV00vhJmCgHa21wFQ/s1600/IMG_1668.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpTaY1bH50428a55-FU74mjQPvuWUKMMMSM8emSQ7nVMD9x3xuN0l0va_UIvuYPIZ4xCpT-icFviS1FPQlVAv0SLvOotAxkGp1Z1s2QRu_TSIU_9qa0bs0cJzQ49ncV00vhJmCgHa21wFQ/s320/IMG_1668.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We've got a bit more of summer left, and a few more family members coming to visit, so we're hoping to continue our streak of awesomesauce summer outings. Because with a baby on the way, fall is sure to be a bit more challenging, but in a good way.</div>GinaChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14362372564661734144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173662723105922593.post-32424415802139232242011-07-04T14:43:00.000-04:002011-07-04T14:43:52.317-04:00Sweet Land of LibertyHappy Fourth of July! We're hoping to celebrate the day with some pool time, picnic food and maybe a bit of fireworks (although Belle at the moment thinks they're scary, so we might be watching them on tv).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixgGp0QVCgjytfrkAA2EQDkDWCgNvkAIyUPKyEeF6AXCNUJH9SytJP_uZUG-OMaoYwEIvMM79cGIBJ37vaB-K6sSsr3JU0jsGE-5G_U_55HgXYf403MJoL2UBRbaOw3bRT1NJVJanrCt0v/s1600/IMG_1485.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixgGp0QVCgjytfrkAA2EQDkDWCgNvkAIyUPKyEeF6AXCNUJH9SytJP_uZUG-OMaoYwEIvMM79cGIBJ37vaB-K6sSsr3JU0jsGE-5G_U_55HgXYf403MJoL2UBRbaOw3bRT1NJVJanrCt0v/s400/IMG_1485.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNsSROW30WMAAmoicLGffXSuYeNoyBPSvRPJkB-lilJGjj7PooYpzBwLzyLn336gWWUgzcsfd7Z9s9VebilsGZpBiN1LziphlIJe0LM8oSX_KlWeXf1eQoGegoTLmGmS9ZQmp7nILJ6M4b/s1600/IMG_1483.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNsSROW30WMAAmoicLGffXSuYeNoyBPSvRPJkB-lilJGjj7PooYpzBwLzyLn336gWWUgzcsfd7Z9s9VebilsGZpBiN1LziphlIJe0LM8oSX_KlWeXf1eQoGegoTLmGmS9ZQmp7nILJ6M4b/s400/IMG_1483.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>GinaChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14362372564661734144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173662723105922593.post-60196644065927362282011-06-30T14:46:00.000-04:002011-06-30T14:46:58.737-04:0023 weeksI figure it's time to post a belly pic, since I really haven't given much of an update on my pregnancy with Baby M II. I'm 23 weeks today, and I actually dried my hair for the first time in probably three weeks this morning. So, that calls for a photo.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAZKRQcjhvoIwcNBTaRX9vDraqHBSIDwnVs6A7w7lfO_scGptC4IoSg2gIAQflQqp9EbYBiRJyjEMG4POeOMCFdw1_Jn5qe_3wycLoF-39CWQY_O7XRTgp8Ddj92pIRnoPw18X26TnKBI5/s1600/IMG_1469.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAZKRQcjhvoIwcNBTaRX9vDraqHBSIDwnVs6A7w7lfO_scGptC4IoSg2gIAQflQqp9EbYBiRJyjEMG4POeOMCFdw1_Jn5qe_3wycLoF-39CWQY_O7XRTgp8Ddj92pIRnoPw18X26TnKBI5/s400/IMG_1469.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
The belly is definitely bigger this time around, and I'm pretty sure it did most of its growing last week. The entire week I felt stretched and pulled, as if my skin possibly couldn't spread any more. And I have potentially 17 more weeks to go. Oy.<br />
<br />
For the most part I'm feeling pretty good. It's such a different experience the second time around. I'm not worried about every little ache and pain, nor am I reading a massive stack of pregnancy books like I did the first time. And I actually feel like I'm sleeping better this time, but that probably has to do with how unbelievably tired I am at the end of the day. Chasing a two-year-old adds a whole new level of fatigue to this whole pregnancy thing. I'm definitely not eating as well as I did when I was pregnant with Maribelle. Fruits and veggies?<br />
<br />
Ha.<br />
<br />
Hahahahaha.<br />
<br />
Ha.<br />
<br />
Not a big part of my diet unless I come across them at the bottom of a bag of chips or Dairy Queen starts pureeing them into their ice cream or something. So sad, but it's what the baby wants these days. (FYI, I just ate a bowl of strawberries. So it's not dessert ALL the time.)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDUscF8j4qXprEsW1XcSvDJlJDbLXfl12_QcbQjrkG4BavQOReLvVCw3I9OVxWEEm8v6kFvyEu0xKN5fBmll0jA5_-k6-1ak7LiobUcjXuYv-gr0rG3SScD8F4lcfMWkON8tcWly6WCSOK/s1600/dq.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDUscF8j4qXprEsW1XcSvDJlJDbLXfl12_QcbQjrkG4BavQOReLvVCw3I9OVxWEEm8v6kFvyEu0xKN5fBmll0jA5_-k6-1ak7LiobUcjXuYv-gr0rG3SScD8F4lcfMWkON8tcWly6WCSOK/s320/dq.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>We haven't lived near a DQ in seven years, and now we have one about 10 minutes away. I'm making up for lost time and enjoying a Banana Cream Pie Mini Blizzard as often as possible. Maribelle is more of a chocolate-vanilla swirl girl.</i></span></div><br />
I've been getting progesterone shots weekly to hopefully (fingers crossed) ward off the pre-term labor I experienced with Maribelle. Other than the hassle of going to the doctor's office every week, it hasn't been so bad, and I actually think the extra boost of hormones has made certain aspects of pregnancy easier.<br />
<br />
In terms of preparing for baby, we haven't really DONE anything yet. We've had maybe one conversation about baby names (my least favorite part of the whole process, for reals. So. Much. Pressure.), we haven't done any crib or baby furniture shopping, and the baby's future bedroom and closet are filled to the brim with junk. But we've got some guests who will be crashing our pad for a few weeks in July, and I'm hoping to put them to work (ahem ... Laura and Jake). Hopefully we'll be able to make more progress soon!GinaChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14362372564661734144noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173662723105922593.post-6905164501245474712011-06-24T08:20:00.000-04:002011-06-24T08:20:17.376-04:00Settling into our New DigsSo it's time to report on our big move, which happened almost three weeks ago now. We said goodbye to our very first house, which was our first major purchase as a couple and the home we moved into as husband and wife. We had our first child there and really launched our family life within those walls. It was a good house to us for seven years, but townhouse living just wasn't for us anymore. And our family is growing, so it was time to move on.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj07L_h_k20O3UpM0XEy21XmUQAuqtgAVyw6ZU02Jdmc1WxxRoKruDnhjyY-Kv7XjX76MLF5samg5tzOJ6zoZgNfWjv8Q8EGQQnUgZZbDniHDBX6BEmWZYXKGsVVNa5Yd6271I790Grj8BG/s1600/IMG_1096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj07L_h_k20O3UpM0XEy21XmUQAuqtgAVyw6ZU02Jdmc1WxxRoKruDnhjyY-Kv7XjX76MLF5samg5tzOJ6zoZgNfWjv8Q8EGQQnUgZZbDniHDBX6BEmWZYXKGsVVNa5Yd6271I790Grj8BG/s400/IMG_1096.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh46t1ay6NgvfxDwzKI97PDqFvxEiLGTzvCf5penii2DDJTlhlRBxcnsAN6Rnm13mbW7GjpwHNJRBkynyMwqm79wdGTHtjrD_ehj6seR-1_LfoJoagnpAUHGDK_rmOeONK1LlVe2lc1hEc-/s1600/IMG_1040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh46t1ay6NgvfxDwzKI97PDqFvxEiLGTzvCf5penii2DDJTlhlRBxcnsAN6Rnm13mbW7GjpwHNJRBkynyMwqm79wdGTHtjrD_ehj6seR-1_LfoJoagnpAUHGDK_rmOeONK1LlVe2lc1hEc-/s400/IMG_1040.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikoN-uvE3nNqrvQ4lmesEohrH9e16jEFmwvz7otlmO7OwhFXtnckj0t4xDOKba35fUlT6ZPQ0ez3k1iW-7sJinvb-_EWT39SwkHN8m2Px8P_UWAlekM5NBPu4qAQwEjxQ2JDquKsdYnVzb/s1600/IMG_1072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikoN-uvE3nNqrvQ4lmesEohrH9e16jEFmwvz7otlmO7OwhFXtnckj0t4xDOKba35fUlT6ZPQ0ez3k1iW-7sJinvb-_EWT39SwkHN8m2Px8P_UWAlekM5NBPu4qAQwEjxQ2JDquKsdYnVzb/s400/IMG_1072.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5NQwlOhTD4Nq4mOy7RoD3UZVS2g_wU6lQN5cRpzqdj4KgQamdzzXapfBf5gLRDEZVqcRW0j3VAmGv_SajsBpgEVpoXAAqroodsjpGKcmOORkdE8IuWQYbZ64iHA70Dy41CxvN4TlFwnH2/s1600/IMG_1085.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5NQwlOhTD4Nq4mOy7RoD3UZVS2g_wU6lQN5cRpzqdj4KgQamdzzXapfBf5gLRDEZVqcRW0j3VAmGv_SajsBpgEVpoXAAqroodsjpGKcmOORkdE8IuWQYbZ64iHA70Dy41CxvN4TlFwnH2/s400/IMG_1085.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Enter -- "Moving Day." After weeks of packing and anticipating our move to a single-family home (and OMG, the stress!!), we completed two closings and a move all by 4 p.m. in one day. We couldn't have done it without the amazing help and coordination on behalf of my dad, who managed the movers while we were away at the closings, made countless trips back and forth from the old house to the new house while lugging our junk in his "Beast"/Excursion, and who also pretty much single-handedly cleaned the old house from top to bottom before the new owners moved in. We are so grateful he was able to make the trip to help us for a few days, because I don't know what we would have done without his help. Lucky for us the closings and move went smoothly, and we spent our first night in our home surrounded by piles of boxes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0W5XW2H7QznuL4tA5O8dqllldI_lB5TQu6ehxnV98Qe2eqRgrQ642pndDj4Zhl18ymKGa21M0HHX80GD21yXajGeaOaL_HngEdHZ9najzAqnMDu56WH7gGGsQlDifM-bfpvDkOwuEoTNN/s1600/IMG_1374.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0W5XW2H7QznuL4tA5O8dqllldI_lB5TQu6ehxnV98Qe2eqRgrQ642pndDj4Zhl18ymKGa21M0HHX80GD21yXajGeaOaL_HngEdHZ9najzAqnMDu56WH7gGGsQlDifM-bfpvDkOwuEoTNN/s400/IMG_1374.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidJAbvBYcKFuDAXXyMRmfMLfVb81ecu4zrypotw6167zJxKW8BjCQkIanwKaGs_ABS19dtHRY5qvgQCOPvR7vQPvIVcZr57usYrez6NqVSM-WDQ4rv7CmHj8VsqDkfKZm5XRmMcxdCZ0yC/s1600/IMG_1376.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidJAbvBYcKFuDAXXyMRmfMLfVb81ecu4zrypotw6167zJxKW8BjCQkIanwKaGs_ABS19dtHRY5qvgQCOPvR7vQPvIVcZr57usYrez6NqVSM-WDQ4rv7CmHj8VsqDkfKZm5XRmMcxdCZ0yC/s400/IMG_1376.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy4dRewLdNAnQVVK3Ohnq5QDV85yB96557mDJX4bcCXr5J-Pos1Jc1BkFc_dVmoh6IjmhZhQvVIwtvqHQT-WlpmYxP0BBypJSUQcm8zW6DxBDegZQw1KB2069fS-jjxJfafY9gc-QDitFw/s1600/IMG_3396.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy4dRewLdNAnQVVK3Ohnq5QDV85yB96557mDJX4bcCXr5J-Pos1Jc1BkFc_dVmoh6IjmhZhQvVIwtvqHQT-WlpmYxP0BBypJSUQcm8zW6DxBDegZQw1KB2069fS-jjxJfafY9gc-QDitFw/s400/IMG_3396.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNrxJKvvWb5STlk0So8P_Dgc1Y_LIwzgDs1-Io9MP00RR8v2GUY1ReUFDrmC_KKjxycz91zyQcQyAVMmKmLaOj7Cc0H1JDp4h3ARbuJkunOlYDqWCN5BvRBpTLDUrc8L8_kGUWYRt_1SzZ/s1600/IMG_3399.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNrxJKvvWb5STlk0So8P_Dgc1Y_LIwzgDs1-Io9MP00RR8v2GUY1ReUFDrmC_KKjxycz91zyQcQyAVMmKmLaOj7Cc0H1JDp4h3ARbuJkunOlYDqWCN5BvRBpTLDUrc8L8_kGUWYRt_1SzZ/s400/IMG_3399.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8IG5kK7niNy8dPKofMc_Bf3Lt69bupWS9WTXP1t47OEpyyO3K2rdeUaDgiwqLcjHFBRg9Wib_e4un6Bzs3ICHGm_fiD_OrEgA43x_KvILwf442bY5fOMSUw7GLfkFgTY0Bm6CvlrnEt94/s1600/IMG_3407.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8IG5kK7niNy8dPKofMc_Bf3Lt69bupWS9WTXP1t47OEpyyO3K2rdeUaDgiwqLcjHFBRg9Wib_e4un6Bzs3ICHGm_fiD_OrEgA43x_KvILwf442bY5fOMSUw7GLfkFgTY0Bm6CvlrnEt94/s400/IMG_3407.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiRu_qetzvp7ybPerX6lSMZQa477GfaaQdff14dphjc2AB4l06v0UoxrHFPnviXbohGQoGZWZMth0Ie29AsFtiP5oseDWsksDQzxMDJzKQouFcJ1Ah0dSI5-FEPgqVpgHFEfEiYH_6NxTK/s1600/IMG_3408.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiRu_qetzvp7ybPerX6lSMZQa477GfaaQdff14dphjc2AB4l06v0UoxrHFPnviXbohGQoGZWZMth0Ie29AsFtiP5oseDWsksDQzxMDJzKQouFcJ1Ah0dSI5-FEPgqVpgHFEfEiYH_6NxTK/s400/IMG_3408.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We've made great progress in comparison to the photos above and we pretty much only have boxes left in our basement (which is going to be a massive job that I'm choosing to ignore at the moment). In an ideal world where we had lots of leftover money, time, and didn't have to worry about a pregnant mama, we'd be doing some major painting, landscaping and finishing of our basement. But, such is not the case. So we're living with most of the paint colors for the moment (or the next few years) and just making our current furniture fit. We're trying to do little things on our own (like powerwashing the house and deck, re-grouting the master shower, and replacing the countless window screens that have holes in them), so fingers crossed all those projects go off without a hitch (because we are soooo not the handy type). We're loving the relaxing atmosphere of our new surroundings, and Maribelle is absolutely loving the backyard, or what she refers to as "the park." </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguEf3gyF2XdKG7lNytBFXU4o6Rxj3P0Hyh2vlaXn_uVkALorrl_JiKzZk6hx8dVqKpoNVtRyij4KqeCDAD8OVOH3BZZQlG0wOMTauUSR0Dph2UmIcjy16Zp4r2GBwXfhul2sEll8hmXAVR/s1600/IMG_1420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguEf3gyF2XdKG7lNytBFXU4o6Rxj3P0Hyh2vlaXn_uVkALorrl_JiKzZk6hx8dVqKpoNVtRyij4KqeCDAD8OVOH3BZZQlG0wOMTauUSR0Dph2UmIcjy16Zp4r2GBwXfhul2sEll8hmXAVR/s400/IMG_1420.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidowPg0_ggLh6Zug0pcQzX30dfNQs_cLer3uDAxS6W343_-gm94lqclxvOnsB05sjLjWa-NHKLJCyYnzx6H85-IJUXt1ZmXsHyJqg-yZoJZc2sgfHn4bX3DxanHETDHieV3ry9ycJ1IXzR/s1600/IMG_1419.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidowPg0_ggLh6Zug0pcQzX30dfNQs_cLer3uDAxS6W343_-gm94lqclxvOnsB05sjLjWa-NHKLJCyYnzx6H85-IJUXt1ZmXsHyJqg-yZoJZc2sgfHn4bX3DxanHETDHieV3ry9ycJ1IXzR/s400/IMG_1419.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We'll post updated pictures soon as more of our rooms are completed!</div>GinaChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14362372564661734144noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173662723105922593.post-22169841409279921072011-06-20T11:54:00.000-04:002011-06-20T11:54:30.801-04:00Day of the DadThis little girl and her Dad ... oh, the fun things they do together.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm0PMbXvLKAzvlQusF3KlIUzg3Q6Gpd8tKnWuJ0tYqnQjCgX63VaPwHanQsa6Kz3PhfPMKoYn0pp5bq_zJU-83yo8RFkXtaJp-83MAlP0NgSIvb5TS2wsMVelXWbHt18i0Ru3YmQ1WQ9dH/s1600/IMG_1453.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm0PMbXvLKAzvlQusF3KlIUzg3Q6Gpd8tKnWuJ0tYqnQjCgX63VaPwHanQsa6Kz3PhfPMKoYn0pp5bq_zJU-83yo8RFkXtaJp-83MAlP0NgSIvb5TS2wsMVelXWbHt18i0Ru3YmQ1WQ9dH/s400/IMG_1453.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
He plays his guitar and sings silly songs, while she dances, jumps and shakes her booty (and sings into anything that closely resembles a microphone).<br />
<br />
They water the flowers together and play in the dirt.<br />
<br />
She rides on his back while he gives train rides.<br />
<br />
She loves, loves, loves to color with him: "Hey Daddy! I know what we can do ... let's color!!"<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilrusIUqdJhYO6ani5qNmX10vSIJhK7F5JJiOzryLD7ViSn5z6FJDaJy3fM-8YGr6InkieXplar1DmuQ2vYxnp3I1xP6Dy_dQ8Wc-92JjRbzG16nohjUDrI5OImP5XFJFNnkEOGL_xd7HO/s1600/IMG_1456.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilrusIUqdJhYO6ani5qNmX10vSIJhK7F5JJiOzryLD7ViSn5z6FJDaJy3fM-8YGr6InkieXplar1DmuQ2vYxnp3I1xP6Dy_dQ8Wc-92JjRbzG16nohjUDrI5OImP5XFJFNnkEOGL_xd7HO/s320/IMG_1456.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
They play hard and love hard ... the perfect Daddy-Daughter combo.GinaChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14362372564661734144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173662723105922593.post-15764083741279980282011-06-13T21:26:00.000-04:002011-06-13T21:26:00.270-04:00Up Close and Personal with Baby M IILast week we had my 20-week ultrasound and got to check in on Baby M II. I've been telling Jeremy that this baby is much more active than Maribelle ever was at this point, and Baby M II proved my point the minute the ultrasound tech flipped on the screen. Once the shadowy image of the baby came into view, we could see that Baby M II was practicing a little thumb sucking, and was repeatedly trying to find his/her mouth. It was so amazing and adorable to watch, and I'm pretty sure I fell in love right then and there. It just blows my mind that all of that was going on right there in my belly. It truly is such a miracle.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixhNNNk8iGEIC5IgtEepZq_liX0UVyUANmU0O2aHSyv1w2_42EpGH6hPu2vgs4HW4zansjn5ut1lMidLuxP3fKRbqqjAzbz5lIRaNj0I24wEP5S7M1zyTjoIv-z9hy_Fdo2wb0qW2YuEX8/s1600/Baby+2+Thumb+sucking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixhNNNk8iGEIC5IgtEepZq_liX0UVyUANmU0O2aHSyv1w2_42EpGH6hPu2vgs4HW4zansjn5ut1lMidLuxP3fKRbqqjAzbz5lIRaNj0I24wEP5S7M1zyTjoIv-z9hy_Fdo2wb0qW2YuEX8/s400/Baby+2+Thumb+sucking.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh99YNjH_wm-RLhxGsMQ2ZvG-LA95ddyUocFOBhsJ4LfxhH6BrmIwLjKHVZdflnYAefsFokAJm_NF1cvTP3PKZEK1W99HLd0leypRkwjpWehF4S108YyZSL3Jd601dJq1XAzH_Qy438iVmR/s1600/BabyM2+20wks+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh99YNjH_wm-RLhxGsMQ2ZvG-LA95ddyUocFOBhsJ4LfxhH6BrmIwLjKHVZdflnYAefsFokAJm_NF1cvTP3PKZEK1W99HLd0leypRkwjpWehF4S108YyZSL3Jd601dJq1XAzH_Qy438iVmR/s400/BabyM2+20wks+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>With the stress of taking care of a two-year-old, everyday life, selling our house, moving, etc, etc, I've felt a little disconnected from this pregnancy and have found myself MANY times just plain old forgetting I'm with child (and then I walk in front of a mirror and my growing belly quickly reminds me that SOMETHING is going on in there). But the magic of the ultrasound and the amazing detail that we could see and witness just made everything sink in and seem much more real. In a few short months, we're going to be a family of four!<br />
<br />
Lucky for us, my OB office uses 4D technology as a regular feature of the 20-week ultrasound, so we got the added benefit of seeing Baby M II in greater detail than a normal ultrasound. Take a look at this sweet face!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh64_6ZAVimMdT086xQDA2WTKThCg7oW7-nmRNeYZk7YKTudSKj0K5teqqen7Et0xhtlQdWmmysAoaBGZJKve0l2opn-B20cQGzY17xuYuGm5cDgn5K8U6cHRJFFtaDY-kebgMWu502gTIS/s1600/BabyM+2+20+wks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh64_6ZAVimMdT086xQDA2WTKThCg7oW7-nmRNeYZk7YKTudSKj0K5teqqen7Et0xhtlQdWmmysAoaBGZJKve0l2opn-B20cQGzY17xuYuGm5cDgn5K8U6cHRJFFtaDY-kebgMWu502gTIS/s400/BabyM+2+20+wks.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I know, it's slightly creepy and the umbilical cord floating there just makes me nervous, but is this not the most amazing advancement in ultrasound technology?!?! It's even more detailed during a third trimester ultrasound, but as long as my pregnancy progresses normally, we won't need any additional ultrasounds.<br />
<br />
In terms of baby details, Baby M II's heartbeat was around 150, and he/she was measuring slightly ahead, which is great considering that I've only gained two pounds so far the entire pregnancy. My doctor has encouraged me to consume more calories, so I've been doubling up on dessert daily (probably not what she meant, but I'm taking liberties with this one). All vital organs were accounted for and measured appropriately, so all looks well in there!GinaChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14362372564661734144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173662723105922593.post-50058932174345178792011-05-28T14:25:00.000-04:002011-05-28T14:25:32.447-04:00The Godfather<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWbd7hhYXmgP_R8EPXGh5-7H7PLAT2NvB1eLQPpQOgfaEjfDyyHp42TQ-CQIRSDSrfUpoApZJGXQcAZIpeSsty-hS-ilBpn4f0ZUqVgchqJB_ULXKEuWRHWptIBu7ju4ElyV31RL_j620r/s1600/IMG_1327.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWbd7hhYXmgP_R8EPXGh5-7H7PLAT2NvB1eLQPpQOgfaEjfDyyHp42TQ-CQIRSDSrfUpoApZJGXQcAZIpeSsty-hS-ilBpn4f0ZUqVgchqJB_ULXKEuWRHWptIBu7ju4ElyV31RL_j620r/s400/IMG_1327.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Yep, that's Jeremy -- Godfather to our niece, Gracelynn Elizabeth, who was recently baptized and met the rest of her extended family after her first plane trip from Texas to Ohio. Gracelynn was nothing but smiles during the entire ceremony and seemed to thoroughly enjoyed all of the attention. Congrats and God Bless to Josh, Misty and Baby Gracelynn!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia6gD0fMLuroL6lbZjR9obIZNDqjsOeSwtIZ9X7AxLClIgM5rKbZX1HWvFSA4mcBclc4ysXSemRTkTq0f5g5TfJei8atZPHWUU92O-wppazNTxxZwvCp_UdgVH-IMsScM3Fqa4fvJpbn3C/s1600/IMG_1339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia6gD0fMLuroL6lbZjR9obIZNDqjsOeSwtIZ9X7AxLClIgM5rKbZX1HWvFSA4mcBclc4ysXSemRTkTq0f5g5TfJei8atZPHWUU92O-wppazNTxxZwvCp_UdgVH-IMsScM3Fqa4fvJpbn3C/s400/IMG_1339.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcgE8BDl4zXdUKC63_Zq0buFLMhpbH6kfjnkUt4SWtov66bGEb1-2fXvUsLYEF0HRdBUzWihs4HzL0RxYiMkQhMHNjIdra3MkJPsvmJCSbCUkYlaBm6QlTOM2a5HdOedSDQfmUuygobW9V/s1600/IMG_1342.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcgE8BDl4zXdUKC63_Zq0buFLMhpbH6kfjnkUt4SWtov66bGEb1-2fXvUsLYEF0HRdBUzWihs4HzL0RxYiMkQhMHNjIdra3MkJPsvmJCSbCUkYlaBm6QlTOM2a5HdOedSDQfmUuygobW9V/s400/IMG_1342.JPG" width="298" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNYraOLiKwVa2uXZQoB5BmBjfso12UR8p91eStt0oBAxmaxtz_7urIIQUP82kTafEN2RhJMAbfz3Tn-DGBZ89382mAJwrfeGIYit8q3rYN294oY9DwLDRcP91ViwQhPXJ3SqyARVjofsCj/s1600/IMG_1324.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNYraOLiKwVa2uXZQoB5BmBjfso12UR8p91eStt0oBAxmaxtz_7urIIQUP82kTafEN2RhJMAbfz3Tn-DGBZ89382mAJwrfeGIYit8q3rYN294oY9DwLDRcP91ViwQhPXJ3SqyARVjofsCj/s400/IMG_1324.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>GinaChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14362372564661734144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173662723105922593.post-81259967135382992822011-05-20T08:21:00.000-04:002011-05-20T08:21:30.129-04:00The ABCs of PackingAmongst the chaos of boxes, bubble wrap and endless hours of packing (how did we get so much STUFF?!?), there are moments of unbelievable cuteness, thanks to our little Belle, who has grown fond of choosing the largest boxes in which to catch up on her reading, or, you know, to take a quick breather.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghS-O78bxfWUT5chTLA4mJTzkhpJZ0Sb-aWzPffJEdiFSz2aI4tHWWCzbklV2rp1cBPyocLoUdg2DBIVXgPoJCtk1TTXbHMlQArBbLpW3we-rO852S1cMMsYpPz9nL5KUg_9MMyygJvsf1/s1600/IMG_1316.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheGR2V73OtgMh48R91MssrNgrySZXovH27WH-tcrZ8-KKg-LeKJoQ4QPP_DCaJBQ-nn30-9bVeChL_ewh2x7rZ0QGqL_CtYC2NAskGQtc3Z8IV_-eI4liQh6aggcxuvamRO3ugmNzDXpxy/s1600/IMG_1314.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheGR2V73OtgMh48R91MssrNgrySZXovH27WH-tcrZ8-KKg-LeKJoQ4QPP_DCaJBQ-nn30-9bVeChL_ewh2x7rZ0QGqL_CtYC2NAskGQtc3Z8IV_-eI4liQh6aggcxuvamRO3ugmNzDXpxy/s400/IMG_1314.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghS-O78bxfWUT5chTLA4mJTzkhpJZ0Sb-aWzPffJEdiFSz2aI4tHWWCzbklV2rp1cBPyocLoUdg2DBIVXgPoJCtk1TTXbHMlQArBbLpW3we-rO852S1cMMsYpPz9nL5KUg_9MMyygJvsf1/s1600/IMG_1316.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghS-O78bxfWUT5chTLA4mJTzkhpJZ0Sb-aWzPffJEdiFSz2aI4tHWWCzbklV2rp1cBPyocLoUdg2DBIVXgPoJCtk1TTXbHMlQArBbLpW3we-rO852S1cMMsYpPz9nL5KUg_9MMyygJvsf1/s400/IMG_1316.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
And then, of course, there are the impromptu serenades. Our little girl loves to sing, and one night this week before bath time, I caught her doing an energetic rendition of her ABCs. This is the first time I've ever heard her sing the entire song on her own. Usually she just chimes in at certain memorable parts of the alphabet, so I was glad to catch this on camera (lucky for me, it went on for like five minutes straight).<br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="300" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/23972266?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="400"></iframe><br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/23972266">Belle's ABCs</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4461388">Gina Moorhead</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.GinaChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14362372564661734144noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173662723105922593.post-24932829622976073942011-05-13T15:19:00.000-04:002011-05-13T15:19:56.452-04:00Since we've been goneSoooo, I'm just gonna come right out and state the obvious. I've been neglectful. We've been missing from these parts for quite a while, and I feel kinda bad about it. However, Mama had to take a bit of a break from blogging to focus on the craziness that has been life these past few months. Peeps, we've got so much going on, it's enough to make anyone's mind spin, Poltergeist style. Finding the motivation and/or the time to blog has been quite a challenge lately, but I'm dedicated to finding my blogging mojo again. So let's play a brief game of catch up, shall we?<br />
<br />
* <i>We're moving, ya'll! </i>Yes, our <a href="http://gjmoorhead.blogspot.com/2010/01/better-late-than-never-resolutions.html">New Year's resolution from two years ago</a> has finally been fulfilled. We sold our house and are preparing to move into our first single-family home in June. It's been at least a year in the making (and, ohhhh, three or four years in the "dreaming"), between completing repairs on our current home, decluttering and getting all the rest of the details arranged in order to put our house on the market. But you guys, we accepted an offer from a buyer within FIVE DAYS of listing our house on the market. FIVE DAYS! I was so glad to ditch the daily cleaning that was required of making our house spic and span for showings. Because trying to keep a house tidy with a two-year-old tornado on the loose pretty much equals mission impossible in my book. So now we're in the packing phase and it's coming along slowly but surely. We're excited to finally have a yard, a garage and a nice quiet street, and the biggest bonus?? The new house has a community pool. That's a major score during the hot and humid Maryland summers! Now we just have to get Maribelle over her aversion to swimming pools.<br />
<br />
* <i>School's out for summer.</i> I finished the last class of my master's program and I only have student teaching (and a 25-page Action Research Project, and two Praxis exams, and well, one more student teaching-related class) standing between me and my master's degree in secondary education. If all goes as planned, I will be graduating with my (long overdue) master's degree this time next year. And that's only because I had to push student teaching back to Spring 2012 because our fall is going to be pretty busy. And that's because ....<br />
<br />
* <i>Baby M II is due to make his/her appearance in late October! </i>Yep, ya heard. I've got a proverbial bun baking in my oven, and we're so over the moon excited to be growing our little family. I'm about 16 weeks now, and all the sickness and zombie-inducing fatigue has pretty much passed, so I'm feeling good and enjoying it while it lasts. Maribelle is happy to tell you all about being a Big Sister, but seriously, she has no idea what's going on and NO idea what's about to come her way. (The jury is still out on how to refer to our growing bean, so for right now, I'm going with Baby M II, since Maribelle is the original Baby M. Any and all suggestions are welcome.)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3g9UGDyra68qj2EE_qlmW3uTsy-BD3oydJPUkjzQ0KMnNFG1fk15mm_4B8puAxtiwSXKio3IjOlvyQb-FoHj5-LGBlrI7Ji6_oDWPH8qaKqu3hjJVQ3jWHXSXoeT_7pjXmDmF5IDrPKJ7/s1600/IMG_0735.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3g9UGDyra68qj2EE_qlmW3uTsy-BD3oydJPUkjzQ0KMnNFG1fk15mm_4B8puAxtiwSXKio3IjOlvyQb-FoHj5-LGBlrI7Ji6_oDWPH8qaKqu3hjJVQ3jWHXSXoeT_7pjXmDmF5IDrPKJ7/s400/IMG_0735.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">This very faint test confirms that a line is a line is a line. It was the lightest of double lines, but I can assure you, it was in fact a positive. I received the fortune during our Valentine's Day lunch earlier that day and decided to go home and test. Sure enough, the fortune was spot on (because, you know, those things are always so prophetic and wise).</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCvg6u52pc4vmxWB4CzN_BhSZLNZqfZiOADdyGIC3oOSzv50U59EkArjvzvxt3any1jPPo0UWtRNNuQC8C4gDpE6JyQoiOnDym3hfJ53RRs_vutVlIvVWtcHODP6s-c2R51PwiUioqKHOX/s1600/Baby+%25232+8+weeks_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCvg6u52pc4vmxWB4CzN_BhSZLNZqfZiOADdyGIC3oOSzv50U59EkArjvzvxt3any1jPPo0UWtRNNuQC8C4gDpE6JyQoiOnDym3hfJ53RRs_vutVlIvVWtcHODP6s-c2R51PwiUioqKHOX/s400/Baby+%25232+8+weeks_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Our 8-week-old gummy bear. Proof that I wasn't just nauseous and vomiting for nothing. Clearer pictures will come in a few weeks at the 20-week ultrasound. After a lot of back and forth, and much to the dismay of so many people we know, we're leaning toward not finding out the sex again. We just love keeping everyone in suspense, ourselves included. <i> </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Muaah-ha-ha-ha-haaaa</i> (that's an evil-sounding pregnant lady laugh, fyi).</div><span id="goog_1654251241"></span><span id="goog_1654251242"></span>GinaChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14362372564661734144noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173662723105922593.post-85308671622082702342011-03-11T14:38:00.000-05:002011-03-11T14:38:58.184-05:00Spring Break with a ToddlerIt's a special treat when your college-age sister decides to forfeit her one precious week off from pharmacy school in order to live it up toddler style in good old Maryland. My sister Jamie spent her Spring Break mornings waking up early to the sounds of Maribelle yelling "Mommy!!!!", her afternoons napping from the exhaustion of entertaining a two-year-old, and her nights memorizing the words to the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme songs. A far cry from the Spring Break experiences I remember watching on MTV years ago, but definitely a week of enriching experiences. I mean just look at the fun oozing from the photos below!<br />
<br />
Pancakes. And whipped cream. And sprinkles. And the return of Jeremy's slightly creepy mustache = instant fun on National Pancake Day. OH MY!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVNnYn38rPOInQ7ep-CiLNHwbCI5uBmaOY4AXCnUW8ehyphenhyphen7UEnxJInouIx_u6Kozw0OE2k2WFRd8046PIzTnUE6XXt674hPZaUni01JpfEkbk_D0yneg0ky6DW3xm4pEln_uyRqZ_EleQ9s/s1600/IMG_0744.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVNnYn38rPOInQ7ep-CiLNHwbCI5uBmaOY4AXCnUW8ehyphenhyphen7UEnxJInouIx_u6Kozw0OE2k2WFRd8046PIzTnUE6XXt674hPZaUni01JpfEkbk_D0yneg0ky6DW3xm4pEln_uyRqZ_EleQ9s/s400/IMG_0744.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVrGVetELHeUuUtBKePIhTROE_oap6hwom1z0Uqb6iEYwVY7W8EeC2Zm0iuavJGXKCK8ucfLoXporsH277b8S4yEPbnnSNJB_GKw4BS6jNsUJr-PfcUToBNbUSYW8gXA1kx5VeCs1eXCtL/s1600/IMG_0741.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVrGVetELHeUuUtBKePIhTROE_oap6hwom1z0Uqb6iEYwVY7W8EeC2Zm0iuavJGXKCK8ucfLoXporsH277b8S4yEPbnnSNJB_GKw4BS6jNsUJr-PfcUToBNbUSYW8gXA1kx5VeCs1eXCtL/s400/IMG_0741.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz6BL4bj8YhReKDGDE3GyfSGs3uoo0RHd1D0T365skzKg9LWMoMI1Vqbo4V8iyGgefqdvb0IcgjaSreNhvAZ39e4WiHpDQqgle5vX-xzeFir-Ci2e4fHDXRjvkz2kLUHzkD2oMMR9DTyo5/s1600/IMG_0760.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz6BL4bj8YhReKDGDE3GyfSGs3uoo0RHd1D0T365skzKg9LWMoMI1Vqbo4V8iyGgefqdvb0IcgjaSreNhvAZ39e4WiHpDQqgle5vX-xzeFir-Ci2e4fHDXRjvkz2kLUHzkD2oMMR9DTyo5/s320/IMG_0760.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A trip to a science museum is on every Spring Breaker's must-do list. Carrying an egg like a penguin and "digging" for dinosaur bones provides for hours of fun <i>and</i> first-hand learning!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTM0gnvaneJ22ac7kYKfI52PNf6ii6uy9OJbRC5OVwZ3bytjTMvtRtJKDVbtQfretWBZBLj0Vr4uyVnELlOI2b5CbRngrtnJoAObngpuOHvJ4Rex1R7VJfunHNGW-jEldquzWDGP4cXNHx/s1600/IMG_0769.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTM0gnvaneJ22ac7kYKfI52PNf6ii6uy9OJbRC5OVwZ3bytjTMvtRtJKDVbtQfretWBZBLj0Vr4uyVnELlOI2b5CbRngrtnJoAObngpuOHvJ4Rex1R7VJfunHNGW-jEldquzWDGP4cXNHx/s400/IMG_0769.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBQwkm3ezn4BKmK9t1Dd4sduGXBGwXzrYdHuNx2Z6jE88kEDTkQCzm3C9ldcM-G1yanYFCdNZgjKl_WSjrouOsNmGsxYsJQdfZpVyZLl3TM9cnR_-KU9KisDo1R-kfTZZGHGM4B5UPuTSB/s1600/IMG_0773.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBQwkm3ezn4BKmK9t1Dd4sduGXBGwXzrYdHuNx2Z6jE88kEDTkQCzm3C9ldcM-G1yanYFCdNZgjKl_WSjrouOsNmGsxYsJQdfZpVyZLl3TM9cnR_-KU9KisDo1R-kfTZZGHGM4B5UPuTSB/s400/IMG_0773.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsFZHK3a3e9_A3URD84czKBAR6-tElTRn58lpI9Ln5zavmzw4m-zfI9IzwavX8Y9LSgZKwEJz2IIRSoTrp-2fb_-6pNViV9mu__xI-rVMX4GDXadgmapDPKlYAUuBdx6tKeydhPsrIdcr0/s1600/IMG_0780.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsFZHK3a3e9_A3URD84czKBAR6-tElTRn58lpI9Ln5zavmzw4m-zfI9IzwavX8Y9LSgZKwEJz2IIRSoTrp-2fb_-6pNViV9mu__xI-rVMX4GDXadgmapDPKlYAUuBdx6tKeydhPsrIdcr0/s400/IMG_0780.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzYzcuMWEEdf_QPFZerncpG3edHn6Ja8aWeBJeFF-q80RO8nv1Wx-fduK6X7DWBncaRiMJyRLlqo8EyAlbJIPWPTv3wuWql-TORGItxXRxXw7PQBgmdkONM8BmaREjHtTLB2Ga8FKr7B72/s1600/IMG_0783.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzYzcuMWEEdf_QPFZerncpG3edHn6Ja8aWeBJeFF-q80RO8nv1Wx-fduK6X7DWBncaRiMJyRLlqo8EyAlbJIPWPTv3wuWql-TORGItxXRxXw7PQBgmdkONM8BmaREjHtTLB2Ga8FKr7B72/s400/IMG_0783.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Did someone say "crafting"??? Whoot! Whoot! Party over here!! We made sure to exercise our creative noodle and made yarn wreaths and painted pottery. Fun overload.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigmse9B9NGq7kmlEdXLCyJfy-xX9ETXuwRwKcrTbJiM2gdOxMAeTeF7rkOrUD639L3DCbXPoNEWcwPO181CM0f6wGDJiHTCC3a6SnBeU44VUepQt-aOBj-32gPs3f-D8BXpoArEckqOcyJ/s1600/IMG_0794.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigmse9B9NGq7kmlEdXLCyJfy-xX9ETXuwRwKcrTbJiM2gdOxMAeTeF7rkOrUD639L3DCbXPoNEWcwPO181CM0f6wGDJiHTCC3a6SnBeU44VUepQt-aOBj-32gPs3f-D8BXpoArEckqOcyJ/s400/IMG_0794.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWXF3tC5t1PU2wnxosILnAnUXK3-v0uDDU1Pi0eor2jrWh-MbsRsE2HtSW-FVRTEFCtkcg8Whr6DdxoFOQizdTed5IxeOcbpu-wIxEMLsCT_butotYGDlxrz-hmjgAvBOqwJ8TKoL2nxr0/s1600/IMG_0795.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWXF3tC5t1PU2wnxosILnAnUXK3-v0uDDU1Pi0eor2jrWh-MbsRsE2HtSW-FVRTEFCtkcg8Whr6DdxoFOQizdTed5IxeOcbpu-wIxEMLsCT_butotYGDlxrz-hmjgAvBOqwJ8TKoL2nxr0/s400/IMG_0795.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And isn't it every Spring Breaker's dream to gain access to an exclusive club and chill with the owner like long-lost BFFs?!?!? Consider it done. In this case, Jamie scored the VIP treatment in Maribelle's clubhouse/princess castle, enjoying all the Yo Gabba Gabba one person can bear to take. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ8OQxqlseg4r_P9ajkNLzxzo2GQ-3dfsgmWbl1DU1aembt2SPJh2777jyxebOKF1l4aUuyegrhTeDT90vDFRnShomjkEXOzNXKqM_Dc5FCP3kxWEkpIgYqxtT5a32dAbRkzDyHtA8ntGq/s1600/IMG_0789.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ8OQxqlseg4r_P9ajkNLzxzo2GQ-3dfsgmWbl1DU1aembt2SPJh2777jyxebOKF1l4aUuyegrhTeDT90vDFRnShomjkEXOzNXKqM_Dc5FCP3kxWEkpIgYqxtT5a32dAbRkzDyHtA8ntGq/s320/IMG_0789.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl7e89YIDLxEfOXarvy4t_h8F5s_ekACRjilTroJ5N5HhaEKOCqOg2WI9G5HyQNtdyWk6rPmW1iHs2kgoNoSniiuyBKZnuDqIxtt_McgTSRPnHl1TFFim5rVujfL1RMA-obmQCWwECmxf4/s1600/IMG_0790.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl7e89YIDLxEfOXarvy4t_h8F5s_ekACRjilTroJ5N5HhaEKOCqOg2WI9G5HyQNtdyWk6rPmW1iHs2kgoNoSniiuyBKZnuDqIxtt_McgTSRPnHl1TFFim5rVujfL1RMA-obmQCWwECmxf4/s320/IMG_0790.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Ok, so Jamie's Spring Break was a bit more Martha Stewart-worthy than MTV-worthy, but that's what Spring Break with a toddler will do to your days. However, I don't think either of them minded one bit. </div>GinaChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14362372564661734144noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173662723105922593.post-63779454051068302212011-02-15T14:50:00.001-05:002011-02-18T08:49:26.723-05:00We LovedA few years after Jeremy and I met, we started the Valentine's Day tradition of making and exchanging homemade valentine's with one another. And although it's getting harder and harder to find the time to make these little works of art, the end product is always well worth the effort. And now, we have a pretty cool collection of homemade valentine's and love letters to document our time together.<br />
<br />
But this year's valentine from Jeremy and Maribelle? One of my favorite's by far ....<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlgAvPrMBDIYk6xQP_MXzSAaQaxKnT2wh7BOWOh2bOAXkaDhQyBPdJJO5W1YBkVJFdjmD99EWGKDx7YtPxaIm3Fvo3BQhpSuRE_AsX9CzTYMzgCx-eUmcPLK9LLjJ-QGCPfTcwRhzDUnbV/s1600/IMG_0723.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlgAvPrMBDIYk6xQP_MXzSAaQaxKnT2wh7BOWOh2bOAXkaDhQyBPdJJO5W1YBkVJFdjmD99EWGKDx7YtPxaIm3Fvo3BQhpSuRE_AsX9CzTYMzgCx-eUmcPLK9LLjJ-QGCPfTcwRhzDUnbV/s400/IMG_0723.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
So sweet and so creative! He traced his hand and Maribelle's hand, and manipulated the paper into the sign for "I love you," which is something Maribelle has been signing for a long time now. Although she can just as easily say "I love you", it's become her "thing" to flash that sweet little sign, and it just makes our heart melt everytime she does it.<br />
<br />
My card to Jeremy wasn't as creative, but filled with just as much love nonetheless. (Hey, I get a pass! I've been working hard on school work!) The inside of the card even featured a little lift-the-flap action, as well.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlRltRmT7zDQf0RFoIJG8qzGJ_sncXGbaJpO8p5-UwZxlGHFbBWquIpLIWZH_UGQGCokQ0d3S_O8ZVL3LMu9CHEfD_uC1yeLdNN0pfMo3BiIeBwVLKgCZ2Iv4VFtSxLLy5VHxxbyjrmSKt/s1600/IMG_0724.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlRltRmT7zDQf0RFoIJG8qzGJ_sncXGbaJpO8p5-UwZxlGHFbBWquIpLIWZH_UGQGCokQ0d3S_O8ZVL3LMu9CHEfD_uC1yeLdNN0pfMo3BiIeBwVLKgCZ2Iv4VFtSxLLy5VHxxbyjrmSKt/s400/IMG_0724.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
Maribelle tried her hand at our tradition this year, and she made Jeremy a one-of-a-kind painted frame for one of his favorite photos.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqG03tSKduesno46kCTNoM_GVJkkVxJ1fJ602-FGz13bWSxcNg9qShFQdGVLkulwQeo1cYwqsHXAqjxHYwJkf2s3wS0pw58oYHWlwrndrbsbd2jEiIEVoR0mGT7Xql5Q0uG-XG7eyXfmrv/s1600/IMG_0725.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqG03tSKduesno46kCTNoM_GVJkkVxJ1fJ602-FGz13bWSxcNg9qShFQdGVLkulwQeo1cYwqsHXAqjxHYwJkf2s3wS0pw58oYHWlwrndrbsbd2jEiIEVoR0mGT7Xql5Q0uG-XG7eyXfmrv/s400/IMG_0725.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjbCT9ARsZQPAObb7FkP-APX4JK3UbXMxzarfveed_JPmQ1rKwTWvCfc4DwoBaqKdaRidGimwnG9_Lsfdhj6mryk5SFFU3PrYCkiyjoKbpOaP7blAtl7E9TaRaG2XGWSCDkv6n8uDpQ_cF/s1600/IMG_0707.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjbCT9ARsZQPAObb7FkP-APX4JK3UbXMxzarfveed_JPmQ1rKwTWvCfc4DwoBaqKdaRidGimwnG9_Lsfdhj6mryk5SFFU3PrYCkiyjoKbpOaP7blAtl7E9TaRaG2XGWSCDkv6n8uDpQ_cF/s400/IMG_0707.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
After we exchanged gifts on Sunday morning, we headed out to lunch, where Maribelle got her first experience with chopsticks. And she was a pro! She picked the chopsticks right up and starting eating like she had done it a million times. Of course she had her own method, but she managed to get food into her mouth, and that's what counts, right?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIMQglV3NAagTH8HM4Fgkkpx_79YKqgurk14rqZMgkCM9COz4rqzyt4HhrLrC10Efvv_3fzAk4QwmRMV6a58faNjd5NEWkOcPL0IiOdsXn_cvZAmvlayvSW4rQhsrf8Wg54hXZQvTxRUFa/s1600/IMG_0732.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIMQglV3NAagTH8HM4Fgkkpx_79YKqgurk14rqZMgkCM9COz4rqzyt4HhrLrC10Efvv_3fzAk4QwmRMV6a58faNjd5NEWkOcPL0IiOdsXn_cvZAmvlayvSW4rQhsrf8Wg54hXZQvTxRUFa/s400/IMG_0732.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>GinaChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14362372564661734144noreply@blogger.com1