The Arrival of My Little Drama Queen {Baby Girl}

Sunday, August 5th at 2:58pm we welcomed our little girl Maci into the world.  I thought my water breaking at the hair salon with our son was an interesting birth story... little did I know this girl was about to one up her brother in a big way.

My due date was Friday, August 3rd so by Saturday morning, one day overdue, I was starting to feel anxious for her to get here.  That morning I began to have more painful contractions but they weren't very regular so Luke, Max and I went and had lunch and did some shopping.  When we got home I needed to rest as the contractions were getting pretty uncomfortable but after laying down and timing them at about 10-12 minutes apart they simply stopped.  So much for hoping that she came Saturday.  To try and keep things moving I got up and made Max and Luke run some errands with me but even though the contractions were still painful they weren't getting any closer together.

The next morning (Sunday) I awoke feeling pretty discouraged.  I was hoping that the day before would actually lead to something but without a contraction in sight we all got ready to head to the park.  I wanted to get out of the house and get my mind off of things.  While at the park around 10:30am I had to sit down a few times due to considerable pain but wasn't about to start timing anything as I didn't want to get my hopes up.  After the park we went over to the grocery store to grab some items for lunch and the contractions were starting to take my breath away.  I thought it was wise to begin timing them and realized that they were coming about 4-5 minutes apart.  Panic started to set-in as I hurried Luke along and out of the store.  On our way home they moved to about 6 minutes apart so I figured all the walking around at the park and grocery store was probably what was making them shorter.  I called Luke's mom to come and get Max and once home at about 12:20pm called into the Hospital Triage to see if I should come in.

The Triage nurse talked to me for a bit and after explaining that the contractions were coming about 4-6 minutes apart she advised me to stay at home for a bit longer until they were more like 3-5 minutes apart.  She also said that considering I talked to her for a few minutes and didn't need to stop for a contraction that more than likely I was in the beginning stages of labor and should wait it out a bit.  I took her advice and tried to eat a small lunch.  That's when things started to get even more intense.

I laid down to try and relax and time my contractions and was so discouraged to see that they were moving to about 8 minutes apart, however, they were so intense that I was screaming in pain.  After an hour of this I didn't know how I was going to make it any longer so I called my mom crying.  She said to  call the Triage nurse back and "fib" saying that they were coming 3-5 minutes apart so I could go in.  I was in so much pain that I took her advice.  At 1:50pm I called the nurse back and she said that I was more than welcome to come in, it didn't mean I was going to be able to stay but they could at least check me out.

Luke and I slowly grabbed our bags and I stumbled down the hall to the car.  I could barely make it 4 steps without peeling over in excruciating pain.  Once in the car I tried to relax but found myself somewhat blacking out.  All I know is I yelled at Luke a few times to quit looking at his phone and DRIVE!  The hospital is about 20 minutes from our house and with about 10 minutes to go I started to feel as though I needed to push.  Luke kept telling me that I needed to relax so when I told him what I was feeling he replied "um, I don't think you are supposed to do that yet!"

When we arrived at the hospital around 2:15pm I told Luke to park out front and go get me a wheelchair as there was no way I was going to be able to walk.  I felt a little foolish about this at first as though I may be overreacting but I seriously could not walk.  Once we got to Triage they kindly asked me for my name and unable to speak due to the pain I waived at Luke to fill them in.  With that they rushed me into a room where I informed them of my feeling the need to push.  The head Triage nurse came in at that point to check me quick before getting my information and realized that I was dilated to 9cm!  Well I guess that epidural is out of the question now.

They quickly called a doctor that was there at the hospital with another one of her patients and ordered all hands on deck. They wheeled me into a delivery room not even taking the time to get my name or any other information.  Soon the room was filled with people grabbing supplies and rushing around.  I didn't even have a chance to realize what was going on.  5 pushes and 10 minutes later there she was!  All 8lbs 11oz of her!  When they told me what she weighed I was amazed and thought, no wonder that hurt so bad!

Luke started texting everyone of her arrival and I later found out that some of the texts were things like "Margaret's a pro at birthing babies"  "birthing babies is easy"  "10 minutes and done".  To which I could only laugh at because to me, that was NOT easy, but I guess birthing a baby within 45 minutes of arriving at the hospital could make it look easy to others! :)

When my mom later heard the full story of what happened she felt guilty about her previous comment from this post where she assured me that "the baby will not fall out."  She almost did in the car!

The happy ending to all of this is our beautiful little girl is super healthy, very happy and as of today a very content and easy baby.  I recovered quickly and even went home from the hospital the very next day.

Max is adjusting well to having his little sister around and likes to give her "knucks" before he leaves for daycare in the morning or goes to bed at night.  He also says "I heard that!" every time she makes a sound.

Luke says after how quick her birth was that I was made to have kids and we should have a couple more... I think I need a few years to warm up to that idea just yet!

Maci Anne

Max meets Maci.  He was a little apprehensive so he clung to me and his monkey.

Kisses for the baby.

The Countdown?

As I sit here 2 days before my due date I start to wonder, unless you have a scheduled C-section or induction can you really have any form of countdown to when the baby will arrive?  For people like me who schedule times to make a daily schedule it's torture wondering when will this all go down?  With Max it wasn't this bad as he came a whole week early and in a really unexpected way so I never made it to the "wondering when" phase.  With him I was checking out after a pedicure when my water broke and by the next morning I was a mom.  I say he came into this world with a bang and he's been an attention seeking crazy little boy ever since!  I pray that this little girl is more calm and content and maybe her not wanting to come out is a good sign of that?

Now that I'm so close I'm also starting to get the multiple daily text messages from friends and family asking THE question of the hour "how are your feeling?"  It doesn't bother me that they care so much that they are thinking of me multiple times a day, it actually makes me feel very loved. :)  The only question I have is how to respond each time?  "Good for now but 20 minutes ago I had a strange pain in my lower abdomen"  "Freaked out to go through labor again"  "Having a contraction but not sure if it's really doing anything"  "Tired" "Hungry" "Sick to my stomach" ... you get the point.  I find myself simply saying "No news to share" because let's be honest, they don't want to know how I'm feeling they simply want to know "are you on your way to the hospital yet or what?!

So for now I'm on God's schedule and have switched from praying for the baby to come NOW to praying for patience as I know that He has an exact time and way that this little one is going to come into our lives and trusting in that is what's getting me through these next few days of the waiting game.

As I write this I've been experiencing some contractions but again am not sure if they really mean anything.  Considering my water breaking last time was the sign to go in I'm not sure I will know when to head to the hospital this time if my water doesn't break.  This has been an actual concern of mine but my mom reassures me not to worry, "the baby will not just fall out!"  This small statement has kept me from worrying about keeping track of these silly contractions until they actually start to hurt a lot.  Hopefully she's right :)

Wish me luck!

Photo taken by my amazingly talented friend Laura with Laurels and Stars Photography

Max's first skate

Luke took Max out skating for the first time last week.  He was a little wobbly at first and had difficulty keeping upright on his skates.  After doing the splits a few times and falling on his butt he began to get the hang of it a little better.  Once he had his hockey stick in his hand and a puck to shoot he was able to focus on that and the skating was much more natural... if you could even call it skating.  It was more like walking on the ice but it's a start!

After being out on the ice for awhile it was time for the high school team to practice so the "boni" as Max calls it came out to refresh the ice.  Max just loves the "boni" and it was hard to make him get off the ice.  We stayed for a little bit to watch the high school kids skate and he was in heaven.  He pounded on the glass shouting "Hockey! Skate! Stick! Daddy! Puck! Fast! Whoa!" every hockey related word he knows over and over again.  I think Luke was pretty happy at his reaction to his first time out on the ice.

Getting his skates on in the locker room.

"Skates!" he says

Walking out to the ice

First fall.  "cold daddy" he said as he touched the ice

"help!" he's saying as he tries to get back up.

Shooting

Another fall

{Craft Project} Headbands

If you read this post you know that my crafting has gone into overdrive since finding out I was having a girl.  First I made these and next it was onto hair pretties!  From what my mom says I was born with little to no hair and it stayed that way for a few years.  That and it was white blonde so what hair I did have didn't show.  My mom called me "Baby Gandhi" and has since found pleasure in telling friends, boyfriends and acquaintances this little nick name.  Her constant reminder of my baldness as a baby used to irritate me but now I realize a lot of baby girls are as you would say "hair challenged."

With this in mind I came up with my second baby girl craft project... headbands!!!  What better way to keep her from getting called a boy while her hair grows in than cute little hair pretties... or head pretties I guess you could say as the hair may not be there right away :)

For a few weeks I scoured my favorite website (other than Pinterest) ETSY and collected lots of different materials to make my headbands.  Here are two shops I purchased from Fleuriste Craft Supply and Pretty Things Supplies.  Both were great to work with!  I had a tough time deciding what all I wanted to get and in what colors so I bought a few different things to start and will be back to buy more.  I also love wearing headbands and so figured that while I was ordering some for the baby I would order some adult size to make some for me!

The creating day came and my sister-in-law, Alicia, had planned to join me.  I found out before we started that Alicia was a little nervous to come over as she's not much of a crafter.  However, after she made her first one she realized how easy and fun it actually was!  This was my idea of a perfect Saturday morning crafting with a friend.  If anyone wants to join me next Saturday let me know.  You get to take home what you make :)

Alicia ended up taking home 2 headbands for herself, I made one for myself and baby girl has 4... so far.  Even our little model enjoyed the day (see below).

Here are some pictures from the day:

Some of the finished products.  Three for baby girl and the one on the left for me.

Alicia made this one for the baby, I love the soft colors with the punch of navy.

Supply table!

Our model showing off my creation.

The "mom really?" look

Ok, enough, get this off me I'm trying to slide here!  PS. Isn't that the cutest goalie T-Shirt?  Thanks to my aunt Joanie and cousin Betsy for that one :)

There is a new cleaning lady in town {Bi-Weekly Cleaning Checklist}

In an effort to keep up with my money saving tactics I have reluctantly let go of my cleaning service and turned to myself to complete these daily tasks.  If you've read this post you know that I originally hired someone else to clean my two bedroom apartment 6 months after having my first child.  At that time I was simply trying to keep up with working full-time and being a full-time mom and my husband was still figuring out how to care for anyone else but himself.  Things have since changed a little and I am receiving more support around the house and so thought I might as well save the couple hundred dollars I spent a month and do the work myself.  Only problem is, I have somewhat forgot how to clean...

Growing up I was always cleaning.  Not for enjoyment but for MONEY!  This was my first paying job.  I can't recall exactly when I began cleaning my parents house but I know it was probably around middle school age if not earlier.  I always had a goal in mind as to what I was going to save up for and so doing odd jobs was the only way to make that cash.  {This is a total side story but when I was a lot younger I wanted to buy a horse so I went around the neighborhood asking anyone that would let me to pull the weeds out of their garden for a price.  Obviously this was a few dollars here and there but I was determined to save up for that horse!  Needless to say, after a summer of pulling weeds I ended up going out and spending my money on something smaller and more immediate but I think it taught me a good lesson on working}

Flash forward a few years and I still had my eyes set on having the money to buy things when I wanted them and not having to wait until my birthday or Christmas.  This is where cleaning my parents house and others comes into play.  Every time I needed some extra cash my mom would put together a list of individual cleaning duties and then would price each one out as to how much she would pay me to do them.  I would then spend the day crossing off the ones that #1 were the easiest and #2 paid the most.  This then turned into a weekly job for me.  My mom would put together each weeks duties and I would cross them off as I went.  (Fellow mom's, keep this in mind for your kids).  My mom must have talked me up at work as one summer I even scored a weekly cleaning job for one of her coworkers!  Again, she would leave me a list on the kitchen table of what all she wanted completed that day.  I would spend 4 hours each week completing the list and checking them off.

You would think after all of these years of practice that I would be pretty talented at cleaning.  Well, I'm sorry to say I'm not.  I'm one of those people that enjoy having a clean home, it makes things feel more peaceful, however, I also can live with a small amount of clutter and dirt.  This is where the problem lies.  I'm ok with leaving the dishes dirty in the sink overnight if it means that I can spend more time with my son.  I don't make the bed every morning because I find it pointless and annoying.  I do make the bed at night though because I can't stand to sleep in a messy bed. (backwards I know)  When I made the decision to take over the cleaning I said to my husband, Luke, "I'm not even sure where to start when it comes to cleaning this place, and I'm not very good a cleaning." He agreed that I wasn't very good at cleaning, which made me upset a little but I asked for it I guess.

It's been a few months of Margaret the cleaning lady and I still can't seem to figure out what to do next.  I'm good at dishes, laundry and picking up because those are things that you can see need to be done and I do them as needed but when it comes to scrubbing showers, mopping floors and dusting I feel like I need a better system in place.  Sometimes I stand in the middle of my apartment thinking... "I know I should be cleaning something but I'm not really sure where to start???" Then I give up and drop the cleaning idea all together.

This is where my newest organizational tool comes in.  The cleaning checklist!  I'm really good at making lists and when I can visualize what needs to be done I don't waist time standing around trying to figure out what to do next.  My only problem with this is again, with my lack of cleaning knowledge, I didn't know what all to have on my list.  In comes Martha Stewart.  A little googling and up pops a weekly cleaning checklist  provided by Martha to helps out others who may need to be told to do such things like... wipe mirrors, flush the kitchen drain with boiling water and vacuum vents.  Considering my 2 bedroom apartment doesn't feature a Home Office, Library or Stairway I will be modifying this list to better fit my needs.  Also to better work with my schedule I'm going to break it up into daily tasks that I can fit into a 10-20 minute time period.  That way, after work I can spend 10-20 minutes cleaning SOMETHING and at the end of the week feel as though I accomplished a lot more!

Below is my first attempt at a bi-weekly cleaning schedule.  This may need to be modified as I go along but will work as a start.  Now every 2 weeks I will know that everything will get cleaned at least once... just like it did when my cleaning service did it... :(

{Craft Project} Crocheted Crocodile Stitch Baby Booties

When I found out I was having a baby girl my crafting mind went a little out of control.  Literally the day I found out my head was swimming with ideas of what I could knit, crochet, sew, paint and create for this little unborn peanut.  Pinterest found my first answer.  These!  I really really wanted to make them, however, I'm a beginner crocheter.  I taught myself about 2 years ago by using the Crocheting for Dummies book.  I had really only made a few scarves and some hats that didn't turn out that great so when I saw the complexity of these I figured there was no way my crafting patience would hold up to this pattern.

My first crochet project was a baby hat for Max before he was born.  It turned out to be the hat/hats from The Three Bears story.  Let's just say I hate checking my gauge and measuring/counting stitches which is why I prefer to make scarves as they are straight rows.  I was so happy to finish my first little baby hat for the little one in my tummy.  Upon completion I held it up to show Luke my finished product and he looked at it and said "that's never going to fit a baby that thing could only fit a doll!"  In closer examination I guess he was right.  It was a little small.  So try again I did.  This time I upped my hook in hopes to produce the perfect little newborn hat.  Again, once completed I held it up for Luke and again he gave me an amused look and said "that hat could fit me!"  He was right again.  I popped it on my head and realized that it was a pretty good fit.  I did finally end up making the third "just right" hat but it still wasn't my best work.

This time I made sure to check my gauge as I didn't want to spend all this time trying to figure out a pattern and end up with booties that either would fit a Barbie or that she would have to wait until she's 10 to wear!  In the end I was pretty proud of myself for figuring this one out!  The first booty took literally all day on a Sunday for me to make.  Once finished I thought to myself, "Seriously, I have to do this again?"  I didn't want baby girl to only have one booty but it took me so long to make the first one and get it right that I took a week off before working on the second one.  The second booty was MUCH easier than the first which tells me that I should make some more and give them out as gifts!  Then once the buttons were put on I loved them even more.  The original photos of these from the pattern on Etsy shows them in the neatest rainbow yarn but I couldn't find exactly that at the store so I opted for something more girly that would match some of her cute outfits I have collected.  I think I'm going to make another pair and try to find the rainbow yarn because the crocodile scales look so much better with the yarn color variance.

Here is my finished product!

Mother's Day #2

Today was my second Mother's Day and so far the best!  Last year I have to admit that I felt a little disappointed in Mother's Day.  I didn't get to sleep in, no one made me breakfast in bed and I didn't even receive one card.  Instead, my husband informed me that he would have bought me a card but the Hallmark he drove by was closed... but "it's the thought that counts, right?" To this I said "NO IT'S NOT THE THOUGHT THAT COUNTS! That's only applicable if you actually GET something and the person doesn't like it.  It does not mean you can go around telling people that you thought about doing something nice for them but didn't!"  This argument still comes up as he has done the same thing since.  After this year I think he's learning. :)

Flash forward to this year's Mother's Day.  Max slept in until 8:00am!  Thank you buddy :)  Luke booked a Mother's Day brunch for just our family at the Country Club and we also got a chance to spend some time with Luke's Grandparents, Mom, Brother and Uncle's at his Grandparents house.  Now as I write this Luke is still there and Max is taking a much needed nap leaving me some wonderful and always needed alone time!  I'm not sure this day could get any better :) 

One thing I loved was as we went out and about today everyone was wishing me a Happy Mother's Day.  It made me feel like I am a part of a secret club or something.  The first time it happened Luke actually responded with a "thanks" and then realized it obviously wasn't directed towards him so he then replied "uh, I mean, never mind why would I be saying thanks."  I guess we both just aren't used to this whole parenting thing yet.  

As always, thank you to MY wonderful mother for always being there for me and for showing me what a loving and attentive mother should be.  I hope I can be the same for my kids whom I am so very blessed to have.

Max's Brunch... French Toast, Pineapple and Strawberries.  Yum!

Caught with a mouth full.

Taking the cart for a spin.

Mine!

Max is going through the stage of not sharing.  He currently thinks that EVERYTHING is his!  Even when it's not his he reaches for it and says "MINE!"

Clearly this has escalated to a whole new level as the other night Luke and I were awoken by Max shouting from his crib "Mine, Mine!!!"  Groggy Luke turned to me and said "Is that Max yelling? what is he saying?"  I being half asleep myself reply "Yes, I think he's saying, Mine."  Where as Luke replies "Why would he be yelling that in the middle of the night?"  My only conclusion was he was either having a nightmare about someone stealing his blankie or something had fallen out of his crib and he was yelling for someone to come and give it back to him.  Either way, he stopped but the next morning he was very clingy when it came to his blankies.  He actually carried two around all morning, I'm thinking to make sure that no one tried to take them away from him.

I think we may have an issue come August when the new baby comes and wants to sit in "his" bouncer and later play with "his" toys.  At least she will have her own blankies.

He is also cuddling with my left over protein shake as he though THAT was his too.

Double blankies on their way to day care.

Date Night

Once you have kids things change.  I realized this again after spending a wonderful dinner with my husband a week ago.  Before kids, going out to dinner was just something we did on a regular basis.  Now with a little one at home it becomes an special event!  One that gets written on the calendar and circled with a heart (ok so maybe there wasn't a heart around it but it was put on the calendar!)

As we sat in our cozy two person booth at the Melting Pot (which I had a coupon for because if you read this post you would know that dropping $100+ on one dinner isn't part of my new plan) I looked at my husband and started to think about the 8 1/2 years we have spent together and how our 4 year wedding anniversary is just two months away.  WOW!  8 1/2 years, that's the life of a 4th grader!

Mmmm Fondue

What a journey it has been.  When "they" say you never know where life will take you "they" aren't kidding.  When I first met Luke we were both heading into our senior year of college.  I had dreams of going to Graduate School (Now I realize that was probably only due to the fact that I was majoring in Communication and what in the world do you do with that degree!) and Luke was heading into his final hockey season of his college career with a team ranked #1 in the country.  If someone would have told us that in 9 years we would be married, living in Wisconsin and have a two year old and a new born I'm not sure I would have believed them (mostly due to the "living in Wisconsin" part!)

Our dinner that night was delicious and we had the fondue routine down considering we like to unofficially consider the Melting Pot one of "our" restaurants as whenever I would go visit Luke in a new city that he was playing in we would always look for a Melting Pot to go to for our special date night out.  The only disappointing part for me was the fact that I couldn't enjoy one of their yummy cocktails and instead had to settle for a non-alcoholic raspberry lemonade thingy.  It was good but Luke's wine looked WAY superior!

My drink

The best part of the night was the uninterrupted conversations that we were able to have.  No kid screaming or poking at us, no TV or other people rerouting the conversation.  Just the two of us, like it was in the beginning (plus Luke's phone, I think he suffers from being under stimulated. hehe  He's one to have the TV on all day and night just for the background noise)

Luke texting/googling/emailing.

My goal is to do this at least once a month.  For some that may sound easy but when you both work full time, have to find a babysitter in order to leave the house and have other commitments throughout the week you forget to plan for just the two of you.  I know it's important and I can see why.  I'm thinking next month maybe we should do something other than just dinner.  Any suggestions?

I would like to thank my mother-in-law and her husband for watching Max while we were out.  It sounds like he only cried for 5 minutes when we left which is pretty good these days considering he's been an overly clingy Mommy's boy the past few months.

{Pregnancy Workout} Hello old friends, I've missed you

It's day 2 of getting back into the gym and I feel better today than I even did yesterday!  Probably because today I got to spend time with my favorite friends again... weights!  I'm not much of a cardio fan I have to be honest.  I know it has it's place so I do it but only because I have to.  Don't expect me to go any longer than 20 minutes though.  So let's focus on what I do like... lifting!!!

Typically when I workout I like to put together a plan first as to what muscle groups I'm going to hit and exactly which moves I will use to achieve my goal.  I'm such a geek as I usually write down my workout on a small slip of paper and stick it in the pocket of my sweatshirt so I don't forget.  When you have limited time to workout you don't want to waste it standing around trying to think of what you should do next.  I also like to focus on my upper body one day and lower the next, however, for today I wanted to do a full body workout.  Since I've been finding it difficult to fit in my workouts I didn't want to leave half of my body out with the possibility of not getting to it later.  

For those of you that are unaware I am currently 6 months pregnant so that adds another element to work around.  Here is where my caution statement comes in... please consult your doctor before embarking on a new workout routine, especially when you are pregnant.  That being said, a lot of women are afraid to do anything more than a light stroll or easy yoga when pregnant because they think it's too much.  I've been told that you can continue your current workout routine once pregnant as long as you listen to your body, drink TONS of water and steer clear of a few things such as; after 12 weeks don't lie flat on your back and it's advised not to do any strenuous twisting movements with your abdomen.  Other than that, go for it!

Here is my workout from this morning:  2 sets of 15 reps each, resting only in between sets not individual moves (therefore, do 15 reps each of #1-#1 0, rest, rehydrate and then repeat)

1. Bicep Curls with free weights

2. Rows with free weights (one arm at a time)

3. Tricep Kickbacks with free weights (one arm at a time)

4. Cable Chest Press

5. Lateral raises

6. Shoulder Press

7. Sqauts using the ball against the wall for back support

8. Plie squats again using the ball against the wall

9. Donkey kicks on the mat

10. Calf raises

This workout goes really quick and you will work up a sweat because there is no resting in between moves just at the end of the set.  I like to super set my moves like this so I can squeeze in a lot in a short amount of time.  This workout is great for pregnancy because there is no lying on your back and the ball works great as a support and added balance for your squats.  At the end of my workout I like to do a full stretch.  Another word of caution here for pregnant women, your ligaments and joints loosen when pregnant so be careful and don't overextend yourself when stretching.  

As far as the weight you choose to lift I typically would recommend choosing something where the last two reps you can barely squeeze out, however, when pregnant I like to tone it down a little so I pick something that I can finish 15 with but probably couldn't do another 2-3 after that.  If you can't make it through 10 reps at the weight you chose then drop it and pick-up a lighter one to finish out the 15.  On the other hand, if by the end of 15 you feel you could do another 15 you need to bump your weights up a couple lbs.

Now for those of you wondering what in the world a Tricep Kickback is I would highly recommend reading a copy of Oxygen Magazine.  This is my workout bible! :)  It isn't a sissy women's fitness magazine but also isn't only for body builders so it's great for anyone that's interested in health and fitness.

As far as equipment goes I'm very lucky to have a full gym in my apartment complex. If you do not have access to a gym then this workout may not be right for you.  Check out Oxygen as they typically have routines you can do at home with just one set of weights or bands.

These are the lighter free weights we have in our gym.  They go from 3lbs up to 15lbs.

These are the heavier weights... I'll save these for after the baby comes.

This is the cable machine that I use for my "Cable Chest Press" you can see the handles are set-up currently for that.

This bench is perfect to use as support for your Rows and Tricep Kickbacks.

Ball used for squat support.  This goes up against the wall and then you lean on it with your lower back.

The "other" room I frequent less. :)

For those of you in the area I'm always open to have you over for a little training session as I love to workout with a partner!  Just be ready to go by 5:30am as that's when I like to hit the gym ;)

Crockpot Fail

The other day I was super excited to try out one of my Pinterest creations.  A crock pot freezer meal!  How awesome does that sound.  A few weeks ago I put together my sauce and divided it out into 2 separate freezer bags then added pork chops to each bag.  Wrote the date, what it was and the cooking instructions right on the bag and popped it into the freezer.  So Easy!

Then the night before my dinner I stuck it in the fridge to defrost and that morning thew it into the crock pot.  I was a little hesitant as I typically like to put my crock pot together over my lunch break to make sure I don't cook it too long as most recipes call for Low 6-8 hours and I typically am gone for 9+ every day.  This day though I already had lunch plans so that morning in went the pork chops.

All day I dreamt about the tasty sauce on top of some rice and couldn't wait to have a home cooked meal waiting for me with little to no effort at all.  Then I received the phone call from my husband.  It was 10 minutes before the end of my day and he phoned to tell me that I may need to think of an alternative to dinner unless dinner was supposed to be hockey pucks with brown sludge!
 

Whoops!  I guess the 8 hours was just a little too long.  Instead I treated my family to burritos at a local Mexican restaurant and called it a night.  I thought the crock pot was supposed to be fool proof... could have fooled me!

Margaret and Max's Easter Adventure

Last weekend for Easter Max and I drove 4 hours to visit my family in Minnesota.  I was extremely nervous about driving all that way by myself with him as he's typically not the easiest in the car but the thought of staying here with Luke gone at hockey and my family in Minnesota forced me to go for it!

For weeks after I made the decision to go I prayed, planned and prayed some more :)  In the end my prayers were answered! and due to my obsessive planning all went well... except for a few minor hiccups.

My plan was to leave soon after Max woke up in the morning as he doesn't nap well in the car so I didn't want to risk him being over tired once we got moving.  The morning of our departure Max woke up an hour and 15 minutes earlier than normal and would not go back to sleep! Ugh!  I started to wonder if this was a sign of what was to come and second thoughts filled my head.  I pushed through my doubts and we were on the road almost right on time.  Max's early rising turned out to be a blessing in disguise as no further than 30 minutes into the drive...

After an hour nap and some snacks things were still pleasant in the car.  My parents had offered to meet me at the half way mark so that my mom could jump in my backseat to entertain Max.  This ended up working out perfectly as 5 minutes prior to our connection items began to be thrown and a melt down was imminent... In comes "GaGa" and all is well in the world again!  Max and "GaGa" had a great time playing and singing along to his Kindermusic CD the rest of the way there and I breathed a small sigh of relief.  The first leg of the trip was a success!

In comes the first miss hap of the weekend.  That afternoon my brother and his fiancee were loading up a moving truck as they were spending the weekend moving into their new home.  My dad was off assisting them and so left myself, my mom and Max to entertain ourselves.  What better place to do this than the park near my brother's new home.  Max had a blast and the park was great!  It wasn't until he started limping a little that I began to become concerned.  Then after a few more steps he started to crumble to the ground and physically could not walk any longer.  He didn't cry at all so I wasn't sure what the problem was but I knew that park time was now over.  We spent the evening carrying him around and trying to decide if we should take him in to see the doctor but in the end there was no swelling and he wasn't crying so we decided to see how things were in the morning.  True to his tough little boy form, he was perfectly fine the next day.  Must have simply twisted an ankle.  Of course he didn't want to sleep in his pack n' play that night and being that I wanted to be able to monitor him I allowed him to sleep in my bed.  Ok, the real reason was I'm a sucker for his sad face, however, we both slept great!

Max sleeping in the King Size bed next to the pillow barrier I set up!

The next day we headed off to the Mall of America with my cousin Katy.  Max was mesmerized by all the people and once he saw the Nickelodeon Universe it was all over!  He couldn't keep his eyes off of all the rides and action going on.  Every time he would hear a kid scream he would say "yeah!" and point.  I promised him that next time we come to visit his dad would take him on a little kid ride... I don't do rides.

In comes problem #2.  That night after playing all day at the mall and at my brother's new home Max was a little over tired.  It was more challenging to get him to sleep but he finally passed out again.  Only difference was this time at Midnight he woke up and started to have a full blown temper tantrum for at least 10-15 minutes (it felt like an hour!).  He didn't want his blankie, passie, sippy cup... NOTHING!  He simply screamed and covered his face with his hands.  My parents room was directly next door and my mom said she heard me threaten to move him to his pack n' play if he didn't quit.  Of course I never followed through with that.  In the end I'm not sure what got him to lay back down and go to sleep.  An hour later he tried to pull that crap again and I simply faked that I was sleeping and he calmed himself down and went right back to bed. :)

The next day we joined my brother and his fiancee at their church for an AMAZING Easter service.  Max played in the childcare... (until other parents started to pick-up their kids and then he cried until his face was dripping with tears and snot.)  I loved the contemporary music they sang and I knew every song!  I was so thankful for all of my prayers being answered so far regarding the weekend and also thankful for the ability to spend it with my family.

Max helping my dad load up the cars on Sunday morning.

All ready for church

The drive home ended up being ok as my parents drove with me to the half way point.  I was nervous to leave them as Max had already taken a nap during the first leg of the trip.  Again my prayers were answered.  First he played with his new favorite toy (below) then he fell asleep again! SCORE!  He woke up an hour before we got home but a few snacks (sugar cookies and Pringles- I would have shoved anything his way to keep him happy... don't judge!) and some traffic to watch he was a very content little boy until we got home.

Between the new VTech Learning Turtle electronic toy and this new toy he loved this one the most... go figures!