Pegump Puzzle Night

Apparently it was puzzle night in the Pegump household.  Aria had big plans for the completion of several puzzles.  Here is an hour's worth of work:

Franklin
Ariel
The Shy Little Kitten
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Noah's Ark

Phew!

Braids

There is something about little girls with braids.  One of my best friends growing up had super long hair and her mom always put two French braids in her hair.  I loved having my hair braided and I always hoped to be able braid my little girl's hair. 

Two things.  I never learned to master the French braid.  I can do it, but can't keep it tight.  And, Aria has a funky part and cowlick.  She finally has enough hair to braid, but the two sides aren't even with her part.  It also does not go straight back for just one braid.

So, I discovered I can do this:

I don't have to mess with the top of her head and it is still beyond cute!

Some Random Pictures I Love

Aria is an outside kind of girl.  She loves to hang out on our deck when I am doing things inside the house.  Here is her spot for a snack the other day.

She was making macaroni and cheese bird seed for the birds.  It is kind of hard to see, but she has a dirt moustache.

This is a smoothie moustache.

This is Aria attempting to "catch Augie's tongue" as she feeds her peanut butter.

No Cabin Fever Here

I've made it quite clear that I am a winter lover.  I also am not a fan of complaining about the weather.  Been there.  Said that already.  I will say I did notice the calendar turned spring, but the weather did not.  Am I excited for warmer weather, windows open, things turning green, plants blooming, and all the joys of spring?  Of course I am.  The main reason I love where we live is the change in seasons.  Each season brings great excitement for me.  But I can honestly say it doesn't really bother me that winter is still going on.  I mean, we went for a walk, not even in winter coats, at night in December to look at Christmas lights.  So why shouldn't it be below zero wind chills on the first day of spring in March?  Weather is unpredictable.  I just go about my business regardless of the conditions.  I do find it comical to compare year to year in the middle of seasons changing.  For example, check out this picture from March 20, 2012...

There is no way we could dress like that in March this year.  In fact, yesterday we bundled up in winter coats, hats, and gloves and went for a walk and scooter ride down the street.  First of all, I was amazed by Aria's quantum leap in scooter ability since last fall.  Second, we went two blocks and my face was cold.  Augie and Aria could have went on forever.  Half way back, Aria decided she wanted to run instead of riding her scooter and I had to jog to keep up.  This kid is fast!  It will be fun to be outside more and see some of the new skills she has at 3!

Lately, I've been seeing a lot of mention of "cabin fever."  I don't think I have ever really suffered from cabin fever and thankfully I think I've passed it on to my daughter.  We just don't get crazy cooped up around here.  I think some of it has to do with my homebody introvertedness.  I also know if I do feel like I need to go somewhere, we just pick up and go somewhere.  Grocery store, library, shopping, all kinds of kid places, it doesn't really matter where.  I do realize it is much easier for me to pick up and go somewhere with just one three-year-old in tow.  She can put on her own shoes and coat.  She climbs into the car and her car seat by herself.  She can also open the door and climb out, walk next to me without holding my hand, and obey my directions (most of the time).

I remember the days of an infant on a schedule and trying to plan all my goings and comings around eating and sleeping.  I see most all of my friends with their infants navigating that schedule and their preschooler(s) these days and I can understand why they might feel a little cabin fever.  Sometimes it just isn't worth packing everyone up to go out in the cold when you really need to be home in an hour, anyway.  It is one of the blessings of an only child. 

So, we'll just keep finding things to do around the house and we'll burst outside whenever the weather is ready.  I'm sure in just a few short months the weather complaints will switch to excessive heat blues.

No Internet

So we had a good snow storm last week and our Internet stopped working that day. It wasn't surprising to me.  It didn't come back the next day.  It still didn't surprise me.  It didn't come back the next day and I started to wonder.  But I got lost in Christmas celebrations and didn't have time to call.  It was actually kind of nice to not have the option to spend time on Facebook or aimlessly browsing around.  So finally a week later I called our provider and discovered our router went bad and had to order a new one.  We will spend another week internetless.  I'm slightly annoyed now but am really thankful we updated Justin's phone so I can at least stay in touch with it.  But my snowman pictures, Christmas pictures, and other regular internet activities will just have to wait.  Because typing this post when I can't see what I'm typing is really annoying.  And I'm sure my husband would like his phone back.

Blogging

I've been sitting here staring at my blog for the last several minutes.  I'm staring specifically at the entry count by month.  In January I was obsessed with doing one blog post per day and had 32 entries.  It slowed down a bit in February and March with 22 and 20 and it keeps going down from there.  I look at November and there are only 6 entries.  What has happened to my blog, I ask myself?  I love writing on my blog.  My main purpose is a virtual baby book/scrap book for Aria.  I have recorded a lot of her firsts and things I just don't want to forget.  I also enjoy processing thoughts and topics of interest.  It's not that Aria hasn't been doing anything cute lately, that happens every day.  It's not that I don't have thoughts to process.  It really isn't even that I don't have time, because I could choose to make the time.  I just feel stuck.  Almost daily I think about what to write on here.  I have all kinds of ideas saved in a note in my phone (and, yes, this was one of them).  When I get in front of the computer, I just can't seem to make it come out.  If I were a writer, I would call it writer's block.  I'm sure it will come back eventually and I might even produce a blog a day again sometime.  For now, I'll just keep staring and hope something clicks and turns the blog writing mechanism in my brain back on.

What Size?

I seriously dread the question, what size does Aria wear?  I have absolutely no idea how to answer it.  Let me explain.  Aria has always had short legs.  She gets those from her Daddy.  She's not short, though, because they have extra long torsos.  Last winter I had a really hard time finding pants because she needed the 2T for the waist, but they were way, way, way too long.  I was thankful for brands that made 18-24 month, 24 month, and leggings.  All of her shirts last winter were 2T.  Naturally, this year I expected to move up a size to 3T shirts and have the same too long 3T pants problem.  The good news is her legs have grown.  The crazy news is she needs 4T shirts.  Pretty much just skipped right over 3T shirts.  She did have 3T shirts this summer, but size 3T was pretty short lived.  Except for pants.

I'm already confused and I haven't even got into the most confusing part.  When you move up to 4T there is that crazy question of toddler clothes or little girl clothes.  Little girl clothes start at size 4.  Last weekend I went shopping in a Carter's outlet store.  I held up three sizes of the exact same shirt, wondering what to get Aria.  The sizes were 4T, 4, and 5T.  That is the order of size, too.  The 5T was the biggest.  The 4T was the smallest.  The regular 4 was in between.  I chose the regular 4.  It fits Aria perfect.  Some brands don't have a 5T, but most have a 4T, which apparently is generally a tad smaller than a regular 4.  Phew!  Who knew dressing my child would be this difficult! 

Let me just give the run down of Aria's wardrobe...

Shirts: She has some 4T, 4, and a few 5T. 
Pants: If they are jeans or zip/button type pants, 3T.  If they are leggings, 4T.
Dresses: 4T
Don't even get me started on tights.

So when someone asks for Aria's size, do I give them all the above info?  I wish I could just state a size and call it good.  And, even though I have sort of narrowed down the different clothing parts, you always run the risk of a brand running big or small.  For example, Aria has one pair of 24 month pants that still fit and has a regular size 4 coat that is too small. 

What I have learned from all this is that my days of just buying clothes without trying them on are probably over.  I took Aria into a dressing room at Target to try something on her for the first time this week.  She thought it was fun.  We'll see how long that lasts.  I guess I don't buy clothes without trying them on.  And it really depends on brand for what size I wear, too.  I know I have shirts that are small, medium, and large.  Why would I expect kids clothes to be any different?  Let's face it, all people are shaped just a little bit differently.  Clothing companies can't make clothes that will fit everyone perfectly. 

But if you want to know what size Aria wears, you're going to have to let me know what type of clothes you want to buy or be sure to include a gift receipt so we can exchange if it doesn't fit!  :)

19 Colors

We only have 19 bottles of nail polish, so we had to use purple twice.

A Lot Happens in May

May is always a crazy busy month.  There is usually the ahhhh of nice weather, playing outside, going to the park, taking bike rides, and the sun setting later.  You have graduations, Mother's Day, and Memorial Day.  It is the end of the school year and with that many types of parties and celebrations.  For us, May marks the anniversary of a lot more good things, too.  There are two family birthdays in May and three good friends.  Three years ago we went through our second in vitro cycle with an egg retrieval on May 7, embryo transfer on May 12, and probably the best day of my life, finding out we were indeed pregnant on May 22.  Hard to believe all that has been three years ago now.  Throw in May 14 as the day an awesome guy asked me to be his wife and we certainly have a lot to celebrate this month!

Our most recent add to the anniversaries in May is living in our house.  I cannot believe it has already been a year!  On one hand, it feels like we've lived here forever.  We love our house so much and it has just been such a wonderful blessing compared to the tight quarters at our old one.  On the other hand, my how fast time flies.  When I watch videos and look at pictures of Aria from when we first moved in, I realize she is such a totally different kid!  She has hair!  She speaks in totally comprehensible sentences!  She is a lot taller!  I'm sure it will only continue to amaze me to look back at different seasons of her life and see how much change there is.  It is a wonderful reminder to cherish each moment because it will be gone before you know it.

So happy anniversary house and in vitro and engagement!  Happy birthday friends and family!  Happy graduation all you awesome seniors!  Thanks for making May one big party!

April Fool's...No Thank You

I've never been one that has taken jokes well.  I don't really like a lot of sarcasm or teasing.  I just don't take it well.  I try not to dish it out because I know I would get upset if I got it back.  There are some small jokes that are okay and easy for me to handle, but anything that has even a touch of mean, I don't like it.  I'm just not someone who enjoys that type of humor.  Therefore, I'm not a fan of April Fool's Day.  When I was teaching, I never believed anything my students said that day.  I'm usually skeptical of most everything on April 1 because I don't want to be the sucker who fell for the joke. 

However, there is one particular April Fool's joke that I strongly dislike.  It's the one where somebody pretends they are pregnant.  I realize it is a 'good joke.'  It is something people will automatically fall for because of the excitement of the news.  But to someone who desperately wants to have a baby and can't, it's no joke.  It is hard enough to listen to a real announcement of pregnancy than to have to endure fake ones.  I kind of feel like a joke about being pregnant is saying, "it is so easy for being pregnant to be possible, I can really get everyone with this joke."  But when it isn't so easy for being pregnant to be possible, it just hurts. 

I realize people are doing it all in good fun.  All the times I've heard the joke, I know people aren't trying to hurt me with it and I try hard not to take any offense.  But I am hyper-sensitive to the situation.  I know I can't expect people who are gifted jokesters to cater to my sensitivities, I just needed to get this off my chest after seeing and hearing several of these particular jokes today.  One thing you can count on, you will never hear an April Fool's joke out of me! 

Shampoo

A little over a year ago, I went through a phase where I was labeling many products in our house with the date we began using them.  My goal was to track how long it took us to use a product so I could build an appropriate stock of products by getting the best deals with coupons and sales.  I did learn from my dating, but I didn't follow through enough to really take full advantage.  I still buy things when I can get a great deal, but I often have to buy things full price because we need them.

All that dating has helped me use better portions of products so not to waste.  My best example is my shampoo.  Today, March 31, 2012, I used the very last of the shampoo in the bottle that was dated March 28, 2011.  Yep, I used the same bottle of shampoo for one year and three days!!  Justin and I use different shampoo, so this one was all mine.  It was a 32 ounce bottle that, at full price, is $2.97 at Wal Mart.  I don't remember if I paid full price for that bottle, but even if I did I spent less than a penny a day on my shampoo for the past year.  That's quite the deal, in my opinion!

A few months ago I bought another bottle of shampoo because I knew this one was almost out.  I didn't imagine it would make it to a year, but it kind of became a quest for me.  It forced me to actually use all of the shampoo instead of throwing it out when it got near the end.  I also have started using less of other soaps around the house.  I usually am bad at wasting dish soap.  I always squirt way too much in the sink because I like the bubbles.  Now, I've learned I can get by on a lot less.

On a side note, in Aria's 2+ years of life, we have never bought soap or shampoo for her.  We got so many bottles at my baby shower and when she was born that we just haven't had to buy any.  And, we won't need to any time soon.  I guess our family will be extra efficient with shampoo for many years!

All this rambling about shampoo actually does have a deeper purpose.  We are so fortunate here in America.  We are blessed with so much and often take it for granted.  Sometimes I get irritated with myself because I can be so stingy with shampoo, yet I stand in the shower forever, wasting water.  Clean water that many people around the world don't have.  I need to be better at being efficient with my possessions and not wasting things.  I need to work on not taking things for granted and being thankful for all the simple blessings in my life.  Learning to use less shampoo is just a small first step.

Distractions

Does this happen to anyone else?

Just a few minutes ago, I logged in to my email to send the weekly prayer and announcements for our church group.  When I got into my email I read the new messages, scrolled through and answered ones I had left for another time, and spent time cleaning up my inbox.  Then I logged out and moved on to another Internet endeavor.  Minutes later I saw my little prayer sheet and (grrrrrr) realized I didn't send the prayer email.  Guess what?  I had a few new messages when I got back into my email and I almost forgot to send it AGAIN!  What in the world is wrong with me?  I specifically sit down to do something and I can't even remember what it was two minutes later.  I've heard of losing your memory as you get older, but so far I haven't really felt that old at 30. 

Actually, this kind of thing happens to me a lot.  There have been numerous times I've sat down to send someone a specific message on Facebook and I get completely distracted by all the other things on Facebook so I forget why I'm on there in the first place.  Then, I spend an hour fiddling around doing nothing and I am irritated for wasting my precious nap time. 

I think I am just easily distracted.  In this information world, there are things coming at me from several different angles.  Sometimes I just need to shut it all off and focus on one thing at a time.  Maybe multi-tasking isn't as productive as I think.  If I gave all my attention and energy to one task, I would be so much more productive. 

Food for thought as I sit for an hour in front of the computer...

Blogging about Blogging

I've hit an all-time high for number of blogs in a month and it was completely unintentional.  A friend of mind noticed the increase in blogs and asked if it was my New Year's resolution or something.  It wasn't.  It actually didn't even cross my radar.  It all started when I discovered I could schedule a blog post instead of having it post whenever I was finished writing it.  I have this weird OCD mindset that I can't post more than one thing on my blog in a day and I've often not posted because of it.  Most of the time I have countless ideas running through my head for my blog, but they don't get to the screen.  Now, when I have those ideas, I sit down and write two, three, four blog posts at once and schedule them for the subsequent days.  After about a week's worth of blogs, I wanted to see how long I could keep it going.  It reminds me of when I read 14 books in 14 days the summer I was pregnant.  I just had to see how long I could keep it going.  I am competitive, can you tell?  Well, I hit a block the other day and decided I'm only going to keep this silly competition in my head going through the month of January.  Then I'm going to let it go.  If I continue having daily blog posts, great!  But if I miss a day, I'm not going to feel like I've lost something. 

All that being said, I love my blog!  It is such a release.  Of course, the main idea is a virtual baby book for Aria, but it is so much more than that for me.  I am an introvert and a private person.  I rarely say all that is on my mind.  Through writing, I get a little bit more out there.  I get to brag a little more about my child, tell people how much I appreciate them, and use my sense of humor and creativity.  I love reading other blogs and keeping in touch with friends that way, so I hope this is a way for friends to keep in touch with us.  I know people out there who write blogs for an income and that is not for me.  This is my freedom and I would hate to feel the pressure of making sure I put things on here that other people will love and earn me money.  I also want to express my opinions without worrying about losing viewers. 

I guess that is all I have to say about my blog.  I'll end this at 3:52 on January, 23 and we'll see when I schedule it to appear!

Get a Video Monitor

This is going to be short and sweet.  If you are an expecting parent out there, get a video monitor!  It won't matter much when your precious little one is so tiny they can't move, but it will be so much fun when he/she is older and you'd love to be a fly on the wall in the room.  Right now I am listening to my awesome almost two-year-old who just woke up from her nap.  She is singing some crazy song and banging that dreaded pacifier on her bed.  I hear wiggling so I imagine dancing.  I would so very much love to watch what she is doing.  We didn't get a video monitor.  But it does tell us the temperature in her room!  :)

Resolutions

 'Tis the season for making resolutions.  While I think it is an excellent idea to set goals and resolutions, I am not about needing a specific day to make that happen.  In my opinion, if you have something you want to change in your life, start the very next day.  Don't wait for New Year's or your birthday or whatever excuse you make for a date.  If there is something you are motivated to change, get going.  In fact, I think starting a new habit or routine in the middle of the week is an excellent idea.  It gives you a few days to get started without the overwhelming long week, month, or year ahead of you. 

Now, a lot of people make a resolution at the start of the year to eat healthier, lose weight, stop smoking, etc. and they stick to it and make a big change in their life.  That is excellent.  If a new year motivates you, then great.  All I'm saying is that it doesn't have to be a new year.  Set a goal or make a change anytime!  I went to the dreaded Wal-Mart today and found all the sales and advertisements about exercise equipment hilarious.  I bet they do make big money on that stuff right now.  Marketing people definitely know the seasons for everything. 

For me, I don't really have a resolution right now.  Are there things I would like to improve about my life, of course.  But I don't really have a specific goal in mind.  At the beginning of November, I changed my routine to exercising in the morning before Aria and Justin wake up instead of doing it at nap time.  I'm not really a morning person and I dreaded making the change, but I just thought it would work better for everyone's schedule.  I love how I feel the rest of they day when I exercise right away.  I love having nap time free to accomplish other tasks.  I don't love getting up in the morning.  However, I am really glad I started my new routine in November instead of waiting until January 1.  I've missed several days over the break, but it was no problem getting right back into it because it was already my routine.  So, if you need a change or have a goal, start now.  I guess you would be kind of cliche because it is the beginning of January, but if you have something else that needs tweaking in April, start then, too!

Snow Please

I'm not one to complain about the weather.  It is something you absolutely cannot control, so why complain about it?  Sure, it is no fun when rain or snow or heat ruin events you had planned.  But there is nothing that can be done about it, so why complain?  Also, we live in an area that is known for long, cold, snowy winters.  This happens every year.  If you don't like it, move.  My family is here, my job, blah, blah, blah....then deal with it.  I happen to like winter and snow.  I am always excited for a snowstorm, even if it ruins something I had planned.  In fact, growing up my biggest dream was to play basketball in the State Tournament.  My team qualified my senior year for the first time in school history!  There was a massive snowstorm the day we played and not many fans could come.  It was very disappointing, but we did get stuck there and had to stay an extra night.  It was a blast.  I always love snow!  So, please could we just have some snow already??  I changed my background in hopes it would send a hint to the clouds! 

Thankful

Today I am thankful for:

An obedient child.
A daughter who does a wonderful job playing independently while Mommy doesn't feel good.
A long nap from said daughter so I could get a nap in, too.
An amazing husband who is willing to take some time off work to take care of our daughter so I could get some rest.
A really goofy husband who dances around to kid's music with a laundry basket on his head just to hear our daughter laugh.
Living in a place where the seasons change and the weather is always unpredictable.  (Yes I like cold weather AND snow!)
Kleenexes with lotion in them and a husband who will go get more of them.
Watching the Cardinals in the World Series.
Amazing best friends for the past 5+ years, even though they are moving far away.
Being sick.  Slowing down and resting.  Just so I can appreciate the days I am healthy and busy.

I Would Really Like to...

...write on my blog. 

But my child has decided 1.5 hour naps are acceptable instead of 2.5 or 3.

I have lots to say. 

I read an awesome book, The Help by Kathryn Stockett.
I have created a 'no meat, smoothie' night at our house.
We took Aria to the zoo!
I've been thinking a lot lately about humility.

There is my list...and probably more.  But my child would prefer to be removed from her crib.

Maybe another time.

Top 5 Reasons Why I Should Not Clean My House

5.  I don't like it.

4.  It really is kind of gross to clean up toilets, dog hair, left over food pieces, grass, dust, and other weird items.

3. Why clean when it is just going to get dirty again a few minutes later?

2.  I could be spending my time and way more important things!

1.  Why clean when you have someone else so eager to do it?

Size 3 Please!

This is going to be kind of random, but I discovered recently that Aria has been wearing a size 3 diaper for an entire year now!  Holy cow!  After going from newborn, to 1, to 2, to 3 in just 6.5 months, she has stayed in size 3 for 12 months!  When we got to size 3, a friend of mine told me that size 3 would probably last awhile.  I guess so.  It is amazing how much infants slow down in their growth once they start moving.  Aria used to be this pudgy little thing, always in the 90s for weight percentile.  Not that she is skin and bones now, but I'm sure glad the rolls went away!  I do have to admit we switched to a size 4 overnight diaper otherwise we would be washing sheets and pajamas every day because of the leakage.  But, size 3 still works perfectly fine during the day.  She even has a couple more pounds before she exceeds the weight limit listed on the package.  I'm certainly going to keep buying them because there are 20 more size 3 diapers in a box than size 4 for the same price!  Thank goodness their rate of gain from the first few weeks doesn't continue throughout the first few years!