Seven Quick Takes Friday ...err Saturday

Better late than never???

1) G started saying 'no-no' yesterday. Geeerreat! I honestly hoped/planned to make it to kindergarten before she learned the word. She knows what 'no' means, and generally respects it....but apparently she gets to use it herself now! Prior to today, she would simply shake her head to indicate she didn't like or want to do something. I could handle that, it was silent :-)
I LOL'd the first time she said it because it was so darn cute--momma mistake, I know, because know she loves saying it!

2) We made a super cool ramp for the few cars and trucks G has. It was so fun and she squealed the first time we put the vehicles down it--I'm proud of myself for coming up with a great idea to recycle the big box her Mega Bloks learning table came in (post to come about all the awesome stuff the sent us). It's the simple things in life :-)

3) This week was not so kind to a pregnant momma. First, there are two private stressors I've been dealing with. Then G slept miserably one night (as in, took two hours of screaming and then me holding her hand through the crib rails and 'shushing' her for 30 minutes + woke up from 3 -5 am to repeat the same process). I guess it was related to the runny nose she had for two days--I imagine she might have had a sore throat prior to it appearing, as adults get too. She's working on canines, so that's fun. Then yesterday I woke up to a seriously, I'll spare you the details I shared on my facebook, gross vomit attack in her crib. Suffice it to say it was everywhere and she went straight to the bath tub. I guess I'm thankful for my strong stomach. Then I'm feeling all down today...It's a sunny Saturday, but I can't shake the mood. Thankfully I'm attempting a choco-pick-me-up. Prayers appreciated.

4) Big Announcement....We are moving back to Kansas-----PRAISE GOD. Not that I hate it here or anything, in fact; the Bay Area is quite lovely (albeit expensive), but I certainly can't wait:

• to get back closer to family + friends
• snow in the winter (I really would have missed that)
• my comfort zone with most things
• cheaper prices
• have my husband around more
• oh, and Hy-Vee + Aldi

What's the number one thing I'll miss about CA?? Our gym. Hilarious, right? That play center is to.die.for. G absolutely loves it, the girls there love her, I love them, she has a ball, ugh...sad day. I'm going to miss letting her play there for an hour a day, 5 days a week. She's going to miss it.
I won't miss much else. I feel like we have been-there-done-that, with the big things in the Bay Area, especially after our mini-vacation to Lake Tahoe next week. Oh, I did miss out on Wine Country...but can't help that, I'm pregnant.

5) That should explain my extreme absence this week, minus the sponsored post for Famous Footwear's B2S sale. We've been house hunting online & trying to get ducks in a row for buying our first home. WHAT? So exciting, I KNOW! Realtor, check. Lender, check. Favorites list, check. Flights/car/sleeping arrangements for our house hunting weekend over Labor Day, check. For all the negative things this week, one major positive. Rejoice!

6) My sister sent baby boy + G some awesome Carter's clothes this week. It was a TOTAL surprise, and I'm really shocked she could keep it that way for so long! She said she ordered them on August 8...so I'm really impressed with her secrecy! It was so fun to open packages of adorable little boy clothes--plus two shirts for G. I kept saying 'oh my goodness!' like I was on Ellen or something, lol... Thank you boo!!!!!

7) This morning on our way back from the grocery store, G briefly closed her eyes while at a stop light, all sprawled out.... exhibit a)

To see more quick takes, head over to ConversionDiary.com

Seven Quick Takes

1. I made the most delicious smelling Banana Bread today (err, Thursday). It's not the usual recipe (which you can find here), but it's going to be absolutely scrumptious at dessert and breakfast :-)
G loves bananas (what baby doesn't?), I'm pregnant & love carbs, and my husband loves a quick and easy breakfast. Win-Win-Win!

2. I recently (as in today) posted a review/giveaway for CatholicFamilyGifts.com -- If you are here from the 7QT link-up; I know you need some good Catholic Gifts to give any time of year, so head over and read the review / enter the giveaway!

3. Do you know how hard it is to get a good photo of a 16 month old??? VERY! A. they never want to sit still and B. they want whatever you have (re: the camera) and C. their smiles are only ever genuine, so you wish you had a camera permanently affixed to your head to catch all the little moments. (When does saying "Smile!!" start to work?)
I bring this up because I really want to enter G's photo into Live! with Kelly's cutest baby photo contest. I, personally, know she is the cutest baby everrrrrr, so it'd be lovely to win a free trip, cruise, and potentially new car (if she could beat out the 'big kid' winner). I wish it were a cutest kid in general contest, not a photo contest. If they could meet my little buttercup, they would surely know she's got personality to fill the ocean and spunk to the stars.
{For all the "complaining" or "telling it how it is" I do, you can handle a little doting, every now and then ;-) }

Seven Quick Takes Friday 23

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My husband gets back late tonight, er, very early Saturday morning from a short business trip. I've never been home alone with G. The other time he had a business trip, we went to my parents because it was a week long. Another trip, we went with him. So it was very weird to be without him, or anyone else, at night.

Seven Quick Takes 22

1. 

My husband is off work tomorrow. I might be OVERLY excited. It makes Mother's Day weekend even more special when we have TWO days in a row together. We have plans to hit up the lovely Farmer's Market that G and I have been going to the past few weeks. We will eat lovely grilled food, I'm sure; and relax in the glorious California Sun. Being so far from family sucks, but it sure is a lot easier to handle when my husband is home with us.

2.

My husband basically told me what my Mother's Day present is going to be...and I have to say it's pretty BIG! I can't believe I'm getting it, but I think it's really sweet he's using money we should/could be saving on a super awesome present for me. No offense to him but he usually goes down the cheap/frugal path for my presents. I don't mind, because I know it's the thought that counts--but this particular thought is very sweet :-) Yeah, we are on a budget, and I complain about money more than I should...but the truth is he's making a bit more than when we were in Kansas. We aren't able to go on a fancy vacation, or buy a house...but he is buying me a new camera for Mother's Day!!!
I.AM.SO.EXCITED. Taking pictures is one of my favorite things to do, because I love preserving memories. I never want to forget anything and I truly believe a picture is worth a thousand words...especially with a kiddo. My current camera was my birthday present a few weeks after we got married (so it is 3.5 years old and is a simple Kodak point and shoot).

Seven Quick Takes vol 21 {+video}

1.

I suppose summer in our area of California has arrived. G got to wear shorts for the first time this summer on Sunday and I grabbed her two pairs of super cute Target shorts on clearance. Tell me she doesn't scream California summer in the ensemble seen in this video I took of her toddling around the park:

2.

There is a current news story going about a Catholic school teacher who is suing her former employer and the diocese. She claims she was fired for having in vitro fertility treatments.
First of all, according to this CNN article, her contract was simply 'not renewed.' It's not like she was abruptly fired in the middle of the school year.
Secondly, the diocese released a statement that according to the same article says, "...that teachers working in the diocese are required to 'have a knowledge and respect for the Catholic faith, and abide by the tenets of the Catholic Church.'" IVF is against the church's teachings. Whatever her personal belief about IVF is...she's a TEACHER (re: example) at a CATHOLIC school and has to lead her outward life as such.  I have encountered many Catholic women who used IVF, and don't pass judgement...so please don't think I'm anti-women, anti-family, or anything like that. God is the only one who can judge...but when you are employed by a private school, you have to make sure you follow their 'rules.' While I think it is kind of her fault for talking about having IVF (because she could have just kept that part to herself), at least she wasn't deceptive.

My big question is ... If a Catholic school teacher was found to use any type of birth control, would he or she be let go too? It's against the church teachings too. What about if a teacher was found to have cheated on her husband? What if a male teacher was found to be a pornography watcher?
I would hope the answer would be yes to all of the above because what good is sending your Catholic kid to a Catholic school if their teachers don't practice what the school/church teaches/believes.

{My 20th} Seven Quick Takes

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This time next week, we will be in Kansas City! It's just a short trip back required by my husband's job, but G and I are tagging along (at our cost) to visit some friends and spend extra time with daddy. He doesn't have anything to do on Friday, so we are hoping the weather allows us to go to some outdoor attractions we never saw when we lived there. We have direct flights both going and coming, but that doesn't make flying with a baby easy, so I'm crossing my fingers for the least amount of stress possible. I'm really excited to see loved ones we haven't seen in nearly 2 months, and the comfort of the midwest has been calling my name since we left. EXCITED!

--- 2 ---

Guess who's been sick this week? Yup, the poor baby girl. We had a short play date at a park last Friday, and the little boy we met there had a runny nose. Apparently it leached onto G and she's been fighting some kind of respiratory illness since Sunday. She spiked a fever Wednesday evening but it's been low enough not to warrant medicine or a call to the doctor. Hopefully she kicks it before the beautiful weekend we are supposed to have.

Seven Quick Takes

1. So last Friday I mentioned how we had a leaky pipe somewhere in our house that was causing water under the floor in our bedroom. The plumber found a pipe that had a hole in the master bathroom shower/tub. It was kind of a freak accident, actually, because a screw from the faucet piece had "a lot of pressure" against it (duh? water forces it's way into it) and somehow flew out and punctured a pipe in the wall. This was all concealed by the wall, and had been going on for a little over a week. We noticed it because the laminate flooring started to bow and water would squish out of it when pushed on. A baseboard near my closet showed water damage last Wednesday which definitely signaled something was wrong.
Half of our bedroom floor had to be torn up and also part of the hall way. There were two holes cut into our bedroom walls and my closet was not useable. Our bathroom door also had to be taken off and a blower was put in the other bathroom too. The restoration company brought in five blowers and 1 huge dehumidifier. The loss of use of both bathrooms, noise, heat, and unsafe floor caused our landlord to, thankfully, put us up in a hotel last weekend. While I really appreciate that, it did lead to a certain amount of non-productivity on my part. It was nice to be forced to halt my projects/blog writing/cleaning and savor the time with my little family. I was stressed to the max though, especially when the insurance people told me the entire house's floor would need to be replaced. I was freaking out at that point. Luckily my landlord figured out they only said that for cosmetic reasons, and he was fine with just replacing the small area that needed it (even if the shades of laminate are slightly different). By the end of tonight almost everything should be back to normal. My closet will be repainted next week, so it's still not usable until then.

2. I'm so proud of G and her walking. She gotten much petty in the past week. She's able to stand up if she trips, squat down to pick something up, carry things around without losing her balance, turn right angles, walk in circles, go up small differences in elevation, and has started to get a little gait going on (so I know running isn't far behind). It's like watching a small miracle happen before my very eyes. This precious little girl came out of me unable to do much but wiggle, and now she is prancing around, exploring the world! She's a beautiful sight to see and I really enjoy her personality. She's so fun.

Seven Quick Takes 17

--- 1 --- busy

This post is a little later than normal, but at least it's still Friday :-) I feel busier than I actually am, because I'm so tired. G's sleep is kind of crazy again (see number 4), so my husband and I are feeling really sleep deprived and I can't nap during her nap time because I have to get house work / crafts done that I can't do while she is awake. The blog has started taking a back seat...I suppose that's normal for a momma who just moved into a new house/state and has an active 13 month old.

--- 2 --- 13 months

Oh, that's right baby G is official 13 months old. Wow. That sounds old, no? I've been a mom for 13 months!
I know she isn't a teenager or anything (whew), but 13 months is much more substantial than 12 months old. She's really past the baby stage, and I don't think I get away with calling her Baby G much longer. She's also walking for real now (not just taking steps), although I wouldn't say she is a "walker" because she will crawl about 70% and walk 30%. I assume that ratio will change quickly. I used to get so excited when she took 10 steps or more, but now she is walking from room to room--and even walking in circles!

Our Life Update - Seven Quick Takes 16

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After a two week (and 2 day) absence, our cars have returned to our lives! We had them shipped to CA using the shipper my husband's company told us to use and it took that long for them to go halfway across the country!! I think that is absolutely ridiculous. Now that they are here, I feel much more settled in. Driving our rental car (2012 Ford Explorer) was fun, but it made it seem more vacation-y than home-y. We have no boxes left to unpack, the walls are decorated, the beds are made and everything has a place. I've been grocery shopping twice, we've been to church twice, and baby G had a play date with two friends. I suppose we officially live in California. Weird. I do still have a few addresses to change and insurance to switch over.

--- 2 ---

Do you have Comcast? This is our first time with them and I'm already annoyed. We had a HUGE fiasco with our first bill this week and I spent WAY too many hours of my life trying to get everything straightened out. We were overcharged and then our service was decreased to "solve" me asking for the reduced rate we signed up for. Then when I tried to get our service restored at the rate we were promised, I was told it didn't exist! Finally things got fixed after about 4 hours of our time. I am beyond disappointed in Comcast's shady practices, and I even went in with low expectations.
What's your opinion of their customer service? I feel like people tried to help us just enough to get by and it wasn't until the fifth person we were fully heard. I am, however, beyond pleased with our price and products--so all the hassle was worth it. We've got digital economy cable and super fast broadband internet for $49.99 plus tax. Can't beat that!

Seven Quick Takes 15

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We move into our new home tomorrow. Our flight is at 7 am local time and we get to SFO at 9 Pacific time (I've never lived outside of central time, so this will be weird!). I'm very excited but also nervous / sad to leave the Midwestern life I've always known. This week has been really chaotic, but I've really surprised myself (and husband) by being patient & calm about the whole thing.

--- 2 ---

Example one of how this week is crazy:
The moving company sent ONE guy to pack and move our apartment. I guess when they heard 2 bedroom apartment, they didn't think it'd have that much stuff. HA. The guy is great and a really hard worker, but even he admitted we "filled it well" and that it was way underestimated. He had hoped to be done by 4 pm, and then 6 pm, but ended up needing until 10 PM to get everything packed and loaded. We didn't stay that late, because we had a 3.5 hour drive to get to my in-laws (our in-between location). That's a lot of trust to put in someone else...nearly everything we own is not in our possession. For a control freak like myself, it's totally a God thing that I'm not having a panic attack right now.

Seven Quick Takes 14

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We spent this week at my parents' house because my husband was away on business. I was looking forward to "relaxing," but this week definitely didn't go as planned. My mom ended up getting sick and actually sprained or tore a muscle in her ribs from coughing. She wasn't able to play with baby G very much, so we were all really bummed about that. I can't wait for my mom to come visit us in California and make up for her limited playtime this trip. My grandpa and two aunts (and a cousin) came down for a birthday party for baby G. She got her first taste of cake and received great presents. On Mardi Gras, we were supposed to have a party with my mom's 3rd grade class, but since she was sick, the baby and I just delivered cupcakes & party favors. Ash Wednesday brought abstinence and fasting for us, but I still gave baby G a piece of birthday cake because it was finally her real birthday :-)

Seven Quick Takes Friday (13)

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So Lent starts Wednesday...I am not sure what I will give up or choose to add to my life. I think this move is absolutely stressful, so I don't know what other type of penance God would will me do. Last year I was a brand new mom, so I didn't give up much...I just gave up watching Ellen. I added receiving Eucharist on the tongue and have kept that as part of my life.
I think this year I will do what I did for Advent; add a daily mass to my week...except that we will be moving the week after Ash Wednesday, so I'll start the next week.
I don't know what to give up this year that is meaningful... What are you doing??

Our Love Story

After reading two posts linked up at From Mrs to Mama about the ladies' loves stories... I decided I had to share the answers to these questions for myself. I'm a big ol' sap, despite what you might think about my type-A personality. Marley & Me makes me cry every time and I love getting flowers and cards. I used to be a hopeless romantic, but now I'm a happily married romantic :-) I hope that you enjoy reading about me and my husband's love story. Also, join in the fun by heading over the the link-up (there are also questions for single ladies)!

1. How long have you and your significant other been together?
Five years as of St. Patrick's Day 2012.

2. How did you meet? {What's your "love" story?} --my answer is long, sorry!
We met at a fraternity St. Patrick's Day party in at Missouri S & T (formerly UMR). My Mizzou roommate and I headed there for the weekend because I had a friend from high school who invited us down. There was a big concert (one of my then favorite artists, Trapt) & lots of Catholic single guys. On the drive down, I told my roommate that I was going to meet my husband that weekend........AND I DID. Ironic.

Seven Quick Takes Friday (12)

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I had a great guest post this week from another Catholic momma. She wrote about breastfeeding, including BF'ing while using NFP. I hope you'll check it out, and visit her blog Via, Veritas, Vita.

--- 2 ---

On Sunday afternoon, we were playing with the baby in the, but she crawled away from us to play independently in the dining room. I was going to show her "the girl" to get her attention so that she'd rejoin us in the living room, but I couldn't find the toy. I asked my husband if he had it, and he said no. I decided that maybe if I asked baby G where "the girl" was, she could find her...because that is her game, after all. So I said, "Hey G, can you find the girl??" Baby G perked up, crawled over to the full laundry basket and started digging around. My husband went to help her and retrieved the girl from the bottom of the basket. Apparently G had hidden her there earlier. We all started laughing. It was one of those priceless family moments :-)

Seven 100% positive things about my life right now (7QTF)

This week's 7QT are going to be all 100% positive. I wrote a pity party blog about G's sleep this week but I don't want my readers to think I am a debby downer--because IRL I am actually quite a positive/optimistic person.

--- 1 ---

Baby G's birthday invitations have been mailed, most of the supplies have been bought, and I've got the party favors planned (personalized & useful things...none of the cheapo-lameo stuff!). I just need to find a cake recipe I like. The frosting will be buttercream colored to decorate the Winnie the Pooh mold I am using; so just focus on picking a cake recipe.

Yummy Chocolate Cake 
Melt in your mouth method Butter Cake
Simple White Cake
or...
half chocolate half / half one of the other 2 (I'm not quite sure how I would get the mold to be half and half, but I'm thinking that'd be a fun option)

what are your thoughts?

--- 2 ---

Baby G has started saying MOMMA!!! Pretty much all of the time, she means me :-) and Dadda means my husband. I don't want to write them down as first words, though, because occasionally she will say them but not mean us. The first time I heard momma, I about melted. {I'm not talking about the maaaa-maaaa babble; I mean full fledged, momma!}
SO EXCITING. I can't wait to hear her say "I love you momma!" Even if that is years away.

Seven Quick Takes Friday

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I'll start with a prayer that is from yesterday's Small Steps for Catholic Moms page.

Don't let me look down, Lord, when I carry the cross you've chosen for me. Let me look up and whistle while I work!

---So HARD sometimes, but exactly what we need to do (especially me).

--- 2 ---

G is starting to look like a "big girl," despite not yet walking. I know everyone says that now is the time she begins to move from baby to toddler. Apparently, eleven to fifteen months is the "time of maturity." I guess after that she'll be a real toddler. It's crazy to me that I have such an old baby. Most days, I feel like I should still be toting around a baby who sleeps 75% of the time, nurses every 2 hours, and isn't mobile. I wonder if she will be eternally three months old in my mind?

Check out my post this week, with all of the fun 11 month old things G does!

--- 3 ---

Naturally, I have to share this too cute picture of baby G.

just love her toothy grin!

Seven Quick Takes (vol 8)

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Six of this week's seven quick takes are for my husband, who celebrated his 24th birthday yesterday. This is his fifth birthday that we have been together. Three of the five we went on a trip somewhere, but last year I was too close to my due date. This year we are on a budget and have a baby, so our "trip" is to the boat show tomorrow! My husband loves boats, and claims his first word was boat. He is beyond excited, to say the least. I'm pretty sure he would rather own a boat than a house...give us a few years and we will have both.

--- 2 ---

He is the perfect husband for me. A great example is the fact that I had a rough, out-of-sorts day on Tuesday and he walked through the door after work with flowers for me. :-) I haven't gotten flowers from him in over a year. It was just what I need to bring a smile to me face!

taken with my phone

Seven Quick Takes (vol 7)

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Sick, sick, sick.
This week brought an increase in the sickness department for baby G. She's developed a cough, which has worried me a lot. It is worse when she's trying to sleep (so that's no fun for anyone), but she is still mostly in good spirits and isn't lethargic. I'm keeping a close eye on her, because I know these things can go south very quickly for babies. Thankfully we are breastfeeding, so that's helping her immune system fight this. We are going on 2 straight weeks of some sort of illness, so say a special prayer for us, PLEASE.

--- 2 ---

Luckily, G's fourth tooth cut all the way through, so we got some relief in that department. FINALLY.
However, the fifth tooth is nearing the surface...so we'll see how long it takes for the TH (teething hell, in case you didn't read last week's 7QT) to return.

Seven Quick Takes (vol 6)

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Fun things the baby has done lately:

The other day we were on the floor playing with G, I gave my husband a mini-back massage. She came up to him and started trying to rub his back too! She gave him a few pats. It was too cute. I wish I had gotten a picture of it.

I've been trying to teach G how to blow kisses, or at least to make kissy faces. Yesterday I was pretty close to her face making smacking noises with my lips pursed, and she leaned in and gave me an open-mouth lip kiss!! I died laughing it was so precious!

Holiday Travel - Seven Quick Takes (vol 5)

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Last year my husband and I were gone for a week around the holidays--and we said we'd never do it again. If we had gone to one place and stayed there it would have been different, but we hit up several towns and family members.
Did we learn our lesson? No...We did the same thing this year.
Holidays are really tough with a baby--everyone wants to see her! I was worried how she would do in the car, but she completely blew us away with her great attitude. She took two short naps on the 6 hour drive to my parents, and pretty much occupied herself the whole time she was awake by looking at her picture books. We stopped once to change her diaper and eat lunch. She was a tad fussy as we pulled into town, but who could blame her. Six hours is a long time in a sport wagon.

On the two hour drive from my parents to my grandpa's house she slept the whole way! From my grandpa's house to my in-laws she played with toys and I think maybe fell asleep a tiny bit, I can't remember. That drive was a little over an hour, but she started getting fussy at the very end again.
On the last leg of our trip, the three hour drive home, she took a good nap for half of it and played well for about 20 minutes. Then we had to stop. We had to change a huge (and I do mean HUGE) diaper explosion, including her clothes...it was disgusting. The last hour wasn't very fun for anyone, we played baby song tapes and CDs to calm down the very annoyed G. We were never so glad to see our front door as we finished our holiday travels, although we loved spending time with our families.