books of the week

...before I forget! I read two library books on my Nook.


The Poison Tree by Erin Kelly
The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff

17 months!

Miss Quinn, you are 17 months old today! I am so excited for you to become a big sister in just a few short weeks. You are so smart and so sweet. Your sense of humor makes your dad and me laugh every day, and you are truly a pleasure to be around. You are starting to really test Mommy and Daddy, but we love your feisty, spunky personality. You are certainly not a boring little girl!

You are such a good eater. Mommy and Daddy can't believe how much you eat sometimes. Your recent favorite foods are whole wheat pasta with alfredo, toast, eggs, bananas, green beans, and grapes. You will eat almost anything else (even though you sometimes need spaghetti sauce to dip it in) and are a great milk and water drinker.

Your hobbies haven't changed much; you still love swimming at the pool, going to the park and going down the slides, playing with any toys, organizing everything, and reading books. You are starting to talk so much; we can't believe the new words you know every day. You always surprise me with what you can do. The other night I was wearing a Briar Cliff Football shirt and you started pointing out the Ts and Os. You will know the rest of your letters in no time! We have been practicing  numbers and are working on communicating by using our words (instead of shrieks).

You love to roughhouse with Daddy and comb Mommy's hair and rub her belly. You want to be just like your parents; I love it when you put on lotion and cook just like Mommy or work on the computer like Daddy.

Happy 17 months, dolly!

33 weeks!!

Wow - 33 (1/2) weeks! I had a doctor's appointment this morning, and everything is just fine. We had to wait over an hour to be seen by the doctor. I had Randy and Quinn with me, and of course he needed to get going to work and Quinn was not content to just sit and wait. He ended up walking halls with her, and she passed the time by playing with nurses, pushing in and pulling out drawers, and eating an incredible amount of snacks. It was a stressful morning of waiting, but I guess that is something you run into at an Ob-gyn. It is crazy to think that in just one month I will technically be full-term and can deliver this baby. Even though I am huge and hot and miserable, I want him to cook as long as possible and 40 weeks is definitely my goal, because obviously that is what's best for us both! I am to that point now where I just want to eat whatever I want and not worry about weight gain, but of course I still want to be healthy. I still have crazy heartburn (I did all through my pregnancy with Quinn, too) so I have to be really careful what I eat after about 6:00. I definitely cannot eat chocolate or fruit in the evening or I get really sick. I have no problem eating chocolate in the morning, though!! :-)

I officially start back at work tomorrow for a teachers' work day. I've been crazy busy with meetings and trying to get my new room/office put together. I've made a few things to decorate, and Quinn and I got some great stuff yesterday and today. I will be sure to post some pictures when it gets done! Hoping to get some more progress today/tomorrow. Moving rooms is such hard work! I hope to stay in this position (or one like it) for several years. It is so crazy to not be getting my room ready for KIDS. Normally the weeks before school would be filled with creating writing and reading folders for my students, reviewing all of their standardized test data for some preliminary grouping, and deciding what organizational tweaks I want to make to my classroom and to my routines. Since my job this year is as an interventionist, I don't have a ton of up-front work to do! I am definitely the least stressed I have ever been starting a school year. That is probably a good thing at 8 months pregnant. :-)

Oh, by the way, I purposefully left my belly picture uncropped so you could see our new fence! It was installed in June while we were in Mexico. We love it, especially for corralling Quinn. It is so nice to be able to just sit and let her play with her Cozy Coupe, her slide, balls, whatever and not have to worry about chasing after her if she scampers away (which she inevitably does!).

wordless Wednesday

books of the week

These book posts are more for me to remember what I read than anything else... I used to keep a spreadsheet, but stopped when we moved to Waukee.

#1: State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
#2: Chasing Fire by Nora Roberts
#3: Rescue by Anita Shreve

I predict that this will be my last three-book week for a while. I am back to work on Monday! I have meetings all day Monday/Tuesday, will spend part of Wednesday and Thursday getting my new room ready, and the whole district goes back to work on Friday. I have been doing some professional reading as well, and have some more to do before Monday. I am getting very excited about my new job!

Fashionable Friday

Since I can't seem to get my dolly to look at the camera, I'm going to pretend that she is just posing and acting aloof. :-) The truth is, she moves SO fast and even the sports setting on my camera can't keep up with her (hence the blur)!

I love shoes for little girls! Quinn's feet are growing so fast, and those in her current size (6) are about to be too small. I bought these flats in gold and silver for "school" in the fall, but we are getting our use out of them now while we can! I live in ballet flats, wedges, and heels (but barefoot for now), so the thought of putting my little girl in tennis shoes makes me cringe a little. I have seen some cute pink Converse, though...

Bow tee: Carter's (outlet mall - part of a 3-pack)
Denim skirt: Old Navy (got it for something like $1.99 - came with an atrocious belt that my mom removed)
Silver ballet flats: Circo brand from Target

We are working on bows and hair clips again! Quinn now knows the word "happy" so I've been trying to emphasize how happy it makes Momma when we keep our hair accessories in! Soon enough, we'll have enough hair for a ponytail or little piggies...I hope!

Lunch date with Daddy today! We haven't seen much of him this week so we are REALLY excited!

Breakfast time!

Everything is hilarious! 

But seriously, let's eat.