My body aches...

Who knew a 3rd pregnancy would take such a toll? I even started this pregnancy at a healthy weight but I'll be damned if I feel like it. We were at Epcot all day. We went to MGM first but before we even parked, we realized how busy it was. Cheerleaders everywhere! So we drove right thru the lot and on to Epcot. LOL We probably walked 6 hours today and my entire body is feeling it. My legs, arms and feet ache. I wore my Crocs last weekend and today and they didn't even help. Usually they are the most comfy shoes to wear to the parks.

We did have fun though. Dh bought his mom a FL Res 4 day pass which was much cheaper all around so she'll be able to go with us 3 more times. I think she enjoyed spending time with the boys. We made our free robots at Fantastic Plastic in Innoventions which the boys always love. I sat with Ian while they all rode Soarin'. We met Marie (Aristocats) and Sleeping Beauty (Princess Aurora) over in France. Ian is so great with the characters. He has no problems whatsoever going up to them and hugging on them. Wait until you see the Princess pictures! Such a flirt! We also had a snack at the Patisserie in France.

I played with my camera a bit and took some pics of flowers and gardens around the park. Hopefully they'll come out. I'll upload them tomorrow. That's about it for today- at least that I can think of....

Off to Disney

We're taking MIL to Disney for her birthday today. Dh's idea. So the boys and I are waiting on them to get here. Dh went to pick her up bc she doesn't like to drive in the dark and we don't know when we'll get home tonight (she lives 40min away). I'll post more later....

Haunted? Do you believe?

I've never actually seen or felt a ghost/spirit that I can think of but I do believe in them. I love watching Ghost Hunters which is the show TAPS does. They tend to try to disprove things before jumping to any conclusions. Not everything is haunted. They also dispel the whole "orb" phenomenon which is usually dust or a dirty camera lens. They aren't saying orbs aren't real sometimes, but most times they are not paranormal. What brought this off the wall topic on? Someone online posted a site where you can find the haunted places in your state. I clicked on FL and scrolled down to the cities near me or semi near me. I found there are actually a few "ghosts" at Disney World. I have heard of George before but he's the only one. Since I'm a Disney nut, I thought I'd share.

Orlando - Disney World - There is known to be a tan figure walking down the streets in front of the castle.

Orlando - Disney World - Pirates of the Caribbean - The spirit of "George" a worker who died there when a beam fell on him during construction still haunts the attraction. At the beginning of the day and at the end of the day attractions workers must come on the PA system and tell George good morning and good night. If not the attraction has been know to shut itself down adding more work before the workers came go home for the night. - March 2004 Addition/ correction - when the ride was being built in the early 70's (it opened Dec. 15, 1973) , George was a welder who clearly, welded different parts of the scenes on the attraction together. One particular area on the ride, called the "burning city", required George to climb up quite high above the ground. George lost his balance, and fell to his death. If you talk to any of the employees at pirates, they will either know of someone who has had an incident with George, or there is a chance they move have had one themselves.

Orlando - Walt Disney World - EPCOT - Spaceship earth - a small girl with long blonde hair has been seen riding in a car & a boy run in front of her and vanish at the same location (outside during the day).

Orlando - Walt Disney World - Tower of Terror - There has been a story among employees of a ghost walking around the "Tower of Terror" at off hours; he's usually found walking the wrong way, does not respond to calls and then disappears.

I find it all interesting. Dh says he doesn't believe but he's just as hooked on GH as I am. He certainly can't explain what TAPS does catch on camera and I think he secretly is coming to believe spirits may be among us. The other day he even asked me if I thought we had a spirit(s) in our house. When Logan was a baby, he used to "talk" to someone in the corner of the room. Ian did the same thing- same corner. Hmmm we'll have to wait and see what Bella does. I think it's possible but I really don't think there is a spirit in our home. And if there was, it doesn't appear to do any harm so it is welcome.

February already?

Where did January go? Our blogging contest is still in full force with 6 of us still hanging in there. (Heather dropped out as of today...) We've decided to anty up another $5 each to make the final pot bigger and do that each month. Let's see how long we can do this!

Valentine's Day is coming up and once again, I'm at a loss as to what to get dh. I bet he'd be happy if I just gave him some....you fill in the blank. It may be the last time he gets anything for several more months! ;-P

Oh and for all of you just counting the days down, my birthday is in 25 days!! I was trying to find a decent widget to add to my blog but none of them work! If you know of one that does work, let me know.

Car Seat Nazi

I've been nicknamed (lovingly) the Car Seat Nazi by my good friend. You know what, I am perfectly okay with that. I know the term nazi isn't exactly PC but if it gets the point across, so be it. I really am a huge advocate for child car seat safety and if you look over there <--- you'll see links for it. It amazes me how many parents don't bother to read the instruction manuals on their seats. Take 5 minutes people! And then there are those who don't do research at all on the subject. Just because that booster seat says it starts at 30lbs does NOT mean your 2yr old should sit in it!!!! Most of my friends are really good at asking questions and advice and I don't know it all, so I do go to the experts (CPST- Child Passenger Safety Technicians) sometimes. I certainly don't want to give out any bad information. I'm really happy to help anyone with questions when it comes to their child's safety and do the research for them. I'm hoping one day to be able to take the CPST courses and become certified myself. That will have to wait for another year at least though.

So what brought this on? Well, my friend was showing me her car seat the other day and I saw she had folded up towels under her seats. That's a No-no (ahem...you know who you are and you still haven't taken them off! Get busy girl). I took one out and reinstalled her harnessed seat. She was supposed to take the other towels out and put a shelf liner after I left since her seats are leather. (AHEM!!!!!! Now, not in 2 months Miss J) She had a friend come over yesterday and noticed not only the car seat flopping all over (serious belt slack) but that the chest clip was at the baby's belly. The friend was pretty nonchalant about it from what I gathered. That just appalls me. How can a parent be nonchalant about their child when it comes to being in a vehicle? Said vehicle could be driving 15mph and in an accident, it won't matter. The child could be seriously injured and possibly die. Can you imagine at 70mph? So my friend helped her reinstall her seat and told her all about ME. :) Yes, I'm the Car Seat nazi and damn proud.

All I ask is that any parents out there reading this, PLEASE take the time to do some research. Keep your child harnessed as long as possible. There are many options out there now. Check out my links. Check out some of the YouTube videos such as Belle's Gift and the Kyle Miller video.

Don't blindly go by weight limits the mfg give you on the seat. Just because the seat can be used at 30lbs does not mean it should be used at 30lbs.

Check the expiration dates if you have a carseat that is 4-5 years old. Yes, car seats DO have expiration dates. They are anywhere from 5-8 years depending on the brand. It's not a marketing ploy. Plastic does degrade over time and break down. Think about it like this- milk also has an expiration date. It may not spoil on the exact date marked on the carton, but it WILL spoil.

Make sure any seat you are using, is used properly. That means the chest clip is level with the armpits, the straps are as tight on their shoulders as you can get and at the correct slot positions and the seat is at the correct angle. Babies under aget 1 AND 20lbs (not or) must be rear facing. Leave them RF until the limits of the seat if you can. No, their long legs will not bother them and it's better to have broken legs than a broken neck.

Make sure you read the manual and install your seat correctly. If you need help, find a CPST in your area. Your seat shouldn't move more than 1 inch at the belt path, but even better if it doesn't move at all.

This is your child(ren)s life at stake. They are your pride and joy. You are the parent and with that comes a responsibility to keep them safe. Don't let them down.

What a memory!

My soon to be middle child is 2.5 and has the memory of an elephant. He could spot a McDonald's a mile away when he'd only been once or twice. He knows what to order too (scary!).

Dh had to buy a new car battery a few weeks ago so we followed him to Discount Auto Parts. Just a few days later, we passed by a different DAP and he kept saying "battery dead". He recognized the store front/sign!

He can recognize a Target/SuperTarget if we pass one(well, we do shop there a LOT. He noticed one near Orlando last weekend as we drove down the interstate).

He knows what Campbell's is (local ice cream joint) and we don't go there very often.

Just this morning, we passed by our fave pizza place and he remembered picking up pizza last week there. "mmm I wuv it"

I'm happy to say he doesn't know what Walmart is. I don't shop there if I can help it.

It just really surprises me how much he remembers. Now if we would only apply that to his ABCs, shapes, colors, etc!

Dinner time!

See, I told you I'd come up with something. I got my idea from Pioneer Woman (see her link on my blog roll over there <---) who always makes yummy looking stuff but my friend Julie has done a few of these too. In fact, she started a second blog just for her recipes. Anyway, I don't cook much anymore since becoming pregnant. And this is what I usually do- throw something last minute together. Here it is in all it's pictorial glory. I have step by step directions so this may get long. Feel free to ignore as unless you can't boil water, it's not exactly a gourmet meal.

The cast of ingredients. Please pretend there is actually pasta in that box. I added a cast member after I had poured the pasta. I didn't realize I had cheese! Btw, if you don't usually like Ragu sauce, try the Organic version. Yum!!

Boil water...ignore all my pregnancy pills in the back ;)

Add salt- AFTER boiling water. Did you know salt before boiling can scar your pan? You can only truly season pasta in the water it's boiling in, not afterwards.

Pour pasta

Stir it around. Cook until al dente. Okay, so I've never known exactly when that was, so I just taste as it cooks....a few times. Mmm.

Drain well, shake a bit to get all the excess water hiding away in the pasta. Noone wants watery pasta.

Pour into your baking dish- can you see the steam in the back?

Time to pour the sauce!

Add some cheese and stir it around. Taste test...mmmm

Add some extra cheese on top.

If you have time, just put it in a 350 oven until it's really hot and the cheese is melty, but I was hungry (I'm pregnant people!) so I just put it under the broiler until the top layer was melty. I really like a browned cheese top but didn't feel like waiting that long. Low fat cheese just doesn't brown very well either. Dh is on WW though so low fat it is.

And it's done! Scoop some out to feed your children and nibble on some more until it's time to make your plate.

I decided to see if we had some garlic bread and found some in the back of the freezer. Here it is in it's frozen state. I chose to throw it in our Advantium oven so I didn't have to use the normal oven again.

And after it was done. Yummmmmy! I could eat all 3 pieces but I'll be nice and share.

And that was the end of my not-so-gourmet pasta dinner. Quick and easy!

Huh

For once I have absolutely nothing to blog about. My mind is a blank and has been all day. You've read about those school zone racers that irk me so much and you've read about bloody noses (which Ian just got again). There's nothing new pregnancy wise. Huh... what else can I write about? I'm sure to come up with something....sometime soon....my mind can't be blank forever can it?

Disney Sunday

Despite the rain clouds and cold, we decided to head to WDW for the day. It wasn't looking pretty but we had confidence that the weather guys were right in that it would clear up. Amazingly, the sky started clearing once we spotted our Disney exit sign. It was a crystal blue sky by the time we parked and made it onto the ferry. Yippee! It was still c-c-cold though with the wind blowing but thankfully it warmed up quite a bit as the afternoon wore on. The park was much more crowded than I anticipated but the lines weren't that bad- maybe 20min waits? We did FastPass Big Thunder Mt for Logan though. Splash Mt is down for a refurb so everyone was waiting over at BTMRR and it was a 70min wait! No way jose! So we criss crossed the park a few times and got our exercise in. The boys got to ride what they wanted to and everyone was happy. That is until it was time to leave the park...Ian wanted to ride the tram back to the car and we weren't that far away so we chose to walk. It's just a PITA to fold up the stroller and carry everything we had. He fell asleep before we even hit the interstate. Okay, a few pics!

On the drive over...watching the Incredibles




We met some very distant cousins of Donald and Daisy...and fed them popcorn while the toddler next to us fed them goldfish and giggled.

Ohhh mememememe! Pick me!


Whatyoulookinat?!


Night night


And a couple of non-Disney related pics...

Aww brothers....


Gigglepusses

Someone's reading my blog!

Wow. I added a ticker/counter/widget/whatever to my blog the other day. I started it at a weird number of 381 because I couldn't remember what my last counter said and it disappeared at some point. I now have over 700 hits. Cool beans! Comment people!

Tag, You're it!

10 Things I've Done

Here’s an interesting meme (yes, I had to look it up as I had no clue). Julie tagged me and I'm tagging the rest of you!

List ten things I have done that others likely have not. This was very hard to do (I'm such a boring person LOL).

1... I played the violin in the school orchestra for 8 years. I was pretty good and was always in 1st violin, and between 1st-3rd chair.

2... I worked in a bicycle handlegrips factory for a few months. (!!)

3... I failed geometry in middle school (seriously, it wasn't my fault!)

4... I worked for a vending/wholesale distributor for over 8 years and got to try samples of new foods/candies before they hit the shelves (and I wonder why I got fat?).

5... I lived with my parents until I got engaged and then moved in with my fiance, BIL and MIL for over a year.

6... I aced all my spelling tests in 5th grade so much that the teacher just let me give the test instead of taking it.

7... I dared/taunted my sister when we were kids to swim across an above ground pool and she nearly drowned. I believe my dad had to jump in to get her. Oops.

8... I've breastfed 2 boys for 4.5 years in total.

9... I've visited all major theme parks in the Central FL area at least once. I've done WDW more times than I can count.

10... I/my family has owned one dog or another my entire life.

Told you I'm boring! This was tough!!!

ETA: I thought of another one. I've been to two Super Bowls in Tampa!

Good morning

Once again, Ian was up several times in the night. Ugh. Then as I was getting out of bed this morning, I started getting palpitations again. I can't get it to stop though. If it ever does, we'll be headed to Disney!

ETA: Laying down for a few minutes helped. I don't think it's my blood pressure though as I don't show any other signs of preeclampsia. I will ask my MW though about it.

ETAA: I had no other problems all day and we had fun at Disney!

Another boring Saturday

We got zip done today- no painting, no cleaning, nothing. Well, I did get the alarm fixed on my truck but other than that, zip! Both Ian and Logan were up several times last night and just didn't want to sleep. They weren't sick, just awake! Ian finally crawled in bed with us and slept but dh and I were so tired today. After dropping off my truck at Sound Advice, we got the boys some lunch and put them both down for a nap. An hour and a half later, Logan fell asleep but Ian still hadn't. Dh was napping in the tv room and all I wanted to do was nap but Ian was frustrating the hell out of me not staying in bed. If I closed his door, he'd cry and I didn't want him waking Logan. Ugh. I think he finally slept for an hour before getting up again. I was like forget it already, dh is here, he can watch him and I went to sleep. I think I woke up around 4:30 (nice huh?) and we were off to go get my truck again. I left them at SA while I drove to the Vitamin Shoppe for some Red Raspberry Leaf caplets and tea and to get some dinner. That was an hour ago and they still aren't home. Uh oh...I should know better than to leave dh at SA by himself. Heaven knows what he'll bring home. When I called him, he was looking at a projector that was 75% off....

Well alrighty then...

Check out this post on Craigslist. Hurry before it's gone!

And speaking of...

Why is it pregnant woman seem to become so scatterbrained? What is it about pregnancy that causes your brain cell to freeze up? I have a hard time remembering appointments or what I ate yesterday. After the baby is here, it's even worse because then you are sleep deprived on top of it. What time did I feed him last? Which side did I nurse last? Did I change his diaper recently? I know when I had my boys at the hospital, the nurses were always asking how long it had been between feedings? How the hell do I know? I'm exhausted and just want some sleep. Hello?! 23 hours of labor here. I just fibbed with my 2nd. It kept them off my back.

This time around, I know the midwives want you to keep a record too. Ugh! Like I want to write down every time she's fed or changed. This is my 3rd baby, I think I can handle it. But I will be the good little mommy and write it down for their records. I did come across this handy little gadget. Not sure if I want to buy it or not though. I'd still have to write everything down for the 1st 2 weeks or so. At least it would help me remember what side I nursed on, that is if I remembered to push the buttons. I can see in my sleep deprived stupor, not remembering to do that either. It's all a mad cycle!

It's Secret Sister time!

Our playgroup is doing a SS for Valentine's Day (and possibly all of Feb). We have a very minute dollar limit ($5) and I'm so unimaginative. What am I going to do for the next 2 weeks much less 4 if we keep going?? I'm used to a much bigger budget ($20). LOL My scatterbrained pregnant self is at a loss right now... I'll think of something though!

Baby Name

Okay, I think we've come to a decision....Bella will be her name. Isabella is just too popular of a name now. I just can't seem to call her Isabella when I'm talking to her either. It's always Bella. Dh thought of something else by the way. My first name is actually Linda which means beautiful in Spanish. We didn't plan this but Bella also means beautiful only in Italian. She'll also have my middle name spelled a bit differently. I thought that was pretty neat!

Love this opening scene

I don't know what it is about this song, but I absolutely love it and will listen to it over and over again. Ian loves it too. I have the soundtrack on my iPods to the whole movie. Here's the video:

Things I'm learning about Ian

#1 Ian loves turkey and salami. Who knew? Yesterday at lunch I was just fooling around and asked if he wanted a turkey sandwich and he said yes so I gave him just the turkey, some salami and some apples and he ate it all! Guess he's my little omnivore. Logan just isn't a big meat eater. He'll probably follow dh and be a veg.

This morning, he wanted a snack too. Guess what he asked for? Apples and turkey. He also got some salami and cheese. At least it's somewhat healthy!

#2 He's pretty funny. This morning's conversation went something like this. (We pass a cow/horse pasture everyday near Logan's school)
I: Look at all the poopy!
Me: (laughing) Yea, that's a lot of poop.
I: Bad dog
Me: What dog?
I: Bad Horse!
Me: Why's the horse bad?
I: Horse no poop in potty.
Me: (cracking up) Horses don't poop in the potty. Ian poops in potty, Logan poops in potty.....(etc)
I: Horse sit time out! Horse no poop in potty.

Sometimes I wish I had a tape recorder on me.

Weird

I'm just sitting here and out of the blue my heart starts racing. I used to get palpitations a long time ago but they stopped once I started losing weight (or so I think- don't really remember). I counted the beats and it was 144hbm and now they are back to 96. I think my normal rate is in the 80s. Very weird! I hate the feeling though.