Say Goodbye to Buddy!

Tonight was a BIG night in the Brown household! Mason went room to room searching for and collecting all of his pacifiers (or "buddies" as we call them). After they were all gathered up, we explained to him that the Paicifier Fairy was going to come in the middle of the night and take them to all of the little babies who really need them! Surprisingly, he did not have a hard time with this...maybe because he knows he is going to get a present in the morning and his love language is gifts (just like his dad). So off he marched to put them on the front porch. He did not ask for buddy as he went to bed, but it is taking him much longer to fall asleep. I hope it is not a long night and that we are done with the pacifier forever!
You can watch it here:
http://vimeo.com/3414941

1st Trip to the Library

Lefty (Grandpa Rusty will be proud!)
Mason's first trip to the library went pretty smoothly. The whole way there we talked about how we had to be quiet and use our "inside" voices. I tried to explain that people were there to read, he kept telling me we needed to whisper because people were there to sleep, but whatever works.
He first spotted the huge bin of toys and quickly went over and dumped them all out. So much for being quiet! We did end up reading a few books, picked a few to take home as well as 2 DVD's and even colored a picture. The librarian was very nice and even invited us back for their Wednesday morning kid program where they have music and story time. That may be our best option rather than going while the adults in there are trying to read and concentrate.
We did enjoy our field trip and have already read through all of the books once!

26 weeks

I know what you are thinking (especially if you read my last post), but I promise I am only up by 5-7 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight even though it looks like I am up by 30!!!

Appointments

I went for two appointments today.
I called first thing this morning to see if my dermatologist could see me. I have two little spots of skin that always seem irritated and wanted them looked at. Thankfully they were able to fit me in and she removed both of them. She said they did not look good and it is never a good sign when they stay irritated and don't heal. So, now I just have to wait to make sure that everything comes back clear from the lab. She wants to rule out Basil Cell. I am praying that both will come back fine.
I also went for my 26 week OB appointment. I gained a bit more weight, so I am now 20 pounds up from my very first appointment but only 5-7 pounds above my starting pre-pregnancy weight. So that means...more ice cream!!! LOL
I was relieved that all of the pressure I have been feeling is nothing to worry about. She said it could be a combination of things, but she is not concerned about it. She is sending my urine out to just make sure I don't have a UTI. We decided that Kailee will be joining us on May 28th if all goes as planned and she does not decide to come early. That is my grandpa Rutherford's birthday who passed away when I was little and I think it would be special for them to share a birthday.
I go back in 3 weeks for another appointment and the nasty glucose test. Yuck!

Looking Ahead

I am looking forward to my appointment on Wednesday. I am now 26 weeks and am feeling a lot of pressure. I did not have that with Mason so I am not sure what is going on. Andy is making fun of me since I am already waddling instead of walking.
These pregnancies have been so different! I am guessing it is from all of ligaments being stretched and pulled in all sorts of directions. I also think it is from carrying and lifting Mason. I try really hard not to, but it is hard to avoid sometimes. I am also much bigger at this point than I was when I was pregnant with Mason (it could be from all of the double cheeseburgers-I am hooked on them!)
Only 13 more weeks to go...

Expensive Wash!

I washed the most expensive load of laundry yesterday!!!
Andy usually leaves his clothes bed-side as he falls into bed late at night. I usually notice that they occasionally make it to the dirty clothes hamper, but the majority of time they do not. So, yesterday I swooped everything off of the floor, dumped it into the hamper started the first of many loads.
As I went to put everything into the dryer I noticed that his zip-up jacket was a bit heavy and sure enough in the pockets I found his new Ipod and our new tiny video camera that we have only owned for a couple days :(
We have had numerous discussions in the past about pocket checking and who should be responsible, however neither of us do it.
I feel awful and am crossing my fingers that both will work after they air out for a few days!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Speaking of love, check out Mason's opinion of his baby sister....

What a little stinker!

Random

This past weekend was a bit hectic for us. Friday night I went out with my sister, mom and cousin to see Bride Wars which was really cute! Saturday I worked and then we headed to my parents to celebrate my mom's birthday. Mason loves playing with his cousins! He just laughs and giggles the whole time, I think this little sister of his will be good for him-he gets bored! Unfortunately we woke up early Sunday morning to the sound of Mason puking :( Poor little guy had the stomach flu. Thankfully, he is now feeling much better and we are just hoping we don't get it.

This week is going to be busy too. We have small group on Wednesday night, Thursday we have an annual Valentine Banquet that Christian Family Services hosts to raise money for the amazing adoption work that they do (my mother-in-law works there). Friday I am having a coupon party here-you are more than welcome to come! Saturday is Valentine's Day which I am hoping Andy is taking me out (hint-hint) ;)

Today I am 24 weeks pregnant. It is almost scary to think only another 15 weeks and we will have another baby around here. YIKES! Andy was laughing at me yesterday because I was "nesting". I could not stop cleaning! To defend myself...I wanted to disinfect everything since Mason had the stomach flu, but I kept getting distracted into deep cleans here and there or organizing things that probably did not need to be organized. I wish I had the energy to do that everyday!

My parents are leaving this Thursday for Florida for 6 weeks, I am wishing I could go with them!!! I am really going to miss our 2 week Florida trip that we take every year, but it is all for good reason that we can't go! Next year we will have two kids to pack up and take-yikes, we are going to need a car top carrier!

Terry's Update

Terry's surgery went great! The surgeons were able to biopsy 2 of the 4 lymph nodes that they took out and they all looked clear. Her surgery took way longer than they thought but she is recovering really well and should be able to go home tomorrow! Thanks for your prayers.

Terry

Please pray for my coworker and friend Terry who is having a major surgery tomorrow. She was diagnosed with breast cancer a few months ago and is going to be undergoing surgery followed by chemo and radiation.
She is having such a great attitude and is staying really positive about everything!
Thanks! I will keep you all updated.

COUPONING!!!

Walgreens
CVS

My new love....couponing!! I went to a class that my neighbor had last March and ever since then I have been hooked on coupons. I used to make fun of my mom for having a coupon for everything, but now that I pay my own bills, they really help out!
I never really realized that there is a "science" to it all, but there is and my shopping trips are now amazingly cheaper!! I went to Kroger last week and my $117 bill came down to $42.50 with coupons....amazing!
Here are pictures of my CVS and Walgreens trips this morning.
Walgreens: All of the above items were FREE after e-mail in rebate and to top it off, I had coupons, so I made a profit of $6, PLUS-there is a $40 rebate on the glucose monitor which means technically I end up with a $46 profit! I don't need the monitor, but I can donate it.
CVS- here are my final costs on the above products...
VO5- 50 cents each
soup- 36 cents each
glade candles- 69 cents each
Palmolive- 59 cents each
Kellogg's cereal- $1.13/box
Energy Shots-Free after Extra Care Bucks
Kotex pads- 72 cents each pack
Fusion Power razor-$4 profit after ECB and coupon!!

My friend Laura is also hooked on coupons and is WAY better at this than I am. I am having her come to teach a Coupon Party Class at my house on Feb 13th at 6:30pm, please come and find out how to save (or make!!) a lot of money!!!!!!!!!!!!! The class is usually$20 per person which pays for your supplies and goes to a missionary project that her hubby is involved with!
Here is her blog if you want to check it out:
http://www.sharpenyourscissors.blogspot.com/

ELMO Live 1/31/09

Hanging out with Dad waiting for the show to start.
snack time.
Dancing with Dad.

The trip would not be complete without showing Mason Comerica Park.

Mason had such a great time at ELMO. He was a bit unsure at first when Andy was trying to sing and dance with him, but he ended up loving it! Thankfully he is still at the age where we can leave there without spending a ton of money on souvenirs. I did check on an ELMO balloon, but was way to cheap to pay $10 for it. Mason did not even know the difference. :)