Politicking

Today was the Republican primary here in Florida so after a morning at PlayAway Hayley and I headed off to take part in the privelege of voting. We hit the polls around 11:45am and seeing as how our polling location is very much in a residential area with few businesses I was surprised at the turnout. Officials had predicted that turnout would be strong and what I saw definitely fulfilled their forecasts. Luckily the line moved quickly and it wasn't long before Hayley and I were on our way with her "I voted" sticker.

Our "patriot"


This is what happened when I told her that despite our vote today, it was possible that Hillary could be our next President!

Apparently she's got an opinion

Daddy and Hayley have a nightly ritual of playing in Hayley's room after dinner and a bath. After lots of giggling and squealing last night, I walked in to find this: The final part of this nightly ritual, is milk and storytime with Daddy. Since the day she was born, Hayley has known exactly what she wants. And she hasn't been afraid to express to us what she wants. A lot of times, we didn't get it right. She definitely let us know that. So it should come as no surprise that as she gets closer to two, her opinions are only becoming that much stronger. Nightly storytime is not immune from Hayley's opinions. She has a very definite idea of which books she wants to hear each night and she makes sure to let Daddy know. And she keeps us guessing because her book requests demands change from storytime to storytime.

A Day at the Zoo

Brian has been enjoying a four day weekend with today and tomorrow off, so we decided to take Hayley up to Tampa for her first trip to the Lowry Park Zoo.

She was so excited she could barely contain herself as we entered the parking lot! I can count on one hand the number of times this kid has fallen asleep in the car. Who would've thought at 9am she'd konk out??!!

She got up close and personal with the giraffes until they started to come after her Bunny Grahams crackers. Hayley does not share food with ANYONE!


By far her favorite of the day was the Aquatic Center where she got to see big fish swimming around. She liked the stingray exhibit until she realized that she wasn't going to be swimming with them and threw a fit. I think she would have been happy if we'd spent all day in this aquarium.


Overall we had a good morning and we think that Hayley enjoyed the trip. She's still too little to participate in a lot of the zoo activities, but it was good for her to see so many different animals. But at the end of the day Hayley was happy as could be to come home to her favorite animals of all... "Kwowie" and Pooh!

Battle Wounds

Over the past year and a half we've come to learn that we've got a tough little princess. Good thing too because she's a dare devil! I can't tell you how many times she's taken a BIG tumble and gotten right back up, scraped knees and all, and just kept on running like nothing ever happened. Which explains why she seems to have so many bumps and bruises that I can't explain. It's not at all uncommon for us to come home from a morning of PlayAway and I start noticing rug burns, bruises, and bumps on my little dainty doll. There is one thing that can bring instant tears to my little babe's eyes (aside from hunger of course) and that is the mere sight of a Band-aid. A few months ago, Hayley scraped her knee up pretty bad. Lest she have a scar for life, Daddy was adamant about keeping an ample supply of Neosporin on her wound (Daddy's obession with Neosporin is subject for a post of it's own). Of course keeping Neosporin on Hayley's knee required the use of a Band-aid. The mere sight of this Band-aid was enough to send Hayley over the edge... it truly was the end of the world. We kept pants on her and the Band-aid was soon forgotten about until it was diaper changing time and the terrible Band-aid would reappear. I even bought Hayley some Dora and Sesame Street Band-aids in an effort to make being wounded "fun." But there is no fooling Hayley and the reminder of her own immortality was just too much for her to bear. Luckily we've been able to put the Band-aids away for the past few months and we've accepted the fact that perhaps the medical profession will not be a career choice for our little doll. Besides, the way that Hayley has been blaming Pooh and "Kwowie" for everything lately leads us to believe that "Judge Hayley" may be more up her alley.

But as I was saying, our family has been wound free until last night when Daddy came home with a cut finger. Somehow he'd cut his knuckle on a door at work. It was one of those cuts in a pesky place that wouldn't stop bleeding. Unable to get a Band-aid at work he came home asking for one. (Yes, he works for the Department of Defense, the Army, you wouldn't think it'd be that tough to get a Band-aid, but I digress.) Unfortunately, the only suitable Band-aids that I had for his wound just so happened to be bright yellow with a blue Cookie Monster on them. I got a bit of a chuckle seeing my 200 pound "protector of our household" sporting a Sesame Street Band-aid, but whatever.

Brian took off early this morning for a big day at work. He had to brief a Four Star General. I'm really hoping he remembered to take off the Sesame Street Band-aid.

Strawberry Shortcake

We headed out to the strawberry farm this morning to let our little Strawberry Shortcake have her first berry picking experience! The strawberries at this farm are grown hydroponically which means they are grown in stackers making them the perfect height for Hayley to pick! Unfortunatley, Hayley showed no bias to the ripe strawberries and tried to pick just as many of the green ones! Apparently she's an equal opportunity picker and does not discriminate based on color! We decided to leave the picking to Mommy and Hayley spent her time showing Daddy how to transfer each strawberry from Mommy to our basket.
Mommy and Hayley at the beginning of our adventure! Hayley found a good one! An organic banana smoothie to thank Hayley for all her hard work! (This was the absolute BEST smoothie I've ever had in my entire life. Granted I'm pregnant and obsessive about fruit right now, but I'll save that for another post.) Washing up some of the "fruits" of our labor for lunch! (These were the BEST strawberries I've ever had, but again, I'm obsessive and pregnant so I may be a bit partial!)

I think I mentioned that the smoothie was REALLY good. Of course Brian and I only got a sip of it because Hayley REFUSED to share. We've learned that you DO NOT come between this kid and fruit!

When Food Sneaking Plans Go Bad

Hayley had Macaroni and Cheese for dinner tonight.






She should have known that if she kept sneaking food to Chloe she'd eventually get caught! "Doggone," says Chloe!

Resolutions

I’m not sure if I look more or less ridiculous pulling this down the street?!!

Okay, so it’s January 9th and I realize it’s a little late for the whole New Year’s Resolution thing. But personally I’m not a big fan of the term “resolution.” I think I’d rather just call them goals. After all, you don’t sit through countless hours of business school classes and not get the meaning of the word “goal” beaten into your head. I’d like to “think” that somehow I’m putting this graduate degree to work. So, for the new year we’re turning over a new leaf and Hayley has some specific goals that she wants to make sure she accomplishes this year… beginning with potty training and sleeping in a big girl bed. Oh, and she’d like to have these goals accomplished by April. I think it’s great that “she” has chosen a timeline that just happens to meet the looming deadline of the arrival of our beloved Frog Prince!

Now my personal goals, those are a little more complex. Of course I have the usual goals to get in better shape, eat better, etc. And I do have a weight loss goal. My goal is to drop a good oh, say thirty pounds beginning in April. And I hope to work on my running and maybe by the end of the year enter a few races. The biggest lesson I learned after having Hayley is that no matter how I try to keep fit while pregnant, it is still a long uphill battle to regain the stamina and strength that I had prior to pregnancy. I’ve definitely got my work cut out for me.

Along with working on the outside, I’m trying to work on the inside. Now that Brian and I have had to become ever so conscious about the words we say, we also have to be incredibly conscious of our actions. So putting it broadly, my goal is to work to be an overall good person… to be a good wife, mother, daughter, friend, and all the other roles I play in life. This is the most challenging goal of all for me because it requires a daily commitment to all those specific characteristics that have always been a challenge (such as patience, understanding, compassion, did I mention PATIENCE??!! After all, I do have a toddler!)

So cheers to potty training, big girl beds, frog princes, health, nutrition, and personal improvement in 2008!

The chill is ON!

Holy moly was it cold in Florida for the past two days! I know I've turned into a certified wimp, but when you get used to a lifestyle that doesn't involve socks or closed toe shoes, freezing temps, even temporarily, are not enjoyable. Last night as we were watching TV, the weather people (I am politically correct) kept breaking in to make announcements that "the temperature has now dropped to XX degrees." It is a tad bit ridiculous, but the good news is that it looks like the strawberries and the oranges will survive (we already know the nuts are alive and kicking here in Florida)! Now I'm not sure I can say the same thing for all the frozen iguanas down in Miami. You know when the sun hits them and they warm back up they supposedly come back to life? It's like the frozen goldfish in a pond story! Anyhow, it reminds me of how I feel in the cold weather.

So obviously it was an indoor activity day for Hayley and I, something we're just not used to here. She followed me out into the garage to get something and about went to pieces when I had to tear her away from her red wagon. I brought her table indoors and we had a coloring day.


Searching for inspiration


An idea!


Creating her masterpiece


"It's just not quite right!"


Zee Masterpiece! (said with a French accent)


Presenting her work of art to Daddy!

Chloe did it!

Hayley's vocabulary has been growing by the day lately and we always have to think twice about what comes out of our mouths that she might repeat. (Remember the movie Meet The Fockers?) Anyhow, Hayley has developed a habit each morning as I set her in her chair for breakfast. She first says, "Poooh?" (As in her good friend stuffed Winnie the Pooh) I tell her "Pooh is still in bed and you can get him when you finish your breakfast." She looks at me and smiles and then says "Kwowie???" (Translation: Chloe) I say, "Chloe is still in bed too. We'll get her up after you get dressed." (Chloe likes to lay in bed and watch TV for about an hour or so after I get up.) Every morning, we have this same conversation. Of course I get tickled that Hayley seems to be bonding with Chloe. Throughout the day she'll come up and ask me about "Kwowie," wanting to know where she is and she has even found Chloe's usual hiding spots such as under our bed our under Hayley's crib. I'll be working in the kitchen and hear Hayley squeal from another room only to find that she is playing peek-a-boo with an under the bed Chloe. They've warmed up to each other nicely and I love seeing Hayley express her love in the form of pats and kisses for Chloe.

So, you can imagine our surprise at what came out of Hayley's mouth tonight. Lately Hayley has been OBSESSED with one of our silk ficas trees. She could care less about the actual tree, but LOVES the spanish moss that lines the bottom of the tree. She likes to grab a handful and dump it on the floor, a trick that she knows is a "no-no." So tonight Brian and I both caught Hayley dumping a handful of moss on the floor. As we said "Hayley" simultaneously, she looked up and said "Kwowie did it!!!" She then acted like she was just picking up "Kwowie's" mess!! Poor Chloe... I won't be at all surprised if she packs up and moves in with Mimi and Grandpa before long.

I'll HUFF, and I'll PUFF, and I'll wog down the sidewalk!

As I was out for my morning "wog" (because who am I kidding, I waddle more than I jog at this point) yesterday morning, I couldn't help but notice that passengers in the passing cars seemed to be laughing at me. I got a little irate and thought to myself, "haven't these people seen a pregnant woman try to run before?" Of course I had to temper my ill thoughts when I came to the realization that no, they probably haven't seen a fat lady try to quickly waddle down the road while pushing a toddler in a stroller with a furry dog's hair flying in the breeze riding shotgun on top of the stroller. Now that the weather has cooled a bit we're returning to our daily walk routine. I usually start out for two miles just with Hayley, we then loop back by the house and pick up Chloe for an additional mile. Of course Chloe's little 5 inch legs just can't manage a full mile so I end up putting her on the hood of the stroller for the end half... right when we're walking along the busiest stretch of road in our neighborhood for all to chuckle at. It's a good thing I value fitness over vanity because I'm sure I look absolutely ridiculous. So after realizing what everyone is probably laughing at, I begin to think through just how many people I'm giving a "free ride" (in the lap of luxury I might add) while I'm huffing and puffing them along! I was planning to get a double stroller for Hayley and the Frog Prince, but maybe a triple would be in order so Chloe would have an actual seat? I'm sure I wouldn't look ridiculous then.

Hayley had her 18 month check-up with the pediatrician today. She's actually 19 months now, but I had delayed her appointment while I searched for a new doctor. After some soul searching I decided that our current pediatrician just wasn't right for us and luckily I happened upon a pediatrician who has just opened up his own holistic practice. This doctor spent a good hour with me today just talking about nutrition and getting to know Hayley and I'm so thrilled to have found him. Hayley is still on the small side at 22 pounds, but continues to be a healthy and thriving little girl.

Nana and Papa had given Hayley the Cozy Cottage, her very own ball pit, for Christmas. I about killed my self getting it inflated, but my hard work was definitely worth the effort after seeing Hayley's sheer delight over her new toy. Keep in mind that Hayley is obsessed with balls and in Hayley's mind if one ball is good then 150 balls must be heaven. But of course it's no fun to play in the Cozy Cottage alone, which is why Pooh spends every moment in the Cozy Cottage along with Hayley!

Christmas 2007

Christmas must be over. I know so because at exactly 8pm last night our outdoor Christmas lights tripped off the ground fault, signaling the official end of Christmas. We did have a Merry Christmas and now today we begin the holiday clean up (and I'm not opposed to using child labor). Santa brought Hayley more blocks then a little girl could dream of. Perhaps Santa didn't fully think through how these blocks would be used strewn throughout the house for Mommy to constantly step on. Hayley also received a red wagon that her and little brother can ride around the neighborhood in. She's taken her new wheels out for two spins to the park already and, big surprise, yells at Daddy to make the wagon go faster. I'm not going to be able to keep my little thrill seeker off the roller coasters when she gets older.

We hosted Christmas dinner at our home and somehow I managed to make it through without burning the house down (unlike Brian's birthday dinner, but that's another blog posting and our smoke detectors must be overly sensitive). There was one minor catastrophe which was my hollandaise sauce, but I managed to whip up a different cheese sauce and save the steamed broccoli and cauliflower. (Because after all, what good would nutritious steamed vegetables be if not topped with a calorie laden cheese sauce?) Each meal is a learning experience and in this latest episode I learned that the double boiler is not my friend. So now that I'm all cooked out, we have plenty of leftovers and I'm hoping to take the rest of the year off from the kitchen.

Our holiday photos

Ahh Man!

No, pigs haven't started to fly and it's not "really" snowing in Florida. However, considering the ice storms and severe weather that most of the country is seeing right now, this faux snow is the closest we Floridians want to get to the real thing! Friday night we took Hayley down to Main Street where it "snows" for ten minutes at the top of each hour. The "snow" is actually foam. It reminded me more of my old sorority's foam parties then an actual snow storm, but if it takes a bottle of Palmolive to give my daughter her first snow experience then so be it. Just remind me to eventually explain to Hayley that snow doesn't really taste like soap, nor does it occur when it is 75 degrees outside.

We attended a Christmas celebration for our small group last night. Hayley enjoyed getting to stay up past her usual bedtime playing with Luke. When Luke tired out she moved onto Luke's good natured dog, Satchley. Poor Satchley puts up with a lot! I've tried showing this picture to Chloe so she'll see how much worse it could be, but she refuses to even look. Anyhow, we all enjoyed the good food and the fellowship!

Brian exclaimed "Ahh man!" at Hayley the other night and we were shocked when she exclaimed "Ahh man!" right back. Aunt Amy pointed out that she probably picked up "Ahh man" from watching Dora the Explorer. Sure enough the first time we said "Swiper no swiping, Swiper no swiping, Swiper no swiping," Hayley chimed in with "Ah man!" Notice in the video she even tries to snap her fingers just like Swiper does! It's probably time that we really start watching what we say around her!

All I want for Christmas...

... is a shiny new set of wheels! The Mercedes Benz of strollers. Ah, the endorphins! Yesterday I managed to have my first successful jog since I came down with my little parasite. The overwhelming nausea combined with first trimester exhaustion just made the thought of running completely unbearable. I did manage to regularly take walks, but oh how I've missed the thrill of a run. And after the carb fest that was my first sickmester combined with all the laying around I've got some fitness gains to make up for! Unfortunatley, I'm not sure how long this running (or speedy waddling) bit will last though. When I was pregnant with Hayley, I had to quit running at about 26 weeks because she was so low that it was painful and I'd be unable to walk for days after a run. This little boy seems to be hanging out a bit higher up, so I'm hoping I've got a future in running this time around. I'm wondering if I should start going to the track and trying the hurdles. Might as well get Junior used to the motion because with those long legs I bet he'll be a natural at the hurdles... and the high jump... and...

As I previously mentioned, Hayley has been a handful lately. We've had several moments where we just wanted to hang her up by her toes. The problem is that this isn't a very effective punishment as she seems to rather enjoy it. Same goes for timeout. Sometimes I think she acts up just so she can be put in timeout... it amazes me how she can entertain herself just sitting alone and staring at white walls.

He may actually be part frog

Our son, that is. From the looks of it so far, he has been blessed with the special ability to leap tall buildings with those legs. This is probably a good thing for him to have though. After all, he's going to need all the help he can get to crawl, run, hop away from his bossy big sister.

Speaking of Hayley, what a little handful she has been lately. It seems we have begun to enter the tantrum stage which can make for some interesting moments. Boy does she get mad when I don't read her mind (typical woman, right?) One thing Hayley has decided she definitely doesn't like is Daddy singing. I can usually sing several songs to her before putting her down for bed, but Daddy can't even get two notes in before Hayley tells him "I done." Last night she even put her hand over his mouth and told him "Noooooo!" Tonight she told him "I done" and then tried to turn the light off on him. Luckily Daddy isn't easily offended!

Boy, oh boy!

We're having a BOY! Looks like Hayley will retain her reign as crowned princess as we'll be introducing a little prince to the world in April. We had an 18 week ultrasound this morning and there is no doubt that this baby is carrying the Y chromosome. So along with that sugar and spice it looks like we will add some snips and snails, and puppy dog tails ("Yikes!" says Chloe) to our household! We were grateful to hear that everything looked healthy on our little guy and now the shopping can commence!

We're baaaaccck!

After surviving another round with the TSA we managed to safely make it back to Florida. Once again I was pleased as punch to have the plane seat next to us open, giving us some needed room for our little Hurricane. While we were in Denver, Hayley became quite the Daddy's girl and would not leave his side. This preference continued throughout the plane ride home. Is it wrong that I actually enjoyed this???

We got back into town late Saturday night (or shall I say early Sunday morning?) We've spent the past few days allowing Hayley to get back on her usual schedule as well as get ourselves unpacked and back into the groove of things. We had a great trip and luckily the weather held for us... no snow storms to contend with makes for a much easier trip. Don't get me wrong, it was still cold and quite the shock to my thin flowing Florida blood. Hayley seemed to enjoy the cooler weather though and the altitude sure fired up her appetite.

4 Generations


A day at the park

Hayley's Gone West!

Greetings from Colorado! Hayley and I have been enjoying our time here since last Friday and Daddy flew in last Tuesday. I was pleasantly surprised at how well my trip with Hayley went as we breezed through the airport and security. Hayley was happy to wear "Bear" and seemed to enjoy a grand new adventure. She was really good about holding my hand in the airport and having "Bear" just gave me extra piece of mind that she couldn't get away. I was VERY nervous about the flight because not only was Hayley missing her afternoon nap, but we would be in the air during her usual dinner time and wouldn't be landing in Denver until her usual bedtime. Despite these things, she did wonderful and happily sat and watched videos for most of the flight. Unfortunately, the batteries for the DVD player went dead with about 45 minutes left in the flight and that is when I broke a sweat. She did her best to "entertain" the passengers around us and somehow I managed to keep her on my lap. Such a relief that Daddy will be accompanying us on the return flight. Because after all, misery loves company.

We've done our best to keep Hayley busy with trips to the park and the Cherry Creek Mall where they have an indoor children's play area that Hayley had a ball in (until she fell out of the cereal bowl). We'll post more photos and another update once we return home.

I got no strings to tie me down!

It's not like it should be a surprise. I mean after all, Brian and I knew that the product of our procreation would be anything but laid back. It's just not in the genes and we were pretty aware of this fact. We thought we were ready, but I don't think anything could have truly prepared us for the demands of our Hurricane.

We'll be making a family trip out to Colorado in about a week. Mommy and Hayley will be flying out a few days ahead of Daddy and therefore Mommy is busy preparing for a three hour plane ride where she'll be forced to contain Hayley on her lap. Did I mention that it is a three hour plane ride? Not only does Mommy have to survive the plane ride, she first has to make it through the airport. The stress created by just merely thinking about the feat that lay ahead prompted me to purchase this. Yep, I'm "hoping" to be one of "those" parents. When I was younger (read: childless and knew EVERYTHING), I used to see parents who would attach a leash to their children in public places. I'd shake my head and think "what type of parent puts a leash on their child?" Well, now I know. The parents of a Hurricane, that's who!

I couldn't wait to get home and introduce Hayley to her new "Beary" special friend. After all I thought, Bear will give Hayley a bit of the independence that she demands, while allowing Mommy to manage the airport without having a heart attack. But alas, our daughter is no dummy and Hayley was not at all happy to meet Bear. She now screams if I even place him near her. She obviously has no interest in just the illusion of freedom. She wants it all.


So today was all about the pumpkin here at The Roberts' home. We traveled down to a local, FREE (I learned a lesson after last year's pumpkin fiasco) pumpkin patch. Hayley could have cared less about the pumpkins and found it to be LOTS more fun to just run through the maze of hay bales. Never one to sit still, it should be no surprise that she also wasn't interested in taking pictures with the pumpkins.

After some lunch and an afternoon nap, Hayley spent approximately one minute helping Mommy and Daddy clean the pumpkin so Daddy could carve it. At first she wasn't too fond of the pumpkin goop, but warmed up to it fairly quickly and decided to see what it tasted like. Our "laid-back" daughter was not at all pleased when we tried to keep her from eating the insides of the pumpkin.

"I'd rather be running!"


"Ahh, much better!"


"What is this stuff?"


"Guess I'll see what it tastes like."


"But I WANT to eat it Mommy!!"

Our Daughter Is A Genius

Although I may be a bit biased. Several months ago I bought Hayley an activity table with wooden block shapes. She's spent a lot of time playing with this table and we would regularly sit and I would show her how each block fit in a specific slot. In the beginning, she looked at me like I'd lost my mind, but as the months went on she began trying to put the shapes through a slot. I heard lots of frustrated yells. Not only does this "puzzle" take mental acumen to know which block goes in which slot, but then positioning the block just the right way so it will fit through it's respective slot. You can imagine the pride that filled Brian and I tonight when our little "genius" identified that the square block goes in the square slot and succeeded in passing the block through to the other side. Next we're aiming for the red circle, followed by the blue triangle, and then after that, onto Harvard.

Sayonara, good riddance, be gone, adios!

First things first. GOOOOOO Colorado Rockies!!!

Dare I say that normalcy (whatever that is) is beginning to slowly return to the Roberts' household. I've had three days in a row of almost being nausea free which means I've been able to actually do something around the house other than curl up in the fetal position on the couch and fantasize about throwing up. For example, on Monday I was able to mop our tile floors, a feat I hadn't dreamed of attempting for the past 12 weeks. So yes, our tile floors were filthy and I'm beginning to wonder if the mere sight of the filth isn't what was making me sick. Anyhow, I'm cautiously optimistic that I'm rounding the corner and saying a happy sayonara to nausea and exhaustion.

Brian checks on Hayley every night before he goes to bed. Over the past few weeks we've noticed that she's really begun to snuggle with her bed buds. Here's a picture from the weekend that we took. She's got Pooh (as in Winnie, just to be clear) under one arm, Giggles the laughing doll under the other, and Froggie is underneath Giggles. We've had a discussion about removing Giggles from the crib. Giggles does just that... giggle, and it's beginning to creep me out to be awakened by the sound of a crazy sounding laugh over the baby monitor in the middle of the night.

We took Hayley down to Main Street a few nights ago for a little ice cream treat. I tried my best to take pictures of her (like I do everyday) and this is what I come up with. If I didn't know better I'd think it was a snapshot of her running a marathon... she just needs to be throwing down a cup of water. I'm surprised there aren't flames coming off the back of her. She's a fast little thing!

Here's a few more recent pics!

Queen of her throne!

Hayley and Papa!

I don't know who spilled all the balls, Mommy! I was just trying to pick them up and put them away!"