28 Week Ultrasound

We were able to see our baby on Thursday.  She was beautiful, of course, and a bit more cooperative this time around.  She does like to have her hands up by her face though, so most of these shots feature an arm or two.  :) 

Here is an old-school profile picture:

 A black and white 3D:

 And some color 3Ds:

 I especially liked that she smiled for us.  :)

Baby weighs 2 pounds 8 ounces, which is the 55th percentile for this stage of the pregnancy.  Sounds good to me!  That was also the weight of a jar of peanut butter at my mom's house...heavier than I thought!

This little girl has been very active lately.  She isn't making Mommy uncomfortable yet, and I am enjoying all the movements.  I have a check-up tomorrow, and then I switch to seeing my midwife every 2 weeks.  I cannot believe we're already at that stage of this pregnancy.  Wow, this is going quickly!

Tot School: A is for apple

Our princess is 25 months old.

I had a blast finding fun "A" activities this week!  I found a few new website resources.  This cute "A is for Acorn" page was perfect for my little Elmo lover!  I found this at Coloring-Crafts, and they have a variety of free pages from which to choose.

I found DLTK's site, which has mini-books you can print out for each letter of the alphabet, as well as books for many other themes.  I printed out the "A" book in black and white (though color is an option) and let the princess color each page.  We read this book on a daily basis, and she LOVED it.

I used many of COAH's A is for apple ideas, including the apple uppercase/lowercase matching game, apple color puzzles, apple lacing card, and an A worksheet.  For the A worksheet, I did a google image search for "apple clipart" and printed out some apples to paste in place.

I definitely overestimated her skill level
and made these apple color puzzles
too difficult for her.

She did great matching capital and
lowercase As.  Not a favorite of hers though.

 

Pasting apples on her A worksheet
Apple was a new word this week.



I love her face of concentration as she skips
over several holes.  :)  She did great at this - her
first lacing activity.





She also put together this "Aa" page, featuring ant, acorn, alligator, arm, apple, airplane, and her 4 "A" cousins.  I think this is both of our favorite weekly activity.  She loves the pasting and the new pictures, and I love hearing her attempt new words!

We are having so much fun in Tot School.  I really enjoy doing this with her.  I know that she is not really absorbing everything we are doing, but we are laying some ground work.  And it's fun for both of us.  :)

2011 Walgreens 100 Dollar Challenge: Week 8

I received my rebate from Finesse this week, so that has been added back into my totals.  Yay!  However, I have not attempted to cash the check yet.  They misspelled my name.  I'm hoping the bank will still cash it, but we'll see!

I was able to do 2 transactions at Walgreens today.  I plan on another transaction later in the week, as I have 4 RRs that expire Friday.  They were out of what I wanted tonight.

Gain Dish Detergent

Price: $1.79
Mfg coupon: $.25

Store coupon: $.80
Final price: $.74
RR earned: None

2 Goody Elastic Hairbands

Price:  $2.99 each

Mfg coupon: None

Store coupon: None

Final price: $5.98

RR earned: (2) $2.00

2 Skittles

Price: $.22 each

Mfg coupon: $.50

Store coupon: None

Final price: $.06 Moneymaker

RR earned: None

RePhresh Feminine Hygiene

Price: $5.99

Mfg coupon: $1.00

Store coupon: None

Final price: $4.99

RR earned: $5.00

2 Dove Deodorants

Price: $2.99 each
Mfg coupon: (2) $2.00
Store coupon: $2.00
Final price: $.02 Moneymaker
RR earned: None

RR Used: $3.00 Right Guard, $7.00 Lysol

Subtotal before coupons: $20.18

Subtotal after coupons: $1.63

Sales Tax: $1.02

Savings Percentage: 92%

(Note: Since I have no control over the tax rate in my area, savings percentages are calculated prior to tax.)

RR in hand: $4.00 Veripur, $5.00 RePhresh, (2) $2.00 Goody

*******

Yearly Totals

Amount Spent (Including Tax): $34.63

Amount Remaining: $64.37

(Awaiting $14.99 rebate from Accucheck. This will be added into my amount remaining once I receive it.)

Amount Saved: $116.69

Tot School: H is for Hippo

Our princess is 25 months old.

This week in Tot School, we worked on the letter H.  We did some of COAH's H is for Hippo activities, and we made some pages for the princess' ABC book.  I wanted to do the letter H this week so we could do some heart activities for Valentine's Day as well.

She is really enjoying using the glue stick.  She is also getting really good at it!  Her "H" page featured a heart, hippo, hand, hot dog, hat, hammer, horse, helicopter, hula hoop, and her 2 "H" cousins.  Hippo was a new word for her this week, but she did not grasp the letter "H".  We will have to return to this at a later time.

She absolutely LOVES this ABC puzzle from 1+1+1-1.  She asks for it almost daily.  The heart puzzle is also from 1+1+1=1, and this is still a challenge for her.  She is not a big fan, and I think it's because everything is the same color.  That makes it a bit more difficult.

 

I cut out these hippo size sorting cards from COAH's H is for Hippo, and I wanted her to line them up by size.  I realized this would be a difficult concept.  Look what she did on her own though!  She stacked them by size.  What a little smartie.  Notice the red one on the right?  She got finished and held that one up, saying "uh-oh".  :)  I realize I'm her mom and I'm going to be impressed with most of the things she does, but I thought this was great.

In honor of Muffin Tin Monday, I served her Valentine's dinner in a heart-shaped ice cube tray.  :)  She ate a lot of pinto beans that evening - something she has not eaten in awhile!

 We did COAH's letter H activity and put foam heart stickers on the letter.  Again, I know I'm her mom...but she had only verbal guidance and put all her stickers ON the letter H...not around it.

 And we made COAH's hippo picture.  So cute!  Again...crazy Mom was impressed that the all pieces were placed correctly with only verbal guidance!  Note:  The eyes and nostrils were already in place.  She's not THAT good.  :)

 

What week would be complete without coloring with markers?!  Of course that's a hippo picture, and his ears are heart-shaped.  He-he, love it!

Finally, our princess is getting to be such a GIRL!  I love this little outfit that someone from church bought her.  She loves the tutu and just twirls and twirls when I put it on her.  Crazy girl!

Sunday Scrappin': 3 Months Old

I was able to get 2 more scrapbook pages completed this week.  Another is in the works, but I have some detail to complete before sharing.  I think scrapbooking is my way of nesting.  :)  I got a LOT of pages done just before the princess was born, and I feel pretty productive this time around as well! 

Page 1 was an opening page for Baby's scrapbook, telling why we chose her name and what it means.  That page will be shared at a later date.  For your viewing pleasure, here is page 2:  The princess at 3 months of age.  :)

27 Weeks

Tomorrow marks week 27 of this pregnancy!  This means I am at the end of my second trimester/beginning of my third (depending on how you calculate it).  I am still feeling great, though I am noticing some changes.  I vaguely remember going through this with the princess, but I am tired all day long until about 8pm.  Then I get a second wind and find it difficult to wind down to sleep.  I was up until 1:00 last night.  Poor husband - I was talking his ear off for awhile there.  :)  I also have a perpetually stuffy nose, which requires double pillows under my head at night.  Heartburn is more intense this time around, and Tums are becoming my close friends.

We settled on a name at the beginning of February!  Yaaaay!  The name is intended to remain a secret until Baby arrives.  We do refer to her by name around the house though, and the princess is beginning to talk more.  However, even if she told you the baby's name, I don't think it would be understandable.  :)

We are looking forward to an ultrasound next Thursday!  Hopefully Baby will cooperate a little better this time and give us some good facial shots.



Here is a 27-week belly shot.  I have placed it next to my 24-week picture to give some perspective.



24 Weeks



27 Weeks



Tot School: B is for Butterfly

Our little princess is currently 25 months old.

We worked on the letter B this week.  I used some ideas from 1+1+1=1 as well as COAH.  I decided to begin an ABC book with the princess and just focus on one letter a week.  As 1+1+1=1 mentioned, her son Krash was most familiar with the letter B, and that is why she began with that letter.  The same is true for the princess.  We made a "B" page, which included doing some crayon coloring, pasting, and lots of vocabulary work.  We included pictures of things she is familiar with, as well as things I want her to become familiar with.  My brilliant idea was to put pictures of her cousins and friends on the pages as well, so this week featured 3 cousins and a little friend.  As a result, she has been talking about her buddy "Buh-buh" a LOT this week.

 



I let her use markers for the first time this week.  She had a blast coloring her "B is for butterfly" pages.  The one on the left is from COAH, and I created the one on the right, because I really wanted an up and down page for her ABC book.  (Like the Napoleon Dynamite magnets?  Ha ha!)

She also colored a Valentine's card for Daddy and really enjoyed attempting to put the caps back on the markers.  I am not posting pictures of the card, because I do not want to ruin the surprise!

The princess also did a "B" page from COAH and used a glue stick to attach bubble wrap!  I thought this was a brilliant idea of mine, until about 2 hours later when the bubbles were extremely easy to pull off.  Now we have a plain B page.  :)

 



The princess enjoyed doing her ABC puzzle from 1+1+1=1 with Daddy.   

 

And we practiced pouring and working on the meaning of "PRETEND" in the bathtub.  :)

This was a fun week.  We also began potty training this week!  We are still in the learning process, but she now knows when she is wet (and does not like it), and she comes to me when she has to go to the bathroom.  We are making progress!

Especially Thankful

As a nurse, I have often daydreamed about being the hero in unplanned scenarios.  For example, a stranger collapses in the grocery store and I immediately begin CPR, saving their life.  I have often wondered how I would respond to an emergency with my own child.  In my mental rehearsals, I am always calm and collected.  It's funny how things happen differently in real life.

My husband came home for lunch today, and he and the princess were playing in the kitchen.  I was at the sink, so I could see my husband but not my daughter.  I heard two thunks, followed by the most painful cry I have ever heard from my little girl.  I came around the corner to give her a kiss as she snuggled up with her daddy.  She had hit her head on the cupboards and then fallen and hit it again on the floor.

My husband was cradling my daughter in his arms, and she looked like she was going to scream...but she never did.  I heard him tell her "breathe", and then she went limp in his arms.  Her eyes were open and fixed on the ceiling, and my perfect RN reaction was to scream "Sarah!  Sarah!" repeatedly.  In the midst of my hysterics, I did pick up the phone and dial 911.  However, the little princess rejuvenated before I had the chance to tell the operator I needed an ambulance.  Instead, I told her I was calling my doctor, and they had us take the princess to the ER.

She had a CT scan done (which was traumatic for baby and Mommy...so glad Daddy was there for us), and it showed no bleed or mass.  We are just supposed to watch her especially closely for the next 48 hours.

I am especially thankful for my little girl tonight.  Things could have turned out much differently.  We are so fortunate to have this little one in our lives.  I thank God for the safety He showed to our family today.  And I thank Him for the reminder that life is a gift.


Snuggling with Daddy at the ER



Snuggling in the ER






2011 Walgreens 100 Dollar Challenge: Week 6

I had a successful Walgreens outing this week!  I am very pleased with my purchases...first, because my savings percentage is so much better than previous weeks...but also because I did not spend much time planning this trip.  I was able to calculate costs and coupon amounts, etc in the store while I shopped.  Also, I found the Right Guard body wash that had a peelie on it!  Score!  Though, when I got it home and put it in the cupboard, I realized my husband has quite a stash of body wash.  It seems they always have good deals on men's body wash but not women's.

Here is this week's run-down:

Right Guard Body Wash
Price: $3.99

Mfg coupon: $1.00 peelie

Store coupon: None

Final price:  $2.99

RR earned: $3.00

Lysol Hands-Free Soap Dispenser

Price: $11.99

Mfg coupon: $3.00

Store coupon: None

Final price: $8.99

RR earned: $7.00

(3) 3 Musketeers Bars

Price: $.49 each

Mfg coupon: Buy 2 get 1 free

Store coupon: None

Final price: $.98

RR earned: None

(2) Skittles

Price: $.49 each

Mfg coupon: $.50

Store coupon: None

Final price: $.48

RR earned: None

Veripur hand sanitizer

Price: $3.99

Mfg coupon: None

Store coupon: None

Final price: $3.99

RR earned: $4.00

RR Used: $5.00 AccuCheck, (2) $6.00 Arnicare

Subtotal before coupons: $22.42

Subtotal after coupons: $.43

Sales Tax: $1.20

Savings Percentage: 98%

(Note: Since I have no control over the tax rate in my area, savings percentages are calculated prior to tax.)

RR in hand: $7.00 Lysol, $4.00 Veripur, $3.00 Right Guard

*******

Yearly Totals

Amount Spent (Including Tax): $33.97

Amount Remaining: $66.03

(Awaiting $1.99 rebate from Finesse and $14.99 rebate from Accucheck. These will be added into my amount remaining once I receive them.)

Amount Saved: $93.00

Tot School

Our princess is currently 24 months old.

We did not do anything different for Tot School this week.  We had busy mornings (which is when we usually do our learning activities), and I really did not plan anything new.  We continued to work on the puzzles and games I have mentioned in previous posts.

I do have some big news though.  For those of you who kept telling me, "She will start talking more, literally overnight"...you were absolutely correct!  On Tuesday she began repeating so many words we told her to say.  She learned Eeyore and Tigger, repeated the alphabet (W is definitely my favorite), and began saying her name with two syllables rather than one!  She has just been improving daily from there, and I am really excited. 

She is showing a lot of interest in letters and knows "A", "O" and "Y" by sight.  Not sure how she learned those, because I didn't teach her!  Maybe it was Sesame Street.  :)  Needless to say, we are going to begin learning letters this week.  I did cut out a letter matching game for her last week that she really loved, and it was more difficult than anything she has done in the past.  We will continue with that and look for some more letter activities!  Any ideas?!  I am thinking we will make an ABC book to begin with.

Here are some pictures from this week.  I did not take any pictures of her doing her puzzles since they weren't new, but these are cute.  :)

We have been doing this a LOT lately.  She likes to get in her "bear cave" with all her stuffed animals, then throw them out one by one, then put them back in behind her...and repeat...and repeat...

What a good little momma!

I was finishing up a scrapbook page when she woke up from her nap, and she wanted to do one too.  Here is the princess' first scrapbook page ever!  I did the cutting, and she did her own pasting and pressing in place.  She's a creative genius, don't you think?  Maybe next time I'll give her better pictures, rather than scraps.

Sunday Scrappin'

I was able to complete two more pages for the princess' scrapbook this week.  I really put some thought into the blog post I cited last week, and I decided to do one page per month of the princess' first year of life.  This way I can limit the number of pages I am creating, but I will still be able to highlight my favorite pictures and include some milestones of her life from each month.  She changed so much during the first year of life, and I want her to be able to see and read about what she did when.  So...here are the pages from when she was 1 and 2 months old!

I also switched cameras for the photos for my blog.  This one seems to capture clearer still-shots, so maybe you will be able to read the words this week too!