terribly smitten...

we are so in love with this little girl...sigh.

Thank you so much for all the emails and well-wishes!

Introducing...

Isabella Walker Hernandez
7.16.08
8:44 am
8 lbs 15 oz
21 3/4"
Izzy and I are doing well (by far my best, best labor and delivery - I'm tired, of course, but I feel terrific!) We came home on Thursday but I haven't been taking a lot of photos and she's been back to the hospital for bloodwork every day. Today was the last day though and we're looking forward to settling in and establishing a little normalcy. Daddy and big brothers are in love as am I. Thank you for all the well wishes!!

39 + 2 weeks

I call this series..."Blue Moon"


Taken at 7 am this morning :)

(and yes, those are my most favorite maternity pants EVER)

remember being 9 months pregnant...

and having to bow out your legs and stand on your tip toes to pick stuff up off the floor? Yeah, I've been there for awhile but it was just the other today that I realized how ridiculous I must look. I'm walking like a drunk duck...39 weeks and 1 day today. I should try to squeeze in one more photo as I'm assuming it won't be too much longer (11 days at the most, right?)

Obviously, there's still time to enter the baby pool for a chance to win a bunch of goodies! We hit the first guess Saturday and our second today and knowing my babies, even if my water broke this instant, there's no way she'd show up at any point before midnight (sorry, Lisa and Jennifer!) I did have strong regular contractions for a full 24 hours last Saturday. I went to the hospital, they monitored me, sent me home with the promise that I'd be back at some point later that day to have this baby. Now, NINE DAYS later, not a sign of her. Carlos claims she's showing us who is boss already, I'm confident that that's true. For him :)

Not much else to update at this point. A few finished knit projects to share (this is the blanket, dress and pants I talked about before.) You can see them in my flickr account that I just use for knitting stuff.

Oh, and just a couple of links (because what kind of post would it be without them?

• this crib set is *absolutely* perfect. Exactly what I want. But $60 for a SHEET? I don't think so :p I'll keep looking :)
• this site is very cool. Great "practice" if you want to bone up on your journaling skills!
• I can't wait until someone else has a baby so I can do my own version of this. What a cool and fun idea!

OK, back to work. Have a great week!

all's quiet on the baby front...

(sorry for the "deer-in-the-headlights" look in my picture...I'm so not comfortable in front of the camera!)

37+3 weeks along now and nary a sign of our girl. I'm *fine* with that though as I still have 101 things I'd like to do before she makes her grand appearance. I have a feeling she is big though and definitely the strongest of the three (at least in-utero!) I'm far more uncomfortable this time around than I was with my previous two but I'm hanging in there and know these last weeks will fly by in the blink of an eye :)

So, a la miss Mel, to make these waining days of my last (yes, absolutely, 100% positively LAST) pregnancy a bit more fun (for you and me!) I set up a baby pool. Winner gets a big old box of lovely scrappy things in need of a good home :) Now that I'm about 50/50 digi/paper, I just don't need all this "stuff." Someone needs to love it and use it! Closest guesser to the correct time of birth - it's all yours.

A little info to help you concoct your guess: my due date is officially July 13th. Jake was 8 days late, Zack was 2 days early. If she doesn't feel like coming on her own, the absolute latest I will have her is some time on July 18th via c-section. So, no jokers guessing late July :p

I've also been knitting more. I've finished a little blanket (which turned out kind of "duck-ish" and totally wasn't intended that way,) a dress which I absolutely ADORE and want to do more of in every color of the rainbow, and finally, I seamed up those little pants. I'm crocheting some baskets for her nursery out of twine right now. Hoping to pick up some soft tangerine colored yarn to crochet a blanket (maybe a good distraction while I'm in the hospital?)

Her room isn't even close to being done but that's not a worry - she won't be using that room for a few months :p We did put her dresser/changing table together though! Still need to find a comfy chair and refinish a side table that I'm stealing from my dad. Oh, and doors for the closet. And curtains. Those would be nice too :p We finally got new bedroom furniture for OURSELVES a few weeks ago too. We haven't had a real bed since we moved back to MI more than 3 years ago! The time was right, lol. Eventually, I'll have to get some picture of the bedroom now that it's about done! Hoping to add a couple more finishing touches in the coming days...stuff on the walls and a couple of accent pillows I want to make with the fabric left over from our closet curtains.

I've also been playing around trying to design some fabric to finish off the nursery. This site allows you to upload your own designs and have them print the fabric for you. SO many ideas swirling around in my head trying to decide what I want to order first. They are still in beta (invitation only) but I got my invitation super fast - I want to say 2 days?

Another cool, designey type thing? Carolyn at Ecojot had a blog drawing a few weeks ago for some of her gorgeous goodies. I've never entered a blog giveaway but couldn't pass this one up...her color choices and designs are right up my alley. And guess what? I won! I was thrilled and even more so when the box arrived. I'm afraid to use it, it's all so pretty! I am using the file folders since they aren't getting messed up and it makes my filing so much more fun ;) I definitely need to order more of her stuff - SUPER high quality (the little notebooks are so sturdy and thick and everything is made from recycled paper!)

More good news? Coldplay had to re-schedule their tour so now, they aren't coming until November! Whoohoo! Looks like this would be the perfect first date night out for me and Carlos. I should be able to put a dent in the baby weight by then :p (btw, have you guys bought Viva la Vida yet? So good. I adore them.) AND, it looks like they'll be on Jon Stewart tonight...how can you not love Jon Stewart and Coldplay? DVR...SET)

We've also been to Cedar Point and took the boys out for their first Putt Putt excursion in the past couple of weeks. They were actually both pretty good! Zack used more of a hockey technique (push the ball with the club rather than actual putting) but he didn't get frustrated and the ball made it to the hole! I want to take them to see Kung Fu Panda this weekend (because I love Jack Black.) Also, I think a pet in is our eminent future. And by "pet," I mean fish. Or if we're feeling really crazy, a turtle.

Now, a bunch of links:

• I want to make a bunch of these (these are good for a less-than-beginning sewer, right?)
• The boys are addicted to these videos (for the scrapbookers reading, there's actually a Cricut reference in one of them :p)
• Definitely ordering a set of these once little miss arrives...want to make sure my fingers return to their normal circumference and hey...we're 95% certain on her name but things could always change last minute!
• I want this and this and this and this and this and and and(who knew I would love internet window shopping even when I hate the real thing? I've spent THOUSANDS of pretend dollars in the past few months :D)
• and how cool is this site?
• and this one too?
  

Sorry for the mammoth post. If you got through a quarter of it, I'd be impressed. I've been adding to it a little bit here and there for days. OK, today, FOR SURE, I do baby laundry :) Maybe even pack a hospital bag if I'm feeling really ambitious! Have a good one!

E

that's what she said*

• If this doesn't make you tear up, you're completely heartless...totally made up for making me stay up until 1 am on Monday only to lose in heartbreaking fashion (well, almost...winning in Detroit would have been just a bit sweeter) I actually felt really sorry for the Pens at the end - they were a great opponent and I've no doubt they'll win the cup very, very soon.

• at my house you hear things like "hey zackie, why don't you throw things at my face" followed by "OW!" in very short fashion...go figure :p

• Week 35 checkup this afternoon. I'm already lamenting the fact that I didn't have any maternity shots done this time around...there won't be any more chances after this :( I'll have to try to get at least a couple with my timer in the next week or so!

• proof that I'm completely anal...on the left, you'll find a layout for the mid-month garden at 2Peas. One the right, you'll find my PSE mockup that I created before I started on the hard copy version. Scary, just a little, huh?

(copyright 2008 www.twopeasinabucket.com)

• Ashley will love this one ;) I'm sure it's tied heavily to her weekly tribute-to-the-80s posts. I had a dream a few nights ago that she was COMPLETELY ROCKING a Flock of Seagulls hairdo. And there was no joke involved. She'd just mix it in with her regular everyday hairdo from time to time. And no one batted an eye. You have to be hardcore cool to get away with something like that :) Ashley? Lunch? Panera? If you come with the 'do, lunch is on me ;) (last night's dream had *something* to do with cruise ships and rapidly multiplying purple tigers running rampant)
  

• email - I promise I'm trying to catch up! I just don't like being on the computer any more than necessary these days (though I love the email - I swear!)

• and of course I have loads of links but I'll refrain from now so I can take care of lunch for the boys :) Later, gators!
  

* If you're an Office fan, you'll get this ;) If you're not, well, a big fat zerbert in your general direction.

this and that...

what I've been doing:

• watching a lot of this
• and a lot of this
• and even some of this (though they suck in the worst way possible...a team chock full of talent that hasn't been able to sustain a concerted effort to WIN)
• wondering if it would be just too weird/irresponsible for me to go to a concert 8 days before my due date :p (Carlos says yes)
  
• playing a lot of "guess the baby part" every night after the boys go to bed when the little miss wakes up and stretches her limbs
• knitting for baby girl (I'll try to share some photos soon)
• thinking about giving these a shot (totally cute and I think not as labor intensive as full on cloth diapering?)
  
• trying to decide what type of sling to get...I definitely want one that I can use from birth - right now, I'm leaning towards either a hotsling or a gurumama or a sprout pounch or a gosling - would love to hear your opinions!
  
• this which has taken up the majority of my time
• this layout done recently for 2Peas...just wanted to share it as I haven't shared a belly pic in quite awhile (this was 29 weeks...I'm *almost* 32 now)

(copyright 2008 www.twopeasinabucket.com)

what I've been admiring/coveting:

• this boys' bedroom that I just think is way too cool (someday, I'll get the boys' bedroom decorated!) from Desire to Inspire
• these chopping boards and napkin rings (yeah, like I EVER use napkin rings, right?) from the MOMA Store from hwtm
  
• this bedspread (which has sold) that would have been so nice in the nursery for cuddling with the girl while I nurse her
• adorable shoes but I know I can't justify $34 for baby shoes that won't even get a scuffed sole :p
• lots of this yarn to knit many beautiful little baby girl sweaters
  

and this put such a huge smile on my face yesterday...brought tears to my eyes seeing the reaction to the decision. What an incredible victory, FINALLY. I hope this is only the beginning of more moves like it across the country. Everyone deserves the happiness that California afforded it's gay and lesbian community yesterday.

Trying to prepare myself for two whole days of alone time while Carlos takes the boys camping for a couple of days next week...want to make sure I have all of my nesting and cleaning projects planned ahead of time so I can get all of my shopping done this weekend! Maybe I'll finally put a dent in that nursery!

Have a great weekend :)

the best thing about buying a house in the fall?

The pleasant surprises you discover in the spring. We've had such beautiful weather the past week or so. I wander the yard admiring the new flowers and plants that seem to pop up daily. I pull weeds and take pictures and probably make my neighbors wonder what kind of crazy person moved into their neighborhood. I'm trying to enjoy them this spring because I am completely inept at yard/garden maintenance and this may be the last time I ever see them :p The boys hit trees with sticks and stomp on ants and push rocks in the back of their truck from one end of the yard to the other. I wonder how much different our backyard time will be next spring :)

Then there are other happy discoveries like how the spring light comes through the window and shines onto our "gallery" wall. Do you have one of these in your house too? Jake lives for keeping this wall next to daddy's desk well adorned. Jake is an artist to the core. He draws for hours every day between school and home and *every* occasion warrants a brand new notebook or two to meet his expanding needs. The multicolored pens (remember those from our childhood?) are a favorite tool as well.

Added to my girly list in the past few days? (images are clickable so you can go steal them away from me before I buy them...ahem, for you, Jamie ;) Hello! The second one is reversible too...double the cuteness!

















And finally, a layout I did last week for the BHG blog. There is journaling on there...it's just teeny tiny (you can click the layout to make it bigger)! I recently discovered that Liz designs digital products under the name Paislee Press over at Oscraps and instantly fell in love. I've always adored her minimalist style and have had her in my BOS since forever. I was thrilled to find out I can (try to) copy her look without the effort of being creative myself :) Be sure to check out her stuff! (Other digital supplies are from Catscrap...see the BHG blog for complete credits)

On my mind...

So last week was a quiet week for me work-wise so I got to do lots of knitting :) Today and tomorrow I'll be scrambling to finish some stuff up but it's worth it for the relaxing week I had!

Baby blanket is DONE other than the fabric lining. Chenille was the overwhelming consensus so I'll be out shopping soon to find a good option for that. I'll admit, the prospect of it all together isn't thrilling me! I love how it turned out though. Super heavy so it will be a "lie it on the floor for the baby to play on top of" type of blanket rather than a "wrap her up and smother her with it" blanket.

I've also been knitting some little pants for her (knit pants - something *only* a baby can get away with!) They are coming together super quick so I should be able to share them in the next couple of days (or weeks...depending on my sporadic blogging activity :p)

I'm in full on waddle mode - this one is kicking my ass! So much soreness this time around that I didn't experience with the boys. Listen closely, ladies: being pregnant in your 30's is SOOO much different than being pregnant in your 20's. At least in my case. Or maybe it's just because it's a girl this time around. I'll take the bad with the good though as I found out at my checkup yesterday that I passed the one hour glucose test with 15 points to spare! Both the boys sent me in for the 3 hour ordeal so thanks for sparing me from that, little miss! Although, I was kind of looking forward to that 3 hours of uninterrupted knitting time :)

I realized a couple of days ago that with about 12 weeks until d-day, we have yet to purchase a single diaper or piece of newborn clothing. My miniature shopping splurge at Old Navy a few weeks ago netted us some clothes for *next* summer but other than that, her closet it bare. *I'm* not concerned - I know it will all get done before she makes her arrival. The mom at Jake's school that asked if I'd drown myself in newborn pink yet practically stroked out though. A carseat...yeah, that would be a wise purchase too! On my to-do list, I swear!

How beautiful are these books? I'd love to commit to a photo a day for her first year but I know me. So I won't. Be sure to check out the Photo a Day/First Birthday book!

And this dress is so cute! It's from a line of dress up clothes called Wovenplay but I would totally put her in it anytime! Love the colors and cool retro feel :) I'm sure that even if I could find it, it would cost an arm and a leg though!

OK, off to pick up Jake from school and then off to the park! Have a great weekend :)

continuing on a theme...

Holy crap - how cute are the clothes on this blog?? That's it, I *must* learn how to sew.

I've had a lot of people ask about the nursery...decided that I better put some thought into it! I put together this quick 12 x 12" wall hanging yesterday and decided that I love the color combo. And it goes perfectly with the paint color we had already done back when we moved in. The room is a light turquoise-blue with white trim and white bead board on one wall and I think the punch of tangerine with a slightly darker shade of the blue will be perfect! Feminine but not *too* girly. I'm planning some touches of silver as well. We have an old mirror (one of those nasty big old gold gilt mirrors - really ornate) that I think will be awesome if I paint it silver and rub some turquoise paint into the crevices. The nursery has french doors on it as well so I need to do some new curtains for those. There are two closets that are built out into the room. Right now, there aren't any doors on them but I've drawn some up for Carlos to build. I'm excited now to work on it some more! I think these little suitcases would be the perfect accessory. And a nice cozy chair is a must.

This weekend I get to scrap all day tomorrow (yay!) and have a few people over Sunday to barbecue. FINALLY we have spring. Hope you all have a great weekend too!

OK, so I understand now about shopping for girl vs shopping for boy

I haven't actually bought anything other than a couple of sale items from Old Navy but the window shopping...oh man.

Pretty sure little miss needs
this
and this (ok, ok...I know it's a 3T :p)
and this
and a couple of these
and this
and these

I could go on all day :)

I've been working on my miter blanket quite a bit. It sat for months when I realized how much seaming would be involved for a queen sized version. Once we found out about baby girl though, I realized I could turn it into a baby sized blanket lickety split. I have 2 more complete squares to knit (so, 8 more mitres...I've done 28 so far) and then the seaming. I'm trying to decide if I want to back it with corduroy or chenille (not sure of a color yet) What do you think?

So Saturday's Dream? Purple & Brown and I undertook a business venture together. After locating and extracting some rare mineral from the ground (one that had a striking resemblance to green slime) we all became fast billionaires. Just my luck that I woke up before I got to spend any of the money.

Last night? I obtained a coveted job as a cocktail waitress in a British pub owned and operated by PeeWee Herman. He stole me away from the pub across the street that was the brainchild of the crew from Lost in Space.

If there are any producers out there that want to option any of this stuff, my email link is in the upper right corner :)

all I can do is baby talk and random.

What's awesomer than awesome? Grabbing one of your husband's long sleeve t shirts out of the closet to wear for the day (because, you know, more belly room) and when you take it off for the day, realizing it says "arrogant bastard" down the back of both sleeves. And you wore a down vest over it when you took your son to school. And picked him up. Yup, I'm that mom.

The three year old watching a documentary about budo the for an hour this morning. We think a martial arts class would be good for the boys...if you're kids have done martial arts, what age did you start them?

Why didn't I start a dream journal when I found out I was pregnant? I mean, I have some pretty fantastic (and by fantastic, I mean weird as hell) dreams when I'm gestating. And I can never remember them for more than 15 minutes after I wake up. I do remember that the last one I had involved me being a member of a dream team of robots. We were traveling for a competition (still unclear what it was we were competing *at*) when there occurred a particularly heated conversation about sleeping arrangements. My line was "Relax everyone. We are Just Robots. We can sleep on the floor." Dreams also often involve birthing adult sized babies (that look a lot like this baby...and come out already diapered...and can talk) or having a fetus that pokes and stretches my belly so much that it's entire body is recognizable and I can HOLD IT IN MY ARMS while still in vitro.

On the topic of pregnancy, my brother Shawn asked me how far along I was on Easter. When I said 24 weeks, he said "Oh, almost halfway then, right?" To which I replied "no you crazy fool! I only have 16 weeks left" And smart guy said "isn't it 52 weeks" and I said "no you crazy fool! that's how many weeks there are in a year. And how long I might carry this child if I were an ELEPHANT. Don't make me get medieval on your ass." Perhaps it's a good thing after all that despite us bugging him and his wife to contribute to the grandchild pool, they haven't jumped in yet.

Jake counted to 100 last Tuesday, March 18th :)

I was behind a car a few days ago that had a license plate frame that said "I'm an Organ Donor." Not sure that's something I want to advertise to the person in the mammoth SUV behind me drinking his coffee, smoking his cigarette, eating his taco and talking on the phone.

What's the best wrong number message you've ever received? Mine is "Hi Dan, it's Pat. You just walked out and I realized you forgot your bagpipes. Thought you might need them." I saved it in my cell phone and still listen to it occasionally.

I've actually been scrapbooking quite a bit. Everything for BHG or 2Peas though so you'll have to wait to see most of it. I did do this one for the BHG Digital blog this week though.



Lots of knitting too but I've been bouncing between projects so no good "finished" photos yet. I also taught myself to crochet so woohoo! A whole new obsession. Hopefully I'll be able to share some photos soon!

OK, I think that's all I have swimming around in my brain at the moment. Oh and for the curious, not even a gas issue for nasty hard boiled egg boy. He survived without incident!

Happy Friday...Happy Weekend :)

In case anyone was wondering...

If you're 3 1/2 year old eats a hard boiled egg that's been sitting out unrefrigerated for close to 4 days, at worst, he'll get a little gassy (according to Poison Control.)

Mine was quick enough to realize after one bite that the egg wasn't really that tasty anyway. We still haven't determined if he swallowed that bite or not but regardless, he'll be fine ;)

Apparently a common call to Poison Control this time of year...even up to 2 weeks after Easter (ewww!)

so apparently...

this is my 200th post. Woohoo!

OK, party over.

Here I am at 22 weeks. Incredible how fast the time is going. (For the record, I probably *won't* be saying that in a few months) Movement is slowly increasing but I'm not yet to the point where I can see her little elbows poking out (I love that part :D) I spent the day yesterday moving all of my "stuff" from my office to Carlos.' I guess we'll be sharing from now on since my office will be the nursery...I guess it's ok ;) I made about a million trips up and down the stairs yesterday. I consider that my exercise for the month. I'm good till April.

That frame is from this Songbird Avenue digital kit that my buddy Kate contributed to. Be sure to check it out, it is GORGEOUS and the proceeds go to such a good cause. Here is a layout I created with it so you can see more of the pieces:

Good news today? The laundry is done (AND folded...AND put away,) the grocery shopping is done, my husband is off work all weekend and best of all? The HUGE snowstorm that was supposed to hit tonight went further south than expected and Ohio will be the recipient of the majority of it :) (Sorry my Ohio friends...well, not really. I hate snow.)

Oh, and Julie knows how much I love being tagged so I'm going to think hard tonight and answer her tomorrow. I'm not sure I can come up with 7 interesting facts about myself. I'm pretty boring :p

And look HERE. Finally! I think we were all holding our breath waiting for miss Camryn to make her appearance. So, so happy for the Bauer family!

why can't they add leap year day to a good month?

I'd seriously enjoy a 31 day June. You? An extra day in the month of weddings and graduations. A happy month like June deserves an extra day more than a cold, wintery, crappy month like February. Write a letter to your congressmen.

We got to see little miss again yesterday. She's still a girl. Her heart, kidneys, liver, stomach and head all look good. No indication of Down Syndrome or club feet (?) She was moving a lot at even seemed to wave a little to us. Carlos is in love :)

Her pretty profile:


And now she's looking at you :)


And, they moved my due date up a bit again. Originally July 25th...now we're up to July 13th! And my stomach is growing by leaps and bounds lately. Desperately trying to avoid buying too many maternity clothes until it's warmer. Wish me luck!

Some good stuff today:

Tonya's FABULOUS brushes - seriously cool and best of all: FREE.
My buddy Gillian - blogging again - yay!
Tons of new digital kits at 2Peas - have you seen the new 99 cent offerings? Good stuff!
Baby Bauer watch is still on :)

again with the random

I bought this Doodlebug bag from 2Peas on a whim awhile ago. No idea what I was going to use it for. It was just cute. Now that I look at it again though, it's gonna make the *best* little diaper bag. Perfect size for a couple of diapers and a change of clothes.

Carlos is getting excited about meeting little miss in a couple of days. He couldn't make it to the first ultrasound so he hasn't had a chance to see her in "action" yet. I'll be able to share some ultrasound photos after Thursday!

I've been doing more baby girl window shopping. I've always loved Mahar Drygoods - lots of beautiful unique stuff. I really love these alphabet cards. I want to come up with something "alphabet-y" for baby girl's room but I think I want to do it myself rather than buy something. Great inspiration though! LOVE these wall plates too!

I finally decided on a first knit for her as well. This Debbie Bliss pattern from Simply Baby - just a simple 2x2 rib sweater with some hemp yarn I've had for awhile. I love the color and while the yarn isn't the softest to work with. the knitted fabric is lovely. shouldn't take me too long to actually make some progress that resembles something sweater-ish.


Stamp winners - I *finally* packaged up the stamps today and will get them in the mail tomorrow...I told you it could be awhile but you should have them by the end of the week!

More snow today. Seems like it will never end. I'm so tired of looking out the window and just seeing a sea of white. I need green. NOW. I know a lot of you are in the same boat so I won't whine too much :p

And finally, this video had Carlos and I laughing our butts off (warning, might be offensive to some :p) Amazing how many celebrities he got to participate!

Later!

This past couple of weeks, my stomach totally popped. No more regular pants...I had to break out the Bella Band a couple of days ago :)

After lots of prodding, I finally started to cautiously do a little window shopping around the web for little miss. Yesterday, I made my first little girly clothes purchase thanks to an Old Navy baby sale. Nothing overly girly but I did buy her a skirt a hoodie with flowers. Big step for me! Now that I've actually laid out money, I'm sure my ultrasound next week will reveal an error and show that we're actually having a third boy :p

I've been checking out bedding too. Thanks to Lisa, I've been turned onto the Dwell line at Target. Nothing is *quite* what I've imagined though so after some more searching, I found this (which is *exactly* what I had in mind) and this which I completely adore. Not sure I can justify the price of either though.

Current food obsessions: Sweetarts, veggie eggrolls and grape tomatoes. Yum. And I could easily eat all three together for the same meal! The boys and I are enjoying smoothies too; frozen berries, a banana, OJ and a container of yogurt. Good stuff.

OK, loads of work to do in the next week or so (at least 7 or 8 layouts that I can think of - eeek!) and zero motivation so I'd better get to work. Oh, and a quick congrats to miss Gabby on the birth of Evansen and lots of happy thoughts to Mel who is expecting baby Bauer any day! Can't wait to "meet" him/her!

Have a great weekend!

Yes, "it's" a "she"

Trust me, I'm as surprised as anyone! I believe I did a double-, make that triple-take when the technician told me.

This one has me almost completely turned off food (at least for the moment) but addicted to grapefruit juice. I drank five glasses the other day. Then I read the calorie count...130 calories/glass. Also over 100% of your vitamin C. So how did I get sick? Now I'm trying not to drink more than 2 glasses a day.

This one has me vomiting a couple of times a week still. With the boys, second trimester meant the golden era of pregnancy. She's already demonstrating some of the differences between the sexes, huh?

This one has me wanting this shirt in a bad way. I just wish it came in a color other than pink!

Carlos is over-the-moon excited about this little girl. We've had a girl name picked out since before we knew Jake was a boy so at least that part is out of the way. We can talk to her everyday and call her by name. And she most definitely gets daily conversation with at least one of us.

I'm dreaming of spring. Ogling the Burpee catalog daily trying to decide what I want to grow this year. I have a black thumb so I know I need to start small. I'm thinking just some small herb plants on our deck this year. The tomatoes are calling my name though. And maybe just a couple flowers. (I clearly have no willpower and should not even try to limit myself.)

And this boy has a way with paper and scissors. Notice a resemblance? (probably not if you haven't seen Kill Bill before. And if you haven't, you should! And no, Jake has NOT seen Kill Bill...the resemblance is purely coincidental...we're pretty lenient about the content they see but Kill Bill is a little too liberal for a 5 year old :p)

so, tell me this...

How would one go about having a house put in a bubble? Because I am so ready to do just that. Just one after another we've all been fighting off various illnesses. I was actually forced to go to the doctor this week - the first time I've gone for an illness since before I met Carlos! Today is the first day since Monday that I've stayed upright for the majority of the day. Carlos has fought off a couple of infections (one that landed him in the emergency clinic with a 104 + fever) and Zack made his own trip to the emergency clinic last weekend with what turned out to be a double ear infection *and* burst ear drum. Why can't we just get sick during the week? I'm so done with this winter. And I know I'm not the only one.

Needless to say, I slacked on my stamp winner drawing responsibilities - I apologize for that! Random.org has deemed the following posters winners:

So, Julie, Amy, Paula and Stephanie email me please! I promise to mail the stamps out before the turn of the century :)

I also slacked on my blog comment returning...I normally really good about it but I'm sure you'll all forgive me if I skip it just this once? My inbox overfloweth and I'm ready to just hit delete a few times and be done with it :p Thank you all for the congratulations though. I certainly appreciate it! This little one is treating me a bit differently than the boys so I'm just taking it day by day and hoping the crazy-energy/nesting phase kicks in soon!

OK, back to my email...slog, slog, slog. Have a great weekend!

the old uterus, she ain't what she used to be...

ain't what she used to be, ain't what she used to be...

I shudder when people use "ain't." There is a song that goes something like that though, right? (OK, minus the uterus part)

I've been busy incubating :) Thanks for the congratulations! The third and final addition to the Hernandez family is scheduled to arrive mid-July. Look Ashley, I used my timer! Just for you to prove that I can actually learn a new camera trick.

Another cool trick? I can grow my butt at the same rate as my stomach! Nifty, huh?

I've had a lot on my mind lately. All random, fascinating stuff.

• I've been listening to a ton of Sara Bareilles the past couple of months. I downloaded the CD thanks to that damn catchy "Love Song" tune but was pleasantly surprised to discover the rest of the CD is really good too. Very reminiscent of Fiona Apple and that is very cool!
• Speaking of music, I've also been watching "We Are the 80's" whenever I catch it on VH1. 80's videos are so cool. They tell a story. And put Aquanet on the map. Unlike the crap videos we have now. They also feature a lot of scenes of people jumping of buildings and cliffs and turning into birds. The only video that I can immediately recall that wasn't a mini-movie was Def Leppard's Pour Some Sugar On Me. And I'm not sure I need to see that song translated to movie form.
• I also caught a good chunk of the top 100 videos of the 90's. Was thrilled to find "Baby Got Back" at number 6 (go on, watch it...you know you want to.) It would have been a tragedy had that classic not cracked the top 10.
• One last music mention: the boys both got Sansa Shaker MP3 players from Santa. BIG hit. Especially with little Z who is a rockstar in waiting. Luckily, they share my taste in music so it's not torture when they break them out. Zack is particularly adept with the lyrics of Foo Fighters, Cold War Kids and the Gorillaz. Someday, maybe I'll seek out our video camera so I can tape him! Jake calls his an iPod (which it decidedly is NOT.) Zack calls his an ear pod...which makes much more sense, right?
  
• Last night we had the hugest wind storm I can remember. Was shocked to wake up to power and school in session still.
• I knit a whole sweater between December 26th and January 6th. More than 3 weeks later and I still haven't added the buttons. A little preview though:
• All of the boys got haircuts recently. Badly needed haircuts. A couple of days ago, I stepped on something sharp. I thought it was a glass sliver from a glass I had broken a few days earlier. Turns out, it was one of Carlos' hairs! Stuck in my big toe. It hurt like hell. No one should have hair sharp enough to penetrate skin. Barbershops in Mexico must be one of the most hazardous places to work on earth. Now I understand why he absolutely *must* take ashower as soon as possible after a haircut.
• I have a bunch of Autumn Leaves clear stamp sets to share with you guys. I have 12 sets so I'll break them into 4 sets of 3. Since we know how great I am at updating this thing, I'll wait until the weekend to draw names for them :) No promises on when they get mailed out though :p

I think that's it for now. Back to the grindstone!