One is the loneliest number

Um. Hi. I'm Amy. This is my blog. I've been missing for a while. Sorry. You probably forgot about us here.

I have excuses. Most of them are lame, so I'll spare you.

I do have one pretty good one...

While I've been away I've been gestating our second baby!!!! I'm just a few days shy of 14 weeks and feeling pretty healthy. We should be welcoming our little bundle around April 23. (Or not. Little Man was three weeks early, so I'm not marking my calendar or anything. This one will come when he or she comes.)

With Little Man, I was tired and sick. The nausea was pretty constant for about 12 weeks and there was some (but thankfully not much) puking going on. I was also really tired. This time the first twelve weeks were pretty much the same--except I never did puke (praise be!)-- but chasing a toddler around definitely made it seem much, much harder. Some days I didn't know if I was coming or going.

I'm not complaining. I know as far as pregnancies go, I've been blessed. I'm so, so, so lucky. Thus far (and hopefully throughout) I haven't have debilitating sickness or chronic pain. I can stay active and live my nine months virtually unencumbered. (Or as unencumbered as one can be while growing a human being--its all relative, right?)

In the photo above I'm obviously unencumbered on our recent 25 mile bike ride in West Virginia. Not every preggo would be able to do that, I suppose. It was, however, a completely flat 25 miles, so don't get too impressed with my feat.

But enough about my pregnancy symptoms and bike riding prowess. Lets talk about the title of this little post. See, I'm an only child. (Technically, I do have step siblings who I love very much, but because of age differences and living situations, our time together was limited.)  While I don't feel like being an only child made me lonely per-se, I did often see my friends with siblings and feel a twinge of jealousy. Beau, on the other hand, has three sisters. I'm sure that posed its own set of challenges when they were younger, but family get-togethers now are so incredibly fun. Beau and I both wanted to be able to give Little Man a sibling (or two, who knows what the future holds...) to share life with.

Part of me thinks we might be absolutely insane for having two under two years old. Sometimes our house is absolute chaos with just one energetic toddler. What could it possibly be like with two? I push those thoughts away and think about what it will be like to have two kids who are close enough in age to be buddies. Yes, basically I ignore the initial years when my twenty-three month old won't understand why mom isn't his and his alone. I'm ignoring the thought of my three year-old trying to play with my one year-old and being too rough or getting frustrated with not being able to play the way he wants. I know all of these are teachable moments; they are life lessons that need to be learned. So, perhaps that's why I ignore my inner anxiety and I focus on our sheer joy. Yeah, we'll go with that.

When I was pregnant with Little Man, Beau kept talking about going for Irish twins. Since he didn't go through pregnancy or labor, I felt I had the authority to veto that idea quickly. When Little man was about a year old I got more comfortable with the idea of going through the whole ordeal again. (And baby fever started to hit hard...)

And, well, to spare you the details here we are. We're happy. We're nervous. We're perhaps a little crazy. Most of all, though, we know we are blessed.

So, dear readers, thank you for your patience while I've been "away." Thank you for spending your time reading about and caring about my family. Hopefully I'm back and I'll be able to share our chaos with you far more regularly!

Any advice for a soon-to-be mom of two?

Is there something new about yo' face?

Why yes. Yes there is.

I have a new pair of glasses.

And they were free.

Whaaaa?

Coastal  ran a promotion last week. It was called First Pair Free. I totally didn't believe it. Even after I saw it on the Today show. But I went online and I checked it out. Totally true. Sadly, by the time I got my glasses yesterday, the promotion was over, so I couldn't share the deal with you. (I didn't want to rave about something that ended up being lame.)

However, they are running an (up to) 70% off deal right now. That's almost free... I get the impression that they have sales quite often, so it would be worth it to pop by there every now and again and maybe wait out a "firstpairfree" deal. I only paid for shipping and insurance. The whole shebang ended up being less than $17.

These are the frames I ordered. I was worried that they are a little round and round on a round face can look pretty terrible. I wondered about their return policy. What if they didn't work? Would I be stuck with glasses that make me look like an oompa loompa in tortoiseshell? Their website says they have a no hassle policy. Fortunately I didn't have to test that.

That's me. In the car. Looking broody and a little angry. I am happy, though. I got glasses for almost free, yo!

Tomorrow I need to stop by my optomologist's office to pick up the glasses I ordered three weeks ago. Even with insurance they were the opposite of free. I'm considerably less excited about those now.

Anybody out there find a awesome web deal lately? What do you think of my new look?

Well, isn't that Pinteresting

I know, I know. It has been almost a month since I've written a word. What gives? Well, I'll spare you the myriad excuses, but I will tell you that in my absence I have managed to fry not one, but two perfectly good computers.

Well, OK, one perfectly good computer and one that was well on her way out. None the less, I fired her in a most untimely manner. Of course.

But, as we all know those two computers aren't the only ones on the planet. Heck, they aren't even the only two in our house. I'm currently writing this post on Beau's beloved Mac. It took me approximately twenty minutes to figure out how to turn on the power. I'm not even exaggerating. Thank God for iPhones and Google. It turns out that Steve Jobs had a sense of humor because he chose to put the power button on the back of the computer. The button is flush with the rest of the back and of the same material. On the back. You know, the side that faces the wall.

I used to think I was smart.

Then Apple taught me otherwise.

But, I digress.

I've mentioned Pinterest in the title of this post and Pinterest it shall be about.

Specifically the insane amount of pinning I've been doing of late. (On an iPad, not a broken computer. And if you wonder why I don't just write my posts from said iPad, I'd say that is an excellent suggestion, but iPad and Blogger aren't friends. Kind of like how iPad and Flash aren't friends, but not as intense.) Anyway, digressing again.

So the thing with Pinterest is that if you have a place that is in need of some work, say maybe like this, then Pinterest is an amazing place to gather ideas. Or, it is a place to overwhelm yourself with a vast array of often conflicting ideas. Oh, and it is a virtual place to spend lots and lots and lots of time that is not virtual. Nor is it replaceable. Pin with caution.

(From here)

I'm in the overwhelmed category right now. That's OK for now, since we've started our first major project on the house and it is the opposite of fun and inspired. We (and by "we" I mean our contractors) get to replace the siding on the west side of the house because we need to tear it all off to see how improperly and poorly the walls and doors were sealed underneath. I find this to be especially boring since its completion will result in the house looking exactly like it did before the project was started. Beau finds it to be un-boring because the house will be more structurally sound and efficient. Blah blah blah.

Because of the lame angle you can't see how much siding will be removed and replaced, but it is quite a bit. And someone will have to be four stories up replacing it. Here is where I am glad that "we" doesn't refer to us...

What I really want to be working on is bringing my "Cabin Ideas" to life.

Here are a few of my favorites:

The current entry way could turn into a mudroom with just a little bit of effort. I like this one. See the little drippy trough for the snow to melt off the skis and snowboards and not make the tile treacherous? So smart.

(From here)

And wouldn't this be a fun sign to have framed in that mud room?

(From here)

Or maybe I shouldn't tempt fate. Sooner than I know it Little Man will be on skis or a snowboard or a mountain bike or whatever being adventurous.

And I will have more gray hair than I'd like.

After the boring (or as Beau would call it "important") stuff is done, we'll start to think about the floors. I'm really hoping we can find reclaimed wood that doesn't cost a small fortune. I mean, it comes from old barns and such, how expensive can it be? Look at these floors.

OK, you're right. They look expensive.

(From here)

And, I've become obsessed with animal heads. Gross, right? But what says "mountain cabin" more than dead animal heads on the wall?

(From here)

I'm partial to the heads of the moose variety, and there happen to be moose heads that aren't even real. (Though if we were to get a real moose head it would be from a moose that has died of natural causes and had a final will and testament that requested that his head be taxidermied and mounted above a roaring fireplace in order for his majesty and wonder to be worshiped by humans. Obviously.) 

Here are some fakies that have caught my eye:

(This real looking fakie from etsy can be found here)

(Or this more-fake-looking-fakie from here)

(Or the ultimate fakie from here.)

"Fakie" is not a word. Just in case you were wondering.

Anyway, enough about moose heads. What about bathrooms? What if I wanted to change things up and move away from the whole mountain-cabin-kitch-I-have-to-have-skis-on-the-wall-and-everything-needs-to-be-hunter-green mentality and shake things up a bit?

(From here)

Geesh. There are so many ideas and options and possibilities. And we've got like ten years of renovations for me to obsess over them. Lucky me. I wonder how man pins I can cram into "Cabin Ideas" before Pinterest implodes.

What are you pinning these days? Have you joined the Pinterest bandwagon? If not, you totally should. 

Finally!! Our top-secret secret is secret no more

About a million years ago I mentioned some exciting, top-secret news that revolved around our frequent trips to West Virginia (here).  I wasn't trying to be coy or anything, we just weren't sure that our exciting news was going to pan out. I'm glad I didn't say anything then, because it almost didn't. I mean, that was almost five months ago. You'd probably forgotten.

So much for a much anticipated reveal!

But, I can now let you in on our exciting news because everything is finalized and wonderful.

We bought a house!!

(By the way, never, ever, ever attempt to finance a home with Amerisave. They are the reason it took almost five months to close. They were hard to work with, inefficient and generally terrible. We ended up working with a local lender and the process was amazingly simple. Again, just say no to Amerisave. Your life will be much less stressful. Ours was, anyway.)

In case you are wondering, we aren't moving to Snowshoe full time, but we do plan on spending quite a bit of time there. Wouldn't you with views like this?

 

Or this?

 



 

Or a sunset like this?

 

 

If you can't tell, I'm absolutely in love with the view.

 

Before you get all jealous of our swanky vacation home/rental property/investment for Little Man's education, let me show you a few elements that might make you wonder if we are insane.

 

See, we bought a bit of a fixer-upper.

 

 

It might need a coat of paint or two.

 

Yes, those are pink and burgundy stripes as a focal point of the room and in the dining room.

 

Barf. (But a really cute baby peeking from the corner. He's standing up!)

 

There has been a bit of settling that needs attention.

 

 

 

The floors have seen much better days.

 

 

We think those stains are from the two dogs that lived there. Eeeew. The finish is also almost completely worn away in most high-traffic areas. Also probably because of the doggies.

 

 

The second level floors are worse. And that's being nice. 









Yep, those are subfloors. Stained ones. Apparently the carpet was too gross to leave in the room. As opposed to the two rooms that do have carpeting:

 



Gross city. Fortunately, the carpeting doesn't stink. But it will need to go. I imagine it will be taken out with gloves on. And perhaps while wearing masks.

But wait, there's more.

This door is sealed with tape instead of an actual seal. That's awesome for heating when the temperature is negative two degrees as it was when we were there last week.

 

 

There is actually quite a bit more about this house that needs work, but you get the idea. I don't want to depress myself.

 

Lest you think we are absolutely bonkers for spending actual money on this dump, let me point out a few of the selling points. (Besides the obvious view I have already bragged about thrice.)

 

 

The house has charming details that make it feel like a fun and cozy place to get away.

 

 

 

If you take a moment to look down instead of out when on the deck you can see that there is a nice little yard that happened to have five little visitors when I went out to snap a photo. The yard is complete with a grassy area with a fire pit.

 

And there is the space. From the rear view photo, you can see it is three levels. The bottom level is an apartment and the top two levels will be our living area. The top floor is wide open with general areas for dining and living areas as well as a good sized kitchen, a small half bath, and a bar area. The middle floor has four modest bedrooms and two bathrooms.

 

I'll take you on a tour soon.

 

We figure it will take us the better part of ten years to get the house to the condition it should be in. Unfortunately for me, there are some structural and efficiency issues (windows and that taped door) that need to be fixed before we get down to business making a cozy mountain getaway. I'm going to bring you along with us on this new adventure. Some of it might be ugly, but we're planning on learning as we go.

 

While Beau and a contractor are replacing rotted floor joists and putting in efficient windows and doors, I'll be on Pinterest going to town pinning every rustic cabin option out there for ideas.

 

I'm like a kid in a Pinterest candy shop. It is ridiculous.

 

So, do you think we are nutso for tackling this huge project, or are you on board with us? Either way, it promises to be an interesting ride.   





Breastfeeding Doll: Do or Don't?

Today I was going to begin a series that I've been thinking about for quite a while.

Then I started reading the paper and I came across an article about The Breast Milk Baby:

Here's how it works:

 

 

(Images here.)

 



The AP article quotes a person as saying people "either love it or they hate it." That's not entirely true. I'm torn. (No surprise there, I tend to be indecisive anyway.)

As a breastfeeding mom, I get that there is nothing sexual about the act. I also know that we live in a society that isn't 100% OK with the act, especially in public. So now there is a doll so children can mimic the act. Hmmm. Is it raising awareness that "breast is best", or is it going too far?

Not long ago when Beau, Little Man and I were flying home from our trip north, we were at Logan airport. Little Man was getting fussy and hungry, so I sat down to feed him while Beau checked us in a few feet away. I guess I was sitting in the area where Delta customers in need of wheelchairs are asked to wait, because a porter came by to ask if we had ordered a chair. I was wearing my hooter hider (which I adore!) and the porter had no idea I was feeding Little Man until I said, "Nope, I'm just feeding the baby." He got this stricken look on his face and then proceeded to let me know there was a nursing station further down.

I had no idea Logan offered nursing stations (which in passing by looked like family bathrooms, so I'm not sure what they are actually like inside), but I didn't expect to see the horror on the man's face.

From my experiences, nursing in public makes people uncomfortable. (Did I tell you about needing to nurse Little Man at a funeral? The funeral director took me into the coffin showroom to nurse him. Yes, the coffin showroom. As in a room full of coffins. It was the most uncomfortable 30 minutes of my life. Seriously. Creepy.)

Kids are going to mimic what they see. I'm certain plenty of moms have seen their kids "breast feeding" dolls and stuffed animals when little brother or sister came along. That seems normal and developmentally appropriate. So this doll seems a natural progression, right?

Or, is the suckling and swallowing a bit too realistic and too adult?

I'm teetering on the "too much" side of the fence. (Though the "too creepy" attitude is not one I share.) If my feeding my actual baby in public makes people feel awkward, how off-putting is a doll feeding on a child's petal shaped "nipple"?

While I think breastfeeding is important, healthy, and wonderful, I'm not sure children need this level of realism for a "lesson for life" or the "magic of motherhood" as the company's video suggests.

What are your thoughts?

Monday Update: Sandy Packs a Mean Punch

Well, if you watched (are watching) the weather as closely as us, you know that Sandy didn't hit us directly here in South Eastern Virginia. Instead she chose to skirt us and make landfall in New Jersey. (Which I can't type without saying "Joisey" to myself...) Thankfully these rough winds we are experiencing now weren't happening at high tide. Instead, we got a much gentler two pronged attack. This is what home looked like this morning:

Not so bad, right? Six inches of water up to the back stairs and some water in your lawn. Whatever, Amy. Easy- peasy.

It could have been worse. The first picture is of our back yard at about 8:30 this morning. About 45 minutes later the water crept in a bit more to look like this:

And see, we don't live on the water. At least not normally.

That water on the other side of the fence is a flooded road. Still before high tide.

 

It gets a little scarier when we go to the front door.

 



Notice how the water comes up over the front step. Then, if you look a bit further you can see that there is no delineation from stair to walkway to yard to sidewalk to road. It is all one large lake.

In our intersection alone there were at least two vehicular casualties. (Yes, two people drove through standing water in an intersection they don't know in the hopes of making it through.

They didn't.

Sigh.

Advice: Don't do that.

The poor Caddie in the picture below has temporary -as in this car was just purchased- tags on it. The driver side window was down all night, too. (I imagine because the water fried the circuits before he could get the window up.) I sure do hope he insured his car the day he bought it. Some people forget to do that, you know?



While we are fortunate here in our neck of the woods, I know that much of the rest of the East Coast is bracing for a rough night. The roughest patch of this has passed us here, but the wind is still howling and the rain is still falling. It still sounds scary here and I know it must be much scarier nearer the eye. These pictures and the weather we are experiencing are nothing, and frankly, I know that we are very lucky to just have had to deal with this.

I'm praying for the safety and comfort of those who are being hit now.

How did you manage, dear readers? Please do share.

Instagram art

I love what Instagram does to my photos, but hate how they just kind of sit on my phone and Facebook after I have fun with filters. I have some pretty nifty shots that don't really get to see the light of day. So, a few weeks ago blog sensations Young House Love posted a giveaway for Canvaspop, a company that specializes in turning Instagram art into canvas prints. Their post opened new doors for me. While I didn't win, I did take advantage of the 30% off discount (checkout code YHL30 good through 12/31/12!!).

All of a sudden I knew that my Instagram treasures would become legitimate art! Like for our walls! Whoo hooo!

Just the other day these guys appeared on my doorstep:

Each canvas is 12"x12" and is perfect!  My only regret is that I didn't use the same Instagram filter on each photo. (You can see how one border is dark and the other is light. Totally my bad, but since the photos weren't taken or Instagrammed the same day, or had any higher purpose at the time, how was I to know?)

Here' a closer look. 

This summer we took Little Man to the beach once (pre-baby, I thought it would be so easy and we'd be there all the time...HAH!). While we were on that one trip to the beach, I took this shot of him contemplating the sand and it has become my favorite picture of him. I love the floppy sun hat pushed jauntily back (because it was too big, but whateves), his super chunky cheeks, and the sweet bow of his lip. I could just eat him up. I also love that I captured his mellow personality perfectly in the shot. He's very contemplative. Not only did I get it with my iPhone, but now it is on canvas and will, someday, be hanging on my wall!

 

The other image is our first kiss as husband and wife. More on our super sweet, super private elopement coming soon. But here's the shot, up close and personal.

 

 

Yes, I know there is an element of irony in the photos in this post being terrible when the post is about a company that converts awesome photos to canvas. Stop judging. You're missing the point: these things are awesome and if Beau doesn't stop me, all of our walls will be covered in canvas! There are worse things, right?

 

Perhaps soon I'll do a little update and show you where they hang. I'm still contemplating that. (Remember this post about my ineptitude when it comes to decorating?)

 

 

So, tell me, what photo would you have printed on canvas and beautifully displayed?

 

Oh, BTW, if you use either of the links to Canvaspop I provided, you'll save $30 on your order of $100. Like magic. Hopefully you'll have a better idea of where to hang your Instagram art than I do!

 

My HONEST Opinion

Have you heard about the company called Honest?

Not too long ago Plum District, a Groupon-like company offered a deal on Honest products. I spent $20 for $40 worth of products. I'd been talking about Honest with my neighbor Ayme and decided this was as good a time as any (OK, better!) to sample a few of their products.

Using my voucher, I purchased the shampoo and body wash, conditioner, diapers (with anchors on them!!), and mini hand sanitizers. Let me just say, the diapers are incredibly cute!! Look at those ice cream cones and skull and crossbones! They are, by far, the most adorable disposable diapers I've ever seen.

(Image stolen from the Honest website.)

What I like most about this company is their care and concern for the health and well-being of their customers and the environment. The diapers are natural, plant-based and easy on a bum with sensitive skin. Most of the time I don't use disposable diapers, but when I'm out and about I decided carrying around a wet bag, diapers and covers is just too much. I've been seeking the best possible diaper for Little Man to wear when we are hanging out away from home. Regular diapers give his little bum a rash, and the chemicals give me the heebie-jeebies. To be honest, there aren't a ton of options out there. Honest diapers fit the bill and surprisingly they cost about as much as other 'sposies.

Completing my order was super easy, the delivery was quick, and the products felt like they were high quality. You can't see it, but both of my thumbs are up. Why yes, that does make it very difficult to type. Thank you for asking.

I do have to say I'm not in love with the shampoo and conditioner, but that's because I'm weirdly picky about smell. The products are made with vanilla and tangerine essential oils, which to most normal people probably sounds nice. I'm clearly not normal; I don't love the way they make my hair smell. It isn't unpleasant, but I'm not a fruity or vanilla-y kind of person. I'd be super stoked if they developed a lavender formula. (Ahem, hint, Honest.)I'd buy the heck out of that!

My Honest opinion is that this brand is definitely worth checking out. Heck, you can even skip out on that annoyingly expensive Target run that consists of diapers, beauty and cleaning products and have them all delivered to your doorstep. (Thus freeing up your Target runs for those nonessential items that just kind of end up in your cart, but make you really happy.) How cool is that?

If you could have anything delivered to your doorstep, what would it be? (Dibs on David Beckham. Sorry ladies.)

The Final, Much Anticipated Installment of Baby Must Haves

Finally, I can finish this list...

You know, I'm acutely aware that if I wasn't so wordy I'd have listed the ten items and been done with it all. But, since they pay me by the word*, I've stretched it into three posts.

*I maybe made "them" up. "They" certainly don't pay me. It would be pretty awesome if they did. If you know them, drop a hint already, OK?

But I digress...

Rompers and Kimonos

Obviously you are going to have to clothe your baby. Take a walk through Baby Gap (or any other baby store/department) and be prepared to squeak out sounds that are only vaguely human. For example, my dear friend Angela and I went to Baby Gap the other day and saw this cuteness.

(Images Gap.com)

Angela really did squeak when she saw the skirt with the tights. Understandably. They are super cute. I couldn't help being thankful, though, that Little Man is a boy. I don't want to deal with tights and bows and such for myself,  let alone a squirmy little one.

The squirmy-ness is what brings me to my point: Rompers and Kimonos are the bomb diggety.

(Rompers from Amazon.com)

(Kimonos from H&M)

These outfits are easy on, easy off. That's important when you are changing ten bazillion diapers a day. Also, most babies aren't in love with shirts being pulled over their heads, so these types of outfits make changes much more pleasant for all parties involved.

Obviously, at times Little Man just wants to wear his plus and plaid shorts, but when he wants no fuss, our go-tos are rompers and kimonos.

Gripe Water 

It has a cute name and seems to totally work in soothing a baby who has an upset stomach. Little Man has reflux, and while he's now on medication, the Gripe water helped suppress the acid for a little bit before being diagnosed. It also helps with gas and hiccups, two VERY common ailments for babies (Or is it just my baby??)

(Image from Amazon, though I purchased this product from Walgreen's.)

This particular product is natural and organic. It is made with ginger, fennel and chamomile. Apparently it is tasty, since Little Man seemed to look forward to getting a dose! General fussiness is normal for a baby, but if it gets a little out of control, Gripe Water should make it all a little more manageable.

Cloth Diapers

I made the decision to use cloth diapers on Little Man. I'll post more on that particular decision in the next few weeks, but I wanted to preface that post with my enthusiastic thumbs up for cloth diapers in general. I'm still trying out different covers, diapers, methods, soaps, and such, so I'm no expert. I'm working on gaining enough knowledge and experience to share with you.

During our extended time in the hospital we discovered that Little Man has sensitive skin. It really came as no surprise since I also have sensitive skin. I'd already decided on cloth diapers, but when I saw that angry red diaper rash on his brand spanking new skin, I knew that I'd made the right decision. And guess what? As soon as he'd been in the cloth for a day the redness was gone!

I'll probably devote a couple of posts to my diapers of choice and my process since most people looked at me like I'd sprouted a second head when I mentioned I was going to go cloth. Most people told me it would be way too difficult and way too much work. It turns out it is pretty manageable and something I actually enjoy doing.

I know it isn't for everyone. You know, people with jobs and dozens of kids. Or lives. maybe they just have lives.  However, for me, for now, it is definitely something I'm really proud of. The monitory savings are incredible, Little Man is happy and healthy, and I feel like in my own little way I'm making the world a better, less polluted place for him.

So what have you done lately that made people assume you'd lost your marbles?