BIG NEWS!!!

We are so happy to announce that Jenna is going to be a BIG SISTER! After one year of trying to conceive and going through a miscarriage, we are expecting! We are 13 weeks along, due July 6, 2010!!!

We are just so happy! We've been lucky enough to have five ultrasounds so far and everything is looking great! It's such a miracle to see the little baby moving all around and hearing the heartbeat!

Jenna is excited, but has no concept of time. We actually just told her last week and she said, "Oh great,...can I have some more spaghetio's?"
She is so cute and will talk to my belly, and if she hits my belly or her feet hit it, she will say she's sorry to the baby. I think she will be a great sister!

We will be finding out if it's a boy or girl and I will keep posting updates!

Jenna's FIRST haircut

We've been thinking for a while about getting Jenna's hair cut. Her hair was getting so long, but unfortunately, she got my thin fine hair. We thought she could pull off a cute bob with her spunky personality! We had to talk her into it for four hours. It involved bribery of candy and taking her to see the movie The Princess and the Frog. Finally it worked! She did SO well once we got there! Now she looks beautiful and had volume to her hair!

The Haircut

Me and Jenna before the haircut! I see a fake smile, I think she's nervous.



The first few cuts! The lady said she took off about 4.5"!!

She's doing so good!

The almost finished product, I don't think she's sold on it yet! Until the mention of a sucker comes along!


The Hair Now

Side view...see the added volume?

Back, like you can't tell that!

Beautiful little girl!

She likes it now!

Jenna's 3rd Birthday Party

Jenna will forever have a birthday close to Christmas! This year we celebrated with some friends a bit earlier. Here are some of the fun pictures. She had a blast!


The Birthday Girl! All ready for the party!


She LOVED her princess cake, and couldn't wait until it was time to eat it.


Celebrate! Happy Birthday to Me!


The kids playing one of her new games.


An almost 3 year old Jenna holding a newborn Jenna picture. Is that the same kid?


Clapping while singing "Happy Birthday!"


It's almost cake time!!!


Aren't those the cutest tights!? She was wearing her "Party dress."


Opening and opening presents. She will be doing a lot of the the next couple of weeks!

Stay tuned for more pictures because the day after her party, Jenna got her first haircut! A cute little bob! I LOVE it!!!

Halloween Video

I know this is a lot late, but I finally figured out how to get video off my blackberry onto blogger...So enjoy my little sweetie!

Now that I know how to do this, there will be lots more to come.

Dear Jenna, 35 months

Dear Jenna,
You are now past the 35 month mark! You are closer and closer to officially being 3! We are planning your little birthday party, princess themed of course, and you couldn't be more excited.



Now, for the last three years parents have been telling me, not to believe the term "Terrible Two's", because it really is "Torturous Three's". I am starting to think they were on to something. You are coming up with an major ATTITUDE lately and sometimes I'm just not sure what to do! Just yesterday, your report from daycare was the following:

Jenna wouldn't even take one bite of lunch. She screamed and cried until she was gagging and said she only wanted her milk and to be excused.

Jenna didn't take a nap (she usually naps for 2-3 hours a day at school).

Jenna pushed a couple of kids today.

OMG! Is this my sweet little Jenna?! We had a long talk last night and I hope to see better behavior today. You uses phrases like "Just leave me alone!", "You're driving me crazy!", "No, I am NOT going to do that."

I know you are testing me, and doing it daily! But, then at times you are still so sweet and will just want to cuddle. I'm praying this is just a stage.



So, while this letter isn't all roses, it's the truth. Through it all, I still love you more than words can say. Your Daddy and I are so proud of you and your spunky personality. I look at you some days and can't believe you are the same little itty baby we brought home from the hospital almost three years ago. You are tall, smart, beautiful, outgoing, active, and all the other things three year olds are! So, my little princess, enjoy your last month as a two year old!

Love always,

Mommy

Why? Cause why? But why?

We are at the "why?" stage! I knew it was coming sooner or later, and it's here now! Jenna is busting out the "why?" card all the time now. It's usually right before bed when the conversation goes something like this:

Me: Jenna, time to go to bed.

J: why?

Me: because it's night time and we're tired.

J: I want to sleep in your bed with you, there are monsters in my room!

Me: No honey, there is nothing scary in your room! Your bed is perfect just for you!

J: Why?

Me: because it is just your size and nice and cozy.

J: Cause why?

Me: Honey it's just time to go to sleep, I'll lay with you for a minute.

J: Ok, but I have something very important to say!

Me: what?

J: Why can't I sleep in your bed?

Me: This bed is just for you, it's in your room and time to go to sleep!

J: You're not listening to my words!

This conversation goes on and on with a few changes now and then, sometimes she's scared of something in her room, sometimes she needs a drink...but the "whys" are always there. She is a smart girl and I think she knows these conversations will extend my time in her room! Gotta love her!

Trick-or-Treat!

Jenna had so much fun trick-or-treating! She kept saying, "I just LOVE Halloween!" "I just LOVE trick-or-treating!" She was polite with thank you's for everyone too!



Jenna and her best buddy at daycare! How cute is that?!




Jenna and me before the parade at daycare. She wanted to leave her Halloween pants and socks on!




A "Beautiful Princess" is what Jenna wanted to be for Halloween!




Erik and I went to a Halloween Party! We were Pirates! ARGH!!

Dear Jenna, Month 34

Dear Jenna,
This letter is late! I'm sorry, life, vacation, everything, got in the way. You are so full of life and busy, we just go, go, go! I'll keep this letter short this time, but to sum it up you pretty much are the light of our lives.

You are busy, happy, funny, smart, and of course cute!

You had a fun month of October, you got to stay with your Grandma and Grandpa B. while Mom and Dad went on vacation, you loved getting ready for Halloween, you had fun at the Pumpkin Patch, and enjoyed Grandma B.'s birthday and mine in the month of October.



You continue to make us laugh, especially with your vocabulary and memory! The things you remember, I have no idea how. You use words like: actually, defiantly, and awesome. We came back from vacation with you saying "Excuse me Pig!" when you burp, because "That's what Grandpa says!"



Your love for life is contagious. Although, you do still like to relax and watch cartoons and read too!



Love you SO SO much and I cherish every day with you!

Love always,

Your Mommy

Happy 5 year Anniversary Hubby!

On October 23, Erik and I celebrated five years of marriage! The old cliche stands true, time flies! On our actual anniversary this year we were flying home from a much needed vacation, just the two of us! We went to Marco Island, which is where we honeymooned! We LOVE that place.

I feel so lucky to have Erik in my life, he is a great husband and dad! Here are some pictures from our wedding day. Man - these are depressing....I was so tiny!!!! Maybe this will be motivation to get there again!


I LOVE this picture!






We had an AWESOME martini bar made of ice! It was a HIT!!!


A Fall wedding, we had great decorations!

I LOVE you Honey! Happy 5 years, and many, many, many more!!!

Dear Blog...

Dear Blog,
I know I have been neglecting you lately! How dare life get in the way of my online journal!
Soon to follow this post, are the posts I owe you, such as Jenna's 34 month letter, a recap of my vacation with my husband for our 5 year anniversary, some odds and ends, and of course some pics to go with it all!

See you soon!

"I wish I was a little bit taller, I wish I was a baller!"

Remember that song? I don't even remember who sang it, if sang is the right word? Maybe rapped, spoke...
Anyway, I always think of that song now because of Jenna.

She doesn't quite get the "when I'm older". She associates being taller and bigger with being older. Everyday she will say things like:
"When I get taller, I'm gonna play soccer ball."

"When I get taller, I'm gonna play football."

"I'm gonna play baseball when I'm bigger."

Just another cute way to see the world through a toddlers eyes!

Dear Jenna, Month 33

Dear Jenna,

You are now 33 months old, closer and closer to being 3! I am a few days late writing this letter, but it seems that's just how my life has been lately. We've been busy at home and I'm just getting to it now, that also explains why the photos in this post all came from my blackberry instead of my nice Canon Rebel camera. Oops!



This month we've been conquering potty training. You all the sudden decided you were ready. While you are doing great with number 1, it's a bit more of a challenge with number 2. You are doing great and really enjoying the treats that come with it! You love wearing big girl underwear and we love it too!

You continue to be a social butterfly and are quite popular at school. You've also taken to your loss of your front tooth. It's just added to your character and charm! You still talk about it time to time, but always with a smile on your face.

Like I said, we've been busy this month, from visits from family, to events, to gymnastics class, to just life! You are a go getter and defiantly keep busy and on the go.



You're so excited for Fall when the leaves change and then for winter, which means it your birthday and Christmas. If you had your way, you will have 45,648 presents for your birthday. Everyday you see something you love and let us know you'd like it for your birthday.

You used to be content watching whatever cartoon was on the Noggin Network, now you always want "something else". We fight daily about Sponge Bob Square Pants. Why you want to watch that show, I don't know! You still like snacks just as much as always, but have taken to having expensive tastes. I know this is partly my fault, but it really is your grandma and GG's fault, because they made me that way too! You love Ghirardelli dark chocolate, cashews, and coffee! Are you 2.5 or 30?



As I always say, I love you so much! You make me laugh everyday and bring joy into our lives! You are a happy, confident, smart little girl. You will always be my baby!

Love always,

Your Mommy

I'll show you mine if you show me yours!

I think it FINALLY clicked! Jenna has been wearing big girl underwear the last three days! She has been doing great with hardly any accidents. She finally just decided to do it.
We've been working with her at home, and daycare has been great with her too. She is totally motivated by the treats and sticker charts!
I am so proud of her!

This morning I think I witnessed one of the ONLY times it's acceptable for her to show a BOY her underwear! Her friend Wyatt at daycare also is newly potty trained, and they ran to each other this morning and showed each other their big boy/girl underwear! Here is how the conversation went:

Wyatt: JENNA!!!

Jenna: Wyatt, I have on big girl underwear! (she pulls her shorts down and shows him) It's Tinkerbell underwear!

Wyatt: WOW! Look at mine, it's Elmo underwear! (he then shows his underwear to Jenna)

Jenna: WOW, that's awesome Wyatt!

The teacher and I just stood there and laughed that this is one of the only times and ages where this is acceptable!

Happy Birthday Honey!

We celebrated Erik's 31st birthday over the weekend with lots of family and lots of cake! Jenna was the most excited one and made us all get in the spirit. We had balloons and all had to wear birthday hats! Here are some pictures! She LOVES parties, which worries me a little bit!







Happy Birthday Honey!

The cold hard truth

As a parent, one of the things you want most is to always be able to protect your child. I find myself telling Jenna a lot, "It will be okay, Mommy's here." "I'll save you!" "Don't worry, I'll protect you."
As much as I'd like to believe this is true, it's just not possible to ALWAYS be there, and we learn that with their first fall, scrape, bruise, etc. It's the COLD. HARD. TRUTH. I joke about it, but she really can't live in a bubble.

Of course, we went through this a couple of weeks ago when Jenna fell at school and had to have surgery to remove her tooth. I wasn't there to protect her.

Most recently, our smoke detectors went off at 2am! I ran right away to get Jenna, she was crying, screaming, and shaking, she was so scared. I felt so bad, I wanted to cry for her. When I got her calmed down and my heart rate returned to normal, I felt bad that she was so scared. It was just a false alarm (battery) and everything was okay, but she's been talking about it for the last two days, so I know it really scared her.

So, I've come to the conclusion that although I won't be able to always save and protect her, I WILL ALWAYS be there to comfort her. Through the years she will have more injuries, and physical and emotional pain. It's part of life and I know she will (hopefully) learn from these situations and I won't always be able to stop them from happening or protect her.

Jenna - I promise I WILL always be there to comfort you and be there for you, to try to remind you how much you are loved and how truly special and great you are!

So cute - check these out!

A while back I posted that my cousin, Kristyn, designs greeting cards and uses funny things kids say. Part of any proceeds go to help fund after school programs!

She has a new site and it's better than ever! It doesn't hurt that my little Jenna is featured on two of the cards. Check it out here!

Give us a break!!

Please...give us a break! No more hospital visits, surgeries, medical issues...We've each had our share now! I had my miscarriage, Erik has his stay in the hospital for chest pains, and now Jenna! Of course, I would have gladly broken my leg if she wouldn't have had to go through this, but it didn't happen like that! We deserve a break! Of course, yes, things could have been worse, but it has just been draining the last couple of months.

Last week was awful! Jenna fell at school and chipped and fractured her front tooth vertically, which resulted in surgery on Friday morning to remove the tooth. It was painful physically and emotionally for all of us! Our beautiful little girl now has a big gap in her smile and most likely will until her permanent tooth comes in. The tooth is actually in two pieces! She was sedated and had an IV and then proceeded to get sick after coming out of the anesthetic. We are doing a follow up to see if there is a bridge or spacer they can put in, until then we are letting her heal! She is as cute as ever to me and was SUCH a trooper through the whole process.

Here are a few pictures.


The last picture I took of Jenna with her smile and teeth intact!



The tooth and chin after the fall at daycare.



Her smile this morning after surgery!

Dear Jenna - 32 Months

Dear Jenna,

Today you are 32 months! December will be here before we know it. Well, maybe not to you. You talk about your birthday every day and I don't think it can come fast enough for you.

This month you've continued to suprize us with how smart you are, while at the same time showing quite an attitude. You still tend to act like a broken record with things you repeat 1,453,759 times. Your favorite one, "I need a snack." You weren't even out of bed this morning before you said that one. My favorite one, "Mommy, you're my favorite person in the whole wide world."




Your love of friends is so fun to watch. Any little kid is your friend and you are quite popular at daycare. If you see any of the neighbors outside you automatically will get your shoes on and say, "I want to see my friends!"

This month you got to go to a reunion and see all of your Grandma and Grandpa's up north. We also went to a Splash Park with your other Grandma and Grandpa and GG's. You always have lots of fun with your family, and I think it's safe to say they have lots of fun with you too.

You love to read, watch cartoons, and are into princesses who live in castles. You even think the fish at Meijer are princesses since they have a castle in their tank. You are a little adult and often will repeat things you've heard. This morning we were driving to school and you decided your stuffed penguin was sleeping. This is what you said to me.

"Mommy, we have to be quiet, he's sleeping. No barking at people and no screaming! Remember, be quiet and don't be scared."

Okay...I didn't know I bark at people, but thanks honey.

So, happy 32nd month! You always keep us guessing what's going to come out of your mouth next. You are a joy, even when you are a brat, and I love you more than words can say. I hope you keep your confidence and social skills as you get older! Love you honey!

Love always,

Your Mommy

Stop the Tude!

Oh my! Yes, Jenna is smart, funny, cute, blah blah blah! She has a major attitude lately. I think she is too smart for her own good. For some reason, she decides to pull this attitude mostly with me. She's great for family, friends, and even Erik usually. I get the majority of it. It's so weird, one minute she's telling me I'm her best friend and favorite person in the world and the next she's screaming, yelling, pushing me away! It's awful! If she doesn't get a chocolate treat when she asks, you'd think I told her I was taking her birthday away.

I know, she's 2.5 and I keep hearing it will continue through the trying 3's also! UGH - I'm exhausted already! A few weeks ago, we went to a family reunion. It was awful. I know she's not great in crowds and there were a lot of people there, but she was bad! Bad in the sense that I sat in the car with her most of the day watching Clifford the Big Red Dog bad! She could not even handle it! She wanted cake, she wanted candy, she wanted to leave, and on and on.

I recently tried to get her pictures taken professionally. I don't have the proofs yet, and the lady is really good, but we'll see how good she really is! I was so tired after the 1.5 hours of the shoot, I wanted to cry. Jenna was not good, the bride of chocolate and smarties didn't even phase her! What?! That always works!

"No, I don't want to sit there! I'm not going to smile, I don't want wear that, I don't want to go there! No, I'm never going to do that!"

If she did "smile" it was her fake cheesy camera smile. Honey - that is not what I'm paying all this money for! So, more to come on those, but I don't think we will be doing professional photos again until she is five!

Give me strength, and a mute button, and a vacation!

Mini panic attack

Last night I was awoken at 2am to Jenna crying "Mommy! Mommy, I hurt!!" I jumped out of bed and my foot was tangled in the sheet, so I almost fell out of bed! I ran to her room, her door was open and Jenna wasn't in there. Then I saw her standing in the hallway near the living room.

It was dark but as I got closer I saw something dark all over her shirt and her face! I stared to panic, I wasn't thinking totally straight since I had just woken up. She told me she was hurt and then said she had a boogie and needed a Kleenex! It turns out she had a bloody nose! Oh my gosh, I calmed down and cleaned her up. I had to turn a light on so she started asking to watch cartoons, and read, and get a drink because she was "pretty thirsty".

Anyway, I had to take the sheets off her bed and stain guard them and get her cleaned up and back down to sleep. So, all is fine. What the heck, was she picking her nose while she was sleeping? Who will ever know!

Jenna and Baby Ella

*Sorry, I had to delete and repost this due to blogging issues. Thanks for those who commented!

One of my best friends came over the other day with her newborn baby girl and Jenna got to meet baby Ella at just one month old. Jenna was in love with her, trying to feed her her bottle, sing to her, rock her, and count her toes!

I think it's the beginning of a lifelong friendship!

I'm a cowboy...no wait, I'm a pirate!

Jenna's swingset has a red two person horse thing, sorry, I have no idea what it's called. Click on the link to see the picture.

Anyway, she rides it a lot and this is what she says,
"Yee-haw! I'm a cowboy! Looking for the treasure, ARGH!"

For some reason, she gets cowboys and pirates confused. That's okay, when I was little I used to get rubberbands and band-aids confused.

I love her anyway, whatever she is!

What's next? Acne and Awkward Dances?

There are times I think Jenna is a 2.5 year old going on 14! Given our mornings are sometimes rushed since I try to let her sleep as late as she can, but I don't need an attitude. She is all about making choices. She is in a dress stage, so we put on her sundress, then I gave her a choice of shoes and she picked a pair.

I then asked her how she wanted her hair and this is her response:

"I don't care! Don't talk to me! Just leave me alone!" She pouted and stormed off.

Uh...okay?! The next minute she was hugging my leg. Sometimes I don't get the kid at all!

Sleep tight!

Jenna's been in her big girl bed since Sunday night. She is doing so well! I was preparing myself for a tough transition, but it's been smooth. The first night so came out in the living room three or four different times, and since then, she hasn't been out at all. It's so cute to hear her reading or talking in there and then she just drifts off to sleep.



She loves her big girl bed and feels special! It was sad taking apart the crib, and for now, it's in the basement. Hopefully we can bring it back up soon to get a new nursery ready!