Birthday, somewhere in the Thirties

My birthday was on a Sunday this year.  Which meant I didn't get my free food this year. But I guess I kinda did because my friend brought me dinner!  Well I invited them over for dinner, and then a few hours later I said, "Uh...it's 10 PM and we still haven't gone to the grocery store.  Do you have any food?" To which she said, "Yes! I will make the dinner!" pretty tacky of me, huh!  So she brought us baked ziti, salad, and peach cobbler. It was so delicious.  And we love their company.  Especially when they bail me out of making dinner! 

Also, Don cleaned the house for me and made me made me food throughout the day, so I got to be lazy the whole entire day! It was awesome!  Also, Don bought me this outfit:

I just informed him afterwards! He just asks, "Is that the outfit I bought you?"  And that's the way I like it.  I actually bought something made for a pregnant person.  You know it is much less depressing to shop in a maternity store when you are 29 weeks? (I am trying to forget) pregnant, as opposed to saying to yourself with normal people clothes, "Oh I bet I can fit into that...Nope! Can't even get it over my shoulders."

Chloe was more excited for my birthday than I was. She likes any excuse for a party. And cake.  And she made me a "keepsake box" out of a cereal box and Christmas wrapping paper to 'keep all my special things."  She is the best.

Friday night we went out to eat at Manuels and then came back for some chocolate cake.
So I had a pretty great birthday weekend. The weather even had a huge cool down!  We went to the young women fundraiser Saturday night which was held outside, and I was actually chilly! It was a small miracle.
Anyway, I am grateful for wonderful family and friends who made me feel special on my birthday!

Chelsey: " I am really excited about Adam's wedding."
Me: oh really, why?
Chelsey: Because he is moving out and then he can't bug me anymore.  And I am super happy for him.”

Don and I had our 9 year anniversary yesterday.  And this was the only picture we took to commemorate our evening out. We went to The Talking Stick Resort buffet.  And we ate a lot.  Which is what we enjoy doing, so it was a nice evening.  We were going to try and watch a movie afterwards, but we (I ) fell asleep because it was after 9.

Easter

 Easter was lovely.  Chloe had Friday off of school, so she got to go to Music Makers with us and the girls participating in their 1st egg hunt.  Saturday morning they went to another egg hunt put on by the community HOA...and not to mention they got "egged" so that was #3 egg hunt, and finally the family Easter party.  So 4 egg hunts. And I am ready to throw all the plastic eggs and candy away.  Easter Bunny was on the ball this year and actually had their Easter baskets done 2 weeks before Easter.  They were pretty excited to wake up and find their baskets filled with non candy Easter items. What a smart Easter Bunny.  Chloe keeps asking me about the Easter bunny and telling me how certain friends have told her the Easter bunny is just their parents.  And so I do what any good parent does: Lie.
The best part of our Easter is always the family party.  Even my elastic waist skirt was too tight after dinner.

 I just feel so beautiful these days. I am so done.  But I am so not even close to having this baby.  I still have 3 months.  Well a little less than three months.  And I have to stop talking about this because I am feeling a sense of claustrophobia coming over me at this exact moment.

 The girls sure looked cute. Of course I had to beg and plead Chloe to let me do her hair the way I wanted.

And I was a super awesome Mom on Saturday by setting up an Easter Egg dyeing session.  I really didn't want to do it, but I knew they would love it.  And they did.  So I was glad we did it, even if it was one tradition I didn't mind forgoing this year.

 Just enjoying the night sky with her Easter candy..

 swimming practice with Chloe...cheering her on with her gatorade and chips.

Baby Sista

I bought my first purchase for baby boy.  I have been eyeing this seersucker suit for 2 months and I decided I had better buy it before it was gone forever.  Macie was with me at Target yesterday, throwing girl bathing suits in my cart. "this is for me...this is for Chloe....this is for baby sista..."
And as I tell her every day, "Macie, you are having a baby brother, not a baby sister."
And then she just yells at me, "No!!! Itza baby sista!!"
Apparently she thinks I have some sort of control of what comes out.
So this is going to be interesting.  I hope Macie comes to term with having a baby brother.
She also tells me when she sees the Progressive Insurance commercials with Flo, "Look Mom! It's you!"
Why can't she say that when she sees Jennifer Lawrence?
Oh well. I used to tell my Mom she looked like Aunt Jemima on the pancake bottle.
Which I mean as a compliment.  I don't think she was very flattered.

Chloe and 2 of her friends tried out for their school talent show a couple days ago.  They sang....wait for it..."Let it Go." (along with about 10 other groups). But that is what they wanted to do, so to differentiate them from all the other groups, we had them wear costumes and they also had little bells to chime as they sang.  And I accompanied them on the piano instead of just karaoke style.  Unfortunately as soon as the other kids realized I could play the song, I started getting asked if I could play for them too.  We will find out probably today if they made it.  Secretly I would not be disappointed if they didn't as they practice twice a week for like 3 weeks in a row and parents have to attend every practice.  Macie was ticked that she didn't get to sing too.  we have entered a new stage where Macie screams at me everything that she wants to do.  Or doesn't want to do.  Or just her observations of people and things.  It goes something like this:
I...want...to...sing!!!!!!!  (Now in your mind picture that in a very loud, very raspy voice)
I...want....PANCAKES!!!!!!
I...did....not....POOP!!!!!!!
That...lady...has...white....hair...like...Elsa!!!!!!
etc. etc.
And if she does not like your response, she just yells it louder.
She has been spending a lot of time in her room lately.
Yesterday was not a great Mom day for me. She told me I needed to go to time out.  And then Don took the girls swimming.  When she came back she told Don, "I'm going to go see if Mom is happy now."
And, by the way, I was.
P.S. Elsa dresses are nowhere to be found.  Biggest oversight in history.
Also, why do all little girls want to be Elsa?  An Elsa dress on Amazon goes for $200.  Anna is *only $50.
Why don't they prefer Anna? She is the likable sister.  She is the one that is fun. And nice.  And not moody.  Elsa just spouts off cryptic, vague messages that everyone else around her is just supposed to be okay with. "I wish it could always be like this.  But it CAN'T."
Ooooookkkaaaay.  Guess I will leave you alone now.
"Wanna build a snowman?"
Answer? Silence.  For like 10 years.
Every time I watch "Frozen" (which might be in the hundreds by now) I get a little more annoyed by Elsa.  I just want to yell at her! Get a spine and stop running away and making everyone else deal with your problem!
That's all.

Kid stories

So today I was giving piano lessons, and in walks Macie acting like she was going to die.  She was all sweaty and demanding to be held. She told me her tummy hurt but when I asked if she needed to throw up or go to to the bathroom she shook her head no.  She was acting so strange and fidgety, I had no choice but to cancel the lesson.  I didn't know what I could do for her so I just held her, which even that didn't seem to help.  She almost fell asleep, but every time she was close, she woke back up with a pained expression on her face.  Then, she popped up, jumped off the couch and announced that she needed a diaper. RIGHT. NOW. I was perplexed being that she already had a pull up on, but I hurried and put a diaper on her.  Instantly she told me she felt better.  And then told me cheerfully that she needed to go to her room.
I assumed she meant she would be going #2.  I gave her a few minutes and went and checked on her.
No #2.  But she told me she had gone pee and that she was all better now.
And after a very confusing conversation, as most are with 3 year olds, I deducted the following.
1. Her tummy hurt because she was holding in her pee.
2.  She was afraid to go pee in her pull up because she was under the impression that it would "fall out."  (I guess in her mind she thinks the pull ups are actually underwear)
3. She was afraid she would get in trouble for peeing and making a mess. (which made me feel bad that the poor girl was putting herself through torture, but on the other hand, good grief, why didn't she just go use the toilet?)

I have given up on potty training and I have not pushed the issue for awhile.  But after this I now know for sure one thing. Macie has the ability to control her bladder.  That doesn't mean she is actually going to use the toilet any time soon.  Obviously she just really likes going to the bathroom in her diaper and that is it.

In other news, pictures to make you feel better about yourself:

So my bro is getting married in May.  And I have been looking for something to wear that didn't make me look and feel like a stuffed sausage.  So far I have failed.  I bought this dress online.  It is not maternity, but I felt like it would work as a maternity dress because of the high waistline.  But let's all just be real here, I look like a sad sack of bland potatoes.
I asked Chloe what she thought.  She told me, "Would it hurt your feelings if I told you the truth?"
I said, "No, you can tell me the truth. I promise."
And then she said, "Well is that dress supposed to be for pregnant people?"
And I said, "No, why?"
And then she said, "Well, I think that you should wear clothes made for pregnant people....But if you weren't pregnant, than you would look nice in that dress!"

How is my 6 year old so equipped already at productive female criticism?  I was pretty impressed. Chloe is pretty much the best kid ever.